CGIAR Archives - IITA News

CGIAR promotes enabling environment that empowers women scientists

Women scientists represent 29% of CGIAR’s workforce. These scientists, including women researchers from IITA, play an indispensable role at the forefront of CGIAR’s mission to deliver science and innovation that advance the transformation of food, land, and water systems in a climate crisis. Despite the significant role women play in powering innovation, they still require…

CGIAR Germplasm Health Units contributing to global phytosanitary systems

Quarantine and phytosanitary procedures have been established in all countries worldwide to address seed-borne pests spread by screening export and import consignments of germplasm. The CGIAR Germplasm Health Units (GHUs) use a unique multidisciplinary approach to ensure phytosanitary protection for the safe conservation and global movement of germplasm from the 11 CGIAR genebanks and breeding…

IITA strategically positioned to contribute to the One-CGIAR agenda in sub-Saharan Africa

IITA embraced the One-CGIAR initiative in the past year because a unified CGIAR will be a more effective and impactful organization. Since then, the Institute has participated in the unfolding plans and is strategically positioned to contribute to the One-CGIAR agenda in sub-Saharan Africa. Significant developments have been taking place at IITA and CGIAR, with bigger plans for 2021. Following discussions with the Directors General, the…

Female scientists seek enabling environment in the CGIAR

Female scientists play an essential role at the forefront of CGIAR’s mission to deliver science and innovation that advance the transformation of food, land, and water systems in a climate crisis. Female scientists, representing 29% of the CGIAR workforce, power its innovation but still require more support to thrive. This led to the creation of Women in Research and Science (WIRES), a new employee-led resource group (ERG)…

CGIAR centers applying CRISPR/Cas to improve roots, tubers, and bananas

One CGIAR centers are now using CRISPR/Cas, a form of genome editing, to help speed up the development of improved high-yielding roots, tubers, and bananas (RTB)—these are essential staple food crops in tropical and subtropical countries grown for food security. Genome editing either silences or knocks out a gene of interest in the plant genome…

Genome editing is the future of plant breeding

“Genome editing is the future of plant breeding in terms of being more efficient and getting more genetic gains,” said Kingstone Mashingaidze, one of the speakers at the recently held CGIAR webinar on genome editing. CGIAR centers using genome editing recently started a webinar series that will investigate the practice, benefits, social acceptance, and regulation…

IITA alumnus to represent One CGIAR at UN Food Systems Summit

Former President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Director General of AfricaRice, and an IITA alumnus, Dr Kanayo F. Nwanze has been appointed as CGIAR Special Representative to the United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS), which is tentatively scheduled to take place in late 2021. At the Summit, he will be bringing…

Unlocking the diversity of microorganisms around banana roots

The human body hosts trillions of microorganisms both inside and on the skin. Many of them are beneficial and help in the digestion of food, making vitamins, and boosting the body’s immune systems, among other things. Similarly, for plants, the soils around the roots host diverse microorganisms, some of which are beneficial to the plants,…

External evaluation commends IITA’s efforts in transforming agriculture

In a bid to position IITA strategically for the future, the IITA Board of Trustees commissioned an institute-wide external evaluation as part of efforts to achieve the goal of transforming African agriculture. The Center-Commissioned External Review (CCER) is part of a long-term plan to provide the Institute and its collaborators with indicators of areas to…

TAAT discusses ongoing activities in workshop

Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT), a program initiated by the African Development Bank (AfDB) as part of its Feed Africa Initiative, held a workshop at IITA, Ibadan. The meeting, which took place 27-28 June, brought together representatives from AfDB as well as executing and implementing agencies, the TAAT Program Unit, the Clearinghouse, and coordinators…