Skip to main content

Author: Julian Bañuelos-Uribe

CIMMYT and WorldVeg strengthen collaboration in the midst of the climate crisis to increase their impact

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in News, Press releases.

On December 9, 2023, CIMMYT and the World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to further promote research and development, capacity strengthening activities and facilitate joint learning and the exchange of information and technology between the two organizations.

Sustainable diversification of food systems, good agricultural practices and safe and sustainable development of cereal and vegetable production systems and agrifood value chains sits at the core of this partnership.

The ultimate objective of the MoU is to further contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG1 and SDG2, enhancing food and nutrition security, reducing rural and urban poverty and increasing employment opportunities in particular for women and youth.

CIMMYT and the World Vegetable Center are already partners in the Southern Africa Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative Rapid Delivery Hub (AID-I).  Through this program, it is distributing seed kits directly to vulnerable populations such as pregnant and lactating mothers and children under five, as well as improving soil health, promoting the production of traditional African vegetables, and increasing employment opportunities through building vegetable businesses. Recent impacts in Zanzibar are a good example.

Bram Govaerts, director general of CIMMYT, and Marco Wopereis, director general of the World Vegetable Center, sign the MoU. (Photo: CIMMYT and WorldVeg)

“This collaboration between CIMMYT and WorldVeg is a testament to the potential of collective action, highlighting sustainable solutions and community empowerment as essential elements in combating malnutrition and enhancing overall well-being. We are building on the foundation already established by our collaborations within the Accelerated Innovation Delivery (AID-I) project in southern and eastern Africa,” said CIMMYT Director General, Bram Govaerts. “CIMMYT is excited to expand our connection with WorldVeg to bring innovations to even more people as crop diversification encourages improved nutrition.”

“The World Vegetable Center is proud to deepen our work with CIMMYT. Reaching the Sustainable Development Goals will require not only advanced technologies but also systems to deliver those innovations to the people that need them most and this partnership will enable both priorities,” said Director General of the World Vegetable Center, Marco Wopereis. “Promoting and enhancing the availability of nutritious vegetables and cereals are vital to achieving these aims.”

By providing farmers with more options, CIMMYT and WorldVeg will promote the cultivation of diverse crops that are essential for a balanced and nutritious diet particularly among vulnerable communities around the world. By raising awareness about the significant benefits of incorporating different vegetables and cereals into daily diets, the partnership will inspire and encourage millions of people to fully embrace diversification and improved nutrition.

About CIMMYT

CIMMYT is a cutting edge, non-profit, international organization dedicated to solving tomorrow’s problems today. It is entrusted with fostering improved quantity, quality, and dependability of production systems and basic cereals such as maize, wheat, triticale, sorghum, millets, and associated crops through applied agricultural science, particularly in the Global South, through building strong partnerships. This combination enhances the livelihood trajectories and resilience of millions of resource-poor farmers, while working towards a more productive, inclusive, and resilient agrifood system within planetary boundaries.

CIMMYT is a core CGIAR Research Center, a global research partnership for a food-secure future, dedicated to reducing poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security and improving natural resources. For more information, visit cimmyt.org.

About the World Vegetable Center

The World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg) is an international non-profit institute for vegetable research and development. It mobilizes resources from the public and private sectors to realize the potential of vegetables for healthier lives and more resilient livelihoods.

WorldVeg’s globally important genebank, improved varieties, production and postharvest methods help farmers to increase their vegetable harvests, raise incomes in poor rural and urban households, create jobs, and provide healthier, more nutritious diets for families and communities. With headquarters in Taiwan, field operations are led from regional centers in Benin, India, Mali, Tanzania and Thailand, and through offices in other key countries.

Discovering the potential of multispectral UAV and satellite sensors in detecting wheat rust in Ethiopia

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in Publications.

Latest advances in sensor technology and data processing allow early detection, mapping and monitoring of crop infestation, helping prevent large-scale outbreaks.

A recent study published in Nature Scientific Reports, assesses the capability of very high-resolution satellite (VHRS) imagery and high-resolution unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) imagery for high-throughput phenotyping and detecting impacts of wheat rusts in earlier crop growth stages. UAVs and VHRS offer high potential for nonintrusive, extensive, rapid and flexible measurements of plant biophysical properties at very high spatial and temporal scales.

The study—led by CIMMYT in partnership with the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) and Lincoln Agritech Ltd from New Zealand—establishes that these advanced sensor technologies are emerging as gamechangers in crop health management. They save time, complement traditional disease scoring methods and field surveys, and are cost-effective.

Further, the study establishes that multispectral VHRS sensors can pave the way for the upscaling of disease severity assessment from plot to regional scales at early growth stages.

Wheat rust is a global challenge

Globally, crop infections are an increasing threat to crop production and food security. Increased cross-border trade and travel, coupled with a changing climate are resulting in increased frequency and severity of crop disease outbreaks. Of all the diseases that affect wheat, wheat rusts are among the most damaging, capable of causing epidemics on a vast scale with significant economic and production losses. As of date, global losses from wheat rusts equate to 15 million tonnes per year (USD $2.9 billion). In Ethiopia, a major stripe/yellow-rust epidemic in 2010 affected an estimated 600,000 hectares, resulting in production losses of 15–20% and causing economic losses of USD $250 million. Similarly, a stem/black rust (SR) epidemic from 2013-2014 infected approximately 40,000 hectares. SR, which can cause 100% crop loss within weeks, is re-emerging as a major concern to wheat production.

Early detection, monitoring and timely intervention is key

Rapid early-season detection, monitoring and timely control of wheat rusts in susceptible varieties are critical to avoid large-scale outbreaks, especially in countries where fungicides are scarcely available or too costly for smallholders. UAV-based high-throughput phenotyping (HTP) has been recently investigated to support wheat improvement breeding, in particular, to assess plant growth development, canopy architecture, physiology, reaction to abiotic stress, crop disease and insect pest response, and wheat yield.

Figure 1

Spectral and thermal measurements at the plant and canopy levels allow for monitoring the interactions between plant germplasm and environmental (abiotic and biotic) factors. The current study identifies several spectral features from UAV and VHRS multispectral imagery that have strong assessment power for the detection of combined wheat rust diseases at early crop growth stages.

