IITA News

World Bank to work with IITA in DRC

On 8 August, World Bank Country Director in Africa, Dr Jean-Christophe Carret, embarked on a successful tour of the IITA Kalambo Station in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). His visit was part of the implementation of the Integrated Project for Agricultural Growth in the Great Lakes [Projet Intégré de Croissance Agricole des Grands Lacs…

Picture of Dr Nzola Mahungu, Country Representative of IITA-DRC; Ir Augustin Kadima, delegate of USAID; Evariste Bushabu, General Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture; Clement Kandu, Coordinator of SENASEM, at the workshop on CBSD.

Workshop on ‘’Validation of the revised and harmonized standards for seed system in DRC’’

IITA organized a workshop on validation of the revised and harmonized standards for healthy cassava plant materials production, control, and certification.

Picture of Dr Nzola Mahungu, IITA DRC Country Representative; Ir Augustin Kadima, delegate of USAID; Evariste Bushabu, General Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture; Clement Kandu, Coordinator of SENASEM

Workshop held on “Validation of the revised and harmonized standards for seed system in DRC”

IITA organized on 4 April a workshop on “Validation of the revised and harmonized standards for healthy cassava planting materials production, control, and certification,” within the framework of the project Action to control the Cassava Brown Streak in Democratic Republic of Congo (CBSD-DRC).

SUN project participant in her maize field.

Women’s achievements celebrated

The important role of women in agricultural production is a given, with research showing that women’s contribution to farm work is as high as between 60% and 90% of the total farm tasks performed. Despite the dominant and important role women play in agricultural production, they are hardly given any attention in the area of…

Women scientists in IITA speak on “International Day of Women and Girls in Science”

IITA joins the world in celebrating on 11 February the fourth International Day of Women and Girls in Science themed “Investment in Women and Girls in Science for Inclusive Green Growth.” According to the United Nations, a significant gender gap has persisted throughout the years at all levels of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)…

Charity Mutegi, East Africa Coordinator for Aflasafe and one-time winner of the Norman Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application.

Women scientists can only be as productive as their work environment permits

How do you feel as a young female scientist working in a male-dominated field? It is a good experience that has its challenges largely because the society has not gotten there yet in terms appreciating young women scientists. In many instances in the broader community, women have to keep proving themselves, and going the extra…

Women in leadership: Promoting an equal future

The month of March hosts several gender-based celebrations, including International Women’s Day (IWD). IITA is a gender-inclusive Institute that sees gender equality as very important in improving livelihoods in society and creating an enabling work environment for staff. Knowing that achieving this goal is improbable in unequal, marginalized, and vulnerable groups, IITA developed a policy…

Women and youth trained on farm mechanization in northeast Nigeria

As part of efforts to empower women and youth, the USAID-funded Feed-the-Future Nigeria Integrated Agriculture Activity organized training sessions for 252 beneficiaries in four Local Government Areas in the northeastern states of Adamawa and Borno. The three-week training, which took place in February, focused on farm machinery operations, mechanics, and fabrication. These capacity-building and skill-acquisition…

Picture of Richardson Okechukwu talking about agribusiness to the women and youth

Women and youth sensitized on agribusiness

To commemorate the 2018 International Women’s Day, IITA-Onne delivered a talk on women and youth empowerment in agribusiness at the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, Business Women Group (NAWORG) Rivers State Chapter exhibition week tagged “Start small, grow it Big,” held at the Port Harcourt Chambers of Commerce.

Why Plant Health?

The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2020 as the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH). The objective of IYPH is to raise global awareness on how protecting plant health can help end hunger, reduce poverty, protect the environment, and boost economic development. IITA joins the rest of the world in commemorating IYPH. Over the…