CIMMYT Global Maize Program Director and CGIAR Plant Health Initiative Lead, BM Prasanna cutting a ribbon at the entrance of a new shed housing, marking the commissioning of five new seed drying machines courtesy of the of the Accelerating Genetic Gains (AGG) Project. (Photo: Susan Otieno/CIMMYT)
Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO)âs research station at Kiboko, Kenya, where several partner institutions including the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), conduct significant research activities on crop breeding and seed systems, is now equipped with five new seed drying machines along with a dedicated shed to house these units, a cold room for storing breeding materials, and an additional irrigation dam/reservoir. These infrastructural upgrades are worth approximately US $0.5 million.
During the commissioning of the new facilities on February 7, 2023, CIMMYT Global Maize Program Director, BM Prasanna thanked the donors, Crops to End Hunger (CtEH) Initiative and Accelerated Genetic Gains (AGG) project, that supported the upgrade of the research station, and recognized the strong partnership with KALRO.
âToday is a major milestone for CIMMYT, together with KALRO, hosting this center of excellence for crop breeding. This facility is one of the largest public sector crop breeding facilities in the world, with hundreds of hectares dedicated to crop breeding. These new facilities will enable CIMMYT and KALRO crop breeders to optimize their breeding and seed systems’ work and provide better varieties to the farming communities,â said Prasanna.
Kenya suffered one of its worst droughts ever in 2022, and the newly commissioned facilities will support expedited development of climate-resilient and nutritious crop varieties, including resistance to major diseases and pests.
Visitors at the KALRO research station in Kiboko, Kenya, looking at the newly commissioned cold room storage. (Photo: Susan Otieno/CIMMYT)
Improvements and enhancements
The efficiency of the seed driers capabilities to quickly reduce moisture content in seed from above 30% to 12% in two to three days, reducing the time taken for seed drying and allowing for more than two crop seasons per year in a crop like maize.
The additional water reservoir with a capacity of 16,500 cubic meters will eliminate irrigation emergencies and will also enhance the field research capacity at Kiboko. Reliable irrigation is essential for accelerating breeding cycles.
At the same time, the new cold room can preserve the seeds up to two years, preventing the loss of valuable genetic materials and saving costs associated with frequent regeneration of seeds.
KALRO Director General Eliud Kireger officiating the opening of the cold room storage facility at KALRO research station at Kiboko, Kenya. Looking on is CIMMYT Global Maize Program Director, BM Prasanna. (Photo: Susan Otieno/CIMMYT)
World-class research center
âThe Kiboko Research Center is indeed growing into an elite research facility that can serve communities in entire sub-Saharan Africa through a pipeline of improved varieties, not only for maize but in other important crops. This will not only improve climate resilience and nutrition, but will contribute to enhanced food and income security for several million smallholder farmers,â said Prasanna.
KALRO Director General Eliud Kireger appreciated the establishment of the new facilities and thanked CIMMYT and its partners for their support.
âToday is a very important day for us because we are launching new and improved facilities for research to support breeding work and quality seed production. This research station is in Makueni County, a very dry area yet important place for research because there is adequate space, especially for breeding,â said Kireger. âWe are significantly improving the infrastructure at Kiboko to produce and deliver better seed to our farmers.â
For more than three decades, CIMMYT has conducted research trials at the Kiboko Research Station, focusing on drought tolerance, nitrogen use efficiency, and resistance to pests and diseases, such as fall armyworm and stem borer. The maize Double Haploid (DH) facility established in 2013 at Kiboko, with the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, offers DH line production service for organizations throughout Africa, and is key to increasing genetic gains in maize breeding.
The CGIAR Initiative on Market Intelligence represents a new effort to engage social scientists, crop breeding teams and others to work together toward the design and implementation of a demand-led breeding approach. (Photo: Susan Otieno/CIMMYT)
What is ‘Market Intelligence’?
Strategies for breeding and seed systems to deliver greater impact will benefit from reliable and comparable evidence on the needs and requirements of farmers, processors and consumers. This includes anticipating how farmers may respond to emerging threats and opportunities in light of seed-sector and product-market evolution and the changing environment. Experts generally agree that âdemand-led breedingâ will be essential to achieve more impact from investments in crop breeding. But the continued interest in a demand-led approach to the design of varieties and the prioritization of breeding pipelines requires reliable, comparable and timely market intelligence. It also requires new mechanisms for how market intelligence is collected, shared and discussed with those engaged in the design and funding of breeding pipelines and seed systems.
Over the past 25 years, social science researchers from CGIAR, NARES and universities have generated important insights on the traits and varieties farmers prefer. These farmer preferences for traits and varieties have been explored through household surveys, participatory rural appraisals and participatory varietal selection. More recently, economists have employed tools such as choice experiments, experimental auctions and gamification of farmer priority traits. Overall, a large body of work has emerged, but variations in research questions, methodologies and interventions have contributed to disparate research findings and limited the opportunities for consolidation and comparative analyses.
Looking ahead, a strategic opportunity to guide more impactful investments in crop breeding and seed systems development lies in:
designing a consistent approach for generating and disseminating market intelligence
coordinating research across CGIAR and NARES to deliver timely market intelligence;
establishing processes for coordination across social science teams and among social science, crop modelers, CGIAR-NARES networks and the private sector.
The CGIAR Initiative on Market Intelligence (âMarket Intelligenceâ for brevity) represents a new effort to engage social scientists, crop breeding teams and others to work together toward the design and implementation of a demand-led breeding approach.
