News Overview

To strengthen the partnership between the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and Burundi, IRRI Director General Dr. Jean Balié visited the IRRI-Burundi office from December 10-11, 2022. The visit underscores IRRI’s active role in the development of the rice sector of the country, and of the Sub-Saharan African region. During his visit, he met with the Minister of Environment, Agriculture

Experts from the Chainat Rice Research Center (CRRC) and the IRRI-CORIGAP Project conducted a joint workshop on Adaptive Research for Target Groups and Best Practices from the CORIGAP Project last 28-30 November 2022 in Chainat Province, Thailand. The workshop aimed to share project best practices and technologies among the broader groups under the Thai Rice Department (RD), capture their perceptions

The new CGIAR Initiative Seed Equal- Delivering Genetic Gains to Farmers Fields is accelerating its engagement with rice sector stakeholders and rice farmers in South Asia with various consultations, visits, and workshops. Organized with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), these activities were conducted by the Seed Equal Work Package 4 team in collaboration with Work Package 1 and Work

Soybean diseases such as soybean rust, red leaf blotch (RLB), and frogeye leaf spot (FELS) are major threats to the crop’s yield and production in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). IITA is working with Soybean Innovation Lab (SIL) to identify the most resistant or tolerant soybean varieties to major diseases threatening production. In the 2020–2021 season, the Institute set up monitoring plots, called

A transformative approach under IRRI’s Product Development and Varietal Replacement Strategy Swati Nayak * Mosharaf Hossain ** Kuntal Das *** Innovation Credit: AGGRi (Accelerated Genetic Gain in Rice) and One Rice Breeding A country like India has a strong history of rice breeding programs that led to the development of thousands of varieties targeting different rice ecosystems released by the

The African Cassava Agronomy Initiative (ACAI) visited Ghana to integrate AKILIMO in the country. Through the Ghana Cassava Centre of Excellence (GCCE), ACAI linked up with existing private, non-profit, and government institutions and international NGOs that can integrate AKILIMO into their operations. Discussions have been progressing since 2020 via virtual meetings; physical meetings could not be held because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

To assist smallholder, mixed-crop and livestock farmers in processing crop residues, USAID, through its Feed the Future Nigeria Integrated Agriculture Activity (IAA) being implemented by IITA and partner, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), is training these farmers to use the Crop Residue Utilization Machine or Stover Crusher. In November 2021 alone, 1,470 farmers and herders (including 544 females)

The Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Benin, Chad, and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Mr Abhay Thakur, and his team visited IITA Headquarters on 21 November. The visit was to launch the Indian book collection and partner with the Institute. The books on art, culture, and history donated by the Indian High Commission (IHC) promote Indian culture and expose users