13 May 2013

The President of the United Republic of Tanzania, His Excellency, Dr Mrisho Jakaya Kikwete, inaugurated today the new science building of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in a ceremony which brought together stakeholders in agricultural research, coming from the public and private sectors, and research, development, and academic backgrounds.

07 May 2013

Cassava experts are reporting new outbreaks and the increased spread of Cassava Brown Streak Disease or CBSD, warning that the rapidly proliferating plant virus could cause a 50 percent drop in production of a crop that provides a significant source of food and income for 300 million Africans.

01 May 2013

Six months after the launch of the $25.2M NEXTGEN Cassava project at Cornell University, scientists on the project have released Cassavabase, a database that promotes open access data sharing.

27 April 2013

“If we are going to make a real difference in farmers’ lives, agricultural research must not only be responsive to the needs of the times but more importantly it should be able to find its way into farmers’ fields and their families’ homes. Research should never stay on the shelves – it should result in concrete outputs that would benefit farmers in Africa wherever they may be. This is my vision and sincere hope for this project.”

21 April 2013

IITA warmly welcomed Board of Trustees (BoT) member, Mrs Ibukun Odusote, who visited IITA headquarters this week. Board Member Odusote, a Nigerian and also the country’s Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, thumbed up recent efforts at IITA, particularly the upgrade of infrastructure at the headquarters in Ibadan..