During a randomized trial conducted in Ethiopia, six bread wheat varieties with differing rust resistance were monitored using UAV and VHRS. In total, 18 spectral features were tested to assess stem and yellow rust disease progression and associated yield loss. Spectral properties of the wheat canopy (e.g., pigmentation, moisture, and biomass) are altered under rust disease stress. Using multispectral images and derived vegetation indices, it is possible to determine crop susceptibility to diseases and consequently can be used for detection and monitoring of wheat rusts.

Figure 2

Recent research on wheat, maize and dry bean demonstrated strong and significant correlations between vegetation indices extracted from UAV and VHRS imagery, confirming the feasibility of VHRS-HTP targeting biomass and yield; however, such satellite applications for plant breeding programs are still scarce.

Looking ahead to upscaling

This study provides valuable insight into the upscaling capability of multispectral sensors for disease detection from UAV imagery at 5 cm per pixel to pan-sharpened satellite imagery at 50 cm per pixel, demonstrating a first step towards upscaling disease detection from plot to regional scales. Further work will expand and improve current methodology to examine the VHRS detection capability towards machine and deep learning techniques (e.g., convolutional neural network) to allow for continuous monitoring systems, focusing on both single and mixed rust diseases under different treatments (e.g., variable fungicide rates, irrigation rates).

The early detection of diseases through spectral analysis and the integration of machine learning algorithms offers invaluable tools to mitigate the spread of infections and implement prompt disease management strategies.

Figures (1-2):

Field trial captured at varying spatial resolutions:

(a) SkySat false color composite (NIR-R-G) at 50 cm pixels (booting stage; 2020-10-17)

(b) UAV false color composite (NIR-R-G) at 5 cm pixels (heading stage; 2020-10-29) 

(Photo: Nature Scientific Reports)

I cannot do it alone

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in Blogs.

On October 4, 2023, CIMMYT continued its online seminar series — Catalysts of Change: Women Leaders in Science. The event featured a talk by Esther Ngumbi, an entomologist and academic at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

A riverside farm

Born into a small, rural community on the Kenyan coast, Esther Ngumbi grew up farming alongside her family. “I enjoyed the process of growing crops because I knew at the end of the season, we would have extra food for ourselves,” she explained. By the age of seven she decided she wanted to go it alone, and her father provided a small strip of land by the river, where she took to growing vegetables.

“Every morning I would sit there and just enjoy looking at this thriving cabbage patch I had,” she says. “And then one day the rains came. It rained for three days, the field flooded, and by the time the water receded I had lost my cabbages. The joy that had built was gone.”

“But this heartbreak continued,” she added. “Halfway through the season I would watch all our hard work go to waste.” Along came insects, drought, or flooding—all the stresses associated with climate change—and for her family it would mean no food. Ngumbi soon realized that this was not limited to her family’s farm: her neighbors, community, county, and country were all impacted by these challenges, leading to widespread food insecurity.

Feeding curiosity

“As a girl I was very curious,” said Ngumbi. “How do these insect pests find our crops? And when they find them, why aren’t our crops resilient enough to overcome these stresses? Little did I know that this curiosity would lead me into what my career is today: an entomologist.”

“But growing up in a rural village there were no role models; there were no scientists. There were no people I could look up to and be inspired to know that you could make a career out of entomology or that you could be a woman in science.”

Despite initially considering a career in accountancy, Ngumbi ended up studying for a BSc in biochemistry and zoology at Kenyatta University, where she immediately fell in love with practical research. “Stepping into the lab was such an exciting day for me,” she recalled. “I had so many questions, and I remember not wanting to leave because I wanted to answer all the questions I had grown up with.”

Later, extra-curricular experience at a local research center would feed her interest in entomology. The scientists she ended up working with ran a biological control program to assess how maize is impacted by lepidoptera pests, and the natural biological control agents that could be used to combat these. “How do plants communicate and call for help? Through releasing a chemical. I discovered that there is a wave of communication happening between our food crops and the community of organisms that associate with plants.”

Eager to learn more, Ngumbi went on to pursue an MSc before joining a Ph.D. program at Auburn University in Alabama, USA. “My parents had always told me that education is the gateway out of poverty, and they consistently encouraged me to go to the highest level. I knew I had to go to the top.”

At Auburn she had the opportunity to delve deeper into how plants defend themselves, and her successful research into beneficial soil microbes led to at least three U.S. patents. Following a few post-doctoral positions, she landed a role at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she currently works as an assistant professor in the Departments of Entomology and African American Studies.

Bringing others along

Ngumbi credits mentorship with getting her to where she is today. “At Kenyatta University my teachers saw a spark in me; I was curious and wanted to find answers. Mentors introduced me to scientists the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), so I could carry out experiments beyond what we were doing as part of my course.”

She recalled walking across the stage during her Ph.D. graduation ceremony, a key moment of reflection. “It was real that there were very few women like me in science. That I was only one of the many women I had grown up with that was privileged to have a PhD. And I wanted not to be the only person,” she said. “I wanted to make sure that I would leave open the same door I had walked through. That I would do my best to bring other women along.”

“I would step up to be a mentor. Step up to encourage other women. Step up to encourage other children from rural communities to say: you can do it, you can dream, you can follow your passions, you can be a scientist.”

With this in mind, Ngumbi ensures she collaborates with others in all areas of her research, incorporating young researchers into her labs and working directly with farmers. “I’m committed to ensuring that farmers who work so hard — especially smallholders — can grow crops and see all their hard work pay off.”

“I will continue to follow this journey of finding solutions to feed our growing planet, but I know that I cannot do it alone. We need all of us,” she added. “We still have very few women scientists — UNESCO estimates around 30% — and I hope that by the time I’m done with my career that number changes. But it’s going to depend on all of us.”

Ngumbi’s talk was followed by a Question and Answer led by Olivia Odiyo, a CIMMYT research associate based in Nairobi. The full discussion can be viewed online here. Spanish and French-language audio is also available.

While you were sleeping: increasing nighttime temperatures and their effects on plant productivity

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in Publications.

When one thinks of heat waves, the natural tendency is to consider high daytime temperatures. However, when most people are sleeping, a hidden factor of climate change is taking place: temperatures at night are not dipping as much as observed in the past, which has dramatic effects on many crops, including wheat. In fact, nocturnal temperatures are rising more rapidly globally than daytime temperatures, which is of great concern as research is starting to show the sensitivity of plants to warmer nights.

