IITA: 50 Years After IITA: 50 Years After

Transforming Africa’s Agriculture and

IITA: 50 Years After Nourishing Rural Development IITA: 50 Years After

Transforming Africa’s Agriculture and Nourishing Rural Development

Compiled by Rodomiro Ortiz

Rodomiro is former IITA Deputy Director General/Director of Research for Development and Chairman of IITA Research for Development Council (2002– 2004), Officer in Charge of both IITA Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Centres (2004) and IITA High Rainfall Station (1993–1996), Director of IITA’s Crop Improvement Division (2001–2002), Leader of IITA’s Plantain and Banana Improvement Program (1993–1996), IITA’s Project Coordinator of Conservation and Utilization of Plant Biodiversity (1995–1996), and Musa geneticist at IITA (1992–1996). Current affiliation and address: Rodomiro Ortiz, Faculty [Chair] Professor, Genetics and Plant Breeding, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Department of Plant Breeding, Sundsvagen 14 Box 101, SE 23053 Alnarp, Sweden. Email: [email protected]

IITA 50 years after i IITA: 50 Years After, Transforming Africa’s Agriculture and Nourishing Rural Development

Published by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), 2017

PMB 5320, Oyo Road Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria Tel: +234 2 700 800 IITA | USA Tel: +1 201 633 6094 | Fax: +44 208 711 3786

ISBN: 978-978-8444-86-2

International Mailing Address IITA Ltd, Grosvenor House, 125 High Street Croydon CRO 9XP, UK

Correct citation: Ortiz, Rodomiro (compiler). 2017. IITA: 50 Years After, Transforming Africa’s Agriculture and Nourishing Rural Development. International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, Nigeria. 110 pages

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ii IITA 50 years after FOREWORD

We are 50!

This year IITA turns half a century old—one of only four CGIAR Centers (IRRI, 1960; CIMMYT, 1966; and CIAT together with IITA, 1967) that has so far reached this prestigious milestone, and the only Africa-based center to do so.

This publication chronicles IITA’s 50-year journey from its inception and establishment in 1967—its transitions and transformations, its highs and lows, and the personalities that shaped it into the resilient and vibrant institution that it is today.

This “golden” milestone gives us an opportunity to pause and critically reflect on the lessons of the past, and see how we could leverage on these lessons to make us and our science more relevant and responsive to the ever-changing agricultural landscape of Africa and the rest of the world.

IITA was borne out of the need to have an African version of the “Green Revolution” that substantially increased agricultural production in Asia in the 1960s. Since then, there has been broad and strong interest in (and concern about) agriculture in this part of the world, as the continent is rocked by a myriad of challenges to food security and its twin problem of poverty. Today, these problems have been further compounded by climate change that is threatening the livelihoods of smallholder African farmers.

We ask ourselves, in five decades, has IITA really made headway against the challenges previously alluded to? I would confidently say, yes! As you go through the accounts in this book, you will see how our science, and our hardworking people, stayed the course to provide research- and evidence-based solutions to the problems of hunger and poverty in Africa, and in the process, achieve far-reaching impacts on the lives of the people that it serves.

Additionally, consider that in 1967 when we were first established the population alone of Africa was about 339 million. Today, it stands at roughly 1.2 billion, close to a 400% increase; that’s a lot more mouths to feed given

IITA 50 years after iii basically the same—and even dwindling—agricultural resources. Now, more than ever, the excellent science and development work that IITA is doing becomes even more relevant.

Despite some successes these past five decades, not everything has been all smooth sailing. Changes in the physical and donor environments, the reforms within the CGIAR, the state-of-the-art in agricultural science, and even transformations within our own structure through the years have, in one way or another, affected the way we did things, some positively, others not so much.

I strongly believe that these same “speedbumps” have also contributed to the strength and resilience of IITA as an institution. And to this end, I would like to especially thank our numerous partners and sponsors that have stayed with us through thick and thin—we will always be grateful and indebted to them for the support that they have provided, which enabled us to weather the storms.

More than anything else, this book is dedicated to IITA’s heart and soul: its people. For without their persistence, dedication, hard work, ideals, dreams, and aspirations, IITA would have never reached this golden milestone. Dedication, service, and excellence: these have always been at our core for the past 50 years, and will be for the next 50 or even more. For what is an institution but a collection of the individuals that comprise it, that makes it a breathing, living, and feeling entity?

Lastly, I would like to express my gratitude and honor to be helping guide the management and staff of this institution at the time that we celebrate our golden anniversary. It is, indeed, a once-in-a lifetime opportunity.

I hope you enjoy flipping through the pages of this book of IITA’s rich and colorful story and history.

We look forward to celebrating our centenary.

Bruce Coulman Chair IITA Board of Trustees 2011–present

iv IITA 50 years after ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Information for this publication was taken from IITA’s annual reports, institutional briefings and publications, external program and management appraisals, and the references included under “Further Reading” or in footnotes as well as from talks with IITA founders and colleagues. The author thanks especially the late Professor Dr Lowell Hardin (Purdue University, Rockefeller Foundation) and the late Mr David Sewell (IITA) for sharing their insights about IITA’s first 40 years, Mrs Jenny Cramer (IITA) for sharing her knowledge and asking him to put together in 2004 “IITA: 40 years after. Historical account for the Handbook of IITA Board of Trustees”, Dr Ylva Hillbur (IITA) for inviting him to update this early publication, Ms Katherine Lopez (IITA) for providing him with IITA publications from the last decade, Mr Shalewa Sholola for retrieving IITA’s budget data, Ms Lilian Mendoza for an update on human resources, and Ms Evelyn Ohanwusi for information on IITA Youth Agripreneurs. He also acknowledges kind knowledge sharing and edits from IITA staff: Drs Michael Abberton, Tahirou Abdoulaye, Morenike Abu, Chrysantus Akem, Robert Asiedu, Kwesi Atta-Krah, Ranajit Bandyopadhay, Zoumana Bamba, David Chikoye, Ken Dashiell, Alfred Dixon, Lava Kumar, Victor Manyong, Abebe Menkir, Alejandro Ortega-Beltrán, Kristina Roing de Nowina, Frederick Schreurs, Gbassey Tarawali, and Bernard Vanlauwe. The text, however, remains his responsibility.

Compiled by Rodomiro Ortiz

IITA 50 years after v Foreword ��iii CONTENTS Acknowledgement �� v

Pre -1967 The Beginning ��1

1967–1975 The Early Mandate: What Founders Had in Mind for IITA �� 5 Early thoughts for bringing food security to African homes 6 Understanding soil fertility management as an alternative to “slash-and-burn” 8

1975–1980 Shifting from the Initial Mandate and First Impacts �� 11 Unveiling the new African cassava: from a poor man’s food security crop to a pacesetter 12

1980–1985 Refocusing the Mandate and Building Successes ��15 The maize revolution in Africa starts 16 Soybean: A “new” legume for Africa 18

1985–1990 Taking Stock to Sharpen IITA Focus ��21 Sowing the seeds of success for the genetic enhancement of rice in Africa 23 Cowpea: The African legume for the dry African savannas 24 The potential of agroforestry and cover crops in West African agroecosystems 27

1990–1995 Change of Guard: “Research is for Development” �� 29 Pan-African impacts with root and tuber crops and early-maturing grain cultivars 30 Cooking banana and plantain hybrids for African farmers and markets 34 Plant health management: Another successful Pan-African program after the spectacular control of the cassava mealybug by the introduced predator wasp 37 1996–2001 Renewing the Mission: Bringing Wealth to African Homes �� 41 Benchmark approach: A truly global public tool in research for development 42 2002–2011 IITA R4D: “The Course of True Love Never Did Run Smooth” �� 47 An end user driven research–for–development approach to nourish Africa 48 The new paradigm in crop and natural resource management for sustaining agrobiodiversity and making impact on livelihoods 50 Pursuing impacts by building upon an old tradition for success 51 Unleashing the power of markets for Africa’s small farmers 52 40 years later: CGIAR acknowledged impacts mostly from IITA 54 Trees are back in IITA agenda through an international public–private coalition 56 Cassava mosaic disease: Changing a threat into an opp health and nutrition through crop genetic enhancement for micronutrients 61 Ensuring food safety and preventing trade barriers due to mycotoxins 62

vi IITA 50 years after Agrobiotechnology to address the needs of the rural poor 63 Moving the agenda into the 21st century 65 Bananas in the East African highlands: Agronomy and genetic engineering to the rescue 67 Improving agriculture-based livelihoods in Central Africa 69 Transforming livelihoods in the extreme northeast of Nigeria 70 From field to fork: Fine-tuning IITA research-for- development approach 71 2011– present The Lead Research Partner Facilitating Agricultural

Solutions for Hunger and Poverty in the Tropics ��73 Humidtropics 76 Investing in soil for sustainably increasing productivity 77 NARITAs: Matooke banana hybrids for food security in African Great Lakes 79 An ecofriendly approach against the violet vampire 79 Ensuring food and feed safety through entrepreneurship 80 Climate-resilient, nutritious maize 82 Yellow cassava released in Nigeria 85 Improving plant breeding through the use of genomic tools 85 Forging the chains for development 86 Africa RISING 88 MIRACLE in Southern Africa 89 Tracking poverty reduction associated with IITA research-for-development 90 Revisiting intellectual property rights policy and joining Open Access 90

What IITA Offers Today �� 93 Agribusiness and multi-stakeholder platforms through innovative partnerships 94 Youth in Agriculture 94 Knowledge sharing and training: a track record of excellence 96 Managing plant health by surveillance and germ- free germplasm conservation and distribution 97 Key role in preserving African genetic resources 98

Acknowledgements: IITA Partners, Donors, and Investors ��103 Further Reading ��105 Board Chairs, Directors General, and Deputy Directors General ��108 Chairs, The Board of Trustees 108 Directors General 108 Deputy Directors General 108 IITA Headquarters, Hubs and Stations ��109

IITA 50 years after vii Researcher with a healthy bunch of cassava roots. Photo by IITA.

viii IITA 50 years after Pre -1967 The Beginning1 1 “The challenge of increasing food security to keep pace with demand, while retaining the ecological integrity of production systems, is colossal both in its magnitude and complexity … These realities require agricultural systems that focus as much on people as they do on technology, as much on resources on the long term as on the short term. Only those systems can meet the challenge of the future.”2

As many references to IITA origins However , the idea of an institute to state: “The International Institute of conduct research in the tropics of sub- Tropical Agriculture was established in Saharan Africa had been conceived July 1967 as the first major African link some years before that by the founders in an integrated network of of IITA. Indeed, it was in 1962, two international agricultural research years after the Ford and Rockefeller centers located throughout the Foundations helped to launch the developing regions of the World. … International Rice Research Institute Funding for IITA came initially from the (IRRI, Los Baños, the Philippines) that Ford and Rockefeller Foundations, and both Foundations began discussing the land for the headquarters was the possibilities of centers concerned allotted by the Government of the with improving the yield and quality of Federal Republic of Nigeria.” tropical food crops other than rice.

IITA Administration Building (Building 500) 50 years after.

1 World1 World Commission Commission on on Environment Environment and Development2 Lawani, (G.H. S. 1992. Brundtland, Pages. Chairman). 1-23. In: IITA. 1987. Ourand Common Development Future. (G.H. Oxford Brundtland, University Press. 1992.p. 144. Sustainable Food Production in sub- 2 Lawani, Chairman). S. 1992. 1987. IITA. Our SustainableCommon Future. Food ProductionSaharan in sub-Saharan Africa. I. IITA’s Africa. contributions. I. IITA’s IITA, contributions.Oxford University IITA, Ibadan,Press. p. Nigeria. 144. Pages. 1–23.Ibadan, Nigeria.

IITA 50 years after 1 Pre-1967

As told by the late Lowell Hardin, International Agricultural Research former professor of economics at (CGIAR). These centers were Centro Purdue University and officer at the Internacional de Agricultura Tropical Ford Foundation in the early 1960s, (CIAT) in Cali (Colombia) and the many of the original centers of International Institute of Tropical today’s CGIAR were conceived in the Agriculture (IITA) in Ibadan (Nigeria). daily exchanges of two neighbors IRRI, CIMMYT, CIAT, IITA, and CIP were traveling to work each day in New the first international centers of the York City. They were George Harrar, CGIAR network that today includes the first leader of the Rockefeller- another 10 institutes worldwide, Mexico program and then president addressing a broad range of issues of the Rockefeller Foundation, and in agriculture: fishery, forestry, Forrest (“Frosty”) Hill, then vice livestock, water and other natural president of the Ford Foundation. As a resources management, plant genetic result of their exchanges of ideas the resources, research capacity building, Office for Special Studies in Mexico and food policy. evolved into the Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maíz y Trigo In October 1963, Harrar and Hill visited (CIMMYT, Texcoco, Mexico), and Nigeria to explore the feasibility of later in the 1970s its potato program such an international undertaking. was included in the newly launched The visit was followed by an extensive Centro Internacional de la Papa tour around the country by Richard (CIP, Lima, Perú). In 1967, two multi- Bradfield, an agronomist of the crop centers with similar names in Rockefeller Foundation, and Frank English and Spanish but with clearly Moore, a program specialist in distinct agroecosystem geo-domains agriculture at the Ford Foundation were added to what later was to be in Nigeria, and together with Donald known as the Consultative Group on Kingsley, the Ford Foundation

IITA entrance under construction in 1968.

2 IITA 50 years after Pre-1967 representative in Nigeria, they take up the post of vice president recommended the establishment of of the Rockefeller Foundation. the Institute “on or adjacent to the Although civil war broke in Nigeria, campus of the University of Ibadan”. In the construction of IITA began in December 1963, the Ford Foundation 1967 under the leadership of the first Board authorized its staff to submit Director General of IITA, Herbert R. the proposal for such an international Albrecht—a leading agronomist from organization to be jointly funded by the University of Wisconsin–Madison both Foundations. and former president of North Dakota State University—with the Throughout 1964 and 1965, David backstopping of Haldore Hanson from Heaps, the new country representative the Ford Foundation in Nigeria. of the Ford Foundation, had extensive exchanges on the proposal with The strong commitment by the the Government of Nigeria, which Government of Nigeria since 1963 had published a notice of its intention been the key to IITA headquarters to acquire the land in the Official being kept in Nigeria despite the Gazette of 23 December 1965. In political turmoil and civil war. Another March 1966, agreement was reached exhibition of commitment was the on the objectives, organization, legal status given by the Government funding, tax status, land needs, and of Nigeria to IITA, both as its inception other matters, and IITA was thus with Decree No. 32 and later with established. That same year, the Ford the signing of the headquarters Foundation appropriated US$5 million agreement included in the 1991 for the building of IITA’s headquarters Diplomatic Immunities and Privileges on land at Ibadan, donated by the Order. In 1992, the Government of Government of Nigeria and named Nigeria issued a million copies each of Will Martin Myers as the first director- four commemorative stamps to mark designate. His tenure was short-lived the Silver Jubilee of the Institute. when in early 1967 Myers left IITA to

IITA staff celebrates 50th year in 2017!. Photo by IITA.

IITA 50 years after 3 Banana is one of IITA’s mandate crops. Photo by IITA

4 IITA 50 years after 1967–1975 The Early Mandate: What Founders Had in Mind for IITA 2

As a Ford Foundation working the dual character of the challenge document dated 1963 states, the to IITA and provided the initial overall rationale for establishing thoughts about its mandate when he IITA as an international, high-quality wrote, “The research of the Institute research organization was to achieve is to focus primarily on problems of the following: improving food crop production in the humid tropics and on the soil • Find ways to enhance the yields and crop management requirements and quality of tropical food crops for developing a stable, permanent other than rice. The research agriculture in which food crops occupy domain included all aspects that a central position.” allow the quality of food to be increased and improved. The objectives of the Institute were • Provide in collaboration with the clearly spelt out therefore in the strongest university in the region, Government of Nigeria Decree No. high-level professional training 32 which added the following to for carefully selected citizens of those included in the original Ford Dr Herbert R. Albrecht tropical countries who should Foundation thinking: serve later in the home institutes • Publish and disseminate research dealing with food security and findings in recommendations of quality. the Institute • Be a pacesetter that improves • Distribute improved planting the effectiveness of research, materials to other research training, and extension of other centers where they may be of organizations in the region. significant value in breeding or improvement programs The original objectives were further • Establish, maintain, and operate fine-tuned by Myers who wrote the an information center and library scope of IITA’s first research program. to provide interested scientists Ahead of its time, (20 years before and scholars everywhere with a the Bruntland Report), the document collection of the world’s literature written by Myers brings some of in tropical agriculture the issues that today are associated • Organize or hold periodic with the term “sustainability”. The conferences, fora, and seminars, program he envisioned also stressed whether international, regional, the need for trees and animals in local, or otherwise, for the agricultural systems and suggested purpose of discussing current projects on biological control and problems in the field of tropical pest ecology. Myers was clear about agriculture.

IITA 50 years after 5 1967–1975

On 20 April 1970, the dedication of powers: Belgium, France, and the the headquarters was witnessed United Kingdom. They organized 12 by the Head of State Major General conferences at Ibadan in 1970 and Yakubu Gowon, the President of the 1971 that brought together about 600 Ford Foundation McGeorge Bundy, scientists of tropical Africa together and the President of the Rockefeller with the best-known experts from Foundation George Harrar. In his Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the speech Bundy insisted on the need for USA. Some of the seminars were a “new kind of institution charged to devoted to individual crops, others attack the knowledge gap.” to crop husbandry, agricultural engineering, or natural resource management. In the opening lecture Gen. Yakubu Gowon Early thoughts for on 26 January 1970, Hanson challenged bringing food security the scientists. “I suggest that the to African homes agricultural scientists in this room and their colleagues can be a key factor in launching a green revolution in Albrecht and Hanson agreed that tropical Africa in the 1970s. Unless this the first priority for the newly green revolution begins soon, there launched international research will develop gradually during the next organization was to assemble the 30 years, political unrest accompanied existing knowledge of African food by more military governments, more crop production which was, of civil wars, more conflicts between course, an immense task for its time. African nations, and disruption The information was incomplete of economic growth. In short, and scattered among the then 45 agricultural scientists hold a special African governments, and in the responsibility to decide whether black archives of research organizations Africa can remain at peace.” In his and universities of the former colonial view, which later he acknowledged

President of the Ford Foundation McGeorge Bundy speaking at the dedication ceremony of IITA, 20 April 1970. Photo by IITA

6 IITA 50 years after 1967–1975 as incomplete, the main obstacles geographical and chronological order were shifting cultivation, irrigation, of priorities for guiding combined lack of mechanization, land tenure, efforts. It has to be admitted that the input prices, particularly for agro- deliberations of the Ford Foundation/ chemicals, and inadequate marketing IITA/IRAT seminar did not in fact arrangements. succeed in defining a limited number of specific objectives for concentrated As a result of the series of seminars a priority effort. One of the difficulties book—among IITA’s first international which faced participants was the public goods—was released by very wide range of food crops that Oxford University Press in 1977. This form a characteristic feature of the book, Food Crops of the Lowland region as a whole. Such variation in Tropics, (C.L.A. Leakey and J.B. Wills, food crops is not found to the same eds.), was for many years a classic extent in any other tropical region.” for agricultural researchers on the About 45 years ago, the participants continent and significantly influenced in the seminar series highlighted the IITA efforts to transform Myers’ early absence of management options for thoughts on the scope of the scientific improving or maintaining soil fertility program into a set of research to allow settled rather than shifting undertakings for the Institute. The agriculture. They also recommended arguments of the first chapter on the need to integrate the social research strategy by Albrecht and sciences to ensure a farming systems Guy Vallaeys—who later was Board approach in the Institute as well as Chairman—remain compelling today. the need to collect, conserve, use, and “The word ‘strategy’ conjures up exchange crop genetic resources, and ideas of the art of war, and in this case noted that there was little attention we can say we are planning the war given to improving the nutritional on hunger. Such strategic planning quality of tropical crops. Some of their inevitably involves deciding the

IITA Board of Trustees in a meeting, 1967. Photo: IITA

IITA 50 years after 7 1967–1975

suggestions were new undertakings Understanding soil fertility by IITA researchers that brought management as an alternative impacts both on science and African livelihoods in the decades thereafter. to “slash-and-burn”

Under the tenure of Albrecht (1967– Myers brought to the IITA research 1975) the human resource policy agenda the need for natural resource encouraged the hiring of highly management because of his strong motivated and professionally skillful views that research on food crops researchers and support staff. This in the humid tropics would hinge on asset was always in the heart of sustaining or increasing soil fertility IITA founder “Frosty” Hill who at while moving into intensive settled a Board meeting underscored the agricultural systems rather than quality of the staff with his famous continuing with shifting cultivation. As words, “Dollars aren’t going to a result, IITA gave special attention in solve anything, and buildings won’t its early years to tropical soil research, solve anything, but the scientists crop rotations, and management using soils more intensively. Hence, themselves, by staff cooperation, it was not surprising that in the first are the ones who will bring the decade of research the team of desired results.” W.K. Whitney, an scientists of the IITA Farming Systems entomologist, was the first IITA Program investigated why the small scientist to join the Institute in late farmer in the humid tropics practiced 1968. Fields Caveness, a nematologist, shifting cultivation using the bush followed him and by April 1969 fallow system, and why soils became both researchers had established unproductive and useless after only experiments in Ibadan according a few years. A 10-year, 60-hectare to their professional domains. A watershed management research research committee was created soon effort in Ibadan demonstrated that the afterwards and agronomist Rodney extensive land clearing and leveling A. Briggs was appointed as the first so often thought to be the only road Director of Research. He resigned two to “farming” were nearly always a years later and John I. Nickel replaced mistake but there were some land him until 1974 when he left to take clearing and post-clearing practices a new job in Colombia as Director- that could conserve the soil’s viability. General of CIAT. During Nickel’s Building upon the foundations laid tenure as Director of Research the by agricultural scientists in Africa in IITA agenda was organized into four preceding decades, the IITA research programs: Farming Systems under the team (which over the years included leadership of James C. Moomaw (who Anthony S.R. Juo, soil chemist; B.T. Kang, soil fertility specialist; Frank R. later became the Director General Moorman, pedologist; Aba Ayanaba, of AVRDC, today’s World Vegetable soil microbiologist; and Rattan Lal, soil Center with headquarters in Taiwan), physicist) quantified the interrelations Cereal, Grain Legume, and Root and of these practices with soil physical Tuber Improvement with Michael and chemical priorities, water and N. Harrison, Kenneth O. Rachie, and nutrient availability, soil fauna, Sang Ki Hahn, as heads of each crop- organic matter levels, water runoff led program, respectively. In 1974, and erosion, rainfall, temperature, Dennis J. Greenland started his 3-year various cropping methods and crop tenure as Director of Research and yields to establish a scientific basis Bede N. Okigbo took over as Assistant for predicting the effectiveness of Director in the research leadership of cropping practices. Through this the Farming Systems Program. research and those of others before them, it was established that a

8 IITA 50 years after 1967–1975 large part of humid and subhumid adapted to specific classes of soils tropical Africa is dominated by highly and environments. Soil and water weathered, structurally fragile, coarse- management research, therefore, textured soils that are characterized subsequently concentrated on by a shallow rooting depth, low cropping technology that prevents available water and plant nutrient soil erosion, maintains a continuous reserves, and soil acidity. Though ground cover and provides a source extremely susceptible to erosion of organic matter, offers an effective and compaction, these soils remain nutrient recycling mechanism (i.e., ecologically stable as long as the like the forest tree), and generates natural vegetation is not disturbed. favorable conditions for active soil But once the cover is removed and high fauna. In addition, having learned a input technology is applied, these soils great deal about the actual farming often suffer rapid physical, chemical, conditions in Africa and the generally and biological degradation. These resource-poor Africa farmer, IITA results represented a major correction researchers sought to develop in what was once the commonly held technology that requires a minimum perception of agricultural potential of purchased inputs. Although their in the African tropics: bush growth research did address real technical on rich soils, waiting only for modern challenges for intensified production, agricultural methods to be brought it was largely supply-driven rather to full food production. Soil research than a direct response to demands during IITA’s early years was to from farmers. Nonetheless, by 1980, provide a basis for the systematic IITA showed progress in farming targeting of technology, while systems using minimum tillage, no technology development was to plowing, and with pesticides for weed generate different prototypes broadly control.

Arid land in East Africa. Photo by IITA.

