Kenya Archives - IITA News

Aflasafe KE01: Biocontrol measure for Aflatoxin

Aflatoxins are a family of secondary toxins produced by certain fungi found on a wide range of commodities, including maize and groundnut. The primary fungi that produce aflatoxins are Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus found in warm and humid regions of the world. Aflatoxin-producing fungi can contaminate crops in the field during harvest and storage,…

IITA gets biotechnology stewardship certification

After completing a three-year audit cycle, IITA has become a certified member of Excellence Through Stewardship (ETS). ETS is a global organization that promotes the adoption of product stewardship programs and quality management systems for the full life cycle of agricultural biotechnology products. IITA joined the ETS organization as a member in late 2016, marking…

New potato varieties introduced to combat potato cyst nematode

Scientists from NemAfrica, the nematology unit at CGIAR-IITA, and the International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) are currently assessing new potato varieties that are resistant to the potato cyst nematode (PCN) pest. These damaging pests significantly reduce yields and tuber sizes and consequently impact farmers’ income and food security in Kenya and the…

Researchers evaluating a potato field for resistance to PCN.

IITA scientists spearhead efforts to save East Africa’s potatoes from a new pest threat

Scientists at CGIAR-IITA, working with the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) under the joint Nematology Unit, NemAfrica, housed at icipe’s campus in Nairobi, and their national and international partners, have been at the forefront of efforts to address a new emerging pest threat to the production of potato in the East Africa region, and in many…

IITA scientist among AAS and the Royal Society recipients of 2020 FLAIR fellowships

The African Academy of Sciences (AAS) and the Royal Society of London, supported by the UK’s Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), have announced the second cohort of the Future Leaders – African Independent Research (FLAIR) fellowships. Thirty outstanding early-career African scientists, whose research focuses on the needs of the continent, will receive support from the…

Is agriculture a punishment or an opportunity?

It is no longer news that in Africa, agriculture is an occupation practiced by the aged in rural areas. African youth prefer migrating to urban areas in search of white-collar jobs to pursue a career in agriculture. This is because the youth have the mindset about agriculture being difficult and having little gains. The drudgery…

STEP-Kenya motivates students at CSAYN forum

On 20 February, the IITA Start Them Early Program (STEP) team from Kenya attended a forum of the Climate Smart Agriculture Youth Network (CSAYN) at the University of Nairobi, Upper Kabete campus. The STEP team comprised Lorraine Mutinda, Samuel Kamau, Maryfaith Simiyu, and Stallone Mambo, a student representative from Mwiki Secondary School. The Principal of…

Spraying locust swarm is ineffective – IITA entomologist

As Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya battle huge swarms of desert locusts, great efforts are underway to control these destructive insects. These locusts, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) are twice as big in body size and destruction potential. Verenado Meeme talked to one of our entomologists, Peter Neuenschwander about solutions that can bring…

STEP makes progress promoting agribusiness in secondary schools in Africa

Since its inception in 2019, the IITA Start Them Early Program (STEP) team has been working tirelessly towards advancing agribusiness development in secondary schools in Africa. The aim is to redirect the aspirations of Africans towards careers in modern agriculture by exposing them to viable opportunities in agribusiness at an early age. To achieve this,…

Agriserve partnered with Cropnuts Kenya to launch a joint venture

The knowledge of the right type of land and the quality is integral in agriculture. Leveraging IITA’s over 50 years of research for development in Africa, AgriServe, a unit of the IITA Business Incubation Platform was launched to provide technical professional services in Laboratory operations, Soil suitability assessment and Agronomic advisories and Agricultural enterprise development….