A group of researchers, from the University of Nottingham, the Sonora Institute of Technology (ITSON) and CIMMYT examined how different wheat lines reacted to the effects of rising nighttime temperatures treatments imposed in the field, for three years at CIMMYT’s Norman E. Borlaug experimental station in Ciudad Obregon, Mexico. Their results, Night-time warming in the field reduces nocturnal stomatal conductance and grain yield but does not alter daytime physiological responses were published in New Phytologist.

Previous studies revealed that wheat yields decline 3-8% for every 1°C increase of the nighttime low temperature. For this research, the team subjected the selected wheat breeds to an increase of 2°C. The varieties were selected based on previous evaluations of their daytime heat tolerance.

Notably, the findings highlighted that genotypes classified as traditionally heat tolerant were sensitive to small increases in nighttime temperature even without daytime temperature stress, implying that adaptation to warm nights is likely under independent genetic control than daytime adaptation.

“These results are exciting as they offer new perspectives on the impact of night temperatures on diurnal photosynthetic performance and wheat yields,” said co-first author Liana Acevedo-Siaca. “Through this work we found that wheat yields decreased, on average, 1.9% for every degree that increased at night. Our hope is that this work can help inform future breeding and research decisions to work towards more resilient agricultural systems, capable of dealing with warmer day and nighttime temperatures.”

Plants at night

While plants do not “sleep” in the way animals do, nighttime for plants has long been thought of as a time of repose compared to daylight hours when photosynthesis is taking place. However, recent findings have revealed that plants are more active than previously thought at night, for example in transpiration, which is the process of plants gathering liquid water from the soil and releasing water vapor through their leaves.

“An interesting result of our research was that we found varieties characterized as heat tolerant, showed some of the greatest declines in yield in response to warmer nights,” said co-first author Lorna McAusland, Division of Plant and Crop Sciences, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham. “These are the varieties wheat farmers are being recommended for increasing daytime temperature, and so there is a worry that advantages gained during the day are being lost at night.”

“There is likely a goldmine of opportunities related to genetically improving nighttime processes in crops, as very little research has been conducted in that space. Useful genetic variation can be expected, since ‘night’ traits have never been considered or needed before now,” said co-author Matthew Reynolds, who leads the CIMMYT’s Wheat Physiology Lab that collaborates globally with experts via HeDWIC (https://hedwic.org/) and uses physiological pre-breeding as a conduit for cutting edge technologies to impact mainstream breeding.

Ten years later: CIMMYT facilities in East Africa continue to make a difference

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in News.

CIMMYT and partners in Kenya recently marked the 10th anniversary of two major facilities that have been crucial for maize breeding in sub-Saharan Africa. The Maize Doubled-Haploid (DH) facility and the Maize Lethal Necrosis (MLN) screening facility at the Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) centers in Naivasha and Kiboko, respectively, have made immense contributions to the rapid development of higher-yielding, climate-resilient and disease-resistant maize varieties for smallholder farmers across the continent.

An aerial photo of the Naivasha Research Center. (Photo: CIMMYT)

“These two facilities have been instrumental in furthering KALRO’s mission to utilize technology in the service of Kenya’s smallholder farmers,” said KALRO Director General/CEO, Eliud Kireger. “They also exhibit the spirit of cooperation and collaboration that is necessary for us to meet all the challenges to our food systems.”

“Deploying a higher yielding maize variety may not be impactful in eastern Africa if that variety does not have resistance to a devastating disease like MLN,” said CIMMYT’s Director General Bram Govaerts. “These two facilities demonstrate the holistic methods which are key to working towards a more productive, inclusive and resilient agrifood system.”

Maize DH facility

Hybrid maize varieties have much higher yields than open-pollinated varieties and are key to unlocking the agricultural potential of maize producing countries. The doubled haploid process is an innovative technology producing within a year genetically true-to-type maize lines that serve as building blocks for improved maize hybrids.

Unlike conventional breeding, which takes at least 7 to 8 generations or crop seasons to develop parental lines, DH lines are generated within two seasons, saving significant time, labor and other resources. DH maize lines are highly uniform, genetically stable, and are more amenable to the application of modern molecular tools, making them perfect resources for breeding elite maize hybrids.

Workers in the Kiboko Double Haploid facility. (Photo: CIMMYT)

The aim of CIMMYT’s maize DH facility is to empower the breeding programs throughout the low-and middle-income countries in Africa by offering a competitive, accessible, not-for-profit DH production service that will accelerate their rate of genetic gain and fast-track development of improved maize varieties for farming communities.

Since 2017, the DH facility has delivered 280,000 DH lines from 1,840 populations of which 20% were delivered to public and private sector partners. CIMMYT maize breeding programs and partner organizations have embraced the use of DH technology, with many of the newest maize hybrids released in Africa being derived from DH lines. The facility has also served as a training ground so far for over 60 scientists and hundreds of undergraduate students in modern breeding technologies.

“Before 2013, DH technology was mainly employed by private, multinational corporations in North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America,” said CIMMYT’s DH Facility Manager, Vijay Chaikam. “But the DH facility operated by CIMMYT at the KALRO Kiboko research station is specifically targeted at strengthening the maize breeding programs by the public sector institutions as well as small-and medium-size enterprise seed companies in Africa.”

The maize DH facility at Kiboko, Kenya, was established with funding support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and inaugurated in September 2013. The facility includes an administrative building, seed quality laboratory, training resources, artificial seed dyer, a cold-storage seed room, a chromosome doubling laboratory, greenhouse and a state-of-the-art irrigation system to support year-round DH production in the 17-hectare nursery.

MLN screening facility

MLN is a devastating viral disease that can decimate farmers’ fields, causing premature plant death and unfilled, poorly formed maize ears, and can lead to up to 100 percent yield loss in farmers’ fields. Though known in other parts of the world for decades, the disease was first identified in eastern Africa in 2011. By 2015, MLN had rapidly spread across eastern Africa, including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, South Sudan, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia. CIMMYT scientists quickly discovered that almost all the commercial maize cultivars in eastern Africa were highly susceptible to the disease.

Against this backdrop, CIMMYT and KALRO recognized the urgent need for establishing a screening facility to provide MLN phenotyping service and effectively manage the risk of MLN on maize production through screening of germplasm and identifying MLN-resistant sources. The facility was built with funding support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture, and inaugurated in September 2013.

