By Mahdi Waziri Isa
The Institute of Agricultural Research (IAR), Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, has conducted over 140 ongoing research activities in 2025, and introduced 19 new research projects for 2026.
This was announced on Tuesday, 28th April, 2026, by the Director of the Institute at the opening of the IAR 2026 Annual Research Review and Planning Meeting held at the Institute’s Tanimu Balarabe Hall.
This year’s event which brought together stakeholders and policy makers from the Agricultural sector across the country was themed: “Mainstreaming Climate Change in Agriculture: Strengthening Food Security and Economic Stability under the Renewed Hope Agenda”.
In his welcome address, the Director of IAR, Professor Ado A. Yusuf, who was represented by the Deputy Director, Professor Nafiu Abdu, announced that IAR has been the only Research Institute in the Country that has consistently released crop varieties for the Nigerian farmers in the last ten decades.
“This year alone, we released six crop varieties comprising; four cowpea varieties (SAMPEA 22, SAMPEA 23, SAMPEA 24 and SAMPEA 25), one maize variety (SAMMAZ 78), one groundnut variety (SAMNUT 30) in addition to one variety of sorghum, four varieties of cotton and nine maize varieties in collaboration with international and indigenous seed companies,” he added.
The Director also stated that the Institute in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and Ascona Integrated Services Limited, has flagged-off the distribution of agricultural implements, improved seeds, agrochemicals and fertilizers to IAR adopted villages and schools last year, describing it as a gesture that greatly improved their income and food production. “Our commitment is to ensure we develop, and produce what we eat and eat what we produce,” he stressed.
Despite recorded achievements, the Director expressed his dismay over the challenges the Institute is facing, saying, “We have been faced with myriads of challenges traversing inadequate to no funding of research activities,” adding that “where funds are made available, it comes late and barely pays staff emoluments with no funds for research.”
He therefore called for increased government support and funding, and also urge private sectors to partner with the institute in carrying out collaborative research to ensure the delivery of the Institute’s mandate.