From seeds to sustainability: Celebrating the BASICS-II legacy

IITA-CGIAR hosted the close-out workshop of the Building an Economically Sustainable, Integrated Cassava Seed System (BASICS-II) project from 25 to 27 August at the headquarters in Ibadan. The three-day event brought together partners and delegates from Nigeria and Tanzania to reflect on five years of achievements and chart the way forward for cassava seed systems in Africa.

Funded by the Gates Foundation, BASICS-II was implemented by IITA in partnership with the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI), Sahel Consulting, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Tanzania Official Seed Certification Institute (TOSCI), the National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC), and Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA). Together, these institutions worked to build a seed system that delivers high-quality, disease-free cassava planting materials to farmers, thereby helping to improve yields, incomes, and food security.

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