With news from last week’s global climate talks in Poland looking ominous for African farmers, a high-level group of African agricultural experts gathered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Thursday to accelerate farmer access to innovations that can sustainably increase food production—even as temperatures rise and weather extremes and crop pests become more common. The event,…
Africa’s agricultural progress: Political support more crucial than seeds, weather and soil, says new Report
Lack of political will by government leaders more than farm inputs continue to stem Africa’s agricultural development and its contribution to spark widespread economic growth across the continent, a major new study released today by the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). The report, “Catalyzing State Capacity to Drive Agricultural Transformation,” is the most…
Building Resilience to Climate Risks in Africa’s Agriculture
By Mohamed Beavogui Agriculture represents tremendous opportunities for African economies. The sector contributed more than $100 billion to Africa’s GDP in 2016. But much of that potential could be realised if there are effective solutions addressing the factors that drive the under-performance trend in the sector. Over 60 per cent of the Sub-Saharan African population…
East African research centres plot for climate-ready cassava
By Patrick Amunavi A team comprising of researchers from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) in Kenya, Mikocheni Agricultural Research Institute (MARI) in Tanzania, in collaboration with Basque Institute for Research and Development in Agriculture (NEIKER) in Spain are evaluating and developing cassava cultivars adaptable to the climate change-induced stresses. The project…
Veteran cassava researchers win the 2018 Golden Cassava Prize
A Principal Scientist and Cassava Breeder with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Dr. Alfred Dixon and Dr. Hernan Ceballos of the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) have won the 2018 Golden Cassava Prize. The prestigious award, which is usually bestowed on colleagues for their excellent contribution to cassava transformation was given to…
AfDB to invest $120 million to boost cassava and others
The African Development Bank (AfDB) Tuesday said it will invest $120 million in the next 2-3 years to boost the productivity and transform cassava and eight other commodities on the continent. The nine commodities include: cassava, rice, maize, sorghum/millet, wheat, livestock, aquaculture, high iron beans and orange fleshed sweet potatoes. “Transforming cassava on the African…
New menacing Cassava pest identified in West and Central Africa
A new pest—southern armyworm, Spodoptera eridania (Stoll)—has been discovered in West and Central Africa! Originating from the tropical regions of the Americas the fall armyworm (FAW) adult has a remarkable capacity for long distance migration and high female fertility. Its crop-destroying caterpillars can cause serious damage to maize but also to other important crops such…
Global wheat experts to address challenges facing global wheat supply at Morocco meeting
Leading wheat researchers from all over the world will convene for a workshop in Morocco to discuss challenges that face global wheat production, and how to breed high yielding varieties that are better able to resist diseases and tolerate heat and drought. The meeting holds against the background of rapidly changing climate and evolving pathogens…