January 2019 - Page 3 of 4

IITA score card: Over 7.2 million people lifted out of poverty and 800+ ha of degraded lands restored

By 2018 IITA Socioeconomics and Natural Resource Management teams estimate that the Institute would have already lifted 7.2 million people out of poverty and rehabilitated 875,500 ha of degraded land. These are efforts towards realization of the Institute’s vision of lifting 7.5 million people out of poverty and rehabilitating 10.5 million of degraded land and…

Youth in Agribusiness Office lead Evelyn Ohanwusi

IYA maps out strategies to encourage youth engagement in agriculture

During the 2018 P4D Week which took place 26 to 30 November, the IITA Youth in Agribusiness office laid out some of the strategies and methods it is employing to encourage youth engagement in agriculture and enhance the growth of youth-led agricultural initiatives. At an earlier presentation, the ENABLE-TAAT Youth Coordinator and Head of the…

IITA targets scaling and sustainability in research development and delivery

The IITA Development and Delivery Office gave an outline of new generation scaling activities and projects that it is implementing to ensure the actualization of the IITA transformation agenda across sub-Saharan Africa. These were highlighted on the opening day of the 2018 P4D Week which took place between 26 and 30 November. In his presentation…

P4D Week reiterates IITA’s commitment to go beyond research

More than 200 scientists, development experts, and researchers from all IITA hubs, along with members of the IITA Board of Trustees, convened at IITA Headquarters in Ibadan for the 2018 Partnerships for Delivery (P4D) Week, on 26–30 November. The 5-day event, themed, “Beyond Research,” provided an opportunity for the participants to interact, exchange ideas, and…

IITA Cameroon participates in the “first ever” World Soil Day celebration

On 5 December, staff of IITA Cameroon, led by Martin Yemefack, IITA Senior Scientist, convened at the main campus of The Institute of Agricultural Research for Development (IRAD), Nkolbisson in Yaoundé, to participate in the World Soil Day 2018 celebration. Being the maiden edition, the event was commemorated with a symposium themed “Soil nutrient management:…

IITA and Government of Benin sign Host Country Agreement

The Government of Benin through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation signed a Host Country Agreement with IITA in Benin last 17 December. The signing ceremony was presided over by the Secretary General of the Ministry, Ambassador Hervé Djikpé, who signed on behalf of the Government of Benin, and the IITA-Benin Country Representative Manuele…

Obasanjo to join forces with IITA and Bayer on disseminating innovations on weed control and others to farmers

Former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has agreed to support the dissemination of improved technologies on weed control and other agricultural innovations to farmers, as part of efforts to bring about agricultural transformation in Africa. Chief Obasanjo declared his position when he received a delegation comprising Bayer and IITA officials in Ogun State. The…

FAO recognizes IYA’s youth empowerment initiative

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has named the IITA Youth in Agribusiness (IYA) program as one of the 20 Success Stories of Agricultural Innovation from around the world. These were profiled at the first International Symposium on Agricultural Innovation for Family Farmers, which took place in Rome, Italy between 21…

Forest Center of IITA celebrates ‘First-ever’ Nigerian Bird Festival

On 6 and 7 December, the IITA Forest Center celebrated the first-ever Nigerian Bird Festival with funding support from the AG. Leventis Foundation and US Consulate General, Lagos. The event convened students, ornithologists, environmentalists and nature lovers on the IITA-Ibadan campus, to celebrate birds and highlight the need to protect them and their habitats. Over…

IITA’s mobile app to track cassava seeds now in Tanzania

Timely access to quality seed is a major challenge in the production of cassava in Tanzania. A mobile application for real-time tracking of cassava seed production developed by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) for Nigeria is now available in Tanzania as part of efforts to address this challenge. The application, known Cassava SeedTracker,…