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The role of women and youth in the collective efforts to bolster Africa’s agrifood systems through innovations in a changing climate cannot be overemphasized. Africa has the largest youth population globally, with over 400 million people between 15 and 35 years. The strength, vibrance, and fresh perspective of youths provide a rich bank of innovative potential waiting to be tapped. Young people are the driving force of innovation. Women, on the other hand, make up 66% of Africa’s workforce. Women are resilient and possess excellent problem-solving capabilities.

IITA DDG Partnerships for Delivery, Kenton Dashiell highlighting CGIAR's solutions in transforming agri-food systems. — IITA DDG Partnerships for Delivery, Kenton Dashiell highlighting CGIAR’s solutions in transforming agri-food systems.

Emphasizing the role of women and youth in driving science-led innovations for climate actions in Africa’s agrifood systems, FAO Chief Scientist Ismahane Elouafi said, “Whether it is developing drought-resistant crop varieties, promoting sustainable and measurement practices, or harnessing digital solutions for precision agriculture, innovation is our ‘beacon of hope’ in a changing climate.” She enjoined all to harness the power of youths, the wisdom of women, and the transformative potential of innovation to create more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable ways to improve Africa’s food systems.

Speaking on the role of science in the transformation of Africa’s agrifood systems, IITA Deputy Director General, Partnerships for Delivery (DDG-P4D), Kenton Dashiell, representing IITA Director General and Regional Director for Continental Africa Simeon Ehui, said, “The youth and the women of Africa are ready, given the right policies and enabling environments to increase yields across Africa.” The CGIAR has many technologies scaled up for farmers and partners with FAO and other organizations to co-create and deliver technologies at scale. IITA-CGIAR has developed climate-resilient maize (and other crop) varieties that have lifted over 2.1 million Nigerians out of poverty. The Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) initiative has empowered 12 million farmers in 27 countries over the last three years to greatly improve their productivity. Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) are doing great work to help farmers adopt climate-smart technologies and innovations.

Dashiell said, “All our technologies have a long-term perspective—to be resilient, sustainable, and inclusive of water, land, and food to transform Africa’s agrifood systems. They are also demand-driven by youth and women.” He added that since youths are creative with technology, leveraging innovations in agriculture will be attractive to them. This will prove an effective strategy to reap youth’s engagement in profitable agriculture.

Other panelists presented youth-led climate-smart innovations that leverage artificial intelligence and available digital technologies to alert farmers of pests and diseases on their farms. They recommend improved and climate-resilient seeds suitable for specified climates and soil. One youth-led innovation has integrated agriculture and fashion by creating clothing fiber from plants and other nutritious foods from the same. Innovation is our solution to the changing climate.

Contributed by Folake Oduntan

https://www.iita.org/technologies-for-african-agricultural-transformation-taat/

https://www.iita.org/news-item/accelerating-impacts-of-cgiar-climate-research-for-africa-aiccra-in-ghana-disclosure-notice-for-environmental-and-social-management-plan-esmp/

On 9 October, the IITA Business Incubation Platform (BIP), with the Dutch government and other partners, launched the Insect4feed Entrepreneur Incubation Program to train participants to create sustainable and nutritious feed for the livestock industries.

BIP Business Development Officer giving the opening remarks at the training.

BIP Business Development Officer Victoria Ayeni introduced the dignitaries, facilitators, and entrepreneurs who participated in the program physically and virtually.

BIP Chief Executive Officer and Director Debo Akande welcomed the participants to the 13-week program. He urged the entrepreneurs to maximize the opportunity provided by the practical sessions to have a robust outcome in production afterward. He said, “This training is bringing a more structured approach to the Insects4Feed project in Nigeria and this is supported by the Dutch government and NGN. And they are doing what we call proof of concept within IITA to understand whether it is technically and economically viable. When all these are known, we can ask the private sector to start engaging.”

BIP CEO Dr Debo Akande (m) with participants at the BIP Insect4feed training.

Feeds have become a major problem in Nigeria now, especially for the poultry industries, this project is going to complement and reduce the high cost of the feeds through training entrepreneurs who are like the first pilot that will be the venture owners of this business within the state and when growth is achieved, it becomes a project that will be expanded beyond this space.

Entrepreneur-participants for the Insect4feed training program.

Ayeni said, “The project is efficient, and livestock farmers can get alternative protein for livestock feed in affordable and accessible ways.” All the food waste in homes and the market can be used to feed the insects, thereby generating the required protein that is needed for the livestock industry resulting to a balanced economy as nothing is wasted.

