In the media – Page 20

Heat and drought watch out. One-of-a-kind network launched in Berlin

Written by Mary Donovan on August 6, 2020. Posted in In the media.

Wheat crop losses due to heat and drought affect food availability and increase the costs for billions of consumers around the world. The Alliance for Wheat Adaptation to Heat and Drought (AHEAD) is an international network that hosts initiatives and projects dedicated to addressing scientific gaps and builds synergies to support the development of new wheat varieties that are resilient to heat and drought.

Plan to improve wheat output under works

Written by Mary Donovan on August 6, 2020. Posted in In the media.

CIMMYT Country Representative in Pakistan Dr Muhammad Imtiaz briefed National Food Security Minister Fakhr Imam on the potential strategy to increase use of high-yielding, climate resilient and rust-resistant seed varieties; closing the yield gap by timely sowing and optimal use thereby formulating and applying the right policy; and ensuring good support price in place.

Read more here: https://www.dawn.com/news/1572865

Cultivation of outdated wheat varieties causing 50pc yield gap, minister told

Written by Mary Donovan on August 5, 2020. Posted in In the media.

CIMMYT country representative Muhammad Imtiaz briefed National Food Security and Research Minister Syed Fakhar Imam on the Wheat Productivity Enhancement Programme (WPEP) and Agricultural Innovation Programme for Pakistan (AIP) and how these interventions had a positive impact on the country’s productivity.

AGG project to ramp up genetic gains in maize for better livelihoods

Written by Mary Donovan on July 31, 2020. Posted in In the media.

A new project, Accelerating Genetic Gains in Maize and Wheat for Improved Livelihoods (AGG), seeks to achieve these results by speeding up genetic gains in maize and wheat breeding to deliver improved, stress resilient, nutritious seed to smallholders in 13 countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and four in South Asia. The 5-year AGG project is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

The maize component of the project brings together diverse partners, including the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) as co-implementers; national agricultural research systems (NARS); and small and medium-sized (SME) seed companies.

New project to ramp up genetic gains in maize for better livelihoods

Written by Mary Donovan on July 30, 2020. Posted in In the media.

New project to ramp up genetic gains in maize for better livelihoods

Written by Mary Donovan on July 28, 2020. Posted in In the media.

WhatsApp, the secret of farmers in Coahuila to continue during the pandemic

Written by Mary Donovan on July 25, 2020. Posted in In the media.

Farmers in Coahuila are embracing technology by using WhatsApp to exchange experiences and access technical information, especially on sustainable farming practices such as ecological pest management.

Floods highlight importance of food security

Written by Mary Donovan on July 22, 2020. Posted in In the media.

The floods in the southern parts of China have triggered fresh concerns about whether the country will face a food shortage and nutrition crisis.

Women farmers emerging as decision-makers, innovators in wheat-based systems: Study

Written by Mary Donovan on July 17, 2020. Posted in In the media.

Women in societies practicing wheat-based agriculture have started challenging the norm of men being sole decision-makers. They are transitioning from workers to innovators and managers, a recent study has found.

Women were adopting specific strategies to further their interests in the context of wheat-based livelihoods, the study found. The process, however, is far from straightforward.

Combating COVID-19 with better nutrition: What an Iowa organization is doing in Central America

Written by Mary Donovan on July 17, 2020. Posted in In the media.

The COVID-19 pandemic is intensifying the impact of the twin scourges of disease and malnutrition in the world, but there is hope that new bio-fortified crops being introduced by organizations like Iowa-based Self-Help International can help combat the new coronavirus.

The Rendidor bio-fortified beans represent the first new crop introduced by Self-Help Nicaragua since 1999, when Self-Help began working in Nicaragua with the planting of Quality Protein Maize, or QPM, a high-protein corn variety that was developed at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center in Mexico.

Back to basics: COVID-19 labour crunch brings direct seeding of paddy in focus

Written by Mary Donovan on July 15, 2020. Posted in In the media.

There is no nationwide official data on how much rice in India is grown through DSR. M L Jat, principal scientist with Mexico-based CIMMYT (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center), estimated that about 10 per cent of India’s 44 million ha under rice cultivation is through DSR.

In the past few decades, many state governments have been encouraging farmers to move to DSR because it is easier on the environment, but without much success.

New analysis to help in creating yellow rust resistant wheat

Written by Mary Donovan on July 15, 2020. Posted in In the media.

A new analysis by wheat scientists at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) published in Scientific Reports includes insights and genetic information that will help in the efforts to breed yellow rust resistant wheat.

Cheap maize sheller saves farmers tens of hours

Written by Mary Donovan on July 12, 2020. Posted in In the media.

The machine saves farmers the burden of physically removing maize from combs, a tedious, time wasting and costly exercise that is practiced by at least 85 per cent of smallholder farmers in the country according to a research dubbed ‘maize production, challenges and experience of smallholder farmers in East Africa by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT).

Turn annuals into perennials. Does the farmer want that?

Written by Mary Donovan on June 28, 2020. Posted in In the media.

The benefits of perennials are not so clear, says CIMMYT Director General Martin Kropff. CIMMYT tested wheat perennials, but the grain turned out not to last for years, says program leader Hans-Joachim Braun.

Improved heat-resistant wheat varieties are identified

Written by Mary Donovan on June 16, 2020. Posted in In the media.

Wheat, in its own right, is one of the most important foods in the world. It is a staple food for more than 2.5 billion people, it provides 20% of the protein consumed worldwide and, according to the FAO, supplies more calories than any other grain. Its long-term productivity, however, is threatened by rising temperatures, among other factors. Stress from heat, an increasing trend due to climate change, affects its performance, a fact that requires urgent solutions bearing in mind that, according to some estimates, the world’s population will reach 9 billion by the year 2050.