Plans by Kenya’s government to commercialize the agricultural sector has irked civil society groups even as the country marked World Food Day. Through a new agricultural policy, the agricultural sector transformation and growth strategy (2019 – 2029), the government seeks to increase the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers among Kenyan farmers. This is despite…
‘Six Steps’ toolkit sparks excitement among cassava farmers
Farmers in Oyo State, Nigeria were in awe when the African Cassava Agronomy Initiative (ACAI) of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) conducted some harvest operations on-farm plots set up to demonstrate the Six Steps to Cassava Weed Management and Best Planting Practices, one of the project’s agronomic recommendation toolkits. IITA-ACAI last year set…
New pact to develop rice sector in Ivory Coast
The Minister in charge of the promotion of Rice Growing, Gaoussou Touré, and the Managing Director of SOLEVO Côte d’Ivoire, Marc Desenfans signed in Abidjan, a memorandum of understanding aimed at developing the Ivorian rice sector, by providing rice farmers with the necessary fertilizers, crop protection products, and technical support to increase their productivity and…
Biopesticide offers hope for sustainable agriculture in Africa
By Joseph Checky Abuje The International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) has developed new biopesticides that gives hope to sustainable agriculture in Africa. The bio-pesticide products included 417 botanicals, 274 microbial and 271 microbial extracts, or fermentation products. Of the products, 23, including Neem and Bacillus thuringiensis and sex pheromones and microbials…
Nigeria:New names for top performing cassava varieties approved
The Federal Government of Nigeria on Wednesday evening approved new names for 10 improved cassava varieties, as part of efforts to brand the root crop for easy identification, cultivation and marketing of cassava stems. The branded varieties comprise 6 released varieties and 4 yet-to be-released varieties. The released varieties and their new names are as…
IITA, CIMMYT to enhance adoption of Conservation Agriculture in Southern Africa
The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) recently launched a project that aims to investigate the drivers and barriers to adoption of Conservation Agriculture (CA) in southern Africa and to develop strategies for achieving adoption and impact at scale. The project, Understanding and Enhancing Adoption of Conservation Agriculture…
8th IDF International Symposium on sheep, goat, and other non-cow milk, moves to a digital format
Originally planned for May 2020 in Brussels, Belgium but postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organisers have decided on a new approach for the leading event on milk originating from other ruminants than cows, with webinars to be held on 4, 5 and 6 November 2020. As before, the now exclusively digital event will…
Nigeria cassava farmers get post-emergence herbicides
Scientists working with the African Cassava Agronomy Initiative (ACAI) of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) have identified some postemergence herbicides that farmers can use during the growing period of cassava to tackle weeds. These postemergence herbicides, though not exclusive to cassava, have been adapted in the framework of the Six Steps to Cassava…