CIMMYT has helped reduce the proportion of hungry people from about half the global population in the 1960s to below 20 percent today. Yearly economic benefits from its research and training activities, conducted on a budget of $180 million, are conservatively estimated at $4 billion. Scientists working at CIMMYT have been honored with a Nobel Peace Prize, three World Food Prizes and many other significant awards.
Why weed control key to access USD5 b cassava market
Efforts by the Nigerian government to tap the $5billion per annum cassava market demand investments in weed science research, agronomy, and cassava seeds system with a view to raising the productivity frontier of the root crop, says the Dr Alfred Dixon, Project Leader, Cassava Weed Management Project. Though the largest producer of cassava in the…
Africa youth not inspired to invest in agriculture, experts
It will take more than financial persuasion to hook Africa’s youth into agriculture–currently in the hands of older persons, experts at the ongoing Africa Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) have warned.
African Agriculture improves, AGRA Report reveals
A decade of intense domestic attention to farmers and food production has generated “the most successful development effort” in African history, with countries that made the biggest investments rewarded with sizeable jumps in both farm productivity and overall economic performance, according to a new report released today by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in…
USD15 M USAID funded pact to spark ‘new era’ in Africa agricultural data collection
Two countries in Sub-Saharan Africa will be among those that are to pilot a USD 15 million agreement between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and FAO aimed at boosting the capacity of developing countries to track key agricultural data -information that is essential to good policymaking and that will help track progress…
Water management is key to helping farming communities
Experts all over the world are working to find sustainable solutions to the most pressing water challenges facing the world today. Water is a constant challenge in crop production and managing water supplies sustainably can make a huge difference to farming communities at a local level. International development charity Farm Africa has been assisting farmers…
Chickens give farmers new hope when the rains fail
For the two thirds of people in Kenya who rely on the food they grow and animals they keep, frequent droughts can leave many struggling to produce enough to feed their families. In recent years Kenya’s Kitui County has suffered from significant variations in climate, with serious impacts on rain-fed agricultural production and food security…
Protecting people from disease outbreaks and other health emergencies in Africa and beyond
Addis Ababa, 20 August 2016 – With more than 100 public health emergencies occurring each year in the African Region, Health Ministers have agreed to implement some key actions to ensure that people in Africa and beyond are better protected from disease outbreaks and other health emergencies. The actions are outlined in the Regional Strategy…