In the world of crop improvement, consumer preferences are more than just opinions; they are powerful drivers of breeding innovation. For instance, cassava (Manihot esculenta) is a significant staple food across Africa. Beyond its role as a primary source of calories, cassava’s value addition processes help extend its shelf life, countering the rapid deterioration caused by its naturally high moisture
In a significant step toward advancing agricultural innovation and national food security, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Oyo State Command, formalized a new partnership with IITA–CGIAR on 24 November by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The delegation, led by the Deputy Comptroller, Kayode Akano, included P.A. to the Comptroller, Steven Arinde; representative of the Immigration Officers Wives Association (IMMOWA), Temitayo Akinyemi; and
In a significant step toward enhancing Nigeria’s agricultural biosecurity, the IITA–CGIAR Germplasm Health Unit (GHU) hosted the Comptroller General (CG) of Nigeria’s Agricultural Quarantine Services (NAQS), Dr Vincent Isegbe, along with other senior NAQS officials, for a strategic workshop held from 27–29 October. The workshop, designed to exchange insights on germplasm movement procedures, phytosanitary standards, and emerging plant health threats, reinforced the longstanding
IITA–CGIAR is at the forefront of cassava and banana seed production in Gabon. The Ministry of Agriculture, in partnership with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), organized a two-week phased-in training to accelerate the modernization of agriculture and strengthen the national seed production through the technical assistance to the Projet d’Appui au Programme GRAINE-Phase 1 (PAPG1), under the framework of
IITA–CGIAR participated in the launch of the 2025/2026 Mozambique agricultural campaign on 13 November, marking the beginning of the rainy season. As a strategic partner that has actively contributed to improving agricultural production and productivity in Mozambique, offering innovations in resilient varieties and improved seeds, climate-smart agricultural practices, inoculants, and aflasafe, IITA was invited by the Government to participate in the
IITA–CGIAR is proud to announce the in-person participation of Dr Adewale Awoyemi in the NESST-Smithsonian convening hosted by the Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC) in Washington, DC. Dr Awoyemi is the IITA Forest Center Manager, Conservation Biologist, and NESST Scientist Ambassador at the 2025 Network for Emergent Socio-Scientific Thinking (NESST). The convening was the first since the founding of NESST in
By Ayorinde Ogunyiola December 2, 2025 Digital agricultural technologies such as precision farming, mobile phone-based advisory platforms, smart irrigation, and satellite crop monitoring systems promise increased efficiency, environmental sustainability, and farm productivity. The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence-based applications—in new tools and integrated into existing ones—is accelerating this trend. Yet these digital tools can have significant downsides for many
In Kenya’s Central Highlands, the future of feeding communities while conserving biodiversity is at a crossroads. Production systems in the region are hindered by erratic and declining rainfall, soil fertility loss, watershed degradation, and increasing climate stress. Furthermore, intensive farming, land fragmentation, shrinking land and water sources, and overgrazed rangelands are degrading the very ecosystems that sustain rural livelihoods.