IITA News

AWF and IITA proffer sustainability and conservation interventions in DRC

The tropical agricultural research project “Mapping patterns of governance and technological innovations in a tropical forest–agriculture frontier of the Democratic Republic of Congo” was carried out from December 2012 to September 2018, and covered a 2000 km² area in Carré Djolu-Befale (CaDjoBe), around Djolu-Lingomo, Lingomo-Mompono, Mompono-Befori, and Befori-Djolu in Tshuapa Province of Democratic Republic of…

Youth Agripreneur insists beans can be preserved naturally without using Sniper

Bose Idowu graduated from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) with a BSc in Animal Science and an MBA in Agribusiness. She joined the IITA Youth Agripreneurs (IYA) program in 2012 as part of the Cereals and Legumes team, where she was trained in cultivation and farm management on farms in northern Nigeria. “We…

IITA scientists develop multiple stress tolerant maize hybrids with high levels of Pro-Vitamin A

Vitamin A deficiency is a major health problem in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Striga hermonthica (Giant Witchweed) and drought are two major constraints to maize production in the sub-region. Development and deployment of multiple stress tolerant maize hybrids with high levels of Pro-Vitamin A (PVA) offers a solution to food insecurity and malnutrition in SSA. The…

Picture of Team of CGIAR scientists with IITA DDG-P4D, Kenton Dashiell (front row, 3rd from right). Photo by Paul DemoCIP.

IITA and other CGIAR centers participate in PfRR learning event in South Sudan

A delegation of several CGIAR scientists led by IITA Deputy Director General, Partnerships for Delivery (DDG-P4D) Kenton Dashiell took part in the Partnership for Recovery and Resilience’s (PfRR) Accountability and Learning Event, 13-15 November, in Juba, South Sudan.

Picture of Alfred Dixon, Director, P4D Office (left), and Owolabi Oladejo, the President and Founder of MBS (right), shaking hands after the MoU signing

IITA signs MoU with media company

In a bid to disseminate IITA’s best-bet proven innovations, and improve the institute’s visibility, IITA and the Metropolitan Broadcasting Services (MBS) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to move the agenda forward.

Photos showing the unique morphological traits of various banana and plantain varieties that help in their identification

Scientists develop a photo database of cooking banana and plantain to aid variety differentiation

It is estimated that over 30 million people in sub-Saharan Africa depend on East Africa highland cooking bananas (EAHB) and plantain as their principal source of dietary carbohydrates. These include Matooke in East and Central Africa (ECA) and plantains in Western and Central Africa (WCA).

Picture of Dr Busie Maziya-Dixon, Prof I.A. Adeyemi, and Dr Olutayo Adeyemi.

IITA participates in 42nd NIFST conference

The 42nd Conference of the Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology took place 15-18 October at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria.

Picture of Dr Kolade in the field with the ‘Leaf Doctor’ App

AfricaYam project wins ISTRC best poster award

The poster paper of the AfricaYam project on “Yam anthracnose phenotyping” was adjudged the best poster of the 18th Triennial Symposium of the International Society for Tuber and Root Crops (ISTRC) held 22–25 October at Cali, Colombia.

Picture of Latifa Mrisho, A PhD student at IITA, giving a presentation on the app to potential partners in Tanzania

Exploring partnership to get AI app for disease diagnostics into farmers’ hands

“Nuru,” a Swahili word meaning “light”, is a smartphone app that uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to diagnose, in real time, crop pests and diseases. It was developed by Pennsylvania State University (PSU), USA, in partnership with the plant pathology team at IITA-Tanzania led by James Legg. The app is able to…

Picture of Francis Onyilo, IITA PhD student, (3rd from left, on the second line) with other selected felleows and the WFP organizers

IITA PhD student among 10 top fellows selected to attend the 2018 World Food Prize

A PhD student at IITA, Francis Onyilo, was among the 10 fellows of the Borlaug Leadership Enhancement in Agricultural Programme (Borlaug LEAP) selected to attend this year’s World Food Prize festivities in Des Moines, Iowa. The 10 were selected based on their excellence in research, mentorship, and leadership. The main purpose for the participation of…