Within this initiative, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) leads Work Package 1, âMarket Intelligenceâ, which is responsible for the design of innovative methods and tools to collect market intelligence and the application of these tools across different regions and crops relevant for CGIAR breeding. The Work Package engages either other CGIAR centers and external partners, such as CIRAD and the World Vegetable Center. An early, but critical, challenge facing the Work Package team was how to disseminate in an accessible and timely manner market intelligence to breeding teams, funders, and the private sector.
Market Intelligence Briefs
Traditionally, researchers from CGIAR, NARES and universities who have sought to inform crop breeding and seed systems programming have done so by publishing their work in reputable international peer-reviewed journals. However, the process can be slow, potentially requiring multiple revisions over years. The practical nature of market intelligence research can limit its relevance for journal editors who are looking to push theoretical debates forward. Thus, for Market Intelligence to deliver on its promise, new ways of communicating will be essential. In looking to address these limitations, work package 1 has led the design and implementation of a new publication series called Market Intelligence Briefs (MIB). Each brief is reviewed by peers, is concise (less than 4000 words), avoids technical jargon, and attempts to present conclusions in a clear and decisive manner. In 2022 the first two editions of the MIB series were published, both led by CIMMYT researchers and available online.
This brief defines several important concepts that, when taken together, form the basic framework used by the Initiative to generate comparable and useful market intelligence. Some of the definitions are inspired by previous work on demand-led breeding, while others build on work by CGIARâs Excellence in Breeding (EiB) platform. A confusing set of terms and definitions has emerged around market intelligenceâa field rooted in commercial product innovationâwith different terms and definitions for similar concepts. In the interest of clear communication and understanding among those engaged in crop breeding, seed systems and social science, this brief presents key concepts and definitions that have been discussed extensively during the initial months of implementation of Market Intelligence. We conclude the brief with reflections on the way forward for implementation.
The second brief zooms into the maize market segments in East Africa and proposes a new methodology for gathering insights from farmers about their varietal preferences to inform future market segmentation. This brief explains the conceptual and methodological underpinnings of Video-based Product Concept Testing (VPCT) and presents an application of the tool in hybrid maize. Seven new product concepts (representing potential future market segments) were identified based on discussions with breeders, seed companies and farmers, which we labelled: home use, intercropping, drought avoidance, nutritious, feed (yellow), green maize and food and fodder. These future concepts, together with the resilient benchmark product concept (the current breeding target), were evaluated through triadic comparisons with 2400 farmers in Kenya and Uganda. The results showed that concepts focused on agronomic performance were preferred over concepts focused on end use characteristics, but that diversity in farming practices can lead to different seed preferences.
Looking ahead
In 2023, several briefs will be published from scientists working in the market intelligence initiative and various partners of Market Intelligence from outside the CGIAR. An on-line repository for these briefs is being designed now. Future briefs will cover a variety of topics, from competition in maize seed markets in Kenya (based on a two year study that tracked seed sales at the retail level), methods for assessing the demand for future step-change innovations in genetic innovations, and preferences for future groundnut seed products in Tanzania, considering the needs of farmers and processors. We believe that these briefs will become a valuable communication tool to support informed decision making by crop breeders, seed system specialists, and donors on future priorities and investments by CGIAR, NARS, the private sector and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
This project received funding from the Accelerating Genetic Gains in Maize and Wheat project (AGG) [INV-003439], funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), the Foundation for Food & Agricultural Research (FFAR) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Participants of the crop modeling simulation workshop in Harare, Zimbabwe. (Photo: Tawanda Hove/CIMMYT)
Anticipating appropriate and timely responses to climate variability and change from an agricultural perspective requires forecasting and predictive capabilities. In Africa, climate-related risks and hazards continue to threaten food and nutrition security.
Crop simulation models are tools developed to assist farmers, agronomists and agro-meteorologists with insights on impacts to possible management decisions. Such tools are enablers for taking an appropriate course of action where complexity exists relating to both crop and livestock production. For example, a new variety can be introduced to Zimbabwe, but its performance will differ depending on the agroecological zones of the country and the respective treatments a farmer may apply. Applying modeling tools to assess its performance can predict yield differences and facilitate the generation of recommendations for which region is most suited to the variety, water use efficiency, and crop combinations.
Earlier this month, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) hosted a crop modeling simulation workshop with delegates from various African countries in Harare, Zimbabwe.
âThe CGIAR Initiatives of Excellence in Agronomy (EiA) and Sustainable Intensification of Mixed Farming Systems (SI-MFS) have recognized the need to enhance modeling capacity in Africa to allow African scientists to lead in solving challenges within agricultural systems,â said CIMMYT crop scientist and coordinator of the workshop, Vimbayi Grace Petrova Chimonyo.
The workshop was facilitated by renowned global crop modeling experts to provide critical coaching support to upcoming modelers. These experts included Sue Walker, a professor at the University of the Free State, Tafadzwa Mabhaudhi, a professor at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), KPC Rao, a lead scientist at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Dirk Raes (KU Leuven), Diego Peqeuno (CIMMYT) Â and Siyabusa Mukuhlani from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).
Crop models are scientific presentations of statistical knowledge about how a crop will grow in interaction with its environment. They use mathematical equations representing processes within a predefined plant system and the interactions between crops and the environment. The discipline is based on the premise that agricultural system environments are complex and not homogenous. Crop models enable decision-makers to make data-driven decisions by simulating possible outcomes to changes in a system and the configuration of production systems.
