Tapping opportunities in Nigeria for high-end agricultural research

Dr Peter Carberry, Director General, ICRISAT (center), in traditional attire offered by elders of Gwarmai village with Smart Food
Ambassadors and Dr Hakeem Ajeigbe, ICRISAT Country Representative for Nigeria. Photo: ICRISAT

Dr Peter Carberry, Director General, ICRISAT, recently interacted with an inspirational women’s group involved in processing sorghum and groundnut into a range of products. During the meeting in Gwarmai village, Nigeria, the group demonstrated traditional and improved groundnut oil processing and small ruminant sheds.

Dr Carberry exchanged ideas and reaffirmed alliances with several stakeholders and institutional partners during this visit. “Nigeria is a huge country with great opportunities as well as challenges for agriculture that need R4D inputs and significant donor funding,”  Dr Carberry said, while meeting Dr Nteranya Sanginga, Director General, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). The discussions were about strengthening ICRISAT-IITA collaboration in the Sahel.

Dr Carberry also interacted with representatives of the Irish Embassy, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, USAID, International Fertilizer Development Center, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and FAO. During these meetings, Dr Carberry proposed integrating crop and livestock interventions to manage recurrent conflicts, access to and overuse of resources.

The Minjibir Research Farms of the Institute of Agricultural Research, Kano, provide an opportunity to look at ICRISAT’s long-term research work on conservation agriculture and sorghum improvement. Opportunities include livestock feed preparation with stalks, groundnut haulms and supplements.

Dr Carberry said, “ICRISAT in Nigeria is very well-placed to deliver on its breeding mandate and systems research in the semi-arid region. What is needed is a boost to this presence with additional resources.”