IITA News

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

IITA DG pays courtesy visit to Japanese government, MAFF, and MoFA Japan

In related news, Sanginga embarked on courtesy visits to MAFF and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA). IITA Board Member, Dr Shuichi Asanuma, and Yam Agronomist, Dr Ryo Matsumoto, completed the IITA delegation. Mr Yoshihisa Hishinuma, Director-General, Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries Research Council Secretariat, and Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) President, Dr Masaru…

IITA yam breeding team visits yam processing company in Japan

The IITA yam improvement team consisting of Asrat Amele, Head of Yam Breeding, Patrick Adebola, Project Leader of AfricaYam, and Ryo Matsumoto, Yam Agronomist, visited the Maruko Foods yam processing factory in Japan together with IITA Director General Nteranya Sanginga and IITA Board Member, Dr Shuichi Asanuma, on 27 August. Also in the delegation were…

AfricaYam holds activity meeting at IBRC

An AfricaYam project meeting was held with collaborators Dr Ryohei Terauchi, Lead Scientist at the Iwate Biotechnology Research Center (IBRC), and Dr Satoru Muranaka from Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS). IBRC is one of the 11 partner Institutes of the AfricaYam project led by IITA. Terauchi invited scientists from IITA, Dr Patrick…

Sanginga visits IITA Accra

On 4 September, IITA Director General Nteranya Sanginga visited the IITA-Accra office in Ghana to interact with staff members. The visit to the station coincided with the DG’s attendance at the 2019 African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), which took place in Accra on 3–6 September. The DG also delivered a presentation there as an introduction…