Resistant and susceptible line at the Maize Lethal Necrosis facility. (Photo: CIMMYT)

“The MLN screening facility is a key regional resource in breeding for resistance to a devastating viral disease. The facility is indeed one of the key factors behind successful management of MLN and helping stem the tide of losses in eastern Africa,” said Director of the Global Maize Program at CIMMYT and One CGIAR Plant Health Initiative, B.M. Prasanna. “Fighting diseases like MLN, which do not respect political boundaries, requires strong regional and local collaboration. The successes achieved through the MLN Screening facility in the past 10 years embody that spirit of collaboration.” Indeed, farmers in the region now have access to over twenty genetically diverse, MLN-tolerant/resistant maize hybrids released in eastern and southern Africa.

The facility is the largest dedicated MLN screening facility in Africa and has evaluated over 230,000 accessions (over 330,000 rows of maize) from CIMMYT and partners, including over 15 national research programs, national and multinational seed companies. The facility covers 20 hectares, of which 17 hectares are used for field screening of germplasm. Dedicated laboratories and screen houses cover the remaining 3 hectares.

“MLN phenotyping service is conducted under stringent quarantine standards and the high-quality data is shared with all the CGIAR and public and private partners. The MLN screening service has helped breeding programs across the continent, aided in undertaking epidemiological research activities, and supported capacity building of students from diverse institutions, and regional stakeholders regarding MLN diagnosis and best management practices,” said CIMMYT’s Maize Pathologist in Africa, L.M. Suresh.

“The output of MLN resistant lines and hybrids has been remarkable,” said Director of Phytosanitary and Biosecurity at the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), Isaac Macharia. “And the facility has strictly adhered to quarantine regulations.”

In Uganda, the MLN facility was crucial in the “release of the first-generation MLN tolerant hybrids and dissemination of MLN knowledge products that minimized the economic impact of MLN,” said the Director of Research of the National Crops Resources Research Institute, Godfrey Asea.

Peter Mbogo, maize breeder with Seed Co Group, said, “This is the only quarantine facility in the world where you can screen against MLN under artificial inoculation. It has been an excellent return on investment.”

Scaling up health diet seed kits in Zanzibar

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in Blogs.

Many people on the islands of Zanzibar face food insecurity and nutritional challenges. The Southern Africa Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative (AID-I) MasAgro Africa Rapid Delivery Hub, implemented by CIMMYT, has partnered with the World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg) to directly distribute health diet seed kits to vulnerable households, while prioritizing vulnerable groups such as pregnant and lactating mothers and children under five.

The kits contain a diverse selection of nutrient-rich vegetables specifically chosen for their high nutritional value, ensuring optimal health and development.

The kits contain traditional African vegetables. (Photo: CIMMYT)

To date, the partnership has reached an impressive number of households in Zanzibar. Over 1,350 health diet seed kits have been distributed, or one seed kit per household, benefiting approximately 4,050 individuals (considering at least three people per household). These numbers showcase the tangible impact AID-I has made in addressing the root causes of malnutrition and hidden hunger, providing a sustainable pathway towards improved health and a brighter future for Zanzibar.

The World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg) conducts research, builds networks, and carries out training and promotion activities to raise awareness of the role of vegetables for improved health and global poverty alleviation.

“This initiative holds tremendous promise in fostering long-term improvements in food security, nutrition, and overall well-being for the communities in Zanzibar and shows the power of collaboration,” said Kevin Kabunda, CIMMYT lead for the AID-I project.

Seed variety encourages improved nutrition

A key strength of the seed kits lies in their diversity. Each kit comprises a range of seeds for various crops, including legumes and nutrient-rich vegetables. This includes amaranth consumed as leafy and grain, African eggplant, Ethiopian mustard, African nightshade, and cowpea. The combination of these diverse crops ensures a more resilient and nutritious food supply, essential to combating malnutrition and fostering agricultural sustainability in the islands.

The seed kits are tailored to suit the local agroecological conditions, considering the specific needs and preferences of farmers in Zanzibar. This localization approach enhances the adoption of the kits and maximizes their potential impact on food security and dietary diversity.

“The partnership between WorldVeg and CIMMYT has been invaluable in driving the success of this activity in Zanzibar,” said Jeremiah Sigalla, WorldVeg technical lead for the AID-I project in Zanzibar. “By providing farmers with these healthy diet seed kits, we aim to promote the cultivation of diverse crops that are essential for a balanced and nutritious diet and its attendant benefits, particularly among vulnerable communities.”

By raising awareness about the significant benefits of incorporating diverse vegetables into daily diets, the partnership has inspired and encouraged the community to fully embrace the intervention. This collaboration between CIMMYT and WorldVeg is a testament to the potential of collective action, highlighting sustainable solutions and community empowerment as essential elements in combating malnutrition and enhancing overall well-being in Zanzibar.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, Natural Resources and Livestock delivers a health diet seed kit. (Photo: CIMMYT)

The Honorable Shamata Shame Khamis, the minister of Agriculture, Irrigation, Natural Resources and Livestock in Zanzibar joined a health diet seed kit distribution event at Michiweni district in Pemba, on June 30, 2023, where he commented that the consumption of nutritious vegetables in Zanzibar is very low, and malnutrition-related cases are increasing because of poor daily diets. He also extended his appreciation to the AID-I project, recognizing that this initiative is not only important but also timely, as it serves to meet the urgent need for promoting and enhancing the availability of nutritious vegetables in Zanzibar.

Nepal maize farmers share vision of a more profitable future with visiting agriculture officials

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in Blogs.

In a visit to 5 model sites for maize marketing in midwestern Nepal, 30 federal, provincial and local agricultural authorities were impressed with the coordination and capacity development among market actors, improved supply chain management and leveraging of government support, all of which are benefiting farmers and grain buyers.

Following visits to commercial maize fields and hearing stakeholders’ perceptions of progress and key lessons, the authorities proposed additional funding for irrigation, machinery, grain grading and crop insurance, among other support, and promised to help expand activities of the model sites, which were established as part of the Nepal Seed and Fertilizer (NSAF) project.

Led by CIMMYT with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and in its second-last year of operation, the project is working to raise crop productivity, incomes and household food and nutrition security across 20 districts of Nepal, including 5 that were severely affected by the catastrophic 2015 earthquake and aftershocks which killed nearly 9,000 and left hundreds of thousands homeless.

