{"id":18568,"date":"2026-06-20T13:06:46","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T13:06:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.iita.org\/news-item\/iita-and-bayer-launch-groundbreaking-research-collaboration-to-transform-african-agriculture\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T16:44:45","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T16:44:45","slug":"iita-and-bayer-launch-groundbreaking-research-collaboration-to-transform-african-agriculture","status":"publish","type":"news-item","link":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/news-item\/iita-and-bayer-launch-groundbreaking-research-collaboration-to-transform-african-agriculture\/","title":{"rendered":"IITA and Bayer Launch Groundbreaking Research Collaboration to Transform African Agriculture"},"content":{"rendered":"\"\"<\/a>\n
Multi-year partnership aims to strengthen breeding capacity and deliver breakthrough crop varieties for 30 million smallholder farmers across sub-Saharan Africa<\/strong><\/blockquote>\nIBADAN, Nigeria \/ ST. LOUIS, Missouri \u2013 20 April \u00a02026<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and Bayer today announced a comprehensive research collaboration agreement focused on accelerating agricultural innovation and building scientific capacity across sub-Saharan Africa. The partnership, which runs through 2028, will combine IITA’s globally recognized expertise in tropical crop improvement and smallholder farming systems \u00a0with Bayer’s global breeding technologies to develop climate-resilient, high-yielding, nutrient-dense crop varieties tailored to smallholder farming systems.\n\nThe collaboration targets seven priority crops \u00a0critical to African food systems and livelihoods—maize, soybean, cowpea, cassava, yam, banana and plantain, and Bambara groundnut\u2014with the shared objective of delivering varieties that achieve a minimum 25% yield advantage in farmers’ fields. This ambitious goal directly supports critical Sustainable Development Goals including food security, poverty reduction, improved nutrition, and climate adaptation. \u00a0It is also aligned with the Gates Foundation\u2019s goal: Enabling hundreds of millions of people to break from poverty, putting more countries on the path to prosperity.\u201d\n\n“This partnership represents a powerful model of co-innovation between the public and private sectors to address Africa’s most pressing agricultural challenges,” said\u00a0Dr Bernard Vanlauwe, IITA Deputy Director General for Research for Development<\/strong>. “IITA brings decades of leadership in crop breeding, biotechnology, and farmer-centered research. By combining complementary strengths, we are accelerating the development of next-generation crop varieties while further strengthening scientific excellence across the continent. ”\n\nThe collaboration encompasses three strategic pillars:\n\nPeople Development:<\/strong>\u00a0 Through structured training and knowledge exchange, the partnership will deepen IITA\u2019s expertise in genomic selection, molecular breeding, biotechnology integration with breeding, and data-driven decision-making. The initiative reinforces IITA\u2019s role in developing a strong pipeline of skilled professionals capable of driving sustained agricultural innovation.\n\nEnabling Capabilities:<\/strong>\u00a0Building on IITA\u2019s established breeding networks, the partnership will strengthen IITA’s capacity in digital phenotyping, statistical modeling, and centralized breeding operations, enhancing the precision and efficiency of crop performance evaluation and variety development.\n\nBreakthrough Products:<\/strong>\u00a0Joint efforts will focus on developing transformative crop varieties including biotech maize for West Africa, rust-resistant Asian soybean varieties, gene-edited insect-resistant cowpea, and disease-resistant banana breeding lines.\n\n“Bayer is committed to supporting 100 million smallholder farmers in developing nations by 2030,” said\u00a0Dr.JD Rossouw, Senior Vice President and Plant Breeding Lead at Bayer<\/strong>. “This collaboration with IITA exemplifies our dedication to building local capacity and co-creating solutions that deliver real impact for farming communities. By sharing our expertise and technologies, we’re helping accelerate the development of varieties that farmers need to thrive in changing climates.”\n\nThe partnership will provide up to $1.2 million in in-kind support from Bayer, including technical advisory services, training platforms, and access to advanced breeding tools. IITA will serve as the primary implementer, leveraging its research infrastructure and regional networks, with support from Gates Foundation through the Genetic Innovations Public-Private Partnerships platform.\n\nKey innovation areas include:\n