The global population is expected to explode over the next few decades, endangering life on earth as we know it. There are 805 million malnourished people in the world, and the overall population will reach an estimated nine billion by 2050. How will we feed everyone? The Institute of Tropical Agriculture, or IITA, believes it has the answer – Africa. The continent has a massive amount of land under cultivation, but it yields only 20 to 30 percent of its potential. Smallholder farmers, the backbone of food production in Africa, struggle with protecting their crops from disease and pests, obtaining quality seeds, and getting their product to market. IITA is working to change this. Their research in areas like crop improvement and disease control could help African farmers double or triple their yields, which potentially could save the world from famine. What’s more, IITA is committed to increasing these yields in environmentally conscious ways – in other words, growing more food without destroying anymore of the planet. Now celebrating its 50th anniversary, IITA has become a leading partner in finding solutions to malnutrition, hunger, and environmental degradation across the globe.
