Crop Innovation in West Africa (CIWA)

A regionally coordinated approach to the development and dissemination of crop innovations that are key to smallholder farmers and rural populations of West Africa

Changing demographics, climate change and environmental conditions are serious threats to smallholder agriculture in West Africa. The Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles (ISRA) in Senegal, Institut de l’Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles (INERA) in Burkina Faso and the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique du Niger (INRAN) in Niger bring their expertise together to form CIWA and accelerate the development of climate smart varieties of sorghum, pearl millet and cowpea. Their coordinated efforts will deliver productivity gains in the target crops that will underpin food and nutrition security, resilience and economic growth in West Africa.

Recognizing that sorghum, pearl millet and cowpea have historically been under-resourced at the national program level, CIWA is in a unique position to make progress at multiple levels with farmers and consumers, value chains and regional advancement in research, economic growth, job creation and gender equity.

CIWA’s efforts in crop improvement will lead to enhanced food and nutrition security across the rural populations of West Africa through improved agricultural productivity and overall economic development with a unique commitment to gender and social inclusion. Following a demand-led breeding approach, CIWA will use innovative breeding techniques and genomic tools to increase rates of genetic gain and advance the release of market-ready varieties of sorghum, pearl millet and cowpea.