Traditional river health monitoring is carried out in situ, with habitats and species assessed at specific sites and the findings integrated to provide a bill of health for the river. Yet as human activities have an ever-growing impact, there is an increasing need to monitor river health globally. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and
COP26, the 26th yearly round of UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) climate negotiations held in Glasgow, wrapped up on November 14th after two weeks of intense debate. While the Glasgow Climate Pact came short of delivering on coal and climate finance, considerable progress was made on mitigation, particularly cutting emissions – including those emitted by agriculture. CGIAR’s strong
Nature Reports published an open-access paper on a big plant-genome sequencing study conducted by ICARDA and ICRISAT scientists which will facilitate the breeding of more climate-smart, disease-tolerant chickpea crop varieties for better food security. Food legumes are essential for nutrition security. Chickpea, ICARDA staple crop and the third most-produced food legume worldwide, especially in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, is
The most visible and tangible signs of climate change tend to be above water, from parched land and burning forests to failed harvests. Yet climate change is also having a significant impact on life below the surface, leading to rising temperatures, ocean acidification, and the migration of fish in search of optimal conditions. Read more
One of the vast benefits of the IITA forest reserve is the diversity of creatures the forest supports and protects from poaching and extinction. The IITA Forest Center carries out biodiversity monitoring, tree propagation, and other environmental protection activities. The Forest Center staff observe and record plant phenology and animals during occasional walks and regular scientific data collection. During one of the recent biodiversity
A Special Seats Member of Parliament, Hon. Neema Lungangira, visited IITA at its Eastern Africa regional headquarters in Dar es salaam, Tanzania, on 26 September, at the invitation of Leena Tripathi, the Eastern Africa Hub Director. The Honorable MP was received by Tripathi and senior members of IITA staff and Amos Omore, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) representative for Eastern and Southern
The Federal Government of Nigeria has approved two radio licenses for IITA—an Internet radio license and a community radio broadcast license for Radio IITA in the past three months. The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) disclosed the approval of the community radio license in a press release from the NBC Director-General Balarabe Shehu Ilelah. Radio IITA received the license to operate
Support Women Entrepreneurship in the Agrifood sector in Nigeria (SWEAN) has concluded the training of 293 women in Ibadan, Oyo State and Zaria, Kaduna State, to help address the gender imbalance in the agro-food processing sector in Nigeria. The training aimed to develop the skills of women agripreneurs and increase their access to local and international markets. The expertise of