FAO Archives | IITA News

IYA celebrates success in its youth empowerment programs for 2019

Since its inception in 2012, the IITA Youth Agripreneurs (IYA) has been working tirelessly, creating capacity development programs and projects to engage youth in agribusiness. Although IYA has experienced challenges in accessing funds and credit facilities to assist some of the trained youth in establishing and expanding their agribusinesses, about 7,000 youth have benefited from…

IITA Youth Agripreneurs program wins international award for youth empowerment innovations

In recognition of its commitment to improving both agribusiness opportunities and creditworthiness of youth across Africa, the IITA Youth Agripreneurs (IYA) program has been awarded the 2019 International Innovation Award for Sustainable Food and Agriculture. The award, the first of its kind, is funded by the Government of Switzerland and was presented, in conjuction with…

Biocontrol solutions to “Fusarium wilt of banana” emerge

The banana crop and industry has experienced extreme losses due to an epidemic of Fusarium wilt of banana (FWB), caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense (Foc). This was described in the recently published article “Biological control agents against Fusarium wilt of banana.” FWB, also known as Panama disease, has plagued countries in Africa, Asia, and Australia. The disease…

Empowering regional and district level planners to address climate change threats to agriculture

Climate change is ranked among of the top threats to global food security given impacts such as erratic and extreme weather conditions including floods and droughts. Crop yields are expected to decline globally after 2030 and by 2050, 3% of Africa’s land will no longer be suitable for maize. In Tanzania, climate change is a…