IITA 50 years after 9 Woman selling maize grains. Photo by IITA

10 IITA 50 years after 1975–1980 Shifting from the Initial Mandate and First Impacts 3

Evolving mandates and changes in of their importance as food crops and management are usual for dynamic their role in the farming systems of organizations that aspire to influence the humid tropics. The “champion” others. IITA was not an exception for both crops was Trustee Abdoulaye and some ideas for changes came Sawadogo, then Minister of throughout its history from the Agriculture of Côte d’Ivoire. Board of Trustees or were initiated by the new Directors General or In 1974, when the Institute was just research leaders who often sought seven years old, IITA researchers were staff inputs. The first change in the carrying out research on cassava, IITA mandate was brought by the yam, sweetpotato, cocoyam, maize, launching of the CGIAR in 1971 and rice, cowpea, soybean, lima bean, the first external review (hereafter pigeonpea, winged bean, African EPMR) of IITA. The Board of Trustees yam bean, and velvet bean. Myers’ Dr William K. Gamble accepted the EPMR recommendation idea of including livestock was not to broaden the geo-domain and taken because of the launching in the therefore added the African tropical 1970s of the International Livestock savannas since the headquarters Center for Africa (ILCA, Addis Ababa, at Ibadan lie in the transition zone Ethiopia) although IITA continued between these savannas, and forage research to investigate the the lowland humid forest, being nutritional value of some species. mindful also of the complementary In May 1975, through an agreement economic relationships between with the International Board for both agroecosystems. Such a change Plant Genetic Resources (IBPGR, the brought to the IITA mandate an predecessor of today’s Bioversity ambitious “wish list” of commodities International, Rome, Italy), IITA added (e.g., many grain legumes and root and a Genetic Resources Unit (now IITA’s tuber crops) as well as their problems Genetic Resources Center) to collect for scientists to tackle. Likewise, this and preserve the genetic resources of EPMR encouraged IITA to accept African grain legumes, rice, and root responsibility for improving important and tuber crops. crops grown by African farmers for On 1 September 1975, William K. which other CGIAR centers had the Gamble, an expert on rural education, worldwide mandate (e.g., cassava by started his 5-year tenure as the CIAT, maize by CIMMYT, and rice by second IITA Director General. He IRRI). At the Board meeting in June submitted to the Board in early 1972, it was agreed to add plantain and 1976 a new vision for the Institute banana to the IITA mandate because entitled The Purpose of IITA. During

IITA 50 years after 11 1975–1980

his tenure the geo-domain mandate until the problem of cassava mosaic was enlarged to include humid and virus disease was solved. He subhumid tropical zones, which recognized the enormous implications were defined as “all areas between of an endemic disease aggravated by the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn in humans through the use of diseased which average precipitation exceeds cuttings, and focused cassava evapotranspiration for five months of research tightly on this disease the year”; i.e., the humid forest and the problem. With Eugene Terry as Guinea savannas. After Greenland’s pathologist (who later became the departure, IITA economist J.C. Flinn Director General of the African Rice acted as Director of Research until Center–known by its acronym then as 1977 when S.V.S. Shastry started his WARDA, Bouaké, Côte d’Ivoire), Hahn 5-year tenure as the senior Research began the arduous task of searching Manager of the Institute. the germplasm for resistance characters and then combining those characters with clones having Unveiling the new African desirable yield and quality factors. cassava: from a poor Fortunately, Hahn had access to the mosaic resistant breeding populations man’s food security developed by A.J. Storey in East Africa crop to a pacesetter nearly 30 years before and those of Brian Beck at Moor Plantation It was during Gamble’s tenure that the (Ibadan) in the 1950s. These first impacts from the results of crop populations had, however, very poor improvement started to be seen on root yields. He also brought cassava the continent. When S.K. Hahn arrived germplasm from Asia and South in Ibadan in 1971 to establish a Root America. The latter incorporated wild and Tuber Improvement Program at Manihot genes that had been initially IITA, he rightly saw that no amount of bred by Prof. Nagib Nassar (University research effort would increase yields of Brasilia) and other researchers in

Farmer displays harvest of big cassava roots. Photo by IITA

12 IITA 50 years after 1975–1980

Brazil. The task of the IITA team—ably thrust was genetic research to boost assisted by Audrey Howland, an cassava yields. Under the direction of outstanding breeding research S.K. Hahn, a cassava research team associate—remained to cross, select, drew on mosaic-resistant cultivars that clone, challenge, rogue, and select, were developed at the Amani Research beginning each season with up to Station in Tanzania in the 1930s and 10,000 seedlings, until the desired crossed them with West African level of resistance was incorporated landraces. After only six years of into “elite” IITA cassava breeding research (1970–1976), IITA released materials. high-yielding TMS cultivars that increased farm yields by 40% without This work, plus an equally successful fertilizer). The new TMS cultivars were effort by the same IITA team against widely adopted in Nigeria and in Ghana cassava bacterial blight, brought Hahn and Uganda after a time lag. Hahn and the IITA Root and Tuber devoted his 23-year career at IITA Improvement Program to the point he (1970–1993) to cassava improvement. had foreseen in the early 1970s. Without question, the development of Research could be launched to the TMS cultivars in the 1970s represents increase yields in a broad range of an important contribution to Africa’s agroecological zones and cultivation food security, especially among the systems to suit a wide variety of poor. … The IITA partnership with consumer preferences. As pointed cassava researchers in national out by the World Bank in its 2001 meta- programs has helped transform cassava evaluation of the CGIAR: “Despite an from a famine-reserve crop into a high over-ambitious research agenda, the yielding and cheap source of calories frustrations of the 1967–70 Nigerian for both urban and rural consumers. civil war and subsequent coups d’état, Nweke, Spencer, and Lynam conclude IITA researchers carried out several in ‘The Cassava Transformation’ that important research programs on cassava is a powerful ‘poverty-fighter’.” cassava in the 1970s and 1980s. The first

High-yielding cassava varieties developed by IITA. Photo by IITA

IITA 50 years after 13 Cowpea seeds on their way to the market. Photo by IITA

14 IITA 50 years after 1980–1985 Refocusing the Mandate and Building Successes 4

Gamble left IITA in the third quarter community, the Institute’s program of 1980 to be the Director General of has had to be reduced in real terms by the International Service for National more than 26 percent.” Agricultural Research (ISNAR, The Hague, the Netherlands). In October Hartmans took the challenge of 1980, agronomist Edmond H. converting the funding threat into a Hartmans took office in Ibadan as the new mandate opportunity for IITA new Director General of the Institute. and undertook an appraisal of “… S.V.S. Shastry ended in 1981 his 5-year what has been accomplished, to take a tenure as Director of Research, and hard analytical look at the complex Deputy Director General L.H. Shebeski problems facing agriculture in the was the interim senior Research humid and subhumid tropics and select Manager for the next two years. the most important tasks which the Hartmans was going to build upon the Institute should tackle in the years work of his predecessors and his tenure ahead.” The outcome of this at IITA was going to be influenced undertaking was the first 10-year plan by the CGIAR Technical Advisory (1981–1990) of the Institute, Tasks for Dr Ermond H. Hartmans Committee (TAC). The EPMR of 1978 the Eighties: A Long-range Plan, that by TAC headed by Guy Camus urged was spearheaded by Declan Walton, a IITA to consolidate its activities and consultant who later was Deputy leave a number of commodities to be Director General of the Food and addressed by the National Agricultural Agriculture Organization of the United Research Systems (NARS). In 1983, Nations (FAO, Rome, Italy). Walton another TAC team led by Michael and Hartmans sought views from staff Arnold cautioned IITA against getting and Trustees before submitting the involved in too many downstream draft to the Board meeting of 8 May agricultural development projects. 1983 which endorsed the new plan Likewise, funding shortcomings, and its priority areas for investment affected by the oil boom in Nigeria in from a troubled perspective owing to the late 1970s and early 1980s and its the funding shortcomings during the ensuing inflation, brought a period period. It was in that 10-year plan that of staff retrenchment and a loss of the concepts of benchmark areas and purchasing power. In Hartmans’ on-farm research were clearly spelt words, “At a time when the situation out as elements of an eco-regional in African agriculture is deteriorating network that was shaped further in rapidly, and when a build-up of research the 1990s: “By 1985, IITA should have would be one of the most cost- (a) series of basic technological effective responses by the international packages aimed at enabling traditional mixed cropping systems to achieve

IITA 50 years after 15 1980–1985

increasing production levels; such most important constraints to maize packages may include new cultivars production in lowland West Africa. and improved agronomic practices, Harrison and his Cereal Improvement and they should be tested on farmers’ team built upon the early work in fields at representative or benchmark Nigeria, especially that of the West localities through a Cropping Systems African Maize Rust Research Unit. Network.” This plan also included Harrison was a maize breeder who monitoring tools to measure progress came to IITA after many years of for each activity to be undertaken maize work at Kitale (Kenya). He according to the objectives for each selected two Nigerian composites, priority area. The 10-year plan did not A and B bred at Moor Plantation add new geo-domains or crops but (Ibadan) from diverse source started capitalizing on some of the germplasm under a West African early research of the Institute, e.g., project supported by the Scientific maize improvement and hybrids, that and Technical Research Committee of was encouraged by the Government the Organization for African Unity, as of Nigeria and so brought new well as broad-based populations from funding. Central America as the base materials for the IITA breeding program. His strategy, however, emphasized The maize revolution in Africa selection for a vigorous plant type starts that would respond well to enhanced crop husbandry, especially high plant Bird’s eye view of IITA, circa 1980s. Early emphasis in IITA in maize density and fertilizer use. Using the improvement research was on IITA irrigation facility to grow three resistance to two diseases, lowland generations in one year and selecting rust and lowland blight. These had for narrow and erect leaves above been recognized for decades before the ear, a short strong stalk, multiple the Institute was established as the ears per plant, and disease resistance, Harrison and his team produced two

Woman maize farmer with her healthy maize crop. Photo by IITA

16 IITA 50 years after 1980–1985 increasing production levels; such packages may include new cultivars and improved agronomic practices, and they should be tested on farmers’ fields at representative or benchmark localities through a Cropping Systems Network.” This plan also included monitoring tools to measure progress for each activity to be undertaken according to the objectives for each priority area. The 10-year plan did not add new geo-domains or crops but started capitalizing on some of the early research of the Institute, e.g., maize improvement and hybrids, that was encouraged by the Government of Nigeria and so brought new funding.

The maize revolution in Africa starts Bird’s eye view of IITA, circa 1980s. Early emphasis in IITA in maize outstanding open-pollinated varieties, and the virus itself from many sources, improvement research was on TZB and TZPB, in a remarkably short including wild grasses, to ensure that resistance to two diseases, lowland time. Picked up by several agricultural all screened plants would be infected rust and lowland blight. These had development projects, these cultivars with all possible strains. With the been recognized for decades before spread quickly throughout Nigeria and development of this protocol and the Institute was established as the neighboring countries and were used the identification of two sources of extensively as breeding materials for resistance, an intensive breeding maize improvement in Africa. In the program was initiated at IITA by late 1980s, TZB and TZPB were grown crossing these sources to high-yielding on over one million hectares in Central and broad-based germplasm from and West Africa. CIMMYT, eastern and southern Africa, the temperate zone, Central and The widespread outbreak in the late South America, Thailand, DEKALB, and 1970s of the maize streak virus (MSV) other sources to breed MSV resistant disease, which can wipe out the crop populations and cultivars. These entirely, prompted IITA to establish cultivars plus CIMMYT populations a multidisciplinary team to develop and pools converted to MSV-resistant resistant maize cultivars. Often versions through a partnership project associated with drought or erratic were extensively tested for stability of early rains, MSV appears sporadically. resistance to MSV across 36 national Spurred by the efforts of Ivan programs in Africa. The sharp focus Buddenhagen, a plant pathologist, and concentrated efforts led to the and Pablo Soto, an entomologist, a development and availability of high- suitable and reliable protocol was yielding MSV-resistant cultivars and then established to screen maize hybrids with different maturity classes, germplasm for resistance to a disease grain colors, and grain textures for all that occurs sporadically in the field. the relevant agroecosystems in Africa This included rearing the vector in by 1985. The principal work remaining sufficient numbers for mass testing, was to incorporate this resistance in and collecting samples of the vector Woman maize farmer with her healthy maize crop. Photo by IITA germplasm bred for use in Africa and

IITA 50 years after 17 1980–1985

to maintain continued vigilance over pollinated and hybrid maize cultivars the effectiveness of their resistance. in their seed catalogues. Furthermore, The pioneering multidisciplinary IITA promoted community based research accomplishments of IITA seed production schemes in West to combat MSV won the CGIAR King and Central Africa with many regional Baudouin award in 1986, the first partners to make improved seeds of the many internationally known available to farmers. awards that the Institute has received throughout its history. Soybean: A “new” To offer national programs a wide array of maize germplasm appropriate to legume for Africa various levels of institutional capacity, During Hartmans’ tenure soybean available research manpower improvement also moved forward in and facilities as well as farmers’ the research agenda of the Institute. circumstances, IITA initiated a maize Prior to the establishment of IITA, inbred line–hybrid development high-yielding soybean cultivars bred project in 1979. At the request of and in the USA and elsewhere could not with funding from the Government of be grown in Africa without rhizobia Nigeria, this project was expanded in inoculation, an expensive and 1982 to include hybrid development. technically complex treatment for Using tropical and temperate many farmers in this continent. The germplasm from multiple sources, IITA indigenous rhizobia are effectively maize scientists led by S.K. Kim bred symbiotic with other legumes such as vigorous tropically adapted inbred cowpea and groundnut but could not lines with good combining ability that be utilized by the imported soybean are resistant to the major diseases. material. An IITA breeding program The use of temperate-derived lines was therefore designed, principally was a major factor contributing to by Edward Pulver, a physiologist/ the success of developing hybrids agronomist, and Eric Kueneman, a soybean breeder, to breed a new with high level of heterosis. The soybean for Africa with the plant type inbred lines generated in this program and production characteristics of were available to the NARS for use advanced US lines that would nodulate as uniform and homozygous sources freely with the rhizobia found in African of disease resistance, as parents for soils. Their source of “promiscuous developing improved open-pollinated nodulation” was a traditional soybean synthetics and breeding stocks as cultivar from Southeast Asia, a poor- well as for the rapid generation of yielding, sprawling, viney plant that conventional or unconventional nodulated well with the indigenous hybrids. The hybrids emanating from African rhizobia. Using a carefully the hybrid breeding program with thought out but statistically complex yields exceeding the best available methodology that included maize as a open-pollinated cultivars by 25% were soil nitrogen check, the IITA soybean released for the first time in Nigeria breeding team was able, over time, to in 1983. The spillover effect of this combine the strengths of these two release was the formation of a small divergent populations into a desirable plant type that grew and yielded well seed industry to market hybrid maize without artificial inoculation. A second in Nigeria. A decade later, each of constraint to soybean cultivation in the three seed companies operating Africa has to do with seed longevity; in Nigeria (Premier, UTC, and UAC) i.e., under tropical conditions soybean officially announced IITA open- seeds tend to lose viability long

18 IITA 50 years after 1980–1985 before the next planting season. To percent—from 145,000 tonnes to speed up the screening of families 429,000 tons within the same for seed longevity, the IITA soybean period—though the area planted to team developed a high-humidity, soybean increased by only 26 percent. high temperature, ageing technique Children who consumed soybean that mimicked ageing in ambient showed a significantly better conditions but at an accelerated rate. nutritional status than those who did In this way they were able to identify not. Not surprisingly, several health lines with good seed longevity in a centers and hospitals in Nigeria relatively short time. Seed longevity started using soybean products to has been successfully bred into IITA treat malnourished children. This crop elite soybean lines, thus making also contributed to the economic available to African farmers the means independence of women and the to produce a high-protein food crop generation of more income, allowing with a minimum of initial investment. the acquisition of new household items and the payment of medical bills The genetic enhancement of soybean and school fees. In the second half of alone was, however, not having a 2000, IITA expanded soybean good impact on African livelihoods. breeding to southern Africa, where Government policy and farm-level cultivation by small-scale farmers was technology were needed for the rising because the crop had less success of soybean in Nigeria during susceptibility to pathogens and pests, the 1990s. High-yielding soybean better grain storage than other cultivars from IITA, resistant to pod legumes, large leaf biomass, and a shattering, increased farmers’ average secure commercial market, yields in Nigeria from 310 kilograms particularly in South Africa, Zambia, per hectare in 1991 to 730 kilograms and Zimbabwe, where commercial per hectare in 2001, which led to an soybean farms are found. increase in production of nearly 300

IITA’s improved soybean varieties helped provide better nutrition for malnourished children. Photo by IITA

IITA 50 years after 19 Soybean farmers admiring IITA improved varieties. Photo by IITA

20 IITA 50 years after 1985–1990 Taking Stock to Sharpen IITA Focus 5

In the last quarter of 1985, the research undertakings ensuing economist and former member of from a better understanding staff at Cornell University Laurence of the farming systems in their “Larry” D. Stifel replaced Hartmans respective geo-domains. These as IITA Director General and took were Kano in northern Nigeria for drastic actions that were regarded as the Sudan savanna, Abuja in north- a reinvention of the Institute. His main central Nigeria for the Guinea argument was that after 20 years IITA savanna, Onne in southeastern was ready for reengineering because Nigeria for the degraded forest, many of the early assumptions by Yaoundé/Mbalmayo (Cameroon) the IITA founders might no longer be for the humid forest margins, valid. With the endorsement from the and Cotonou (Benin Republic) Board, he embarked the Institute on a for the coastal savanna, along comprehensive and lengthy strategic with the headquarters in Ibadan study with the able support of Kenneth (southwestern Nigeria) for the S. Fischer, his newly appointed Deputy transition zone in the derived Director General of Research. savanna. Dr Laurence D. Stifel • Ensuring a farming system The main results of this exercise were culture throughout the Institute; brought to the attention of the IITA as a result, the interdisciplinary Board that adopted the following commodity based working groups policy statements that shaped IITA in were established around cassava the second half of the 1980s and the (humid forest), maize (moist early 1990s: savanna), and rice (inland valleys) • Emphasizing primarily the farming This Strategic Plan 1989–2000 was systems of the African lowland meant to confine IITA to West and and subhumid tropics, which are Central Africa and to keep, through mostly in West and Central Africa networking, the Pan-African cassava • Focusing on enhancing yields in mandate in Eastern and Southern the fields of African smallholders Africa. One of the driving forces (< 3 ha of land) as they employ 75 behind this reorganization of IITA was percent of the labor. again the insufficient funding that • Decentralizing research through could not bring the needed resources stations or satellite sites in the for an ambitious research agenda. key agroecosystems of the Comparative advantages ensuing subregion. Each station should from the Institute’s competitive edge include a small team of scientists defined the priority crops to be to set clear objectives for maintained in the agenda. IITA Board

IITA 50 years after 21 1985–1990

decided to strengthen cassava, on crop and resource management cowpea, and maize improvement, for both rice and sweetpotato, undertake innovative approaches for including cultivar testing for the latter the genetic enhancement of plantain in Southern Africa through the Root and banana, and keep a modest Crop Network. investment in both soybean and yam breeding. However, the Board agreed In the mid-1980s, IITA got capability to undertake On-farm Research to terminate research on cocoyam, (OFR) following changes elsewhere transfer the global mandate on regarding the farming systems sweetpotato to CIP, and the regional research approach. By the late 1980s, mandate on rice to WARDA. It was IITA began moving its researcher- also accepted that the African controlled trials to carrying out mandate on maize improvement demand-driven research in farmers’ should be shared with CIMMYT that fields, especially in the savanna. agreed to take the leadership in Eastern and Southern Africa. The main Towards the end of the 1980s, Prof B.N. Okigbo, the longest serving Deputy idea in simplifying its mandate on crop Director General of the Institute and breeding was that the Institute could one of the most prestigious scientists enhance in a short time frame its in the continent, known as the probability of success in the genetic “Encyclopedia of African Agriculture,” enhancement of the six remaining stepped down. Prof Okigbo moved to crops. The Institute kept in its cropping the United Nations University to share systems research the investigations with researchers worldwide his superb

Intercropping of cereals and legumes. Photo by IITA

22 IITA 50 years after 1985–1990 knowledge of the crops and cropping still does not seem to be the most systems of sub-Saharan Africa. common approach for producing this crop in the continent. IITA-bred germplasm for more extensive upland Sowing the seeds of environments was making far less success for the genetic headway in replacing traditional genotypes, mainly because the former enhancement of rice in Africa needed more weed control. Many of WARDA cultivars, over a decade later, The IITA Rice Program was a big were still using the letters “ITA” to component of the research agenda of acknowledge the source from IITA- the Institute until WARDA took it over. bred materials. As a result of this The IITA genebank had assembled a transfer of the rice breeding mandate large rice collection and still keeps in to WARDA, Monty Jones, then IITA trust about 12,000 accessions (> 20% rice breeder in Cameroon, left the of the West African species Oryza Institute in the 1990s to breed the glaberrima), which are now under the new rice for Africa (NERICA) at the WARDA mandate following Africa Rice Center. In 2004, Jones— arrangements by CGIAR with FAO in from Sierra Leone—was the co- the 1990s. IITA-bred lines were widely winner of the World Food Prize for distributed to African NARS that this success in the genetic released many of these materials, enhancement of rice that involved particularly in irrigated areas where cross-breeding between African and rice was intensively cultivated. This

Women farmers in Africa harvesting rice. Photo by AfricaRICE

IITA 50 years after 23 1985–1990

Asian rice with the aid of embryo fungal diseases that limit yield in the rescue to produce hybrids between humid tropics. Capitalizing on the the two species as well as farmer- obvious advantage of the extensive participatory plant breeding. germplasm collection, Robert Williams, the first grain legume pathologist at IITA, had organized Cowpea: The African legume since the 1970s extensive screenings for the dry African savannas of all accessions for resistance to any of the prevalent diseases. Selected accessions and advanced breeding Cowpea is widely grown in West lines were then intensively screened, Africa because it feeds people and with particular emphasis on multiple livestock and, as a nitrogen-fixing resistance, i.e., to several pathogens legume, it improves soil fertility. This within one plant. Promising material pulse is thought to be indigenous was shared worldwide through the to the subregion. This circumstance International Cowpea Disease Nursery put IITA in an ideal place to collect Program initiated to identify broad- and conserve cowpea germplasm. spectrum, stable resistance to many The first leader of the Grain Legume different populations of pathogens Improvement Program at IITA, K.O. over a wide range of environments. Rachie, was quick to recognize this More than 100 sources of multiple opportunity and his early persistence disease resistance were identified resulted in a collection of over 4,000 from nearly 8,000 accessions. accessions. The high humidity of the Working closely with the Cowpea transition zone at IITA headquarters Breeding team, Williams and his makes it a “hotspot” for cowpea successor David Allen were successful pathogens and, therefore, an ideal in breeding lines with broad-based, location for the breeding of cultivars multiple resistance to most of the resistant to the bacterial, viral, and

Diversity in cowpea seeds in the IITA genebank collection. Photo by IITA

24 IITA 50 years after 1985–1990

Researcher looking at cowpea plants and pods. Photo by IITA major diseases of cowpea grown in International Laboratory for Research humid areas. The same techniques on Animal Diseases, Nairobi, Kenya)— were used to combat the diseases— initiated a program to breed cultivars principally bacterial blight and brown that provide both grain for human blotch—threatening production in consumption and fodder for livestock the savanna zones. in the dry season. Impact assessment showed that farmers could obtain In the late 1980s, IITA Management substantial benefits by adopting dry moved the center of cowpea research season dual-purpose cowpea; their from headquarters to Kano and asked profits went up on average by 55 Bir Bahadur (“B.B.”) Singh, the cowpea percent. These benefits include food breeder at headquarters, to relocate security during a critical period of and reshape the breeding program the year, cash income, fodder, and with a cropping system approach in situ grazing after harvesting, in that should guide the objectives and periods when the prices of cowpea plant type for the new cultivars that grain peak and good quality fodder later thrived in the African savannas. is scarce. Dry season dual-purpose Owing both to increases in area cowpea is therefore a profitable crop and yield of cowpea—the largest technology that will find economic and among legumes in the continent and ecological niches in the mixed crop/ assuming about US$ 500 per ton— livestock farming systems of the semi- the increased production represents arid zones of Africa. The CGIAR gave today an annual value of some its 2006 Outstanding Senior Scientist US$650 million in Nigeria alone. In the Award to Singh for breeding fast- early 1990s, IITA, in collaboration with maturing “60-day” cowpea cultivars the newly established International for the tropics, as well as cultivars Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)—a with resistance to more than 10 merger between ILCA and ILRAD (the pathogens, and other cultivars of this

IITA 50 years after 25 1985–1990

pulse that have tolerance for drought, agent (beneficial parasite or predator). plus heat. These IITA cultivars ensure Several significant contributions to that this early maturing “hungry the body of scientific knowledge were season” crop provides income and made by this IITA team and include sustenance to people in the period the identification of the cassava before cereal crops are harvested. In mealybug as a pest newly introduced the first 1.5 decades of IITA, resistance into Africa; the location of the same breeding was the most frequently mealybug species in its area of origin used method for combating diseases in South America (in collaboration and insect pests. Since the late 1970s, with CIAT entomologist Anthony against the cassava mealybug and the Bellotti); the successful rearing of cassava green mite, biological control cassava mealybugs and mites as well research was conducted in parallel as their imported natural enemies in with resistance breeding. Led by Hans the laboratory at IITA; the migration R. Herren, entomologist, and Peter and dispersal data assembled Neuenschwander, insect ecologist, after the release of the beneficial the biological control team went parasite—a predator wasp— well beyond the scope of most such Apoanagyrus [syn. Epidinocarsis] projects in formulating the scientific lopezi, the impact studies (rarely explanation for the behavior of the attempted exclusion experiments and host plant (cassava), the enemy population dynamics and biological (mealybug or mite), and the control data on both pest and parasite or

A healthy crop of cassava. Inset: Cassava mealybugs. Photos by IITA

26 IITA 50 years after 1985–1990 predator), and the development of led, however, to skepticism about its a simulation model showing plant/ relevance and adoptability although pest/predator-parasite interactions. research on such alternative resource The introduced parasitoid A. lopezi management approaches led, later dispersed and controlled the cassava on, to the establishment of ICRAF—a mealybug wherever it was released. center that was incorporated in the For control stability, a complex of early 1990s to the CGIAR system and natural enemies is more desirable known today as World AgroForestry than a single species. The IITA team Center (Nairobi, Kenya). It appears gathered considerable data on that the decision to adopt alley several mealybug predators but none cropping technology depends on has shown the survival and dispersal the socioeconomic characteristics of qualities of A. lopezi. The spectacular farmers, the land tenure rights held control of the cassava mealybug was by the farmers where alley cropping the first of many successes in the systems are used, and village-specific history of the Biological Control Center characteristics. Nonetheless, impact for Africa, set up by IITA at Cotonou in assessments show that maize the 1980s. It yielded economic returns production under agroforestry-based of 200:1, with minimum benefits of systems such as alley cropping may US$2.2 billion from a total expenditure be socially profitable and financially of US$14.8 million. The 1990 CGIAR competitive when compared with King Baudouin Award was given to maize production relying only on the IITA and CIAT teams for Africa- chemical fertilizer, especially after wide cassava mealybug control. This policy shifts, e.g., Cameroon in the was followed by the 1995 World Food 1990s. At unsubsidized fertilizer prices, Prize and other international awards an agroforestry based technology to Herren. One could easily conclude that depends on internal nutrient that, without biological control, the cycling would be viewed differently mealybug would have destroyed and the interest from both farmers most of the cassava grown across and policymakers in such a natural Africa. This project was unique in resource management technology its geographic scale, organization, could be expected to increase. For and level of documentation, and example, some farmers may adopt became a classic textbook example. alley cropping in villages characterized As noted by Herren, biocontrol does by high land-use pressure, soil fertility not, however, replace mismanaged decline, erosion problems, and plant production and to have its fuelwood and fodder scarcity. full power, the production system must be fully integrated into the Population pressure forces farmers larger agroecosystem following the to shorten or abandon bush fallow principles of agroecology. systems. Mucuna fallows may be an option for soil fertility management in intensive agriculture as shown by The potential of agroforestry IITA research. The most important and cover crops in West factors influencing farmers’ adoption African agroecosystems of this cover crop technology were weed infestation, land tenure In the late 1970s, B.T. Kang and co- rights, and contact with extension workers started research on alley services. Impact assessment showed cropping as an improved fallow that farming systems with Mucuna technology to replace slash-and-burn provided a higher benefit:cost ratio systems in African agriculture. The lack than those without this cover crop of widespread adoption by farmers which provided yield gains, reduced labor, and restored soil fertility.

