Plant Health Archives - Page 2 of 15

IITA, AfS partner to promote biotech communication

Partnering with the Cornell Alliance for Science (AfS), IITA has launched the Biotech Communications Capacity Building program to implement Africa’s training activities. Launched in September 2020, the 4-year project plans to address misinformation around crop biotechnology, specifically genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and genome-edited products. Another object is countering conspiracy theories and disinformation campaigns that hinder…

Scientists develop mini-core collection for guinea yam germplasm

With West Africa accounting for 92% of the world’s annual yam production (67 million tons; FAO, 2018), yam plays a significant role in the region’s food security and income generation. While yam is a common name for the multiple crop species belonging to the genus Dioscorea, widely cultivated as a staple crop in tropical and subtropical regions, Dioscorea rotundata is the most…

Female scientists seek enabling environment in the CGIAR

Female scientists play an essential role at the forefront of CGIAR’s mission to deliver science and innovation that advance the transformation of food, land, and water systems in a climate crisis. Female scientists, representing 29% of the CGIAR workforce, power its innovation but still require more support to thrive. This led to the creation of Women in Research and Science (WIRES), a new employee-led resource group (ERG)…

Adoption of gender-responsive approaches towards research on pest and disease management

Studies have shown that adopting a gender perspective while conducting agronomic research and extension work provides more efficient approaches to managing pests and diseases at the field level. This is because women and men farmers often play different roles in agricultural production. Women possess different knowledge levels about pests and diseases and are differently involved…

Scaling up innovations: IITA’s commitment to African agricultural transformation

In 2017, IITA celebrated 50 years of service to Africa and its smallholder farmers in particular. Since then, the Institute has advanced even further in its mission to transform African agriculture through collaboration with farmers and farming communities, youth and women in agribusiness, and other partner-stakeholders. IITA’s 2019 Annual Report detailed this work and highlighted the delivery of…

IITA trains extension agents and agro-input dealers on Integrated Pests Management for cowpea production

Through the Feed the Future Nigeria Integrated Agriculture Activity, IITA recently trained extension agents and agro-input dealers in Adamawa and Borno States on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques for cowpea production. The training exposed participants to a pest control system that does not depend on the automatic application of pesticides; instead, the IPM regulates pests using various control measures, including mechanical, cultural, and biological. The IPM focuses on pest management that…

IITA to lead One-Health in Ghana-Benin under AICCRA Project

In a bid to help African countries strengthen the resilience of their agricultural sector against the threat posed by climate change, a $60 million grant has been awarded for the ‘Accelerating the Impact of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa’ (AICCRA) project. The project will concentrate its activities in six countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Senegal,…

Scientists reveal the hybrid origin of the white Guinea yam

An international team of scientists has revealed the origin of the most popular food staple in Africa, the white Guinea yam. Yam is a major staple widely consumed in West Africa. This starchy tuber is an important food crop that contributes to the sustenance and sociocultural lives of over 300 million people in the region….

Managing Xanthomonas Wilt of Banana (BXW) using Single Diseased Stem Removal (SDSR) technique

Xanthomonas wilt has been affecting banana fields in Rwanda since 2005. Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resource Development Board (RAB), and IITA introduced the Single Diseased Stem Removal technique, considered as the best approach to fight the disease in Rwanda. Watch new video (www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4mGpm00vD0) about the SDSR technique on IITA’s…

Novel and effective technique to control Banana Xanthomonas wilt is suitable for Rwandan agroecology

Banana is a major commodity in Rwanda, used as both a cash and (staple) food crop; it covers 23% of Rwanda’s land and is grown by 90% of households. Rwanda is one of the largest banana producers in the East Africa Region and ranks second in banana consumption globally with an annual per capita consumption…