Wed, 27 May 2026 15:00:13 +0200https://www.cirad.fr/en/cirad-news/news/2026/producers-organisations-and-agroecological-transition-in-martiniqueMarket gardeners in Martinique have problems finding customers. The island imports almost 60% of the fruit and vegetables it consumes, despite the fact that local farms report waste due to a lack of outlets or processing units. These are challenges that producers' organisations (POs), which serve as interfaces between agricultural production and consumption, are fully capable of tackling. Recent work highlights their vital roloe foricultural development on the island, despite a lack of policy and financial support.Wed, 27 May 2026 15:00:13 +0200https://www.cirad.fr/en/cirad-news/news/2026/witches-broom-disease-controlThe name refers to one of the symptoms seen on cassava: stunted, brown leaves that look like a "witches' broom". Since the emergence of the disease, first seen in French Guiana in 2022 or thereabouts, the region has seen a rapid fall in cassava yields and a shortage of cuttings. The latest worrying aspect is that cocoa trees could well be susceptible to the pathogen, which is transmitted by a fungus. Discover the results of the DECODE project, which has assessed the situation in French Guiana.Tue, 19 May 2026 10:50:59 +0200https://www.cirad.fr/en/cirad-news/news/2026/signing-cirad-ifad-mouAlongside the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, CIRAD, lNRAE and IRD have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development), a specialist agency of the United Nations. The agreement covers the creation of a platform for collaboration putting innovation and scientific excellence at the service of investment in transforming rural areas.Tue, 12 May 2026 15:24:53 +0200https://www.cirad.fr/en/cirad-news/news/2026/building-long-term-scientific-partnershipsThis year's Africa Forward Summit is being held in Kenya. To mark the occasion, we were keen to hear from the Director General of the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe). The organisation is CIRAD's leading partner in Kenya, and is currently hosting several of our researchers and PhD students. Abdou Tenkouano tells us about the centre's main lines of research, and looks at the dynamics of the partnerships currently being built in the field of agronomy, both between the private and public sectors and between Africa and Europe.Thu, 07 May 2026 16:33:34 +0200https://www.cirad.fr/en/cirad-news/news/2026/living-labs-for-food-crop-farming-in-cameroonIn Cameroon, the issues surrounding sustainable agricultural intensification are becoming increasingly pressing, and agricultural research is looking to new methods to tackle them. Within a new "sustainable agriculture living lab" (LVAD), scientific teams are banking on a participatory approach associating farmers and territorial players to explore agroecological innovations tailored to grassroots realities. The LVAD project, based in Ntui, in the centre of the country, aims to support sustainable food crop intensification. We shine a light on its work with Hermine Mahot, a researcher from the Institut de recherche agricole pour le développement (IRAD) who is involved in this collaborative research platform.Tue, 05 May 2026 14:48:16 +0200