News Overview

The Quezon City Vendors Business School Ordinance has been recognized as one of the Official Gold Awardees in the inaugural Gawad Galing Lokal na Batas (GGLB).

Fruits and vegetables are essential to good nutrition, but in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), people often do not consume enough of them, with most falling short of World Health Organization dietary recommendations.

A strategic set of banana genetic resources has recently been transferred from the International Musa Germplasm Transit Centre (ITC) in Leuven, Belgium, to the Future Seeds genebank, both part of the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT. This initiative strengthens the Banana collection while advancing global efforts to safeguard banana diversity, one of the world’s most important food crops.

In Uganda’s bean-growing districts, the ECREA project is strengthening climate services by improving access, understanding, and use of weather forecasts, enabling farmers to make timely decisions and increasing trust in climate information.

A high-level delegation from IITA Kenya paid a courtesy visit to the newly appointed Director General of the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), Dr Patrick Ketiem, at KALRO Headquarters, as part of efforts to reaffirm institutional collaboration and discuss new areas of strategic partnership.

A two-member delegation from India’s National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) visited the IITA–CGIAR headquarters in Ibadan, Nigeria, from 12 to 13 March 2026. During the visit, both teams held intensive technical discussions on aflatoxin mitigation and advanced preparations for a joint initiative to create an India-specific Aflasafe product.

IITA–CGIAR has formalized its presence in Madagascar following the signing of a Host Country Agreement (HCA) with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MINAE) on 27 February 2026 in the capital city. The agreement grants IITA legal status in the country and sets the stage for long-term, science-driven agricultural investment.

Anchovy, locally known as dagaa, sits at the heart of Zanzibar’s fisheries, diets and livelihoods. These small fish are rich in essential micronutrients and widely consumed across the archipelago, making them a vital source of affordable nutrition, particularly for low-income households. At the same time, dagaa is increasingly important for trade, supplying regional markets beyond Zanzibar and contributing to regional food systems and economic growth. This dual role raises a critical question: can efforts to improve fish processing and expand markets boost incomes without reducing equitable access to this nutritious food for the communities who depend on it most?