News Overview

Two improved groundnut varieties have helped a group of farmers in Ghana increase their yields five-fold, breaking a three-decade stranglehold on the crop’s productivity. The improved varieties, SARINUT 1 and SARINUT 2, are also combating devastating afflictions of groundnut production like leaf spot disease in the country’s Savanna Region. The farmers’ group, Soglokonbo Groundnut Farmers Association in the region’s East

The value added of new cowpea variety The IT89KD-288 dual-purpose cowpea variety, producing grain and fodder for animal and human consumption is increasingly considered attractive, thanks to increased income per household improving livelihoods. Since the development in 1990s, as a key driver to agricultural income growth, the cowpea varieties have made impact on the poorest people in Nigeria. The standalone innovation (variety)

With Africa’s population predicted to double by 2050, creating challenges such as high unemployment rates, low income, food insecurity, and persistent poverty, there needs to be a systemic change targeting the continent’s youth, who will make up about 60% of the overall population. IITA Director General Nteranya Sanginga highlighted some of the required systemic changes in a joint IPS News Agency op-ed with Young Africa Works

One Health is a concept that recognizes that the health of people is linked to the health of animals and their shared environment. A One Health approach in preventing and controlling diseases therefore involves the collaborative efforts of multiple disciplines and sectors. This approach is especially useful for managing zoonoses, diseases that are transmitted between animals and people. The International

WorldFish executive director of Strategy, Innovation, and Communications, Tana Lala-Pritchard,  is the 2020 recipient of the Distinguished Alumna Award by the Alpha Chi National College Honor Society in the USA. The award recognizes past high-achieving university students — across all academic disciplines — who graduated in the top 10 percent in the USA and have used their academic excellence and scholarship

CGIAR Excellence in Breeding has launched new low-cost, high throughput genotyping services, positioning CGIAR and national breeding programs to take a leap forward in delivering vital crop varieties. The Low Density SNP Genotyping Services (LDSG) provide breeders with streamlined and centralized services, along with training and mentoring. The services offer various applications with the potential to accelerate the production

A new website has been launched as a hub of genomic data and resources for the notorious wheat rust pathogens: https://www.wheat-rust-genomics.com This new website brings together all current genomic resources and tools available for the three wheat rust pathogens: Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici (causing stem or black rust) P. striiformis f. sp. tritici (stripe or yellow rust) and P. triticina (leaf or brown rust). It also provides a forum to