IITA 50 years after 27 Researcher extracting DNA in Bioscience Center, IITA, Ibadan, Nigeria. Photo by IITA

28 IITA 50 years after 1990–1995 Change of Guard: “Research is for Development” 6

One of the briefings for the CGIAR Central Africa (ASARECA), and the meta-evaluation by the World Bank Centre for Coordination of Agricultural indicated that it took about 5 to 10 Research and Development for years before most of the new centers Southern Africa (CCARDESA— were well established and became formerly known by its acronym as productive. Nonetheless, as shown SACCAR) started influencing the above and in spite of inheriting research agenda and the priority “… an overly ambitious research setting of CGIAR centers working in agenda, sometimes from consultants the continent. As concluded in the who completed their reports before briefing for the World Bank meta- the managers and scientists were evaluation of the CGIAR “… the 1970– hired” as the briefing for the World 1989 period was a ‘breaking-in period’ Bank meta-evaluation of the CGIAR for the CGIAR in Africa.” stated, IITA was standing as a mature international research organization at Entomologist Lukas Brader started the beginning of the 1990s. However, his 11-year tenure as Director- as this briefing to the World Bank General in December 1990. He Dr Lukas Brader stressed, “… TAC had great difficulty came to the Institute after serving in becoming a credible and effective as Director of the Crop Protection partner in guiding the evolution and Production Division of FAO’s of the CGIAR System in Africa. For Agriculture Department and with a example, in the mid-eighties, TAC had rich and distinguished career in the an opportunity to prepare a CGIAR management of scientific research and strategy for Africa when it carried out agricultural development programs. a 30 month global study of priorities During Brader’s tenure a new culture under the leadership of Guy Camus. The evolved in the organization that was TAC report, CGIAR Priorities and Future slowly able to understand that the Strategies, acknowledged that ‘a clear main role of science in agriculture strategy will be required to guide the has been topropel the evolutionary CGIAR System’s approach towards process by generating innovations Africa’s technology requirements … that allow more production with Due to the limited time available, no less land and less effort. In this new attempt was made in this paper to mindset it was clear that, owing to develop such a strategy’”. It was in the the complex nature of the agricultural 1990s that subregional organizations problems in sub-Saharan Africa, such as the West and Central African solutions cannot be based around a Council for Agricultural Research and “one-fix” approach. Research was still Development (CORAF/WECARD), required to develop decision-making the Association for Strengthening processes that took into account Agricultural Research in Eastern and natural resource fragility, community

IITA 50 years after 29 1990–1995

Researcher in the lab. Photo by IITA vulnerability, risk profiles, asset included research programs and units resilience, market options, service that were organized according to provision capacity, and competitive what the research leaders regarded as advantage as the guiding principles the best groupings. For example, the to develop solutions that could be four programs on Crop Improvement applied to the needs of specific were organized according to clusters clients, given their own peculiar of plant species: maize, grain circumstances. legumes, plantain and banana, and root and tuber crops plus two units: Brader also brought changes in Biotechnology and Plant Genetic both administration and research Resources at large. Plant Health management. The position of Deputy consisted of research programs Director General for Research was on biological control, host plant replaced by a 5-member Research resistance, and habitat management. Directors’ Committee under his Resource and Crop Management chairmanship, and four Divisions were was organized according to the created, three for Research and one main agroecosystems of Western for International Cooperation. The Africa, savannas, inland valleys, and research divisions were headed by a humid forest, which built upon the Research Division Director and the interdisciplinary, commodity-based Division of International Cooperation working groups established in the late by a Deputy Director General. Mark 1980s. D. Winslow, a cereal breeder, was the interim Director of Crop Improvement until the plant physiologist F. Margaret Pan-African impacts with root Quin took office. Herren remained in the leadership position for Plant and tuber crops and early- Health Management and Dustan S.C. maturing grain cultivars Spencer, an economist, for Resource and Crop Management. Jacques During Dr Brader’s tenure, IITA became Eckebil retained his post as Deputy a truly Pan-African undertaking. Under Director General for International his leadership the Institute established Cooperation. Each research division in the 1990s the Eastern and Southern

30 IITA 50 years after 1990–1995

Africa Regional Centre (ESARC) for combat the cassava mosaic disease the improvement of cassava, banana, pandemic in six districts of Uganda and plantain in collaboration with was approximately US$36 million the National Agricultural Research over 4 years (1998–2001) for an initial Organization (NARO) in Uganda. NARO investment of US$0.8 million. In 1999, provided offices, labs, and fields at its the CGIAR recognized IITA virologist experimental stations at Kawanda and James Legg with the Promising Young Namulonge and facilitated funding Scientist Award for his contributions for the initial investments through to this successful partnership with country mission grants that needed NARO and the East African Root the endorsement of the Government Crops Research Network (EARRNET, of Uganda. Work by IITA at ESARC Kampala, Uganda) to fight cassava was further strengthened by the mosaic disease in the subregion. Also Root Crop Networks in both eastern research associate Paul E. Ilona got and southern Africa. As a result of the 1999 CGIAR Outstanding Scientific IITA research-for-development in the Support Award for his work in cassava subregions, the World Bank stated breeding. in its CGIAR meta-evaluation “… in the 1990s, IITA and the Root Crops Partnerships among NARS, non- Network jointly tackled the African governmental organizations, and cassava mosaic virus in eastern Africa. IITA were the key to this and other This partnership has been identified as successes in the genetic enhancement a good example of collaborative work of crops in Africa. In this regard, the by the donors involved—USAID, IDRC, first-ever CGIAR Outstanding Scientific Gatsby, and the Rockefeller Foundation Partnership Award was given in …” Indeed, the total benefits from 1996 to the Institute of Agricultural the cassava multiplication partnership Research (Sierra Leone) and IITA project between NARO and IITA to in recognition of the outstanding

IITA IBADAN CAMPUS PLEADIES, IMAGE NATURAL COLOUR 50CM RESOULTION DATE TAKEN: 17 JANUARY 2015

View of IITA campus. Photo by IITA.

IITA 50 years after 31 1990–1995

achievement in collaborative research 450,000 people. A preliminary impact for cassava improvement in West assessment noticed a return rate Africa. Similarly, the impact of another of US$4 for each US$1 project grant important partnership between IITA just after two years of the scaling- and partners through the Southern up for technology exchange in this African Root Crops Research Network project. With this country network, (SARRNET, Lilongwe, Malawi) was IITA started distributing in 2004 new acknowledged in the briefing for the cultivars with tolerance to cassava World Bank meta-evaluation of the brown streak disease throughout the CGIAR that indicated “… cassava is coastal areas of Mozambique. In 2016, starting to replace maize in the diets Andrade, who led IITA’s sweetpotato of the poor in Malawi and Zambia …” breeding and germplasm testing in Another successful IITA-SARRNET Southern Africa from 1996 to 2005, project led by agronomist/breeder was awarded the World Food Prize for Maria Isabel Andrade in collaboration developing the single, most successful with the Government of Mozambique example of biofortification: OFSP. As and 250 other partners, mostly from a result of her tireless and convincing the civil society, was able, after multi- public health campaigns—using site and on-farm testing, to bring bright orange clothing and trucks selected planting materials of orange- painted with slogans promoting fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) with the high β-carotene sweetpotato high storage root yields (mostly from cultivars—promoting these and other China, Kenya, Perú, Tanzania, and the cultivars she bred thereafter, OFSP are USA) to 122,216 households across found along the roads of this southern the country by the end of 2001 after African country whose children (about a devastating flood which displaced 70%) suffer from vitamin A deficiency.

Orange-fleshed sweet potato.

32 IITA 50 years after 1990–1995

As acknowledged by Maria, from of external input of fertilizer or Cape Verde, a turning point in her staking (in the moist savanna zone) professional career had been her and emphasis was placed on tuber joining IITA, “which exposed her to shapes that facilitate harvesting. the international agricultural research Many of these new cultivars were environment, widened her perspective assessed at multiple sites in the yam- , and showed her the role she could producing locations of West Africa play in food security.” for suitability for local farming and food systems in comparison with IITA and national or local partners popular indigenous cultivars and with generated several new cultivars of the active participation of potential yam, such as the water yam (Dioscorea farmers. Three IITA-bred cultivars of alata), with high and stable yield of D. rotundata (the indigenous white tubers (50 to 100% superior to popular yam) were formally released by local cultivars), as well as good Nigeria in 2001. Several others were storability and food quality attributes released thereafter in the other major through breeding and selection. producing countries in the West High levels of host plant resistance African subregion. IITA, together with bred into the cultivars against the the National Root Crops Research two most important diseases of Institute of Nigeria, developed in its the crop, yam anthracnose disease early years a propagation system for and yam mosaic virus, contribute yam based on mini-setts. Small (20–25 significantly to the high level and g) tuber pieces are used to produce stability of field performance. With planting material for ware tuber the aim of limiting production cost, production. During the 2000s, IITA the improved cultivars were selected further improved yam propagation by for good performance in the absence

Yam is an important cash crop in West Africa. Photo by IITA.

IITA 50 years after 33 1990–1995

developing an innovative technique breeding for pests or abiotic stresses that uses vine cuttings. After forming was a cornerstone in stabilizing yields roots and shoots, the vines are and reducing risks in pest-prone, low- transplanted to nursery beds to input, rainfed environments—where produce mini tubers, which are then drought may often occur—rather used as planting material for the next than resulting in potential yield gains crop. Reducing the use of ware tubers by small landholders who do not have as seeds allows farmers to have more easy access to credits for inputs or to yam available for food or for sale. output markets. High adoption rates of early maturing cultivars do not always translate Cooking banana and into large yield gains because they are targeting new land thought to plantain hybrids for African be marginal for agriculture. Hence, farmers and markets the main aim of IITA for breeding early maturing cultivars in crops West African plantain in the such as maize and cowpea was not lowlands and East African highland to improve yield per se but to enable banana (for both cooking and the crop to be grown in new areas — beer) are examples of the African perhaps by replacing other crops. For farmer’s ingenuity, tenacity, and example, maize displaced sorghum organizational and inventive capacity in drylands. Indeed, early maturing in adapting this imported Musa crop maize cultivars allowed the crop to species from Asia to the respective be grown in the semi-arid tropics of African environments. Although Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Niger, and asexual propagation may limit crop Senegal in the 1990s. Likewise, crop evolution, today both subregions are

A vibrant banana market in Nigeria. Photo by IITA

34 IITA 50 years after 1990–1995 acknowledged as secondary centers and uplifting the income level of of variation for plantain and banana, farmers in southeastern Nigeria was because farmers selected sports relatively high. As such, it should not (mutants) arising in their fields, and be appropriate any longer to regard these today account for most of cooking banana as a stopgap measure the caloric intake from fruit crops but rather as a suitable supplement in the African diet. In 1987, African to plantain for some Nigerian farmers governments encouraged IITA to and consumers. launch an urgent research program to combat black Sigatoka (also known Owing to its pioneering research- as black leaf streak). This fungal leaf for-development on breeding hybrid spot disease causes significant yield plantains resistant to black Sigatoka loss in plantain, an important food and for advances made in the and cash crop for more than 70 million genetics of Musa, not an easy task for people in sub-Saharan Africa. As an a triploid species, IITA received the interim measure, IITA introduced CGIAR King Baudouin Award in 1994. black Sigatoka-resistant cooking The potential impact of using black banana from Asia while the long- Sigatoka-resistant plantain shows a term strategy was to develop black benefit:cost ratio of 10:1 over using Sigatoka-resistant plantain. After fungicides during periods of adequate their introduction to Nigeria, cooking production in rural southeastern banana plantlets were produced Nigeria. This dramatically influences in two tissue culture laboratories the prices of plantain fruit although located at the IITA High Rainfall this advantage may be reduced to Station (Onne, near Port Harcourt) 5.5:1 during periods of scarcity in and the Agricultural Development plantain production. The successful Program at Owerri (in Imo State). With professional career, solely in Africa, the collaboration of 24 institutions, of the former leader of this IITA vegetatively propagated planting team, the late Dirk R. Vuylsteke, was materials (suckers) were distributed acknowledged by dedicating to him to 29,585 farmers in 710 villages. the 2001 annual series Plant Breeding Impact assessments showed that Reviews—the first ever given to a cooking banana gained a high level plant breeder of the CGIAR. of acceptance and spread among PITA 14 (or TMPx 7152-2) appears to the people, and thus established be one of the most promising IITA itself within the farming system in plantain hybrids with resistance to southeastern Nigeria. The crop was black Sigatoka because of its early adopted by 55 percent of farmers, fruiting, high bunch weight, and occupying about 26 percent of total big fruits. While detailed analysis fields; its cultivation had increased of the acceptability of PITA 14 by more than 930 percent since in southeastern Nigeria was still introduction, with a multiplication under way, it was noteworthy that rate of 600 percent across farmers. several farmers established sucker The introduction of cooking banana multiplication plots and sold suckers and the subsequent adoption and to other farmers. In 2002, IITA diffusion made a positive impact in started large-scale introduction (on- southeastern Nigeria: on farmers’ farm) of hybrids with black Sigatoka farm enterprises, farm resource resistance to the farming community use and allocation, income, and the in 11 Nigerian states of the plantain food base of the people, as well as belt. The target was 20,000 farmers employment generation. Hence, the as direct beneficiaries of this 3-year potential contribution of cooking undertaking that built upon a series banana to bridging the hunger gap

IITA 50 years after 35 1990–1995

Banana plantation. Photo by IITA of ad-hoc distributions of improved America and Asia. For example, the hybrids via numerous public or non- banana hybrid BITA-3 (or TMBx 5295-1) governmental public extension was used for producing chips in Kerala services. Furthermore, six pilot State of India, where it compares propagation centers were established favorably with the local cultivars. Thus, at nodal locations across the Nigerian funding from development investors plantain belt to ensure the continuous has permitted IITA, in collaboration dissemination of healthy seedlings with other research institutes, to using high throughput propagation generate fruits that are making a methods. In Ghana, another major difference in the livelihoods of people hybrid dissemination process began in Africa and beyond, clearly a high its second phase. Phase 2 mass- return on investment that needs to propagated and disseminated be assessed in quantitative terms in improved hybrids to farmers from the years ahead. Another key public the secondary sites. Other West good from this investment in Musa African countries targeted for mass genetic enhancement at IITA was distribution of improved hybrids the abundant knowledge gathered were Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire, and shared worldwide through many where preparation started for the publications in reputed international distribution of hybrids. Similarly, journals. As noted in the 2001 TAC hybrid dissemination was undertaken EPMR of IITA, “the published output in Uganda and thereafter in Malawi, on breeding methodology and genetics Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia. of Musa, about 12 articles per year, Outside of Africa, IITA-bred hybrids deserves particular attention”. have been reaching farmers in Latin

36 IITA 50 years after 1990–1995

Plant health management: The major achievements in the Another successful Pan- cassava green mite research until the early 1990s was the establishment of African program after the the mite’s true identity, its behavior spectacular control of the within the cassava ecosystem, and its cassava mealybug by the damage to the cassava plant. It was introduced predator wasp in the second half of the 1990s that IITA researchers J. Steve Yaninek and Rachid Hanna succeeded with the After the spectacular control of the classical biological control of cassava cassava mealybug by the introduced green mite by identifying, introducing, predator wasp A. lopezi (Table 1), IITA and establishing predatory mites researchers undertook the biological (Typhlodromalus aripo and T. manihoti) control of cassava green mite, larger and later an acaropathogenic grain borer, mango mealybug, spiraling fungus (Neozygites tanajoae) from whitefly, and water hyacinth, some of climatically similar areas of Brazil. which made a significant impact on In areas where the predatory mites African agriculture. Water hyacinth have been continuously present for made many lakes and waterways in at least two years, cassava green mite sub-Saharan Africa impassable, thus density declined by 30 to 60 percent adversely affecting the local economy and cassava yields increased by and biodiversity. This weed was first controlled in Northern Australia, and between 15 and 35 percent, with two IITA introduced weevils as biocontrol cases of 62 and 85 percent increase agents to Africa, where good control is in tuberous root yield. The addition of clearly apparent in locations as far apart the fungus N. tanajoae led to a further as Bénin and East Africa—the latter a 25 percent decline in cassava green cooperative effort with the National mite populations. In West Africa alone, Biological Control Unit of Uganda. where the biocontrol of cassava green

Table 1. Major biological control of pests by IITA [#] and partners in Africa with an economic impact assessment3 [§In-country biological control of red waterfern in South Africa included as reference4] Year of Redress (% Savings Loss Successful biological Start of Discount Pest species first reduction in (US$ (%) control agent campaign rate (%) occurrence loss) million) Cassava Encyrtid wasp 7971– 1973 40 1981 90–95 6 mealybug[#] Anagyrus lopezi 20226 2 Cassava green Phytoseiid mite 1971 35 1983 80–95 2157 3 10 mite[#] Typhlodromalus aripo Mango Encyrtid wasp 1980s 90 1987 90 531 10 mealybug[#] Gyranusoidea tebygi Water Weevil Neochetina 1980 664 1991 36 5 260 10 hyacinth[#] eichhorniae Red waterfern Weevil Stenopelmus 1978 6 1997 7 206 8 [§] rufinasus 1 Initial losses of 80%, lower in highland areas 2 Based on 27 countries in Africa, depending on scenario 3 For Nigeria, Ghana, Bénin 4 Damage of US$84 million to fishing and trade at peak of infestation 5 Data from 1999; full impact yet to be achieved 6 Average damage is US$533 per respondent (N = 30) 7 Three years afterwards, weed was not regarded any longer as a problem.

3 Neuenschwander (2004). 4 McConnachie, A.J. et al. 2003. Economic evaluation of the successful biological control of Azolla filiculoides in South Africa. Biol. Control 28, 25-32

IITA 50 years after 37 1990–1995

another insect pest of crops. The Lutte Biologique contre les Locustes et Sauteriaux (LUBILOSA) project was set up in 1989 by IITA and research-for- development partners to develop a biological pesticide that kills. Locusts are among the most important pests affecting farmers living around the world’s deserts. Millions of liters of environmentally damaging pesticides are sprayed over vast areas of land to control them and the grasshoppers— another insect pest of crops. The Lutte Biologique contre les Locustes et Sauteriaux (LUBILOSA) project was set up in 1989 by IITA and research- for-development partners to develop a biological pesticide that kills locusts and grasshoppers without harming the environment. Two crucial components for success of this biopesticide were the long-term commitment (10 years) from the development investors of this project to turn basic research into a useful product, and the broad range of stakeholders, which created a “constituency of support” around Green Muscle®, the by-product of Classical biological control of cassava green mite by a predator mite. Photo by IITA this public–private partnership, mite was first achieved, economic licensed to a South African company benefits reached a hundred-fold: for manufacturing. Both the eventual US$100 in return for each US$1 invested impact and return on investment in the program. This cassava green in the LUBILOSA project depend mite biocontrol campaign continued on correcting a market failure that in central, eastern, and southern Africa does not account for the human with the addition of strains of predatory and environmental health costs of mites adapted to mid-altitude spraying chemical pesticides which are agroecologies, and the emphasis on not charged to the purchaser. Policy the integration of cassava cultivars changes are, therefore, required suited to predatory mites (which was to overcome the market weakness a relatively nascent dimension of for this and other bio-pesticides. biological control in general), owing Perhaps the “constituency’s” power to the sensitivity of T. aripo to specific may be able to bring about this morphological characteristics of the policy change. As a first step in this cassava apex where the predators direction, FAO listed Green Muscle® reside during much of the daylight at the top of two lists of insecticides hours. that do not have a negative impact on the environment or on human Locusts are among the most important health. Farmers, non-governmental pests affecting farmers living around organizations, and donor agencies the world’s deserts. Millions of liters of involved in grasshopper control have environmentally damaging pesticides used large amounts of Green Muscle, are sprayed over vast areas of land to thus replacing synthetic insecticides. control them and the grasshoppers—

38 IITA 50 years after 1990–1995

It was in the 1990s that IITA management established the Germplasm Health Unit, which devotes attention to guaranteeing the absence of main diseases, particularly viruses, in planting materials. This appraisal is a prerequisite for the international transfer of vegetative materials of root and tuber crops as well as banana and plantain, and true seeds of crops such as cowpea and soybean. Early IITA research of the 1980s showed through extensive screen house and laboratory tests that there was no transmission of cowpea yellow mosaic virus through cowpea seeds. This discovery facilitated the shipping of cowpea seeds although these will be constantly indexed (tested) with reference to other viral strains. In 2003, IITA scientists—led by Jacqueline d’Arros Hughes, the head then of this Unit—and their research partners made a significant contribution to virology research in Africa with the publication of Plant Virology in sub-Saharan Africa, a book that provides updated information and shares knowledge about the most Seed testing. Photo by IITA prevalent virus diseases of some of solve their food production problems. the continent’s principal staple food In the early days, emphasis was placed crops. This book follows in the steps on group production courses for of another IITA publication of the extension and technical personnel, a mid-1980s, Virus Diseases of Important task that the Institute was increasingly Food Crops in Tropical Africa, which able to pass on to strengthened presents in a concise form information national institutions. Degree-related gathered by IITA virologists of that training, group courses with a time (Hennie W. Rossel and the research emphasis, summer vacation late George Thottappilly) about the projects for university-level students, geographical distribution, symptoms, and individualized programs to meet identification, and control of viruses specific requests were all part of the affecting the main crops grown by the training program in the mid-1980s continent’s farmers. and throughout the mid-1990s. Up to the beginning of the new millennium, Food for thought: Capacity the Institute had trained about 9000 building for a new generation professionals. About 10 percent of of African researchers these were colleagues who obtained their MSc or PhD degrees through Parallel with its scientific achievements partnership research at IITA. Today there has been, throughout the history the Institute’s alumni are in virtually of the Institute, a comprehensive all African agricultural research training program to increase the institutes, quite often in leadership capacity of African researchers to positions.

IITA 50 years after 39 Grating fresh cassava using a medium-size machine. Photo by IITA

40 IITA 50 years after 1996–2001 Renewing the Mission: Bringing Wealth to African Homes 7

During Brader’s second term—in agro-industry. IITA research was the second half of the 1990s—IITA meant to address the needs of both updated its mission and mandate. small and medium-scale farmers and The Board of Trustees approved entrepreneurs who were open to this mission statement. “IITA aims technology exchange. The goal was to enhance the food security, income to make agriculture attractive and and well-being of resource-poor profitable to a new generation of rural people primarily in the humid and populations, resulting in an enhanced subhumid zones of sub-Saharan Africa standard of living with better health by conducting research and related and longevity. This new IITA research activities to increase agricultural agenda also sought to abate the production, improve food systems, potentially negative consequences and sustainably manage natural of global climatic change and the resources, in partnership with national increasing impact of human diseases and international stakeholders. To such as HIV/AIDS and malaria on accomplish its mission, the Institute society. conducts research, delivers training, provides information, and participates The IITA Strategic Plan 2001–2010 in technology transfer activities fittingly captures the new elements with a wide range of partners. These in which the benchmark approach activities are undertaken to develop in research-for-development was a and deliver technological options to prominent feature. In the last meeting improve food systems (production, of the former Research Program and transformation, storage, distribution, Executive Committee held in October and consumption/end-use and natural 2001 at IITA Humid Forest Eco-Regional resource use efficiency in a sustainable Center in Yaoundé, it was agreed manner. They are conducted primarily that the organizational structure and for the benefit of farmers, other arrangements for implementing the entrepreneurs, and consumers.” This research agenda of the new Strategic mission introduced a few changes Plan needed interdisciplinary projects. in the Institute’s undertakings, such As a result, six projects were included as natural resource management for in the 2003–2005 Medium-Term Plan: sustainable agriculture, preservation • Project A: Preserving and of the environment, enhanced Enhancing Germplasm and commercialization to ensure Agrobiodiversity improved food security, raised • Project B: Developing Biologically farmers’ incomes, and a contribution Controlled Options to the development of an effective • Project C: Policy, Impact, and

IITA 50 years after 41 1996–2001

Systems Analysis three agroecological zone projects • Project D: Starchy and Grain are delineated both by climate and Staples in Eastern and Southern geography. The three “zonal” projects Africa correspond to the mandate area of • Project E: Diverse Agricultural the three subregional organizations Systems in the Humid Zone of (SROs) that make up the Forum for West and Central Africa Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA). • Project F: Improving and The iSC supports this ‘decentralized’ Intensifying Cereal–Legume– and ‘demand-driven’ approach Livestock Systems in the Savannas with its emphasis on predominant of West and Central Africa cropping systems and selected food Researchers were programmatically systems within the agroecological assigned to one or more projects led zones. The three ‘disciplinary’ projects by project coordinators, who were likewise represent logical clusters elected by their respective peers. The with germplasm enhancement and CGIAR interim Science Council (iSC) preservation, biocontrol, and impact welcomed this new IITA Medium- and policy analysis. The elevation of Term Plan (MTP). In their words, biocontrol/IPM to a major disciplinary “The new MTP reflects IITA’s plan project, integrating biodiversity in for implementation of its 2001–2010 sustainable systems, is appropriate. Strategic Plan, with consolidation of The combination of policy and impact work into six projects. IITA plans to assessment is also logical. Consistent increasingly address the problems of with the CGIAR’s new vision and poverty and food security through strategy, the new MTP places stronger a food systems approach, both on emphasis on poverty reduction. The iSC the production technology side and supports the stronger focus on market through policy and institutional analysis, policy research, institutional capacity building. Emphasis will be given reform, and business development as to developing suitable environmental described in the Plan.” health and poverty indicators against which improvement in rural livelihoods Benchmark approach: A and progress towards CGIAR goals truly global public tool in can be measured. The new MTP responds to the need to strengthen research for development the agroecological approach and to Integrated natural resource simplify project and management management, which is derived structures within the Centre. Its from the key principles affecting

Adoption of mechanized farming helps reduce the drudgery in farming and produce more food in Africa. Photo by IITA

42 IITA 50 years after 1996–2001 planning and output delivery, may it was possible to grow plantain on improve adaptive capacity by using land already cropped if the rooting new approaches and crucial tools material was treated with hot water for implementing a research-for- to kill the nematodes and some development agenda. This new fertilizer was added. Furthermore, integrated development approach this approach may be able to benefit brought changes in culture and farmers because it does not begin organization of research-for- and end with characterization but development; i.e., learning together it provides a guide for research and for change, keeping in mind the extension. It allows natural resource underlying principle of going to scale and plant scientists to see their work but remaining practical to confront within a socioeconomic context complexity in the field and to and avoid spending many years address productivity enhancement. developing a technology that may The learning process at the early not be relevant or wanted. Last but stages needed the blend of “hard” not least, there was the potential and “soft” science to allow local of benchmark areas for scaling technology to lead to regional up because they are “incubators” impact because there were multiple having a critical mass of key research stakeholders with distinct views and and extension stakeholders. IITA’s approaches. Throughout the second experience on benchmark area in half of the 1990s and early years of the CGIAR Eco-Regional Program for this millennium, colleagues in IITA the Humid and Sub-Humid Tropics from the former Resource and Crop of sub-Saharan Africa (EPHTA) gives Management Division elaborated some guidelines (Table 2) for carrying on the concepts for putting into out multi-site ecoregional research practice integrated natural resource using this approach. Although IITA management particularly in does not pursue it today, its research- heterogeneous areas, where research- for-development continues to be for-development undertakings decentralized across sites in sub- needed a characterized benchmark Saharan Africa and involves various area that considered farming system private and public partners with whom dynamics and diversity, representing it interacts and collaborates through a wider agroecozone to develop best- formal and informal platforms, jointly bet innovations and processes. plans and implements programs, The benchmark area approach, and analyzes the results and their to succeed in having an impact implications. on farmers’ lives, should pursue a characterization process that must The benchmark areas represent major understand and factor in those features of the agroecosystem, and changes occurring in farming systems enable the creation of the knowledge in response to the pressures felt by networks among key stakeholders farmers. For example, it was noted that that are necessary to scale-up and -out. farmers cut down new forest because Characterization approaches take into they believe that an important crop account not only biophysical data to them such as plantain grows well from geo-information systems (GIS) but also known cultural and social only in newly cleared forest. The basis factors influencing the likelihood of for their thinking was related to the adoption and extrapolation of results. need of plantain to grow under good Hence, the benchmark area approach soil fertility, which should increase should be regarded as a truly global when nematodes attack and reduce public research-for-development tool, the efficiency of the root system. which facilitates the exchange of IITA was able to show farmers that best-best innovations from farmer to

IITA 50 years after 43 1996–2001

Table 2. Lessons learned after using the benchmark approach in approach with the sustainable the the CGIAR Eco-Regional Program for the Humid and Sub-Humid livelihood framework, researchers can Tropics of sub-Saharan Africa led by IITA in the 1990s5 identify recommendation domains Move quickly to doing collaborative research with partners that are similar, and therefore target 1 and stakeholders to develop both technical solutions and appropriate technology in pilot sites the processes for their development and scaling-up that are outside the benchmark area Start simple and small with a maximum of just two but within the same agroecosystems. 2 benchmark areas Pilot sites serve for testing and adapting technology ensuing from Build the benchmark area approach up from the bottom 3 “organically” rather than trying to impose an organizational research-for-development in the blueprint from the top down benchmark areas. Choose benchmark sites in consideration of the key 4 Intellectual property policy in problems to be solved the era of globalization 5 Avoid large, unwieldy Steering Committees Since the 1970s, IITA has been Do not get bogged down in trying to develop a common generating international public 6 set of concepts and seeking the perfect characterization goods through the research carried paradigm out by scientists working in the Ensure that culture and ethnicity are part of the 7 Institute and in partnership with characterization paradigm others, particularly the African Promulgate an understanding of the dynamic nature of the 8 NARS. Following the thoughts of farming system IITA founders and stakeholders, the Make sure you have people with the necessary process skills Institute still considers that every 9 to work in a collaborative and participatory manner with effort should be made to ensure that stakeholders research knowledge and products Make every effort to take others along, particularly people developed by IITA are actively 10 in your own Institute disseminated, adopted, and utilized by and for the benefit of people in Publish key concepts and approaches in peer-reviewed 11 the developing world, particularly in journals to show that the approach is sound Africa, and for society in general. IITA 12 Be flexible and learn while going along believes that access to its outputs should be fair and equitable. In its farmer or community to community May 2001 meeting the IITA Board of within the same stakeholder group; Trustees approved an intellectual i.e., scaling-out. At the same time, it property policy. The guiding ensures an institutional expansion principles clear stated, “IITA pursues of best practices from grassroots publication and full disclosure organizations to policymakers, and the open sharing of IITA data, development investors, and other information, and knowledge through stakeholders that keeps building an the release of IITA research findings enabling environment for change; i.e., and products into the public domain. scaling-up. Integrating the benchmark IITA respects the rights of others approach with a sustainable when using their materials, data, livelihood framework will enhance and other intellectual property, our understanding of poverty and in research for development. IITA food insecurity by analyzing the considers that excluding others from relationships among relevant factors accessing IITA research products at the household, community, and and results is contradictory to its regional levels; i.e., dissecting the mandate and mission. Therefore, complex in which people live. Likewise, IITA does not seek to secure by integrating the benchmark patents or plant breeders’ rights

