Revolutionizing cassava breeding for widespread impact
April 6, 2023
Siraj Ismail Kayondo, a post-doctoral fellow at CGIAR–IITA, is making a significant impact in the cassava industry with his in-depth research on the genetic architecture of Cassava Brown Streak Virus Disease (CBSD) resistance. Through his PhD research and experience as a forage breeder at the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), Kayondo brings a vast pool of knowledge and expertise to his role as part of IITA’s multidisciplinary cassava molecular breeding research team.
IITA researcher Siraj Ismail Kayondo at cassava trial plot during harvest.
Kayondo currently works on the Root, Tubers and Banana (RTB) breeding project, formed by the merger of the NextGen Cassava Breeding and RTBFoods projects. The project aims to leverage cutting-edge molecular tools to aid in breeding and to deploy superior cassava varieties, with an expected conclusion in 2024.
Kayondo and his team are supported by esteemed organizations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, USAID, and DFID, and have established partnerships with National Agricultural Research Systems (NARs), universities, and organizations including CIAT, DSMZ, and EMBRAPA. Despite challenges posed by COVID-19, breeding barriers, funding constraints, and market dynamics, the team has overcome these obstacles through an unwavering commitment to finding solutions and sustained collaboration.
The tireless efforts of Kayondo and his team have borne remarkable fruit, achieving several major milestones in their work. These include the release of elite cassava varieties in Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda and the development of several tools to support breeding activities across their extensive breeding network. These achievements have had a profound and positive impact on the lives of farmers across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and will continue to do so in the future.
The research involves using molecular markers to identify CBSD-resistant cassava varieties and track the inheritance of resistance genes. This information is then used for breeding improved cassava varieties through conventional breeding methods. The team is also developing tools to support breeding activities across their extensive network, including a genomic selection platform and a high-throughput phenotyping system.
The project’s objectives are:
To develop and release elite cassava varieties with CBSD resistance.
To support and strengthen the breeding efforts of National Agricultural Research Systems (NARs) and other organizations.
To improve farmers’ livelihoods in SSA by increasing cassava yields and food security.
To foster collaboration and knowledge sharing between NARs, universities, and organizations.
Olamide Deborah Nwanze is a Senior Research Associate specializing in gender mainstreaming research to inform participatory and inclusive breeding, variety development, and seed systems policies regarding root, tuber, and banana (RTB) crops in the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture Headquarters, Ibadan, Nigeria. She is a PhD candidate at the University of Ibadan and holds an MSc and B. Agric in Agricultural Extension and Rural Development. Olamide is a fellow of the African Women in Agricultural Research and Development – Gender Responsive Agricultural Systems Policy (AWARD-GRASP) and the Gender Responsive Researchers Equipped for Agricultural Transformation (GREAT). She seeks to apply her gender-mainstreaming learnings, gender-responsive research, and policy development, and review expertise to facilitate women, youth, children, and vulnerable social group’s access to and adoption of agricultural Innovations that guarantee food, nutrition, income, and livelihood security in Africa. Her current roles include mentoring research fellows, development of guides and training manuals, implementation and adaptation of gender frameworks and tools, value chain actors’ engagement as citizen science partners, policy review and redesign, data management, and analysis. Her current research explores mixed methods and participatory and interdisciplinary approaches to capture and highlight gender dynamics, needs, preferences, and challenges stakeholders face within the agricultural livelihood value chain to prioritize gender-inclusive strategies in breeding programs, policy design, and implementation.
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