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Boosting productivity of smallholder farms in Nepal, India and Bangladesh

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By Mahesh Gathala, TP Tiwari, Pat Wall/CIMMYT

CIMMYT will lead a new research initiative to make agriculture more productive, profitable   and sustainable for smallholder farmers in the Eastern Gangetic Plains (EGP) of Nepal, Bangladesh and India.
Launched in Dhulikhel, Nepal, on 4 July, the five-year  US$6.8 million regional research initiative, Sustainable  and Resilient Farming Systems Intensification in  the Eastern Gangetic Plains (SRFSI), will tap the  agricultural potential of the area and target 7,000  farmers to test and adopt appropriate new technology  and farming approaches.

The program, funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), will operate in eight districts: two in northwest Bangladesh, two in the eastern Terai of Nepal and two each in the Indian states of Bihar and West Bengal.

The three-day Inception and Planning Meeting that launched the program was attended by 84 participants from Australia, Bangladesh, India, Mexico and Nepal.  SRFSI is managed by CIMMYT on behalf of multiple partners including the national research and extension systems of Bangladesh, India and Nepal, Indian and Australian universities, national and international nongovernmental organizations, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation of Australia and four CGIAR Centers (CIMMYT, the International Rice Research Institute, the International Food Policy Research Institute and the International Water Management Institute).

The project was officially initiated by the Australian Ambassador to Nepal, Glenn White, together with the Executive Director of the Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC), Dr. Dil Bahadur Gurung; the Joint Secretary of the Nepal Ministry of Agricultural Development, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Adhikari; Dr. Claire Glendenning of the Australian Department of Foreign Affair and Trade; and Dr. John Dixon, principal adviser for ACIAR.

“This initiative will help to raise agricultural productivity in a region which has the potential to become one of Asia’s great food bowls,” White told the gathering of scientists and development practitioners.

The EGP is home to some 300 million people, with the world’s highest concentration of rural poverty and a strong dependence on agriculture for food security and livelihoods. The region is dominated by small farms with many female farmers who have little access to credit, quality seeds, fertilizers, irrigation or formal extension services. They also have to contend with climate-related risks and extreme events such as floods, drought and cold snaps.

“This program will allow farmers to test a range of innovations to help them boost food production, including conservation agriculture and efficient use of water resources, while strengthening their ability to adapt and link to markets and support services,” White said. “Our aim is to enable at least 130,000 farmers to adopt these technologies within the next 10 years.”

Gurung and Adhikari lauded the long-term partnership between CIMMYT and Nepal, as well as the ACIAR support of this project, and assured that the Ministry will extend its full support.

Key Objectives of the SRFSI

The Eastern Gangetic Plains region has the potential to become a major contributor to South Asian regional food security, but rice and wheat productivity remain low and diversification is limited because of poorly developed markets, sparse agricultural knowledge and service networks, and inadequate development of available water resources and sustainable production practices. Labor shortages – mainly during sowing and harvesting – are becoming more acute. These factors lead to smallholder vulnerability to climate and market risks that limit investments in new technologies.

SRFSI will undertake several high-priority activities to reduce these factors:

• Improving farmers’ access to inputs, services and market information in order to reduce the risk associated with adopting new practices.

• Removing policy barriers to technology adoption.

• Analyzing the appropriateness of technologies, service provider models, markets and policies for women farmers, and adjusting them where necessary, to help ensure food security and gender equity in the region.

• Developing new knowledge among farmers, researchers, extension and change agents, service providers, agro-dealers and others involved in agriculture. This has been identified as the key to achieving widespread adoption of new technologies and reductions in poverty in the EGP.

• Investing heavily in capacity building at multiple levels, from field days to short courses to linkages with advanced research institutions. Ultimately the project focal communities, where all aspects of the project activities are put into place to achieve the desired change, will become demonstration or learning sites for institutions or individuals interested in agricultural development, where they can observe the technological changes and talk with farmers and farmer organizations about the importance of the different components of the project in bringing about agriculture change.

SIMLESA Phase II up and running

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By Gift Mashango and Mekuria Mulugetta

Members of the project management committee discussed SIMLESA’s second phase during a 1 July planning meeting in Addis Ababa.

Phase II of the Sustainable Intensification of Maize-Legume Systems for Food Security in Eastern and Southern Africa project (SIMLESA) began 1-4 July with a series of planning meetings in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. SIMLESA-II is a five-year project funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR).

Members of the project   management committee   (PMC) met on 1 July  to ensure that management and  implementing partners have a  common understanding of project  objectives, targets, milestones,  indicators and the assignment  of coordination responsibilities.  The PMC includes Olaf Erenstein,  director of the Socio-economics  Program; Bruno Gérard,  director of the Conservation  Agriculture Program; Mekuria  Mulugetta, SIMLESA project coordinator; Daniel Rodriguez  of the Queensland Alliance for  Agricultural and Food Innovation;  and Peter Craufurd, SIMLESA strategy leader.

Based on lessons learned from SIMLESA’s first phase, the PMC adjusted the design of activities, timelines and strategies for scaling out SIMLESA practices to farmers.  One recommendation was to assign a coordinator to each of SIMLESA’s four objectives: Paswel Marenya for objective one, Isaiah Nyagumbo for objective two, Peter Setimela for objective three and Michael Misiko for objective four. The PMC noted that during the first phase, research scientists were operating in silos, and they urged the scientists to work as a team since the project objectives and activities are more closely linked in the second phase.

