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Science at CIMMYT: grown-ups and children play and learn

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At El Batán last 28 July 2006, we were privileged to host 76 children from the CIMMYT family. Following the DG’s welcome, a group photo, and final admonitions from their guardians, the youngsters aged 6 through 12 began a day-long expedition in which they would learn something about the work of their parents and other CIMMYT employees, as well as its importance in fulfilling our center’s mission.

On a tractor-drawn cart they toured the station’s maize and wheat plots. In the chemical analysis labs, they learned about the crops’ nutritional qualities, and they marveled at molecular wonders in the biotech labs. Not only did they learn about what the grown-ups do there, but they also had a chance to experiment and learn through play: as part of understanding the role of fermentation, they made bread and they witnessed how yeast can blow up a balloon; some children separated pigments in spinach and carrots; others isolated DNA using a blender and played with a jigsaw puzzle involving plastic pieces of base pairs of DNA, the molecule of life.

It was a valuable experience for the children, for adult participants, and for CIMMYT. Education changes hopes and dreams, attitudes and talents, fears and concerns, ideas and beliefs, and culture. Through activities like this, we hope to foster awareness of the biological sciences and CIMMYT’s mission through simple language and teaching based on comparisons, experimentation, interactions, creativity, and play.

Heartfelt thanks to all the children who took part, for their curiosity. Thanks as well to the CIMMYT parents, uncles, grandparents, and others who gave us a chance to share this experience with your children. Finally, we are extremely grateful to CIMMYT staff and circle of friends who provided support and to the FundaciĂłn Ciencia Activa for its commitment and enthusiasm, and look forward to more events like this one.

Message from Masa: CIMMYT’s research

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CIMMYT has a science-based humanitarian mission. One of the main reasons why we work for CIMMYT is that we want to apply our particular areas of technical expertise (for example as geneticist, economist, soil scientist etc.) to make a difference in the lives of millions of the resource poor. This differentiates CIMMYT as workplace from purely academic organizations (e.g. universities) or technology transfer organizations (e.g. development agencies) and was probably part of your motivation for having applied for a CIMMYT job.

CIMMYT’s main output is new knowledge relevant to achieving our mission. Journal publication is a very important instrument to disseminate new knowledge and scientific achievements. Science publication is often cited as an example of International Public Goods. I am very pleased that CIMMYT’s journal publication number per IRS has doubled during the last three years compared to the period 1997-2002. In 2005 we recorded 1.6 journal publications per IRS (the highest number in CIMMYT 40 years of history, although still slightly less than the overall CGIAR average).

While I believe that our research agenda and our activities should not be driven by the opportunity to publish, I also believe that we as scientists should have a good record of journal publication. I started my career with the CGIAR as pre-Doc and went through all rank and file positions. Before I moved to a senior management position (DDG-R), I as a CG scientist, had published reasonably well and regarded it as part of my job.

I would like to make few points on the importance of journal publication and how we can achieve it based on my observations and experience over the last 25 years or so within the CG system.

CIMMYT should be influential globally. That influence comes mainly from respect we have earned from others. Good publication is one mechanism to attract respect from our partners. A good publication record gives us our peer’s respect, professional credentials and enhances our marketability. Manuscript writing gives us the opportunity to analyze our own/team achievements and see the scientific challenges still pending.

We too often argue why we are not able to publish. Three main inter-linked arguments people make are: (1) Our main job objective is to produce products (relevant to our target beneficiaries), not to publish. (2) Our specific job responsibility (e.g. regional office, fieldoriented breeding, coordination role, serviceoriented function) does not present publication opportunities. (3) We are all too busy to find time to write manuscripts.

I do not think that any of above arguments really works. We just have to look at some of the CIMMYT staff with a good publishing record. I examined the list of journal publications by CIMMYT staff in 2005. The following names show up frequently (of course this is not an exhaustive list): Zhonghu. He, Richard Trethowan, Manilal Williams, Hugo De Groote, Etienne Duveiller, Ravi Sign, Javier Pena, Ivan Ortiz- Monasterio, Matthew Reynolds, Marilyn Warburton, and Jose Crossa. If they had wanted to use any of above arguments to avoid publishing, they could have easily done so. But they did not, and they command natural respect internally and externally.

During the annual evaluation process, you and your Director discuss publication so that your leader (science mentor) and CIMMYT as workplace can explicitly assist you in that area. I was pleased to note that as a result of last year’s evaluation/ discussion some staff proposed taking time explicitly for publication or proposed ministudy leaves. CIMMYT is very keen to support your professional development including science credential development through journal publication.