“It is quite apparent that modeling skills are scarce on the African continent. This workshop is a step toward consolidating existing capacities on the continent. If we are going to be able to close the already existing food deficit gap on the continent and meet the food requirements needed by 2050, with an estimated global population of nine billion, then we need to take modeling seriously,â said Chimonyo in her opening address at the workshop.
Due to the lack of crop modeling expertise in African states, there is a gap in capacity to build relevant crop advisory tools for farmers at a local level. This leads to poor policy formulation as decisions are based on a high degree of generalizations.
“In this modern era, we need advisories that are context specific. For example, just because a maize variety achieved a certain yield in one context doesn’t mean the same variety will achieve the same yields even if the rainfall patterns are the same. Other factors come into play, such as the soil type, temperature and other related aspects affecting the yield. Crop modeling affords advisory managers some specifications necessary to achieve high yields in different environments,” said Walker.
Vimbayi Chimonyo from CIMMYT making opening remarks at the workshop. (Photo: Tawanda Hove/CIMMYT)
Speakers at the workshop focused on three models, APSIM, AquaCrop and DSSAT, and participants had the opportunity to take part in activities and ask questions face-to-face. The workshop also covered key modeling aspects such as the minimum data requirements needed to run a model, calibration and validation of models, confidence testing of results, the science involved in simulating phenological development and growth processes, water and nitrogen cycles, and the use of multi-modeling approaches.
The workshop was particularly useful for young scientists, according to Rao, allowing more experienced modelers to share their expertise. “With such an interactive platform, experienced modelers like me can demonstrate multi-modeling approaches.”
Rao presented on two main approaches. The first involved the application of different simulation models to simulate one component of a system such as crops. The second simulated the complete system by integrating various models, such as crops, livestock, and economic models, providing an opportunity to understand the synergies and trade-offs between different components of the whole farm.
Participants at the workshop expressed their satisfaction with the training provided and left with practical knowledge that they could apply in their work both in the field and in the lab.
“When I first arrived, I knew very little about modeling, but as the workshop progressed, my confidence in applying models increased. I intend to immediately apply this knowledge for the forthcoming season such that we can start making impactful contributions to the country’s food and nutrition security status,â said Birhan Abdulkadir Indris, a research officer at CIMMYT.
“I am leaving this workshop with the confidence that I will advise farmers in my circle of influence with services tailored to their needs. I have learned that crop modeling can be used for many purposes and that different models address different issues,â said Connie Madembo, a research technician at CIMMYT. âI intend to teach other fellow PhD students at the University of Zimbabwe the same things I have learnt here. As a country, we need to be at the forefront of using these models, considering Zimbabwe’s high weather variability.â
As a way forward, the trained scientists were encouraged to apply the modeling skills they had gained to address short-term problems such as yield gaps and water use efficiency and long-term challenges such as the local impacts of climate change.
âWhile more capacity training is required, starting somewhere is better than never starting,â said Mabhaudi.
Ethiopia is the second largest wheat grower in Africa and has high levels of demand for the crop. Shortages of grains, cereals and agricultural inputs such as fertilizer caused by the Russia-Ukraine conflict are leading the Ethiopian government to focus heavily on increasing the country’s productivity to rely less on imports.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed recently launched national exports of wheat/ “We have made Ethiopia’s wheat export dream a reality,” he said.
Yahaya highlighted the role of CIMMYT in improving Ethiopia’s wheat production; around 70 percent of varieties grown in the country come from the organization’s germplasm. He also praised Ethiopia’s tax free imports on agricultural machineries and strong extension system, saying that other countries could learn from the success of these initiatives.
The interview took place at a working group on mechanization organized by the Green Innovation Centers (GIC) and CIMMYT to promote the use of machinery in agriculture.
Samantha Power, Administrator for USAID, in an interaction with colleagues from SSSC and CIMMYT in Nepal. (Photo: Kaji Ram Bhatta/CIMMYT)
On February 7, Samantha Power, Administrator for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), visited SEAN Seed Service Centre (SSSC) in Thankot, Nepal. Her time at the seed company â which is supported by the Nepal Seed and Fertilizer (NSAF) project â provided an opportunity to learn more about how private sector support for agribusiness can help accelerate Nepalâs agricultural transformation.
The event began with a tour of the companyâs facilities and seed lab, where Power met with breeders and employees responsible for sorting and grading seeds. Other stops on the visit included meetings with SSSC management and researchers from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), who explained the important role the private sector plays in the countryâs seed sector, from the development of climate stress tolerant varieties to facilitating seed access and distribution.
The Administrator and USAID officials at a round table with private sector on transforming Nepalese agriculture. (Photo: Kaji Ram Bhatta/CIMMYT)
Later in the day, Power participated in a round table discussion with agribusiness entrepreneurs from seed and agricultural production companies, fertilizer manufacturers and distributors, and farmers cooperatives to better understand the key challenges and opportunities in fostering agricultural transformation in Nepal. The talks focused on the need for reforms on seed and fertilizer markets and elimination of market distorting policies such as unplanned subsidies, as well as the need to facilitate access to finance to boost investments and insurance to manage risks.
Key recommendations from participants included increased use of technologies â such as improved seeds, machineries, improved soil fertility management and digital tools â as well as the creation of a more enabling environment for attracting private sector investment and increasing agricultural participation among youth and disadvantaged communities in Nepal. The private sector plays a critical role in bolstering national food security, increasing economic growth, and creating transformative change in the countryâs agricultural sector so it can be more commercial, competitive, and inclusive. Participants provided suggestions on how the Government of Nepal could further support the sector, allowing agribusinesses to develop and grow in order to cater to the needs of smallholder farmers and consumers.
