Lagos, Nigeria (PANA) – Researchers have called for more concerted efforts to tackle the menace of weeds and the rejuvenation of the weeds science programme in Africa, as a way of tackling the problem affecting cassava farmers.
According to a statement from the Nigeria-based International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), the researchers, who are members of the Steering Committee of the research institute’s Cassava Weed Management Project, made the suggestion at the end of a conference.
They were unanimous that unless the problem of weed infestation on farmers’ field is addressed, Africa will not maximise the gains of crop improvement.
Research institutes across Africa are also called upon to learn from the example of the IITA, which has invested heavily in weed science and placed it in the front burner.
Under the new research focus, IITA is committed to reviving its weed management research; rehabilitating an office building, procuring equipment and hiring more staff.
According to the statement, the renewed attention to weed science management will help in meeting the goal of increasing cassava productivity for at least 125,000 Nigerian farm families through the provision of labour-saving solutions for cassava weeding, which is usually done by women and children.
The researchers suggested that graduate students be involved in the Cassava Weed Management Project in order to develop the critical human capital that would take research on weed science forward, considering the fact that current weed scientists in Africa were aging.
Nigeria is the highest producer of cassava globally, and weed is considered one of the major problems inhibiting increased production of cassava, whose by-products provide staple food for millions of households across Africa.
Photo: IITA