Olaf Erenstein, director of CIMMYT’s Socio-economics Program, addressed CIMMYT scientists, SIMLESA national coordinators and partners during a SIMLESA planning meeting.

The PMC also appointed a committee to spearhead the selection of partners for competitive grants in each country. The committee will consist of the national coordinator for each of the five target countries, an ACIAR representative, a project steering committee member, the objective four leaders and a PMC member. The two new partners, the International Livestock Research Institute and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture, are responsible for forage- and soil science-related activities, respectively.

A joint meeting with SIMLESA country coordinators was held on 3-4 July. The coordinators gave presentations on achievements of the first phase and lessons learned, plus the challenges and strategic plan for the second phase. Planned project activities for the second phase are not homogeneous across the SIMLESA countries; they are guided by the country’s priorities, the amount of support that will be required and the opportunities for scaling out. Discussion centered on strategies to scale out new technologies to more than 650,000 small-scale farmers by 2023.

At the end of the meeting, all participants agreed on an implantation plan that will be further refined at the national level during country-specific planning and review meetings.

CIMMYT Maize Program scientists assist African plant breeding academy training program in Kenya

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By B.M. Prasanna and Rita Mumm/CIMMYT

The first group to take part in the African Plant Breeding Academy training program included 24 scientists from 11 countries in Africa.

The African Plant Breeding Academy (AfPBA) held   a two-week training course on plant breeding at   the World Agroforestry Centre campus in Nairobi 15-28 June. The AfPBA is a continuing education program organized by the University of California, Davis and an initiative of the African Orphan Crops Consortium. It is designed to sharpen skills of plant breeders across Africa on the use of new technologies and current proven approaches to improve genetic gains and efficiencies, leading to increased food security, and to promote innovative research on African orphan crops. The program, which debuted in December 2013, consists of three two-week sessions. This was the second session, with the final session scheduled for December.

The first group of students in the AfPBA has 24 young scientists from 11 countries in Africa — Burkina Faso, Côte-d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal and Zimbabwe — and includes four women. The core instructors for the session were Bruce Walsh (University of Arizona), Iago Hale (University of New Hampshire), Allen Van Deynze (University of California, Davis), and Rita H.  Mumm (University of Illinois), who also directs the AfPBA and will become a member of the CIMMYT Board of Trustees at its September meeting.

Topics covered in this session included multiple trait selection approaches such as selection indices and marker-assisted selection; multi-year, multilocation experimental designs and data analysis tools; approaches to phenotypic evaluation including specialized testing environments and use of secondary traits; and ways to manage and exploit geneenvironment interaction. AfPBA’s practice is to present concepts, principles and tools, then demonstrate these in action through actual breeding programs. This provides an opportunity for AfPBA students to ask practical questions about breeding targets and means to achieve them.

A team of CIMMYT Global Maize Program scientists based in Nairobi were invited to demonstrate some of the breeding concepts in action. On 19 June, B.M. Prasanna and his team presented their approaches and accomplishments pertaining to stress-resilient and nutritionally enriched maize germplasm development and delivery in the tropics (Prasanna); drought-tolerant maize for Africa (Tsedeke Abate); water use-efficient and insect-resistant maize germplasm for Africa (Stephen Mugo); nitrogen use-efficient germplasm for Africa (Bish Das); maize lethal necrosis in east Africa (George Mahuku); nutritionally enriched maize for the tropics (Dan Makumbi); molecular markerassisted breeding and genomic selection for maize improvement (Kassa Semagn and Yoseph Beyene); doubled-haploid technology for enhancing genetic gains and breeding efficiency (Prasanna and Sotero Bumagat). The students were quite enthusiastic about the interaction with CIMMYT scientists, and they shared their views on the improved maize development and deployment strategies in Africa.

Indian organizations honor Rajaram for World Food Prize win

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By Gurdev Singh/CIMMYT

Dr. S. Ayyappan, director general of ICAR, honored Rajaram as “the best living wheat scientist in the world today.”

Dr. Sanjaya Rajaram was on board a flight to New Delhi on 18 June when he was announced as the recipient of the 2014 World Food Prize (WFP). Upon landing, he was given a warm welcome by his close associates in India, Dr. O.P. Shringi and Sanjaya Chhabra of DCM Shriram Ltd. and others, who informed him of the official announcement. After spending some quality time with his family in his hometown of Varanasi, he had a completely new itinerary for his visit that involved several congratulatory events at agriculture-related institutes and organizations.

Rajaram has been working closely with DCM   Shriram Ltd. in New Delhi since 2005 on its wheat project. Sovan Chakrabarty, the business head and executive director, congratulated Rajaram in the traditional Indian way, with a shawl and a bouquet, in the presence of the Shriram Farm Solutions team members.­ Shringi said the firm took pride in being the first to receive and honor Rajaram after the official W­­­FP announcement. During the ceremony, Rajaram said he is a strong proponent of public-private partnerships for food security and increasing wheat productivity in India. He applauded Shriram Farm Solutions’ excellent famer delivery mechanism and the progress it has made in developing and marketing new wheat varieties in a very short time.

