INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURE

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE \ OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURE

196

1997

111 tfie o/anguari ofSUP-Saharal1 fltgricu{tura{ lJ)eve{opmel1t

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fie Internationa{ Institute of'Iropica{ JIgricu{ture (J I'IJI) commemoratea its 30th anniversary in 1997. 'Tfie occasion marKg,a tfiree aecaaes of tfie Institute s workJor tfie aevefopment of sustaina6fe agricu{ture in su6·Safiaran JIfrica, especia{{y for the fiumia ana su6fiumii regions. ll'IJI is proua to 6e part of the g{06a{ agricu{tura{ research net~/Jorkt th.e Consu{tative (jroup on Internationa{ JIgricu{tura{ 'i?...esearcfi (C(j IJ/2\J. In accora witfi tfie C(j IJ!'f?...s mission, II'IJI s research contri61ttes to fooa security, fiefps a{{eviate poverty, ana is ae· signea to preserve tfie naturae resource 6ase on wfiich future fooa proauction aepencfs.

'Because ll'IJI 's history is unaerscorea 6y achievements, it is fitting on tfiis anniversary to present tfie Institute s impact ratfier th.an recapitu{ate its past. Its tfie fulfi{ment of its mission, not mere mi{estones, that is tfie measure of I I'IJI s contri6ution to tfie socioeco· nomic aevefopment of su6·Saharan JIfrica.

'We are p{easea to sfiare with reaaers some of tfiese achievements, aone in co{{a60ration witfi our aonors ana partners, to mart the Institute s 30 years of service to tropical agri· cu{ture.

AfriaJ Is risi " IITA Is helping"

IIrJ.9L reversed the history of maize yield in sub-Saharan Africa. Research and technology development conducted by IITA have greatly increased yield stability and overall production of maize. Moving beyond a subsistence commodity, it has become a cash crop for countless farmers.

The statistics are impressive: from 1981 to 1996, in West and Central Africa, overall maize production rose from 3.26 million tonnes per year to 1 .71 million tonnes.

Hence, over this 15-year period production increased by 259 percent. Over the same period yields per hectare increased from 828 kg to 1,133 kg or by 37 percent, while maize acreage increased from 3.70 million hectares to 9.83 million hectares, or by 166 percent.

It is estimated that gains in maize production due to the improved materials are

sufficient to feed 40 million people annually. The increased produotion represents a minimum of some US$1.2 billion a year.

Much of this increase, described as "phenomenal" by the World Bank, can be attributed to the introduction of diseaseresistant, drought-tolerant, high-yielding, and early-maturing varieties. The new varieties ~ield more than twice as much as traditional varieties and some are ready for harvest in 85 days. The production increase is largely due to IITA's collaboration with the Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maiz y Trigo (CIMMYT), national agricultural research systems, nongovernmental organizations, including well-organized research networks, the West and Central Africa Collaborative Maize Research Network (WECAMAN).

Cassava and IITA's role in its improvement are linked in the annals of sub-Saharan agriculture.

Many challenges had to be overcome in orderto inc]ease production; e.g., long growing cycles, mitigating the effects of drought, developing resistanoe to diseases.

IITA-improved cultivars with resistance to the major diseases give sustained yields about 50 percent more than that of the local cultivar. This sustained Increase in production was achieved without any additional input. Reports of yields five times higher than those of many susceptible cultivars that had been damaged by disease were common.

In Nigeria, Africa's most populous country and the world's largest producer of cassava, up to 60 percent of the area cropped to cassava is planted with IITA-improved varieties.

The demand for planting materials of IITA-improved cassava varieties has generated a new industry which is contributing to the incomes of farmers. The industry is based on production and sale of the stems of these improved varieties by adopters to other farmers.

In order to improve cassava production in Africa IITA spearheaded the development of the East African Root Crops Research Network (EARRNET) and the Southern African Root Crops Research Network (SARRNET).

I FTJI.. 5yam research has been greatly advanced by newly collected land races that flower profusely and fruit easily. Wild yam relatives are also providing a source of traits to solve problems such as limited seeds.

Breeding to improve yam was hampered until recently by its unpredictable flowering. IITA has succeeded in producing new hybrid lines, thanks to improved control over flowering made possible by persistent experimentation with a large pool of yam land races. Scientists can now manipulate yams into flowering and seeding, thus producing bountiful seeds for further breeding efforts leading to varietal improvement.

A new rapid propagation seed yam production system, developed in collaboration with Nigeria's National Root Crops Research Institute, has taken off not only in Nigeria but in Benin, Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, and the Caribbean and Pacific islands as well.