5 Douthwaite et al. (2005)

44 IITA 50 years after 1996–2001 unless such protection is deemed leader—together with his IITA necessary to keep IITA materials or colleagues Paul R. Speijer, technologies available and freely nematologist, and John B. Hartman, accessible to its beneficiaries. banana postdoctoral breeder, IITA does require recipients and were in the ill-fated Kenya Airways users of data, knowledge, and any flight KQ433 that crashed shortly technology originating from the after taking off from Abidjan Institute to publicly acknowledge (Côte d’Ivoire) en route to Lagos IITA as the source of the original (Nigeria). They were traveling to IITA information, material, or research headquarters at Ibadan to attend the product. In, addition, IITA respects annual Work Planning week. The loss the intellectual property rights of of these three young international others, and will acknowledge and scientists, whose holistic banana obtain appropriate permission for research was, according to CGIAR the use of others’ data, knowledge, Chairman Ismail Serageldin, among and technology.” the most promising of all African The Institute, as part of the CGIAR, projects carried out under the aegis used at that time the CGIAR Center of the CGIAR, was not only a great Statements on Genetic Resources, tragedy for their families, friends, and Intellectual Property Rights, and colleagues but also a significant blow Biotechnology, jointly approved to international agricultural research by the Center Directors and Center and to the African farmers to whom Board Chairs of the CGIAR. These they had dedicated their lives. In the statements included the CGIAR’s words of Brader, “It was a terrible Ethical Principles Relating to Genetic loss and it took us considerable time Resources and the Guiding Principles to find our normal rhythm again.” To for the CGIAR Centers on Intellectual maintain their work at ESARC, IITA Property and Genetic Resources. IITA received strong support from many adheres to the principles contained people who, as a tribute to the late in the Convention on Biological colleagues, wanted to ensure their Diversity, the FAO–CGIAR Agreement research undertakings would lead to on Genetic Resources, and the the goals so strongly pursued by all International Treaty on Plant Genetic three: create better living conditions Resources for Food and Agriculture for African farmers. As pointed out in (ITPGRFA). IITA uses therefore, the annual report of a sister institute, material transfer agreements and “This was the worst tragedy of its germplasm acquisition agreements kind to strike the CGIAR. Our staff to facilitate access and ensure the travel extensively in some of the continued free exchange of genetic most difficult areas of the world, and materials and biocontrol agents. we perhaps tend to take for granted The main objective of these material the considerable risks and hardships transfer agreements is to maintain they face on a daily basis, without these materials in the public domain complaint, in the pursuit of their and to ensure their protection from passion—to help the poor and the ownership by others. hungry of the developing world. These bright, committed, idealistic young A set-back with the start of scientists represented the human face the new millennium of our science in its best and truest sense. They were our friends, part of On Sunday, 30 January 2000, us, and will not be forgotten.”6 Vuylsteke—then ESARC team

6 ICRISAT. 2000. Science with a Human Face – Annual Report 2000. International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Patancheru, Andhra Pradesh, India. p. 3

IITA 50 years after 45 Mass propagation of yam using aeroponics. Photo by IITA

46 IITA 50 years after 2002–2011 IITA R4D: “The Course of True Love Never Did Run Smooth”7 8

After 11 years of service to African budget constraints, the number of agriculture Brader stepped down as internationally recruited staff fell from IITA Director General, and Peter just above 100 in 1996 to about 80 in Hartmann, an economist and former 2001—a loss of 22 percent in five years. Director of International Programs in The loss was partially offset by the the University of Florida/IFAS in employment of postdoctoral fellows, Gainesville, began his tenure as associate and junior professional Director General in November 2001. officers, and visiting scientists. In short, Hartmann took the job at a time when IITA was under financial stress at the budget constraints (Fig.1) were beginning of Hartmann’s tenure as influencing the quality of science and Director General. Hence his urgent task peer-reviewed research output in IITA was to bring in more resources coupled as indicated by TAC fifth EPMR of IITA with cost-saving measures across the Dr Peter Hartmann held in the first half of 2001. Due to Institute.

75 Total income C ore funding 55 Budget 35 Su rplus /De cit

-5 8 1 4 7 0 3 6 9 2 5 8 9 9 9 0 0 0 0 1 1 9 9 9 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 Figure 1. Total income, core funding (mostly through unrestricted grants), budget expenses, and surplus/deficit (US$ million) for IITA from the late 1980s until 2015 (after audit statements). Source: IITA Annual Reports.

7 English writer William Shakespeare

IITA 50 years after 47 2002–2011

Hartmann, as his predecessors had brought into the new IITA organogram done, brought new ideas about the to replace a Deputy Director General mission of the Institute and a new (which was abolished from the staff research management arrangement. establishment). Agronomist Stanford In June 2002, the research divisions F. Blade took the job as Director of were abolished and he asked the Research-for-Development in West Director of Crop Improvement, Africa and plant breeder Paula J. Rodomiro Ortiz, a plant geneticist, to Bramel started as the other Director of act as Deputy Director General and at Research-for-Development in Eastern the same time appointed him to the and Southern Africa. Both regional newly created position of Director directors were ex-officio Research-for- of Research-for-Development and Development Council members and Chairman of the Research-for- one served as Chair by rotation every Development Council. In Hartmann’s six months. The other three councilors view, “The research-for-development were researchers, elected every arrangement of the institute was two years by their peers. The two changed to move leadership, resources regional research-for-development and authority from divisional leaders to (R4D) directors together with the six the Research-for-Development Council project coordinators reported to the (RDC) members, the majority of whom RDC, which was the guardian of IITA’s are elected by their peers … the RDC is a R4D program. The RDC addressed the unique set-up in the CGIAR system. In its program needs of the Institute and simplest concept, five minds are better ensured that its mandate and mission than one. When senior IITA scientists were relevant to the development debate issues, the end product is needs and priorities of the region it usually better than a Director taking served. Its responsibilities included unilateral decisions. Ownership of the ensuring the quality of research, Institute is improved by the election of technical exchange and public the councilors and it has opened more awareness activities, recruitment and communication avenues, as scientists evaluation of scientists, allocation of gradually find their ‘comfort zones’ resources, and collective mentoring of ways to express their thoughts. of staff. They now can do it directly, via their project coordinators, via any of the five councilors, or officially to the RDC An end user driven directly. As the recognition of RDC’s research–for–development stature becomes more widespread, approach to nourish Africa more institutional weaknesses are raised and identified for RDC’s counsel and decision. Delicate matters, such as From mid-2002 throughout 2004, the difficulty some project coordinators Hartmann and Ortiz shared their views have leading ‘senior’ scientists, and on R4D with IITA staff, clients, partners, keeping everyone focused on the investors, and other stakeholders. In project are now addressed through a an early write-up—which was included less personalized path; i.e., the RDC. among the annexes of the FARA- Respect for the RDC is also being led sub-Saharan Africa Challenge appreciated as its governance tools— Program—they indicated that ‘any budget, evaluation, and contract strategy for eliminating food shortages decision—are practiced.” In 2004 the and accelerating the evolution rate research management arrangements from household production to more were fine-tuned, Rodomiro Ortiz commercial farming entrepreneurs resigned, and two regional research- needs two interdependent pathways for-development directors were in sub-Saharan Africa: developing

48 IITA 50 years after 2002–2011 commercial ‘windows’ for the less 4. Partnershipsownership between to attain investors win-win and vulnerable farmers through enhancing synergies.implementing actors, catalyzing the marketing pathways of agricultural Thisdevelopment. R4D philosophy considers a produce with high levels of added “small4. Partnerships landholder to attaindevelopment win-win value, and increasing food security trajectory”synergies.8 from subsistence by broadening the reliance on cereal Thisto commercial R4D philosophy scale inconsiders which the a (mostly maize) monoculture into “smallfarmers arelandholder not homogeneous development and 8 diversified crop–livestock systems, trajectory”research products from help themsubsistence to move which are more environmentally toalong commercial the trajectory. scale in Opportunitywhich the resilient and nutritionally superior. farmersand vulnerability are not homogeneousfactors determine and Such a strategy follows a ‘research- researchwhat technology products helpmay thembe the to movemost 8 for-development end user-driven’ alongappropriate the trajectoryin the. Opportunitylandholder approach that replaces the old approach that replaces the old anddevelopment vulnerability trajectory. factors Farmers determine with disconnecting concept of research and disconnecting concept of research and whatrelatively technology good access may to markets,be the most who development, in which researchers development, in which researchers appropriateare educated andin whothe havelandholder financial deal with technology generation and deal with technology generation and developmentassets and access trajectory. to water, Farmers prefer with developers test this technology with developers test this technology with relativelyinterventions good which access tend to markets, towards whohigh potential end users. Research-for- potential end users. Research-for- areincome educated generation; and who i.e., have a high-riskfinancial development needs society-conscious, development needs society-conscious, assetsstrategy and that access will focus to onwater, competitive prefer committed scientists who accept committed scientists who accept interventionsand comparative which advantages tend towards and high will being transformed into developers by being transformed into developers by incomebuild entrepreneurial generation; i.e.,skills afor high-risk wealth bringing a technology focus to their bringing a technology focus to their strategydevelopment, that will thereby focus on competitiveleading to work. The research products ensuing and comparative advantages and will from this work are demand- not multiplier effects such as job creation. from this work are demand- not buildSmall entrepreneuriallandholders with skills low for income, wealth supply-driven, by end users and not development, thereby leading to by ‘ivory tower’ scientists. Hence, this who have poor market access, low by ‘ivory tower’ scientists. Hence, this multipliereducation, effects limited such assets, as job and creation. who new approach closes the gap between Small landholders with low income, research and development, and ensures may be affected by HIV/AIDS, are research and development, and ensures whoreliant have on poorrainfed market farming access, systems, low from the start of the research process education, limited assets, and who may (i.e., planning) that development goals in marginal or fragile environments (i.e., planning) that development goals bewith affected a history by of HIV/AIDS,food relief. are They reliant tend on drive the agenda. Two phrases: ‘from rainfed farming systems, in marginal thinking to acting’ and from ‘research towards a low-risk strategy which thinking to acting’ and from ‘research or fragile environments with a history to decision’ define this new research- aims to build on livelihood coping to decision’ define this new research- of food relief. They tend towards a for-development approach, in which mechanisms and places priority for-development approach, in which low-risk strategy which aims to build research institutes, development on more resilient long-term mixed research institutes, development on livelihood coping mechanisms organizations, the private sector, cropping systems. Furthermore, organizations, the private sector, and places priority on more resilient development investors, and national agriculture provides the means, and development investors, and national long-term mixed cropping systems. governments are partners, sharing sometimes perhaps the only means, governments are partners, sharing Furthermore, agriculture provides the aim of accelerating agricultural for reconstructing, rehabilitating, the aim of accelerating agricultural the means, and sometimes perhaps diversification and commercialization and resettling people in war-torn and diversification and commercialization the only means, for reconstructing, for the small-scale agricultural sector.” environmentally degraded zones. for the small-scale agricultural sector.” rehabilitating, and resettling people They listed four key elements in this The rural development that follows They listed four key elements in this in war-torn and environmentally research-for-development end user- peace may need a low-risk strategy driven approach: degradedemphasizing zones.crop technologyThe rural to driven approach: development that follows peace may 1. Trade and marketing to encourage rebuild livelihood coping mechanisms need a low-risk strategy emphasizing 1. ruralTrade economic and marketing growth. to encourage for resettled inhabitants. Research- crop technology to rebuild 2. Croprural economic diversification growth. to avert for-development, keeping in livelihood coping mechanisms for 2. famineCrop diversificationand strengthen to food avert resettled8 Initial thoughts inhabitants. about the “small landholderResearch security.famine and strengthen food fordevelopment development, trajectory” ensued keepingafter exchanges in 3. Enhancedsecurity. governance to build of ideas between Ortiz and Winslow during their 3. Enhanced governance to build tenure as program directors at the International 8 Initialownership thoughts about between the “small investors landholder developmentand Crops trajectory” Research ensued Institute after for theexchanges Semi-Arid of Tropics ideas between Ortiz and Winslow during their tenure (ICRISAT,as program Patancheru, directors Telangana,at the International India) in theCrops late Researchimplementing Institute for theactors, Semi-Arid catalyzing Tropics (ICRISAT, 1990s. Patancheru, They were Telangana, inspired by India) early inviews the lateshared by 1990s.development. They were inspired by early views shared by FischerFischer whilewhile hehe was was Deputy Deputy Director Director General General of of Research at IITA. Research at IITA.

IITA 50 years after 49 2002–2011

actual and potential yield in stressed environments through genetic manipulation, crop protection, and resource management. Crop technology or cultivars within each cropping system are replaced with others showing better fitness along an environmental gradient arising from the physical or naturally limiting uncontrolled factor(s). Hence, farmers and scientists search for new technology along these gradients to address specific stresses. For example, plant breeders know well that cultivars with a high yield potential are not able to outyield stress-resistant cultivars (i.e., a crossover interaction) in a stressful environment. These high-yielding cultivars may even perform poorly in stressful environments. Researchers, farmers, and policymakers should also Adding value to cassava processing: pressing fresh cassava. Photo by IITA keep in mind the following paradigm, mind the end users, also operates in which economic phenotype within a continuum that uses a performances (P) are influenced by “means” (research) for an “end” many factors and their interactions, as (development), thereby leading to indicated below: impact on both people’s livelihoods and science. With this new approach, P = Genotype × Environment × Crop a new working culture evolves Management × Policy (affecting in which management internally both people and markets) × rewards the top performers following Institutional Arrangements × Social this framework, and externally Demographics encourages staff to broaden alliances or partnerships for development Decentralized (through networking) in their community of practice. and end-user participatory research Networking becomes, therefore, with local partners provides a a must because organizations that means for working in marginal, do not always share the same goals low-input, stressful environments. see the advantage of teaming up for This decentralization requires succeeding in their objectives in a refining target areas, targeting target area. local research partners for crop and resource management, and shifting responsibility from a central research The new paradigm in station to local undertakings (which may include not only technology crop and natural resource testing but also new material management for sustaining generation through specific research agrobiodiversity and making for further selection and testing). In impact on livelihoods this way, individual research programs (irrespective of their size) will deliberately maintain diversity across Agricultural sciences provide a locations. means of closing the gap between

50 IITA 50 years after 2002–2011

Such an approach should be driven by development efforts, 25 percent less the needs of the rural poor to ensure maize would currently be produced that such work has a positive impact in sub-Saharan Africa; equivalent to on their livelihoods. To become 8 million tons per year or the food cost-effective and efficient in Africa, requirements of 40 million people. agricultural research, must follow an Cassava production would be halved agroecosystem approach—farmers or worse, amounting to a loss of over working together with professional 13 million tons of dry cassava per year, researchers in developing locally equivalent to the caloric requirements adapted technology and relying of 65 million people. Just for these on responsive local systems for two crops, research-for-development its dissemination to the farming by IITA and partners means that over community. This technology needs to 100 million more people are fed; i.e., assemble a set of characteristics that one out of six inhabitants of sub- reduces yield loss and confers greater Saharan Africa! As Sir Isaac Newton yield stability in the target areas. pointed out, great researchers were Input and output traits are included able to see further than others in their in a market-driven research agenda. distinguished careers because they Input traits such as resistance to stood on the shoulders of others. It insect pests, diseases (bacteria, fungi, was therefore not surprising that two viruses), and parasitic weeds such as of the newest impacts of IITA, which Striga, or acceptable performance were shaped with the beginning of in stress-prone environments (e.g., the new millennium, built upon early liable to drought, heat, or salinity) research on Crop Improvement and lead to yield stability, while output Natural Resource Management in the traits affecting quality and end uses African savanna and, by using new provide new options for generating tools beyond the farm gate, bringing or improving people’s incomes. wealth to rural areas. Decentralized country level research programs are mandatory because Sustainable resource management teams in such programs can operate coupled with resilient germplasm efficiently only when close to the various targeted agroeco zones for each crop.

Pursuing impacts by building upon an old tradition for success

The impact of any research-for- development program can be judged only over relatively long periods, covering technology development, release, distribution, and adoption. For example, through the introduction of more productive cultivars resistant to prevailing pests and the effective biological control of the cassava mealybug and other pests, large-scale famine was avoided in sub-Saharan Africa. Without these research-for- Local farmer with big yam tubers. Photo by IITA

IITA 50 years after 51 2002–2011

to provide new intensive cereal– gross incomes of adopting farmers grain–legume–livestock systems in compared with those still following the dry savanna. With the start of the current practices, most commonly the new millennium, the CGIAR gave continuous maize cultivation. to Bernard Vanlauwe—then an IITA Furthermore, increases in legume soil researcher—the 2000 Promising areas of 10 percent in Nigeria (about Young Scientist Award for bringing into 30,000 ha in the northern Guinea practice the concepts of integrated savanna) and increases of 20 percent plant nutrient management. Indeed, in yield translated into additional fixed the accumulated knowledge on soil nitrogen valued annually at US$44 management gathered over the million. This reflects, at the same last 10 years, combined with solid time, an equivalent increase in land- crop improvement and plant health use productivity. With further spread research at the farmers’ level, brought of the improved crops, there were IITA research on sustainable research excellent prospects for additional management to its present stage of economic and environmental benefits technology exchange through best- from a very large recommendation bets in the West African savannas. IITA domain across West Africa. researchers and partners were able, therefore, to address with confidence the intensification of cereal–grain– Unleashing the power legume-based cropping systems in of markets for Africa’s the dry savanna of West Africa in small farmers a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner. Two sustainable farming systems that greatly enhance In the past, most research in Africa focused on increasing the the productivity and sustainability productivity of small-scale farmers. of integrated livestock systems With this focus, various levels of were developed and implemented success were achieved through in the dry savanna of Nigeria. These the adoption of yield-enhancing were maize–promiscuous soybean– technologies. However, these gains rotations that combine high nitrogen did not lead to proportionate gains fixation and the ability to kill large for small-scale farmers who, in most numbers of Striga hermonthica seeds instances, are poor and unable to in the soil; and pearl millet and dual- participate in a particular market as purpose cowpea. Improvement of the buyers and sellers. IITA researchers cropping systems in the dry savanna and partners started in the new was also driven by the adoption of millennium two pilot undertakings in promiscuously nodulating soybean market development—one in East (in particular TGx 1448-2E) and dual- Africa (FOODNET) and the other in purpose cowpea cultivars. The rate West Africa (RUSEP)—to show how of adoption was very high, even markets can contribute to enhancing in the absence of an efficient seed growth and providing opportunities distribution system. The number of and security among small-scale farmers using the improved cultivars farmers. Working from the concept increased by 228 percent from 2000 that markets are institutions, the two to 2002. Increased production of pilot projects were able to show that promiscuous soybean was stimulated by developing markets, profitability, by increased demand from industries efficiency, and growth in incomes can and home utilization. Preliminary be increased through reducing the economic analysis of these systems transaction costs involved in exchange demonstrated that there was a and allowing prices to reflect scarcity 50 to 70 percent increase in the and information. In each of the

52 IITA 50 years after 2002–2011 pilot projects, market development commercial agriculture. For example, was a key aspect which involved a new scheme of small farmer groups the identification of commodities of between 5 and 10 persons proved with market opportunities, and the successful in the four pilot states of organization and training of clients, RUSEP in Nigeria. About 4300 farmers including farmers, processors, and who belonged to 550 groups linked traders. This provides them with up with private seed companies, the necessary skills and information 960 with banking institutions, and to respond to the demands of 860 with tractor-hiring services market opportunities. Markets were for sustainable access to modern facilitated through effective and active agricultural inputs. Similarly, RUSEP market information systems that facilitated in 2003 the supply of raw provide increased access to, and use materials by farmers’ groups to agro- of, improved agricultural inputs. This industries worth about US$2.7 million. aims to generate effective business This amounts to an increase of about linkages and agricultural trade. The 20 percent in farmers’ income and a two pilot undertakings on market reduction in cost of 15 percent for the development provide a coordinated agro-industries. FOODNET improved and synergistic approach with existing the market information systems public and private support (input and in Uganda, including 2 to 3 radio credit) institutions to increase the broadcasts per week and the use of effectiveness and impact of research. a local SMS service provider became Their goal was to expand opportunities available to enable text messaging in output markets beyond their for 17 commodity prices via mobile present capacity to transform the phones. Similarly, RUSEP facilitated rural economy from subsistence to the broadcasts of market information

Researcher showcasing IITA products to partners. Photo by IITA

IITA 50 years after 53 2002–2011

on 20 agricultural commodities in 40 years later: CGIAR Nigeria through local radio and a acknowledged impacts website. There were also about 100 entrepreneurs benefiting annually mostly from IITA from training on agroenterprise and product development in Nigeria and As noted by an evidence-based Uganda. Both pilot projects for linking assessment to the then CGIAR Science markets to farmers left some lessons Council9 the largest development learned: the need of small-scale impact in sub-Saharan Africa came farmers and traders to have accurate via support of long-term crop and timely market information, for improvement and integrated pest which access may be facilitated by management research dealing with radio, mobile phones, email, and the biological risks. This impact report Internet. Hence, market information indicated that about 80 percent of the systems make markets operate more impact of the CGIAR in sub-Saharan efficiently by providing reliable price Africa estimated at US$17 billion (until data that help by raising farm-gate the mid-2000s) ensued from the prices. biological control of pests by IITA and national partners across the region. A high quantity and quality of dry The prerequisites for this achievement and safe products with a long shelf were both a very knowledge-intensive life were necessary to support the program and the nature of investor development of cassava-based agro- support and financing. It would have industries. IITA research therefore been difficult to implement biological included postharvest technology for control options successfully without cassava that led to having improved processing technologies and to long-term commitment to knowledge developing new products. Lateef generation. Likewise, there were Sanni Oladimeji—working both in the a broad range of actors deserving University of Agriculture in Abeokuta acknowledgement: scientists who and as IITA Postharvest Specialist— were on target with their ideas received the 2008 CGIAR Regional and translating them into research Award for Outstanding Agricultural undertakings, stakeholders (or Technology in sub-Saharan Africa. “clients”) who guided the priority The cassava drying technology he setting, managers who supported the devised has significantly contributed scientists and sought the resources to income and employment gains for implementing their research, for many small and medium-scale and development investors who enterprises in Nigeria and West Africa. were convinced by the arguments His first rotary dryer increased the from managers and scientists in IITA production of cassava flour to 300 kg and were then willing to fund the every 8 hours. While working within agenda put forward by the Institute. IITA’s Integrated Cassava Project, he The impact research compiled in assembled a team of engineers that this report to the CGIAR Science designed a “flash” dryer capable of Council proved also that West and drying 250 kilograms of cassava flour Central African farmers benefited per hour. This work increased the use by growing crops bred by IITA and of locally manufactured flash dryers in partners in the subregion owing to Nigeria from 2 to over 60 units within edible yield increases (Table 3). Pan- half a decade. African partnerships throughout the commodity chains led to impacts on crop output because of the significant gains in the fields grown by African

9 Maredia M.K. and D.A. Raitzer. 2006. CGIAR and NARS Partners Research in Africa: Evidence of Impact to Date. Science Council Secretariat, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy

54 IITA 50 years after 2002–2011

Table 3. Successful plant breeding endeavors of IITA in sub-Saharan Africa. Crop Main trait(s) and impact(s) References

Cassava Host plant resistance to bacterial blight and cassava mosaic disease. Af- Hahn et al. 1979, rican programs incorporated these bred-materials in 80% of their cassava Nweke et al. 2002, bred-germplasm, which led to 50% gains in cassava root yields. The improved Nassar and Ortiz cultivars raised per capita output by 10% continent-wide, benefiting 14 million 2007 farmers Cowpea Cultivars that have enhanced host plant resistance to various pathogens Ortiz 1998, Sanginga and pests and are dual-purpose (food-feed) provide both grain for human et al. 2003, Singh consumption and fodder for livestock in the dry season, thereby ensuring 2007 food supply during a critical period of the year, plus providing cash income, fodder, and in situ grazing after harvesting during periods of grain price peak and when good quality fodder is scarce Maize Breeding high-yielding open pollinated and hybrid cultivars for resistance Efron et al. 1989, to maize streak virus, the parasitic weed Striga, insects, downy mildew, and Brader 2002, Alene other pests led to their adoption in about 60% of maize area in West and et al. 2009 Central Africa in the mid-2000s and to more than one million people per year being moved out of poverty since the mid-1990s. Early maturing cultivars allowed the crop to be grown in the semi-arid tropics of Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Niger, and Senegal Plantain Hybrids resistant to black Sigatoka or black leaf streak provide more income Vuylsteke et al. 1993, to farmers owing to the reduced cropping cycle and increased bunch weight Ortiz et al. 1997, Lemchi et al. 2005 Rice While early maturing upland cultivars resistant to blast and drought tolerant Matlon et al. 1998 were adopted in drought-prone inland valley swamp ecosystems and upland areas with moderate rainfall, widely accepted rainfed cultivars for Nigerian fertile lowlands, and paddy rice cultivars with high yield potential and grain quality became popular in both Cameroon and Nigeria. AfricaRice (then known by its former WARDA acronym) assumed full responsibility for rice breeding for West and Central Africa by the end of 1991. IITA former scientist [1987-1990] Monty Jones got the 2004 World Food Prize for his achievements in breeding new rice cultivars for Africa (NERICA) Soybean High yielding, resistant to pod shattering, and promiscuously nodulating Sanginga et al. 2003, cultivars increased production in Nigeria by nearly 3 times within a decade Singh et al. 2003b though the crop area was enlarged only by 26%. Rust-proof soybean was bred to replace cultivars susceptible to Phakopsora pachyrhizi that causes 60 to 80 percent yield loss Sweet- Until 2005 IITA led the release of orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) culti- Low et al. 2007 potato vars to alleviate vitamin A deficiency in rural households of southern Africa, particularly in rural Mozambique. The Centro Internacional de la Papa (CIP) took over thereafter. In 2016, IITA former scientist [1995-2005] Maria Isabel Andrade was given the World Food Prize for her research-for-development on micronutrient and vitamin biofortification through OFSP. About 26% of all sweetpotato grown in 2013 in Mozambique was OFSP and more than one million households have received improved high yielding OFSP planting materials since 2001 farmers. The examples noted in Table can be built on these previous and 3 point out the benefits of having a successful endeavors, some of CGIAR ecoregional center doing crop which seems to remain “best-kept breeding, and together with many secrets” outside the continent. They continental partners delivering the are contributing significantly to the new seeds with an impact on African African diet and also to improving rural livelihoods. African plant breeding household earnings owing to surplus

