• About
  • Become a Climate Reporter
  • Send Us Your Report
  • Submit A News
  • Support Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
Tuesday, October 7, 2025
NEWSLETTER
Africa Climate Reports
No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
  • CLIMATE CHANGE
  • SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
  • FOOD
  • FOREST
  • ENERGY
  • WASH
  • LAND
  • OTHERS
    • FINANCE
    • HEALTH
    • OCEANS
    • TOP STORIES
    • MOST POPULAR
    • COLUMNISTS
    • INTERVIEWS
    • OPINIONS
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEOS
Africa Climate Reports
  • HOME
  • CLIMATE CHANGE
  • SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
  • FOOD
  • FOREST
  • ENERGY
  • WASH
  • LAND
  • OTHERS
    • FINANCE
    • HEALTH
    • OCEANS
    • TOP STORIES
    • MOST POPULAR
    • COLUMNISTS
    • INTERVIEWS
    • OPINIONS
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEOS
No Result
View All Result
Africa Climate Reports
No Result
View All Result

ICRISAT awarded 2021 Africa Food Prize

by Jiata Ekele
September 9, 2021
in BREAKING NEWS, FOOD
0
Home BREAKING NEWS
0
SHARES
2
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Photo of Dr Jacqueline d’Arros Hughes, Director General, ICRISAT who accepted the award virtually.

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has been awarded the 2021 Africa Food Prize, for work that has improved food security across 13 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

ICRISAT, a CGIAR Research Center, is a non-profit, non-political public international research organization that conducts agricultural research for development in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa with a wide array of partners throughout the world.

Between 2007 and 2019, ICRISAT led a collaboration of partners to deliver the Tropical Legumes Project. The project, undertaken together with the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), developed 266 improved legume varieties and almost half a million tons of seed for a range of legume crops, including cowpeas, pigeon peas, chickpea, common bean, groundnut, and soybean.

These new varieties have helped over 25 million smallholder farmers become more resilient to climate change, as well as pest and disease outbreaks.

RelatedPosts

Tanzania: TAAT and partners Showcase Scalable Solutions for Africa’s Grain Challenges

Le Bénin relance des projets pour l’utilisation de l’énergie solaire

In addition to these new varieties, the project trained 52 scientists, who are already working in national research institutes across the continent.

Training these next generation scientists in the countries where the projects were implemented, has helped strengthen the research capacity of national agricultural research systems in Africa and contributed to sustaining the gains the projects have made.

Congratulating the winner, H.E. Olusegun Obasanjo, the Chair of the Africa Food Prize Committee and former President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, said: “ICRISAT’s leadership in developing seeds that not only end malnutrition but also survive in semi-arid areas is inspiring other agricultural organisations to rethink seed development and farming practices that suit and solve Africa’s agricultural challenges.”

His Excellency Olusegun Obasanjo, Chair of the Africa Food Prize Committee and former President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, announcing ICRISAT as the Africa Food Prize 2021 laureate at the media briefing during the Africa Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) 2021 Summit.

“Their work is also important as it provides an inclusive approach that supports the whole agricultural value chain, from farm to fork, providing farmers with farming tools and a market for their produce,’’ he said.

Accepting the award, Dr. Jacqueline d’Arros Hughes, ICRISAT Director General, said the Institute’s work spanned the entire value chain, from high-end genomics to markets and agri-business in dryland cropping systems.

“We also empower women and attract youth back to agriculture using the latest tools and technologies available to make farming profitable.

“The Africa Food Prize is a major accolade and recognition of ICRISAT’s work in Africa and reinforces our belief that agriculture can be profitable for smallholder farmers. It is also testament to the work of our close collaborators, the national agriculture research and extension systems, without whose support this would not have been possible.

“We dedicate this award to the smallholder farmers in the drylands of Africa, as they are the ones who inspire us with their patience and perseverance in the face of adversity,” said Dr. Hughes.

Dryland ecosystems cover 45 per cent of Africa’s landmass and feed and support almost half a billion people. However, these systems are fragile and prone to the effects of climate change and environmental degradation.

Programs like the Tropical Legumes projects help the millions of smallholder farmers relying on drylands ecosystems to grow more food and become more resilient in the face of climate change.

The project has been implemented in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.

