THISDAY, Vol. 16, No. 61U , Page 31
Tuesday, Janucuy 17, 2012
. BusinessWORlE> agnc -----Agric Research's Improving -Livelihoods in .IMrica c:scarrh by the Intema1ionaI Insl:irute of Ttopical
R§
Agricull\lle (UTA) is not
Y increasing kno\1.'ledge gcnc:ralIy in the sciences, bll also positively a-ansforming li~6hoods in Amca, Ms Cecilia AkinrooUde, Secretary GcnaaI, African I)eo.-elopmc:nt Sank has
.....
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By Crusoe Osagie aboo: 70% oflhe impaa by the CGlAR in Afiica came from ~ourpwO(ITTA.Today,
rrae than 60 " of impo\oed
maize grown in Wcst and CeruraJ Africa 00fTCS from IITA
varieties.
'"The impact is real aOO I am proud of the n:suhs coming OUt of this Afiican.based resc:ardi insti[U[ion." Akinlomide said during a private visit 10 ITTA in Ibadan an Monday. This is me the fusI: ~ rrrA is being commended for its impact in Africa. In nn, an ~ asscssmeru learn by the Science Council of the Consultative Group on lmemational Agriculturnl Reseaidl (CGIAR) rqxwd!hal
million. Growing up, Akinlomide
spem her c:hJkh::Iod and early
WorIdng with intenuWonal and national partners in Africa, ITTA has O\'ef the years dc:\doped imptr.oed crop varieties whk:h are superior in IOmS r:I yield 10 local Yarietics. MOSl 01 these improved varieties are resisaanllO ptSl and di!ieases. ln the GrcaI Lakes rqion y"tJCc cassava brown ~ is I menace, IOIcnw ca5Sllva \'lIrietiCS developed by !ITA are helping f~ in wtting down annual \osses that are estimaJed at SSG
aduhhood years in IITA, w~ her faI:her was the first African ~ of AdminisI;raboo. The multialJturaI and multilingual cmironmeot in ITTA acatm in her a deep ~ of dl\'efsiry. For her diYCfSiry was nonna1 while the lack them;)( was abnormal . During the !rip 10 IITA. Akintomide visited the gene bank. and given AIDS's keen focus on post oonflJa and fragile swcs. she was ~ by the impacI: of the gene bank in postconflict COI.lI1bies, as the scwt:e of the seeds and plaNs of hope Iha v.'efe used 10 rtSarI liuming in post oonflicl: COI.lI1bies such 85 Angola, DcmocraIic RcpullI.k of Coogo. and Rwanda. On the ec:onomic ilJl(XXUlOOe
Hydrogen-powered Three Wheelers Launched in India he world's fust f\eea of hydrogen-fueUa:l J...whedrickshaws. v.~ launched in New Delh.i lOday. The IS \dUclcs will be refueUed from a station at Delhi's PnIgad Maidan, where the fIeec 'Nill be operating. The USC I million projo:1 took three yc::us 10 rompk:It. wi th half of the oosts ro-ftmdcd by the United Natims lndlsuiaI DeYe:lopmenl Organimion
T
et'S. or
ofagriculnue.she recalled thai: in Nigeria. for insIana:, befIR the ~ c:J oil. agricu lnue was the Uy drm:r of the ecorony, with OOCQII playing • leading role particularty in the southweslO1l region.Theearly infr.tSll1lCfUre in the region was buill from reveooes geoernIed &urn OOCQII. The AIDB secretary gener-.1I 001«1 thai the bank's Medium Term SU1UCgy included in ilS pillars; infrawucnur:, higho-educalion. science and tedmoJogy.
These MTS pill:us provided IJ'C8S or convergcnoe befwccn
with
nlelTlauOfUII and local
~,Or.
inslituIio:ls. The director general said th ~ areas of focus by IITA \\UJ1d help in addrtssing the challt:! ge.s flK:ing the <n1Iinent
n<n<. He said that besides improving the qualiry of research, lITA wou ld continue 10 focus on capacilY buildinl and the strenJ1hening of partnerShip
and compliment the bank 's efforts l()\1I3J'(is improving tn'dihoods. 80ch IITA and AIDS M\'I: a 1001 hi>lOl'y of pamcing for <!e/e IOprTlCflI , with Ulngiblc resullS of such pannership. The two institutions u.re worong togett.:r 1Oc:nh3nc:e that partnership in the ntar fuuJre.
AfDB and IITA. Receiving IheAfDB sem::mry Nteranya Sanginga. IITA Direaor GenaaJ c0mmended the bank for ilS imutmeOI in reseaJCh aro ~1op
Food: FAO Commits to More Support for Poor COlmtries fter Ulking over as rood and Agriculrure Organisation (FAD'5) new
A
Director-General
Jos.!
Graziano da SiI\'8lOld his iruwgunU press ooofef'l:JlCle that the I0I.8l eliminalion of hunger and under-nourishmen l from the world will be his lOp prioriry. Graziano da Silva K>ld journalists that with a lam in office of only dlJ'Ce and a half years there was no ~ 10 lose. FAD WOJId begin by scaling up its suppcwt 10 a nUlTlbtt of Iowinoome, foo4 deficit counnies, especially those facing pr0-
longed crises. ' Ending hunger Rquires the commltmerll of lM:f)'one: neither FAD nor any Dlher agene)' or governmenl wi ll win this war alone', said Gm:iano da
Silva, adding that he wanted to \VOI'k ' in the mosl transp.'lrtI11 an d democrolic way' with membe r countries, United Nations agenciu the prh1Ue sector, civil society and other-
ward, ar:d I phm 10 do so by
promoting a InlIlSparenl and corutmail'C relationship with
consumption; achieve greater
Meml:er Slates and FAO Govenling Bodies", he said. The Ditcr.1Of-Genernl also emptu sised tilal he wou ld stm'l: I;) make FAD more effective an 1responsi\'\: by Idministrnth-e COSI ....."Ulting and efficiency pins He stressed IhaI etrJcielq savings ~Ulld me ctJI illl;) FAD's technical wcrl:. and he would try lOuse~ 10 SlR:nglhen d)C Organisation's
fairness in the global manage-
direct
ment of food: complete FAO's
" I ;LiTl convinced thaI the OrgIll1lSation can make a significant and growing COIlU'ibution Ie food iCCUrity and sustainabl ~ fOOL! produaion and consunpllOll in the world.- he rondu:ied.
SlJllcehokbs.
Hunger eradical:ion was the fil'Sl of five srr.uegic priorities he intended 10 pursue &I FAD. Graziano dol Silva U . TIle others were: move
towards more 5UStainabie systemS 0( food production and
reform and dcccn trnlisation: and expand South-South c0operation and Dlher partIErships. "We need 10 rebuild InISI berween the Secrelarial and Member States 10 move for-
assistance 10 countries.
,
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