IITA 50 years after 55 2002–2011

harvests or propelling entrepreneur global economy for the focal tree crop development through agroprocessing systems, characterized by increased undertakings. The multinational rural incomes, reduced risk, and private sector has, however, done greater stability in the supply of quality little research on crops that are grown products to end users, increased with low inputs by poor farmers in demand for and use of tree crop their marginal environments. products, better working conditions on farms, and an improved status of environmental resources for current Trees are back in IITA agenda and future generations of Africans through an international to pursue their interests. A regional program was therefore required to public–private coalition enhance the synergies to be gained by working across institutions and The Sustainable Tree Crop Program countries to successfully develop (STCP) was launched with the new sustainable tree crop production. The millennium as a coordinated and four largest African cocoa producers innovative effort made by industry, (Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and producer organizations, public-sector Nigeria) were included in the program institutions, social and research and accounted for approximately groups, as well as development two-thirds of total world production. investors and conservation The fifth member of the program was organizations, to facilitate the Guinea whose diversified agricultural improvement of smallholder economy includes cocoa, cashew, and agricultural systems based on tree robusta coffee as major subsectors. crops in Africa. Their interests and concerns were to improve the well- In 2002, a series of STCP pilot projects being of the smallholder farmer and started in West Africa; three of the the rural household, to guarantee initially selected pilot projects were the environmental sustainability of in Côte d’Ivoire, and one in each of tree crop systems, and to ensure that the other four countries (Cameroon, viable and efficient institutional and Ghana, Guinea, and Nigeria). The policy frameworks are in place to serve objectives of these pilot activities were the needs of the entire system, from to compare, test, and validate different producers to consumers. To achieve approaches and interventions to the goal, a public–private sector develop sustainable and integrated partnership was established (the STCP cocoa production systems, and to Alliance) to provide stakeholders concurrently address child labor with an organizational framework concerns in a coherent and systematic and policy environment to improve method (see next subsection). The the performance and efficiency of ultimate goal of these pilot activities the system. Productivity of tree crop was to improve the rural livelihood farms and enterprises was raised, of cocoa producers in West Africa with an emphasis on rehabilitating by improving their ability to respond and reclaiming deforested lands. to the demands of global markets. Efficiency in the marketing chain was Farmers in the pilot sites were trained improved to deliver fair prices to in improved production technologies, farmers and quality products to end farmer organizations were users. On the social and labor front, strengthened to provide efficient key STCP engaged in preventing and services to their members, marketing eliminating the worst forms of child and information systems were tested labor, thereby improving standards on for their ability to increase farmer farms and in communities. The aim of income, and rural communities were these efforts was a more sustainable briefed on important social issues

56 IITA 50 years after 2002–2011 such as the use of child labor, HIV/ the filming, editing, pretesting, and AIDS, and farm safety. The Farmer final production of the videos with the Field School Curriculum on Cocoa support of media specialists. Groups (FFS-CC) included integrated pest of 20 to 25 farmers got together management strategies, rehabilitation weekly to watch and learn from the of old cocoa farms, and postharvest videos, illustrated guidebooks, guided quality management, as well as child discussions, and field demonstrations. labor issues potentially associated Farmers adopting the crop and pest with cocoa production. About 90 management practices promoted facilitators selected from farmer by these video viewing clubs could organizations and 40 from public increase yields by at least 20 percent extension services were trained in and decrease pesticide use by up the four countries for implementing to 20 percent. Production training the FFS-CC. Over 160 schools were with marketing interventions also established through which more than increased household income. For 125,000 farmers were trained in West example, collective sales attracted 5 Africa. The level of enthusiasm and to 10 percent additional revenue for demand for FFS was extremely high farmers in Cameroon and Nigeria, among the rural community as well as and 2 to 10 percent in Côte d’Ivoire, local authorities. IITA received the 2008 depending on the sales strategy, i.e., CGIAR Science Award on Outstanding timing. Communications for training farmers in West African countries to use digital Labor practices in the cocoa farms video cameras as a way to share of four West African nations. In knowledge on sustainable cocoa September 2000, Britain’s Channel 4 production. Farmers participated in TV in a documentary on child slavery

Farmers in a meeting. Photo by IITA

IITA 50 years after 57 2002–2011

Cocoa farmers field school. Photo by IITA broadcast the claim that up to 90 beans and their derivative products have percent of the cocoa in Côte d’Ivoire been grown and/or processed without was produced using child slaves. any of the worst forms of child labor.” In Côte d’Ivoire’s ambassador to the May 2001, the United States Agency United Kingdom called the program for International Development “wildly inaccurate, unsubstantiated, (USAID), ILO, and IITA initiated a and damaging to the people of Côte collaborative undertaking under the d’Ivoire.” In July 2001 the story “umbrella” of the STCP, which was landed in the USA when Knight aimed at addressing the issue of child Ridder newspapers ran a series of labor in the cocoa sector of West investigative articles that further Africa. The first step was to conduct uncovered issues of child labor on investigations into the extent, nature, Côte d’Ivoire cocoa farms. In response and causes of child labor. In Nigeria, to these reports the Chocolate Cameroon, and Ghana, the STCP Manufacturers Association (USA) baseline survey originally designed signed the so-called “Harkin- to examine constraints facing cocoa Engel Protocol” witnessed by production and marketing systems the US Congress for the growing for cocoa and coffee was amended to and processing of cocoa beans better address the issue of child labor. and their derivative products In Côte d’Ivoire after discussions with in a manner that complies with the highest officials in government, International Labor Organization two studies were conducted, focused (ILO) Convention 182. In Step 6 on the issue of child labor in the of the protocol action plan, the cocoa sector. Over 6000 households industry was committed to “develop in the major cocoa-producing areas and implement mutually acceptable, of these countries were visited and voluntary, industry-wide standards interviews were conducted with the of public certification consistent with household heads. The surveys did not applicable US federal law that cocoa substantiate the media assertions of

58 IITA 50 years after 2002–2011 widespread child slavery on cocoa of a more virulent strain of the farms. However, other social issues cassava mosaic disease. This call was regarding the employment of children the result of a timely warning by IITA on cocoa farms were uncovered. The researchers on the potential attack by STCP alliance, in conjunction with the new strains of cassava mosaic disease ILO, fostered both direct and indirect in Nigeria, which could combine to interventions to address the findings form a more destructive strain of the including technology dissemination virus. IITA, therefore, took immediate to enhance productivity, education preventative action to avoid a interventions, briefing on hazardous repetition of the devastation that had work, and trade and information occurred in Uganda during the 1990s. systems to enhance farmer incomes. Since the launching of this mega- project, IITA has produced thousands of new, disease-resistant plantlets Cassava mosaic disease: and cuttings and delivered them to Nigerian farmers. The improved plants Changing a threat into not only resisted the disease but also an opportunity for slowed its spread to non-resistant rural development cultivars, acting as a barrier to its advance. Moreover, IITA-bred cultivars In view of the importance of cassava as produced more tuberous roots per a major source of calories for Nigerians plant and their distribution led to and potential source of large scale increases in total Nigerian production. agro-industry uses in the country, the As part of the unique preemptive Federal Government of Nigeria asked strategy, IITA and its partners from IITA in 2002 to implement a cassava both the public and private sectors mega-project to preempt an outbreak in Nigeria established value-added industries and postharvest processing

Cassava processing received a boost during the Presidential Initiative on Cassava. Photo by IITA

IITA 50 years after 59 2002–2011

to ensure markets for the increased that provided greater incomes to production that is expected. Hence, farmers in 11 States, mostly in the this Nigerian Presidential Cassava southern “cassava belt”. Likewise, Initiative, which in 2003 brought the it assisted in identifying commercial strong funding commitment of a markets for cassava, such as ethanol Global Development Alliance between production and use in livestock feed the largest oil company in the country and baking. In addition to being a and the major aid investor of the staple food, starch from cassava was CGIAR, improved technology transfer used in other industries including to address cassava mosaic disease textile manufacturing. The Initiative, and to develop cassava processing whose policy mandated flour millers

Presidential Initiative on Cassava

The Cassava Presidential Initiatives paved the way for Unleashing the Power of Cassava in Africa (UPoCA), which was a project in the 2000s that increased production by at least 30 percent and improved the competitiveness of cassava value chain actors through capacity building and by mobilizing, facilitating access to, and applying field-proven agricultural technologies in Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania. The Chairman of the local chapter of the Nigerian Cassava Growers Association in Ido community Bashir Adesiyan said, “I now harvest more than 20 t ha-1 using the improved varieties. With local varieties, I used to harvest 10 t ha-1.” Furthermore, Maria Borbor – a member of Tongea Women’s Development Association in Sierra Leone – described the establishment of the cassava micro-processing center in Sandeyalu as a “living bank”. She added “… now we can fulfill our financial obligations to educate our children and improve our livelihoods. We will do all within our power to sustain the micro-processing center, which provided a financial window of opportunity to us farmers, as a viable asset.” Likewise, Peter Mtoi who was among those farmers who benefited significantly from UPoCA in Tanzania where their earnings increased 10- fold, declared, “… with the money I made from the sale of cassava planting material and the dividends I received from the group, I have finished constructing and equipping a video den and also installed a solar system to run the TV and DVD player. I will charge the villagers a small fee to watch news and movies.” His wife Mary further acknowledged that they purchased a commercial charcoal oven to bake bread and cakes made of mixed cassava and wheat flour to sell in their village and at the nearby shopping center. Moreover, Manunga Jeanne of the Femmes Rurales pour Développement in Kwilu District (FRUD, Bandundu Province, DRC), noted “… each year we got less and less cassava. We did not know it was a disease and were worried because for us, no cassava means no food. If you have no cassava, it is like a death sentence; you are going to die.” FRUD working with UPoCA selected the cassava cultivars Obama and Nsasi (“help to raise children”) from IITA, and Butamu (“the sweet one”) from the Institut National pour l’ Etude et la Recherche Agronomiques. She told a reporter “these varieties are not only giving us big roots and many leaves, but they are not getting this disease … and they make very tasty chikwangue”, a popular local dish made from fermented and pounded cassava.

60 IITA 50 years after 2002–2011 to include 10 percent of cassava flour, cassava starch industry in his country boosted production by 10 million as a major vehicle for job creation and tonnes between 2002 and 2008. An poverty reduction in rural areas. impact study revealed that production increased by 17 percent in villages involved in the Initiative but by only Better health and 10 percent in those not involved. The nutrition through crop adoption rates of bred cultivars was genetic enhancement 74% in intervention villages (and up to 94% if farmers participated in training) for micronutrients and 65% for others. Furthermore, the use of processing machines such Protein-energy malnutrition and as the grater and the presser was micronutrient deficiency are among 60% in those villages involved and public health problems leading to up to 76% if they attended training. learning disability, impaired work Gross margin and the cost:benefit capability, illness, and death in ratio were higher for bred-cassava Africa. Population growth, intensive cultivars (US$ 4090/ha) than for local poverty, environmental degradation, landraces (US$ 1500). About two- poor agricultural services, and lack thirds of the enterprises that were of enabling policy environments fabricating processing machines were are among the factors aggravating small, and 79% of them were owned malnutrition in the continent, by sole proprietors. Encouraged by particularly among pregnant women, IITA research impacts on the crop, nursing mothers, and preschool the Integrated Action Program for children. Genetically improving the Cassava Starch Production and Export nutrient content of staple food crops was launched by the President of the represents a sustainable way to Republic of Ghana for developing the alleviate micronutrient malnutrition,

IITA’s research benefits marginalized groups, including women and children. Photo by IITA

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Ensuring food safety and preventing trade barriers due to mycotoxins

Aflatoxins are toxic chemicals produced by the fungus Aspergillus flavus and are prevalent in stored grains in the developing world. Aflatoxins are known to cause liver cancer and also suppress the immune system, and cause death in animals. A West African survey found that virtually all the children examined had elevated levels of aflatoxins in their blood. In 2003, the article “Dietary Aflatoxin Exposure and Impaired Farmers applying Aflasafe on maize fields. Photo by IITA. Growth in Young Children from Bénin and Togo,” published in 2002 in the e.g., iron-deficiency anemia or British Medical Journal, Vol. 325, corneal blindness owing to vitamin received the CGIAR Outstanding A deficiency. In an effort to identify Scientific Article award. The co- cultivars high in micronutrient content, authors were IITA scientists, led by crop cultivars grown in distinct plant pathologist Kitty Cardwell, and locations can be assessed for iron, their partners at the University of zinc, and ß-carotene content. A crop Leeds and at the London School of breeding program for micronutrients Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (UK). needs to assess the occurrence of Their research revealed a striking micronutrient deficiency (e.g., vitamin association between exposure to A, iron, zinc or urinary iodine) in target aflatoxin in children (from villages areas and provide the best germplasm of Bénin and Togo) and standard to farmers in each location to address indicators of malnutrition (stunting it accordingly. Likewise, fortification and underweight). The research- with target micronutrients may be finding points to the need to address appropriate if they are available for aflatoxin contamination in stored mixing in local diets. Maize lines food grains, particularly maize and bred at IITA in the 2000s exhibited groundnut, in warm and humid significant differences in iron, zinc, areas of West Africa. The IITA team and ß-carotene content in the grain of investigated therefore the potential one of the main staple foods in Africa. of biological control agents that can One of the maize lines grown at a act against plant pathogens through location in the transition zone showed different modes of action including 45 percent more iron bioavailability antibiosis, competition, and hyper- than a control maize cultivar widely parasitism. Competition occurs when grown by farmers in northern Nigeria. two or more microorganisms require the same resources in excess of The results indicate the potential to their supply. In a biological control breed early maturing maize cultivars system, the more efficient competitor for high and stable mineral content in (the biological control agent) out- their kernels across diverse growing competes the less efficient one (the environments. pathogen). One innovative option to minimize the development of aflatoxins in crops was by ‘competitive

62 IITA 50 years after 2002–2011 exclusion’. The idea was to introduce accelerate breeding efforts against and establish a fungal strain that does aflatoxin contamination in maize. not produce any toxins and have it The last but not the least option replace the strain of A. flavus that included traditional storage and food causes the problem. IITA researchers processing methods. Generally good and partners found one such strain. storage practices are associated with The next challenge was to test this levels of aflatoxin. Some methods of or equivalent strains in areas where maize preparation such as roasting aflatoxins are a threat. Another and treatment with alkali reduce option was plant breeding. In fact, levels of aflatoxin. Boiling and soaking some maize inbred lines bred at IITA corn in lime water could eliminate or for resistance to aflatoxin production greatly reduce the levels of aflatoxin were better than two of the best in the final product. Selective removal US lines. Further tests of some of or isolation of contaminated portions the IITA lines also showed that they of the food commodity is the most had protein profiles different from widely used physical method for those of the US lines, suggesting that aflatoxin decontamination. there was the potential to identify new mechanisms of resistance to aflatoxin from among IITA lines. In Agrobiotechnology to address the 2000s, IITA in partnership with the needs of the rural poor the United States Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Biotechnology applications in current Service (USDA–ARS) released six new use for improving crops grown in maize inbred lines with resistance to Africa are tissue culture, genetic aflatoxin contamination and adapted transformation, DNA fingerprinting, to the lowlands. They are used by molecular-aided analysis of genetic national programs as parents to diversity, and DNA markers for new

IITA uses biotechnological tools to improve crops. Photo by IITA

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Happy and well-nourished children in farm communities. Photo by IITA testing tools and aided breeding. from ARIs to its NARS partners? IITA’s IITA has been among the most role in research-for-development active research organizations on involving agrobiotechnology in agrobiotechnology in Africa. While Africa has included fostering the undertaking genomics and genetic international sharing of knowledge transformation research, IITA has and skills in biotechnology tools addressed these questions. (i) important to the improvement of What kind of genomics and genetic agriculture on the continent, helping transformation research does IITA African national partners to negotiate need to fulfill its mission? (ii) Where acceptable terms on intellectual are we and what are the applied genetic, and other proprietary aspects of genomics and genetic biotechnology assets needed for transformation research for the crop breeding, and launching creative improvement of crops in Africa? (iii) and innovative approaches such How can IITA benefit from specific as the molecular breeding of crops partnerships with Advanced Research relevant to African agriculture. Hence, Institutes (ARIs) or global initiatives IITA has bridged gaps by linking involving ARIs and NARS and how can ARIs around the world to Africa to they team up to attract funding from help them share in the benefits of development investors? (iv) How can biotechnology. For example, DNA IITA serve as an effective bridge to markers were used to tag specific transfer knowledge and technology segments of chromosomes bearing

64 IITA 50 years after 2002–2011 the desired gene(s) to be transferred In 2003, the CGIAR Promising Young (or incorporated) into breeding lines Scientist was Jonathan H. Crouch, (or populations). By finding genes then the Global Theme Leader for with a DNA marker, the power of Biotechnology at the International selection in plant breeding can be Center for Research in the Semi-Arid magnified. Likewise, IITA and research Tropics (ICRISAT, Patancheru, India), partners worldwide have developed who in his speech accepting this methods to genetically transform award acknowledged this success to cassava, cowpea, Musa, and yam to his whole tenure in the CGIAR, which overcome pest and disease problems started as an IITA postdoctoral fellow and produce new diagnostic tools on plantain and banana biotechnology for identifying pests and pathogens in the second half of the 1990s at IITA or contaminants in food and feed. In High Rainfall Station (Onne, near Port short, IITA undertook applied plant Harcourt, Nigeria). biotechnology research to address the food and income needs of Africa; transferred, where appropriate and in Moving the agenda into collaboration with partners overseas the 21st century and on the continent, biotechnology products from the laboratory to the Low agricultural productivity and marketplace; served as a platform for a high percentage of poor and technology transfer between overseas undernourished people, both adults ARIs and Africa; and enhanced the and children, are common features of capacity of selected partners in Africa sub-Saharan Africa. At the beginning to apply and monitor biotechnology of this millennium, low infant weight via comprehensive interactions and was predominant in West and Central training-through-research programs. Africa, as well as the Great Lakes

In rural Africa, agriculture remains as the dominant factor for economic development. Photo by Africa RISING

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Region of Eastern Africa. The ratio of 2% in services). In short, agriculture agricultural land per rural inhabitant remained the dominant factor for of sub-Saharan Africa declined from economic development in most of 3.7 hectares in 1970 to 2.2 hectares in Africa and, more importantly, the 1998; and from 2.3 to 1.5 hectares in rural poor depended on agriculture West Africa; i.e., an annual decline of for their livelihoods at the beginning –1.26 percent for sub-Saharan Africa, of this millennium. Hence, research- and –0.9 percent for West and Central for-development interventions aiming Africa. In the mid-1990s, the decline to provide food, reduce poverty, and slowed significantly (–0.50% and –0.1%, generate income should have been a respectively), which shows the effects must in any agenda in which science of rural migration to urban areas was pursued to assist development in and, in some locations, the negative Africa. effects of pandemics affecting the health and life expectancy of rural As pointed out in several fora, African people. The annual demand poverty remains the greatest barrier for food kept growing (3.3%) and to improving the quality of life. One was not matched by the growth in of the most effective ways to alleviate agricultural production in the 2000s. poverty, and in turn its inseparable Not surprisingly, per capita calorie partner, hunger, is through agriculture intake remained then at low levels and the production of more food. 910 in sub-Saharan Africa, and below the However, as indicated by Hartmann average of the developing world. “a successful approach cannot only be Agriculture accounted for 33 percent about agriculture—it has to recognize of GDP and 40 percent of exports the vital role it plays in the bigger for sub-Saharan Africa in the 2000s. picture. The strength of the IITA It provided jobs to 65 percent of the approach to local production, wealth labor force (versus 15% in industry and creation, and risk reduction is its embrace of strategies that recognize that the issues that contribute to poverty are intertwined. The degree of impact from this approach depends on several factors, not the least of which is investor and implementing entity choices. The choices investors make in how activities are financed may be as important as how much. Equally, the choices made by development institutions such as IITA and its national and regional partners on problem definitions and research- for-development methods, are also critical”. IITA 2005–2007 Medium-Term Plan stated that “… understanding the implications of these choices is one key to greater progress in meeting the Millennium Development Goals. The second key is the need to fully appreciate the impact agriculture has on health, nutrition, income, productivity, and rural development. IITA’s poverty reduction strategy for Women are one of the major beneficiaries of IITA’s integrated research and 9 development programs. Photo by IITA Hartmann, P. 2009. An Approach to Hunger and Poverty Reduction for sub-Saharan Africa. 10 Hartmann, P. 2009. An Approach to Hunger and PovertyInternational Reduction Institute for sub-Saharan of Tropical Agriculture, Africa. International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan,Ibadan, Nigeria Nigeria

66 IITA 50 years after 2002–2011 sub-Saharan Africa is based on three, telescopic, prongs: to encourage local production in ways that create wealth and to reduce risk for farmers and both the rural and urban poor. If the development community has to choose just one activity with which to address the first Millennium Development Goal of reducing extreme poverty and hunger, we should produce more food in a way that creates wealth and addresses producer risks”.

Bananas in the East African highlands: Agronomy and genetic engineering to the rescue

Banana is a very important food staple in the Great Lakes Region of Eastern Africa and produced throughout the year. Farmers sell any surplus harvest on a daily basis. Coffee is a pure cash crop, grown on over half a million coffee farms—of which 98 percent are owned by smallholders—and provides Growing healthy banana plants. a major foreign exchange source for available for the plants. Hence, this the Great Lakes countries, e.g., 20 intercrop system does have some percent of Uganda’s foreign exchange strong advantages, and understanding revenues comes from coffee. Both how it works allows these findings to crops complement each other be used in other banana- and coffee- regarding socioeconomic benefits to growing areas, particularly where growers and their households: banana land pressure and alack of credit or provides food security and daily capital are the main constraints for cash while coffee gives a cash boom smallholder farmers. twice a year, thus helping farmers to invest in infrastructure or buy “Matooke” is the local word for food inputs, transport equipment, or pay used in Uganda. This dish uses green for large social events. Furthermore, banana that are cooked, wrapped banana and coffee intercropping is in the plant’s leaves, and mashed or more profitable than monocropping pounded into a meal. Ugandans eat, either banana or coffee, as revealed on average, more than a quarter of a by IITA’s diagnostic survey. Further kilogram of banana in a day. Banana research shows that shade-loving Xanthomonas wilt (BXW) emerged at coffee plants do not compete for light the beginning of the millennium as a with tall banana plants; both benefit disease threatening the livelihoods from potassium when intercropped of East African smallholder farmers. but coffee is potassium-deficient in Entire banana fields can be destroyed sole cropping. It seems that the mulch by BXW and there are no commercial resulting from the high turnover of pesticides, biocontrol agents, or banana biomass reduces the need resistant cultivars available to control for soil tillage, thereby keeping the it, thus calling for solutions to be found shallow banana and coffee rooting before this pest destabilized food systems undamaged, and bringing security in the Great Lakes Region nutrients into forms that are easily

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Confined field trials of Banana Xanthomonas Wilt-resistant transgenic plants. Photo by IITA of Africa. Hence, Uganda’s National and fruit development, and did not Agricultural Research Organization show any substantial changes in (NARO), Academia Sinica (Taiwan), morphology compared with non- the African Agricultural Technology transgenic plants. More interestingly, Foundation (AATF), and IITA have while non-transgenic control plants been working for the last 1.5 decades developed symptoms and eventually on producing “matooke” banana wilted completely, several transgenic resistant to BXW using a transgenic plants remained asymptomatic until breeding approach, particularly where harvest. This partnership research farmers are reluctant to employ labor- provided the first field-based evidence intensive pest control measures. NARO for the transgenic control of a pest and IITA jointly developed an efficient in banana and progress toward protocol using a cultivar independent the development and release of transformation system that paved the banana resistant to BXW. Selected way for using transgenes from sweet transgenic plants will be included in pepper that confer resistance against further testing for environmental BXW by delaying the hypersensitive and food safety, in compliance with response induced by the pathogen. target country biosafety regulations, The gene involved encodes for a risk assessment and management, ferrodoxin protein that exists in all and seed registration and release organisms and is common in human procedures. Research on public diets, thus being safe for human perception, consumer preferences, consumption and the environment. and acceptability, which may guide Hundreds of transformed plants the commercialization and wide use of various banana cultivars were of this transgenic banana, defined generated, and underwent a first four consumer groups based on screening for host plant resistance in socioeconomic characteristics plus the laboratory and the glasshouse. institutional awareness and trust11 The most promising were thereafter Consumers are more skeptical than evaluated for efficacy against BXW in farmers regarding any putative confined field trials under different unknown health effects of the farming systems. Most transgenic transgenic banana. Decision-makers, plants exhibited both normal growth extensionists, and researchers should

11 Kikulwe, E.M., J. Wesseler and J. Falck-Zepeda. 2011. Attitudes, perceptions, and trust. Insights from a consumer survey regarding genetically modified banana in Uganda. Appetite 57, 401–413

68 IITA 50 years after 2002–2011 therefore consider such distinct livelihoods of those depending on perceptions when designing the agriculture through investments in deployment of transgenic banana system productivity and resilience. The in Uganda, because this country Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and foregoes potential annual benefits the Université catholique de Louvain ranging between US$179 million provided support on upstream to US$365 million by delaying their research. CIALCA used an integrated approval for farming.12 systems research and unique collaboration platforms for a better Thomas Dubois—a biocontrol impact on poverty and ecosystems specialist at ESARC—was the integrity. It was able to jump-start recipient of the CGIAR 2006 Promising activities and mobilize networks Young Scientist Award for his work to boost farmers’ incomes from to improve banana. Dubois and co- integrated systems intensification, workers developed enhanced tissue while preserving their land for culture planting materials—derived future generations. Ready-to-use from banana’s cells—intentionally technology best-bets were packaged infected with a beneficial fungus to and delivered by development offer protection against pests and partners to farmers who received pathogens. An innovative public- technical training and capacity private partnership delivered these support, e.g., on integrated pest planting materials to farmers in management for banana. Likewise, Eastern Africa. CIALCA strengthened local capacity in a region that had significantly lost its scientific capacity during the many Improving agriculture-based years of conflict by training more than livelihoods in Central Africa 50 MSc and PhD students through “sandwich” and exchange programs. Belgium’s Directorate General for Moreover, interactions and joint Development Cooperation issued a capacity building with projects of call for proposals in April 2004 with the Vlaamse Interuniversitaire Raad the aim of accelerating the impacts of (Flanders, Belgium) catalyzed and agricultural research for development scaled these undertakings. CIALCA has in the Great Lakes Region of Africa. paid off, as noted through improving Three projects were approved, farm productivity in smallholder operating largely in the same areas of systems by more than 27 percent, Burundi, Rwanda, and the Democratic raising household incomes by 19 Republic of Congo including similar percent, bettering nutrition security, national partner institutes and (e.g., at least in percentage increase of complementing proposed activities protein intake), and delivering positive on integrating natural resource environmental spin-offs. Furthermore, management with resilient germplasm after almost 10 years of research, (mainly banana and legumes) and capacity building, and networking marketing approaches. Bioversity CIALCA contributed to lifting about International, CIAT, and IITA— half a million people out of poverty their proposers—agreed to ensure in Central and Eastern Africa. CIALCA cooperation and complementarity, was integrated—as a model for thus avoiding technical and financial linking agricultural systems with R4D duplication at the national level. The impact—into the CGIAR Research Consortium for Improving Agriculture- Program (CRP) Humidtropics in mid- based Livelihoods in Central Africa 2013, and shaped Phase 2 of the CRP (CIALCA) was therefore launched in on Roots, Tubers, and Bananas. 2006 with the goal of improving the 12 Falck-Zepeda, J., E. Kikilwe and J. Wesseler. 2008. Introducing a genetically modified banana in Uganda. Social benefits, costs, and consumer perceptions. IFPRI Discussion Paper 00767. International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, D.C.

