The recent IITA–CGIAR Knowledge Café seminar, held on 4 November, was an insightful session. The session featured Professor Brian Diers, a leading soybean geneticist and Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois, who shared practical insights on “Lessons to improve African breeding success” by leveraging lessons learned from the United States soybean-breeding context. Introducing the guest speaker, Dr Abush Abebe, IITA Soybean
Cities around the world are racing to plant more trees and create greener streets. However, they’re losing sight of one big truth: not every place is meant to be green in the traditional way. Images from Europe and North America have long shaped the idea of urban nature—lush lawns, shady parks, and leafy boulevards. But in deserts and other dry
The 19th Assembly of the IITA Corps Member Association (ICA) held a weeklong symposium at the IITA headquarters from 10 to 15 November, marking the beginning of a series of activities dedicated to youth development, skills strengthening, and mindset transformation. Zaina Sore, Head of the IITA Capacity Development Office (IITA-CDO), emphasized the importance of resilience among youth in her address, highlighting how
IITA–CGIAR, through the Regional Hub for Fertilizer and Soil Health for West Africa and the Sahel (Regional Hub), has reaffirmed that accurate, accessible soil data is the foundation of higher yields and truly sustainable agriculture across Nigeria. At a recent 3-day workshop held at Abuja, the Regional Hub, in partnership with the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI) and
The Collaborative Breeding Leadership Program (CBLP) celebrated the graduation of its first cohort of fellows on 7 October in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, at the 4th African Plant Breeders Association conference. CBLP is a CGIAR-led initiative, funded by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), designed to equip national research institutes mid-career breeders with advanced leadership, management and strategic communication skills to complement
A global research team co-led by the University of Cambridge’s Crop Science Centre (CSC) is unlocking the potential of Bambara groundnut, a crop with huge potential to address global food and nutrition security challenges, in a pioneering project to combat food insecurity and climate change.
In the world of crop improvement, consumer preferences are more than just opinions; they are powerful drivers of breeding innovation. For instance, cassava (Manihot esculenta) is a significant staple food across Africa. Beyond its role as a primary source of calories, cassava’s value addition processes help extend its shelf life, countering the rapid deterioration caused by its naturally high moisture
In a significant step toward advancing agricultural innovation and national food security, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Oyo State Command, formalized a new partnership with IITA–CGIAR on 24 November by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The delegation, led by the Deputy Comptroller, Kayode Akano, included P.A. to the Comptroller, Steven Arinde; representative of the Immigration Officers Wives Association (IMMOWA), Temitayo Akinyemi; and