CIMMYTs Nepal Seed and Fertilizer (NSAF) project is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). It aims to develop competitive and vibrant seed and integrated soil fertility management (IFSM) systems for inclusive and sustainable growth in agricultural productivity, business development, and income generation in Nepal.
Isaiah Nyagumbo engages extension officers and host farmers on the water harvesting technologies under trial in Buhera district, Zimbabwe. (Photo: Tawanda Hove/CIMMYT)
As climate change effects intensify, new innovations that enable smallholder farmers to adapt are no longer an option but a necessity. Significant parts of Zimbabwe are semi-arid, receiving less than 600mm of rainfall per year. Smallholder farming communities in districts such as Buhera have embraced feed production and water conservation innovations deployed by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) as part of the Livestock Production Systems in Zimbabwe project (LIPS-Zim). The project, funded by the European Union and led by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and CIMMYT, champions the crop-related aspects of interventions and aims to increase livestock productivity in Zimbabweâs semi-arid regions. The project specifically aims to promote increased adoption of climate-relevant innovations in livestock-based production systems and improved surveillance and control of livestock diseases. While focused on livestock, the project is based on the premise that the performance of the livestock sector depends heavily on crop husbandry. By the same token, the livestock sector has bi-products that directly impact the productivity of crops.
Zimbabwe is a country that is well suited to mixed farming systems. Most smallholder farmers have treated livestock and crop production as mutually exclusive, but the two enterprises can have a significant complementary effect on each other.
CIMMYT Cropping Systems Agronomist Isaiah Nyagumbo is leading the development of crop husbandry innovations aimed at increasing feed production that are poised to benefit smallholder farmersâ crop productivity and enhance the conditioning of livestock, especially cattle.
Despite extension recommendations for farmers not to grow maize in these regions, studies show that 60% of the arable land is still occupied by maize. This is due to maizeâs popularity among farmers thanks to its diverse uses.
One solution is to support farmers with the most appropriate cultivars and most effective production technologies to help them be more resilient to climate change induced challenges. To contribute towards LIPS-Zimâs objective for increased feed production, CIMMYT scientists are testing and demonstrating the use of drought tolerant and nutritious maize varieties along with a wide range of leguminous species such as mucuna, dolichos lab-lab and cowpea, which are grown mostly as intercrops. Efforts are also being made to develop innovative water conservation options through reduced or no-till planting basins and tied ridging systems reinforced with different mulching options including conventional organic and synthetic artificial mulches. These are then being compared to traditional conventional mouldboard ploughing systems.
The Nyeketes, proud hosts of the CIMMYT water harvesting technology trial, in Buhera, Zimbabwe. (Photo: Tawanda Hove/CIMMYT)
So far, the results are exciting and helping farmers to see the productivity gains from applying different technologies. Mr. and Mrs. Nyekete, smallholder farmers who volunteered to work with CIMMYT on these innovations, are optimistic about widespread adoption once the trials are concluded as the technologies can suit different levels of investment by farmers.
âWe have a lot of farmers visiting us as they observe a diversity of technologies on our plot. The artificial mulch concept is one which is very new, and farmers are curious as to how it works. They can observe for themselves that, especially when used with tied ridges, it is very effective in retaining moisture,â said Mr and Mrs Nyekete.
âThe same applies to organic mulch. Government extension workers have, over the years, been encouraging us to plant our maize under the Pfumvudza conservation agriculture model, and in it is the use of organic materials as mulch. The level of compliance in areas such as Buhera has been low, where people practice Pfumvudza without fully applying all the principles, especially soil cover. The water conservation trials are providing evidence that when one dedicates themselves to mulching their crop, whether using organic or synthetic mulches, the maize productivity is comparatively higher. As you can see, the maize plots with these water harvesting technologies are showing high vegetative growth in comparison to conventionally planted maize.â
Over the years, there has been a slow adoption of new innovations emanating from scientific research usually conducted on research stations. The use of on-farm research trials and demonstrations helps smallholder farmers to participate in the research process and co-create technologies, which shortens the adoption period and stimulates adoption at scale. This approach enables more farmers, who are not hosts, to benefit from the technologies showcased in the trials and to observe and learn from the trials. As the saying goes, âseeing is believingâ and farmers can choose the options most relevant to their own circumstances. As such, farmers can conclude for themselves which technologies bear results compelling enough for them to adopt.
Despite the artificial mulching technology demonstrating impressive results so far, Nyagumbo cautions that before the technology can be promoted at scale, more research, as well as proof of concept for these systems are needed.
âFirstly, we see that the quality of the material used has a big bearing on the ability to reduce evaporation from the soil. Secondly, some farmers have observed germination challenges due to the synthetic materials creating an attractive habitat for rodents that eat the maize seed before it germinates. Thirdly, the returns from such investments need to be justified by highly attractive economic returns arising from high yields that will also enable farmers to intensify their production systems by producing their food needs from much smaller areas. Further studies and analyses therefore need to be conducted,â said Nyagumbo.
âFurthermore, so far the idea of tied ridging combined with organic mulches also seems to offer a highly attractive option for farmers that will contribute to increased feed productivity from the enhanced grain and crop residues, since increased biomass output also means increased livestock feed availability.â
While breeding excellence is proving to be an effective method for responding to climate change through improved seed varieties and high-performance livestock breeds, new crop and livestock production technologies are required to complement the genetic gains from breeding. The crop production technologies being showcased in in Buhera along with drought tolerant and nutritious maize varieties and legumes, promise to be transformative for semi-arid regions for both crop and livestock systems.