At the request of Dr. R. R. Hanchinal, chairperson of Protection of Plant Varieties & Farmers’ Rights Authority at the National Seed Institute of India, Rajaram attended a function at the National Agriculture Science Center Complex. Dr. S. Ayyappan, director general of the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) and the chief guest, honored Rajaram as “the best living wheat scientist in the world today,” and Hanchinal shared his achievements with a select group of scientists and authorities from Indian agricultural universities and institutions.

Children of DWR staff members joined Dr. Indu Sharma, director of DWR, to welcome Rajaram with waving flags.

The Indian Agriculture Research Institute in New Delhi, where Rajaram earned his master’s degree in genetics and plant breeding, also held a function. The director, Dr. H.S. Gupta, lauded Rajaram’s contributions and congratulated him for being selected to receive the most prestigious prize in agriculture.

In a speech to several distinguished scientists, Rajaram emphasized the need to address the productivity problems in the eastern part of the Indo-Gangetic plains.

Rajaram has been a regular visitor at Punjab Agriculture University in Ludhiana, so the vice chancellor, Dr. B.S.  Dhillon, invited Rajaram to an event in his honor.  Dr. Darshan Singh Brar, former head of plant breeding, biotechnology and biochemistry at the International Rice Research Institute, and Dr. Gurdev Singh, a former professor at the university and adviser to DCM Shriram Ltd., were special guests. Rajaram took time to interact with the faculty, particularly Dr. Kuldeep Singh, director of biotechnology, and his Ph.D. students.

Dr. Indu Sharma, director of DWR, presented a memento to Rajaram during an event held in his honor.

Dr. Indu Sharma, director of ICAR’s Directorate of Wheat Research (DWR), organized a large event for Rajaram’s visit to DWR on 27 June. Sharma joined a group of staff members’ children to welcome Rajaram by waving flags, and then she shared some fond memories in a staff meeting of him interacting with Indian wheat scientists in the field.  The DWR staff gave Rajaram a standing ovation for his unparalleled contribution to wheat production, particularly in Asia. Dr. A.K. Srivastava, director of the National Dairy Research Institute in Karnal, offered hearty congratulations and opined that wheat varieties with slightly more biomass would be handy in providing much-needed fodder for milking animals.

Addressing the audience, Rajaram congratulated the Indian wheat researchers for achieving remarkable wheat production again this year, and he emphasized the need to develop human resources and train the younger generations to work hard in the fields in an interactive mode. He also discussed the important issue of post-harvest handling and storage facilities in India. He then planted a tree at DWR’s new compound in Karnal.

Bolivia and CIMMYT partner to boost sustainable grain production

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By Ricardo Curiel/CIMMYT 

Nemesia Achacollo, Bolivia’s Minister of Rural Development and Land, joined CIMMYT Director General Dr. Thomas A. Lumpkin in the lobby of the Borlaug building during her visit earlier this year. The two signed a scientific collaboration agreement to strengthen food security in the Andean country last week in Bolivia.

Bolivia became the first  country in South America   to adopt the sustainable intensification strategy for agriculture that CIMMYT has used successfully in Mexico with the Sustainable Modernization of Traditional Agriculture project (MasAgro), and in countries in Africa and Asia through similar projects. The project in Bolivia will develop new, high-yielding maize varieties adapted to the country’s growing conditions that will be commercialized by the local seed sector. The project also plans to develop and to transfer new technologies for sustainable farming practices based on conservation agriculture principles. “When combined, these factors account for higher and more stable yields, and contribute to mitigate agriculture’s impact on the environment,” said CIMMYT Director General Dr. Thomas A. Lumpkin.

The agreement was signed during the “Day of Collaborative Evaluation of Maize Research” organized by INIAF. Hans Mercado, INIAF Executive Director General, outlined the main activities planned for the three years of work that have been initially approved for the project. These include: analyses of  commercial and family agriculture  systems to improve their economic  and ecologic performance; breeding  of maize varieties adapted to  Bolivia’s growing conditions; advice  on the development of a seed  production system that includes  private and public players; and  capacity building and training of  human resources at different levels  of specialization.

The ceremony was hosted by Bolivia’s Minister of Rural Development and Land, Nemesia  Achacollo, who announced an  investment of US$ 350,000 per year  in the rural development project.  She noted that the agreement was reached following her visit to CIMMYT earlier this year, when she had an opportunity to see and learn about MasAgro achievements in Mexico. Achacollo also stressed that INIAF had already introduced two maize hybrids developed by CIMMYT that yield seven tons per hectare, double the average yield obtained in Bolivia.

“CIMMYT celebrates Bolivia’s vision and leadership in investing in research for rural development,” said Lumpkin. “We hope that more countries in the region will follow Bolivia’s example and adopt similar strategies to strengthen food and nutritional security while also protecting the environment.”

 

Economist: ‘You may never have heard about CGIAR, but you need to care about it’

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By Carissa Wodehouse/CIMMYT

Visiting Fellow Richard Woodward of the Sheffield Political Economy Research  Institute (SPERI) recently wrote a blog post titled “The CGIAR: The Most  Important International Organisation You’ve Never Heard Of?” in which he  describes the history and impact of CGIAR, including CIMMYT. He wrote that  CGIAR “can justifiably claim to have made the biggest contribution to global  nutritional improvements witnessed in the last 50 years.”

