NextGen cassava Archives

NEXTGEN Cassava breeder receives Cornell Africa Fund Fellowship

A member of the Next Generation Cassava Breeding Project (NextGen Cassava), Moshood Agba Bakare, has been awarded the Cornell Africa Fund Fellowship for his PhD program at Cornell University. The plant breeding and genetics researcher went to Cornell from IITA, Ibadan, where he worked with Peter Kulakow, head of Cassava Breeding. Bakare is researching to…

NextGen Cassava project develops new gari product for consumers in Benue, Imo, and Osun states

Traditionally, the cassava mash used for gari production in Nigeria is left to ferment between 48 and 96 hours, depending on its quality. Thus, there is high variability in the sensory attributes and consumer acceptability of the gari Additionally, the fermentation process takes longer in some communities where highly sour gari is preferred, reducing the…

IITA and partners rename improved cassava varieties for the international market

The Federal Government of Nigeria recently approved new names for 10 improved cassava varieties as part of efforts to brand the root crop for easy identification, cultivation, and marketing of cassava stems. The renamed varieties comprise six released varieties and four yet-to be-released varieties. The released varieties and their new names are IBA961632 (Farmer’s Pride),…

NextGen Cassava Breeding Project conducts three workshops on Database, Digital Phenotyping, and Experimental Design

The NextGen Cassava Breeding Project conducted a series of training workshops on the use of the breeding database, PhenoApps, and Experimental Design. The three workshops were held at IITA, Ibadan on 13, 17, and 18 March.

Picture of Group photo of NextGen cassava participants attending the annual meeting in Ibadan

NextGen scientists “shoot for the moon” in cassava research

On 14-16 March, more than 80 international cassava experts met at the Next Generation Cassava Breeding (NextGen Cassava) annual meeting to report on and assess the outcomes of a five-year effort to improve cassava breeding as well as outline the next steps for a second phase of the project.

Picture of Millions of African households depend on cassava for their livelihoods.

Bill Gates eulogizes NextGen cassava research in Africa

The efforts of researchers working through the Next Generation Cassava Breeding (NextGen Cassava) project to significantly increase the rate of genetic improvement in cassava breeding and unlocking the full potential of Africa’s most popular staple crop were applauded by Bill Gates, founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in his blog this month. While sharing…