As a warming planet desiccates crops around the world, threatening livelihoods and nutrition, farmers in Bihar, India, are boosting their wheat yields with a deceptively simple adaptation.
âFarmers can plant their wheat crop several weeks earlier, so that their wheat matures earlier and they are able to harvest their wheat before the heat gets bad,â said Amit Kumar Srivastava, a scientist with the International Rice Research Institute in India. âTraditionally, farmers in Bihar planted their wheat in mid-December. This put their crop at risk of whatâs called âterminal heatâ â high heat during a critical growth stage that impacts the yields. Weâve advised them to begin planting by November 20.â
Bihar is blessed with good soil and adequate water resources. But its yields have been lagging below Indiaâs average. Today, the average hectare of Bihar farmland produces 2.9 tons of wheat â significantly below the average yield in India of 3.4 tons.
Rising heat threatened to reduce this harvest even further. Wheat, like people, can suffer from heat stress. Researchers have found that an increase of just one-degree Celsius cuts wheat yields by 6%. In high heat conditions, wheat produces fewer, smaller grains, potentially impacting nutrition and livelihoods. Bihar, one of the poorest states in India, is considered a climate change hotspot and temperatures are expected to rise by up to 1 degree Celsius by 2050. India can ill afford declining farm yields. In fact, it needs to increase its wheat yields from around 110 million tons to 140 million tons by 2050 just to keep pace with domestic demand.
This seemingly simple adaptation was actually quite complicated to develop, explained Sonam Sherpa, a spatial agronomist with the Sustainable Agrifood Systems (SAS) program of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center. âIt required researchers to look at the agricultural system as a whole. We had to understand why farmers were planting so late. And we learned it was because they were waiting for their rice crop to mature. And they couldnât plant their rice crop earlier because they were waiting for the monsoon rains, which are unpredictable in Bihar. Understanding the system as a whole, led us to recommend a rice variety that matures earlier and to develop weather forecasting tools and systems that can communicate with farmers when the monsoon rains are expected. That will help farmers move forward with planting their rice earlier, allowing for an earlier harvest. And then planting and harvesting their wheat earlier.â
To demonstrate the potential of this shift, researchers established demonstration fields throughout the state and brought government officials and farmers to see the difference.
It was striking. Across the state, farmers who adopted early rice harvesting and early wheat planting grew nearly one ton more of wheat on each hectare than those who planted late â a 36% increase in yield. At the most extreme ends of the planting spectrum the difference in yield is hard to overstate; the difference in yields between the wheat planted in early November versus the wheat planted in late December was 69%. Thatâs enough of a boost to turn Bihar from a net wheat importer to a breadbasket for the region.
âSeeing is believing,â said Srivastava. As of the 2020-21 wheat growing season, an estimated 22% of farmers in the target districts â about half a million farmers with an estimated 0.83 million hectares of land â have shifted to different varieties of rice that allow them to plant their wheat earlier. Similar gains could be seen elsewhere in Eastern India, research indicates, if the rice-wheat system is managed as a system.
Researchers also established relationships with private sector seed distributors who often advise farmers and help them identify and adopt different varieties of rice that allow for earlier harvesting. âThe lesson here is that even with climate change, we can increase production by optimizing agricultural systems,â said Srivastava.
Dr Dumisani Kutwayo (second left) receives state of art Maize Lethal Necrosis test kits from Dr Wegary Dagne (second from right). (Photo: Tawanda Hove/CIMMYT)
The best results in combating pests and diseases exacerbated by climate change and protecting agricultural food systems originate from strategic partnerships between national governments and international research organizations. Such a synergy between Zimbabweâs Department of Research and Specialist Services (DRSS) and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) was recognized for its effectiveness at an event hosted by Zimbabwe Plant Quarantine Services on January 9, 2023.
âThe mandate of ensuring that Zimbabwe is protected from plant diseases and invasive pests is one which cannot be attained by government alone, but together with partners such as CIMMYT,â said Dumisani Kutywayo, Chief Director of DRSS.
Dagne Wegary Gissa, CIMMYT senior scientist in maize breeding, presented Kutywayo with the latest advanced PCR testing kits for detecting maize lethal necrosis. âWe are committed to ensuring that we support Zimbabwe with improved maize and wheat varieties but also with rapid disease detection,â said Gissa.
Kutywayo and senior directors were given a tour of the plant quarantine services station, where they observed where all introduced maize seed is quarantined and tested before being incorporated into the local seed systems. Tanyaradzwa Sengwe, a seed health and quality expert, summarized the quarantine procedures and explained how the day-to-day operations between the two institutes are being implemented. This involves the management of imported seed, protocols of seed management and biosafety measures for the quarantine facility.
Government officials take part in a field visit of the quarantine facility set up by CIMMYT in Mazowe, Zimbabwe. (Photo: Tawanda Hove/CIMMYT)
Expanding partnerships
Zimbabwe can now accelerate its crop improvement programs, Gissa indicated, because CIMMYT has provided the government access to doubled haploid (DH) technology. This technology significantly shortens the breeding cycle from seven years to approximately 3-4 years. DH technology has become an integral part of many commercial maize breeding programs, as DH lines offer several economic, logistic and genetic benefits over conventional inbred lines. Further, new advances in DH technology continue to improve the efficiency of DH line development and fuel its increased adoption in breeding programs worldwide.