Participants at Sarswoti Khadya Trader, Kohalpur, Banke. (Photo: CIMMYT)

The visitors included officials and experts from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MoALD); the Department of Agriculture (DoA); the Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives (MoLMAC); the Agriculture Development Directorates (ADD) for Lumbini and Sudurpaschim provinces; the Agriculture Knowledge Centres (AKC) of Banke, Kailali, Kanchanpur, Dang, and Kapilvastu districts; the Prime Minister Agriculture Modernization Project (PMAMP) offices of Dang and Bardiya; and the National Maize Research Program; the Department of Livestock Services; along with NSAF project team members.

The participants interacted with farmers, cooperative leaders, traders, rural municipality officials and elected representatives, and feed mill representatives. Sharing their experiences of behavioral change in maize production, farmers emphasized the benefits of their strengthened relationships with grain buyers and their dreams to expand spring maize cultivation.

Shanta Karki, deputy director the General of Department of the DoA lauded CIMMYT efforts for agriculture growth, improved soil fertility and sustainable agriculture development through NSAF.

Madan Singh Dhami, secretary, MoLMAC in Sudurpaschim Province, emphasized the importance of irrigation, building farmers’ capacities and interactions with buyers, and applying digital innovations to catalyze extension.

CIMMYT scientists have been based in CIMMYT’s office in Nepal and worked with Nepali colleagues for more than three decades to boost the productivity, profitability and ecological efficiency of maize- and wheat-based cropping systems and thus improve rural communities’ food security and livelihoods.

Scientists convene in Kenya for intensive wheat disease training

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in News.

An international cohort of scientists representing 12 countries gathered at the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) station in Njoro for a comprehensive training course aimed at honing their expertise in wheat rust pathology.

The two-week program “Enhancing Wheat Disease Early Warning Systems, Germplasm Evaluation, Selection, and Tools for Improving Wheat Breeding Pipelines,” was a collaborative effort between CIMMYT and Cornell University and supported by the Wheat Disease Early Warning Advisory System (DEWAS) and Accelerating Genetic Gains in Maize and Wheat projects.

With a mission to bolster the capabilities of National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS), the training course attracted more than 30 participants from diverse corners of the globe.

Maricelis Acevedo, a research professor of global development at Cornell and the associate director of Wheat DEWAS, underscored the initiative’s significance. “This is all about training a new generation of scientists to be at the forefront of efforts to prevent wheat pathogens epidemics and increase food security all over the globe,” Acevedo said.

First initiated in 2008 through the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative, these training programs in Kenya have played a vital role in equipping scientists worldwide with the most up-to-date knowledge on rust pathogens. The initial twelve training sessions received support from the BGRI under the auspices of the Durable Rust Resistance in Wheat and Delivering Genetic Gain in Wheat projects.

This year’s training aims to prepare global scientists to protect against disease outbreaks that threaten wheat productivity in East Africa and South Asia. The course encompassed a wide array of practical exercises and theoretical sessions designed to enhance the participants’ knowledge in pathogen surveillance, diagnostics, modeling, data management, early warning assessments, and open science publishing. Presentations were made by DEWAS partners from the John Innes Centre, Aarhus University, the University of Cambridge and University of Minnesota.

(Photo: Borlaug Global Rust Initiative)

The course provided practical, hands-on experience in selecting and evaluating wheat breeding germplasm, race analysis and greenhouse screening experiments to enhance knowledge of rust diseases, according to Sridhar Bhavani, training coordinator for the course.

“This comprehensive training program encompasses diverse aspects of wheat research, including disease monitoring, data management, epidemiological models, and rapid diagnostics to establish a scalable and sustainable early warning system for critical wheat diseases such as rusts, fusarium, and wheat blast,” said Bhavani, wheat improvement lead for East Africa at CIMMYT and head of wheat rust pathology and molecular genetic in CIMMYT’s Global Wheat program.

An integral part of the program, Acevedo said, was the hands-on training on wheat pathogen survey and sample collection at KALRO.  The scientists utilized the international wheat screening facility at KALRO as a training ground for hot-spot screening for rust diseases resistance.

Daisy Kwamboka, an associate researcher at PlantVillage in Kenya, said the program provided younger scientists with essential knowledge and mentoring.

“I found the practical sessions particularly fascinating, and I can now confidently perform inoculations and rust scoring on my own,” said Kwamboka said, who added that she also learned how to organize experimental designs and the basics of R language for data analysis.

DEWAS research leaders Dave Hodson, Bhavani and Acevedo conducted workshops and presentations along with leading wheat rust experts. Presenters included Robert Park and Davinder Singh from the University of Sydney; Diane Sauders from the John Innes Centre; Clay Sneller from Ohio State University; Pablo Olivera from the University of Minnesota; Cyrus Kimani, Zennah Kosgey and Godwin Macharia from KALRO; Leo Crespo, Susanne Dreisigacker, Keith Gardner, Velu Govindan, Itria Ibba, Arun Joshi, Naeela Qureshi, Pawan Kumar Singh and Paolo Vitale from CIMMYT; Chris Gilligan and Jake Smith from the University of Cambridge; and Jens Grønbech Hansen and Mogens S. Hovmøller from the Global Rust Reference Center at Aarhus University.

“I thoroughly enjoyed the knowledge imparted by the invited experts, along with the incredible care they have shown us throughout this wonderful training.”

Narain Dhar, Borlaug Institute for South Asia 

For participants, the course offered a crucial platform for international collaboration, a strong commitment to knowledge sharing, and its significant contribution to global food security.

“The dedication of the trainers truly brought the training to life, making it incredibly understandable,” said Narain Dhar, research fellow at the Borlaug Institute for South Asia.

The event not only facilitated learning but also fostered connections among scientists from different parts of the world. These newfound connections hold the promise of sparking innovative collaborations and research endeavors that could further advance the field of wheat pathology.

Empowering local mechanics for sustainable machinery maintenance

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in Blogs.

Smallholder mechanization out scaling depends upon the availability of skilled mechanics who are fully oriented with machinery operation. However, this crucial skillset is often identified as a missing link. In many instances, lack of care or regular checks and the absence of readily available mechanics has led to the failure of mechanization projects in sub-Saharan Africa, with frequent machine breakdowns and equipment left sitting idle long after a project intervention. Across smallholder farming communities, this phenomenon can be seen through the presence of obsolete and abandoned machinery often serving as breeding grounds for birds.

