The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has over the years tried, without much success, to improve cowpea, a protein -rich crop, through conventional breeding. Cowpea is an ideal crop for improving the nutrition of resource poor farmers, especially since animal protein is expensive. Dr. Christian Fatokun, IITA Cowpea Breeder, said that his institute had collaborated with advanced laboratories all over the world and committed substantial human and financial resources into cowpea improvement all to no avail because of abundant diseases and insect pest attacks on the crop.

Fatokun added that Nigeria is the leading producer of the crop but the yield is so poor that a farmer hardly realizes more than 300 kilograms of yield per hectare. To increase the yield, pesticides must be applied, butwhich are expensive and not environment- friendly. To achieve any success in controlling the insects, especially Maruca vitrata, thatwhich destroys thecowpea flowers and causes severe yield loss, genetic engineering is essential to incorporate resistance in the crop, said Dr. Fatokun.

A few years ago, the Institute was instrumental in the development and subsequent adoption of the Nigerian Biosafety Guidelines, and the establishment of a national policy on biotechnology. Other stakeholders supporting the public awareness drive of biotechnology in Nigeria include the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) and several national universities with specific study programs in biotechnology.