27 September 2024

In a bid to explore ways to strengthen collaboration between IITA and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rwanda, IITA Director General and CGIAR Regional Director for Continental Africa, Dr Simeon Ehui, met with FAO Rwanda Country Representative Coumba Sow to discuss how their collaborative efforts could accelerate agricultural development in Africa.

The meeting featured a shared commitment to addressing challenges like food security, nutrition, plant health, and sustainable agricultural practices.

Sow acknowledged the strong and long-standing support from IITA. He also highlighted the FAO's focus on improving lives through its "Better Life" programs, which emphasize inclusion, resilience, youth, and women empowerment. The FAO's work extends to policy support, knowledge sharing, and capacity building to help governments design impactful agricultural investments. "We aim to provide governments with the tools they need to implement big, sustainable programs that focus on better nutrition and a better environment," she explained.

DG Ehui said his visit gives an opportunity to explore potential areas of interest alignment. He emphasized that both organizations share common goals, particularly in food safety, pest and disease control, and crop improvement. "We work with support from USAID and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and our work in mechanization, such as cassava processing, aligns closely with FAO's initiatives," DG Ehui said.

He emphasized the importance of partnerships in scaling research innovations, noting that one of IITA's priorities lies in partnerships for scaling its innovations. He added that this can only be done with support from governments and policymakers.

DG Ehui highlighted the improvement of cassava seed systems as a promising area for collaboration, highlighting IITA's work in producing disease-free cassava stems through Semi-Autotrophic Hydroponics (SAH). "Our goal is to partner with FAO and governments to scale technologies like these for greater impact," he said.

IITA Rwanda Country Representative Abdou Konlambigue echoed these sentiments by highlighting IITA's work in improving cassava seed systems and digitizing pest and disease control in some of IITA's mandate crops in Rwanda. He mentioned efforts to work with the government to scale these results to farmers, emphasizing the role of digital tools in data collection, particularly in nutrition. Konlambique also discussed phytosanitary measures, biological controls for Aflatoxin, and innovative approaches in a circular economy, like cassava peel conversion for livestock feed.

Reflecting on these insights, Sow pointed out how IITA's digital tools could enhance FAO's work in plant protection. "We are excited about exploring IITA's content on plant health for rural farmers," she said. Additionally, Sow noted that stunting in children remains a critical issue in Rwanda's national agenda, making nutrition, value addition, and bio-fortification key areas where collaboration could yield significant results.

Discussions covered potential collaborations, analyzing new windows of opportunity for working together in postharvest management, small-scale processing, and value-chain development. The FAO team shared examples of their field activities in food safety and nutrition, which could benefit from closer alignment with IITA's research and expertise.

DG Ehui expressed excitement about the many potential areas for collaboration. "I didn't realize we had so many opportunities to work together," he remarked. He was particularly interested in FAO's work with youth, noting that IITA's Youth Agripreneurs (IYA) program has been building capacity for young people across Africa with donor support.

He also mentioned potential collaboration areas on projects such as the EU-funded DeSIRA initiative, which focuses on supporting research and innovation and contributing to the climate-relevant, productive, and sustainable transformation of agriculture and food systems in low and middle-income countries.

As the meeting ended, FAO and IITA expressed optimism about building on the ongoing conversations and strengthening existing partnerships. Both parties emphasized the importance of involving key stakeholders and donors to ensure that their joint efforts lead to tangible impacts in Rwanda and across Africa's agricultural landscape

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