Asian Cereals Conference

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The 2nd Central Asian Cereals Conference took place on June 13-16, 2006 in Aurora Sanatorium near Cholpon-Ata town of Issyk-Kul Lake region in the Kyrgyz Republic. The Lake Issyk-Kul is a natural pearl of the country and the region. Surrounded by the mountains at the altitude of almost 1600 m it is a memorable location. The natural beauty of the mountains and the lake contributed to the productive atmosphere of the conference of which CIMMYT was a co-organizer.

The main conference objective was to assess the status of research and cooperation on cereals in Central Asia in the fields of cereals breeding, genetics, physiology, seed production, grain quality, plant protection, biotechnology, cultivation technologies under irrigated and rainfed conditions, and genetic resources including information exchange between scientists from Central Asia and foreign countries.

There were 210 participants from 17 countries, including the members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Western countries. Representatives came from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Russia, Denmark, Sweden, Turkey, Belgium, Australia, USA, Brazil, Mexico, Syria, Nepal, UAE, and Zimbabwe. Sanjaya Rajaram (ICARDA CIMMYT Wheat Program) and Alexei Morgounov (Regional Representative of CIMMYT in CAC, Kazakhstan but now at the CIMMYT office in Turkey) attended and spoke at the event.

During the technical researchers and crop science specialists reported on achievements and current research conducted at their institutions and on the progress in joint international projects with, among others, CIMMYT and ICARDA.

Award for Zhonghu He

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Zhonghu He, CIMMYT Principal Scientist and Country Representative in China received the Taishan Scholars Award, the highest honor for individual scientists from the Shandong Provincial Government. The ceremony was held on July 6, 2006, in Jinan, the capital city of Shandong Province.

Taishan is a famous Mountain and it is considered a symbol of Shandong. This award is based on our work in Shandong and Dr. He was nominated by the Shandong Academy of Agricultural Science (Shandong AAS).

Dr. He has provided strong scientific leadership in Chinese wheat improvement, particularly in the establishment of a standardized quality testing system and the development of a regional quality program. The CAAS-CIMMYT wheat quality lab has become internationally recognized for its active and productive activities in promoting Chinese wheat quality, and shares around 70% of wheat quality activities in China. Dr. He, together with the wheat team in Shandong AAS, developed and promoted noodle quality wheat cultivar Jinan 19, which contributed more than 4 million ha in Shandong province for the last five years. It won the second prize from Chinese government in 2005.

In total, 70 people received awards, and the areas include literature, education, math and physics, engineering, medicine, biology, and agriculture In agriculture, four scientists were selected. As part of the award, the provincial government will grant 60,000 US $ per year for five years to Dr. He for providing leadership to the wheat program at Shandong AAS.

Message from Masa

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CIMMYT scientists have had remarkable success in the pre-proposal competition for the Generation Challenge Program’s competitive grants in 2006. A total of 55 pre-proposals were submitted by many organizations. External reviewers have selected 20 of them and GCP Director requested proponents to develop and submit full proposals. CIMMYT has submitted four pre-proposals as Principal Investigator or Co-Principal Investigator and all the four pre-proposals have been selected (100% success rate)! Although we still have to go through the next round of competition (25-35% of acceptance rate) by developing full proposals, it is clear that our scientists have been very successful in pre-proposal development.

Bangladesh Country Almanac version 3.0 released

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The third edition of the Bangladesh Country Almanac (BCA) was released at a workshop held at the Jahangir Nagar University, Savar, chaired by its Vice Chancellor in April. In May and June a dissemination workshop and nine hands-on training workshops have been conducted with different organizations across Bangladesh and benefitting about 380 researchers, academics, post graduate students, and extension and NGO personnel.

The Almanac developed by CIMMYT in close cooperation with Bangladeshi partners combines on a single CD ROM both spatial and attribute data on climate, land and soils, crops, demography, hydrography, infrastructure, health, marketing, livestock, forestry and poverty. It is the most comprehensive offline CD-based database in Bangladesh.

The Almanac is being used to help identify research locations and to aid in designing development programs by extension services and NGOs. The Soil Resource Development Institute (SRDI) of Bangladesh has decided to use the BCA as a platform to deliver field-level data to its headquarters.

CIMMYT and the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council have organized a policy/ concluding workshop on the BCA for July 9. The Minister and the Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, will be present as Chief Guest and Special Guest. DGs and Directors of Agricultural Institutes, Vice Chancellors of Universities and the heads of NGOs and International organizations have been invited to give their feedback about the latest release of the country almanac.

Turkey dinner

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The TURKEY-CIMMYT-ICARDA office in Ankara held a dinner on 1 July to welcome Alex Morgounov while saying farewell to Arne Hede and Hans-Joachim Braun.

Alex, not a really a newcomer to Turkey having worked in the TURKEY-CIMMYT-ICARDA International Winter Wheat Improvement Program (IWWIP), 1994-1998, has returned now to lead the program. He still remembers many colleagues from his previous experiences in Turkey and started full speed from day one.

