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IITA Director-General, Dr Nteranya Sanginga has said that the Institute is strategically working towards providing support for the federal and state governments in Nigeria as well as the other countries where IITA hubs are situated, during this trying time across the world.

As COVID-19 or coronavirus gets closer to home—Africa, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has announced some opportunities for the Institute to undertake some quick-win projects that would help the continent address food security and poverty alleviation goals.

The Head of IITA’s banana breeding program, Rony Swennen received the “Dedicated Scientist Award for his exemplary commitment to Banana research” during an International Conference on Banana held in Trichy, India on 22–25 February 2020.

By now, we know that 2020 is the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH). Throughout the year, partners and stakeholders in agriculture shall increase awareness among the public and policymakers on the importance of healthy plants and the necessity to protect them in order to reduce hunger, malnutrition and poverty.

The Business Incubation Platform (BIP) of IITA has set a new record of 23 t/ha for yam production in Nigeria. This record, which was achieved through a controlled trial, has been set to guide farmers in achieving increased yields from their yam farms.

The Business Incubation Platform (BIP) of IITA has set a new production record for maize in Nigeria. BIP exceeded the previous record through its Youth Out-growers team in an outgrowers program with Nestlé, Nigeria.

Maruca vitrata, also known as Maruca pod borer, is one of the most devastating insect pests of cowpea in Africa. Its larvae stage, the caterpillar, is the most destructive and attacks flowers and pods of various legumes causing up to 80% yield loss.

Think back over the last month. What types of food have you and your family consumed? Have you eaten a balanced and diversified diet? The answer may not matter; what matters is who or what influenced your food choices. These and more are the questions that researchers from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) set to find out.

Fusarium wilt, a soilborne fungal disease popularly known as Panama disease, is one of the most devastating diseases of banana. It is responsible for the crop’s declining yield in the Great Lakes region of Africa, where banana is a major source of food and income for millions of smallholder farmers.