The Africa Food Prize recognizes outstanding African individuals and institutions leading efforts in the following areas: transformation of Africa’s foods systems; promotion of sustainable agricultural practices; support for smallholder farmers to raise incomes; resilience in the wake of climate change impacts; and access to high quality agricultural inputs, knowledge, and equipment.

The award, that includes a $100,000 prize, celebrates those changing the reality of farming in Africa from a struggle practice to a business that lifts communities out of poverty.

Key impacts of the Tropical Legume Project

  • Groundnut crop interventions demonstrated 32.35% increase in income, 6.72% households lifted out of poverty and 14% out of food insecurity.
  • Ten groundnut varieties, including six high-yielding, drought-tolerant ones and four ELS (Early Leaf Spot) resistant, released in Mali.
  • Seven groundnut varieties, with traits such as aflatoxin tolerance, early maturing, drought tolerance etc. released.
  • In India, chickpea national program on developing improved varieties resulted in area enhancement up to 68%.
  • Chickpea program in Ethiopia won a national award in 2013 for science and innovation.
  • Seven-fold increase in number of improved common bean variety releases from 2011 to 2018.
Tags: Africa Food PrizeCGIARCIATclimate changeFood SecurityICRISATIITA
ShareTweetSendShare
Jiata Ekele

Jiata Ekele

Jiata Ekele is a Staff Writer at the Africa Climate Reports (ACR).

Related Posts

Tanzania: TAAT and partners Showcase Scalable Solutions for Africa’s Grain Challenges
CLIMATE CHANGE

Tanzania: TAAT and partners Showcase Scalable Solutions for Africa’s Grain Challenges

October 3, 2025

By Deborah Olaoluwa The Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) and partners led by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture...

Le Bénin relance des projets pour l’utilisation de l’énergie solaire
BREAKING NEWS

Le Bénin relance des projets pour l’utilisation de l’énergie solaire

October 4, 2025

La centrale solaire en construction à Bohicon au Bénin par le MCA Millenium Challenge Account. Image de Hyacinthe Goueti fournie...

Next Post
ICRISAT awarded 2021 Africa Food Prize

ICRISAT reçoit le Prix Africain de l'alimentation 2021

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Recommended

Four major Earth system components are losing stability

Four major Earth system components are losing stability

5 days ago
Tanzania: TAAT and partners Showcase Scalable Solutions for Africa’s Grain Challenges

Tanzania: TAAT and partners Showcase Scalable Solutions for Africa’s Grain Challenges

6 days ago
Le Bénin relance des projets pour l’utilisation de l’énergie solaire

Le Bénin relance des projets pour l’utilisation de l’énergie solaire

1 week ago
Belém: Countries set new climate targets ahead of COP30

Belém: Countries set new climate targets ahead of COP30

1 week ago
Eco-Bénin: 25 ans consacrés à la nature

Eco-Bénin: 25 ans consacrés à la nature

2 weeks ago
A group photo of African leaders at the Mission 300 event on the sidelines of the 80th UNGA

Ethiopia joins Mission 300 Compact to expand Africa’s power access

2 weeks ago

Popular News

    Social Media

    ABOUT US

    Africa Climate Reports is Africa’s first and largest bilingual journal dedicated to opening new vistas in the coverage and reportage of climate change and the region’s environment. With a multi-lingual team of talented reporters from across the continent, we tell the African climate story in a refreshingly lucid, communally engaging and technically robust manner.

    SITE LINK

    • About
    • Advertise
    • Careers

    OTHER LINKS

    • About
    • Become a Climate Reporter
    • Send Us Your Report
    • Submit A News
    • Support Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us

    NEWSLETTER

    Be the first to get notified when we have something new to share. Get Africa Climate Reports newsletter directly into your email.
    we promise not to spam you!
    • About
    • Advertise
    • Careers

    © 2024 All Rights Reserved- Africa Climate Report - Designed by Prexy

    No Result
    View All Result
    • HOME
    • CLIMATE CHANGE
    • SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
    • FOOD
    • FOREST
    • ENERGY
    • WASH
    • LAND
    • OTHERS
      • FINANCE
      • HEALTH
      • OCEANS
      • TOP STORIES
      • MOST POPULAR
      • COLUMNISTS
      • INTERVIEWS
      • OPINIONS
      • PHOTOS
      • VIDEOS

    © 2024 All Rights Reserved- Africa Climate Report - Designed by Prexy