Arne, based in Turkey since 2002, has accepted a position with the Swedish SIDA project “Support to Seed Sector Development in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan” to be based Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Arne will stay in close contact with the IWWIP, in which SIDA is a key partner. Hans will return to Mexico as Director of CIMMYT’s Global Wheat Program.

He came to Turkey in 1985 and contributed to the establishment of IWWIP. He was Director of CIMMYT’s Rainfed Wheat Systems program until its amalgamation with Intensive Agro-Ecosystems to form the new Global Wheat Program. Arne received a plaque noting his contributions to wheat improvement in the IWWIP. A plaque given to Hans noted personal achievements and remembrances from the TURKEY-CIMMYT-ICARDA office staff. Both Hans and Arne thanked the TURKEY-CIMMYT-ICARDA staff for their support and warmth over the years.

Wheat genetic resource experts at CIMMYT plot global strategy

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The world’s keepers of wheat genetic resources must provide better access to seed and information from their collections, as well as meeting the rising demand for wheat’s wild relatives, DNA mapping populations, and genetic stocks. These conclusions emerged from a meeting of 12 internationally respected experts on the genetic resources of wheat, rye, and triticale. The specialists—who came from Asia, Europe, Australia, and North America—gathered at CIMMYT in Mexico 20-22 June 2006 to develop a global strategy for the conservation and use of the genetic resources of wheat and related species.

Participants decided on five priorities to reach the goals above: (1) developing an integrated information system on the world’s collections; (2) addressing deficiencies in the management of important collections; (3) ensuring that key collections are adequately backed-up; (4) addressing gaps in the genetic diversity conserved in global collections, with particular emphasis on wild relatives; and (5) augmenting collections of genetic stocks—materials that contain specific genetic characters, genes, or gene constructs.

The meeting was sponsored by the Global Crop Diversity Trust, an initiative founded by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI). “Wheat is probably the largest and most important crop, in terms of number of collections and accessions conserved by national programs around the world,” says Brigitte LalibertĂ©, scientist at the Trust, which seeks to ensure the conservation and availability of crop diversity for food security worldwide. “The proposed global wheat conservation strategy will guide the allocation of funds from the Trust to secure key reference collections in perpetuity.”

The cycle continues: clean seed for our partners

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This week a truck arrived at El Batán with wheat seed from CIMMYT’s 2006 Mexicali quarantine nurseries (a wheat multiplication site free of wheat diseases like Karnal Bunt). CIMMYT annually distributes several tons of wheat seed through SIDU’s International Wheat Improvement Network to cooperators in over 100 countries.

Clean, healthy seed is a must. After several more months of seed cleaning, washing, inspecting, treating, field book printing, packing and boxing the new seed will be ready for distribution in early 2007. SIDU appreciates the hard work of Cosme Rivera, Leonardo MĂĄrquez, JosĂ© Luis Coss, Salvador Madrigal, Miguel Borja, and JesĂșs Perales.

Message from Masa: Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia

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I visited Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia this week. In Kenya I attended the IRMA Project Executive Committee (ExCo) meeting. We had interesting and critical negotiations to gain access to a new Bt event from a private company and thus enable the development of a robust insect management strategy for poor farmers based on a humanitarian use exception.

I visited the DGs of the three national agriculture research systems, Executive Secretary of ASARECA, and the Minister of Agriculture of Ethiopia. In addition to appreciating our past and on-going partnerships, I discussed with them ways we could work together on two specific projects—the Global Rust Initiative and Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa. Two multi-million dollar proposals have been requested by donor agencies and if they are accepted, swift implementation based on partnership will be extremely important.

These discussions demonstrated again that CIMMYT’s style of partnership is highly appreciated by our NARS partners. We are their preferred partner because:

  • We consult with them (as opposed to deciding unilaterally).
  • We give them due credit after working together (as opposed to over-claiming credit).
  • We deliver on the ground (as opposed to just talk and meetings).
  • We support their capacity building (as opposed to our taking over their role).
  • We engage in a continuous professional relationship as colleagues with former trainees (as opposed to one-shot training course).

Those elements are building blocks for long-term relationships based on trust and respect. We will continue to build our future and deliver our mission as the preferred partner. With this trip I was also able to complete my promised series of visits to all CIMMYT’s regional locations.

CGIAR Marketing Group meets in Nairobi

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Members of the CGIAR Marketing Group held their annual meeting on the ILRI campus in Nairobi last week. Each CG center can send two representatives, usually one from the fundraising side and the other from communications. This year CIMMYT was represented by Daisy Ouya, our writer/ editor based in Nairobi. During the business meeting, the group examined possibilities for improving its own profile and addressed the problem of getting more active representation from the fundraising / donor relations side of the group.

