IITA News no. 2565 Archives

Novel and effective technique to control Banana Xanthomonas wilt is suitable for Rwandan agroecology

Banana is a major commodity in Rwanda, used as both a cash and (staple) food crop; it covers 23% of Rwanda’s land and is grown by 90% of households. Rwanda is one of the largest banana producers in the East Africa Region and ranks second in banana consumption globally with an annual per capita consumption…

Scientists discuss better ways to protect plant health

Every year, the Germplasm Health Units (GHUs) of the CGIAR Centers organize the “Phytosanitary Awareness Week”. This year, the event was themed, “Phytosanitary safety for the prevention of the transboundary spread of pests and pathogens,” and took place from 9 to 13 November to highlight the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH 2020). The CGIAR Centers set up the…

IITA trains northeast women in beekeeping and goat rearing

Through the USAID-funded Feed-the-Future Nigeria Integrated Agriculture Activity, IITA recently built the capacity of 28 women in beekeeping to enhance household nutrition and income. The three-day training took place in Marama community in Hawul Local Government Area (LGA) of Borno State between 20 and 22 October. It featured beehives set-up, colony management, and other skills…

TETFUND Engineering group seeks to partner with IITA in delivering science technology

TETFund seeks partnership with IITA for impactful agricultural research

A 3-member delegation from Nigeria’s Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) Standing Committee on Research and Development Agriculture visited IITA-Ibadan on 20 November, as part of a new initiative to ensure that research impacts society. The team set out to find existing programs delivering on research for development in the agricultural sector and looked forward to…

TETFund Engineering group seeks to partner with IITA in delivering science technology

On 26 November, delegates from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) Standing Committee for Research and Development (R&D) on Engineering visited IITA headquarters. The visit was to explore technology transfer mechanisms and strategies and IITA activities that involve engineering and mechanization to ensure that research impacts society through agricultural transformation. The TETFund aims to identify…

New publication tackles the major challenges facing banana production

Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing are delighted to announce the publication of their new title – Achieving sustainable cultivation of bananas – Volume 2: Germplasm and genetic improvement. The book offers an authoritative discussion on the progress of identifying and broadening the genetic base for Musa species and reviews current conventional and molecular breeding techniques for breeding new varieties of banana. This new…