IITA News

Cassava farmers in Tanzania to benefit from new industry partnership with ACAI project

At a recent meeting in Tanzania, IITA, through the African Cassava Agronomy Initiative (ACAI) and the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI-Naliendele) agreed to explore areas of collaboration with the Cassava Starch Tanzania Corporation (CSTC). Demand for cassava is increasing as more companies are seeking to process the roots into high-value, starch-rich flour. New processing capacity…

TAAT cassava compact launched in Burundi

With support from the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) Cassava Compact was launched on 2 April in Bujumbura, Burundi. The Director General of the National Office for Seed Inspection and Certification (Office National de Contrôle et de Certification des Semences [ONCCS]), Fidèle Gahungu, opened the ceremony on behalf of…

BASICS ARPM 2019: Communicating and outscaling successes beyond project life

The Building an Economically Sustainable Integrated Seed System for Cassava (BASICS) project hosted its stakeholders for the 2019 Annual Review and Planning Meeting (ARPM) on 11–13 March at IITA-Ibadan, Nigeria. Director of Pipal Limited, Kenya, Sue Davison, facilitated the meeting with the theme “Communicate,” which reflected on the activities of the project in the past…

Stakeholders express interest in SAH technology in DR Congo

In February, a meeting was organized at IITA Kalambo to share the progress made in the introduction of the Semi-Autotrophic Hydroponics (SAH) technology at Kalambo station. Cassava is one of DR Congo’s principal crops, with per capita consumption of 453 kg per year; it is also a main pillar for food security for 80% of…

Showing off Aflasafe products: (L-R) MISST Project Advisor, Dr Patrick Okori; US Deputy Chief of Mission, Andrew Hirrup; Controller of Agriculture Services, Dr Alexander Bulirani; and DG Sanginga.

DG Sanginga graces handover of aflatoxin laboratory and launch of Aflasafe in Malawi

During the recent handover of the Aflatoxin Research and Training laboratory in Malawi on 10 April, IITA Director General Nteranya Sanginga challenged players in the agricultural industry to vigorously fight aflatoxin, which contaminates up to 30% of groundnut and maize in Malawi. Dr Sanginga was joined by the Deputy Chief of Mission for the US…

DG Sanginga inaugurates renovated IITA-Malawi offices

On his recent visit to Malawi, on 8-10 April, IITA Director General Nteranya Sanginga inaugurated the newly refurbished offices and laboratories, applauding the hard work of the staff. The renovated offices now consist of a spacious reception area, 20 offices that can accommodate up to 35 staff, a new Semi-Autotrophic Hydroponics (SAH) laboratory for rapid…

Meeting with staff and exhibition of IITA's work with partners

DG meets with staff; looks at IITA’s work with partners

During the meeting with staff, the DG discussed issues of gender, youth in agriculture, staff welfare, and career development. “Consider yourself as part of the global staff and that you are an ambassador of IITA right from your communities to the airport. IITA stands in good shape with your support,” remarked Sanginga. Following an overview…

The new look of CKAN, with its many enhanced features.

IITA introduces flexible data citation in CKAN

The IITA Communication Unit’s Data Management section has been working extensively to increase the visibility of IITA research outputs. DataKind, United Kingdom, took note of the achievement along with an exceptional high-quality dataset with the repository. One of the concerns of open access is that open data that is reused under a Creative Commons Attribution…

Dr Saethre interacting with scientists at one of the soybean fields in Malawi, Chitedze Research Station.

DDG-R4D visits IITA’s field research activities in Southern Africa Hub locations

From 23 to 31 March, IITA Deputy Director General-Research for Development (DDG-R4D), May-Guri Saethre, had a successful field visit to Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia in the Southern Africa Hub to appreciate the advancement of new research and technologies. She appealed to scientists to take a more vigorous approach to deal with pests and diseases particularly…

TAAT success story: Empowering women farmers through Urea Deep Placement Technology

Kadiolo is a town in the Sikasso Region of southern Mali, which lies about 13 km north of the border with Ivory Coast and 30 km west of the border with Burkina Faso. The town is an agrarian community with nearly everyone engaging in agriculture at the subsistence level. Faced with a family to feed…