Despite the heavy-laden coffee trees in Fred Salongo Kigongo’s coffee garden, the income from the coffee has never been enough to cater for his large family. Prolonged droughts, weather variability, and the never-ending cases of pests and diseases have affected most of Uganda’s 1.7 million smallholder farmers, resulting in the very high costs associated with proper management of the coffee
The Ogun State Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr Adeola Odedina, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Dr Dotun Sorunke, has charged extension officers in the State to play their role as the engine of agricultural transformation in the State. He gave this charge during the flag-off of the three-day workshop organized by IITA on Zero Hunger Project in collaboration with International Fund for Agricultural
After a training and mentorship period of 15 months, ENABLE-TAAT beneficiaries Jonathan Mutinda and Ian Mambo created their own enterprise in Kenya. At the beginning of their venture, they leased one-eighth of an acre at Dukuma Dam, Makueni County, where they began planting and selling orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) and other vegetables. Within a year, their customer base had increased
Bayer has developed and launched a new crop protection product known as Lagon to help farmers tackle the problem of cassava weeds in cassava and boost yield. Tested on more than 200 trials and demos across Nigeria and Tanzania, users rated Lagon among the best preemergence herbicides for controlling grasses and broadleaf weeds in cassava. “The launch of Lagon today
With agribusiness gaining more attention in entrepreneurship development, youth-operated small enterprises in agriculture can contribute significantly to growing Africa’s economy and reducing poverty. These enterprises can help address the issue of youth unemployment across the continent. Despite growing concern about the lack of interest in agriculture among African youths, engaging them in agriculture has become a prominent topic and has
The IITA Gender Science Network (GSN) is a team that comprises social and biophysical scientists, communication staff, and project managers. The Network’s goal is to be a vibrant community of practice for gender advocacy and enhancing gender research, communication, and impact. It also envisions having an innovative and diverse network of scientists in IITA to strengthen the quality and visibility of gender
IITA, in partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)-funded Value Chain Development Program (VCDP), flagged off a workshop in Makurdi, Benue State tagged “Training of Extension Agents and Advisory Providers” under the Zero Hunger Project. This was done recognizing that agricultural extension agents serve as the critical drivers of information dissemination for farmers. The Benue State Hon. Commissioner
The TAAT Cassava Compact, in partnership with the Togo Presidential Initiative on Cassava and the Togo Ministry of Agriculture, has established two commercial processing factories in two agripoles in Togo—the Notse processing factory and New Life service at Ahosoume. The collaboration targets the production of more foods, exposing the processors to modern processing machines, and creating employment opportunities for youth and women.