Cowpea is a primary source of protein for many poor Africans in the drier zones, as well as an important fodder crop. IITA has developed many varieties that are grown widely in West Africa and elsewhere.

However, cowpea suffers heavily from various pests that cause, on average, some 80-90 percent losses unless pesticides are used.

IITA has identified wild cowpea varieties that are resistant to the major pests. Biological techniques are being developed to explore the potential of these resistant materials; and the effort is promising. Efforts are also made, together with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), to increase fodder production.

Over 60 countries have released improved cowpea varieties from IITA for general cultivation. As a result of these improved varieties, cowpea production worldwide has grown from about 1.1 million tonnes in 1974 to 2 million tonnes in 1984 and to 3.5 million tonnes in 1995. For a crop grown in marginal areas with little or no purchased inputs, an increase of this magnitude is very Significant.

The production trend also shows a significant improvement in cowpea cultivation in Nigeria from 1961 to 1995, with an increase of 341 percent, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and an average yield increase of 310 percent.

At about US$500 per tonne, the increased production of cowpea in Nigeria of 1.3 million tonnes represents an annual value of some US$650 million.

The West Africa Cowpea Research Network (RENACO) focuses on adaptive research and technology transfer.

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Soy6ean is rapidly becoming a major food as well as an industrial crop in West Africa, particularly in Nigeria.

This comes as a result of the adoption of IITA varieties which have high yield, store well, do not require inoculation with expensive, imported rhizobium , and which can be grown profitably by peasant farmers.

For example, a soybean utilization project, with major funding from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), has helped spread improved soybean varieties throughout Nigeria. More than 47,000 people, including 30,000 women, have been trained on how to produce and use soybean to fortify their diets. About 140 food products with satisfactory nutritive value and consumer acceptability have been developed, some of which have been scaled up to industrial-level production.

Soybean is now sold in most markets in the country.

The project has spawned small agro-allied businesses that contribute substantially to economic growth. Enterprises processing soybean for food and livestock feeds have increased from 5 in 1987 to more than 60 today.

Use of soybean to treat malnutrition is spreading throughout Nigeria; in one state, 35 percent of hospitals are using soybean products to treat the condition.

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P{antain ana 6anana (genus %usa) along with cassava and maize, are the most important food commodities in the humid zones of sub-Saharan Africa. The most tangible achievement of Musa research at IITA has been the breeding of plantains for resistance to the black sigatoka leaf-spot disease.

In the mid-1980s, the disease spread rapidly throughout Africa, causing up to 30-40 percent losses. It was feared that the disease would eventually decimate plantain production-as it had in many other parts of the world.

IITA, through highly innovative research , produced resistant hybrids. Fifteen improved hybrids and one cooking banana hybrid were selected from 1989 to 1992 from a wide range of crosses.

These elite materials are registered in the public domain. (Six plantain and banana hybrids were registered in 1998.)

The potential monetary value of hybrid Musa cultivation in Africa has been estimated at US$3.1 to 6.2 billion a year. This is based on the current annual gross value of Musa production in Africa at about US$2.8 billion, and a potential yield increase of 112 to 225 percent achievable by cultivation of IITA-improved Musa hybrids.

This represents a return on investment of between 1550:1 and 3100:1.

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IITA received the King Baudouin Award of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), in 1994, in recognition of its achievements in banana and plantain research.

I ~L '() Ut~ IIrrJI. has collected and assembled about 40,000 accessions of germplasm of many crops and plant species important in Africa. These are conserved in seed banks, in vitro culture genebanks, and field genebanks. The collections are well maintained and documented. They are held in trust for the world community.

The genetic resources have contributed to the success of IITA's scientists and others in improving cassava, cowpea, maize, soybean, plantain and banana, rice, and yams which were selected by national agricultural research systems (NARS) for adoption by farmers. This has had a great impact on food prodUction in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

In addition to improved germplasm, numerous sources of resistance to pests and diseases have been identified from the existing germplasm collection. Minor food legumes and some important multipurpose tree species, as well as some underutilized and threatened species indigenous to Africa, are also preserved. The Unit makes this germ plasm available free of charge to NARS and to researchers worldwide.

IITA played an important role in getting the private seed sector started in West and Central Africa.

The companies could not have been formed if they had had to undertake the required years of expensive research. The industry now has good potential; and the operations have far-reaching implications for sustainable development of agriculture. First formed to take advantage of IITA's hybrid maize, these private seed companies now also produce and market other seed, including rice, cowpea, and vegetable seed.

