IITA News

Grace Kamanga from the Department of Agriculture Services (carrying leaves) and casual workers mixing chopped cassava foliage and roots. Photo credit: Judith Chikoti (DARS)

Cassava silage increasing milk production while saving on feed costs

Natural pastures and crop residues are used as livestock feed in the dry season for dairy animals. However, dairy production in Malawi is constrained by energy and protein deficiencies due to a high dependency on these natural pastures. Researchers have identified using cassava leaves to make silage or hay as an excellent strategy to supplement…

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…

Researcher and IITA-CARE awardee, Adedotun Seyingbo.

Researcher calls for intervention to promote youth engagement in agriculture

The growing population in Africa poses both opportunities and challenges for its economy. In Nigeria, more than half the population are under 30 years of age, posing a significant challenge for policymakers in providing quality jobs for these youth. However, since agriculture is a major source of employment and livelihood, youth move between farm and…

Scientists reveal the hybrid origin of the white Guinea yam

An international team of scientists has revealed the origin of the most popular food staple in Africa, the white Guinea yam. Yam is a major staple widely consumed in West Africa. This starchy tuber is an important food crop that contributes to the sustenance and sociocultural lives of over 300 million people in the region….

IITA head named a Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences

Dr Nteranya Sanginga, the Director General of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), has been elected as a Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) for the advancement of science in developing countries, effective 1 January 2021. The election, which was made known through a formal announcement, is a clear recognition of Dr…

Study lifts the lid on plantain consumer preferences, adds fresh insights for breeding programs

Une étude met en lumière les préférences des consommateurs de plantain et ouvre de nouvelles perspectives pour les programmes de sélection

Au fil des ans, les sélectionneurs ont développé et distribué des variétés de plantain à haut rendement et résistantes aux maladies, mais les taux d’adoption sont restés limités. Pour comprendre pourquoi, les chercheurs de l’IITA, un des centres du CGIAR ont publié les résultats d’une nouvelle étude révélant les attentes des utilisateurs finaux (consommateurs) concernant…

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…