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Transforming livelihoods seed multiplication operations were in the extreme established to provide improved crop seeds. A market information system northeast of Nigeria and links to major food processors provided ready markets. As noted IITA and the Canadian International towards the end of this project by Development Agency (CIDA) Mrs Bata Joshua—one of the leading launched in 2004 the 5-year project members of the women’s group in Promoting Sustainable Agriculture a community called Vinadam in the Project (PROSAB) in Borno State with Hawul Local Government area of Borno the goal of improving the livelihoods State—“prior to the introduction of the rural communities in the State of PROSAB in our community, our through enhancing food security, harvests couldn’t feed us for the whole reducing environmental degradation, year. We had to supplement by buying improving sustainable production grains from the market. Presently, using transfer of gender-responsive our harvests are sufficient to feed our agricultural technologies and families and we even have surplus management practices, easing access for sale in the market”. She also to input and commodity markets, acknowledged that “this new building developing an enabling policy is being built from revenues realized environment, and strengthening the from selling soybean. The project is capacity of the project’s stakeholders. making a remarkable contribution to PROSAB operated within a improving our livelihoods. Likewise, sustainable livelihoods framework, James Buba and his wife, who were thereby emphasizing increasing among the most promising soybean livelihood assets and improving farmers in Nggabu Village also had a the capabilities of the rural poor. similar success story with soybean. Subsistence farming in the target James said “We harvested 4.2 tons of area faced erratic rainfall, marginal soybean from my 2-ha farm last year soil fertility, and an underdeveloped and made a profit of NigerianN 184,000 market. The participatory research (then about US$1,500) on soybean and extension approach used by the sales … This year, we have doubled the project was effective in undertaking soybean farm and we expect about 6 a community analysis to identify tons to make more money.” PROSAB livelihood opportunities, constraints, more than doubled agricultural and entry points, and to plan productivity with the use of new interventions; participatory action cultivars and management practices. planning addressed priority problems Likewise, through the partnership and the deployment of best-bet with ILRI crop-livestock integration technologies through male/female improved land preparation, animal farmer-led participatory research nutrition, and health care, while and trials in pilot communities. farmers’ access to genuine veterinary Female and male farmers selected drugs was ensured. After this 5-year the technologies that suited their project, farmers’ incomes increased conditions and environments from 81%, they had better access to inputs a basket of options, which included and secured social empowerment. maize tolerant to Striga and drought, Socioeconomic analysis shows that dual-purpose soybean and cowpea, poverty fell by 14 percent for about early maturing groundnut from 17,000 households while their food ICRISAT, dwarf sorghum, WARDA’s security improved by 17 percent. NERICA rice, maize–soybean rotation The government, farmers, partners, to reduce Striga and improve fertility, and other stakeholders agreed that proper and timely application of PROSAB “helped significantly increase fertilizer, environmentally friendly agricultural productivity and build the agrochemicals, and appropriate capacity of thousands of farmers and planting density. Community based

70 IITA 50 years after 2002–2011 farmers’ associations in the northern R4D agenda sought technology to Nigerian State.” This project therefore address hunger and poverty in Africa demonstrated how appropriate rather than purely adding scientific technologies along with farmers’ knowledge. IITA’s approach was based endeavors add great value to research on long-term development needs that outputs. guided research design and choice of partners, and incorporated both a mid-process initial outcome and From field to fork: Fine- an explicit phase-out strategy; these tuning IITA research-for- are critical elements often absent in traditional models. Thus, IITA along development approach with its research and development partners was meant to deliver research IITA acknowledged at the beginning outputs to achieve an outcome, which of this millennium that agriculture is then used to excite and attract embraces a multiplicity of stakeholders more partners who were envisaged and systems, thus asking for an to take charge of the scaling-up information-intense and knowledge- and scaling-out of the technology based approach “from field to fork” by broadening participation and involving producers, transporters, increasing the chances of success consolidators, traders, and retailers and ultimate development impact who finally sell the item to a consumer. (Fig. 2). Along these lines, IITA Agricultural research was understood gradually phases out and devolves as a provider of innovations to address functions to these partners until it needs and exploit opportunities that exits entirely because development have developed within agri-food agents should deliver the final and systems (Fig. 2). In this regard, IITA larger desired outcomes addressing engaged with partners within Africa the initially identified development and beyond to enhance crop quality needs. Ex–post assessments should and productivity that lead to an impact be undertaken to compare with the on the lives of both rural and urban baseline information and measure the poor people within the continent. This impact on the ultimate beneficiaries.

Figure 2. IITA’s 2001-2011 research-for-development approach began identifying societal, producer, and consumer needs requiring research with potential impact. Research outcomes should be scalable and have partners available for adoption. Advocacy could be also pursued. Once partners embraced outcomes, IITA left implementation and changed its role to monitoring them and to undertaking ex-post assessments to measure impacts on the ultimate beneficiaries. Development impacts could bring new challenges that were referred back to development needs

IITA 50 years after 71 2012–present

Youth entrepreneur using a tablet to record data about planting. Photo by IITA

72 IITA 50 years after 2011– present The Lead Research Partner Facilitating Agricultural 9 Solutions for Hunger and Poverty in the Tropics

In May 2011, IITA’s Board announced maintaining a financially stable that Nteranya E. Sanginga had become Institute. It also has provided the the new Director General. He was then foundation for developing a cohesive Director of CIAT’s Tropical Soil Biology and better-focused, high-quality and Fertility but had previously spent research program to achieve IITA’s 14 years in IITA in various capacities, mission, ensuring strong programmatic including Principal Scientist and alignment within the CGIAR global Head of the Soil Microbiology Unit research program portfolio. This and Project Coordinator. During his strategy also enhanced accountability interview by the Board, Sanginga through better monitoring and indicated that IITA’s research and evaluation of expected targets, partnerships should be organized making sure that IITA maintains and and strengthened by building on its improves its comparative advantage past achievements and enhancing its in relevant, cutting-edge agricultural scientific and administrative capacity research. Hence, the values to to deliver on its mission of “increasing be pursued by IITA staff were agricultural production, food security, originality, excellence, collaboration, Dr Nteranya Sanginga and income in sub-Saharan Africa.” respect, professionalism, integrity, A refreshed 2012–2020 strategy inclusiveness, equity, multiculturalism, was released at the beginning of and disciplinarity. IITA research-for- his tenure as Director-General for development agenda considers four operationalizing the vision of IITA impact zones that represent major becoming “the lead research partner agroecological zones and farming facilitating agricultural solutions to systems in sub-Saharan Africa (Fig. 3). overcome hunger and poverty in the An important operating principle tropics” and raising by 2020—together was, therefore, the decentralizing of with partners—11 million Africans IITA from headquarters to four Hubs out of poverty and redirecting 7.5 covering West (Ibadan, Nigeria), million hectares of agricultural land to East (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania), productive and sustainable use. Central (Kinshasa, D.R. Congo), and Southern Africa (Lusaka, Zambia) This refreshed strategy has been the (Fig. 4). Likewise, a new organizational management tool for implementing structure became operational in 2012 research-for-development and to respond to the challenges posed

IITA 50 years after 73 2012–present

Figure 3. IITA’s impact zones and major cropping systems of four agroecological zones across sub- Saharan Africa and its four hub-regions covering West, Central, East, and Southern Africa. by the new initiatives such as the development—namely, donors, CGIAR “renewal,” and to improve researchers, and beneficiaries—and to relationships with partners in the refocus CGIAR on the major global various multilateral and bilateral development challenges.” The main projects. As a result, there was a new objectives of this change process research and institutional leadership were “to integrate the work of the that involved besides Sanginga, Ylva research centers, enhance collaboration Hillbur as Deputy Director General with partners, ensure effective for Research-for-Development, governance, and improve efficiency in Kenton Dashiell as Deputy Director providing and using resources.” As a General for Partnerships and Capacity result, IITA aligned its research-for- Development, and Kwame Akuffo- development agenda to the CGIAR’s Akoto as Deputy Director General for system level outcomes (SLOs) and Corporate Services. research programs (CRPs). The SLOs aspire to reducing poverty, improving The CGIAR embarked in 2010, after a food and nutrition security, and review, in a new reform and enhancing natural resources and restructuring aiming at renewal to ecosystem services, thus contributing “improve the engagement between strongly to the Sustainable stakeholders in international Development Goals (SDGs) related to agricultural research for

74 IITA 50 years after 2012–present no poverty, zero hunger, good health tropical highlands in tropical Americas, and well-being, gender equality, clean Asia, and Africa” … through an water and sanitation, climate action, “agricultural systems approach, a and life on land. Owing to its single research-for-development plan, comparative advantage, the CGIAR and a unique partnerships platform for also decided to give priority to and better impact on poverty and focus its CRPs on climate-smart ecosystems integrity.” IITA used agriculture, genetic improvement, Humidtropics as an integrator of its nurturing diversity, natural resources refreshed strategy during the lifespan and ecosystem services, gender and of this CRP (2012-2016), while inclusive growth, nutrition and health, participating actively in agrifood agricultural systems, and enabling systems CRPs such as Grain Legumes; policies and institutions. The goal of MAIZE; and Roots, Tubers, and the multidisciplinary CRPs was to Bananas; and integrating CRPs such as position the CGIAR to pursue Agriculture for Nutrition and Health, innovative, comprehensive, and Climate Change, Agriculture and Food sustainable solutions, and to deploy Security; Policy, Institutions and available technologies. IITA was given Markets; and Water, Lands, and the lead role for the CRP on Integrated Ecosystems. Systems for the Humid Tropics (Humidtropics) that sought “to Through its refreshed strategy the transform the lives of rural poor in the Institute embraced during Sanginga’s humid lowlands, moist savannas, and first tenure as Director General (2011-

Figure 4. IITA Hubs and related Project Country Offices in sub-Saharan Africa at the beginning of the 2010s [see their addresses at the end of this publication]

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2016) a results-oriented approach men and women at all ages, being based upon innovation, efficiency, more detrimental to women. Hence, equity, performance, results, and Humidtropics, which was one of three transparency, and supported by a system CRPs in the 2012-2016 CGIAR results-based management system. portfolio and led by IITA, sought to It also achieved the doubling of both transform the lives of the rural poor funding (Fig. 1) and staff (to about 200 in tropical America, Asia, and Africa scientists). Likewise, IITA advanced using an integrated systems research the SLOs of the CGIAR in four defined and unique partnership platforms agroecological impact zones in Africa for better impact on poverty and —Sahelian drylands, moist savannas ecosystems integrity. Humidtropics— and woodlands, mid-altitude savannas unfortunately ending in 2016 due to the and forests, and humid forests— launching of the CRP II portfolio—is a by increasing edible yields of major systems research program comprising staples banana/plantain, cassava, all lowland humid and subhumid cowpea, maize, soybean, and yam, ecologies (between drylands and increasing average farm incomes, and aquatic systems), drawing on research reducing the number of malnourished in commodity CRPs, and integrating children. Hence, 50 percent of IITA technologies and forecasting ability efforts in the refreshed strategy were from other CRPs (Fig. 5). Most of given to improving food security its work was done through two and availability while increasing the principal channels: strengthening the profitability of foods, feeds, and other systems research dimension in various agricultural products had 20 percent research activities of the CGIAR and and ensuring the sustainability of other core partners; and establishing natural resources management had a number of projects in integrated 30 percent. systems research in various action sites focusing on the sustainable intensification of farming systems and Humidtropics including the improvement of social and ecological resilience as well as the There are about 3 billion people— maintenance of ecosystem integrity most of which are poor farmers on therein. about 3 billion ha of land—living Humidtropics pursued the analysis in the world’s humid tropics that of systems to identify entry points show the biggest gap between its for interventions. This CRP also did ecological and economic potential research on gender dimensions and and human welfare. A typical system its mainstreaming and analyzed in the humid tropics has the farmer— options for institutional innovation in the center—who utilizes, water, and scaling. Furthermore, it included land, labor, cash, and knowledge to instructional design approaches and grow, process, and market various traditional postgraduate research crops and livestock to meet livelihood fellowships on systems research, thus needs such as income and nutrition. contributing to capacity building. The productivity of such a farming Partnerships and strategic alliances system is, however, often poor, while were important mechanisms for natural resources are degraded and implementing Humidtropics. flawed markets and institutions are unable to tap into the potential that Several CRPs adopted the multi- exists in the wider system to meet stakeholder platform approach their needs. Likewise, access to and because this is a promising vehicle benefit from the limited systems for agricultural innovation and resources often differ between development. The objective of a

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Figure 5. Interactions between Humidtropics and other CGIAR Research Programs (CRP). multi-stakeholder platform is to contributing to the advance of foster technological and institutional coherent and integrated R4D innovation by facilitating continuous strategies and to the promotion of interaction and collaboration in strong multi-stakeholder partnerships. networks of farmers, extension A private sector representative said officers, policymakers, researchers, after attending a meeting, “The the private sector, and others who are platform can help in identifying relevant to the agricultural system. It markets and in learning how to access also offers a space for learning and markets. It can also provide training for negotiation, thus strengthening the farmers to add value to their products “capacity to innovate” in and across so that they can increase their income.” stakeholders’ networks. Humidtropics adopted this approach for achieving its research-for-development Investing in soil for sustainably outcomes across sub-Saharan Africa, increasing productivity tropical America, and Southeast Asia. The multi-stakeholder platforms are “The soil is the farmer’s lifeline” still young but their participatory, wrote Sanginga in the foreword to demand-driven approach is already

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Table 4. Selected impacts of Resource and Crop Management purpose crops and integrated soil by IITA. fertility management in the 1990s. IITA embraced the research-for- Management Reference development paradigm in the Alley cropping: IITA researchers developed an Kang et 2000s and engaged proactively on a improved fallow technology to replace slash- al. 1990, demand-driven approach, in which and-burn systems in African agriculture. Maize Adesina and research associated itself increasingly production under agroforestry-based systems may Coulibaly with development partners for be socially profitable and financially competitive 1998 addressing the needs of existing when compared with maize production relying only farmers. Today, IITA does its research on chemical fertilizer on natural resource management as a partner in the development process, through joint activities with Cover crops: Farming systems with Mucuna Manyong et other stakeholders, pursues adaptive provides a higher benefit:cost ratio than those al. 1999 research with and by farmers, and without this cover crop technology, which provides participates in development platforms yield gains, reduces labor, and restores soil fertility with the aim of bringing underutilized, marginal, and degraded lands to more productive and sustainable use. Integrated soil fertility management to increase Sanginga et farming productivity through sustainable resource al. 2003 Two major ongoing Natural Resource management coupled to resilient germplasm: Management projects, in which Maize-promiscuous soybean rotations that IITA proactively participates are combine high nitrogen fixation and the ability to Putting Nitrogen Fixation to Work kill large numbers of Striga hermonthica seeds in for Smallholder Farmers in Africa the soil and millet-dual purpose cowpea. Adopting (N2Africa), and the institutionalization farmers increased their gross incomes by between 50 and 70% compared with those maintaining their of quality assurance mechanisms practices, namely continuous maize cultivation. and dissemination of top quality Legume areas increased in Nigeria – particularly commercial products to increase crop in its northern Guinea savanna – and surplus yield yields and improve food security of translated into additional fixed nitrogen valued smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan annually at several dozen million US$ Africa (COMPRO). The goal of N2Africa is to increase biological nitrogen fixation and the productivity of grain legumes among African smallholder one of IITA’s annual reports. It is not farmers, contributing to enhanced surprising, therefore, that a pillar of soil fertility, improved household IITA’s research has been anchored in nutrition, and increased cash income; protecting and improving this vital COMPRO aims at improving crop yields agricultural asset research that led to of smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan impacts throughout its lifespan (Table Africa through the identification, 4). There was, of course, an evolution promotion, and adoption of effective on the approach and targets in this agricultural commercial products and half-century of research; i.e., moving the institutionalization of regulatory from technology generation to multi- procedures to guarantee quality of stakeholder research in development. these products. One of the areas on For example, in the early years the which both N2Africa and COMPRO research focus was on land clearing, are working is to develop a set soil erosion, zero tillage, fertilizers, of standardized protocols for the and mulching; it switched towards collection, evaluation, and quality agroforestry and cover crops within control of effective nitrogen-fixing farming systems in the 1980s, and rhizobium strains that form nodules moved further on developing dual- on the roots of leguminous plants.

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NARITAs: Matooke banana multiple locations and involving hybrids for food security farmers to assess performance on farmers’ fields. IITA and partners in African Great Lakes started in 2014 a new banana breeding project through a grant from the Bill Breeding triploid bananas is & Melinda Gates Foundation with challenging, slow, and expensive the aim of significantly upgrading due to low fertility, meagre seed set, existing banana breeding efforts in and poor germination rates, thus Tanzania and Uganda, where banana meaning that it is difficult to produce production only achieves 9 percent large hybrid offspring for testing. of its potential. This partnership Moreover, banana plants require large project supports the on-farm testing testing plots and up to three years of NARITAs, strengthens technical to accomplish two fruiting cycles. capacity of banana breeding programs Nonetheless, Uganda’s National in the Great Lakes of Africa, reinforces Agricultural Research Organization partnerships with local farmers, and (NARO) and IITA initiated in the mid- develops local research capacity by 1990s the breeding of the East African supporting PhD and MSc projects. highland banana hybrids using some of Farmers will benefit by having rapid NARITA banana developed the banana germplasm IITA bred at its by NARO in Uganda and IITA. access to high-yielding NARITAs Photo by IITA High Rainfall Station (Onne, Nigeria). showing host plant resistance to These first-ever East African highland the main pathogens affecting East banana hybrids—named NARITAs African highland banana and having (NARO–IITA)—were developed at satisfactory quality traits for the the National Agricultural Research consumers. Laboratories in Kawanda and at IITA’s research station in Sendusu. NARITAs ensued from the work of three An ecofriendly approach generations of IITA banana breeders. against the violet vampire These NARITAs are secondary triploid hybrids for food (“matooke”) and for The parasitic weed Striga (witchweed) juice obtained after crossing selected reduces yields or destroys entire tetraploid hybrids with IITA diploid- harvests of crops such as cowpea and bred germplasm. The tetraploid maize after attaching to their roots hybrids were derived from crossing and sucking out nutrients. Witchweed female-fertile East African highland affects about 4 million hectares of banana and diploid banana used as maize grown mostly by African a source of host plant resistance to smallholders, who cannot afford black leaf streak. The newly bred costly herbicides for fighting this hybrids were assessed along with parasitic plant. The most widespread local East Africa highland banana Striga species leads to yield losses of for their performance, adaptability, up to 80 percent, thus causing US$1.2 and stability. NARITAs performed billion losses every year. IITA and better than the local cultivars, used public or private partners such as as checks, across all traits evaluated, CIMMYT, the International Centre of e.g., 96 percent of NARITAs had a Insect Physiology and Ecology, and bunch weight higher than that of BASF Crop Protection have released the local cultivar. These secondary methods of Striga control such as triploid hybrids show potential resistant cultivars, “push-pull” to increase banana production in technology that involves intercropping Uganda, Tanzania, and the highlands with forage legumes that inhibit the of East Africa, where they are germination of Striga seeds, herbicide- undergoing further testing across coated seeds, and biocontrol using a

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naturally occurring host-specific Striga damage, and support fewer fungal pathogen that kills the weed at emerged Striga plants than the check all stages without affecting other cultivars. IITA research shows further crops. The most widely used fungal that the combined use of Striga- isolate that met all requirements for a resistant maize cultivars in rotation potential bio-herbicide for witchweed with legumes caused witchweed is Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. strigae, seeds to germinate but fail to latch on which is highly virulent, attacks Striga to the host, thereby increasing crop in all growth stages (from seeds to productivity by an average of 88 germination, and from seedlings to percent. Integrated witchweed flowering shoots), protects the control interventions generate current crop yield, and prevents seed additional maize and cowpea grains formation and dispersal. F. oxysporum that lead to increased incomes, better f. sp. strigae is highly host-specific to nutrition, and reduced poverty, as Striga and does not produce any well as providing employment from known mycotoxic compounds, thus it surplus grain production to food does not pose any health risks to markets. farmers, input suppliers, traders, or consumers, or threaten crops or the environment. Imazapyr is a herbicide Ensuring food and feed safety that kills the Striga seedlings after its through entrepreneurship seeds germinate and before they can cause any damage. Imazapyr-resistant Aflatoxin contamination undermines maize cultivars with host plant public health by suppressing the resistance to Striga are known to immune system, stunting growth produce more grain yield under in children, and causing cancer and witchweed infestation, sustain less

Aflasafe production at the Business Incubation Platform, Ibadan, Nigeria. Photo by IITA.

80 IITA 50 years after 2012–present death due to acute poisoning through the Partnership for Aflatoxin Control liver cirrhosis or necrosis. Aflatoxins in Africa (PACA), which was endorsed also affect feed, thus causing slow by the Partnership Platform of the growth or death in livestock, and are Comprehensive Africa Agriculture used as non-tariff barriers in the global Development Program (CCADP), thus trade of contaminated crops if above underscoring the need to address the limits set for importing them. aflatoxin contamination in Africa. Ranajit Bandyopadhyay (IITA), Peter J. Cotty (USDA–ARS), and partners The International Forum for the were able to produce AflasafeTM, a Governments and Central Bank fungus-based biocontrol product Governors from 20 major economies against aflatoxin contamination in (G20) announced in its 2012 summit major African food crops. Aflasafe in Los Cabos, Mexico, the AgResults has proved to significantly reduce initiative that included promoting aflatoxin contamination by 50 to Aflasafe for producing 260,000 tons 99 percent in maize field trials in of maize grain (i.e., in about 200,000 Nigeria. A single application of ha) in Nigeria. This “pull-mechanism” Aflasafe 2 or 3 weeks before maize is a results-based financial incentive flowering sufficed to prevent rewarding successful innovations aflatoxin contaminationthroughout and their adoption that are designed and beyond a cropping season to overcome market failures and to and even when the grains were in encourage private and public sector storage. At the end of the last decade, innovators to develop products Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and services that they would not and Drug Administration and Control otherwise bring to the markets. A provisionally registered Aflasafe™ pilot was designed to demonstrate and authorized the treatment of up a successful model for increasing to 100 ha of farmers’ fields. Farmers smallholder adoption of biocontrol treating their maize fields with technology in Nigeria by reducing Aflasafe™ achieved a reduction in barriers to the widespread adoption aflatoxin of nearly 80 percent in grains of Aflasafe through a premium per- at harvest. Likewise, poultry fed with unit payment for maize verified to maize grains treated with Aflasafe contain a high prevalence of Aflasafe. experienced reduced mortality in On the launching of a project to addition to other benefits such as support the commercialization of the dropping feed intake and an increase cost-effective Aflasafe in 2011, Wilson of the feed conversion ratio. An Songa, then the Agricultural Secretary Aflasafe manufacturing plant was in Kenya’s Ministry of Agriculture, built at Ibadan to show how an initial said, “Kenya has become a hotspot of investment pays off due to the high aflatoxin contamination. Since 2004, demand for quality grain in Africa. This nearly 150 people have died after eating project emphasized the development contaminated maize.” He, on behalf of a viable business plan for the of his country, further welcomed this production, adoption, and distribution development after the loss of lives of the biocontrol product to ensure and millions of tons of maize grains sustainability of efforts. Priority was due to aflatoxin contamination. To also given to raising public awareness pave the way for its unrestricted use about aflatoxins and their biocontrol, in Kenya, the Pest Control Products as well as to building the human Board granted to Kenya Agricultural capacity of national partners, and and Livestock Research Organization developing facilities that allow them (KALRO) in mid-2015 the full to have their own versions of Aflasafe. registration to Aflasafe KE01™, which Advocacy led to the establishment of was jointly developed by KALRO,

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mid-2000s was planted to modern cultivars, which account for about half of the maize grown in the region. In Nigeria, the total maize area increased from about 1 million hectares at the end of the 1960s to nearly 6 million in 2014. Modern cultivars rose sharply from being grown in 111,000 hectares in 1981 to 4.2 million in 2005, which suggests a steady adoption growth. It was also estimated that between 35,000 and 50,000 people were lifted out of poverty for each US$1 million invested in IITA maize research. Yellow maize free from aflatoxins. Photo by IITA Furthermore, the Total Net Benefit IITA, and USDA-ARS. In 2013, country from maize research in the region coordinator Charity Mutegi received between 1981 and 2005 was estimated the Norman Borlaug Award for Field at US$6.8 billion or equivalent to 12 Research and Application as a member percent of the present value of total of the IITA research team in Kenya. maize production over the same period. The Annual Net Benefits IITA also released Afla-ELISA, which increased from US$43 million in 1981 is an enzyme-linked immunosorbent to above US$400 million in 2005. IITA assay (ELISA) for the quantitative research in maize improvement had estimation of aflatoxins. Afla- a benefit-cost ratio of 21; i.e., each ELISA because of its simplicity US$1 invested in research generated in performance offers sensitive additional food worth US$21. detection that is convenient for adoption in sub-Saharan Africa. It About 650 million people living in sub- is a suitable, low-cost alternative Saharan Africa eat maize, whose to official monitoring methods for productivity is severely threatened by routine aflatoxin surveillance in crops frequent droughts and irregular and other commodities. rainfall. For example, there were more than 12.5 million people who in 2011 were distressed by the worst drought Climate-resilient, in the last half-century in the Horn of nutritious maize Africa; more than 35 percent of maize- growing areas may be affected by drought in West and Central Africa IITA and African partners have bred because farmers grow most maize high-yielding cultivars showing host without irrigation and rely solely on plant resistance to various pathogens rainfall. CIMMYT and IITA then and pests, and enhanced adaptation implemented a Drought Tolerant to abiotic stress, such as drought, Maize for Africa (DTMA) project for thus contributing to making maize nine years across 13 African countries a significant food and cash crop in with funding from the Gates West and Central Africa. Nowadays, Foundation, the Howard G. Buffet IITA provides about 70 percent of Foundation, the Department for the bred maize germplasm in the International Development (DFID) of subregion with very little or no further the United Kingdom, and USAID to improvement before the cultivar is assist African farmers to lessen the released in a country. An impact study negative effects of drought by reveals that more than 60 percent of providing them with drought tolerant maize farming areas in Nigeria in the

82 IITA 50 years after 2012–present maize cultivars. These include hybrids back later … [because] with the 13 and open-pollinated cultivars that bags I have, I can feed my family for six yield, on average, 20 percent more months.” At the end of this project than the widely grown commercial (December 2015), 233 DT maize hybrids and farmer-preferred cultivars were released across the cultivars, thus giving farmers high target countries. More than two grain yields regardless of climatic million farmers acquired and grew the constraints in good years or in bad new DT cultivars in Angola, Bénin, years. Mr Bakary Touré from Kolokani Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, (Mali) said, “In September 2011, I had Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania, nothing to eat, so I sold my goats and Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. chickens to feed my family … [but] Many DT maize cultivars also show maize saved me.” He—following the host plant resistance to witchweed advice from fellow farmers—bought and are nitrogen-use efficient. DTMA 20 kg of seeds of a DT maize cultivar in provided germplasm and technical May 2012. After harvesting 1.6 tonnes backstopping for seed production, as of maize grains, he stated, “I gave well as funding to popularize the new three bags to friends who will pay me cultivars to local small and medium-

A bumper maize harvest—thanks to IITA and partners in the Drought Tolerant Maize in Africa project. Photo by IITA

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sized seed enterprises using Over 100 million Africans who rely exhibitions, field days, and the media. on maize-based diets—particularly Most DT maize cultivars have been pregnant women, lactating mothers commercialized or are in the process and their young children—have that depends largely on when they suboptimal vitamin A uptake, thus were released. The largest areas a high risk of visual impairment and growing DT maize cultivars in 2013- blindness, and increased susceptibility 2014 were noted in Nigeria (>23%), to anemia, diarrhea, measles, Bénin (~22%), Malawi (~22%), Uganda malaria, and respiratory infections. (~20%), and Zambia (> 10%). Four DT IITA had begin breeding maize for maize cultivars exceeded 100,000 ha high β-carotene and provitamin A in 2015, namely BH661 in Ethiopia, content in the 2000s using temperate Pan53 in Zimbabwe, Sammaz15 in germplasm as a source for this trait. Nigeria, and ZM523 in Angola. A Several maize inbred lines containing household survey conducted in 15 to 23 μg g-1 of provitamin A adapted Nigeria from November 2014 to to the savannas of West and Central February 2015 found a 21 percent Africa have been bred in the last few poverty point reduction as a result of years. The most promising inbred lines the adoption of DT cultivars; i.e., an were used to develop 10 synthetics estimated 370,000 households and nine hybrids with 40 to 70 percent (equivalent to 2.7 million individuals) of the current breeding target managed to move out of poverty as a provitamin A content set under the result of adoption of the DT cultivars. HarvestPlus Challenge Program and producing grain yields comparable to