CIMMYT-Zimbabwe has facilitated access for Zimbabweâs maize breeding program to a CIMMYT DH facility in Kenya. Busiso Mavankeni, the head of the Crop Breeding Institute, related how it was very expensive for governments of developing countries to keep up with the latest breeding technology trends and so collaborating with CIMMYT is helping Zimbabwe. âHaving access to the DH facility has been a great boon to our breeding program,â said Mavankeni.
CIMMYT and Zimbabwe are also engaged in capacity building exercises; involving training sessions across a variety of food system frameworks. Nhamo Mudada, Head of Plant Quarantine Services, acknowledged the multiple trainings ranging from disease identification and prevention systems to entomology related concepts. “Our technical capabilities have increased significantly, and we strongly attribute this to CIMMYTâs knowledge sharing mandate,â Mudada said.
âThis sustainability is enabled by ensuring that our systems can screen genetic materials coming into the country and detect diseases which may be foreign to the agroecological region. CIMMYT has, over the years, supported the government not only from a financial perspective but also from a technical capacity perspective.
âHaving reliable partners such as CIMMYT who generously invest in government priorities helps our country to be well positioned against threats to our food security,â said Kutywayo, “The key for creating and maintaining sustainable innovation is for development partners like CIMMYT to work within existing national frameworks,â said Kutywayo. âAs the adverse effects of climate change intensify, such strategic partnerships are the only way to establish appropriate responses.â
âOur goal is to serve as critical partners for Zimbabweâs agrifood programs. We have dedicated ourselves to be a long-term partners and will provide as much support as we can to ensure Zimbabweâs food security,â Gissa said.
Participants at the roundtable discussion on the IDB report Competing in Agribusiness: Corporate Strategies and Public Policies for the Challenges of the 21st Century. (Photo: CIMMYT)
According to representatives from both institutions, strengthening Latin Americaâs agrifood systems would allow the region to consolidate its position as a leader in agricultural exports and make a significant contribution to the development and prosperity of its societies.
In his opening address to more than 130 event participants who followed the roundtable webcasting from CIMMYT HQ in Mexico, the CGIARâs Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, JoaquĂn Lozano, praised the quality of the report and highlighted that it provides new perspectives on issues very closely related to the CGIARâs mandate and work, such as innovation in agriculture, the importance of public goods, and the climate challenges affecting agrifood systems.
Lozano emphasized that, although agrifood systems have not traditionally been considered a suitable area for investment in innovation, this perception is changing thanks to science-based and precision agriculture. He further affirmed that the work of institutions dedicated to agricultural innovation and research, such as the CGIAR, make critical contributions to developing these areas.
âThese forms of agriculture not only contribute to the development of agribusiness, but they could also be key to closing the technological, economic and social gap between modern and traditional agriculture,â he asserted. âFor this to happen, there must be strong partnerships between scientific institutions, public authorities and development banks such as the IDB.â
Ernesto Stein, IDB Group representative in Mexico and coordinator of the team that prepared the report, also emphasized the key role that agriculture can play in the development and economic well-being of Latin American and Caribbean societies.
Ernesto Stein explaining the reportâs main conclusions. (Photo: CIMMYT)
âHistorically, it was thought that industrialization was the quickest path to development. However, this model has its limits. Moreover, agriculture has demonstrated that it can be not only a subsistence economic activity, but also an advanced production method,â he affirmed.
Stein warned that the success of this âalternative development strategyâ is not automatic. The agrifood market requires higher and higher quality, sustainability and information standards, and meeting these requirements âdepends on the development of new capacities.â
In this context, the IDB report describes 30 cases of agrifood companies, located in 12Â Latin American countries, that have become successfully inserted into the market, and it analyzes the factors that have contributed to building these success stories.
These factors are related to value-addition strategies for agricultural products (meeting requirements of external markets; obtaining certifications; processing products with qualities that are especially valued by consumers; taking advantage of low-supply periods thanks to genetic innovation; developing by-products to optimize fresh produce that cannot reach markets; or creating a differentiated brand identity) and also to the model of productive organization (which the report divides into three: vertical integration companies [large-scale production companies with total control of all factors in the production process]; tractor companies [medium- or large-scale companies that contract production from small-scale producers]; and horizontal associative companies [such as cooperatives]).
The objective of the report is both descriptive and prospective, as the identification of these factors aims to inspire other companies and actors involved in defining rural development policiesâespecially governmentsâto help create conditions that will facilitate the replication or scaling-up of the models featured in the report.
The global presentation of the report was followed by the analysis of more specific questions. Speaking of the need for innovation in agriculture, Gustavo Crespi, from the IDBâs Competitiveness, Technology and Innovation Division, highlighted that âthe innovation economy has always considered agriculture to be a sector of limited innovation. However, throughout the decades, agriculture has undertaken very significant productive and organizational transformations that have been underestimated.â
In fact, according to Crespi, agriculture is currently undergoing a complex transformation process, especially in the pre-cultivation, pre-harvest and post-harvest stages, that is successfully reducing the uncertainty associated with agriculture and greatly improving its efficiency.
Romina Ordoñez, from the IDBâs Rural Development, Environment and Disaster Risk Management Division, examined the environmental challenges affecting agricultural value chains and highlighted that these challenges also present opportunities, such as the fact that the environmental certification of an agricultural product allows it to generate additional income.
