International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is a leading agricultural research-for-development (R4D) organization and a member of the CGIAR Consortium, dedicated to addressing hunger, poverty, and natural resource degradation in sub-Saharan Africa. Since 1967, IITA has combined cutting-edge science with practical interventions to enhance food security, strengthen livelihoods, and foster sustainable agricultural systems.

The Kenya Hub, located in Nairobi with regional activities across Eastern Africa, focuses on priority crops including banana, plantain, yam, cassava, soybean, maize, and cowpea. IITA Kenya develops and deploys advanced biotechnologies, improved seed varieties, digital farming tools, and soil health interventions to increase productivity, combat malnutrition, and empower farmers. Notable innovations include AflasafeKE01, a biological product to reduce aflatoxin contamination; improved banana and yam varieties; and high-yield, stress-tolerant soybean and maize cultivars.

The Hub also emphasizes capacity building, having trained over 300 researchers in genome editing and supported postgraduate research in nematology, soil health, and plant breeding. Through strategic partnerships with government agencies (e.g., KALRO, KEPHIS), universities, NGOs, private sector firms, and farmer organizations, IITA facilitates the adoption of research outputs at scale, strengthens value chains, and promotes climate-smart, sustainable farming practices.

Programs such as the Youth Agripreneurs initiative and the Business Incubation Platform (BIP) stimulate agribusiness opportunities for young people, enhancing market access and economic empowerment. Guided by its vision of being the lead research partner for tropical agriculture, IITA Kenya combines scientific excellence with actionable solutions to drive inclusive agricultural transformation across the region.