IITA Launches Programme to Promote Nutrition

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The International Institute for Tropical Agriculture, IITA has launched a new platform for women called “Smart Mother” to give women a voice in nutrition. It also unveiled what it called the largest nutritious cassava dish in the world.

The programme was launched at the 2018 IITA Annual Food Fair, which took place at the Landmark Event Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The Food Fair, which lasted from November 7 to 9 was conceived as an umbrella advocacy, enterprise platform and aims to drive the production, marketing and consumption of nutritious food in Nigeria.

Paul Ilona Country Manager for HarvestPlus said: “Today’s food is highly essential for tomorrow’s growth and we must begin to connect the dots between food, health, and GDP for Nigeria.”

Nutritious food products were displayed by participants who attended the event to build up entrepreneurial skills and linkages, identify and network with new partners, discuss new brands to boost marketing, and participate in competitions targeted at promoting the consumption of nutritious foods by Nigerians. Participants included farmers, processors, marketers, and consumers of nutritious foods as well as food industries, seed companies, input dealers, research institutions, and students.

Some of the baked goods exhibited by IITA at the event include yam and banana composite-cake and bread and cassava composite-doughnuts, pizza, chin-chin, bread rolls, and queen cakes. Also, information, education, and communication materials on strategic technologies being promoted by IITA as well as booklets about IITA Youth Agripreneurs were handed to visitors to the IITA exhibition stand. Some of the participants requested for contacts and information on how they can be trained on yam and cassava by-product development.