The Feed the Future Zimbabwe Mechanization and Extension Activity, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), aims to break this vicious cycle by improving the skillset of local mechanics and helping them stay in tune with evolving innovations in farm machinery. Implemented by CIMMYT, this activity targets existing mechanics across ten districts in Zimbabwe, offering specialized maintenance services to providers who own machinery. Through investing in their training, local capacity to troubleshoot, service and repair machinery will increase.

For most mechanics, the training workshop presents a first-hand experience of handling small machinery. (Photo: Shiela Chikulo/CIMMYT)

Gaining practical experience

 The program approaches training through full immersion and a deep dive into the individual components of key equipment. Workstations are set up to include a diesel engine—which forms the core of most of the machinery—a two-wheel tractor and post-harvest machines such as the multi-crop thresher, feed-chopper grinder and peanut butter machine.  For most of the participants, the workshop presents them with first-hand experience of handling such machinery.

 Andy Chagudhuma and Tendai Machonesa—from Bikita and Chiredzi, respectively—were among the first ten mechanics to participate in the five-day training. “I learned about all the machines here,” says Chagudhuma, “breaking them apart and fixing them. We worked through different scenarios while perfecting our knowledge on the operation of all the machinery.” With new skills gained, they eagerly await the opportunity to offer their expertise to service providers in their local areas, and a newfound confidence fuels their commitment to providing support through repair and maintenance work.

 However, one remaining challenge is the notable absence of female participants in the training. While the field of mechanics is often male-dominated, the Mechanization Activity seeks to promote a gender-inclusive environment for local mechanics and service providers through awareness meetings and skills training. In the future, more machinery and technical trainings will be targeted specifically towards women as a way to redress this imbalance.

Overall, the benefits of the training echo far beyond the workshop itself. Through the skills acquired, opportunities for additional income generation increase, and the participation of rural youths in mechanization-oriented businesses and a thriving local economy are possible. By empowering local mechanics, the Mechanization Activity not only breathes life into their communities and the machinery sector but also paves the way for one of the project’s key objectives—the establishment of successful and entrepreneurial service providers.

Integrating gender into crop breeding

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in Publications.

The Seed Production Technology for Africa (SPTA) project, led by CIMMYT, has been selected by the CGIAR Gender Impact Platform as a successful case study of integrating gender into crop breeding.

The case study, published in Frontiers in Sociology, is one of fourteen that the CGIAR Genetic Innovation Gender strategy is drawing on to showcase lessons learned from practical experience. These case studies form a critical part of the efforts to pursue gender responsive or gender-intentional breeding and explore how these can inform larger breeding pipelines.

Maize is widely grown by both women and men in Africa. Evidence of gender-differentiated preferences for maize varieties remains inconclusive; however, there is evidence of gendered differences in management practices. Hybrids produced using SPTA segregate 1:1 for pollen producing and non-pollen producing plants referred to as 50% non-pollen producing (FNP) varieties. Previous research showed FNP offered a yield benefit under low input conditions. In the early stage of its inception, the project quickly recognized the potential implications of hybrids produced using SPTA for women and other resource-constrained smallholders in Africa.

Understanding gender-based differences

From the start, the SPTA team conducted a gender review that underscored the fact that women in the region often use less fertilizer than men, a challenge that is further compounded by cultivation of smaller plots and lower quality soils. This review led the breeding team to explicitly target women and resource-poor farmers with an ambition to increase yields on women’s fields. From here henceforth, SPTA made it a priority to understand gender-based differences in performance and preference for new FNP maize varieties. This process involved ensuring both women and men farmers host trials to evaluate and attest to the performance of the FNP hybrids.

But these efforts were not without challenges. The team also found significant gender differences, particularly among women farmers in crop management practices and between farmers’ stated preferences during participatory varietal selection exercises and the varieties they used at home. This suggested that initial on-farm evaluations were not adequate for predicting real world demand for varieties. Moving forward, the evaluation strategy of SPTA evolved to enable variety evaluations under farmers’ preferred management practices.

The success of the SPTA team in ensuring that gender considerations were strongly embedded into the breeding program is attributed to strong collaboration across disciplines that included social scientists and gender researchers working closely with breeders, allocating funding to allow exploration, testing of gender topics and responsive variety evaluation tools and strong buy-in from leadership and donors. As the SPTA case highlights, there is value in starting small, building productive partnerships and collaborating to pilot and develop proof of concept for new models.

Say yes, and figure out what gives you energy

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in News.

CIMMYT hosted the 6th instalment of its online seminar series — Catalysts of Change: Women Leaders in Science — featuring Diane Holdorf, executive vice president and a member of the Senior Management Team at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).

Drawing on varied experiences from a diverse career in sustainability, Holdorf used her talk to emphasize the importance of saying ‘yes’ in the face of big changes, identifying what energizes you, being present at home and at work, and supporting others to succeed with their objectives.

Translating science

As the daughter of a geologist, Holdorf spent much of her childhood outside looking at rocks, an experience she credits with giving her an affinity for nature. “I found it was a way that really connected me and grounded me in my surroundings. What are we looking at? What are we looking for? What’s in the patterns and shapes of what we see?”

Holdorf talks about her childhood. (Photo: CIMMYT)

After deciding that she didn’t want to go into science, Holdorf opted to study public communications at university and was promptly recruited by an advertising agency upon graduating. “It was the first time that something big came up where I just said: ‘Yes. Yes, I’ll try it. Why not?’ And that theme of saying yes in the face of these big changes is one that’s proven to be incredibly helpful.”

However, having moved halfway across the country for the job, Holdorf quickly found that she disliked the role. “It was a really important lesson in learning what I didn’t value and what I didn’t want to do,” she said. “That came really early in my career, the idea that I needed to be way clearer in my convictions. What matters to me? What do I want to be working in? And that led me to go into environmental consulting.”

“Maybe not an obvious path, but my dad had been an environmental consultant,” she explained. “So, in some ways I’d fallen back into something that was a bit familiar, but that I could make my own.”

In this new role, Holdorf found she could put her communications skills to use in a way she found energizing, translating scientific and technical solutions into words that clients could understand or that project managers could frame and create workplans around. “Without realizing it, it grew into this role of being the translator between ‘what does the science and engineering tell us’ and ‘what are the business solutions that we need to use that information to solve for.’”

“I’ve learned that what really drives me and what gives me the most energy is working together with people to create the biggest impact and change we possibly can,” she explained. “What motivates me the most is trying to drive action on these extremely urgent challenges of climate, nature, equity, and in our food systems.”

