IITA News

I-Youth connects beneficiaries to employers and investors

As part of its post-training plan activities for beneficiaries across the three project states in Nigeria, the Innovative Youth in Agriculture (I-Youth) project (formerly known as Young Africa Works) organized a two-day conference in Lagos to link the beneficiaries in the states to investors and potential employers. The conference, which focused on the project’s entrepreneurship…

BASICS II Stakeholders seminar: progress to date and the way forward

On 7 July, the Building an Economically Sustainable and Integrated Cassava Seed System (BASICS II) held a virtual seminar, “Sustainable seed system through BASICS II: Progress so far”, as part of IITA’s West Africa seminar series. The seminar, moderated by Sylvia Oyinlola, Head of Administration, IITA Western Africa Hub, highlighted key achievements of the project….

Stakeholders plan for new Zero Hunger Project

In preparation for the launch of the new Zero Hunger Project, IITA, in partnership with AfricaRice, has held separate meetings with government stakeholders from Nigeria and Togo towards achieving Zero Hunger. The Zero Hunger Project team held consultations on 18 and 22 June, and 1 July with representatives from the Nigerian states of Benue, Ogun,…

Farmers prefer locally bred CBSD-resistant cassava clones in DRC

The USAID-funded Action to Control Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD) in the Democratic Republic of Congo project, on 15 June, hosted a Participatory Varietal Selection (PVS) to evaluate the CBSD-tolerant cassava clones currently on trial. The PVS took place in the Ruzizi Plain, with farmers invited to participate. IITA is implementing the project in…

IITA to strengthen collaboration with BUK

An IITA-Kano delegation led by Station Head Alpha Kamara visited the Vice-Chancellor Bayero University Kano (BUK), Prof Sagir Adamu Abbas, on 9 June to strengthen the collaboration between both organizations. Kamara noted that IITA had been in partnership with BUK for a long time, from the early collaboration with the Faculty of Agriculture. He thanked…

ENABLE-TAAT provides youths networking platform at Tanzania open day

Improved eating: Healthy benefits of fortified snacks

Eating healthy snacks is one way to combat poor nutrition, while legumes can replace animal-based proteins in various preparations. Snacks fortified with legumes, particularly soybean, are nutritious enough for household consumption. They are rich in protein, fiber, and minerals such as iron and zinc, and are satiating. Researchers carried out a recent study to evaluate…

ENABLE-TAAT provides youth networking platform at Tanzania open day

ENABLE-TAAT has held the Tanzanian edition of its open day to increase youth inclusion and development in agriculture value chains. The open day provided an excellent networking forum for farmers and youth in Tanzania to share different knowledge and ideas about agribusiness to develop their capacity and promote and showcase youth agricultural products to increase…

ENABLE-TAAT partners with banks to provide business credit to trained African youth

ENABLE-TAAT is supporting its beneficiaries by linking them to financial institutions that can help start-ups and existing businesses. Youth often have a challenge accessing funding and raising capital for their businesses, whether as loans or grants. Many youth begin their enterprises with their savings and support from their families or acquaintances, but such funds may…

Researchers give decision-makers tools for better SAI interventions

Africa is a major producer of several kinds of cereals like sorghum, millet, wheat, maize, and rice, yet there is a wide gap between actual and potential yields for these cereals. Total production is not keeping up with the increase in population, leading to intensifying production with more commercial inputs. However, the environmental concerns from…

Youth to contribute innovative solutions to world hunger

The World Food Forum has called for the massive involvement of youth in developing sustainable solutions to the world’s food and hunger problems. The call came during the recent Youth Transformative Challenge webinar. FAO’s Chief Economist and Scientist, Máximo Torero Cullen, told the global audience that youth have a critical role in bringing “out-of-the-box” ideas…