CIMMYT, along with IRRI, are named as two key institutions in the Green Revolution. In describing the crop-based focus of the CGIAR centers, Woodward highlights the 22 new maize varieties released by CIMMYT in 2013 as well as CIMMYT’s work fighting the rust disease Ug99.

Calling attention to CGIAR’s fluctuating budget, Woodward points to the political nature of funding that goes to catastrophes and large-scale programs such as the World Food Programme. As a result of this budget squeeze, CGIAR is forced “towards uneasy collaboration with large agribusiness corporations,” which Woodward notes has its dangers.

Woodward also calls into question why CGIAR gets little attention, when eradicating extreme hunger and poverty are both prominent Millennium Development Goals.  He writes:

“Hunger and poverty are complex problems that defy straightforward policy solutions. Nevertheless, there is widespread agreement that boosting agricultural productivity in an environmentally sustainable manner – a goal to which CGIAR is devoted – is vital if poverty is to be alleviated.”

CIMMYT and Punjab agricultural research institutions partner to introduce multi-crop bed planter

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By Imtiaz Hussain and Hafiz Nasrullah/CIMMYT

Farmers visiting cotton planted on wide beds with the planter.

CIMMYT and the Punjab Department of Agriculture Research have introduced a multi-crop bed planter system in Bahawalpur, Pakistan that can be used to plant crops such as cotton, maize, pulses, rice and wheat on raised beds while applying fertilizer at the same time. The Agronomy Research Station (ARS) and the Regional Agriculture Research Institute (RARI) are collaborating with CIMMYT to test and promote the planters in Punjab State.

To create awareness among the farming community in Bahawalpur, ARS and RARI held a field day on 26 June. More than 100 farmers and agriculture experts visited the cotton field that had been planted using the multi-crop bed planter, and Dr. Muhammad Akhter of ARS shared his experience in using the planter to plant cotton on wide beds. Farmers were impressed with the crop stand in the cotton fields and were later given a demonstration on planting mung bean with the planter.

Demonstration of mung bean planting with multi-bed crop planter.

Dr. Ghulam Hussain, director of RARI, highlighted the importance of using mechanical planting for different crops in order to save resources and time while also increasing yields. Dr. Muhammad Aslam of ARS said that planting on raised beds reduces the amount of water needed for irrigation by 30 to 40 percent and also improves crop yield by 15 to 25 percent.

An assistant agronomist at RARI, Dr. Hafiz Nasrullah, explained to farmers that they only need to purchase one planter, which can be used for various crops.  Farmers also learned that the multi-crop bed planter can be used to plant crops in residue and in zero tillage conditions, and that this would save them the cost of land preparation.

Farmers attending discussion and lectures on the field day in Bahawalpur.

 

Aslam and Chaudhary Bashir Ahmed, agriculture extension experts, assured farmers and researchers that the extension department would do its best to transfer the successful and productive technologies to the farmers after the pilot testing had been completed.

This effort to promote conservation agriculture in Pakistan is supported by Feed the Future U.S. Agency for International Development under the Agricultural Innovation Program.

World Food Prize winner boosts wheat training at CIMMYT

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By Karen Willenbrecht/CIMMYT 

This classic photo of Dr. Sanjaya Rajaram, left, and Dr. Norman Borlaug studying data at the Ciudad Obregón experiment station in the 1990s was taken by Gene Hettel of the International Rice Research Institute. The photograph has been in CIMMYT’s archives for years, but there was no information about the photographer. We’re delighted to learn more about the photo and to give Hettel credit for his work.

Two additional trainees — one from Afghanistan and one from Ethiopia — had the opportunity to participate in CIMMYT’s Basic Wheat Improvement Course this year, thanks to the generous donation of US$ 20,000 by Dr. Sanjaya Rajaram, former director of CIMMYT’s Global Wheat Program (GWP) and winner of the 2014 World Food Prize.

“Training is something very close to my heart, and I would like to see more donors supporting this important function at CIMMYT,” he said during a 3 July visit to CIMMYT headquarters.    When he presented the check to CIMMYT last fall, Rajaram said he “hoped it would serve as an example to other people who believe in training.”

Rajaram started his CIMMYT career as a post-doctoral fellow, working alongside Dr. Norman Borlaug.  He then went on to lead the bread wheat breeding team from 1973- 1995 and develop wheat varieties   among the most widely-grown  worldwide. He served as director of the GWP from 1996 to 2002.

Sanjaya Rajaram, left, presents a check to Hans-Joachim Braun.

In his four decades at CIMMYT, Rajaram trained more than 400 wheat scientists. “He influenced so many trainees who lead wheat breeding in their home countries, and many became national research leaders,” said current GWP Director Hans-Joachim Braun.

Find out how Dr. Rajaram has influenced top CIMMYT scientists in our new video series, which debuted this week on YouTube. Dr. Ravi Singh, a wheat breeder, talks about his mentor in the first video.

Climate-smart villages: the framework

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Climate-Smart Villages (CSVs) in Haryana, India, are prioritizing and promoting climate-smart agriculture (CSA) interventions. Through the work of CIMMYT and its partners, the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) is promoting CSA interventions through CSVs in India and South Asia.