Research helps ensure food security for Africa’s teeming millions. Photo by IITA

84 IITA 50 years after 2012–present or better than the farmer-preferred their groundbreaking research on maize cultivars. Provitamin A cultivars the causes of undernourishment have been released in DRC, Ghana, and for providing their solutions. Al- Mali, and Nigeria in collaboration with Sumait Prizes are given to individuals partners in the NARS of each country. or institutions that help to advance economic and social development, human resources development, Yellow cassava and infrastructure in Africa through released in Nigeria their sustained research and/or innovative projects that result in a The Government of Nigeria in major impact on the lives and welfare November 2011, through its National of the people of Africa, especially the Variety Release Committee, released poor and underprivileged. CIP was vitamin A-enriched “yellow” cassava acknowledged for working on orange- cultivars bred by IITA and partners, fleshed sweetpotato to address particularly the National Root vitamin A deficiency. The citation for Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) at IITA said: “The International Institute of Umudike and CIAT, under the aegis of Tropical Agriculture is a leading African CGIAR HarvestPlus. The high content crop center and a member of the CGIAR, of carotenoids gives this yellow color focusing on research and development to the tuberous roots, which are most of the key African food crops: banana often white. The human body converts and plantain, cassava, cowpea, maize, the consumed β-carotene into vitamin soybean, and yam. The team’s efforts developed and deployed safe and more A, thereby tackling malnutrition. nutritious food crops such as legumes, This yellow cassava is cost effective cereals (vitamin A maize), with the for delivering vitamin A in Nigeria, first released orange maize varieties where deficiency of it afflicts about from it, and tubers (cassava) through 20 percent of pregnant women and biofortification, use of efficient and 30 percent of children five years old affordable biocontrol products against and below. The average Nigerian aflatoxins, and made these available to consumes daily about 600 g of smallholder farm families in the region cassava—particularly from gari, which to balance calories, diversify diets, and is a creamy-white, granular flour with a safeguard health and nutrition.” fermented flavor and sour taste made from fermented, gelatinized fresh tuberous roots. These high- yielding, Improving plant breeding pest-resistant, yellow-fleshed cassava cultivars may provide up to 25 percent through the use of of the daily vitamin A requirement genomic tools for both children and women. The consumption of provitamin A cassava Advances in genetic enhancement tuberous roots could help Nigeria research are being used by IITA reduce economic losses in GDP to bring innovations in its plant estimated at about US$1.5 billion. breeding methods. High throughput phenotyping, dense DNA markers, The 2016 Al-Sumait Food Security Prize and data computerization are used for Development in Africa, which was for marker-assisted selection and designed to promote development for selection based on genomic in Africa and administered by estimated breeding values (GEBV). the Kuwait Foundation for the For example, the goal of the ongoing Advancement of Sciences, was Next Generation Cassava Breeding (NextGen) partnership project is awarded jointly to CIP and IITA for

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Processing facilities built through the SARD-SC project. Photo by IITA

Biotechnology lab in IITA, Ibadan, Nigeria. Photo by IITA to increase significantly the rate of that selection based on GEBV could be genetic gains in cassava breeding. feasible for characters that are easy to NextGen led by Cornell University measure. and with co-funding from the Gates Foundation and DFID (UK) involves IITA, NRCRI, NARO, the Ministry of Forging the chains Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of Tanzania, the West African Centre for development for Crop Improvement (Ghana), and Makerere University (Uganda) The African Development Bank (AfDB) as partners in Africa. Genotype- approved a grant to IITA in 2011 for the by-sequencing technology led to project Support to Agricultural mapping host plant resistance genes Research for Development of for CMD, and was used to reveal Strategic Crops in Africa (SARD-SC), non-additive effects that may affect the prediction of total genetic value, whose aim is to improve food and both of which have implications for nutrition security and contribute to breeding cassava cultivars. IITA and poverty reduction in 20 African partners are testing GEBV models countries by working on the value for increasing genetic gains per unit chains of cassava, maize, rice, and time in East African highland banana wheat. These were defined by the breeding. Preliminary results show

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African Heads of State as strategic crops in CAADP. SARD-SC plans to reduce food imports from other continents, and to offer African farmers better access to markets, to improve their livelihoods, and to tackle poverty through enhanced beneficiary capacity, thus achieving sustainable development for Africa. The project, led by IITA with AfricaRice and ICARDA, uses innovation platforms within each commodity value chain to bring together all concerned stakeholders to collectively identify the problems, and together come up with suitable and relevant solutions. SARD-SC introduced innovations ranging from generating new cultivars and novel technologies for production and processing to enhancing the capacity of farmers and other stakeholders, and the development of related infrastructure and efficient project management. After 1.5 years, the project was already able to identify and nominate for Processing facilities built through the SARD-SC project. Photo by IITA release several high-yielding wheat cultivars bred by ICARDA and partners continent with the goal of ensuring both in Nigeria and the Sudan and that Africa will be able to feed itself began the building of various through agriculture. TAAT will be postharvest handling facilities for the implemented in 35 African member cassava value chain in most of the countries of the AfDB and along 24 project countries. The main specified value chains. The workshops were able to identify priority that selection based on GEBV could be achievement so far relates to the feasible for characters that are easy to wheat value chain: in Nigeria, wheat intervention areas to achieve rapid measure. areas increased from 50,000 hectares agricultural transformation across in 2012 to 100,000 in 2016, and wheat Africa through raising agricultural production rose from 100,000 tonnes productivity. In its inception Phase 1 Forging the chains in 2012 to 250,000 in 2016. In the (2017–2019) TAAT will operate through raising agricultural productivity for development Sudan, wheat areas were enlarged from 135,000 hectares in 2013 to over and processing and marketing 254,000 in 2016, and wheat production operations along seven priority value The African Development Bank (AfDB) was augmented from 265,000 tonnes chains, namely self-sufficiency in rice approved a grant to IITA in 2011 for the in 2012 to 787,400 in 2016. production, increasing Africa’s wheat project Support to Agricultural production, cassava intensification, Research for Development of Encouraged by these early results IITA maize production and intensification, Strategic Crops in Africa (SARD-SC), through SARD-SC organized in 2016 soybean for Africa, modernizing whose aim is to improve food and workshops to discuss the new AfDB poultry production, and achieving self- nutrition security and contribute to initiative, known as “Africa Feeding sufficiency in inland fish production. poverty reduction in 20 African Africa” or the Technologies for African FARA and the CGIAR support this AfDB countries by working on the value Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) initiative to revitalize and transform chains of cassava, maize, rice, and program. This is a critical strategy agriculture through the TAAT program wheat. These were defined by the for transforming agriculture on the in the shortest period while restoring

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degraded land and maintaining with the sustainable intensification or strengthening the ecosystems of cereal-based farming systems in supporting agriculture. This initiative West Africa and with cereal–legume– will be led by IITA in partnership with livestock integrated farming systems FARA, CGIAR, NARS, and the Alliance in East and Southern Africa. ILRI leads for a Green Revolution in Africa the third project for crop–livestock (AGRA). systems in the Ethiopian Highlands, while the International Food Policy Research Institute leads the overall Africa RISING program’s monitoring and evaluation. According to Jerry Glover, USAID Wikipedia says that Africa Rising was Senior Sustainable Agricultural “coined to describe the rapid economic Systems Advisor, “… the most growth in sub-Saharan since 2000 and important outcome so far has been the belief in the inevitability of further, developing the highly skilled research rapid development on the continent.” networks of partners and platforms. We Acknowledging this happening, IITA have come together as a complex and and partners have been transforming diverse set of people to address a wide African agriculture through range of agricultural research issues in sustainable intensification using some fairly remote, poorly supported action research and development communities. We are developing an partnerships. In this regard, IITA leads infrastructure, a network of expertise two of the three regional projects of that involves national partners who the Africa Research in Sustainable can help support these communities do Intensification for the Next what they want to do. Building together Generation (Africa RISING) program this partnership has been perhaps the through a grant from USAID as part of most rewarding component of Africa the US Government’s Feed the Future RISING.” Nonetheless, in Year 3 of initiative. IITA and partners deal implementation, the joint technology scaling project already obtained some very impressive outcomes. A success story For example, an indicative cost: benefit analysis shows that farmers in Ms Masheshe Salum—a small-scale maize and northern Ghana got superior economic legume farmer in Ngipa village, Kiteto District, in returns when using Africa RISING central Tanzania—said, “My life changed thanks to technologies. The mean benefit: cost the Africa RISING-NAFAKA-TUBORESHE CHAKULA ratio was 4.2, thus indicating that the farmers earned three times their total scaling project”. She further noted, “We learned expenditure when using technologies about planting drought-resistant maize varieties, brought by Africa RISING. On average line spacing, fertilizer application, and the use of this can also generate a daily net tied-ridges to conserve soil water. I implemented return to labor nine times higher all the best practices I learned, and I am grateful than the amount farmers can earn it has paid off in such a big way!” and happily in a day if they are involved in casual work in the project intervention areas. concluded “… thanks to the technologies of Africa Furthermore, profits seem to be more RISING, I now have more than enough to feed my sensitive to changes in output prices family! And with the postharvest knowledge that than to changes in input prices and I gained from training, I intend to store my surplus wages, suggesting that technology and sell later at the best time and price so that I adoption was most affected by policy can pay my children’s school fees.” interventions affecting output prices.

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MIRACLE in Southern Africa Agricultural Innovations Work for Smallholder Farmers Affected by HIV/ There are about 22.4 million African AIDS in Southern Africa” (MIRACLE), people living with the human whose aim was improving productivity immunodeficiency virus/acquired and helping to ensure sustainable immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/ livelihoods of people living with HIV/ AIDS), which in rural areas leads AIDS (PLWHA) and depending on to reduced farm productivity due agriculture in Malawi, Mozambique, to labor shortage, delay in farm Swaziland, and Zambia. MIRACLE operations, decline in livestock pursued a participatory and extension production, and loss of agricultural approach, and used an innovation skills. IITA with funding from the systems framework to establish Swedish International Development its platforms that encouraged Cooperation Agency (SIDA) stakeholders to interact and launched the 3-year project “Making participate in the innovation process,

Changing lives Mr Henrique Hilário Avela was among the farmers in the Malema District (Nampula Province, Mozambique) who agreed to work on and host demonstration and participatory varietal selection trials in his farm. He was growing cash crops such as vegetables twice a year and never had any interest in trying other crops. Because of MIRACLE, Mr Avela decided to try soybean, and after its harvest he said, “My joy was immeasurable as I was seeing this huge amount of money for the very first time in my entire life. I couldn’t believe it was mine.” He and his wife built a 3-bedroom house in a piece of land his parents had given him long before. Mr Paulo Potocosse also shared the same joy because after harvesting soybean he was able to buy a motorbike and built two more bedrooms in his house. Other lead farmers and community leaders such as Celestino and Bonifacio stated that after about two years MIRACLE “changed the entire Malema district. Until 2011, people thought only of maize, onion, and a few vegetables. After seeing and experiencing the benefits from soybean both economically and in health people have become wiser. Most of us are now growing maize only for home consumption and devote the rest of the land to soybean. Most farmers are now trying to legalize their lands because even a small parcel with soybean can improve their lives.” Celestino declared, “Before, we just cultivated our land. Now, we have seen that soybean production can change our lives and we are now treating it as a serious business. Not many of us have the financial resources to cultivate bigger land sizes. If we really want to go into the soybean business, we need to borrow from the bank, where DUAT13 is required as a collateral. This is the reason why many of us are now in the process of legalizing our lands.” Bonifacio continued saying, “Women have also become highly interested in producing the crop for themselves after learning what they can do with soybean. They might have shown you those skin-and-bone children our women are working with. A few months after being fed with soybean porridge and milk, they look healthier. To us these things that are happening are truly miracles. This improvement in the lives of farmers will not happen had IITA not introduced this project.”

13 The Direito do Uso e Aproveitamento da Terra (DUAT) is a certificate issued by the Government of Mozambique giving the holder the right to use the land for specific and authorized purposes but with certain limitations enforced by the Land Law.

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thus allowing them to achieve their increased asset ownership and respective objectives. The project’s improved household calorie intake, key interventions included production, thus reducing the probability of consumption, and marketing of stunting among children. nutritious crop and livestock products, as well as lobbying for supportive Recent impact assessment results agricultural and health policies and across countries revealed that at least strengthening stakeholders’ capacity. 4.3 million people had been lifted out MIRACLE promoted the production, of poverty in sub-Saharan Africa by value addition, and utilization of high- 2016 (out of the target of 11.6 million yielding, nutrient-dense cultivars of to be lifted by 2020 in its Refreshed cassava, cowpea, maize, soybean, Strategy). Impact assessment and sweetpotato at both small and research by IITA is also identifying medium-scale commercial levels. factors affecting technology adoption Furthermore, this project encouraged decisions that will change smallholder the production, marketing, and farmers’ welfare. In Zambia, for consumption of indigenous nutritious example, a study showed that the vegetables such as amaranths and adoption of maize—legume rotation, other leafy vegetables, and promoted residue retention, improved maize the production of small livestock varieties, and their combinations, through research on feed formulation which raised both maize grain yields using dual or multipurpose legumes and smallholder’s incomes and and cereals, or by improving animal consumption expenditures, was housing, and seeking better ways related to both household- and plot- of disease control, particularly of level characteristics. chickens. The above findings demonstrate that investing in agricultural research for Tracking poverty reduction development appears to be a socially profitable investment. However, such associated with IITA research and technology impacts research-for-development cannot be realized without efficient extension, credit, and input supply Improving livelihoods across sub- systems. Saharan Africa remains IITA’s top priority, because it is where research meets the real world. Indeed, Revisiting intellectual agricultural research contributes property rights policy and significantly to productivity growth, which in turn raises per joining Open Access capita incomes and reduces rural poverty. For example, an IITA impact IITA’s Board of Trustees on 28 study shows that the adoption of November 2012 approved a new IITA cassava technology contributed to IP policy, which is fully in line with, and an estimated 10 percentage point based on the CGIAR Intellectual Assets reduction in the poverty rate in four Principles to ensure compliance with African countries (Tanzania, DR them. IITA regards the results of its Congo, Sierra Leone, and Zambia). research and development activities Disaggregated data further indicated as international public goods (IPGs) that the adoption of the same and is committed to their widespread technology benefited female-headed diffusion and use to achieve the households. A similar study conducted maximum possible access, scale, and in Nigeria has also shown that the scope of impact and sharing of benefits adoption of cassava technology to advantage the poor, especially

90 IITA 50 years after 2012–present farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. IITA of the original information, material also recognizes the indispensable role or research product. In, addition, IITA of farmers, indigenous communities, respects the intellectual property agricultural professionals, and rights of others, and will acknowledge scientists in conserving and improving and obtain appropriate permission for genetic resources. IITA seeks, the use of other’s data, knowledge, therefore, to be respectful of national and technology. Open Access (OA) is and international efforts to protect also an important practical application and promote farmers’ rights. of IITA’s commitment to IPGs as it means the immediate, irrevocable, IITA considers that excluding others unrestricted, and free online access from accessing IITA research products by any user worldwide to information and results is contradictory to its products, and unrestricted reuse of mandate and mission. Thus, IITA does content subject to proper attribution. not seek to secure patents or plant IITA has put, therefore, in place a set breeders’ rights unless such protection of OA tools that shows promise in is deemed necessary to keep IITA fully unlocking research potentials and materials or technologies available and giving research efforts more visibility. freely accessible to its beneficiaries. IITA abides by both the CGIAR Open IITA requires recipients and users of Access and Data Management Policy data, knowledge, and any technology and its own Data and Information originating from the Institute, to Management Policy to be OA publicly acknowledge IITA as the source compliant.

Starting them young: Researchers simplifying science for young kids. Photo by IITA

IITA 50 years after 91 What IITA Offers Today

Aflasafe demonstration-scale manufacturing plant in Ibadan, Nigeria

92 IITA 50 years after What IITA Offers Today 10

IITA and partners locate its R4D 40 percent of degraded farms to projects where most of African rural sustainable resource management. poor people are living today (Fig. 6), IITA also continues strengthening with the aim of increasing major other areas to ensure that its research staple food yields by 60 percent, results, knowledge, and products raising average farm income by 50 get into the hands of African farmers percent, lifting 15 percent of the and end users. Furthermore, the poor households above the poverty Institute remains committed to line, reducing the malnourishment of capacity building and to conserving children by 30 percent, and restoring agrobiodiversity in Africa.

Figure 6. Distribution of poor people in Africa (%) and IITA project sites.

IITA 50 years after 93 What IITA Offers Today

Agribusiness and multi- production, distribution, and sale of stakeholder platforms through quality certified seeds or planting materials to farmers, while the 240- innovative partnerships m2 NoduMax plant at IITA produces and markets quality grain legume IITA’s Business Incubation Platform inoculant of rhizobium for soybean in (BIP) was established in 2013 and Nigeria, or a prototype manufacturing bridges research and dissemination facility at IITA is used to produce by accelerating the commercial Aflasafe™ to treat tens of thousands development of the Institute’s of hectares of smallholder farms. IITA proven and profitable research-based has also set up AgriServe to support technologies. Its mission, which fits its strategic objectives by providing into IITA’s mandate to deliver CGIAR advisory services and technical system-level outcomes, is “to create backstopping for the planning, jobs and boost the income, nutrition, development, and implementation of and health of poor rural women and start-up agribusiness opportunities, men by providing better access to and linking these services to innovative improved agricultural technologies, investment. products, and services that will enhance their agricultural productivity while sustaining natural resources.” Youth in Agriculture It ensues from two findings, namely, African agribusiness recognizing Two important features of the ongoing the importance of research—and— IITA strategy are the profitability of development but also acknowledging the farm enterprises and employment shortcomings in fully using its generation particularly for the youth outputs owing to insufficient capacity because Africa has the world’s and resources, and to product youngest population (364 million development being seen as secondary between 15 and 35 years old), but the by scientists who think their research average age of its food producers ends after demonstrating their pilot is worryingly high for a continent technology successfully. aiming to feed itself and eradicate malnutrition by 2025. IITA alumnus BIP has two avenues for commercial Kanayo Nwanze, during his first visit development: IITA’s scientists develop as President of the International Fund innovative products with the potential for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in for commercialization, or initiate and 2012, planted a tree at headquarters build a network of public and private that symbolizes the birth of the IITA sector partners that will support the Youth Agripreneurs. His visit was also activities of small to medium-scale a wake-up call to the serving youth agribusiness entrepreneurs, initially corpers at the Institute asking them within Nigeria and later on elsewhere. to turn to agriculture as a lifeline and Hence, BIP translates relevant findings develop profitable agribusiness that from IITA R4D into commercially brings wealth and employment. He viable products, thus serving as a advocated investing in young people better mechanism for technology in the rural areas as a “… simple transfer to both private and public solution to some of the world’s most sectors, and then on to farmers. For pressing problems such as poverty and example, GoSeed is a Business Unit of hunger, and to curtail migration to BIP producing and marketing quality urban centers.” The Institute launched breeder and foundation seeds or IITA Youth Agripreneurs to empower planting materials of IITA mandate the youth to use agriculture as a tool crops to private seed companies for to tackle youth unemployment across sub-Saharan Africa through training

94 IITA 50 years after What IITA Offers Today and by supporting them to carry out soymilk and high quality cassava flour various agribusinesses. IITA Youth with a brand name, selling maize, and Agripreneurs is a group of young growing tomato. AfDB adopted the graduates involved in agribusiness IITA Youth Agripreneurs model forits with the aim of serving as a model Empowering Novel Agri-Business- to other young people planning Led Employment (ENABLE) Youth to venture into agribusiness and Program being implemented in 31 becoming the trainers of trainers. African countries. AfDB—whose In mid-2014, Nwanze visited again President since September 2015 has and was surprised that IITA Youth been Akinwumi Ayodeji Adesina, Agripreneurs had moved on by starting another IITA alumnus and Nigeria’s and expanding various enterprises former Minister of Agriculture on staple crops and livestock, fish and Rural Development—intends farming, packaging, marketing, through ENABLE to mitigate serious training other young people, and social issues such as rural and trans- replicating the group in Nigeria, Atlantic migration, soaring youth the Democratic Republic of Congo, unemployment, and the associated Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. risks to society by supporting young In Nigeria, their efforts cut across unemployed graduates to go into the value chains of cassava, maize, agribusiness or a well-paying career plantain/banana, and soybean. They in the process to generate wealth are working on stem multiplication and subsidiary employment. IITA and root production of cassava, participates in country-level ENABLE certified and foundation maize and soybean seed multiplication, projects by providing services and sucker multiplication and fruit related to policy analysis, knowledge production of plantain/banana. management, program briefing and outreach, capacity development at In 2014 IITA Youth Agripreneurs began several levels, and monitoring and in Tanzania and engaged in processing evaluation.

IITA Youth Agripreneurs with IFAD President Kanayo Nwanze. Photo by IITA

IITA 50 years after 95 What IITA Offers Today

Table 5. IITA training by category and gender.

Category Female Male Total

Group training 40793 97610 138403

BSc 69 102 171

MSc 375 753 1128

PhD 239 633 872

PostDoc 1 46 47

NARS Short-term 181 685 866

Internship/Volunteers 1251 943 2194

Visiting scientists 25 228 253

Total 42934 101000 143934

Knowledge sharing malethe supervisionand 33 percent of its staff,female) butand in and training: a track 872association PhD (73 withpercent degree-granting male and 27 percentuniversities. female). A wide Likewise, range of more research than record of excellence 2000topics internshave havebeen benefitedaddressed fromin thegraduate experience studies, of withan experienceda total of IITA gave training to over 140,000 member2,000 students; of IITA 1128staff. MSc Undergraduate (67 percent 1014 individuals (Table 5) from 68 countries , studentsmale and also33 percent benefited female) from and this of which in excess of 40,000 are training872 PhD scheme. (73 percent male and 27 women. These professionals (mostly percent female). Likewise, more than from sub-Saharan Africa) advanced IITA2000 has interns pursued have a benefiteddemand-driven, from their knowledge and acquired skills action-oriented,the experience integratedof an experienced capacity directly through IITA’s training, and developmentmember of IITA staff.for Undergraduateresearch-for- many others indirectly through the development.students also benefitedThe Institute from has this knowledge the former in turn have thereforetraining scheme. facilitated the sharing of passed onto them. A core function knowledge and information exchange of IITA’s capacity development throughIITA has pursuedvarious a demand-driven,approaches, approach is the provision of facilities individualaction-oriented, short-term integrated and long-term capacity to graduate students to conduct coursesdevelopment and ,groupfor training.research-for- Its field and laboratory research under courses—organizeddevelopment. The toInstitute help largehas the supervision of its staff, but in numberstherefore offacilitated agricultural the research sharing and of 10association Australia, Austria, with Belgium, degree-grantingRepublic of Benin, extensionknowledge andworkers information and farmers—exchange Botswana,universities. Brazil, ABritain, wide Bulgaria, range Burkina of research Faso, havethrough dealt withvarious various approaches,aspects of Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central Africatopics Republic, have Chad, been China, Colombia,addressed Comoros, in agriculturalindividual short-term production and in Africa, long-term thus Costagraduate Rica, Côte studies, D’ Ivoire, Cuba,with Democratic a total Re - of allowingcourses traineesand ,group to meet training. their goals Its public of Congo, Denmark, Dutch, Ethiopia, France, andcourses—organized cope with problems to ashelp they arise.large Germany,2,000 students; Ghana, Honduras, 1128 India,MSc Italy, (67 Japan, percent Kenya, Liberia, Malagasy Republic, Malawi, Mali, numbers of agricultural research and 14 Australia, Austria, Belgium, Republic of Benin, Botswana, Brazil, Britain, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepali, the Neth- Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central Africa Republic, extensionChad, China, Colombia, workers Comoros, and Costa farmers— Rica, Côte D’ erlands, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Rwanda, Senegal, Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Denmark, Dutch, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Ghana, Honduras, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Sri have dealt with various aspects of India, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Liberia, Malagasy Republic, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepali, Lanka, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, agricultural production in Africa, thus the Netherlands, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Thailand, Togo, Turkey, Uganda, Union of Soviet Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand,allowing Togo, Turkey,trainees Uganda, to meetUnion of their Soviet goals Social- Socialist Republics, United Kingdom, United States ist Republics, United Kingdom, United States of America, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe of America, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe and cope with problems as they arise.

96 IITA 50 years after What IITA Offers Today

IITA’s Capacity Development Program the Board of Trustees approved the includes the Professional Capacity Capacity Development Strategy 2014– Advancement Program targeting 2018. This Strategic Plan sets out the partner national research institutions Institute’s approach to addressing key and universities; the Graduate challenges in areas such as IITA staff Research Fellowship Program development and NARS capacity in enabling promising professionals agricultural research fordevelopment. to develop the necessary research The strategy is largely informed by skills, attitude, and confidence for a the Institute’s own experience as successful career in agriculture; short- well as those of other CGIAR Centers term courses and non-degree group and partner institutions in capacity training for scientists and extension development, and the lessons they or NGO workers; and interns or have generated. It is expected that volunteers who are students enrolled the implementation of the strategy in their first degree or fresh graduates will contribute to strengthening IITA’s wanting experience (1–6 months) to position as a leading international help them with their career decisions agricultural research institution in or to complete requirements for their sub-Saharan Africa while enhancing university degrees. Throughout its the effectiveness of its operations. lifespan, the Institute has enhanced The objectives of this strategy the skill-set of stakeholders in are to contribute to the creation regional locations through constantly of employment, businesses, and developing different training markets, through the provision strategies and delivery methods to of agricultural, entrepreneurship, meet the requirements of targeted and management training; and to beneficiaries. IITA has also organized, enhance the human, technical, and with partners a number of research- institutional capacity of NARS in themed seminars and workshops research, technology dissemination undertaken to support knowledge and adoption, and scaling-up. exchange. To further its training- education agenda, IITA produces a range of training materials and Managing plant health by communication media. The range of surveillance and germ-free educational materials includes printed germplasm conservation manuals, field and laboratory guides, audiovisuals and photo collections, and distribution and field products. The Institute also facilitates knowledge sharing through IITA gives priority in its R4D agenda its web platform on training events and to making and keeping crops materials, and supports the exchange healthy. To achieve such an aim, of experience and knowledge sharing IITA provides farmers with access to to enhance professional expertise. the latest information on pathogen and pest threats, as well as giving Capacity development remains a core them economical, environmentally priority for the Institute, because of sustainable mechanisms to deal with the important role it plays in research such threats, thus enabling farmers to and rural economic growth and leverage their own solutions. Coupled development as well as addressing with this approach is the production the rapid changes in the biophysical, and distribution of high quality seeds, sociocultural, technological, which help to deal with some of these and policy environments of the issues before they are a problem. For agricultural innovation systems in sub- example, the Open Access platform Saharan Africa. In November 2013, Cassava Disease Surveillance (CDS)

IITA 50 years after 97 What IITA Offers Today

to produce, maintain, and export healthy germplasm following FAO– International Plant Protection Convention regulations and specific regulations of the recipient country, particularly to avoid risks related to the entry, establishment, and spread of plant pests. It also facilitates the production of pest-free planting material and transfer knowledge and capacity to partners. For example, the Cassava Seed TrackerTM (CST) Web app allows the real-time tracking of cassava stem cutting production, including preplanting planning, registration of cutting fields, crop management, harvesting, quality assessment, and quality assertion. CST can be also used as a digital platform for communication and networking of cassava seed producers and service providers. The CST is set to become a formal tool for cassava seed quality monitoring and certification in Nigeria.