Helping others succeed

“Leading with clear objectives and clear boundaries is really important,” said Holdorf. “And I don’t mean that in a rigid way. I mean knowing what I can accept when engaging with others, and what I will not go past. What areas of acceptance are needed for my integrity in a role.”

She noted that one of the things that has been particularly useful throughout her career — especially during the first 15 years, when she was often the only woman in the room — are the male colleagues who stood up for her, coached her and provided feedback on her work.

Pauline Muindi and Diane Holdorf engage in a conversation on women in leadership. (Photo: CIMMYT)

“And I listened hard,” she explained. “I asked for that feedback and really worked to incorporate it because I could tell that what they were telling me was meant to help make my role easier. That was a hugely valuable lesson because it taught me that if it was that important for me, it meant that I could in fact play that same role for others.”

As a result, she now encourages not only learning how to seek out mentorship, but also reflecting at every stage of a career, identifying opportunities to mentor others, and creating a stream of development and gift-giving.

“How do we ensure that our work helps others to succeed?” she asked. “Because often when we’re working in these spaces, we can only achieve our objectives by leading with and influencing others. It’s not very often that we have full control. But learning how our work can help others deliver on the goals that they’ve been tasked with actually creates totally different types of breakthroughs.”

Holdorf’s presentation was followed by a Q&A session led by Pauline Muindi, research support specialist at CIMMYT.

The need to consider biological actors as an influence when studying market agencies

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in Publications.

How the living shapes markets: accounting for the action of biological entities in market agencing. Authors: Quentin Chance, Frédéric Goulet and Ronan Le Velly

This article uses research into the organic food market in France to show that biological factors can play an important part in influencing the structure and organization of markets. The authors use this to point out that while many studies of market agencing discuss in detail the role played by social and material agents, biological agents should be an equally important part of such research.

Over the last four decades, there has been considerable research into Actor-Network Theory (ANT), which looks at the effect of various agents on markets. However, in the majority of cases, the agents discussed have been material (for example, shopping trolleys) or social (human habits or economic motives). The research which forms the basis of this article was originally carried out as a study of how French organic-produce collectives tried to influence markets to suit their needs and ideals. On reviewing the data, it appeared to the authors that there were additional agents affecting their marketing, which derived from biological factors. Unlike the material and social agents, farmers were only able to control these biological factors with great difficulty, if at all. For example, the inability to use chemical inputs on crops meant that crop rotation over a multi-year period was essential; however, wholesalers’ traditional structures expected a farmer to supply the same produce in the same quantity year after year. In cases such as this, altered supply chain arrangements needed to be negotiated between the suppliers and the wholesalers.

The authors made four sets of observations showing the market-shaping effect of biological agents.

  • Measures taken by established organic farmers to avoid price competition from new market entrants — the well-established farmers had chosen to start growing crops which required more expertise, time or equipment (such as Belgian endives or onions), rather than less complex standard crops such as potatoes.
  • Biological processes which necessitate altering the traditional market production and supply structures — for example, the need for crop rotation as mentioned above.
  • Natural agents will affect crop yields and introduce variability in quality and quantity, which the market needs to allow for. The authors give examples of pests, viral infections and weather as agents that affect all farming, but in the case of organic farming are particularly troublesome.
  • After harvest, produce will naturally experience ripening/aging, and then degradation in quality. Standard industrial ways of controlling these biological processes utilize methods and agents that are unacceptable or even harmful when dealing with organic produce, for instance, spraying with chemicals.

Following these observations, the authors make a series of propositions and suggest research questions which could result from them, for instance:

  • How does the action of biological entities affect the establishment of market norms/the way prices are set?
  • How do representations of the market take account of biological processes?

In conclusion, the authors demonstrate how the effect of biological agents on markets is already inextricably intertwined with the effects of material and social agents. Future research, to be truly comprehensive, needs to look in equal depth at all other possible influences on the market.

CIMMYT researcher receives Heroes Award

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in Press releases.

Maria Itria Ibba, a scientist at CIMMYT, received the inaugural Heroes Award from the Foundation for Innovation in Healthy Food. She received the award on October 29 at the ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meeting in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.

Ibba, head of CIMMYT’s Wheat Chemistry and Quality Laboratory, received the honor in recognition of her outstanding leadership in launching the foundation’s Coalition for Grain Fiber initiative.

Together with her team at CIMMYT, Ibba works on improving the processing and nutritional quality of the bread and durum wheat lines derived from the CIMMYT spring wheat breeding programs. The research they conduct combines genetics and cereal chemistry, and one of the main focuses is to improve wheat grain dietary fiber. This effort begins with the development of efficient screening methods and the identification of germplasm with unique dietary fiber profiles.

The coalition seeks to improve the nutrition in staple foods without impacting their taste, mouthfeel or consumer price. It is simultaneously dedicated to establishing profit incentives for farmers and other food suppliers that enhance public health by delivering increased nutrient foods.

According to the coalition, improvements in the nutritional content of white and whole wheat flour may ultimately save thousands of lives and billions of healthcare U.S. dollars globally.

“Most people across the world do not consume enough dietary fiber, which is essential in the fight against various diseases,” says Ibba. “Increasing the dietary fiber content of a staple crop like wheat could have a significant positive impact on the health of wheat consumers. Our goal is to increase dietary fiber intake through the consumption of wheat products with greater fiber content.”

Maria Itria Ibba. (Photo: CIMMYT)

Plant breeders, food scientists, nutrition/health scientists and economists are partnering with the coalition to transform the food industry. They support non-GMO (not genetically modified organisms) approaches to increasing naturally occurring dietary fiber in grains.

Over 50 public and private-sector laboratory leaders in three countries and 23 U.S. states have engaged with the coalition, including from CIMMYT, Rothamsted Research, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, University of California, Davis, Cornell University and Bayer Crop Science.

The Nebraska Wheat Board provided support for the efforts of the foundation and the coalition.

“I feel humbled to have received the Heroes Award,” says Ibba. “I know that this award not only represents the work I have been doing, but also all the hard work that my team and my organization have been doing for several years.”

About CIMMYT

CIMMYT is a cutting edge, non-profit, international organization dedicated to solving tomorrow’s problems today. It is entrusted with fostering improved quantity, quality, and dependability of production systems and basic cereals such as maize, wheat, triticale, sorghum, millets, and associated crops through applied agricultural science, particularly in the Global South, through building strong partnerships. This combination enhances the livelihood trajectories and resilience of millions of resource-poor farmers, while working towards a more productive, inclusive, and resilient agrifood system within planetary boundaries.

