The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and CIMMYT, with funding support from the Novo Nordisk Foundation, have launched a landmark research initiative to dramatically shorten the time required to develop climate-resilient and market-preferred crop varieties for farmers in the drylands of Eastern Africa and India.
As rising fertilizer prices, climate pressures, and global supply chain disruptions place growing strain on food systems, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and its partners are scaling up climate-resilient chickpea seed production across Southern Africa to boost livelihoods and improve food and nutrition security for vulnerable farming communities.
Opinion piece by Dr Himanshu Pathak, Director General of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics
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.
The IITA Youth in Agribusiness Unit (IYA) hosted a delegation from Light for the World, along with representatives of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), to deepen collaboration and strengthen the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the unit’s agribusiness and youth employment initiatives.
The Strengthening Nutrition in Priority Staples (SNiPS) Project, funded by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and implemented by IITA–CGIAR since inception has strengthened the OFSP value chain across production, vine multiplication, processing, marketing, and consumption. Evidence from implementation shows growing adoption of OFSP, with Mother’s Delight emerging as the preferred variety in both states due to its high yield and adaptability.
IITA-CGIAR has reinforced its leadership in Africa’s agricultural transformation with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) under the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) Phase II Addendum. The MoU, signed in Kigali during a high-level Work Planning Meeting held from 23–24 March 2026, marks a significant step toward accelerating the delivery of climate-smart agricultural technologies across six African countries.
The second edition of the DG’s Talk, hosted by IITA Director General and CGIAR Regional Director for Continental Africa, Dr Simeon Ehui, brought together a global audience for a timely and thought-provoking conversation on Africa’s development trajectory, anchored in agriculture, but extending far beyond it. At the center of the dialogue was Dr Brahima Sangafowa Coulibaly, whose global economic perspective helped frame the continent’s most pressing challenge: how to simultaneously drive food security, create jobs at scale, and achieve structural economic transformation.