On 16 January 2025, a 19-member team from the Nigerian Association of Women in Agriculture (NAWIA), in collaboration with the Society of Underutilized Legumes (SUL), visited IITA–CGIAR. The courtesy visit aimed to deepen their understanding and explore the integration of underutilized legumes for potential product development. Idayat Ibrahim-Raji, Osun State Coordinator NAWAI along with Prof Kehinde Soetan, SUL-National Vice President representing SUL president, Dr Taofeek Adegboyega led the NAWIA team to IITA’s Genetic Resources Centre (GRC).
During the visit, Dr Olaniyi Oyatomi IITA-GRC Seed Manager and SUL Linkage Officer received the team on behalf of Head of IITA-GRC Prof Micheal Abberton, and gave the NAWIA team a tour of the Genetic Resources Centre. He provided insights into the vast collection of accessions of various underutilized legumes preserved by the Centre. Dr Oyatomi also explained the different storage methodologies employed in ensuring the long-term viability of the collection. Oyeyemi Olayemi from the Tissue Culture Laboratory highlighted the role of tissue culture in the conservation of genetic resources. He explained how tissue culture techniques are employed to propagate and preserve plant species and how this can also be used for underutilized legumes to ensure their availability for future research and development.
Michael Adesokan and Gregory Nwaoliwe from the Food and Nutrition Laboratory briefed the team on ongoing nutrition research and how IITA’s efforts is contributing to nutrition by incorporating underutilized legumes, such as Bambara groundnut and soybean, into various food products. These crops, known for their high protein content, are being explored to significantly improvethe nutritional value of food, offering great potential for widespread dietary benefits.
The visit marks a significant step towards fostering collaboration and innovation in agriculture, particularly in the use of underutilized legumes to boost nutrition and food security while emphasizing NAWIA’s commitment to promoting agricultural innovation and nutrition value addition by adopting underutilized legumes.
NAWAI’s objective aligns with IITA’s goal in strengthening food and nutrition security in Nigeria and Africa.
Contributed by Kafilat Odesola
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