“Pandemic” has become a household term over the past year, but uncontrolled disease outbreaks do not occur solely in humans. A virulent strain of a fungus found in the soil known as Tropical Race 4 (TR4) is increasingly threatening key global banana production systems, an important source of income and food for hundreds of millions. A group of scientists, with
Vaccination efforts across the globe encourage hope of an imminent end to the COVID-19 health crisis. But the food security crisis that the pandemic has deepened cannot be alleviated quickly and will require lasting solutions. Well-adapted and nutrient-dense crops like millet, sorghum, groundnut, chickpea, pigeonpea, cowpea and common bean, collectively called dryland cereals and legumes, are like a vaccine of
Impressive project findings from the use of the two synergistic interventions – Smart Water Management tools and Agricultural Innovation Platforms – published in the special Issue of the International Journal of Water Resources Development reveal big gains accrued from using simple technologies embedded in a wider learning environment. Some of the immediate outcomes reported from project sites in Mozambique, Tanzania
BY ELIZABETH BRYAN, ALEX DE PINTO, GREG SEYMOUR, PRAPTI BHANDARY AND FRANCESCA EDRALIN Bangladesh’s location on the Bay of Bengal, its low-lying coastal delta topography, and its intensive rice monoculture make it one of the most vulnerable countries worldwide to climate threats, including floods, sea level rise, and salinization. Climate adaptation strategies in the agricultural and food production sectors will
Egypt is among the top aquaculture producers globally, and tilapia alone accounts for 47.7% of the country’s per capita fish supply, 55.1% of fish production, and 68.6% of total aquaculture production. The growth of tilapia production increased rapidly in the last four years, following the release of the genetically improved Nile tilapia strain to Egyptian farmers. Fish farms are concentrated
The IITA Uganda Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) Program supports the Ugandan Government in its commitment to increasing coffee quality, volumes, and smallholder farmer livelihoods. The Institute’s activities closely align with the country’s agricultural agenda, with the IITA team collaborating with the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) to implement the Uganda Coffee Roadmap. By developing the Stepwise Climate Smart Investment Pathway (Stepwise) approach, IITA Uganda and
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 CGIAR Executive Management Team (EMT)
An anonymous gift of $2.65 million to support Cornell and partner research in Tanzania will improve distribution of new and more resistant varieties of cassava while empowering women and marginalized groups in the East African nation. Cassava is a fundamental staple and basis of food security for 500 million people across Africa and a major source of employment and income