IITA News no. 2526 Archives

Banana plants’ defense against deadly wilting disease may be in the soil

Fusarium wilt, a soilborne fungal disease popularly known as Panama disease, is one of the most devastating diseases of banana. It is responsible for the crop’s declining yield in the Great Lakes region of Africa, where banana is a major source of food and income for millions of smallholder farmers. The disease is spread by…

Belgian Ambassador visits the President Olusegun Obasanjo Research Campus in DRC

On 17 February, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Mr Jo Indekeu, visited IITA’s President Olusegun Obasanjo research Campus in Kalambo, Democratic Republic of Congo. His wife accompanied him along with his Political Advisor Mrs Séverine de POTTER. The purpose of the visit was to familiarize themselves…

Harmony with nature: The story of Alec Butler

As a research institute, the main business of IITA centers on science and measurable data. However, walking or driving into the IITA headquarters in Ibadan, Nigeria for the first time may leave you feeling like you just stepped out of reality and into a fairytale. Such is the beauty and excellence of the one thousand…

IITA supports formation of Tanzania Cassava Producers and processors Association (TACAPPA)

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has collaborated with other stakeholders to develop and launch the Tanzania Cassava Producers and Processors Association (TACCAPA), which brings together cassava producers and processors to address bottlenecks and challenges facing production and utilization of the crop in the country. The Tanzania Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Hon. Omary Mgumba,…

Youth Agripreneurs day out at Fasola Grammar School

The Start Them Early Program (STEP), which operates under the IITA Youth in Agribusiness office, focuses on how to advance agribusiness development to secondary schools in Africa. It aims at redirecting the aspirations of young people in secondary schools towards careers in modern agriculture by exposing them to viable opportunities in agribusiness at an early…