By Samuel
The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in partnership with the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Umudike, has launched five new cassava varieties.
The new varieties: Game Changer, Obasanjo-2, Hope, Baba-70, and Poundable, were developed under the NextGen Cassava Breeding Project.
The National Committee on Naming, Registration and Release of Crop Varieties officially announced them for release on Thursday.
The varieties were released to address three important product profiles for West Africa, that is, cassava refined for garri or fufu, fresh markets and industrial purposes, a statement made available to AgroNigeria disclosed.
The Project was funded by the Gates Foundation and the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
The Cassava Growers Association of Nigeria (CGAN) also played principal roles in the naming of the varieties.
The statement also revealed that two of the newly-developed varieties were derived from Genomic Selection, a scientific procedure.
In his reaction, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Muhammad Sabo Nanono, stressed the importance of good crop varieties to the overall development of the crop value chain
“The foundation of a solid crop value chain is based on best-bet varieties. As a country, we are excited that the new NextGen cassava varieties address the needs of the cassava industry and we look forward to providing millions of Nigerian cassava growers access to these varieties,” he said.
Why We Developed the New Varieties – IITA, NRCRI
Speaking more on the new varieties, IITA and NRCRI explained that the ‘Game Changer’ and ‘Obasanjo-2’ were being released as part of the new varieties for industrial purposes due to their high stable starch and dry matter yields.
‘Hope’ and ‘Baba-70,” on the other hand, are targeted at producing fresh root cassava yields that give excellent garri and fufu qualities.
For ‘Poundable,’ however, its low cyanogenic content, mealiness of the roots (like that of yam) and its poundability are why the variety was made for fresh markets.
When grown into cassava, the ‘Poundable’ variety can be boiled, fried, roasted or pounded.
The new varieties can now be marketed by the early generation seed companies for cassava seed producers and farmers nationwide, AgroNigeria gathered.
By Samuel
The African Cassava Agronomy Initiative (ACAI) has stepped up efforts toward improving cassava weed management with its latest ‘post-emergence herbicides’ discovery.
The Initiative under the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) had introduced the Six Steps to Cassava Weed Management and Best Planting Practices, galvanising research on weed management.
IITA on Thursday revealed that it identified some post-emergence herbicides in Nigeria, and have been adapted in its framework to control weeds in cassava farms.
The discovery, AgroNigeria understands, has been entrenched in the ‘Six Steps’ extension tool kit for farmers to access.
Principal Investigator on Weed Control Measures, IITA, Prof. Friday Ekeleme disclosed this in a statement in Ibadan.
According to him, Scientists under ACAI identified glufosinate-ammonium, which is currently branded as Lifeline, Slasha Gold, Basta, among others, as post-emergence herbicides.
He also added that ‘fluazifop-p-butyl’ also known as Fusilade forte, can be applied if the weeds in the cassava field are grasses.
Ekeleme further said that the discovery would enhance the capacity of cassava farmers and engender quality yields of the crop.
He added that herbicides would improve the system, as weed control in cassava farms was a torturous exercise that limited the ability of farmers to expand their cropped area.
“The application of post-emergence herbicides requires care and skill to avoid damage to the cassava; this is because the post-emergence herbicides used in cassava are not selective.
“This means that they will harm cassava if they come in contact with the green parts of the cassava crop, including the green stems and the leaves.
“To avoid the post-emergence herbicides touching the green parts of cassava, farmers are encouraged to use spraying shields that are usually attached to the nozzle of the sprayer.
“There is however an exception, and that is, Fusilade Forte can be applied directly to the cassava crop to kill grasses (narrow leaf weeds only) if the field has a combination of both narrow and broad-leaf weeds, apply glufosinate-ammonium,” he said.
Farmers have, however, been advised to apply the post-emergence herbicides only “when the cassava crop is eight weeks old and above’’.
IITA Digital Extension and Advisory Services Specialist, Mr. Godwin Atser, who stated this, added that the herbicides should be applied when weeds cover 30 percent of the field and “are at four to six-leaf stage”.
By Samuel
The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has partnered with MasterCard Foundation to train young Nigerians in the agricultural value chain.
Under the Young Africa Works initiative, the strategy in Nigeria aims to build the capacity of 242,724 youths in agribusiness over the next 5 years, a joint press statement revealed.
The Youth Africa Works initiative pioneered by MasterCard Foundation was designed to enable youths access dignifying work opportunities all over Africa.
In Nigeria, however, the focus is on getting 10 million young Nigerians, majorly women, to access the opportunities particularly in the agricultural sector by 2030.
Country Head at MasterCard Foundation, Chidinma Lawanson said, “Agriculture is at the heart of Africa’s economic transformation. It will profoundly define the future of work. Work is all around us especially in agriculture (production, processing, financing, packaging, and marketing).
“We’re focusing on agriculture in Nigeria because we see these opportunities and we will work with partners like IITA to make them visible to young people”
The project will also focus on upscaling the agri-food systems for young people aged 15 to 35. It will also help them secure employment or become self-employed and will span across Kaduna, Kano, and Lagos states.
One major target of the initiative, according to the press release, is to alleviate the risks associated with young people obtaining loans for their agro ventures.