A planning workshop titled “Mainstreaming and scaling-out climate smart agriculture interventions in Haryana” was held on 27 May to promote climate-smart agriculture practices to benefit farmers. The workshop also addressed the emerging challenges of water scarcity and degrading soil health through promoting direct seeded rice (DSR), no till and diversification of ricewheat systems by introducing maize. Participants focused on daunting challenges in the agriculture sector. Topics included:

  • The promotion of CSA through techniques like laser-assisted precision land leveling and tools for precision nutrient management tools such as the GreenSeeker and Nutrient Expert software. The pedoclimatic and socio-economic condition of farmers including market demand, presented by CIMMYT’s Santiago López-Ridaura.
  • An action plan to disseminate soil fertility information for informed decision-making on nutrients and fertilizer application was presented by T Satyanarayana, Deputy Director of the Internal Plant Nutrition Institute.
  • Developing a joint action plan between CIMMYT and the state department of agriculture for the 2014 monsoon season to implement CSA practices. DSR and maize promotion in Haryana. The roadmap emphasized diversification through maize.
  • Precise nutrient management for capacity building and training needs on precision nutrient management and DSR was laid out for 10 districts of Haryana.

In order to mainstream climate-smart villages, there is a need to identify, adapt and evaluate demand-driven CSA interventions aimed at improving the adaptive capacity of rural livelihoods to climate change. Other priorities include identifying target domains for CSA interventions; designing, monitoring and evaluating the processes to integrate and deliver CSA interventions to facilitate up-scaling and out-scaling beyond the CCAFS CSVs; innovative business models for CSA interventions; capacity development; and promoting policies that help farmers better adapt to climate change. Capacity building, training on new technology and dissemination of agro-advisories through voice messages are features of the CSVs in Haryana.

The benefits of CSVs are already clear, though policy implementation and technological gaps hinder information dissemination and adaptation. With due time and effort, the CSVs in India will transform agriculture and sustainable development. The meeting was chaired by Suresh Gahalawat, Joint Director Agriculture, Government of Haryana and was organized jointly by the State Department of Agriculture, the Government of Haryana, CIMMYT-CCAFS, CSSRI-NICRA. The key stakeholders involved were PC Sharma from CSSRI; RK Sharma, DWR; DK Sharma, CSSRI; Pawan Sharma, DDA, Karnal and other deputy directors of agriculture from different districts of Haryan.

Syngenta scientists visit CIMMYT–Turkey Seed Program

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By Abdelfattah A. Dababat and Dietrich Hermann/CIMMYT

CIMMYT has been working with agriculture research institutes in Turkey since the mid-1980s, focusing on developing germplasm that is broadly adapted and generates stable yields across a changing environment. The seed also must be more droughttolerant, resistant to diseases and cold temperatures and have winter hardness.

In 2000 CIMMYT-Turkey agreed to establish the Soil Borne Pathogens (SBP) program to work on root diseases such as cereal cyst nematodes, root lesion nematodes and dryland crown rot. In 2009 the SBP program at CIMMYT-Turkey started collaborating with Syngenta to explore possibilities to control SBPs on wheat. The idea was to use seed treatments on wheat germplasm having different resistance reactions to the SBP to investigate if the seed treatments showed additive and/or synergetic effects on both susceptible and resistant germplasm.

From left to right: Drs. Gül Erginbas-Orakci, Monika Scheller, Alexei Morgounov, Dietrich Hermann, Sami Suzer and Amer Dabadat visit the Trakya Agriculture

In order to get a more comprehensive understanding of the way CIMMYT Turkey works with agricultural research institutes, Dr. Dietrich Hermann and Dr. Monika Scheller from Syngenta Crop Protection AG in Basel, Switzerland, visited the SBP program 9-12 June. They were hosted by Dr. Abdelfattah A. Dababat and Dr. Gül Erginbas-Orakci. The visit started at the Trakya Agriculture Research Institute (TARI) in Edirne. TARI has been working on main crops such as sunflowers, rice, wheat, barley, oats, soybeans, safflower, flax, canola and pasture and forage crops to develop new, high-quality cultivars that have high yield and adaptation capabilities. Other projects include new agronomy techniques to increase farmer income, determining alternative crops for the region and producing elite and certified seed for seed producers and farmers.

The Syngenta delegation meets with TZARI director, Dr. Sabri Cakir, in his office.

The institute also contributes to Turkey’s agricultural economy with research on agronomy, pests and diseases; technological studies; and extension services. Guided by the institute’s director, Dr. Adnan Tulek, the group visited a wheat gall nematodes trial and discussed their life cycle and importance. They also toured the SBP nurseries and saw the best lines with multiple disease resistance traits. Dr. Alexei Morgounov, leader of the International Winter Wheat Improvement Program (IWWIP), showed some of the program’s seed multiplication plots as well as the landraces nursery. IWWIP is a joint enterprise of the government of Turkey, CIMMYT and the International Center for Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA).

IWWIP’s main objective is to develop winter/ facultative wheat germplasm for Central and West Asia. The following day the group visited the Transitional Zone Agriculture Research Institute (TZARI) in Eskisehir and met with Dr. Sabri Çakir, TZARI’s director, who briefed the visitors about the institute’s main activities. TZARI’s primary focus is improving yield potential and drought tolerance, particularly in winter wheat varieties.

