Delegates from the Government of Madagascar, headed by Mrs Fanjaniaina Raharinomena, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture, representing His Excellency, Xarifiid Ramilison, the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, visited IITA from 23 to 28 February. Mrs Raharinomena was accompanied by the National Deputy Coordinator of Enable Youth, the Coordinator of DEFIS, the Director of the Organization of Farmers, and the National Coordinator of a program supporting SMEs in agriculture, all in Madagascar. The week-long visit included a tour of IITA facilities and familiarization with IITA technologies, innovations, and initiatives.
The team was received by Hilde Koper, Deputy Director General, Corporate Services; Kenton Dashiell, Deputy Director General, Partnerships for Delivery; Michael Abberton, Director West Africa and Head of IITA Genetic Resources and Bioscience Center; Sougrynoma Zaïnatou Soré, Head Capacity Development Office; Victor Manyong, Emeritus Director; Leena Tripathi, IITA Director East Africa; Ranjana Bhattacharjee, Molecular Geneticist; Toyin Oke, Manager Resource Mobilization, Protocol & External Liaison Unit, and others.
The visit was expedient following the recent cyclone attack in Madagascar, the African Union (AU) regulation banning some of the trade products of Madagascar, the high cost of fertilizer and farm inputs, and raging drought and famine in some regions of the country. Convening the message of the Ministry of Agriculture in Madagascar, Raharinomena said, “There is an urgency in the agricultural needs of the country because of the cyclone, so we seek to work closely with IITA to see how your experience can benefit our country.”
At the Bioscience and Genetic Resources Center, the delegates learned of the processes of diseases identification, isolation, and tools engaged in making predictions for well-adapted varieties in particular environments. Responding to one of the delegate’s requests for good seed systems and better ways of accessing improved varieties in Madagascar, Abberton said, “We have experience in sending germplasms in regions where agriculture has been disturbed.”
They also visited IITA’s Food Science and Nutrition Laboratory, Cassava Processing Unit, Business Incubation Platform (BIP), Water Treatment Plant, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), and the Semi-Autotrophic Hydroponics (SAH) technology for cassava seed propagation, among others. One delegate highlighted the current yield of groundnut production in Madagascar to be 0.8–1 t/ha, which is very low, and maize, 1–1.2 t/ha. He requested climate-smart technology adaptable to Madagascar, especially with groundnut and maize. They also sought the development of seed systems for rice, cassava, sorghum, millet, sweet potato, small ruminants, and cows, many of which IITA has a wealth of expertise in.
The IITA scientists and research experts shared their knowledge and expertise to meet the goals of the delegates. Many solutions were proposed as strategies for strengthening agriculture in Madagascar. Some are: the development of high-performance varieties, that is, disease-resistant seeds that can also withstand climatic hazards and droughts, capacity development and technology transfer, assistance with the transfer and receipt of phytosanitary products, rapid multiplication of healthy plant materials, development of cassava processing project, irrigation systems, and development of yield improvement technologies.
Seeking solutions in livestock and plant production, the current transitioning to one CGIAR proves helpful. The Malagasy government will leverage both plant and animal technologies developed by different centers in the One CGIAR for adoption. Tripathi said, “With the One CGIAR, other institutions like ILRI—the CGIAR center working on livestock—and IITA working on plants, will work together to provide an all-round solution to Madagascar agricultural needs. From Madagascar, the CGIAR centers have made proposals to the World Bank while working closely with the government and private institutions on improving agriculture and livelihood in Madagascar.”
In seeking collaboration for the youth in Madagascar from various sponsors and international institutions, the presentations on youth engagement in agriculture from Adetola Adenmosun, Acting Head, Youth in Agribusiness, and Aline Mugisho, Executive Manager, Innovative Youth in Agriculture Project (I-Youth), were helpful. The I-Youth Project sponsored by the Mastercard Foundation, the Start Them Early Program (STEP), the Enable-TAAT project funded by the African Development Bank, and an IFAD-funded program for rural youth, were highlighted. The delegates were encouraged to empower their youth by replicating these programs adapted for youth in Madagascar.
The visit was not without immediate direct benefits to IITA, who also received support for ongoing and intended seed collections and genetic sequencing work in Madagascar. Bhattacharjee gained connections to work on the cocoa value chain in Madagascar and prospects for future genetic sequencing work on yam species in Madagascar.
Contributed by Folake Oduntan
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