However, she warned that âthe transition to more sustainable agriculture has an up-front cost that not everyone can afford.â Therefore, this transition requires the support of strong institutions âmainly public authorities, international organizations and development banks.
Subsequently, CGIAR commentators offered their perspectives from different angles. Valeria Piñeiro, from the Office for Latin America and the Caribbean at the International Food Policies Research Institute (IFPRI), also underscored the âkey role that public goods must play in optimizing agricultural production systems.â According to Piñeiro, technological transformations must be accompanied by institutional and policy transformations.
Hugo Campos, Deputy Director General of Research at the International Potato Center (CIP, for its Spanish acronym), asserted that the event âcould be a watershed in the way that we use innovation to generate value in agriculture.â
Deissy MartĂnez, Leader of the AgriLAC Resiliente Initiative. (Photo: CIMMYT)
Likewise, Deissy Martinez, Leader of the CGIARâs AgriLAC Resiliente Initiative, emphasized that âin agriculture, it is possible to generate value from sustainability,â and that this fact, âwhich today is exceptional, should be the norm.â
Govaerts highlighted that the challenge is to âconnect innovation systems with agricultural value-addition models, ensuring that they have an impact in the fight against poverty and that they foster inclusion.â He also underscored that Latin America needs to think about where it would like to be in 2100 and work together to meet its objectives and determine âthe when, the how and the where of its effortsâ to transform its agrifood systems.
The roundtable discussion sparked discussions throughout and after the event. (Photo: CIMMYT)
The presentersâ and publicâs diverse interventions confirmed the validity and relevance of the initial intuition that guided the IDB report and the event: strengthening agrifoods systems in Latin America and the Caribbean can make a decisive contribution to the development of the region and its societies. It was also clear that this objective can only be achieved through broad alliances that include the private and public sectors, large- and small-scale producers, investors, and national and international actors.
Arun Kumar Joshi, CIMMYT Country Representative for India, CIMMYT Regional Representative for South Asia and Managing Director of the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA), predicted a bumper year for wheat in India.
“The feedback so far I am getting is that there will be record production of wheat,” he said. “The reason is that the area of cultivation has increased. According to government estimates, wheat has been sown in more than 34 million hectares so far in this rabi season.”
Reasons for this include no current threat from locusts or diseases, appropriate levels of soil moisture and humidity, and farmers shifting to planting crops earlier, explained Joshi.
Use of lightweight, 5-9-horsepower mini-tillers by smallholder farmers in Nepalâs mid-hills cut tillage costs and boosted maize yields by facilitating timely maize cultivation, thus enhancing food self-sufficiency and farm profits and reducing rural poverty, a new study by an international team of scientists shows.
Published in the Journal of Economics and Development, the study reports findings of an on-farm survey involving more than 1,000 representative households from 6 districts of the mid-hills, a region of steep and broken terrain where rainfed maize is a staple crop, outmigration of working-age inhabitants makes farm labor scarce and costly, and farmers on small, fragmented landholdings typically till plots by hand or using ox-drawn plows.
âConventional two- or four-wheel tractors are difficult to operate in the mid-hillsâ rugged topography,â said Gokul P. Paudel, researcher working together with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and Leibniz University, Hannover, Germany, and lead author of the study. âFarms are small and the mini-tillers are a good fit. Very small farms â those comprising less than 0.4 hectares of land and normally not served by hired farm labor or larger machinery â benefited the most from mini-tiller adoption.â
The paper is the first to provide empirical linkages between small-scale farm mechanization and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly No Poverty (SDG-1) and Zero Hunger (SDG-2).
âGiven its rural poverty and the resulting outmigration from farm areas to cities and to other countries, Nepal has increasingly become a labor-exporting country,â explained Paudel, who partnered in this study with researchers from the Asian Development Bank Institute and Cornell University. âOur research can help guide investments by Nepal and other developing countries in scale-appropriate farm mechanization, supporting those who wish to remain on rural homesteads and make a go of it.â
Machine operators starting the mini-tiller in the Kavrepalanchok district in the mid-hills of Nepal. (Photo: CIMMYT)
The science team found that farm size, labor shortages, draft animal scarcity, and market proximity were major factors that facilitate the adoption of appropriate mechanization in Nepal, according to Tim Krupnik, CIMMYT systems agronomist and study co-author.
âSmallholder farms dominate more than two-thirds of agricultural systems globally,â Krupnik said. âInterest in scale-appropriate farm mechanization is growing rapidly, particularly among donors and governments, and practical empirical measures of its impact are crucial.â The findings of the latest study fill this knowledge gap and provide sufficient evidence to prioritize the spread of appropriate technologies among smallholder farmers.
Krupnik noted that, through its office in Nepal and strong shared research and capacity-building activities, CIMMYT has worked for almost four decades with Nepali scientists and development partners, including the Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MoALD), to raise the productivity and sustainability of the country’s maize- and wheat-based farming systems.
In addition to strong government partnerships, CIMMYT works closely in Nepal with a range of non-government organizations, and importantly, hand-in-hand with private farm machinery manufacturers, retailers, and mechanics.
The study described was supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the Academy for International Agricultural Research (ACINAR) commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and carried out by ATSAF e.V. on behalf of the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, the One CGIAR Regional Integrated Initiative Transforming Agrifood Systems in South Asia (TAFSSA), and generous funders who contribute to the CGIAR Trust Fund.
