“Thanks to my internship in the CBSD Control Project, I have increased my data management skills and I have learned more about agricultural sector development within the African context. Furthermore, IITA helped me to gain practical knowledge about the use of statistics and now I am able to use the best statistical softwares. This is very useful for my career as a researcher.”

My CGIAR journey started with a professional internship just after getting my Bachelor’s degree. Later on, I learned a wide range of skills including how to design electronic questionnaires using ODK for data collection in research. I have appreciated the teamwork spirit with the IITA colleagues and their willingness to train me as an intern, which increased and upgraded my research skills to become a permanent research assistant for IITA’s CIALCA and ICT4BXW projects.

"Through a CIALCA-training on banana macro-propagation, I have improved my banana plant production methods which eventually allowed me to save enough money to build my house. I also got practical skills on how to better control banana diseases."

"Thanks to the ICT4BXW projects, I got my PhD studies sponsored to a well reputed German University “Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO)”. IITA furthermore trained and facilitated me on experiment set-up, follow-up, data collection and analysis."

"Through CIALCA project, IITA offered me a lifetime opportunity for PhD studies on Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) at KU Leuven. I really enjoyed working with CIALCA on Natural Resource Management especially on testing innovations such as new varieties, training farmers through Participatory Research Appraisal (PRA), conducting Farmer Field School (FFS) and trying out different kinds of cropping methods. All these innovations were made available to the end-users (farmers) operating in the CIALCA region. I also appreciated the good collaboration and facilitation with CIALCA staff."

"CIALCA project helped me to pursue my PhD studies, which gave me an opportunity to be appointed as a partial-time lecturer. Before working with IITA through the CIALCA project, I had little information on banana yield constraints and new developments of research. With knowledge provided by the CIALCA scientists, I have realized that there exists large banana yield gap compared to the potential due to many limiting factors. CIALCA training also allowed me to improve my English reading, writing and speaking skills."

"Through CIALCA, IITA sponsored many RAB staffs for PhD and MSc degrees, in addition to professional training. Many of the CIALCA alumni are currently leading agricultural research and development programs as senior scientists or as high-level policymakers. With CIALCA, RAB tested different farming system and integrated soil fertility management practices including inter-cropping, cropping rotation, and testing new varieties of soybeans."

I started working with CIALCA since 2009 till 2012 on the Banana-Legume Intercropping Systems. Thanks to CIALCA, I learnt many things about banana and legumes research issues. Currently I am working for Burundi Institute of Agronomic Sciences (ISABU), a historic partner for CIALCA, and I was selected to participate in a capacity-building program through which I am doing my PhD studies at Gent University in Belgium, under CIALCA scholarship. Through this program, I hope the partnership between ISABU and CIALCA will be more sustained

I have always dreamed of working with IITA since my young age and thanks to the CIALCA scholarship, my dream became reality. CIALCA, which funds my PhD research, allows me to be in contact with different people from all walks of life with whom we share insights related to our research topics. Through the 2019 midterm review meeting, I understood the complexity of CIALCA research targets and learned more from field activities as well as from different presentations.

I linked up with CIALCA while doing my Msc thesis research, through its partnership with Ghent University in Belgium. It was an exciting opportunity because I got new research experience from an ongoing project, as I interacted with farmers in their fields, which I could not get while analyzing eurostat or World Bank data. This research helped me to develop a very insightful thesis which impressed my supervisors at the university, because it had real data, real recommendations and opinions that are going to contribute to the development of the project.

I am doing PhD under CIALCA and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) scholarship. Through this opportunity, I have been able to work with a good team which has helped me to grow in my profession and research skills.

I started working with CIALCA since 2005, as an enumerator of the project in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Currently, CIALCA is funding my PhD at Université Catholique de Louvain in Belgium. I have been following up CIALCA activities closely, and its progress is quite impressive each year. As a student, CIALCA is taking very good care of its students. Whenever a student has an issue, project leaders are keen to provide relevant guidance to efficiently improve the results from their students’ research. I wish to express my sincere gratitude to CIALCA for all the support I get.

I am pursuing a CIALCA funded PhD at Ghent University, working on Managing Entrepreneurial and Nutritional Outcomes. Furthermore, I am a lecturer at the University of Rwanda, in the College of Agriculture, Animal Sciences and Veterinary Medecine. This scholarship is not only contributing to my personal development, it is also an opportunity to improve my research capacity and be able to contribute to the knowledge sharing at my University with advanced research skills and exposure. This will also equip me with more knowledge and skills capacity in advocating and recommending responsive actions.

I applaud CIALCA for their ability to move with time and the way this consortium evolves from hard science towards science for action. CIALCA’s mandate falls in the vision of the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, not only in Rwanda but also in the whole region.

I have been involved in CIALCA since its very first start in 2005. CIALCA is one of the flagships of Belgian International Development Cooperation , in terms of how development cooperation can lead to real innovation, capacity development and impact.

Within the three countries: Burundi, Rwanda and eastern DR Congo, where CIALCA has operations, I have seen so far that it has been moving at different levels, and different regions or settlings. Hence, this is quite remarkable as a consortium and a project.

As American Refugee Committee, we are grateful for our collaboration with CIALCA on establishing agricultural nutrition related interventions that enhance better nutrition outcomes for the refugees and hosting communities.

I was excited with the support offered by CIALCA, helping me to finalise my research. It would not have been possible to undertake my MSc dissertation without the support, as many of my classmates have failed to graduate because they did not manage to complete their research due to lack of financial support to cover research cost. Long live CIALCA!