The International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA)

Founded in 1967, the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) was the first African research center linked to the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), with a mandate to improve food production and develop sustainable production systems in humid tropics.

It is led by an international board of trustees and staffed by scientists and professionals from more than 30 countries with headquarters in Ibadan, Nigeria. It operates in Benin, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Uganda, and in several Sub-Saharan countries.

The Institute’s mission is to enhance food security, income, and well-being of resource-poor people in Sub-Saharan Africa, through research and related activities aimed to increase agricultural production, improve food systems, and sustainably manage natural resources. They work with national and international stakeholders.

IITA directs researches, germplasm conservation, trainings, and information exchange activities alongside regional and national programs, as well as with universities, nongovernment organizations (NGOs), and the private sector. It focuses on small holder cropping and post harvest systems, and on the crops cassava, cowpea, maize, plantain and banana, soybean, and yam.

IITA is a part of major networks such as the West and Central Africa Maize Network (WECAMAN), Southern Africa Root Crops Research Network (SARRNET), East Africa Root Crops Research Network (EARRNET), Alley Farming Network for Tropical Africa (AFNETA), and thee Soil and Plant Analytical Laboratories Network of Africa (SPALNA) among others. Meanwhile, some of its partner NGOs include the Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA) based in Tokyo, Japan; Rotary Clubs in Ghana, Togo, Benin, France, and USA; and the World Vision International (WVI). It is actively involved with the CGIAR-related partnerships Systemwide Program on Integrated Pest Management (SP-IPM), Systemwide Information Network for Genetic Resources (SINGER), Consortium for Spatial Information (CSI), and International Crop Information System (ICIS). IITA is also working with National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) collaborators among over 40 African countries.

Two of the most recent breakthroughs from IITA are the production of disease resistant cassava varieties, and a biopesticide called Green Muscle ™, using a naturally occurring fungus, Metarhizium anisopliae, which affects only locusts and grasshoppers.

For more information on the institute, see http://www.iita.org and http://www.cgiar.org.

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