IITA News

TAAT and ACAI train stakeholders on Good Agronomy Technology Practice

The Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) project in collaboration with the African Cassava Agronomy Initiative (ACAI) conducted a training on Good Agricultural Technologies’ Practices (GATP) and Mechanization for cassava stakeholders in Mkuranga, Eastern Zone Tanzania. The training is part of TAAT’s core objective to empower project stakeholders for efficient and effective deployment of appropriate…

IITA scientists and partners screen up to 189 types of banana for provitamin A

R4D Special Scientists have finalized the mammoth task of screening up to 189 banana genotypes to identify those with high levels of provitamin A for integration into IITA’s banana improvement program as part of ongoing efforts to develop banana hybrids with enhanced vitamin A. The fat-soluble vitamin A is essential for vision, reproduction, growth, and…

Oyo State NIRSAL team visits IITA

Representatives from the Nigeria Incentive-based Risk sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) visited IITA-Ibadan on 23 May. The visit aimed to seek out opportunities for collaboration with IITA, especially in agribusiness. NIRSAL, a subsidiary of the Central Bank of Nigeria, responsible for funding farmers for optimum agricultural production, has offices in all states of Nigeria….

International info and data body recognizes IITA staff with a fellowship award

IITA’s Institutional Data Manager, Olatunbosun Obileye (Bosun), was recently conferred a 3-year fellowship by IASSIST (International Association for Social Science Information Services & Technology) in Sydney, Australia during its 2019 conference. The fellowship provides free access to its membership network with opportunities to collaborate on funded projects, get technical support, participate in training and development of…

IITA and CIRAD sign MoU for building sustainable farming systems

During the visit of His Excellency Mr Jerome Pasquier, Ambassador of France to Nigeria on 14 May, IITA signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD), as both institutes share commonalities in working for the sustainable development of tropical regions. Read more

Yara Tanzania to partner with ACAI on dissemination of agronomy advice tools

Yara Tanzania, a subsidiary of the global fertilizer conglomerate Yara International ASA, has agreed to partner with the African Cassava Agronomy Initiative (ACAI) in the dissemination of its cassava agronomy decision support tools (DSTs). ACAI has been doing research to develop a suite of agronomy advice tools to help improve cassava intensification, productivity, and production…

New study offers first-ever insight on resistance mechanism of a wild banana relative

R4D Special The Banana Xanthomonas wilt (BXW) disease, caused by a bacterium, Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum (Xcm), is one of the most devastating diseases endangering the livelihood of millions of farmers in East Africa, the largest banana-producing and -consuming region in Africa. It affects all banana cultivars grown in East Africa and only a wild type…

Multidisciplinary team from NCRI visits IITA Ibadan

A multidisciplinary team from National Cereals Research Institute (NCRI) visited IITA Ibadan, on 7 May. The purpose of the visit was to strengthen the collaboration between the institutions. The team led by Dr Aliyu Umar, Executive Director of NCRI Badeggi, included Dr Bakare Samuel, Head of Research Operations; Dr A.B. Umaru, Head of Soybean Program,…

DG Sanginga honors student from IITA Malawi

In April, DG Nteranya Sanginga visited IITA Malawi, for the handover ceremony of the Aflatoxin laboratory as well as opening of the renovated offices of IITA Malawi. This visit birthed a great opportunity for a young and passionate research technician, Madalitso Mhango, who is also a fourth-year student of Journalism and Mass Communication at the…

Oyo Governor commissions IITA Projects

Former President of Nigeria and IITA Goodwill Ambassador, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo GCFR, together with the Governor of Oyo State, HE Senator Abiola Ajimobi, commissioned two key projects at IITA, Ibadan, on 25 May. These include the Agricultural Transformation Building dedicated to research and delivery of innovations to farmers across Nigeria and Africa in general, and…