Contributed by Esther Moses

As part of IITA–CGIAR efforts to ensure that Africa is food secure, delegates from Raedial Holdings Limited visited IITA on 12 October to explore possible partnership areas with the Institute focusing on banana and pineapple production.

Managing Director, Raedial Holdings, Engr. Uwadiale Agenmonmen sharing the purpose of their visit.

IITA Deputy Director General, Partnerships for Delivery (DDG-P4D) Kenton Dashiell highlighted the importance of partnerships in helping the Institute accomplish its mission, especially in upscaling its innovation to the end-users through partnerships. “IITA operates in an open-access partnership; hence, our success is your success,” Dashiell stated.

Raedial Holdings Managing Director Engr Uwadiale Agenmonmen explained that Raedial wants to partner with a French company, Compagnie Fruitière, on banana and pineapple production. He added that they visited IITA to explore improved varieties of these crops, their value chains, business opportunities, and associated technologies to ensure high productivity. Agenmonmen also requested if pepper can be intercropped with the mentioned crops.

“The partnership outcome would help improve Nigeria’s economy and provide employment opportunities to the youth,” he said.

IITA Business Incubation Platform (IITA-BIP) Business Development Officer Victoria Ayeni and Human Resources Specialist Wole Oladokun described BIP’s focus on addressing market demands by commercializing and scaling innovative agriculture technologies and services to the end-users. Ayeni highlighted some success stories that have been scaled up to private partners, including Aflasafe, Nodumax, and semi-autotropic hydroponics (SAH).

ITA DDG Kenton Dashiell, Personal Assistant to IITA-BIP CEO, Victoria Ayeni and Raedial's team after the meeting. — ITA DDG Kenton Dashiell, Personal Assistant to IITA-BIP CEO, Victoria Ayeni and Raedial’s team after the meeting.

IITA Regional Breeding Manager Delphine Amah gave background information on some banana varieties, especially the Cavendish variety. She elaborated on the importance of using high-quality planting material and proper management practices since theirs would be a commercialized farming venture.

Amah suggested that Raedial Holdings could explore a structure of producing their own planting material since it would be a continuous process and also have a tissue-culture laboratory to ensure the materials are disease-free. This would serve as a linkage for partnerships with other private sectors and SMEs, providing extra income to Raedial.

Following the discussion, Oladokun stated that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) would be needed to facilitate the partnership. In addition, Raedial Holdings would be linked with a third-party institute for pineapple production.

The team visited the banana tissue culture laboratory and Contec Laboratory for more insights about tissue culture.

Contributed by Anita Akinyomade

Cassava is sub-Saharan Africa’s (SSA) second most important staple food crop after maize. It is often referred to as a “woman’s crop,” a label derived from numerous factors, including the low market value of cassava as an established staple food mainly grown and consumed at home, along with characteristics such as its low input requirements and drought tolerance.

Cassava seed entrepreneur (CSE) inspecting his field.

In Tanzania, cassava is considered an “emerging market” commodity. However, it suffers from low farm productivity, partly due to the use of local varieties that are highly susceptible to Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD) and Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD). Productivity can be enhanced if farmers adopt improved high-yielding and CMD- and CBSD-tolerant cassava varieties and utilize good agronomic practices.

To meet the growing demand for cassava, the Government of Tanzania has emphasized the need to work toward increasing overall production by developing a 10-year (2020-2030) National Cassava Development Strategy. The strategy aims to create a commercialized cassava sub-sector for food security and income generation by promoting improved technologies across the value chain and increasing cassava productivity, profitability, and employment opportunities.

Through partnerships with non-governmental organizations and the private sector, the Government has begun to set up a commercially sustainable cassava seed system. One well-known initiative is the establishment of networks of cassava seed entrepreneurs (CSEs) consisting of smallholder farmers who produce, promote, and enhance access to planting material (stem cuttings) of improved high-yielding and disease-tolerant varieties to nearby cassava farmers as a means of generating additional income.

One of the researchers interviewing a cassava seed entrepreneur (CSE) in Mtwara.

In one of the initiatives, the “Building an Economically Sustainable Seed System in Tanzania for Cassava” (BEST) project, researchers from IITA and other partner organizations recognized the disparity between the importance of cassava to women and their abilities to potentially profit from it at the highest levels of the seed system. As a result, a study was conducted to formally document some barriers and constraints that created gender inequalities in the cassava seed system to better understand women’s low representation and experiences in commercialized cassava seed production. This study was documented in a journal authored by IITA Postdoctoral Fellow, Gender Research (Cassava), Millicent Liani.

