IITA has been commended for its role in promoting improved nutrition and global food security through the engagement of youth in agriculture at a conference organized by the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) tagged “Emerging technologies for Global Food Security,” held in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, 19–21 June.
The conference began with a welcome address from Dr Maurice Moloney, Executive Director and CEO of GIFS, Canada, who gave a summary of what should be expected from the event. Scientists and researchers from institutions around the world, including the University of Saskatoon, Cambridge University, the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), the International Potato Center (CIP), the University of California, Davis (UC Davis), and other organizations, delivered presentations on advanced technologies in the world of genetics and plant breeding.
During his presentation, IITA Director General Nteranya Sanginga emphasized the need for the world to engage the youth in the dissemination of science and research to ensure that the results of research conducted in laboratories reach the rural farmers and other grassroots users of the technologies.
Sanginga related that the intervention of IITA in the research and production of Aflasafe under its Business Incubation Platform (BIP) has addressed the aflatoxin risk, which has resulted in many fatalities in some African countries. He added that many countries have bought into the IITA-initiated innovation, which is now becoming a private sector-driven initiative to increase production and meet up with the dem and for Aflasafe.
Also speaking on the role of IITA in reducing youth unemployment in Africa, Sanginga stressed that IITA’s engagement of unemployed graduates in agriculture has yielded a positive result as many of the youth trained under the IITA Youth Agripreneurs (IYA) initiative have embraced agriculture as a business.
He explained how the youth who were from different academic backgrounds were taken through a series of training to develop skills in agriculture and business development. They were also provided with training along various agricultural value chains, mentored and coached on business management skills, and provided with start-up capital after developing bankable business plans, which had been vetted by business experts.
Many of the nutrition and research initiatives conducted in IITA are being out-scaled on a commercial basis by the youth.
This initiative, which has resulted in the birth of agribusiness enterprises, has created jobs and employment for many others. He stressed that the youth, through developing proposals for projects, have trained other youth across Africa.
Also speaking on the impact of the training and incubation program of IYA at the conference, an IYA representative, Molayo Owoeye, said that through partnerships with organizations like Chevron Nigeria Limited, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the African Development Bank (AfDB), IYA has extended the impact and benefits of agribusiness to unemployed youth in multiple locations across Africa.
She explained that the youth developed proposals, which were submitted to these organizations seeking partnerships on training and empowerment of youth in lucrative value chains. After the training and incubation programs, the youth were provided with starter kits to establish sustainable agribusiness enterprises.
She added that IYA will also be playing a crucial role in the implementation of the ENABLE-TAAT program. Through this, more youth will be trained under the agribusiness incubation program to produce more CEOs that would manage businesses.
GIFS was founded to perform research that will help to deliver transformative innovations in agriculture to both developed and developing countries. GIFS helps in creating technologies that will have commercial utility with the aim of achieving global food security.
The purpose of the conference was to share innovative knowledge and creative technology, and make critical connections needed to address global food security. About 350 scientists, policy makers, and entrepreneurs from around the world attended the conference including the emeritus Board Chair of IITA, Dr Bruce Coulman, and the chairman of the Advisory Council of BIP and member of the Board, Mr Hans Johr.
The DG also went on a tour of the University of Saskatchewan and the Pulse Laboratory. The University of Saskatchewan (U of S) is a Canadian public research university founded in 1907. The university began as an agricultural college and established the first Canadian university-based department of extension in 1910. The DG visited the Mechanization unit, Malting Lab, Pulse Lab, and the Baking Lab.
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