Breeding
Delivering Breakthrough Products for Africa's Food Systems
responsive to the needs of farmers, consumers, and markets across Africa.
The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Breeding Program is a global leader in crop improvement, delivering innovative, science-based solutions that enhance food security, nutrition, climate resilience, and livelihoods across sub-Saharan Africa. Through breeding programs in cassava, cowpea, maize, soybean, yam, banana, plantain, and Bambara groundnut, IITA develops high-performing, market-preferred varieties that respond to the evolving needs of farmers, consumers, processors, and agribusinesses. By integrating conventional breeding with cutting-edge technologies, including genomics, molecular breeding, digital phenotyping, artificial intelligence, and advanced data analytics, IITA is accelerating genetic gain and reducing the time required to deliver improved varieties to farmers.
Guided by a demand-driven and product-oriented breeding strategy, IITA places farmers, consumers, and markets at the center of innovation. The program develops superior crop varieties that combine high yield potential with resistance to pests and diseases, resilience to drought and heat stress, enhanced nutritional quality, and traits that meet the evolving needs of consumers, processors, and industry. IITA’s robust breeding pipelines are underpinned by modern breeding information systems, genomic prediction, optimized trial networks, digital phenotyping, and rigorous multi-environment testing. Together, these integrated technologies enable data-driven decision-making, accelerate genetic gain, and ensure that only the most outstanding, high-impact varieties progress through the breeding pipeline to release, commercialization, and widespread adoption by farmers.
Collaboration is at the heart of IITA Breeding’s success. By working closely with National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS), CGIAR centers, universities, seed companies, governments, and development partners, IITA strengthens breeding capacity, accelerates the development and delivery of breakthrough products, and supports the growth of vibrant and sustainable seed systems across Africa. Beyond crop improvement, IITA’s breeding programs are cultivating the next generation of plant breeders, advancing scientific discovery, and fostering strategic partnerships that translate research into tangible impact. Through this integrated and collaborative approach, IITA Breeding is driving the development of resilient, productive, and sustainable agrifood systems that enhance food and nutrition security, improve the livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers, and contribute to Africa’s long-term agricultural transformation.
