Biosciences eastern and central Africa (BecA) Hub, hosted and managed by the International Livestock Research Institute, is offering a technical/research paper writing workshop in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 15–21 November 2009. Attendees will use their own advancedstage draft manuscripts in the training, with a goal of publication within two months of workshop completion. The application deadline is 17 September and applicants must be fluent in English, possess a Ph.D. or M.Sc. in a bioscience related area, and be currently employed by an African national research program or university. The Gender & Diversity Program of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) encourages African women scientists and professionals to apply. For more information please contact Ms. Rachel Njunge, r.njunge@cgiar.org or visit http://hub.africabiosciences.org/.

Many young and eager minds passed through CIMMYT-Mexico this past month. Three students from the University of Wisconsin, USA, visited from 8-16 August while 12 from Texas A&M University, USA, stayed from 12-22 August. The goals of both groups were to further their understanding of agricultural systems in Mexico and to observe CIMMYT’s work with international research.

The students completed a comprehensive program that contained all aspects of CIMMYT’s research areas and included field visits and presentations from the maize, wheat, and conservation agriculture programs and the Crops Research Information Laboratory (CRIL) at El Batán. Students also had the opportunity to explore other CIMMYT stations in Mexico: at Tlaltizapán the groups learned about maize and double haploids, at Agua Fria they discussed quality protein maize and met with local farmers, and in Toluca they learned about bread wheat improvement and traveled to local subsistence farmer communities. Students from Texas A&M also visited the research station of Mexico’s National Institute of Forestry, Agriculture, and Livestock Research (INIFAP) near Chapingo and the INIFAP headquarters, where they were received by director Pedro Brajcich.

This is the third time a group of students from Texas A&M has visited CIMMYT. Each time they have been accompanied by great friends of the center: Ronald Cantrell and Steve Hague. Special thanks to all scientists and staff who gave their time and expertise to make the visits a success.

Good practices for Skype users:

• Unless necessary, don’t use the video camera option during Skype calls. It uses a lot of bandwidth and reduces voice quality. This is especially likely to occur when one caller has a lower bandwidth connection.
• Instead of using a built-in microphone and speakers, invest in a good headset or stand alone speakers and microphone. The quality of your calls will improve significantly.
• When choosing a headset/ microphone:

1. Opt for one with an on/off switch. When you are in a teleconference    with several people, switch off your microphone when not speaking to improve your call quality.
2. Wireless headsets/microphones are not as reliable as headsets
   and microphones with wires, especially in an environment with a lot of interference (e.g. the airport).

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Do you sometimes have two versions of the same file, or need to compare contents of various folders? Try Beyond Compare. This user-friendly program can merge files, synchronize folders, and shows the differences between
files and folders.

Nearly 10 journalists visited CIMMYT El Batán on 12 August 2009 to learn about the center’s Conservation Agriculture (CA) Program and its partnership with the private company Monsanto. The two are working together to promote CA for highland maize farmers in Mexico. Bram Govaerts, CIMMYT cropping systems management specialist, gave a presentation on CIMMYT and CA followed by a visit to El Batán’s long term CA trials.

“CA is a water-saving technology,” Govaerts told the journalists. “In Mexico, it is relevant now more than ever as the country’s central area is having one of the severest droughts in its history.” The group then traveled to see CA in action on the field of local farmer Fernando Vergara, who is using the core CA principles of minimal soil movement, suitable crop rotations, and leaving crop residues on the soil. This visit corresponded with a farmer CA day already taking place on Vergara’s field. Farmers from different parts of the country were present and several took turns speaking with the media.

Around 20 employees from different departments in El Batán gathered at the auditorium and in La Redonda for a course on agricultural machinery maintenance and safety on 22 June 2009. The instructors, Jesús López Torres, Álvaro García, and Francisco Javier Reyes, were machinery experts from the John Deere company. They presented information on various types of motorized agricultural machinery, ranging from the conventional to more modern machines that can be directed via satellite.

The presenters gave several recommendations to participants to help them avoid accidents: always read the manual, wear a seatbelt, refrain from taking passengers, and do not have children playing in nearby areas. Handle oil and gas with care, staff were told, as spills can make land infertile. Finally, for personal health safety, wear gloves to avoid direct contact with gas or oil hoses, as oil can seep into one’s blood stream from the skin and over time this may cause cancer. In general, the instructors stressed that machine operators should know and practice security measures and wear protective equipment. After the theoretical component of the course, the group went to the field and put some of the new principals into practice.

