Unpredictable rainfall patterns, droughts and floods linked to climate change are increasingly driving people to migrate in search of a better life. In West Africa, in addition to rural-urban migration, deteriorating landscapes are encouraging people to move to coastal countries where plantations, mining and cities offer the hope of greater opportunity and economy security. Migration is a long-established economic strategy
The Building an Economically Sustainable Integrated Cassava Seed System, phase 2 (BASICS-II) project and the Nigeria country office of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) have agreed to work closely to reinforce and promote sustainable cassava seed system models in Nigeria. They reached this resolution during a recent courtesy visit the BASICS-II team paid to the Nigeria
To develop the research and educational capacity in Sub-Sahara Africa in the field of nematology, or the study of roundworms, a joint Erasmus+ KA2 project was recently launched. The Erasmus+ project, Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE): Nematology Education in Sub-Sahara Africa (NEMEDUSSA), is a joint effort by a consortium of Universities from Sub-Sahara Africa and Europe. This three-year project
The IITA Tree Heritage Park (THP), located within the campus of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Ibadan and managed by its Forest Center, has been awarded a Level II Accreditation by The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and The Morton Arboretum, for meeting identified standards of professional practices important for arboreta and botanic gardens. The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation
To attract, retain, and change the perception of young people about agriculture, the Start Them Early Program (STEP), under the Oyo State Government, organized the 2021 STEP Schools Agri-Competition, the first of its kind, on 29 November. The event encouraged young people to embrace agriculture and develop career paths, including agribusiness. STEP Communication Officer Temiloluwa Adedeji moderated the event. The Agri-competition
A two-day round table of stakeholders in Agriculture Technical Vocational Education and Training (ATVET) within the framework of the activities of the project “Support to Women Entrepreneurship in the Agrofood Sector in Nigeria” (SWEAN) was held from 29 to 30 November at the Embassy of France in Abuja, Nigeria. The project, funded by the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign
The Tanzania Minister of Agriculture, Hon Prof Adolph Mkenda, has praised the efforts and impacts of a five-year program in Northern Tanzania to develop the agriculture sector. The program, funded by the Belgian Development Cooperation, brought together four partners—TRIAS, Iles de Paix (IDP), BOS+, and Rikolto. IITA, through the Africa RISING program, provided technical backstopping through one of the partners. The Hon Minister
As part of efforts to realize the national cassava commercialization strategy, IITA, through the BEST Cassava project, co-organized a starch meeting with the Ministry of Agriculture under the Honorable Minister, Professor Adolf Mkenda. The meeting brought together cassava producers, starch processors, importers, and various institutions in trade and regulatory bodies. The objective of the meeting was to facilitate discussion to