Several invited speakers, including Joachim Voss the DG of CIAT, and CGIAR consultant Howard Elliott, stimulated discussion. Romano Kiome, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture in Kenya (and a member of the CIMMYT Board of Trustees) in his talk asked the question “How can we make agriculture relevant again?” He challenged the group to engage more in dialogue if it is to achieve greater clarity about the CG’s diverse audiences.

The group decided on a set of priority activities for the coming year to help promote the CGIAR and its member research centers. Projects will include the creation of a traveling exhibition / museum highlighting the CG’s work, and the production of a short video about the CGIAR.

Conserving wheat, rye, triticale

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Starting Tuesday, 20 June and ending on 22 June, a group of eminent scientists from around the world will meet under the auspices of the Global Crop Diversity Trust and CIMMYT to plan a strategy for the conservation of wheat, rye and triticale germplasm from a global perspective. All sessions will be held in the Sasakawa room and are open to CIMMYT staff.

Farmers discuss nitrogen sensor technology

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About 75 people, including farmers, technical advisers, representatives of farmers Unions, academics, government officials, (SAGARPA State vice-representative, and Chair of the Phytosanitary Authority Local Board), and the media attended a special event with CIMMYT scientist Ivan Ortiz Monasterio and research assistant Dolores Vázquez in Ciudad Obregon this week. The meeting, organized by the Asociación de Organismos Agrícolas del Sur de Sonora (AOASS), the umbrella institution for farmers unions, was held to discuss the results of this season’s trials of nitrogen sensor technology to optimize fertilizer applications. For the second year a group of wheat farmers in the Yaqui valley worked with CIMMYT to test the technology.

The infrared sensor, combined with computer software in a handheld computer, can give farmers an indication of how much fertilizer to apply. Optimizing the nitrogen fertilizer application can benefit the farmer by reducing costs and benefit the environment by reducing fertilizer runoff. This is one example of partnerships with Stanford University of studies on environmental impacts of agriculture in the Yaqui Valley. The demonstration data showed that during the 2005-2006 crop cycle, the average per hectare income from seven participating farmer’s fields was US $50 higher with the use of the sensor compared to traditional fertilizer practices.

All three farmers that talked about the technology at the meeting said they supported its use. Much of the sensor to work has been done in collaboration with Oklahoma State University. Several newspapers and television stations covered the event, including Sonora State’s main newspaper, El Imparcial. After the presentations, AOASS announced that they will support the necessary activities to spread the use of this technology more widely by farmers and they asked CIMMYT to prepare a proposal on how to do this.

Making the grade: World Bank to provide $850,000 budget boost for outstanding

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CIMMYT is one of only two centers in the CGIAR to achieve an “outstanding” level of performance in the annual appraisal conducted by the Secretariat and the Science Council. The announcement that CIMMYT had been given an “A” was made this week.

Every year the CGIAR looks at a set of performance indicators for each of the fifteen research centers to see if they are meeting expectations. The indicators range from how many peer-reviewed papers each scientist has published to how good the financial management has been over the year. They also include assessments of governance, impact and science quality. This year in addition to the two “outstanding” centers, 12 centers received “superior” ratings or a “B” grade and one a “satisfactory” or “C”. At the last review CIMMYT received a “C”, mainly due to the low level of the financial reserve.

The news about our jump from C to A could not come at a better time according to DG Iwanaga. “The outcome, I hope, will affect perceptions of the EPMR follow-up review team who will arrive this weekend,” he says, adding that the news shows CIMMYT is on the right track as a strong, science-based center in which investors and donors can have confidence.

Board of Trustees Chair Lene Lange said “Not just B but A for Outstanding! Congratulations to all of the CIMMYT community. Well done! Keep up the good work!”

Perhaps the best news of all is that based on the outstanding performance the World Bank will increase its allocation to the CIMMYT unrestricted core budget by $850,000. This money will give the center some more flexibility to fund key flagship product development as outlined in the center’s Business Plan and can cushion the impact of any unexpected donor reductions during the year. Masa thanks all CIMMYT staff for “helping the center make the jump from C to A.”

Payne on the radio

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payne en el radioTom Payne, head of the CIMMYT wheat collection in the Wellhausen-Anderson Genetic Resources Center will be heard on the stations of National Public Radio in the United States later this month. He was interviewed this week for a story about the launching of a new genebank project in Norway. The interview was conducted over the telephone by NPR journalist Dan Charles from a studio in Washington DC. NPR sent their Mexico City journalist, Karina Pais to record Tom’s answers to the questions.

Norway announced that it will dig a large cave deep inside a frozen mountain on the arctic island of Svalbard with the capacity to hold copies of all the world’s crop seed varieties. Norway says the arctic cold will provide a failsafe backup for the world’s major genebanks, like the one at CIMMYT, which depend on electricity to keep their refrigeration equipment running. The Norwegian project is expected to be ready in 2007.