TZARI has released 21 bread wheat varieties suited for dry conditions, 10 bread wheat varieties for irrigated conditions, five durum wheat, two triticale, 11 barley and two oat varieties, plus a range of germplasm for other crops (cabbage, chickpeas, common vetch, cumin, green beans, lentils, melons, onions, peppers, poppies, safflower, tomatoes and turnips). The group saw SBP activities in the lab, growth room, greenhouses and semi-field, addressed technical details and discussed possibilities for future collaborative work. Dr. Mustafa Cakmak, a TZARI wheat breeder, gave a tour of the field trials at the institute station and briefed the researchers on the IWWIP materials planted under both drought and irrigated conditions.

The Syngenta scientists gave presentations to breeders, pathologists and agronomists at both locations. Scheller provided an overview of Syngenta’s cereal seed care-product portfolio, and Hermann offered insight on the Syngenta strategy in barley and wheat, for seeds and crop protection, as well as opportunities seen in integration across technologies. The number of questions and the intensity of the discussion indicated the national scientists had significant interest in learning more about Syngenta’s technologies such as hybrid barley and seed care products. Hermann and Scheller will explore the possibility of increased interaction between the two institutes and the local Syngenta team in Turkey. The tour, which also offered opportunities for intensive discussion during the travel time between locations, was highly appreciated by the guests from Syngenta and will further increase the trust and strategic links between the organizations.

Farmers in southern Africa reap benefits of conservation agriculture

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CIMMYT’S Global Conservation Agriculture Program Manager, Irene Christiansen, received a first-hand look at the benefits and challenges of practicing conservation agriculture (CA) in southern Africa during a 9-13 June visit to the region.

Irene Chakoma of ILRI explains how livestock feeding trials have helped demonstrate the value of fodder crops to farmers.

On the first day, she met with scientists in the CIMMYT Southern Africa Regional Office and the country liaison officer, Dr. Mekuria Mulugetta. The scientists gave formal presentations of their key activities and how these are linked to GCAP activities in the region. The remainder of the week was enriched by site visits to project areas and partner meetings.

One of the highlights was a visit to the Integrating Crops and Livestock for Improved Food Security and Livelihoods in Rural Zimbabwe (ZimCLIFS) project, which is funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research. The project is joined by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), CIMMYT, and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT).

“Our work under conservation agriculture is focused on three aspects – food, feed and soil fertility management,” explained cropping systems agronomist Isaiah Nyagumbo. Christiansen met farmers who are testing different maize-legume systems, including fodder legumes. “The use of velvet beans and lablab as supplementary feed for livestock during the dry season is proving to be very popular among farmers,” said Irene Chakoma of the International Livestock Research Institute.

Photo: Jefias Mataruse

Another group of farmers, who are implementing ZimCLIFS trials in Goromonzi District, said they have benefited from learning new farming techniques such as growing grain and forage legumes for soil fertility improvement, growing crops for fodder and preparing hay bales from forage crops. One challenge they face is keeping maize residue on the fields, a key component of CA. Because of communal grazing, they said, most of the maize residue is eaten by livestock, leaving thatch grass species as the main source of residue for soil cover. “Residue application is the most labordemanding task for us when practicing CA, as it involves fetching grass from our field boundaries and from fields that are farther away,” one said.

To address this challenge, ZimCLIFS is testing the potential of using biomass from unpalatable legumes such as fish bean and common rattlepot. Finding innovative solutions to smallholder farmers’ problems is a key component of the program. “We are also testing the effects of different residue types in CA such as maize residues, grass and leaf litter and their interaction with nitrogen management in trials implemented in the 11 wards across Goromonzi and Murehwa districts,” reported cropping systems agronomist Walter Mupangwa.

Later in the week Christiansen visited a site near Bindura, Mashonaland Central, where farmers have been implementing CA with a CIMMYT team led by cropping systems agronomist Christian Thierfelder for the last 10 years. Farmers in the Pindukai Valley explained that they stopped using plows in all their operations after realizing the benefits of minimum soil disturbance. Using a direct seeder or ripper allows them to plant their fields in one-quarter of the time it would take to plow the heavy soils.

Farmers also use herbicides for weed control, which makes CA very attractive to them. “We arrived in 1987 at this farm with 16 families and have now grown to 56 families. None of us is currently using a plow except for some tobacco growers,” said farmer Hendrixius Zvamarima during discussions.

Another farmer said the long-term intervention “changed our way of agriculture completely.” Christiansen then enjoyed lunch with farmers in the field, testing local chicken with sadza (maize porridge) and muriwo (rape leaves). Wrap-up discussions with the GCAP team focused on developing new strategies to bridge funding gaps when projects end to ensure continuity with stakeholders. Christiansen added examples from her own experience in Tanzania and stressed the need to involve the private sector in GCAP activities.

The visit was a great success for everybody involved, as Christiansen saw first-hand the work of GCAP scientists in the region, while the scientists used the opportunity to highlight challenges with current funding and support needed in future work.

Hidden factors contribute to food insecurity in female-headed households

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By Florence Sipalla/CIMMYT

Results of a survey conducted by the Adoption Pathways (AP) project indicate that even when male-headed and female-headed households have the same resources, the latter are still less food-secure. This difference could be attributed to unreported social exclusion, discrimination and access to credit facilities which the researchers will explore further through group discussions and using repeated observations (panel data) with the farmers.