The study was carried out in the Southern, Eastern, and Lake Zones of Tanzania, covering 11 cassava-growing regions, including Coast, Geita, Kagera, Kigoma, Lindi, Mara, Mtwara, Morogoro, Mwanza, Ruvuma, and Tanga. The study targeted two main groups during interviews: women and men farmers who were operating as CSEs in the project regions producing commercial or quality declared cassava seed for sale in their locales; and women and men farmers who were referred by the District Council for consideration as CSEs but who were not selected by the project because they did not ultimately meet all the criteria used by the project to inform their selection.

The collected data highlighted several challenges women faced as they operated their cassava seed production businesses, such as lower access to and control over land and financial resources (capital) due to factors such as marital status, age, and positional hierarchy in the family. Married women CSEs have the additional burden of dealing with strong gender norms around women’s family-centered roles that limit their mobility outside their communities, hindering them from attending agronomic training on seed production.

Some women CSEs, however, expressed positive outcomes that have accrued from their participation in CSE work, including enhanced social status in their communities and improved living standards characterized by better housing, increased food security, and the ability to afford children’s school fees and purchase land and household goods.

The researchers advised that for the commercialized cassava seed system to be more socially inclusive and sustainable, there is a need to adopt gender-aware approaches to address the underlying barriers and biases that exclude women and other social groups. They also suggested that development efforts should consider combining social change innovations with seed system interventions to address the inequitable norms and power relations that create unique constraints for women to operate effectively as seed entrepreneurs.

International research centers and local businesses showcase local innovations and highlight partnership in CGIAR and Partners Exhibition and youth project launch

Abuja, Nigeria – Research centers of CGIAR, a global research partnership working towards a food-secure future, and partners, convened in Abuja last week to launch a youth-in-agribusiness project and to celebrate women and youth in agriculture to mark International Day of Rural Women and World Food Day.

Organized by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), the CGIAR country convener in Nigeria, in its station in the capital city of Nigeria, the event brought together diverse partners working towards scaling innovations for sustainable food systems. The event aimed at creating an avenue for key actors in the food systems sphere to explore areas of alignment and collaboration, and providing an opportunity to showcase and celebrate the contributions of rural women and youth in ensuring the sustainability of food systems.

Kenton Dashiell DDG Partnerships — Dr Kenton Dashiell, DDG Partnerships for Delivery

Speaking at the opening of the event on 19 October, IITA Deputy Director General, Partnerships for Delivery Kenton Dashiell emphasized the importance of access to nutritious food. Adding that the exhibition showcases an array of innovations that can help transform food systems, he enjoined participants to critically look at these innovations and come together to celebrate and appreciate the efforts of various stakeholders working to ensure food and nutritional security in the country.

“If we can network and seek ways to collaborate, we will all learn more and benefit from these interventions; together can do more for our farmers, especially our women farmers and youth entrepreneurs,” he said.

The CGIAR and Partners Exhibition Day had the theme “Scaling innovations and technologies for food systems transformation,” and was organized in partnership with the Netherlands Embassy in Nigeria, the French Embassy in Nigeria, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in Nigeria, and Bopinc, a Dutch NGO.

During a panel discussion that featured representatives from FAO, IITA, and CGIAR, panelists highlighted various ways to leverage innovation scaling, improve food systems, and provide an enabling environment for actors along the value chain especially youth and women.

While declaring the exhibition open, IITA Germplasm Health Unit and Virology Unit Head Lava Kumar encouraged participants at the event to take advantage of the opportunity and learn about how research is shaping the food systems landscape in Nigeria and Africa.

Wouter-Plomp, Netherlands Ambassador — H.E. Ambassador Wouter Plomp: Kingdom of Netherlands Ambassador to Nigeria (Middle)

The Netherlands Ambassador to Nigeria, His Excellency Wouter Plomp, who is a strong champion for the youth project, toured the exhibition and said that he was inspired to see the remarkable innovations and efforts of the women and youth entrepreneurs and partners.

IITA DG and CGIAR Director for Continental Africa, Simeon Ehui said the scaling of these research innovations will significantly contribute to the strengthening of food systems, and improvement of livelihoods of smallholder farmers and economies across Africa.

“It is important to note that these innovations can only make significant impact when they are scaled, and that is why CGIAR centers like IITA, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), AfricaRice, WorldFish, and International Center for Research in the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) are collaborating with diverse partners to implement a range of initiatives addressing poverty eradication, hunger, natural resource degradation, food insecurity and undernutrition, and lack of jobs and livelihoods.”

IITA-DG-Ehui — Dr. Simeon Ehui, IITA Director General and CGIAR Regional Director for Africa

The exhibition and open day showcased various innovations and products along several value chains from CGIAR centers and partners, including women’s cooperatives from Borno State in the northeast of Nigeria, provided an enabling environment for participants to learn, and establish networks for collaboration that would help further the task of transforming the food systems across Africa.

