By Patricia Amogu
The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting farmers in boosting productivity, food security, and nutrition across Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa.
Head of IITA Abuja Station, Dr Beatrice Aighewi, stated this during the IITA Farmers’ Day on Innovation for Nutrition and Food Security on Tuesday in Abuja.
She welcomed participants, saying the event was a renewed drive to strengthen partnerships and showcase IITA’s innovations.
According to her, IITA’s mission is to help resource-poor farmers raise productivity, improve food security, and increase incomes across sub-Saharan Africa through research and partnerships.
“We conduct research on staple crops such as maize, cassava, yam, soybean, cowpea, banana, plantain, and cocoa, crops vital to Africa’s food systems,” she said.
Aighewi explained that IITA’s headquarters is in Ibadan, with research hubs across West, East, Central, and Southern Africa, and the Sahel.
“In Nigeria, the institute operates experimental stations in Kano, Onne (Rivers), and Abuja”.
She recalled that the Abuja Station was established in 1985 by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) as a demonstration farm to enhance farmers’ productivity and livelihoods.
“It was later transferred to IITA in 1991 through an MOU renewed in 2022.
“The Abuja Station, which initially covered 62 hectares, now occupies less than 50 due to encroachment from urban development,” she added
She noted that the station had not held field days or exhibitions for over a decade, making the event a special moment of reconnection.
“Today’s event allows us to reconnect with our farmers, partners, and the public while showcasing IITA’s latest innovations,” she said.
Since 2011, the station has hosted resident scientists and expanded research activities with improved facilities.
“Abuja Station now serves as a strategic hub for showcasing agricultural technologies to donors, embassies, development partners, and government agencies,” Aighewi added.
She said IITA would continue working closely with the FCT Administration and the Federal Government to strengthen food and nutritional security.
“At IITA, we work from the laboratory to the field and to the table. What we are showcasing today reflects that full journey,” she said.
Aighewi also disclosed that IITA maintains a plant conservatory safeguarding genetic resources to ensure biodiversity for future generations.
“In one way or another, our work touches the lives of everyone here,” she said.
In her remarks, the Country Director the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Dede Ekouecommended IITA for organising the Open Day and for its leadership in agricultural innovation.
Represented by Mrs Chioma Opara, Ekoue said the event was timely as it emphasised rethinking how food is produced, processed, and consumed to ensure healthier diets and resilient communities.
“Agricultural growth must go beyond yields to improve diets, health, and resilience,” she said.
She noted that nutrition and food security remain central to IFAD’s mandate and that agriculture must translate into better well-being for rural populations.
According to her, the event’s theme aligns with IFAD’s priorities and Nigeria’s agri-food transformation agenda.
“Innovation bridges productivity and well-being, from biofortified crops and digital nutrition tools to climate-smart practices,” she said.
Ekoue highlighted IFAD’s long-standing partnership with IITA through programmes that have promoted nutrition-sensitive, climate-smart farming.
She also mentioned joint initiatives such as the Zero Hunger Initiative (2016) and the Agribusiness Hub Programme (2021), which create youth employment across Africa.
“These collaborations advance Nigeria’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the NATIP policy, and the Kampala Declaration on nutrition-sensitive agriculture,” she said.
The country director reaffirmed IFAD’s readiness to deepen its partnership with IITA to scale up evidence-based agricultural innovations.
In his remarks, Prof. Ademola Adenle, Special Assistant to the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, restated the government’s commitment to innovation-driven agricultural transformation.
He said the Open Day was an avenue to showcase science-based solutions that improve livelihoods and productivity across Africa.
“Today, we celebrate innovation in action, where science meets the soil, and research becomes real solutions,” he said.
He praised IITA’s demonstration farms as “living laboratories” integrating climate-smart and digital technologies to make agriculture productive and sustainable.
According to him, the event offered farmers and entrepreneurs a chance to see how research can drive prosperity.
“The IITA Open Day is not just an exhibition but a movement for smarter, sustainable agriculture,” Adenle said.
Earlier, FCT Mandate Secretary, Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat (ARDS), Mr Abdullahi Ango, praised IITA for convening the event.
Ango, represented by Mr Mahmud Sanusi, said research institutes like IITA play a vital role in generating innovations to combat hunger, malnutrition, and climate-related food insecurity.
He urged farmers to engage actively and provide feedback on IITA’s research findings and value chain activities.
“I appeal to IITA to intensify innovations that attract youth into agriculture through affordable mechanisation and digital tools,” he said.
Ango assured that the FCT Administration remains committed to supporting agricultural programmes that enhance residents’ livelihoods.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that IITA is the lead research partner facilitating agricultural solutions to overcome hunger, poverty, and natural resource degradation in the tropics.
The event featured exhibitions of IITA’s innovations, research outputs, and new technologies designed to improve nutrition and food security.
The Farmers’ Day is one of IITA’s flagship initiatives to engage farmers, policymakers, and partners in advancing sustainable agricultural development in Nigeria and Africa. (NAN)
Edited by Tosin Kolade