This will be achieved through collaborative efforts with other financial institutions that will ensure that youth-sensitive loans are made available, together with agribusiness support programs.
Training Coordinator for Young Africa Works-IITA, Evelyn Ohanwusi noted that the core target for the project is the female youth population, particularly those in the North.
“Our partners are well-positioned to provide the training, placement, and agribusiness support services required in the three target states of Nigeria.
“This optimal mix of partners will ensure that the project approaches reflect the special attention that the Young Africa Works strategy places on young women.
“The project will apply special approaches to empower young women in Northern Nigeria while considering cultural sensitivities,” she stated.
The release also pointed that pre-existing IITA agribusiness initiatives will be leveraged upon. One of such is the Start Them Early Program (STEP).
The STEP program will improve agricultural instruction in secondary schools, such that the career paths for the students will be directed towards modernised agriculture and agribusiness.
By AgroNigeria
The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan in collaboration with the African Cassava Agronomy Initiative (ACAI) is set to train no fewer than 30,000 farmers on the “Six Steps to Cassava Weed Management and Best Planting Practices.’
IITA Digital Extension and Advisory Services Specialist, Mr. Godwin Atser, who revealed this in a statement in Ibadan, noted that the farmers would be selected from five states including; Abia, Benue, Oyo, Ogun, and Osun states.
He said the training aims to improve farmers’ knowledge on increasing the productivity of cassava and maize yield per hectare.
“This will subsequently increase farmers’ incomes, better their livelihoods, and create jobs for more people,” he added.
He noted that the training would be done in close collaboration with state Agricultural Development Programs (ADPs) and other extension service providers.
According to him, the team has developed a video translated into different local languages such as Igbo, Yoruba, and Tiv, to ensure effective dissemination of the Six Steps to Cassava Weed Management and Best Planting Practices tool.
The ACAI team has also procured mini-projectors and mobile phones to empower extension service providers in the participating states.
Atser said, “It is amazing to see how the Six Steps to Cassava Weed Management and Best Planting Practices Decision Support Tool is changing the face of cassava farmers.”
On his part, IITA Director for Development and Delivery, Dr. Alfred Dixon described the toolkit as an innovation that combined a set of agronomic recommendations and plant protection products to control weeds and increase cassava productivity.
He said several other African countries have requested for the toolkit with ACAI team training partners in Liberia, Tanzania, Burundi, and Zambia.
The ACAI team has also raised recommendations from the six steps on Cassava Weed Management and Best Planting Practices on the 3-2-1 service of Airtel where subscribers in Nigeria can dial 3-2-1 and get information on cassava weed management and other agronomic practices free of charge up to 10 times in a month.
Dixon said, “The idea is to get the recommendations to thousands of farmers across Nigeria and Tanzania so they can get a better yield from cassava farming.”
By Olusola Adeoye
The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) on Friday unveiled digital tools that are helping to transform farming, improving yield and livelihoods of farmers.
The digital tools include the cassava, goseed and yam seed trackers; Akilimo, IITA Herbicide Calculator, e-commerce site and IITA News App.
Nteranya Sanginga, IITA Director General who marks his 8-year in office on Friday, described the development of the digital tools as a remarkable feat, adding that they would assist in creating impact at scale.
“This aligns with our vision that led us to create the Partnership & Delivery Directorate whose responsibility is to ensure that not only are we carrying out research and writing scientific papers but also delivering and making impact on farm level,” he added.
The seed trackers are mobile platforms designed to help in seed production planning, seed traceability, seed inventory, real-time tracking of production status, seed certification, marketing, information resources, among others, Lava Kumar, the IITA Head of Germplasm Health Unit and Virologist said.
The IITA Herbicide Calculator is a mobile app that was developed by the Cassava Weed Management Project and deployed across Nigeria and other African countries and is being used in controlling weeds in cassava, explained Godwin Atser, IITA Digital Extension & Advisory Services Specialist.
“The app helps growers to estimate correct amount of herbicides to be added to knapsack sprayers, helping farmers to avoid underdosing or overdosing which leads to environmental pollution and weeds resistance,” he added.
Akilimo, however, is a mobile agronomy advisory tool developed by the African Cassava Agronomy Initiative (ACAI) that combines weed management/best planting, fertilizer recommendations, scheduled planting, according to Christine Kreye, West Africa Coordinator for ACAI.
For the IITA News app, IITA Head of Communication, Kathy Lopez said the app captures and disseminates, in real time, news about research and delivery activities to the public.
Launching the Cassava Seed Tracker, Yam Seed Tracker, Sanginga and Olusegun Ojo, Director General of the National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC), noted that the development of the digital apps were steps in the right direction.
Among those present at the launching were Alfred Dixon, IITA Director for Development and Delivery, who called for the integration of digital tools in IITA; Paul Ilona, Country Director of HarvestPlus; and Simon Irtwange, President of the Yam Export Association of Nigeria.
While the DG of the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) Umudike, Abia State, Joseph Ukpabi, was represented; Debo Akande, Executive Adviser to Oyo State Governor on Agribusiness, joined the event via telephone, assuring launchers of the tools of Governor Seyi Makinde’s support and readiness to make IITA a partner in his agribusiness plan for the state.