!ilIfey farming is a farming system integrating trees, crops, and livestock in a way that restores and sustains fertility of the land similar to the traditional bush fallow but without the need for long fallow periods. It thus helps to reduce the pressure on land and to conserve natural vegetation.

IITA has developed and is promoting alley farming as a productive alternative to slash-and-burn shifting cultivation. It is an agroforestry system in which multipurpose trees (usually legumes) are planted in rows with food crops planted in the alley~ oetween the tree rows.

The leguminous tress have deep roots reaching nutrient reserves which are not within reach of the food crops and help in nutrient cycling. In addition they fix nitrogen from the atmosphere. The leaves and little Oranches then serve as green manure, mulch, and fodder for livestock. The woody parts serve as staking material and firewood.

A recent survey established that 70 percent of farmers exposed to the technology adopted it and adapted it to their specific circumstances.

BIQLOGICAL CONI ~ INTIGRATED Pf.S MANAGf.MEN

I fiT.9L SPlant Health Management Division, based at IITA's station in the Republic of Benin, is a leader in Africa in several domains. Prominent is its biological control program, which is solving pest problems through natural and environmentally friendly methods. For example, the Institute and its partners undoubtedly saved Africa from the devastation of the cassava mealybug and the green mite, which were causing up to 80 percent and 60 percent losses, respectively, costing farmers US$2 billion in losses a year.

As a means of controlling the pests, their natural enemies, found after extensive exploration in Sout~ merioa, were mass raised and introduced into Africa. The result was a 95 percent reduction in cassava mealybug damage. The benefit of controlling the pest has been estimated at US$9 to US$20 billion. The value added to the crop annually is US$415 million in sub-Saharan Africa.

Biological control of the cassava green mite, leading to a 50 percent reduction in damage, has given cassava farmers in West Africa already about US$50 million profit per planting season,

two to three years after the introduction of the predator mite that eats the cassava green mite. These amounts are highly significant when seen within the context of sub-Saharan Africa's annual agricultural yield.

Estimates on returns range between US$150 and US$350 million for each US dollar invested by donors.

These figures do not include the returns for non pollution of the environment, as is typical for a classical biological control project which introduces and establishes natural enemies from the pest's area of origin for long-term control.

IITA and the Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT) received the King Baudouin Award for their collaborative work on the cassava mealybug problem. In 1996, the leader of the project, Dr. H.R. Herren, received the World Food Prize for the achievements of this project.

Similar successes in classical biological control, but on a small scale, involve the mango mealybug, the larger grain borer, and other pests.

Newly developed resistant or tolerant crop plants often form the backbone of integrated pest management. They are now deployed in combination with new approaches to biological and cultural control developed against cereal stemborers, cowpea pests, and the parasitic weed Striga.

Against various grasshoppers and locusts, an oil-based formulation of fungal spores was developed, leading to commercial production of a bioinsecticide.

Cassava mea g 95%; damage red cassava gree mite 50%

Thirteen countries join in a common goal

rrfie Ecoregional Program for the Humid and Subhumid Tropics of Sub-Saharan Africa (EPHTA) is an ambitious attempt to tackle some of the region's agricultural and resource management problems in a holis ic way. National agricultural research systems of 13 countries in Central and West Africa are members of the program. It provides assjstance to smallholder and medium-scale farmers to improve their well-being and alleviate poverty. Joining more than a dozen countries, including international and regional organizations, in a common goal, is a significant achievement by IITA. Program activities are implemented through three agroecosystem consortia (Humid Forest, Moist Savanna, and Inland Valley) using a benchmark approach.

A benchmark area encompasses a vast area of humid forest or moist savanna and contains hundreds of villages. The giant, living laboratory for research and development operates on the basis of extensive consultation, drawing on the opinions and expertise of numerous groups. It uses sustainable production technologies and postharvest systems that increase productivity and food security, and minimize natural resource degradation.

Centers PClrticipatjng in EPHTA include IITA (the lead institute), the West Africa Rice Development Association (WARDA), which is the host institute for the Inland Valley Consortium, the International Livestock Research Institute (llRI), the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF) the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDG), and international and regional organizations.

In the last 10 years, liT~ has developed 60 sets of postharvest equipment for s)llallholder farms which feature simple design, mUlticrop application, mobility, wide range of throughput capacity, robustness and easy maintenance. They are used in 11 countries in West and East Africa.

Where ew technology was introduced, cassava losses, for instance, could be reduced by 50 percent and labor by 75 percent so that more marketable produce was obtained from a given yield, with less labor. The technolo,gy reduces drudgery, enhances efficiency, improves food quality, and enhances safety at the workplace.