CIMMYT is a core CGIAR Research Center, a global research partnership for a food-secure future, dedicated to reducing poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security and improving natural resources. For more information, visit cimmyt.org.

About the Foundation for Innovation in Healthy Food

FIHF builds coalitions of stakeholders that support increasing the nutritional value of the foods we consume, while preserving consumers’ food experiences.

About the Coalition for Grain Fiber

The coalition is enrolling grain fiber in the fight against chronic disease. By improving the nutritional content of white and whole wheat flour, it seeks to save thousands of lives and dramatically reduce healthcare costs.

Bringing mechanization to farmers’ doorsteps

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in Blogs.

It is a winter morning in Ward 12 of Mutare Rural district in Zimbabwe. Farmers brave the cold weather to gather around several tents lined with a range of new agricultural machinery. The number of farmers increases, and the excited chatter gets louder as they attempt to identify the different machines on display. “That is a tractor, but it just has two wheels,” says one farmer. With enthusiasm, another identifies a multi-crop thresher and peanut butter machine and asks for the prices.

The scene typifies one of several settings for an awareness meeting conducted under the Feed the Future Zimbabwe Mechanization and Extension (Mechanization) Activity, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The project operates in Zimbabwe’s Manicaland and Masvingo provinces and addresses the pressing need to improve farm power and machinery access for smallholder farmers in ten districts: Buhera, Chimanimani, Chipinge, Mutare rural, Bikita, Chiredzi, Chivi, Masvingo rural, Mwenezi and Zaka.

Awareness meetings provide community members the opportunity to interact with the Mechanization Activity Team and learn more about the machinery suitable for their farm operations. (Photo: CIMMYT)

In recent years, farmers in the region have faced a decline in cattle populations due to tick-borne diseases—the devastating ‘January disease’ (Theileriosis) hitting hardest—causing significant draft power losses. In addition, on-farm and off-farm activities have notoriously been identified as labor-intensive, time consuming and back-breaking due to the level of effort required to execute certain tasks. Activities such as post-harvest processing have also been traditionally carried out by women, who are thus disproportionally affected by drudgery. Collectively, these challenges have affected not only food production and the quality of farm yields, but also drastically impacted farming families’ potential to realize sufficient household food and income security.

“Finding the best model of extension of appropriate machinery and developing financing mechanisms for smallholder farmers has been the work of previous projects on appropriate-scale mechanization,” says Christian Thierfelder, research director for the Mechanization Activity. “In this activity, we are implementing a service provider model in Zimbabwe and are aiming to reach 150 service providers and 22,500 users of these machines in the next two years.”

Despite previous successes under initiatives such as FACASI and R4/ZAMBUKO, there remains a huge demand for affordable machines that improve farm labor and generate income for smallholder farmers. “We already see hundreds of farmers demanding to mechanize agricultural activities in our intervention areas,” explains Leon Jamann, chief of party for the project. “That is why our activity aims to collaborate with banks and microfinance institutions to bank these farmers at fair rates so that they can buy the machinery that they need and want.”

A launchpad for success

The awareness meetings have served as launchpads to acquaint farmers with appropriate machinery right at the ‘farm gate’ while affording them a chance to explore the full range on offer. Since its inception, the Mechanization Activity has showcased through live demonstrations the operation and performance of machinery including the two-wheel tractor and trailer, ripper, basin digger, boom sprayer, multi-crop thresher, feed chopper-grinder, groundnut sheller and peanut butter machine. Each machine harmonizes with on-farm and off-farm activities, easing the labor burden and improving efficiency in land preparation, harvesting and post-harvest tasks. The aim is to create demand for and trigger business interest in the machinery through a service provision model.

The model centers on the service provider, typically an individual who owns machinery and extends their services to others for a fee. In some cases, organized Internal Savings and Lending (ISAL) and Production, Productivity Lending and Savings (PPL) groups have expressed, through the awareness meetings, interest in procuring a machine for use within the group. This symbiotic relationship empowers service providers economically, while granting communities access to crucial services that improve their land and labor productivity.

In the next step, service providers are then linked with banks to finance their machinery. This ensures a sustainable approach, as the mechanization solutions are locally produced, financed and used. Enhancing these local capacities and linkages is at the core of the activity and ensures impact beyond the project life cycle.

From awareness to demand

So far, a total of 32 awareness meetings have been held across three operational hubs in Masvingo and Manicaland provinces reaching 1,637 farmers—843 females and 794 males. The impact is evident, with 475 service providers identified across 20 implementation wards.

232 participants are keen to acquire a two-wheel tractor, with a further 191 opting for trailers, 63 for rippers, 125 for multi-crop threshers, 166 for chopper grinders, 178 for peanut butter machines and 31 for groundnut shellers. Among the prospective service providers are those opting to purchase a single unit while others are choosing two, three or more units from the machinery on offer.

Beyond the numbers, the Mechanization and Extension Activity continues to appeal to women and youth through sustainable and climate-smart intensification of crop production using conservation agriculture practices, opportunities for employment creation and enhancing profitability.

Graduate intern Titos Chibi demonstrates the two-wheel tractor during an awareness meeting in Ward 10 in Bikita. (Photo: CIMMYT)

“I enjoyed learning about the service provider approach and learning about the machinery on display,” reflected Nyarai Mutsetse, a female farmer from Ward 12. “Other women even got the chance to try out the two-wheel tractor. From now on, we are going to save money in our groups and purchase some of these machines.”

Echoing the same sentiments, Patience Chadambuka was fascinated by the two-wheel tractor demonstration, and impressed that it could serve multiple purposes. “I can use it for different tasks—ferrying wood, land preparation and it can also help us raise money to take our children to school through service provision,” she said. “We are beginning to save the money, together with my husband because we would like to purchase the tractor and use it for our business.”

The Mechanization Activity awareness meetings paint a vivid picture of collaboration with other Feed the Future Zimbabwe Activities such as the Fostering Agribusiness for Resilient Markets (FARM), Resilience Anchors and Farmer to Farmer, among others. The activity harmonizes smallholder farmers with private sector enterprises, including machinery manufacturers, local mechanics, financial institutions and the Government of Zimbabwe. This collective cooperation is pivotal in helping smallholder farmers realize their mechanization business goals.