News Overview

Banana production on Ukerewe Island collapsed after Banana Bunchy Top Disease infected more than 85% of plants, driven by infected planting material and aphid transmission. A coordinated response led by IITA and national partners combined eradication, fallow periods, and local production of certified BBTV-free planting material using macro-propagation. By 2025, clean plantlets were back in farmers’ fields, restoring yields and establishing a community-owned model for long-term disease control.

IRRI and local partners in Dong Nai, Vietnam, debuted an innovative all-in-one machine for mechanized dry direct seeding and deep fertilizer placement that significantly reduces labor, water, and greenhouse gas emissions while simultaneously boosting rice yields and profitability.

What if food and feed could grow continuously, be harvested at any time of year, and provide both protein and energy from a single plant?

The resilience of integrated farming systems relies on keeping essential links among their components. In Ethiopia's Doyogena district, the most vulnerable part of the sheep-enset mixed farming system is the availability of feed during the dry season.

Agricultural R&D struggles to scale innovations without intentional private sector collaboration. This article shows how IITA uses evidence-based tools, licensing frameworks, and co-creation models to turn research outputs into market-ready solutions for farmers.

Across Ghana’s cocoa belt, the rhythm of the rains is no longer reliable. Once-predictable wet and dry seasons have given way to longer dry spells, hotter harmattan months, and sudden, intense downpours. For cocoa farmers, this “climate whiplash” is not just an inconvenience; it is a direct threat to their yields, which are projected to decline by 5% in the

Nigeria, Africa’s fourth-largest economy and a key food producer, is launching the Presidential Soil Health Initiative to strengthen the sustainable development of agriculture. Spearheaded by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS) and backed by technical partners like the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), the initiative aims to revolutionize soil fertility management and boost national sustainable food

IBADAN, NIGERIA — A devastating virus is crippling banana production in Nigeria, and a new study reveals that gender inequality is one of the key drivers of its spread, leaving female farmers with disproportionately catastrophic losses. Researchers from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) presented these findings at the 14th Gender and Plant Health Webinar of the CGIAR Sustainable Farming Program on September 23,