The development of postharvest machinery is mainly targeted at providing opportunities for increasing rural income but is also addressing the concern for environmental protection.

IITA's work on postharvest equipment does not stop at the design and development stage but extends to issemination of the technology and to testing at the farm level. This is done through farmers' organizations and in collaboration with nongovernmental organizations.

Training is an integral part of IITA's post arvest efforts. Since 1993, IITA's Postharvest Engineering Unit has trained 62 technicians from key local manufacturers (who are provided with blueprints) and relevant national programs from 10 African countries.

Vuringthree decades IITA has trained more than 9,000 Africans. This includes around 400 at the M.Sc. level and more than 300 at the Ph.D. level.

Those trained have passed their knowledge on to others, and they to succeeding scientists. Thus, IITA's investment in human resources is greatly multiplied. Many of these trainees have become leaders in their national agricultural research systems and in managerial and leadership positions.

For the people of sub-Saharan Africa, opportunities for education and training, including understanding and access to modern technology, will determine their future.

In addition, more than 60 Research Guides, A5-size booklets of 20-60 pages, that provide information and guidance to agricultural researchers, technicians, extension specialists, and students involved in research and training, have been produced.

IITA assists national agricultural research systems in producing their own training and extension materials.

IITA was proactive in the evolution of the international agricultural research centers and national agricultural research systems training group (INTG), formerly the Intercenter Training Group (ICTG). INTG representatives are from organizations that conduct training in sub-Saharan Africa. INTG will strengthen capability to conduct, manage, and sustain quality research and related training.

political differences. This is unprecedented in Africa.

Since 1987, IITA has been a key partner in various networks; each network focuses on a crop covered by IITA's mandate and gives training and technical support to national agricultural research systems. The networks have significantly improved research manpower in the participating countries.

'Esta6{isning agricultural research and training networks in Africa is one of IITA's greatest achievements. The networks bridge history, heritage, national boundaries, and national

The two regional networks for root crops, the East African Root Crops Research Network (EARRNET) and the Southern African Root Crops Research Network (SARRNET), increased cassava production in eastern and southern Africa, respectively.

Four research networks activated

SARRNET has led the way in cassava and sweetpotato multiplication and distribution in 12 southern African countries. As a result, production of the commodities rose over 500 percent in Malawi.

Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe have benefited from SARRNET by adapting IITA-developed technologies to their local conditions.

The maize network, the West and Central Africa Collaborative Maize Research Network (WECAMAN), has been very successful in promoting technology transfer through on-farm research, including the use of improved varieties. Its work in Striga control has been significant.

The cowpea network, the West Africa Cowpea Research Network, tests and evaluates improved cowpea with farmer participation. It focuses on adaptive research and technology transfer.

In 1996, IITA and Sierra Leone's Institute of Agricultural Research were jointly presented the Outstanding Scientific Partnership Award at the CGIAR's annual meeting in Washington. National agricultural research systems have also recognized IITA scientists. Nigeria gave chieftainships to several researchers. Very high honors; they signify trust and appreciation.

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About IITA

T

he Interrlational .1noll rute or Tropical Agriculture (IITA) i:5 arl Interno Iional agricultural reseor'ch ceni er In the Consultative Group on Internatlorlal Agr'lcull ural Research (CGIAR). which is on O::i:5ociation or 58 countries. international and regional ol'ganl20tlons. and private roundatiom IITA seeks 10 Increase agricultural production in o sus I01 noble wa~. In order to improve the nutritional status and well-being or people in tropical sub-Saharan Africa. To achieve this goal. IITA conducts research and training. provides inrormation. collects and exchanges germpla~m. onc1 encourages tramrer or technolog~. in partnership with Arrican national agriculturol research arid development programs.

Internatio nal Institute of Tro pical Agri culture PMB 5320 lbadan, Ni ge ri a Telephone: (234-2) 241-2626 Fax: (234-2) 241 -222 1 E- mail: iita@cgne(.com htt p: www.cgiar.org/iita Intern at io nal Mai ling Address: c/ o L.w. L1mbo urn & Co. Carolyn H o use, 26 Din gwall Road Croydon C R9 3EE, England

.J;di+.o-r-in路Chief Jack Reeves '\x1T'ite-r: Jack Reeves Design and l,gyout Remi Yussuf .J;d itoT': Photo:

To iwo Owoeye liTA sl ide aT'chive

PT'inting: +=ingeT' l,gkes PT'ess, AubuT'n, New YoT'k, USA

ISBN: 978- 13 1- 144-4