Day 2 featured the launch of a project called Youth in Agribusiness: Enabling scaling of innovative technologies for sustainable food solutions (YAS). The project, a partnership between IITA and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, is implemented in collaboration with BoPinc, a Dutch-based NGO partner. YAS is focused on creating viable agribusiness enterprises using innovative climate-smart technologies and business practices that increase income and productivity, and improve access to markets in the agribusiness sector.

YAS is being launched at a crucial time when food security has become a critical global concern. YAS will reach 10,000 youths aged between 18-35 in four states in Nigeria, namely Kano, FCT, Oyo, and Ogun States. The project is built on three pillars namely, capacity development, business training, and access to finance and markets.

Group-photo---YAS — Group photo at YAS Launch

In line with the Dutch government’s agricultural priorities and the multi-annual country strategy (MACS) to assist Nigeria in diversifying its economic growth and job creation via a sustainable and inclusive agri-food sector, the YAS project contributes to the Netherlands government’s strategy for sustainable food systems and nutrition security to reach SDG2 goals by 2030.

About 300 guests attended the YAS project launch, including more than 80 members of the diplomatic community in Abuja, major CGIAR partners and donors, women farmers’ cooperatives representatives, youth entrepreneurs, research collaborators from the national programs, private sector representatives, including movers and shakers of the agribusiness community, such as commercial banks, government partners, and members of media.

Media contacts:

Adetola Adenmosun, YAS project, a.adenmosun@cgiar.org
Katherine Lopez, IITA, k.lopez@cgiar.org

In the food security, nutrition, and sustainable agriculture space, the Joint Programme on Gender Transformative Approaches for Food Security and Nutrition (JP GTA) and the CGIAR GENDER Impact Platform achieved a significant milestone with the development of the “Guidelines for measuring gender transformative change.” The guidelines’ purpose is to enhance the capacity of research and development partners from the United Nations Rome-based Agencies—Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and World Food Programme (WFP)—the European Union, CGIAR, and other organizations in designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating gender-transformative interventions.

Some of the participants during the webinar.

The official unveiling of the guidelines occurred during a virtual launch event held on 26 September. The authors and thematic experts emphasized the importance of incorporating indicators capable of measuring gender transformative change into the monitoring and evaluation frameworks of food security, nutrition, and sustainable agriculture initiatives. The Deputy Director of the WFP Gender Equality Office, Elizabeth Burges-Sims, moderated the event.

Deputy Director of the Inclusive Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division at FAO, Lauren Phillips, highlighted the persistent gender-based disparities in agriculture, particularly regarding women’s empowerment. She noted that women faced more intense challenges than men and underlined the significance of gender equality in fulfilling sustainable development objectives. “We have ongoing programs doing their best to ensure women are being empowered in agriculture,” she said.

FAO Rural Women's Empowerment Specialist Mariola Acosta during her presentation. — FAO Rural Women’s Empowerment Specialist Mariola Acosta during her presentation.

Deputy Head of the Social Sustainability Unit at the General Directorate for Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission, María Gafo Gómez-Zamalloa, echoed Philips’s view. She emphasized that gender equality was not merely a moral ideal but a substantial driving force behind economic development. She argued that without equality for women and girls, ensuring agricultural sustainability and eradicating hunger and poverty would be a mirage. She declared that the European Union is deeply committed to gender equality, with the primary goal of improving the livelihoods of rural female farmers. “Raising the awareness of women’s equality is key for gender equality. It is impossible to achieve food security without the contribution of women,” she said.

The Director of the CGIAR GENDER Impact Platform, Nicoline de Haan, delivered the welcome remarks, in which she shared the platform’s journey, revealing how they transitioned from merely focusing on empowering women to striving for transformative change. This ignited the spark of gender transformative research, ultimately leading to the creation of these ground-breaking guidelines.

The core of the event was the presentation of the guidelines by two experts in the field: IITA Senior Scientist and Gender Specialist Steven Michael Cole and FAO Rural Women Empowerment Specialist Mariola Acosta. Acosta delved into the structural aspects of the guidelines, while Cole tackled the practical application of the framework for gender-specific transformation. Cole introduced a comprehensive five-step process for developing gender transformative change indicators and announced the forthcoming availability of a concise “at a glance” version of the guidelines.

IITA-CGIAR Gender Specialist Steven Cole during his presentation.