Key role in preserving African genetic resources

Biological diversity embraces all Diversity of seeds in the IITA genebank. Photo by IITA varieties of life on earth, i.e., animals, is a virtual network for the rapid plants, and microbes. IITA, since its preliminary diagnosis of cassava establishment in 1967, has allocated diseases using a visual inspection of resources to collect, conserve, and symptomatic plants submitted as study plant genetic resources. This digital images through an Internet- agrobiodiversity—kept in trust for enabled device such as a smart phone, humankind—serves in the genetic touch pad, or computer, among others. betterment of crops. The Institute In this way, CDS protects the cassava was involved in collecting genetic crop from destructive pests using early resources as early as the 1970s, thus diagnosis, allows the implementation showing a long history in investing in of plant health management to agrobiodiversity conservation. safeguard and improve cassava tuberous yields in farmers’ fields, and IITA inaugurated at Ibadan in 1975 its facilitates identification of invasive Genetic Resources Center (GRC), pathogens, thus preventing them from which today maintains almost 30,000 becoming established in new areas. accessions of the six mandate crops; The CDS has been integrated into being those of African crops such as the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine cowpea (over 15,000 accessions Services (NAQS) for the surveillance including 70% of African landraces) and of emerging risks. yam (about 3,000 accessions), the most important worldwide (Table IITA Germplasm Health Unit continues 5). Clonal crops (yam, cassava, and using safeguards and procedures banana/plantain) are conserved in the

98 IITA 50 years after What IITA Offers Today field and in vitro with cryopreservation study conducted in Kano State, the now developed for cassava. Most of largest cowpea-producing State in the accessions have been described at Nigeria, and the DNA fingerprinting the agromorphological level and some test conducted on adopted cowpea underwent DNA fingerprinting to samples linked five bred-cultivars characterize them further and identify to the conserved germplasm in the duplicates for better genebank IITA genebank. The adopters of management. Core subsets—which these bred-cultivars increased their are a smaller sized but manageable cowpea productivity by 254 percent representation of the diversity of the on 58 percent of cowpea farmlands entire collection—were defined for cultivated in 2012. They also increased both cowpea and yam in the 2000s for significantly their per capita income. widening their use in both genetic The total benefits (to consumers resource research and breeding. and producers) and the internal Relevant information is available rate of return (IRR) over 31 years of online for GRC databases and investments on cowpea germplasm GENESYS, a portal developed by the conservation at, and improvement by Global Crop Diversity Trust to make IITA were estimated at US$3.6 billion the information on its accessions and 54 percent, respectively. As a more widely accessible. The collection result, 884,241 farmers would have is held ‘‘in trust’’ for the global been lifted out of poverty over the community and operates as part of same period of time. Under the 50–50 the multilateral system under Article percent general rule of thumb, then 15 of ITPGRFA with distribution using the standard multilateral transfer agreement (SMTA). Considerable emphasis is given to enhancing use of germplasm including genotyping and evaluation with breeders. GRC also works closely with IITA Germplasm Health Unit to ensure conservation and distribution of genebank accessions free of pathogens and pests, thus reducing the phytosanitary challenges to sharing germplasm with bona fide users. The potential impact framework of Local Average Treatment Effect (LATE) with the instrumental variable approach and economic surplus models was used to assess the economic and social impact of cowpea germplasm conservation at, and improvement by IITA. About 37,000 cowpea accession-shipments from IITA genebank were received by scientists who were affiliated to 49 research and academic institutions in Nigeria. A large percentage was used by IITA’s scientists and their national partner to develop breeding The IITA genebank conserves more than 30,000 of accessions of food crops in lines. Furthermore, an adoption trust for humanity. Photo by IITA

IITA 50 years after 99 What IITA Offers Today

half of the estimated impact could genetic resources because agricultural be attributed to IITA through the productivity is strongly influenced by conservation of cowpea germplasm. other comprising organisms such as fungi, bacteria, viruses, nematodes, At the beginning of this decade, mites, and insects. The arthropod IITA engaged in a global initiative to reference collection kept in Cotonou preserve yam biodiversity. About 3000 (Benin Republic) encompasses more yam landraces and cultivars gathered than 350,000 specimens that were from all over the world through were collected across various agricultural sent to GRC for sanitation and in and natural environments throughout vitro introduction, with the further West Africa. This biodiversity aim for them to be frozen at ultra- collection provides essential services low temperatures (–196 °C); i.e., for sustainable natural resource cryopreserved for long-term storage. management, e.g., arthropod Their DNA fingerprinting will further identification. Users need reliable and reveal sample uniqueness and avoid valid entity names for biodiversity the maintenance of duplicates in monitoring, pest management, the collection, as well as providing biological control, conservation, information on total collection and compliance with trade-related diversity, thus assisting on identifying controls under the prevailing Sanitary valuable traits to fight pathogens or and Phytosanitary regulations of adapt to climate change. IITA has also the World Trade Organization. IITA sent samples of most of its cowpea has also contributed to the finding accessions and its wild relatives, and description of more than Bambara groundnut, maize, and 120 arthropod species that were soybean, to the Global Seed Vault, previously unknown to science. Some which is a secure seedbank on the of them are important pests and their Norwegian island of Spitsbergen natural enemies. near Longyearbyen in the remote Arctic Svalbard archipelago. The IITA campus at Ibadan is in itself a This “Doomsday Vault”—as it is rich center of biodiversity, particularly commonly referred to—was built due to the protection and non- by the Government of Norway as a exploitation of a patch of secondary service to the global community and forest (350 ha), lakes, and other inaugurated on February 2008. It is natural resources therein. Hence, it the world’s largest collection of crop saves a wealth of flora and fauna that diversity and receives seeds shared are not always found in Nigeria. under the multilateral system, or under Article 15 of the ITPGRFA, or The largest lake (70 ha) is home to seeds that have originated in the various types of fish, aquatic weeds, country of the depositor. The Global and birds. The IITA forest offers a Seed Vault ensures that these seeds suitable habitat for many different will be available for bolstering food insects and birds, and is among the security should a human-made or Birdlife International Important Bird natural disaster threaten agricultural Areas with 350 species. Volunteers systems or genebanks at any point in embarked on carving out a nature trail the future. IITA still controls access to in IITA forest in December 1987, which the seeds deposited because in this allows many useful plant species “black box system” the depositor is such as herbs, medicinal plants, fiber- the only one who can withdraw the producing plants, and fruit and timber seeds and open the boxes. trees to be seen. With funding from the Leventis Foundation Nigeria, IITA includes associated non-plant IITA has continued to restore the biodiversity in its conservation of existing forest by removing invasive

10 0 IITA 50 years after What IITA Offers Today exotic species, protecting it against Neuenschwander in 1995, when he disturbance and theft, cataloging the bought 2.5 hectares of teak forest biodiversity of the forested areas, and agricultural land from the elders replanting the east bank of the of Drabo Gbo, 30 kilometers north of lake with indigenous tree species, Cotonou, and 12 kilometers from the engaging in conservation educational spreading town of Calavi. Today the activities, especially with young sanctuary covers 14 hectares of small people, and forming local, regional old-forest islands and rehabilitated and international partnerships in forest adjacent to the villages of tropical forest conservation, research, Drabo Gbo, Drabo Fanto, and Dodja. and education. An arboretum— established at Ibadan in 1979— The rights to all plots were given in contains 152 different tree species, of January 2014 to IITA, which accepted which 81 are indigenous. In addition, the responsibility of maintaining the the residential and administrative forest and using it for research while areas of the campus are also well respecting the existing forest cover. shaded with various exotic and This sanctuary holds 50 out of the 100 indigenous trees, e.g., many original species on the Benin Red List of hardwood trees were left in situ. IITA endangered plant species and serves campus in Ibadan provides an example as a fertile breeding ground for the on how a research site reconciles still critically endangered red-bellied increasing agricultural production monkey. It also serves as a site for sustainably while preserving its strengthening research capacity in surrounding biodiversity. nature conservation by demonstrating The monkey sanctuary of Drabo standardized procedures for Gbo was founded by Peter observing monkeys.

The IITA lake and forest in Ibadan, Nigeria. Photo by IITA

IITA 50 years after 101 Research results are shared and disseminated to a wide audience. Photo of IITA

102 IITA 50 years after Acknowledgements: IITA Partners, Donors, and Investors 11

IITA has always engaged in different organizations worldwide to partnerships with national, regional, advance research-for-development and international institutes, national undertakings. IITA acknowledges that governments, civil society its close collaboration with partners is organizations, farmers, and the necessary to ensure the optimum use private sector to conduct research of resources, knowledge sharing, and ensure that its research results access to technology and cutting- benefit agriculture growth and edge science, mutual learning and for development, particularly in sub- making a positive impact on the on Saharan Africa. IITA throughout a half- the livelihoods of African farmers. century has partnered with over 800

IITA headquarters at Ibadan. Source: Google Maps

IITA 50 years after 10 3 Acknowledgements: to IITA Partners, Donors, and Investors

Funding for IITA’s core program and Plus, the Biofortification Challenge special projects has been provided by Program, India, International Fertilizer many investors and donors, inter alia, Development Center, International ACDI/VOCA, African Development Fund for Agricultural Development, Bank (AfDB), AGIP/NAOC, ASARECA, International Atomic Energy Agency, Australia (ACIAR), Austria, Belgium Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, (both DGDC and VVOB), Brazil Monsanto Foundation, Mozambique (EMBRAPA), Bill & Melinda Gates (Pro-Agri), NEPAD, Netherlands Foundation, British America Tobacco (DGIS), Niger Delta Development Foundation, Cameroon, Canada (both Commission, Nigeria, Nippon CIDA and IDRC), China, Chocolate Foundation, Norway (NORAD), Plan Industry, CGIAR Fund and System- International, Sweden (both SIDA/ wide plus Eco-regional Programs, SAREC and Universities), Switzerland Common Fund for Commodities, (SDC), Rockefeller Foundation, CORAF/WECARD, Côte d’ Ivoire, SASAKAWA Global 2000, Shell Denmark (Danida), European Union, Petroleum Development Company FARA’s sub-Saharan Africa Challenge (SPDC), South Africa, Uganda, Program, Finland, Food and United Kingdom (DFID, NRI, and Agriculture Organization of the CABI), United Nations Development United Nations, Ford Foundation, Program, United Nations University, France (both CIRAD and IRD), Gatsby United States of America (USAID, Charitable Foundation, Generation USDA, ABSP2 and Universities), Challenge Program, Germany (BMZ, Winrock International, World Bank, GTZ and Universities), Harvest and World Vision.

IITA partners work with both private and public sectors to achieve its development goals. Photo by IITA

10 4 IITA 50 years after Further Reading

Adesina, A.A. and O.N. Coulibaly. 1998. Douthwaite, B., D. Baker, S. Weise, Policy and competitiveness of J. Gockowsky, V. Manyong, and agroforestry-based technologies D. Keatinge. 2005. Ecoregional for maize production in Cameroon: research in Africa: learning an application of policy analysis lesson from IITA benchmark matrix. Agricultural Economics 19: area approach. Experimental pp 1–13. Agriculture 41: pp 271–298. Alene, A.D., A. Menkir, S.O. Ajala, B. Eicher, C.K. and M. Rukuni. 2003. The Badu-Apraku, A.S. Olanrewaju, CGIAR in Africa: past, present, and A. Ndiaye. 2009. The economic and future. In: The CGIAR at 31: and poverty impacts of maize An Independent Meta-Evaluation research in West and Central of the Consultative Group Africa. Agricultural Economics 40: on International Agricultural pp 535–550. Research. Thematic Working Atayi, E.A. and D.O. Ladipo (eds.). 2003. Paper, Operations Evaluation Strategies for Farming Systems Department. The World Bank, Development in Sub-Saharan Washington DC Africa. IITA, Ibadan, Nigeria – FAO, Efron, Y. et al. 1989. Breeding for Rome, Italy. resistance to maize streak virus: a Bandyopadhyay, R., A. Ortega- multidisciplinary team approach. Beltran, A. Akande, C. Mutegi, Plant Breeding 103: pp 1–36. J. Atehnkeng, L. Kaptoge, A.L. Hahn, S.K., E.R. Terry, K. Leuschner, Senghor, B.N. Adhikari, and P.J. I.O. Akobondu, C. Okali, and R. Cotty. 2016. Biological control of Lal. 1979. Cassava improvement in aflatoxins in Africa: current status Africa. Field Crops Research 2: pp and potential challenges in the 193–226. face of climate change. World Hanson, H. 1986. Pages 169-175 and 206-209. In: Fifty Years Around Mycotoxin Journal 9: pp 771–789. the Third World: Adventures Brader, L. 2002. A study about the and Reflections of an Overseas causes for low adoption rates American. Fraser Publishing of agriculture research results in Company, Burlington, Vermont, West and Central Africa: possible USA. solutions leading to greater future Hughes, J.d’A. and B.O. Odu. 2003. impacts. In: Progress Report of Plant Virology in sub-Saharan Regional Approach to Research. Africa. IITA, Ibadan, Nigeria; Document No. SDR/iSC:IAR/02/27. Institut de recherche pour le Interim Science Council Secretariat développement, Montpellier, –FAO, Rome, Italy. Annex II. France; Rockefeller Foundation, Dixon, A.G.O., R. Bandyopadhyay, D. Nairobi, Kenya; ACP-EU Technical Coyne, M. Ferguson, R.S.B. Ferris, Centre for Agricultural and Rural R. Hanna, J. Hughes, I. Ingelbrecht, Co-operation, Wageningen, The J. Legg, N. Mahungu, V. Manyong, Netherlands – Department for D. Mowbray, P. Neuenschwander, International Development - Crop J. Whyte, P. Hartmann, and R. Protection Program, Chatham, Ortiz. 2003. Cassava: from poor United Kingdom. farmer’s crop to pacesetter IITA. 1992. Sustainable Food of African rural development. Production in sub-Saharan Africa. Chronica Horticulturae 43 (4): pp I. IITA’s contributions. IITA. Ibadan, 8–15. Nigeria.

IITA 50 years after 10 5 Further Reading

Kang, B.T., L. Reynolds, and K. Atta- Nature 432: pp 801–802. Akrah. 1990. Alley farming. Neuenschwander, P., C. Borgemeister, Advances in Agronomy 43: 315– and J. Langewald. 2003. Biological 359. Control in IPM systems in Africa. Lemchi, J.I. et al. 2005. Agroeconomic CABI Publishing, Wallingford, evaluation of black Sigatoka Oxon, UK – ACP-EU Technical resistant hybrid plantains under Centre for Agricultural and Rural smallholder management Co-operation, Wageningen, The systems. African Journal of Netherlands – Swiss Agency for Biotechnology 4: 1045–1053. Development and Cooperation, Low, J.W., M. Arimond, N. Osman, Bern, Switzerland. B. Cunguara, F. Zano, and D. Neuenschwander, P., D. Bown, G.C. Tschirley. 2007. A food-based Hèdegbètan, and A. Adomou. approach introducing orange- 2015. Long-term conservation fleshed sweet potatoes increased and rehabilitation of threatened vitamin A intake and serum retinol rainforest patches under different concentrations among young human population pressures in children in rural Mozambique. West Africa. Nature Conservation Journal of Nutrition 137: 1320– 13: pp 21–46. 1327. Nweke, F.I. 2015. West African Yams: Manyong, V.M., V.A. Houndékon, Food, Money and More. Michigan P.C. Sanginga, P. Vissoh, and A.N. State University Press, East Honlonkou. 1999. Mucuna Fallow Lansing, USA. Diffusion in Southern Bénin. Nweke, F.I., D.S.C. Spencer, and IITA Impact Series. IITA, Ibadan, J.K. Lynam. 2002. The Cassava Nigeria. Transformation: Africa’s Best-kept Matlon, P., T. Randolph, and R. Guei. Secret. Michigan State University 1998. Impact of rice research in Press, East Lansing, USA. West Africa. Pages 383–404. In: Orkwor, G., R. Asiedu, and I. Ekanayake Impact of Rice Research, edited (eds.). 1998. Food Yams: Advances by P.L. Pingali and M. Hossain. in Research. IITA, Ibadan, Nigeria; International Rice Research National Root Crops Research Institute, Manila, the Philippines. Institute, Umudike, Nigeria. Mutsaers, H., C. Coyne, S. Hauser, J. Ortiz, R. 1998. Cowpeas from Nigeria: Huising, A. Kamara, G. Nziguheba, A silent food revolution. Outlook P. Pypers, G. Taulya, P. Van Asten, on Agriculture 27: pp 125–128. and B. Vanlauwe. 2017. Soil and Ortiz, R. 2004. Biotechnology with Soil Fertility Research for sub- horticultural and agronomic crops Saharan Africa: Shifting Visions in Africa. Acta Horticulturæ 642: and Chequered Achievements pp 43–56. – A Case Study of 50 years of Ortiz, R. and P. Hartmann. 2003. IITA’s Research in International Beyond crop technology: The Perspective. Earthscan, London, challenge for African rural United Kingdom. development. Pages 39-72. In: Nassar, N.M.A. and R. Ortiz. 2007. Vol. 2. Reference Material of the Cassava improvement: challenges sub-Saharan Africa Challenge and successes. Journal of Program; Building Livelihoods Agricultural Sciences (Cambridge) through Integrated Agricultural 145: pp 163–171. Research for Development – Neuenschwander, P. 2004. Harnessing Securing the Future for Africa’s nature in Africa: Biological pest Children. Forum for Agricultural control can benefit the pocket, Research in Africa (FARA), Accra, health and the environment. Ghana.

10 6 IITA 50 years after Further Reading

Ortiz, R., D. Vuylsteke, J. Okoro, R.S.B. 2003b. Soybean production Ferris, B. Dumpe, R. Apanisile, E. and utilization in Africa. Pages Foure, C. Jenny, O.B. Hemeng, 56-70. In: VII World Soybean. D.K. Yeboah, B.A. Adelaja, O.B. Conference proceedings, Foz du Arene, F.E.O. Ikiediugwu, A.N. Iguassu, Brazil, 29 Feb.–5 March Agbor, A.N. Nwogu, G.O. Kayode, 2004 edited by F. Moscardi et al. I.K. Ipinmoye, S. Akele, and A. Brazilian Agricultural Research Lawrence. 1997. Developing new Corporation, National Soybean plantain varieties for Africa. Plant Research Center, Ministry of Varieties and Seeds 10: 39–57. Agriculture, Livestock, and Food Sanginga, N., K.E. Dashiell, J. Diels, B. Supply, Londrina, PR, Brazil. Vanlauwe, O. Lyasse, R.J. Carsky, Tian, G., F. Ishida, and D. Keatinge S. Tarawali, B. Asafo-Adjei, A. (eds.). 2001. Sustaining Soil Menkir, S. Schulz, B.B. Singh, Fertility in West Africa. SSSA D. Chikoye, D. Keatinge, and R. Special Publication 58. Soil Science Ortiz. 2003. Sustainable resource Society of America; American management coupled to resilient Society of Agronomy, Madison, germplasm to provide new Wisconsin, USA. intensive cereal-grain-legume- Vanlauwe, B., J. Diels, N. Sanginga, and livestock systems in the dry R. Merckx (eds.). 2001. Integrated savanna. Agriculture Ecosystems Plant Nutrient Management in and Environment 100: 305–314. sub-Saharan Africa: From Concept Singh, B.B. 2007. Recent progress in to Practice. CABI Publishing, cowpea genetic and breeding. Wallingford, Oxon, UK – IITA, Acta Horticulturae 752: 69–76. Ibadan, Nigeria. Singh, B.B., P. Hartmann, C. Fatokun, Vuylsteke, D., R. Swennen, and R. M. Tamo, S. Tarawali, and R. Ortiz. 1993. Development and Ortiz. 2003a. Recent progress on performance of black sigatoka- cowpea improvement. Chronica resistant tetraploid hybrids of Horticulturae 43 (2): 8–12. plantain (Musa spp., AAB group). Singh, B.B., F. Hakizimana, E.A. Euphytica 65: 33–42 Kueneman, and R. Ortiz.

Charity Mutegi of IITA Kenya won the 2013 Norman Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application. Photo by IITA

IITA 50 years after 107 Board Chairs, Directors General, and Deputy Directors General

Chairs, The Board of Trustees Deputy Directors General

Will M. Myers (USA), 1968–1970 John L. Nickel (USA), 1971–1974 Forrest F. Hill (USA), 1971–1972 Bede N. Okigbo (Nigeria), 1978–1988 Bukar Shaib (Nigeria), 1973–1976 Leonard H. Shebeski (Canada) Thomas R. Odhiambo (Kenya), – Research, 1982–1983 1976–1977 Johnny W. Pendleton (USA) – Research, 1984–1986 A. Hugh Bunting (UK), 1978–1979 John H. Davies (UK) Guy Vallaeys (France), 1980–1983 – Management, 1986–1989 John J. McKelvey Jr. (USA), Kenneth S. Fischer (Australia) 1984–1986 1987–1989 – Research, 1987–1991 Jacques P. Eckebil (Cameroon) Luis Crouch (Dominican Republic), – Intl. Cooperation, 1987–1995 1989–1990 William Powell (USA) Nicholas E. Mumba (Zambia), – Management, 1989–1996 (Director 1990–1992 until 1999) Randolph Barker (USA), 1992–1993 Robert H. Booth (UK), 1996–2002 Pierre Dubreuil (France), 1994–1997 Rodomiro Ortiz (Perú) – Research-for-Development (R4D), Enrico Porceddu (Italy), 1998–2002 2002–2004 Mortimer Neufville (USA), Paula Bramel (USA) 2002–2006 – R4D, 2007–2011 Brian Harvey (Canada), 2007–2010 Lakshmi Menon (UK) – R4D Support, 2007–2011 Bruce Coulman (Canada), 2011– Ylva Hillbur (Sweden) – R4D, 2012–2017 Directors General Kenton Dashiell (USA) – Partnerships & Capacity Development, 2012– Herbert R. Albrecht (USA), 2016, 1968–1975 –Partnerships for Delivery, 2016– William K. Gamble (USA), Kwame Akuffo-Akoto (Ghana) – 1975–1980, 1980–1985 Corporate Services, 2012–2017 –Special Duties, 2016– Laurence D. Stifel (USA), 1985–1990 Hilde Koper (The Netherlands) – Lukas Brader (The Netherlands), Corporate Services, 2016– 1990–2001 Peter Hartmann (USA), 2001–2011 Nteranya Sanginga (Democratic Republic of Congo), 2011–

10 8 IITA 50 years after IITA Headquarters, Hubs and Stations

Headquarters and Western Africa Hub Stations PMB 5320, Oyo Road, Ibadan 200001 Oyo State, Nigeria IITA-Benin Tel: +234 2 751 7472 | USA Tel: +1 201 633 08 BP 0932 Tri Postal 6094 | Cotonou, Republic of Benin Fax: +44 208 711 3786 +229 6418 1313, +229 6418 1414, +229 6418 1515, +229 9596 1159 Central Africa Hub Email: iita-benin@cgiar.org IITA Central Africa Hub Coordination Office IITA-Burundi icipe, c/o IITA Projects PMB: 1893 Bujumbura-Burundi Duduville Complex, Kasarani off Thika Rd Quartier Kabondo P O Box 30772-00100 Avenue du 18 Septembre, 10 Nairobi, Kenya Tel: +257 (0) 79 33 1024 / +257 (0) 76 19 4193 Tel: +254 020 863 2900 Email: [email protected]

IITA-DR Congo (Kinshasa) IITA-Cameroon 4163, avenue Haut-Congo Ecoregional Center, BP 2008 (Messa) Quartier Revolution, Commune de la Yaounde, Cameroon Gombe Tel: +237 2 223 7434, 2 223 7522 Kinshasa, Republique Democratique du Email: [email protected] Congo Tel: +243 99 021 2603 IITA-Cote d’Ivoire Email: [email protected] 2pltx, 7eme Tranche Rue L54-27 Eastern Africa Hub B.P. 696 Abidjan 27, Côte d’Ivoire IITA-Tanzania (Dar es Salaam) Tel: +225 22 52 37 32 Plot 25, Mikocheni Light Industrial Area Mwenge Coca-Cola Road, Mikocheni B, IITA-DR Congo (Kinshasa) PO Box 34441 4163, avenue Haut-Congo Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Quartier Revolution, Commune de la Tel: +255 22 270 0092 | Fax: +255 22 277 5021 Gombe Email: [email protected] Kinshasa, Republique Democratique du Congo Southern Africa Hub Tel: +243 99021 2603 IITA-Zambia Email: [email protected] Southern Africa Research and Administration Hub (SARAH) Campus IITA-DR Congo (Kalambo) Plot 1458B, Ngwerere Road (5 km off Great Route Kavumu, Km 18, bifurcation Birava North Road and adjacent to ZamSeed Site UCB (Université Catholique de Farms) Bukavu) Chongwe District, Lusaka Province, Phone +243 999 78 82 78 Zambia +243 979 30 22 03 Tel: +260 211 840 365 Fax: +260 211 285 417 IITA-Ghana (Accra) PO Box 310142, Chelston Council for Scientific and Industrial Lusaka, Zambia Research (CSIR) INSTI Building International Mailing Address Off Augustinho Neto Road IITA Ltd 7th Floor, Grosvenor House, 125 Airport Residential Area High Street PO Box M32, Accra, Ghana Croydon CRO 9XP, UK Tel: +233 303931 023 Email: [email protected]

IITA 50 years after 10 9 IITA Headquarters, Hubs and Stations

IITA-Ghana (Tamale) Email: [email protected] Near Tamale Sport Stadium 1st Road, Off Sagnarigu Main Rd. IITA-Malawi PO Box TL 6, Tamale-Ghana Chitedze Research Station Tel: +233 37 202 8913 Off-Mchinji Road PO Box 30258 IITA-Nigeria (Ibadan) Lilongwe 3, Malawi PMB 5320, Oyo Road, Ibadan 200001 Tel: +265 (0)1 707 014/022 Oyo State, Nigeria Fax: +265 (0)1 707 026 Tel: +234 2 700800IITA Email: [email protected] USA Tel: +1 201 633 6094 | IITA-Mozambique Fax: +44 208 711 3786 Av. FPLM, Via Corrane, Km 8 P.O. Box 709, Nampula, Mozambique Abuja R4D Station Tel: +258 2003 1477 Beside Old Water Works, Kubwa Email: [email protected] PMB 82, 901101, Abuja Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria IITA-Rwanda KG 563 street, no 3 IITA Research and Training Center Behind Telecom house Ago-owu Farm Settlement Road Kacyiru, Kigali, Rwanda Ikoyi, Osun State Nigeria IITA-Senegal CORAF/IITA,7 Avenue Bourguiba B.P. 48 Kano Station cp 18523 Sabo Bakin Zuwo Road Dakar RP, Senegal P.M.B. 3112, Kano, Nigeria Tel: Standard +221 33 869 9618 Tel: +234 806 052 2205, +234 703 484 7459 IITA-Sierra Leone Ikenne Station SLARI Building, Tower Hill Ikenne-Ayepe Road P.M.B. 134 IAR&T Farms Freetown, Sierra Leone Ikenne, Ogun State, Nigeria IITA-Tanzania (Arusha) Mokwa Station c/o AVRDC- The World Vegetable Centre Km 8 Mokwa-Kainji Road P.O. Box 10, Duluti, Arusha, Tanzania Abu Farms Tel: +255 27 255 3051 Mokwa, Niger State Nigeria IITA c/o The Nelson Mandela African Institution Onne Station for Science and Technology (NM-AIST) IITA Road, Onne P.O. Box 447, Arusha, Tanzania Eleme LGA, Rivers State IITA-Tanzania (Dar es Salaam) IITA-Kenya (Nairobi) Plot 25, Mikocheni Light Industrial Area c/o International Livestock Research Mwenge Coca-Cola Road, Mikocheni B, Institute (ILRI) PO Box 34441 PO Box 30709 – 00100, Nairobi, Kenya Tel: +254 20 422 3350/422 3000

110 IITA 50 years after IITA 50 years after 111 112 IITA 50 years after