{"id":16414,"date":"2026-06-20T12:50:55","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T12:50:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.iita.org\/news-item\/agbiome-officials-seek-collaboration-sign-mou-with-iita\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T19:30:43","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T19:30:43","slug":"agbiome-officials-seek-collaboration-sign-mou-with-iita","status":"publish","type":"news-item","link":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/news-item\/agbiome-officials-seek-collaboration-sign-mou-with-iita\/","title":{"rendered":"AgBiome officials seek collaboration, sign MoU with IITA"},"content":{"rendered":"Drs\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/agbiome.com\/vadim-beilinson\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Vadim Beilinson<\/a>\u00a0et\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/agbiome.com\/lee-simmons\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lee Simmons<\/a>, representatives from\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/agbiome.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">AgBiome Inc<\/a>. of North Carolina, USA, paid a courtesy visit to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">IITA<\/a>\u00a0on 18\u201319 January to seek opportunities for collaboration. The delegation was received by Director R4D, IITA West Africa,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/iita-staff\/asiedu-robert\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Robert Asiedu<\/a>, YIIFSWA project lead\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/iita-staff\/maroya-norbert\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Norbert Maroya<\/a>, and AfricaYam project lead\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/iita-staff\/de-koeyer-david\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">David De Koeyer<\/a>. Asiedu gave an overview of IITA\u2019s activities and achievements over the past 50 years and highlighted the importance of partnership with organizations that seek to improve agriculture \u201cin all its ramifications.\u201d\n<div id=\"attachment_3238\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 772px\">\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1024_Visit-of-AgBiome-Scientist_JAN2018-31.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3238\" src=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1024_Visit-of-AgBiome-Scientist_JAN2018-31.jpg\" alt=\"Picture of Dr Lee Simmons of Agbiome making a presentation.\" width=\"772\" height=\"406\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3238\" \/><\/a>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-3238\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dr Lee Simmons of Agbiome making a presentation.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\nThe visit was arranged to establish collaboration with IITA principally in sample collection to discover new and potentially beneficial microorganisms that would control nematodes in yam for medium and smallholder farmers, and also to benefit from IITA\u2019s expertise in developing AgBiome to be the world\u2019s leading agricultural biotech company.\n\nSimmons stated: \u201cTo have on-the-ground expertise and knowledge required for production systems, locating the best places for sampling and, more importantly, the dissemination of that information to get back to producers and end-users, cannot be achieved without collaborating with an established organization like IITA.\u201d In addition, Beilinson pointed out that since yam is a major food crop, \u201cits massive losses are known and the control measures are limited, so we see this collaboration as tremendous in transforming yam production, and by extension, other food crops with similar difficulties, by making products that will help farmers combat many of the most important unsolved problems in agriculture, including insects, nematodes, and diseases.\u201d\n\nAfter a tour of IITA, which included the yam breeding fields and storage facilities, the yam aeroponics system and vine nursery, and the nematology laboratory, Simmons commented: \u201cThis is extraordinarily impressive. There is no doubt we have come to the right place for the partnership.\u201d\n<div id=\"attachment_3239\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 1194px\">\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1024_Visit-of-AgBiome-Scientist_JAN2018-32.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3239\" src=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1024_Visit-of-AgBiome-Scientist_JAN2018-32.jpg\" alt=\"Picture of AgBiome representatives with some IITA staff led by Dr Robert Asiedu, middle (in blue long-sleeved shirt).\" width=\"1194\" height=\"652\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3239\" \/><\/a>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-3239\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">AgBiome representatives with some IITA staff led by Dr Robert Asiedu, middle (in blue long-sleeved shirt).<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\nAgBiome is a private biotechnology company and uses new knowledge of the plant-associated microbiome to create innovative products for agriculture.","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Drs Vadim Beilinson and Lee Simmons, representatives from AgBiome Inc. of North Carolina, USA, paid a courtesy visit to IITA on 18\u201319 January to seek opportunities for collaboration.<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":16415,"template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"tags":[],"science-area":[],"program":[],"location":[32],"news-type":[],"hub":[61],"crop":[],"impact-areas":[],"item-year":[196],"class_list":["post-16414","news-item","type-news-item","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","location-nigeria","hub-western-africa","item-year-196"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - 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