IITA News

Senior team visits YIIFSWA-II project sites in Nigeria

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Senior Program Officer of YIIFSWA-II project, Lauren Good and the Project Leader Norbert Maroya, YIIFSWA-II visited project activities in Abuja, the Nigerian Federal Capital Territory as well as sites in Ogun and Oyo states. The field visit organized by the Project Leader presented an opportunity for the Program Officer…

IITA Kalambo station named after Pres. Olusegun Obasanjo

DR Congo President officiates at naming ceremony and launching of biotechnology lab in IITA’s Kalambo Station in DR Congo. The IITA Kalambo Station – located in South-Kivu Province, in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo – will be named “The President Olusegun Obasanjo Research Campus” by His Excellency the President of the Democratic Republic of…

IITA to name research station in Kalambo after longtime collaborator and Goodwill Ambassador

On 8 October, IITA will officially inaugurate the Institute’s research station in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The event will also serve as the naming ceremony where the Kalambo station will be designated The President Olusegun Obasanjo Research Campus, in honor of the former Nigerian President and IITA Goodwill Ambassador. Read more

IITA trains tutors on climate smart agriculture for sustainable food security in Tanzania

IITA-Tanzania, as part of the Building Capacity for Resilient Food Security Project, trained 33 tutors from agricultural training institutes across 14 regions in Tanzania on Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) technologies and practices for the various agroecological zones. The training is part of the project’s objective to build the country’s capacity to effectively respond to the…

IITA launches STEP at planning workshop

A 3-day planning workshop for the Start Them Early Program (STEP) is ongoing at IITA Headquarters, Ibadan. The purpose of the workshop is to launch STEP and make plans for its operations in the next one year. STEP is currently operating in Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, and Nigeria, with the vision of transforming African…

R4D Special: Scientists show which genetic loci are associated with bunch weight in highland banana

Scientists have, for the first time, located major quantitative trait loci associated with bunch weight and its component traits in Matooke, the East African Highland cooking banana. This is an important breakthrough in efforts to speed up breeding of improved high-yielding varieties for both food security and improved household incomes in the region. Increasing banana…

IITA joins push for gender-responsive climate change action in Tanzania

IITA in Tanzania, alongside other actors in the field of climate change, organized a session for members of Tanzanian Women Parliamentary Group (TWPG) to create awareness about the importance of gender responsive policies, plans, and strategies for climate change adaptation and mitigation. The parties, under the umbrella of the Tanzania Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance (TCSAA),…

Biodiversity focus: IITA Forest Center monitors bird populations with mist nets

The IITA Forest Reserve is one of 27 sites designated as Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) in Nigeria. The 350-ha forest qualifies as an IBA because it holds 67 bird species that are restricted to the Guinea-Congo Forest Biome, and the entire IITA-Ibadan Campus, which consists of other habitat types, is a haven for…

Improved soybean varieties increase farmer incomes by 53% – study shows

Without a doubt, maize is the giant of all food crops in Malawi. However, most smallholder farmers often intercrop maize with soybean, thus making it an equally important crop. Soybean enhances soil fertility, thus improving crop yields which results in increased incomes. Soybean improves soil fertility by using its natural ability to fix nitrogen in…

IITA participates in TICAD 7 in Japan

IITA Director General Nteranya Sanginga participated in The Seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 7) on 28–29 August, held in Yokohama, Japan. The TICAD was launched in 1993 by the Government of Japan, to promote Africa’s development, peace and security, through the strengthening of relations in multilateral cooperation and partnership, particularly with the country. Read more