For more than 16 years, maize farmer Oyeniyi Julius in the Akufo farm settlement, Ido LGA, relied on experience to guide his farming decisions. Like many smallholder farmers in Oyo State,…
Western Africa
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Western AfricaFrom casual worker to forestry student: How the AFR100 Olokemeji Reforestation Project transformed Samuel Taiwo’s life
In the heart of Nigeria’s Olokemeji Forest Reserve, where verdant greenery now rises to reclaim degraded land, lies a story as transformative as the trees themselves. Samuel Peters Taiwo, a former…
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Eastern AfricaFrom healthier bananas to safer food: Two IITA scientists among the world’s Top Agri-food Pioneers
For millions of people across Africa, a healthy bunch of bananas on the farm or a bag of aflatoxin-free maize at the market may seem like ordinary sights. Yet behind these…
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Banana is an important crop serving millions of households as a staple food and source of income in East Africa. It drives food security, nutrition, and rural livelihoods across the region, with its…
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In West Africa, yam production is far more than an agricultural activity. It is a deeply embedded system that sustains millions of livelihoods, shapes rural economies, and reinforces cultural identity. Across…
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In Nigeria, long before the dominance of maize and rice, farmers cultivated a range of indigenous crops uniquely adapted to local ecologies and nutritional needs. Among these are fonio–locally known as…
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Western AfricaIITA Forest Center inspires future sustainability leaders through experiential learning
For students studying sustainability, few learning experiences are as impactful as witnessing environmental conservation in practice. This became a reality for Master’s students from the Department of Sustainability Studies, Centre for…
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The Program for Seed System Innovations for Vegetatively Propagated Crops in Africa (PROSSIVA) has trained Nigeria’s first cohort of banana and plantain seed entrepreneurs, marking an important milestone in efforts to…