ibironkeeniola 
The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has made provisions for the training of 30,000 farmers from Abia, Benue, Oyo, Ogun and Osun states, on the Six Steps to Cassava Weed Management and Best Planting Practices.
According to the IITA Director for Development & Delivery, Dr. Alfred Dixon, the toolkit is an innovation that recommends agronomic and plant protection products to control weeds and increase the productivity of cassava.
“The idea is to get the recommendations to thousands of farmers across Nigeria and Tanzania so they can get a better yield from cassava farming,” Dixon emphasized.
On his part, the African Cassava Agronomy Initiative (ACAI) Digital Extension & Advisory Services Specialist, Godwin Atser said that empowerment is aimed at educating the farmers on adequate techniques to increase cassava and maize productivity and yield per hectare.
In collaboration with the State Agricultural Developments Programs (ADPs) and other extension service providers, the training has ensured the successful dissemination of the Six Steps to Cassava Weed Management and Best Planting Practices tool, by creating videos that are translated into different local languages.
The Six Steps to Cassava Weed Management developed by IITA has since integrated the best planting practices of ACAI and farmers across Africa have used the tool to increase their yields.
Atser said, “It is amazing to see how the Six Steps to Cassava Weed Management & Best Planting Practices Decision Support Tool is changing the face of cassava farmers”.
The ACAI team has also put up the recommendations from the Six Steps on Cassava Weed Management and Best Planting Practices on the 3-2-1 service of Airtel where subscribers in Nigeria can dial 3-2-1 and get information on cassava weed management and other agronomic practices for free, up to 10 times in a month.
SOURCE: AGRONIGERIA