Access to credit from formal banks is limited for smallholder farmers due to high interest rates, difficulty in gathering the required documents, and other factors across Africa.
Every year, we reaffirm our commitment to women and girls in science. We host panels, share statistics, and celebrate role models. These efforts matter, but in Africa today, they are no longer enough.
On World Pulses Day 2026, the theme chosen by the Food and Agriculture Organization, “Pulses of the world: from modesty to excellence,” could not be more timely. It captures a quiet transformation already unfolding across kitchens, streets, and food labs, especially in low- and middle-income countries where pulses have long anchored diets, livelihoods, and resilience.
Nigerien Leaders Engage with ICRISAT to Accelerate Climate-Resilient Agriculture. In Niger, where agriculture supports most livelihoods despite intensifying climate shocks, degraded soils, and limited access to quality seed, a deepening partnership with ICRISAT is driving more resilient farming systems nationwide.
In a major development following years of research efforts and collaborating with national systems and partners in Mozambique, IITA–CGIAR, in partnership with the Agricultural Research Institute of Mozambique (IIAM) and the Soybean Innovation Lab, released five climate-resilient soybean varieties in Mozambique in December 2025.
ICRISAT, in collaboration with Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) through the All India Coordinated Research Project on Pearl Millet (AICRP) centre at the Rajasthan Agricultural Research Institute (RARI) has developed the multifunctional, world’s first three-way pearl millet hybrid, RHB 273.
IITA–CGIAR in Kenya recently hosted a delegation from Madagascar for a learning visit aimed at deepening collaboration and sharing practical experiences across key areas of crop improvement. The visit brought together partners across the agricultural research ecosystem, with stops at IITA-supported facilities and collaborating institutions.
IITA–CGIAR, in partnership with the Ecological Project Office (EPO) under the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, has engaged key stakeholders to advance sustainable irrigation and dry-season farming to boost agricultural productivity under the project “Community-based engagement on sustainable agriculture and biodiversity restoration for the Kano irrigation scheme,” in the Kano South Senatorial District in Kano State.