seed Archives - IITA News

Lourindo Jacinto Abel, the DG farm manager at the soybean farm.

The Dreamers: Scaling seeds of success

Members of the Dreamers Group in Zambezia province, Northern Mozambique, were smiling all the way to the bank in the just ended farming season, 2019/2020. This year they generated more than 2,277,000 MZN (US$31,625) from the production and sale of soybean and common bean seed and grain and vegetables. The group, known as DG or…

Group photograph of Seed System Specialists and farmers appreciating their high yield

IITA and partners propose sustainable seed system as a solution

Seeds are fundamental to the continuity of agriculture. A seed is the propagative part of a crop that is preserved for growing a new crop.

IARSAF disseminates improved seed varieties to farmers as they mark the end of their 21st annual symposium

Taking the 21st annual symposium further, the International Association of Research Scholars and Fellows (IARSAF)-IITA, went on a field trip on 19 April to Ikenne Local Government Area (LGA) in Ogun State and Akinyele LGA in Oyo State to train, disseminate IITA’s research solutions, and provide technical support to local farmers.

Picture of Maize seed health workshop participants in a discussion.

Stakeholders reveal significance of seed testing

Control measures against pests and diseases dominated discussions at a recent workshop in IITA, Ibadan, held 27-28 September, where stakeholders explored opportunities to interact, exchange ideas, and impart knowledge about major pests and pathogens of maize, risks to maize seed health, and seed-borne pathogens.

Picture of STMA holds annual planning meeting in IITA, Ibadan, Nigeria.

STMA empowers seed companies to produce

The Stress Tolerant Maize for Africa (STMA) project has identified seed companies in its target countries, (Nigeria, Ghana, Mali, and the Republic of Bénin) in 2016 and empowered them with the necessary funding support and technical capacity and capability to produce breeder and foundation seeds at scale.

Picture of youth being trained on seed production.

ATASP-1 completes first batch of seed production training for youth

Following the flag-off of the seed production training for youth by Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh on 27 March, ATASP-1 has commenced training young people on seed production. The training which ran concurrently in Abuja, and Kano and Niger states ended on 5 April.

Picture of Cassava stakeholders celebrating the project BASICS in developing sustainable seed systems in Nigeria.

Seed sector: Economically sustainable seed businesses can transform cassava production in Nigeria

Nigerian seed sector professionals said that businesses selling improved varieties and high quality cassava stems for cultivation could help farmers significantly raise their productivity. The benefits of this raised productivity are expected to be enjoyed by all the stakeholders across the value chain in a sustainable way.

Red Ferrari: Journey of an award-winning entrepreneur, Josephine Okot

The Red Ferrari lecture at this year’s P4D Week was delivered by Josephine Okot, the proprietor of Victoria Seed Company in Uganda and also an IITA board member. Okot has received many national and international awards including the prestigious YARA Prize for Green Revolution in Africa in 2007. In 2014 she was nominated as the…

Picture of participants engage in discussions on the impact of climate change on various enterprises.

PASIC evidence builds case for Uganda’s new National Seed Policy

Evidence from the Policy Action for Sustainable Intensification of Ugandan Cropping Systems (PASIC) project – an initiative implemented by IITA – has been used to convince stakeholders on the urgent need to approve and implement the proposal to put in place a National Seed Policy to improve Uganda’s seed sector. The Commissioner of Crop Inspection…