ACIAR donor representatives at Egerton University.

“Equal access to inputs, human capital, resources and institutional services may not close the gender food security gap,” said Menale Kassie, CIMMYT socioeconomist and the AP project leader. “The quality of information extension workers are providing to female farmers could be different.” Kassie presented research results of a survey conducted in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania to donor representatives from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) led by Nick Austin, the chief executive officer, and Mellissa Wood, director of the Australian International Food Security Research Centre (AIFSRC) at Egerton University in Njoro, Kenya.

Farmers who adopt a suite of conservation agriculture (CA) technologies get the best returns. “If farmers combine technologies, the income they generate is much higher,” Kassie said. “Farmers who adopted a combination of sustainable intensification practices (SIPs) such as crop rotation, minimum tillage and improved maize seed had the highest returns.” Survey results from Tanzania also show that adoption of improved varieties improves the food security status of food-insecure households.

The results also shed light on the spill-over effects of SIP adoption, risk of crop failure and the cost of risk reduction. The AP project is compiling detailed gender-disaggregated data to study causes of food insecurity and technology gaps. “This data set is cross-cutting and will be used by stakeholders beyond the project partners,” Kassie said. “We are bringing students on board to increase research productivity.”

From right: Donor representatives ACIAR CEO Nick Austin, AIFSRC director Mellissa Wood and Australian High Commission’s Paul Greener listen to Egerton University

Wilcyster Nyateko, a master’s student at Egerton University using AP data and working under the supervision of Professor Gideon Obare, presented her research proposal “Determinants of diffusion of agro-innovation amongst smallholder farmers in Eastern and Western Kenya” to the donor delegation. “The AP data helped to widen my perspectives,” said Nyateko, who is going to include variables such as plot characteristics, tenure and distance of the plot from the household and market in her analysis based on the feedback she received. Other stakeholders who will have access to the panel data include Egerton University’s policy thinktank, Tegemeo Institute. “This is a fascinating data set,” Austin said after the presentation.

The project has contributed to capacity building of partners and young economists who have participated in data collection. “The project also provided employment opportunities to the enumerators,” Kassie said. The project has produced 15 publications and seven policy briefs and presented research results in various international forums. “Some of the challenges encountered include attrition problems such as spouses working in distant places and who are not able to participate in the survey or families included in the original sample who had migrated to other villages.”

AP plans to produce more empirical outputs using the panel data, build the capacity of partners and share the research outputs with key stakeholders (e.g. policymakers, development partners, researchers and farmers). “The key challenge is taking research products to these stakeholders; doing so requires more resources and time, beyond the project period,” Kassie said. The donors also paid a courtesy call to the Egerton University leadership where they were hosted by Professor Rose Mwonya, the deputy vice chancellor of academic affairs, and Professor John Mwangi, who gave them an overview of the university and its involvement in the AP project.

CIMMYT to conduct exchange program with Chinese Agricultural University

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By Karen Willenbrecht/CIMMYT

Chinese scientists will have more opportunities to learn from and apply CIMMYT’s research thanks to an agreement signed 16 June between CIMMYT and Yunnan Agricultural University.

High-level representatives from the university visited CIMMYT headquarters in Mexico as the first step in establishing a cooperative relationship that will benefit agricultural technology development in China’s Yunnan Province a major agricultural area in the far southwest of the country.

Photos: Xochiquetzal Fonseca
Photos: Xochiquetzal Fonseca

The province spans approximately 394,000 square kilometers (152,000 square miles) and has a population of more than 46 million. Zhang Haixiang, chairman of Yunnan Agricultural University, expressed eagerness to collaborate with CIMMYT in several areas, including an exchange program for young scientists and professors.

He noted that the climate in Yunnan Province is similar to El Batán’s and hoped CIMMYT researchers could share their experience of breeding maize and wheat in that environment. He also invited CIMMYT leadership to visit the university, offering a personal tour of its cereal research programs, particularly as they relate to rice, maize and wheat. Marianne Bänziger, deputy director general for research and partnerships, told the delegates CIMMYT staff are interested in strengthening collaboration with China.

“There are more opportunities than currently taken for Chinese students or visiting scientists to gain experiences and contribute to CIMMYT research programs,” she said. “We need champions with CIMMYT and Chinese institutions such as the Yunnan Agricultural University to create those opportunities where our interests align.” A memorandum of understanding was signed by Bänziger and Wen Jun, the university’s deputy chairman of academic affairs, that outlined the collaboration agreement.

During their visit, the delegates met with Dr. Xuecai Zhang, a CIMMYT maize genomic selection breeder; Dr. Lan Caixia and Dr. Yuanfeng Hao of the Global Wheat Program; and Dr. Jiafa Chen of the Seeds of Discovery program. They also visited the Genetic Resources Center, the bioscience complex and the maize and wheat quality labs.

Yunnan Agricultural University is the only agricultural higher education and research organization in Yunnan. The university is home to a key national laboratory for rice biodiversity, a research institute for highland crop development and a rural development institute. CIMMYT has one staff member, Dan Jeffers from the Global Maize Program, based in Yunnan Province and has strong partnerships with the Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

Predominance of informal seed systems in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Pakistan: a wake-up call for improvement

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By Krishna Dev Joshi, Muhammad Imtiaz and Akhlaq Hussain/CIMMYT

Improving and sustaining wheat productivity gains in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province (KP) and other parts of Pakistan is vital to addressing national food security, as wheat is a major staple in the country.

