Nigeria has released two improved cassava varieties in an effort to maintain its lead as the world’s largest producer of the root crop, improve incomes of farmers and make them smile. The varieties were developed through a collaborative effort between the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the Nigerian Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), [...]
Good intentions alone are not enough By Masimba Tafirenyika Amid raving economic forecasts thatAfricawill be the next big emerging market, chronic food shortages remain stubbornly immune to solutions. The African Union is aware of this weak link and is working to convince its members to boost investments in agriculture. It’s a tall order. But there [...]
Autocracy and aid dependency killed an agriculture success story By Masimba Tafirenyika Once againMalawifinds itself in a tight spot. A food crisis set off by erratic rains, rising food prices and economic hardships is slowly unfolding. Sadly and unexpectedly,Malawihas lost its hard-earned status as an agricultural success story. Many are now wondering what went wrong [...]
03 December 2012, Ibadan – The African Development Bank (AfDB) and researchers today launched the US$63.24 million AfDB-funded initiative that aims to raise agricultural productivity and also lift millions of Africans out of poverty. The 5-year, multi-CGIAR center initiative known as “Support to Agricultural Research for Development of Strategic Crops in Africa” (SARD-SC) is a [...]
Thursday 1st November 2012 FOOD EVENT IS A PRECIOUS OPPORTUNITY TO TACKLE CAUSES OF HUNGER Christian Aid today welcomed David Cameron’s announcement of an event next year on food and hunger, which currently afflicts some 870 million people globally. ‘The Prime Minister’s initiative is an important opportunity to attack the causes of hunger as well [...]
Food security in Africa will remain elusive with isolated successes, fuelling a sense of false optimism in an otherwise dismal situation unless decisive actions are taken to assist small-scale farmers to grow more and more valuable crops, according to the Director General of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Dr Nteranya Sanginga. Addressing participants [...]
Washington D.C.—Global challenges, including the recent food and financial crises and climate change, highlight the need for continued and scaled-up investments in agricultural research and development (R&D). The report ASTI Global Assessment of Agricultural R&D Spending, published by the International Food Policy Research Institute’s (IFPRI) Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators initiative (ASTI) and the Global [...]
As nations across the globe prepare to mark another World Food Day on 16 October, the Director General of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Dr Nteranya Sanginga, has called on world leaders and other stakeholders to redouble efforts to save Africa from the pangs of hunger and poverty. Although progress has been made [...]
PRESS RELEASE For more information, please contact: Sarah Immenschuh, s.immenschuh@cgiar.org, +1 (202) 862-5679 Hunger in Times of Land, Water, and Energy Pressures Washington, D.C.—Unsustainable use of land, water, and energy is threatening the food security of the poorest and most vulnerable around the world, according to the 2012 Global Hunger Index, released for the seventh [...]
The Cameroonian government has released five new improved cassava varieties to help improve the food security of millions of people in the country. The varieties which were developed through conventional breeding by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and partners are recognized as IITA genotypes as TMS 92/0326, TMS 96/1414, TMS 96/0023, TMS 92/0057, [...]
