Climate Action
Why Climate Change Matters
to Us
Climate change is one of the most urgent threats facing food and nutrition security in Africa. Rising temperatures, unpredictable rainfall, extreme weather events, and land degradation are eroding hard-won gains in agricultural productivity and rural development. Smallholder farmers—especially women, youth, and those in fragile or conflict-affected regions—are on the frontline of this crisis.
SPOTLIGHT
A multidisciplinary evidence base for climate-smart cocoa production
Key Projects and Initiatives
Impact at a Glance
CSA adoption
Ghana study shows CSA adoption (drought maize + row planting) improves yield & farmer welfare (AICCRA Impact Brief, 2023).
Improved soybean & cowpea varieties
Improved soybean & cowpea varieties delivered continent-wide—pest resistant, early-maturing (IITA Variety Catalogue, 2021).
Climate-Smart Delivery
Climate-adaptive maize varieties launched with CIMMYT across Sub-Saharan Africa (CGIAR Maize Program, 2022).
9 yam varieties
9 yam varieties distributed in Nigeria since 2023 to boost climate-resilient planting (IITA News Update, 2023).
5 cassava varieties
5 cassava varieties released in 2020 via genomic breeding for resilience and disease tolerance (IITA Press Release, 2020).
Tanzanian farmers trained
1,000+ Tanzanian farmers trained in climate-smart practices; 40% women (IITA Tanzania CSA Programme, 2022).
Publications
AICCRA ESMP: Regional Hub for Fertilizer & Soil Health in West Africa
Mixed farming systems: a pathway to improved food security and incomes of smallholder farmers in Malawi
Related News
See all news

Côte d’Ivoire secures climate finance to support smallholder farmers to adapt to climate change
Farmers in Côte d’Ivoire’s Central regions face rising temperatures, unpredictable rainfall, floods, and climate-driven pests that are putting pressure on the staple crops — rice, cassava, and yam — crops

Decades of collaboration advances breeding efforts in high-yielding aflatoxin-resistant maize
The collaboration between IITA’s Maize Improvement Program, Pathology and Mycotoxin/Aflasafe Unit, and the University of

Climate-smart agriculture strengthens food security among Mali’s smallholder farmers
Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices could play an important role in strengthening food security and improving
Our Team