Photos: Asad Khan

Regular deployment of new, high-yielding and rust-resistant wheat varieties is essential to ensure ongoing improvement in wheat yields. This can only be achieved once a sustainable and profitable wheat seed system is in place. A workshop held on 4 June at the Cereal Crops Research Institute (CCRI), Nowshera, KP, brought together 49 participants representing major actors in the wheat value chain.

Participants included researchers from institutes in KP as well as from the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), farmers, extension personnel, private seed companies, seed regulatory bodies and CIMMYT scientists. Participants analyzed gaps and opportunities in the current seed system. CIMMYT organized the event under the Agriculture Innovation Program (AIP) for Pakistan with CCRI, KP, Nowshera and PARC. The AIP is funded by the USAID Feed The Future Initiative.

Workshop participants stressed using innovative approaches for research, extension, seed production and marketing. According to the KP Department of Agriculture Extension, wheat productivity in the province is nearly 1.6 tons per hectare (t/ha) while the national average yield in Pakistan is around 2.7 t/ha. Wheat is grown on about 730,000 hectares in KP. Considering a 30 percent seed replacement rate, about 30,000 tons of wheat seeds is needed annually in the province. According to the Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department (FSC&RD) only around 7 percent of certified seeds are replaced every year (3.8 percent by public sector and 2.9 percent by private seed companies).

The remaining 93 percent of seed comes from informal sources. The lack of business perspective among almost all the major value chain actors coupled with weak coordination and linkage between them were identified by workshop participants as the main reasons for the predominance of informal seed systems in the province. The prevalence is a concern for wheat growth and sustainability. Farmer Abdul Malik from Swabi stressed that “seed is very important to maximize yield, and unavailability of quality seeds is the main cause of low productivity.”

He asked for better wheat seed of the right varieties that is available locally, adapted to specific conditions and affordable. Another farmer asked for focus on wheat varieties suitable for rain-fed conditions, as more than 60 percent of the wheat grown in KP is rain-fed. The workshop identified the long adoption lag phase as another major issue in releasing new varieties and making certified seed available. Workshop participants stressed that seeds coming to villages should include information about new varieties and associated technologies. Seed packets should contain information about new varieties and their specific adaptation to irrigated or Barani (rainfed) lands and other relevant traits. Demonstration plots and other adaptive research are important to popularize new varieties as well as for educating farmers about new seed varieties.

A total of 23 private seed companies are registered in KP, the majority of which are in urban areas, and few of these are functional. The majority of functional seed companies do not have wheat seed in their business portfolio or only have a small quantity of wheat seed because demand is low and this business is unprofitable. The high cost of seed production (small holdings and majority of nonirrigated areas, low productivity, etc.) adds to this complexity. complexity. The net returns from the sale of wheat seeds by the public sector Agricultural Development Fund (ADF) project were only around 7 percent (disregarding staff salary, overheads, seed storage costs).

The wheat seed business is unlikely to become a business of choice for private sector companies in this province. Wheat seed from Punjab does have a market in KP because of lower seed procurement prices. ADF, within the Department of Agriculture Extension, encourages local private seed companies to minimize dependency on Punjab, though the implementation is complicated without changing wheat grain pricing policy regime in the province, a major factor responsible for making this industry highly uncompetitive.

Workshop participants highlighted the role of seed and agricultural input dealers that sell wheat seed in the province. These dealers are vital actors in areas with underdeveloped seed markets, such as KP. Ensuring access to correct and appropriate information about the seeds they sell is vital. Participants, for example, raised concerns that some seed dealers sold seeds of a rust- susceptible wheat variety last year in Swabi, resulting in big losses for farmers. This was linked with a lapse in the implementation of Seed Act provisions, which is meant to protect farmers.

New technologies help Indian farmers improve nutrient management

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By ML Jat, RS Dadarwal, Tripti Agarwal and Love Kumar Singh/CIMMYT

In the intensively cropped region of northwest India, farmers generally use imbalanced and inappropriate nutrient doses, which leads to low yields, high production costs and low nutrient efficiency. The resulting loss of applied nutrients, particularly nitrogen, creates a large environmental footprint.

Photo: Vikas Choudhary

An interactive workshop was held 5-6 June in Haryana State to promote the use of precision nutrient management tools in smallholder production systems. The 175 participants received hands-on training in Nutrient ExpertTM, a software tool that helps determine fertilizer requirements in cereals, and GreenSeekerTM, an optical sensor that measures the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, an indicator of crop development and health.

To encourage widespread adoption of both technologies, the agriculture departments in the participating districts received them for free. Meanwhile, Haryana’s Department of Agriculture has planned more than 1,000 demonstrations of the tools in maize and rice fields during this year’s rainy season.

The training was jointly organized by the International Plant Nutrition Institute-South Asia Program, CIMMYT and the Haryana Department of Agriculture, under the umbrella of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS). Many of the participants were agriculture development officers or extension experts who will use the tools to devise climate-smart management strategies for sustainable development.