How can CIMMYT better manage its project portfolio, identify fundraising needs and opportunities, and remove part of the burden for proposal development and project reporting from its scientists, freeing them up for their research? During 22-23 July 2009, Luz George (consultant), Scott Ferguson (deputy director general for Support Services), Carlos López (IT manager), and program administrators, including special guests Sarah Kibera (program administrator) from CIMMYT-Nairobi and Kimani Kamau (DTMA administrator), met at El Batán with staff from Human Resources, Finance, Legal Affairs, Corporate Communications, and program directors and scientists to seek answers.

Over the two days of presentations and discussions, including presentations of the CIMMYT-Nairobi and Generation Challenge Program project management systems, participants concluded that CIMMYT needs a Project Management Unit (PMU), and discussed the responsibilities and priorities of the new unit. Similar units at sister centers were discussed as potential models. In tabulating CIMMYT’s needs, participants decided better information was a core requirement, and concluded that a combination of clear procedures, an online database to track projects through their life cycle, and a more general internet-accessible portal would meet this requirement.

The conclusions of the workshop will be presented to CIMMYT’s Management Committee at its next session. The serious business of the workshop was punctuated by a relaxed evening which participants spent together at the Rincón Mexicano, eating the Mexican delicacy Chiles en Nogada and listening to the superb musical duo of Marcelo Pérez and Mike Listman.

To get a ground-level idea of how Monsanto support for a CIMMYT-led effort to refine and promote conservation agriculture (CA) in Mexico benefits farmers, Monsanto staff joined staff from project co sponsor Asgrow, a Monsanto subsidiary in Mexico, for a visit to El Batán and CA project satellite sites on 17 July 2009.

“Sustainability is part of the Monsanto pledge,” said Manuel J. Bravo, Latin America Norte (LAN), strategy and new business lead for the company. “This project is a clear example of that.” The group chatted with DG Tom Lumpkin and also attended a demonstration of a GoogleEarth-based database for project sites in Central Mexico. The field visits elicited strong enthusiasm. “It was impressive to see the farmers when they have a chance to compare the two systems (CA and conventional practices),” said Bryan Corkal, Monsanto LAN finance lead.

How did the group view the chances for successful adoption of CA in Mexico? “It’s just a question of time,” said Bravo. “The product is there—the system, the savings— we just need to find efficient ways to disseminate the practices to more people in less time.” According to Corkal, a lot depends on farmers’ culture: “It was interesting to see young farmers in the presentations; they’re the ones who are going to adopt the new practices.”

Last week, nearly 90 students from all around the world visited El Batán to learn about CIMMYT’s research and mission. They were all members of the International Association of Students in Agricultural and Related Sciences (IAAS) which is having its World Congress in Mexico. At CIMMYT, participants viewed the germplasm bank, learned about wide crosses and diversity analysis work at the Applied Biotechnology Center, and visited conservation agriculture experiments in the field.

IAAS provides a platform for students to share experiences, knowledge, and social responsibility. The students, who are from more than 20 countries, will spend three weeks visiting Mexico City, Queretaro, and Jalisco exploring  this year’s theme: “Biodiversity now, food tomorrow.”

About 17 people from the American Confederation of Associations in Sustainable Agriculture (CAAPAS, by its Portuguese acronym) visited El Batán on 23 July 2009. The group visited CIMMYT as part of their international meeting on direct seeding and sustainable agriculture.

Hans Braun, director of CIMMYT’s global wheat program, officially welcomed CAAPAS to the center. Ken Sayre, conservation agriculture (CA) specialist, then spoke to participants about CIMMYT’s CA program. He was followed by Petr Kosina, knowledge, information, and training manager, who informed them about the center’s origins, mission, and research focus. As well, Bram Govaerts, cropping systems management specialist, showed the group CIMMYT’s long-term CA trials in the field.

“It was a good opportunity to meet some new people interested in conservation agriculture,” said Sayre. “CIMMYT may work with a group like this in the future if there is money to support such collaboration.” After the morning’s presentations, there was a lively debate on the definition of CA and CA practices in different areas.

Ivo Mello, CAAPAS president, spoke about ‘quality zero-tillage.’ “We have to do what is necessary to respect the soil, conserve microorganisms and worms, etc., that aid crop production,” he said. “We must eliminate the use of chemicals and strive for soils with biological equilibrium, which is not going again nature.”