“The world is in the middle of a food crisis, driven by the supply chain disruptions during and post-Covid, climate change with increased storms, temperatures, and drought, and the Russia-Ukraine crisis, leading to a shortage of fertilizers for food crop production, which have all led to the high cost of food,” said Govaerts, highlighting that smallholders are dealing with multiple challenges at once.
He continued by describing how the aforementioned challenges to food security are worsening poverty for vulnerable people in Africa, especially smallholder farmers.
However, harnessing the continent’s potential for food production could help to alleviate poverty and food insecurity. Govaerts cited examples of where smallholder farmers have returned to producing nutritious indigenous crops such as millet, sorghum, guinea corn, groundnut, cowpeas and chickpeas, which are reaping tremendous results.
Through investments in crops, farming practices, and agricultural technologies, the potential for food production in Africa can have a huge impact on hunger and poverty.
The United Nations International Day of Women and Girls in Science (IDWGIS) is observed annually on February 11 to highlight the gender gap in the disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Data shows that women are given smaller research grants than their male colleagues, are underrepresented in cutting edge fields, and account for a lower percentage of STEM graduates.
At the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), women are leaders, mentors, and role models in agricultural science and research, helping to support the next generation. Across our global programs, women are making a difference to the lives of farmers and their communities every day.
The transboundary impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and the Russia-Ukraine war have exposed the fragility and inequity of global food systems. But though calls for the transformation of food systems abound, there is no quick fix.
Happy Makuru Daudi, Head of Groundnut Research Program at the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) based at Naliendele Research Center in Mtwara, is a plant breeder specializing in groundnut. For the United Nations International Day of Women and Girls in Science, she shares with us her passion for what she does and why more women should venture into plant breeding.
What inspired you to get into your career?
I was in love with science and my intention was to be a doctor but later I changed my mind. I loved biology a lot and that set my focus on my academic path. At university I had good mentors who influenced my career direction as well.
When I achieved my first degree, I was recruited by the Government of Tanzania as an agricultural officer. My then boss, Omar Mponda, inspired me to be a plant breeder. He encouraged me and I went ahead to study plant breeding for both my Masters and PhD. My first degree was in Agronomy, I then did a Masters in Crop Science, specializing in Plant Breeding, and eventually completed a PhD in Plant Breeding as well.
What did you love about plant breeding?
I realized breeders are very active people. Always trying to improve and change things. Always looking for ways to make a difference. This desire to make a change makes us active lifelong learners.
The other thing I learnt from breeders is that they can change the life of farmers. Most smallholder farmers are women. I love my crop (groundnut) because it is a âwomanâs cropâ. If the breeder develops a product such as groundnut with high impact, it means they have changed the life of women. I realized I work a lot with women in my field and even if I only change the smallest of things, it means I get to change their lives and boost them from one step to the next.
Please elaborate on why you refer to groundnut as a womanâs crop.
Groundnut is a nutritious crop and is used a lot in processing and preparing childrenâs food, hence most women value it and engage in farming the crop, even though in small plots of land, in order to have nutritious food for their familiesâ health.
Most women especially in Tanzania view groundnut as their ATM, in that when they need money for use at home, they only need to sell some of their harvested groundnut and get cash to meet their homeâs needs, such as buying schoolbooks for their children.
Women are involved in the entire groundnut value chain, that is from farming the crop in the field up to the processing stages, unlike men who mostly only come in at the market stage to sell the produce. Therefore, groundnut is source of income for many women in Tanzania.
Happy Makuru Daudi presents at the Drylands Legumes and Cereals Crop Improvement Review and Planning meeting in Ghana in January 2023. (Photo: Susan Otieno/CIMMYT)
Has the International Maize and Wheat Center (CIMMYT) and the CGIAR at large contributed in any way to your career growth?
Yes! They have contributed a lot. First in building my capacity and, as I work with them in the Accelerated Varietal Improvement and Seed Systems in Africa (AVISA) project. My PhD was sponsored by the Tropical Legumes III Project. I remember when interacting with scientists from these organizations, I observed how they carried themselves with confidence, both the women and men; it motivated me and built my confidence.
What was the focus of your PhD?
My PhD was on breeding for groundnut resistance for rust and high yield in Tanzania.
What is your message for young women and girls interested in getting into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers?
First, they need to trust themselves. They can do anything in this world. They should not be fearful. For instance, those interested in breeding might observe that most breeders are men, and they may tell themselves that it is a difficult career and run away from it. But I would like them to tell themselves they can be and do even better than men. They only need to trust themselves and build their confidence.
Tell me about the formation of your team – are you intentional in working with women in your team?
Yes, Iâm usually intentional about this. I always give equal chance to both genders but when I get an opportunity to hire for my team, it makes me happier if a woman lands the job. I realized women are good workers and ready to learn. Most of my casual laborers on my team are also women. They work meticulously. The main work for breeders entails crossing. The best people for crossing are women! I have observed that the success rate of the crosses is higher with women! Crossing is intensive work, physically as well, and needs utmost concentration. So, I trust them in this.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I want to encourage women not to run away from sciences, and especially agricultural sciences such as breeding. We want more women breeders. They can change this world and help more people put food on the table. The agricultural sector, especially the farms, are dominated by women, and it is easier for them when they interact with other women. When we go meet them in the fields, it is easier for us to understand their needs and change their lives. So, I call girls and women to come on board in this sector and change the lives of many.
Cover photo: Happy Makuru Daudi (center) discussing groundnut varieties with colleagues from TARI and CIMMYT in Mtwara, Tanzania, in 2022. (Photo: Susan Otieno/CIMMYT)