A panel featuring CGIAR GENDER Impact Platform Science Officer and the HER+ Gender Equality Initiative Lead, Els Lecoutere, and IFAD Gender, Targeting, and Social Inclusion Specialist Silvia Sperandini discussed the opportunities and challenges associated with assessing normative constraints in agrifood systems. This was followed by a question-and-answer session moderated by FAO Senior Gender Officer and Team Leader Clara Park.

In her closing remarks, Senior Adviser for Gender Equality at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and Lead of the EU Member States Working Group on the Gender Transformative Approach, Katja Tiilikainen, summarized the discussions, emphasizing that the guidelines had been developed to address the existing knowledge gaps in measuring gender transformative approaches, signaling a clear path forward in the journey towards gender equality in food security, nutrition, and sustainable agriculture. These guidelines were not just documents; they were inspirations guiding the way toward a more equitable and sustainable future for all.

Contributed by Ochuwa Favour Daramola

In an ongoing effort to empower farmers and advance climate-smart and good agricultural practices (GAP), the IITA-led USAID-funded Feed-the-Future Nigeria Integrated Agriculture Activity (NIAA) held its annual Green Field Day across the intervention local government areas (LGAs) in Adamawa, Borno, Gombe, and Yobe states.

Lead farmer Demsa LGA Adamawa State Mr Dimas Hassan explaining the characteristics and performances of each improved variety of maize Sammaz 27, sammaz 15 and the local variety planted.

On this occasion, farmers are shown the effects of adhering to GAP through demonstration plots cultivated earlier in the year. Therefore, the event helps reinforce farmers’ learning and exposes them to cutting-edge technologies while emphasizing practical aspects of GAP. This year’s Green Field Day kicked off on 18 September.

one of the participants in Demsa asking questions and giving a general vote of thanks to IITA.

At the Green Field Day in Demsa LGA, Adamawa State, the Activity’s Senior Agronomist, Azeez Oyeyemi, explained that the day allows farmers to interact and collaborate. “It is not just about experts imparting knowledge; it is also a forum for farmers to share their experiences. This important feature of the special day encourages the exchange of ideas and fosters a sense of community and ownership among participants.”

Soyabean lead farmer in Guyuk LGA of Adamawa State Mr Kadawasor explaining the effect of Nodumas and SSP fertilizer on the growth of soyabean.

Working with Senior Technical Field Officers in the four intervention states, Oyeyemi provides expert opinions to farmers seeking clarification, guidance, and advice. This direct interaction with NIAA staff allows for tailored solutions to specific challenges faced by individual farmers. Overall, the knowledge and experiences gained during this event will undoubtedly lead to improved agricultural practices, increased yields, and enhanced livelihoods for farmers in the intervention states.

Contributed by Ann Odaudu

IITA–CGIAR and the National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC) are continuing their collaboration to build capacity and foster agricultural development in Nigeria. In a follow-up meeting held on 14 September, the Senior Management Team of Feed-the-Future Nigeria Integrated Agriculture Activity (NIAA) met with NASC at their headquarters in Abuja.

Deputy Chief of Party (NIAA), Mr Olukayode Faleti (right); Market Systems and Livelihood Specialist (NIAA), Mr Bassey Archibong (2nd right), Acting DG (NASC), Dr Khalid Ishiak (middle); Director (NASC), Dr Jimmy Zidafamor (2nd left) and Youth/Gender Facilitator (NIAA), Mr SHakiru Quadri during the meeting

NIAA Chief of Party Prakash Kant Silwal, represented by Deputy Chief of Party Olukayode Faleti, appreciated NASC for past partnerships and future collaborations. “NASC has been very supportive, especially in training the Activity’s over 60,000 farmers during our first three years of intervention. The 2,250 Community-Based Seed Producers (CBSPs) have received climate-smart and good agricultural practices training at some point or another. We are confident that NASC will continue to support us as we train our farmers and increase agricultural yields in the northeast. On our part, we will not fail to adhere strictly to NASC’s guidelines on seed production,” he said.

Receiving the team, NASC Acting Director General Dr Khalid Ishiak commended the Activity’s various achievements, especially its commitment to supporting smallholder farmers in Adamawa, Borno, Gombe, and Yobe States. “We will continue to equip your CBSPs with the latest knowledge in seed quality assurance and regulation. We will also offer expertise and resources for specialized training programs tailored to NASC’s unique requirements,” he promised.

The partnership aims to benefit the Activity’s CBSPs, who will become Community-Based Seed Entrepreneurs in the various cooperative societies the Activity facilitates across the region. Also, it is expected to substantiate progress in improving agricultural practices and boosting agricultural yields.

Contributed by Ann Odaudu

countries: Nigeria

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