IITA News

DRC governor cites IITA efforts to combat food/nutritional security

At the closing ceremony of a 3-day international conference that put nutrition at the top of the development agenda, the Governor of South Kivu Province of DR Congo, His Excellency Marcellien Cishambo, commended IITA for its bold steps to address food and nutritional security in the country and especially in South Kivu. According to the…

IITA hosts “Alliance” workshop on Banana Bunchy Top Disease (BBTD)

Consolidating the progress on Learning Alliance efforts to address the impact of the Banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV) disease in Africa was the focus of a 6-day workshop organized by the “Alliance for Banana Bunchy Top Disease Control in Africa” at IITA, Ibadan, Nigeria. “The objectives of the workshop, held 23−29 May, were to strengthen…

SARD-SC maize lauded at planning workshop for refining IP system for enhancing productivity

Over 50 stakeholders, including national partners, researchers, farmers, Innovation platform representatives. IITA maize team, members of maize associations, and SARD-SC project maize country coordinators met in early April in Accra, Ghana, for the planning meeting and workshop of the maize component of the project The workshop deliberated and developed work plans for the year and…

IITA signs MoU with CATAS on improved crop varieties and cultivation techniques

IITA has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences (CATAS) to enhance the introduction of new crop varieties and cultivation techniques to IITA in the next five years. Speaking at the signing of the MoU held at IITA Nigeria (Abuja), Gbassey Tarawali, who signed on behalf of IITA,…

High soybean prices bode well for IITA’s MISST project

The soybean marketing season is in full swing. Buyers are everywhere looking for the crop. In a drought-hit farming season, soybean has generally done well and farmers are at least assured of getting something from their produce. Prices have been good this year. A snap survey showed that soybean prices have increased by an average…

IITA launches seed systems project in Mozambique

IITA, with partners, launched the USAIDfunded “Feed-the-Future Mozambique Improved Seeds for Better Agriculture” (SEMEAR) project with a stakeholders’ meeting and workshop held at the Hotel Melinio in Nampula, Mozambique on 20−21 April. SEMEAR is a 5-year (2015−2019) program led by IITA that will use a winwin, public−private partnership approach to disseminate improved legume seeds and…

Picture of AgResults implementers and buyers linkup during the Innovation Platform workshop

AgResults organizes Innovation Platform for implementers and buyers of Aflasafe™ maize

AgResults linked over 30 implementers of aflasafe-treated maize with potential buyers during its Innovation Platform workshop, held on 25 May, at the Best Western Hotel, Lagos, Nigeria. Building on three years of success of the AgResults Project in private sector-led innovations through the “pull” mechanism, the workshop aimed to create an enabling environment for potential…

Picture of Youth Agripreneurs preparing food products during the training

ATASP-1 trains youth agripreneurs on sorghum, rice, and cassava value chains

The six-day specialized commodities training organized by ATASP-1 for youth agripreneurs has just ended at the IITA Abuja station. The training drew over 40 participants from Kano, Rivers, and Abuja, and was facilitated by the ATASP-1 Cassava, Rice and Sorghum Commodity Specialists including Richardson Okechukwu of IIITA, Philip Idinoba of AfricaRice, and Hakeem Ajeigbe of…

ATASP-1 holds community sensitization in 30 LGAs across Nigeria

In preparation for full implementation of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda Support Program Phase one (ATASP-1), the project implementation unit concluded sensitization workshops in the 30 local government areas (LGAs) where the program is being implemented. The LGAs cut across the seven states of Enugu, Anambra, Niger, Jigawa, Kano, Sokoto, and Kebbi. In attendance at the…

Burundi holds sensitization workshop on aflatoxin

A workshop to sensitize stakeholders and partners on the status and effects of aflatoxin in Burundi was jointly organized by Institut des Sciences Agronomiques du Burundi (ISABU) and IITA on 4 May at the King’s Conference Centre in Bujumbura. The event was officially opened by Séverin Bagorikunda, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture…