Dan Jeffers (second from the left) attends a meeting in the Great Hall of China. Source: CCTV13
A CIMMYT maize breeder participated in a prestigious meeting of foreign experts in China that garnered national news coverage. Dan Jeffers, who is based at the Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences in southern China, attended the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs (SAFEA) meeting on 21 January in Beijing.
SAFEA established a forum for foreign experts working in the country to provide recommendations that further China’s development goals. John Thornton, director of the China Center of the Brookings Institution, proposed the idea two years ago.
Seventy foreign experts attended a consultancy and advisory commission meeting. The meeting was followed by a symposium and dinner hosted by China’s Premier Li Keqiang honoring the Chinese Spring Festival. During the symposium, he thanked the foreign experts for their efforts and encouraged them to put forth recommendations to benefit China’s development.
The meeting made the front page of the China Daily newspaper on 22 January as the lead article and was featured in other news sources.
CIMMYT made strides in Kenya this month in training seed company teams who ensure that CIMMYT’s improved germplasm reaches farmers. CIMMYT’s seed systems team contributed to strengthening this partnership with the Kenya Seed Company (KSC) and Western Seed Company (WSC). At the companies’ request, CIMMYT organized and facilitated a seed business management course for their staff.
Thirty-two participants from KSC and three participants from WS (including a total of seven women) participated in the course. CIMMYT Seed System specialists James Gethi, John MacRobert and Mosisa Worku Regasa delivered the seed training course in Kitale, western Kenya, during 21-23 January. The course covered identification of improved maize varieties, maintenance of parental lines, planning seed production, field management in seed production, basic issues in quality seed production, seed storage, warehouse management, promotion, marketing and sales strategies.
Photo: Courtesy of Mosisa Worku Regasa/CIMMYT
Each trainee was given a CD containing course material and a copy of Seed Business Management in Africa, written by John MacRobert, CIMMYT seed systems team leader. Francis Mwaura, KSC marketing director and Karsten Wichmann, a manager from WS, thanked CIMMYT for the course content, its practical application to the maize seed business and for helping to build the capacity of their staff. Both companies contributed to the cost of the training by sponsoring their staff members’ participation. KSC Production Manager Hosea K. Sirma also thanked CIMMYT and urged participants to apply the knowledge they gained to deliver highquality seed to farmers.
By Tek Sapkota, Promil Kapoor and M.L. Jat, CIMMYT/CCAFS
The eastern Indo-Gangetic Plain in South Asia is one of the world’s most vulnerable regions to climate change. As part of propoor climate change mitigation work – which focuses on poverty reduction – under the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), CIMMYT is actively working on adaptation, risk management and quantifying the mitigation potential of traditional and resilient management practices in smallholder systems in the region.
Participants gather in Bihar, India. Photo: Manish Kumar/CIMMYT
CIMMYT, in close collaboration with India’s national agricultural research system, manages extensive research on the quantification of climate change mitigation potential for precision-conservation agriculture-based cereal systems in South Asia. CIMMYT scientists and collaborators are working on the quantification of greenhouse gases (GHGs) under different scenarios and gathered for a twoday social learning workshop on standardizing related protocols. Attendees from CIMMYT and the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA), along with participants from the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), the national research system and two students from the Climate Food and Farming Network (CLIFF), gathered in Pusa, Samastipur, Bihar, during 15-16 January.
Participants shared experiences on GHG mitigation under contrasting production systems and ecologies and took stock of ongoing mitigation work at the Delhi, Karnal and Pusa sites. The event provided an opportunity to discuss different approaches for GHG quantification approaches. Quantification suitable for smallholder production systems in developing countries were presented by Tek Sapkota, CIMMYT mitigation agronomist. Scientists from Karnal, New Delhi and Pusa presented the current status of GHG measurement work and work plans for 2014. The results from these regional laboratories will be used for larger-scale studies, spanning all levels, from plot to landscape.
As part of its ongoing mitigation work, CIMMYT is measuring GHG emissions in six agronomic trials representing various cropping, tillage, residue and nutrient management systems in Karnal, New Delhi and Pusa, three different agro-ecologies of the Indo- Gangetic Plain. CIMMYT actively collaborates with universities, national research institutes and international organizations like BISA on its mitigation work and capacity building, including developing a new generation of researchers. Attendees also discussed the importance of setting professional and personal goals and priorities, effective time management, effective communication and delegating tasks. They shared perceptions and ideas on mitigation activities and what changes are necessary to strengthen mitigation work. CIMMYT-CCAFS South Asia Coordinator M.L. Jat emphasized the need to move beyond plot level to quantify mitigation potential at the landscape, regional and national levels. Attendees also discussed and agreed to use tools ranging from measurement to estimation.
The meeting concluded with the development of a 2014 roadmap for mitigation activities. Participants also visited the BISA farm and CCAFS climate-smart villages (CSVs) in the Vaishali district of Bihar to learn smallholders’ perceptions about climate change.
A new, open-source book on agricultural machinery in Bangladesh is now available online. Made in Bangladesh: Scale-appropriate machinery for agricultural resource conservation was written by authors from CIMMYT and the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute. The book was a product of the USAID-funded Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia – Mechanical and Irrigation (CSISA-MI) and CSISA Bangladesh projects, as well as the EU-funded Agriculture, Nutrition and Extension Project (ANEP) and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research-funded Rice-Maize Project.
The book details the functions and designs of smallscale agricultural machinery used in conjunction with two-wheel tractors (2WTs). 2WTs are used extensively in Bangladesh and several other countries, and the small-scale implements extend the usefulness of the 2WTs. Most implements are compatible with conservation agriculture-based management practices while the book’s technical drawings allow manufacturers and engineers to reproduce and improve upon the original designs. The PDF version of the book, which is found here in the CIMMYT repository, is open access and can be downloaded and shared. The book will soon be translated and released in Bangla. For more information, contact Tim Krupnik, CIMMYT cropping systems agronomist, at t.krupnik@cgiar.org.
Remote sensing experts, breeders, agronomists and policymakers discussed turning their research and experiences into tools to benefit farmers and increase food production while safeguarding the environment during CIMMYT’s workshop “Remote Sensing: Beyond Images” from 14-15 December 2013.
The “Sky Walker” advances phenotyping in Zimbabwe. Photo: J.L. Araus, University of Barcelona/CIMMYT
The event was sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), the Mexican Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA) and the Sustainable Modernization of Traditional Agriculture (MasAgro) as well as the CGIAR Research Program on Maize and the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA).
Remote sensing devices make it possible to observe the dynamics of anything from single plants up to entire landscapes and continents as they change over time by capturing radiation from across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. For example, images taken by cameras in the thermal-to-visible end of the spectrum can reveal a broad range of plant characteristics, such as biomass, water use and photosynthesis efficiency, disease spread and nutrient content. Radar or light radar (LiDAR) imaging can be used to create detailed imaging of plant physical structure from the canopy down to the roots. When mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), these sensors can rapidly survey much greater areas of land than is possible from the ground, particularly in inaccessible areas. It is hoped that such research will complement highthroughput phenotyping, opening the way for plant breeders to design larger and more efficient crop improvement experiments.
For agronomy research, remote sensing can provide new information about weather, crop performance, resource use and the improved genetic traits sought by crop breeders. It may also help global agriculture meet the challenge of achieving more with fewer resources and include more farmers in innovation. If methods can be found to share and connect this data, farmers will also benefit from greater transparency and more informed policymaking.
Opening the workshop, Thomas Lumpkin, CIMMYT director general, reminded participants of the urgency of meeting the growing demand for staple crops while overcoming crop diseases, resource scarcity and climate change-induced stresses. The advance of technologies and data processing tools allows researchers to see the potential contribution of remote sensing. “For thirty years, the remote sensing community has been on the cusp of doing something wonderful, and now we believe it can,” said Stanley Wood, senior program officer for BMGF. “What excites us is the amount of energy and enthusiasm and the knowledge that their work is important.” Several presentations showcased how remote sensing can be used to benefit smallholder farmers. For example, the Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) project is looking at using rainfall data to target its interventions for the greatest impact.
Bruno Gérard, director of CIMMYT’s Conservation Agriculture Program, spoke about the challenges of CIMMYT’s work in helping smallholder farmers to practice “more precise agriculture.” The spread of mobile phones and information and communications technologies (ICTs) in the developing world shows the potential for CIMMYT to bring recommendations derived from remote sensing to farmers and allows them to provide their own input. The workshop ended with a panel discussion on how to develop remote sensing services that will be adopted by intended users. Participants expect the workshop and similar activities will provide the strategic direction to drive a new generation of remote sensing applications that can bring real benefits to farmers.
For more information on the program, abstracts, participants and presentations, visit the MAIZE website.
In March, CIMMYT will celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Norman E. Borlaug with the Borlaug Summit on Wheat for Food Security. By uniting some of the brightest minds in agriculture and food security, we will commemorate the 100th anniversary of Borlaug’s birth. The event will take place in Ciudad Obregón, Mexico, where some of his most important work began.
CIMMYT’s Mike Listman takes a look at Borlaug’s life and how he helped shape CIMMYT into what it is today:
This year, the world will commemorate the extraordinary legacy of Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, the late agronomist, advocate for food security and Nobel Peace Laureate who died in 2009. During his long and distinguished career Borlaug worked with thousands of people around the world and numerous organizations; many will observe the 100th anniversary of Borlaug’s birth on 25 March. CIMMYT will also celebrate the 70th anniversary of the beginning of Borlaug’s work in Mexico for the organization that later became CIMMYT and which placed him on the path to the Nobel Peace Prize.
As part of a special Mexico-Rockefeller Foundation program in the 1940s-50s to raise Mexico’s farm productivity, Borlaug led the development and spread of high-yielding, disease-resistant wheat varieties and better farming practices. During the 1960s-70s, those innovations brought Mexico wheat self-sufficiency and South Asia a productivity explosion and subsequently, freedom from famine. This in turn helped fuel the widespread adoption by developing world farmers of improved seed and farming practices in a movement called the Green Revolution.
Those successes and Borlaug’s model – field-based, farmer-focused research, training of a global cadre of young agronomists and a pragmatic, apolitical approach – caught the imagination of the media and policymakers and led to the creation of a consortium of international agricultural research centers. Dr. Borlaug’s ideals and fierce drive are strongly reflected at CIMMYT, the direct successor of the Mexico-Rockefeller Foundation program. Borlaug served as a principal scientist and research leader at CIMMYT from the center’s launch in 1966 until his formal retirement in 1979, and from then on as a senior consultant in residence for several months each year until his death in 2009.
At CIMMYT, Borlaug helped craft a wheat breeding program unparalleled in global partnerships and impacts. Improved, CIMMYT-derived wheat is sown on more than 60 million hectares in developing countries – over 70 percent of the area planted with modern wheat varieties in those nations. These improved wheat varieties are responsible for bigger harvests that bring added benefits to farmers of at least US$ 500 million annually.1 With the supply of that much more grain, for many years and in much of the world food prices fell and food security rose. For example, the price paid for wheat by consumers in India dropped by about 2 percent each year during 1970-95, benefiting both the rural and urban poor.2
Norman Borlaug (fourth right) in the field showing a plot of Sonora-64, one of the semi-dwarf, high-yield, disease-resistant varieties that was key to the Green Revolution, to a group of young international trainees, at what is now CIMMYT’s CENEB station (Campo Experimental Norman E. Borlaug, or The Norman E. Borlaug Experiment Station), near Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, northern Mexico.Photo credit: CIMMYT.
As stated in a 1999 Atlantic Monthly article: “Norman Borlaug has already saved more lives than any other person who ever lived…Borlaug is responsible for the fact that throughout the post-war era, except in Sub-Saharan Africa, global food production has expanded faster than the human population, averting the mass starvations that were widely predicted.”3 Although a trained scientist, Borlaug was down-to-earth and preferred practical action to pure academia. He famously admonished understudies that “…you can’t eat research papers.” Despite this, his research at CIMMYT and its predecessor program featured both scientific rigor and real innovation. His big ideas include a worldwide wheat varietal testing and distribution network involving hundreds of partners, the practice of “shuttle breeding” – successive selection of breeding lines at two or three locations of separated latitudes that expedites breeding and broadens the breeding lines’ adaptation, careful attention by breeders to disease resistance and milling and baking quality, close ties to farmer groups and valuing improved cropping systems on a par with high-yielding seed.
Borlaug also championed the development and promotion of quality protein maize, a product for which Eva Villegas (a CIMMYT researcher who had been a Borlaug protégé) and Surinder K. Vasal (a CIMMYT distinguished scientist) were awarded the World Food Prize in 2000. For Borlaug, the science was there to serve a higher humanitarian purpose, and this vision is the real legacy of his long career at CIMMYT. These words of Borlaug appear on a 2006 United States bronze medal minted in his honor: “The first essential component of social justice is adequate food for all mankind.” Humanitarian science and fierce dedication were the core values that Borlaug bequeathed to the organization created in his image and which was his home for 43 years.
October 2014 also marks 70 years from when Borlaug first arrived in Mexico to join the Mexico-Rockefeller Foundation program. Borlaug was hard at work on a CIMMYT research station in Central Mexico in 1970 when his wife came to inform him that he would receive the Nobel Prize for the Green Revolution successes. His dedication was so complete that when she shouted the news to him across an irrigation canal he simply absorbed the information and then went back to work.
1. This is in 2005 US$; see http://apps.cimmyt.org/english/docs/ impacts/impwheat_02.pdf; in addition to the benefits cited for increased yield per se, a 2006 study estimated the annual benefits to farmers from improved yield stability through use of CIMMYT-derived wheat varieties at more than $140 million.
Nepali scientists learned about developing heat stress-resistant maize during a training event organized by Nepal’s National Maize Research Program (NMRP) and CIMMYT on 16 January at the NMRP in Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal. The event was part of the Heat Tolerant Maize for Asia (HTMA) project supported by USAID under the Feed the Future initiative.
Participants record heat-stress phenotyping data in the field. Photo: Courtesy of NMRP
Nearly 30 participants attended the training, including maize breeders, agronomists and field technicians from the NMRP, the Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS) in Nepalgunj and the Agricultural Research Station (ARS) in Surkhet. Keshab Babu Koirala, NMRP coordinator, gave an overview of maize research in the country and emphasized the effects of climate change on national production. Koirala noted the importance of developing stress-resilient maize varieties and hybrids for sustainable maize growth.
P.H. Zaidi, maize physiologist and project leader of HTMA, gave lectures on developing heat stress-resilient maize hybrids, including maize phenology and physiology, how maize responds to heat stress, technical details of precision phenotyping, selection criteria for heat stress breeding and development of heat-tolerant hybrids. Zaidi used a bilingual interaction model to encourage participation in both English and Hindi in the presentations and discussions.
In the afternoon, participants visited HTMA maize trials at the NMRP experimental farm, where participants were divided into groups to score the performance of more than 900 hybrids planted there. Participants were excited to see new, promising hybrids. Attendees also had the opportunity to interact with Zaidi, Koirala and each other. “It is exciting to see quite a few very promising hybrids from the HTMA project, which are well-adapted in Tarai, Nepal,” said Tara Bahadur Ghimire, chief of ARS in Surkhet, Nepal. “If we select only 10 percent of the hybrids planted here, we will have a choice of about 100 to take forward. These hybrids will help us in switching from open-pollinated varieties to hybrids to boost maize production in our country and enhance its food security.”
After the field visit, participants gave feedback on the training and handson exercises. In the training, the scientists and field technicians learned key aspects of abiotic stress breeding and developing heat stress-tolerant maize. In his closing remarks, Koirala thanked USAID and CIMMYT for supporting NMRP in capacity building. “This is an excellent approach, which benefitted many scientists in one go rather than inviting a few to CIMMYT-India,” he said. “This needs to be replicated again in the near future so that scientists from maize research stations — other than those that are participating in the HTMA project — can get this opportunity.”
Farmers spoke of their success with new quality protein maize (QPM) varieties to senior officials from the Canadian embassy in Ethiopia during recent visits to CIMMYT-Ethiopia sites. The visits focused on the status of the Nutritious Maize for Ethiopia project (NuME), which is funded by Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFTAD). NuME aims to reduce malnutrition and promote food security in Ethiopia through the adoption of QPM, whose grain contains almost twice the lysine and tryptophan as non-QPM maize grain.
Abebech Assefa leads a discussion after the field day and collects feedback from farmers, project partner representatives and government officials. (Photo by Adefris Teklewold/CIMMYT)
Jennifer Bloom, DFATD’s NuME project team leader and the second secretary (development) at the Embassy of Canada, and Abebech Assefa, the embassy’s team leader for Food Security and Agricultural Growth, visited farmers and learned about their feelings toward the adoption and promotion of QPM. The farmers also discussed their perspectives on the opportunities and constraints of project implementation with the Canadian representatives. Assefa, accompanied by three other embassy staff members, participated in a field day in the Meskan District of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s Region of Ethiopia.
During the field day, the visiting delegation observed the performance of two QPM hybrid varieties, BHQY-545 and AMH-760Q, adapted to the area. Farmers carrying out the field demonstrations shared their reactions to the newly-introduced QPM varieties. Farmer Genet Assefa noted that her plots have showed impressive results with the QPM varieties she planted compared to other plots in the area. “All the proper agronomic activities were employed on my plot based on advice from experts,” she said, adding that “QPM should be promoted and made accessible to all farmers so that we can all ensure food and nutritional security and increase our incomes.”
Jennifer Bloom compares food prepared from QPM varieties with food prepared from conventional varieties.
Abebech Assefa led a discussion after the field day and showed appreciation for the farmers who participated in the field demonstrations. She said she was grateful for their willingness to test new QPM varieties on their farm plots and to experience the benefits of QPM in improving food and nutritional security in Ethiopia. Bloom visited several demonstration sites and tested QPM food products during a field day organized in Bure District, Amhara Regional State. She requested the farmers’ opinions about QPM technology. The majority responded that they were satisfied and specifically asked for the seed of BHQY-545 to be made available to everyone in need. Farmers said they favor BHQY-545 because it provides up to four or five cobs and matures early, and they value the BHQ-760 variety for its long cobs.
The farmers said their “most critical concern” regarding the adoption of QPM varieties was that abundant quantities of the quality seed be available at the right time. Local administration and bureau of agriculture officials, who accompanied the DFTAD delegation, expressed their commitment to providing the seed. Bloom ended her visit by thanking the officials for attending the field demonstrations and the farmers for their participation and courage in discussing the advantages of QPM varieties and their concerns about them.
One of the most important aspects of planning the Borlaug Summit on Wheat for Food Security is remembering Norman Borlaug. We’ve received photos and stories from individuals and institutions as they register for the event. Some people only met Dr. Borlaug once while others worked with him for years, but they all share memories of his kindness and impact. You can read and see all of the submissions here; a few of our favorites to date are found below (some submissions are edited for clarity):
“I will help you”
“Dr. Borlaug’s visit to China in 1974 with U.S. delegates started the collaboration between China and CIMMYT … I met him in November of 1990 when I started as a postdoctoral fellow in the CIMMYT Global Wheat Program. We lived in the same block of the visiting scientist building and met very often in the cafeteria in the evening. I traveled with Borlaug a few times and facilitated his visits to China many times.
Photo submitted by Zhonghu He
What I learned from him is to respect people and work hard. Never, ever, hurt other people’s dignity or pride, and never be arrogant. Always say, ‘I will help you!’ … As said by , CIMMYT Director General Dr. Tom Lumpkin, the best way to commemorate Borlaug is to work hard and do your best job.”– Dr. Zhonghu He
Respected by everyone
“I met Norman Borlaug during a 2008 field day. I remember that he was happy to meet someone from Morocco and told me that he had visited Morocco many years ago and kept a good souvenir from his visit.
Photo submitted by Rhrib Keltoum
While attending the Borlaug workshops and listening to his success stories from the scientific and farmer communities, I understood that he was a great man loved and respected by everyone throughout the world and that he left a very good impression on all the people he met and countries he visited. He is the real father of the Green Revolution. I would have liked to have met him earlier. I would have, for sure, learned a lot from him.” – Dr. Rhrib Keltoum
Memories Unforgotten
Photo submitted by Ignacio Solis
“In 2003, one group of farmers from the Cooperatives of Andalusia (southern Spain), owners of the seed company Agrovegetal, visited El Batán and Ciudad Obregón to get to know CIMMYT. We met Dr. Borlaug in Texcoco, and he agreed to travel with us to Sonora to explain the wheat breeding program to us.
I will never forget those days, his personality and his enthusiastic way of teaching. We took a picture with durum wheat YAVAROS 79, the most widely grown variety in Spain, even 25 years after its release.” –Dr. Ignacio Solis, Director, Agrovegetal
Indian researchers A.G. Sreenivas and U.K. Shanwad hope their first visit to Mexico will yield the tools they need to address cropping systems and climate change in their home country.
Sreenivas, an associate professor of entomology at the University of Agricultural Sciences Raichur, and Shanwad, an agronomist at the university’s Main Agricultural Research Station, are visiting CIMMYT as trainees. Their university is already collaborating with CIMMYT’s M.L. Jat to spread drill sown rice in India. Coverage reached more than 60,000 acres in the Upper Krishna command area in its first year of introduction.
A.G. Sreenivas (right) and U.K. Shanwad are visiting CIMMYT sites in Mexico for training. Photo: Xochiquezatl Fonseca/CIMMYT
The two will spend three months between CIMMYT research stations at El Batán and Ciudad Obregón. The training will first focus on the integrated assessment of cropping systems to determine productivity, resource efficiency and vulnerability and adaptability to climate change. Under Santiago López-Ridaura, the trainees will learn about the trade-offs between performance indicators and constraints to adapting a climatesmart cropping system. Next, in Ciudad Obregón, Sreenivas and Shanwad will learn the methodologies involved in collecting, processing and analyzing greenhouse gases and soil samples under the supervision of Iván Ortiz-Monasterio. “It’s a very rich experience for us,” Shanwad said.
Agricultural production in India faces several challenges, the trainees said. Labor requirements, monsoon gambling, market fluctuations, improved hybrids and pest resistance are some of the themes the two address in their research. New crop insect pests and diseases are consistently emerging while climate change also poses global challenges. The trainings will focus on the analysis of their own cropping systems. The two brought longterm weather data to compare with insect pests, crop production and weather data of the region. “Productivity has to be increased,” Sreenivas said.
Sreenivas and Shanwad said they are enjoying the climate at El Batán as well as the chance to connect with colleagues from India. They are also looking forward to attending The Borlaug Summit on Wheat for Food Security in March and said the opportunity is “like heaven.” CIMMYT packs an enormous amount of research into its headquarters, Sreenivas said. “We are expecting more collaborative research,” he said.
Stephen Mugo, CIMMYT; Jesús Madrazo, Monsanto; and John McMurdy, USAID, members of the WEMA Partnership at the ND-GAIN Award program. Photo: Courtesy of Monsanto
Monsanto received an award in December recognizing its impact in Africa through the Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) project. The Notre Dame Global Adaptation Index (ND-GAIN) Corporate Adaption Award is given annually by the University of Notre Dame for contributions to awareness, science or action in creating resilience to climate change. In 2013, Monsanto and PepsiCo were recognized for their impacts on climate change and vulnerability. The awards were announced in Washington, D.C.
WEMA, which is providing improved maize varieties to farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa, is a public-private partnership that includes participation by CIMMYT, the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) and the national agricultural research systems of Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda. Monsanto joins CIMMYT and national agricultural research systems in providing maize germplasm and technical expertise for the project. WEMA is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and USAID. WEMA is in its second phase. Its first conventional maize hybrid, branded under DroughtTEGO, is being sold for planting to smallholder farmers in Kenya. The first harvest is expected early this year.
Jesús Madrazo, vice president of corporate engagement for Monsanto, received the award on behalf of the WEMA project. He was accompanied by John McMurdy, international research and biotechnology adviser for the USAID Bureau for Food Security and Rose Barbuto, senior consultant for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. CIMMYT’s Stephen Mugo, principal scientist and maize breeder for the Global Maize Program based in Kenya, represented CIMMYT, AATF and national agricultural research systems partners at the event. “The ceremony was an excellent platform for the work being done by ND-GAIN to raise awareness about the need for national efforts towards adaptation to climate change,” Mugo said. “The fact that Monsanto and the WEMA project were recognized for contributing to Kenya’s rise on the ND-GAIN index ladder was very welcome.” Read more about the award on Monsanto’s blog.
Research center directors from throughout Mexico met to identify possible collaborations on 25 November at CIMMYT-El Batán. Visitors, all from National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT) centers, included Lorenzo Felipe Sanchez Teyer, director general of the Yucatán Scientific Research Center A.C. (CICY); Pablo Wong-González, director general of the Center for Food Research and Development A.C. (CIAD); Mayra de la Torre, who is in charge of strategic programs for CIAD; and Martín Aluja Schuneman Hofer, director general of the Ecology Institute A.C. (INECOL).
Aluja received the 2013 National Award for Science and Arts in the technology, innovation and design category. This important award recognizes his invaluable contribution to promoting agriculture and strengthening the marketing of Mexican avocados, among other work to improve science and technology in Mexico. Congratulations Dr. Aluja! During the visit and meetings with CIMMYT researchers, attendees identified potential areas of collaboration with each CONACYT research center. They agreed on possible areas of focus, including impact modeling on long-term agricultural practices, social inclusion research, technological innovation, value chain and market research, nutritional quality and climate change.
Other CONACYT research centers participated in the first analysis and planning meeting for a national postgraduate program in plant genetic resources, held at CIMMYT on 13-14 November. The initiative is led by MasAgro- Biodiversity. Participation at the workshop included 21 national universities and research centers as well as the Northwest Center for Biological Research (CIBNOR), El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR) and INECOL.
Left to right: Carlos Moisés Hernández, Denise Costich, Lorenzo Felipe Sanchez Teyer, Kevin Pixley, Mayra de la Torre, Martín Aluja Schuneman Hofer, Pablo Wong-González, Natalia Palacios, Sara Hearne, Isabel Peña, Carolina Saint-Pierre, Francelino Rodrigues, Carlos Guzmán and Gilberto Salinas. Photo: Xochiquezatl Fonseca/CIMMYT
The CONACYT system includes 27 research institutes that focus on science and technology. Research areas and objectives include natural sciences, social sciences and the humanities, technological development and innovation and financial support for postgraduate studies. Inocencio Higuera, deputy director general of CONACYT’s public centers who visited CIMMYT in August 2013, said CONACYT is extremely important to Mexico. CIMMYT has signed academic and scientific collaboration agreements with CONACYT centers including ECOSUR, CIAD, INECOL, CICY and the Social Anthropology Research and Study Center (CIESAS). These five-year agreements establish collaboration and cooperation terms and conditions for the development and implementation of specific research projects as well as academic exchange and training.
CIMMYT recognizes the importance of exchanging scientific knowledge and strengthening research with institutes that have solid infrastructure and expertise in anthropology and social impact, biotechnology, ecological management, nanotechnology, nutrition and high-quality human resources development.
The Australian delegation stand with CIMMYT representatives in front of the Gene Bank. Front row left to right: Ambassador Tim George, Ms. Robyn McClelland, Sergeant-at-Arms, Dr. Thomas Lumpkin, Hon. Bronwyn Bishop, Mr. Stephen Jones MP, Hon. Philip Ruddock MP and his wife Back row left to right: Ashleigh McArthur, Australian Embassy in Mexico; Senator Deborah O’Neill; Mr. Mark Coulton MP; William Blomfield, Australian Embassy in Mexico; Dr.Marianne Bänziger , CIMMYT Deputy Director General; Mr. Damien Jones, Special Adviser to the Speaker; Dr. Kevin Pixley, Director Genetic Resources Program Director; Dr. Hans Braun, Director Global Wheat Program Director; Ricardo Curiel, MasAgro Communications Specialist. (Photo: Xochiquezatl Fonseca/CIMMYT)
The Honorary Bronwyn Bishop, speaker of the Australian House of Representatives, commended CIMMYT’s impressive achievements during a visit to the El Batán campus on 16 January. Bishop was accompanied by Tim George, the Australian ambassador to Mexico, as well as three other members of the House of Representatives and a member of the Senate.
In an engaging presentation, CIMMYT Director General Thomas Lumpkin captivated the delegation by showcasing CIMMYT’s history and extensive agricultural research for development activities. The delegation was also impressed by CIMMYT’s contribution to the Australian agriculture sector; 98 percent of Australian wheat is derived from CIMMYT parental lines. A 4.6 percent yield increase due to CIMMYT germplasm translates into additional annual income of up to AUD$ 250 million (US$ 219.8 million) for Australian wheat farmers.
The fruitful visit was an opportunity to strengthen the partnership between CIMMYT and Australia and to form future collaborative projects that will help both farmers in the developing world and in Australia. Australia is one of CIMMYT’s strongest partners and collaborators. Institutions such as the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) are working with CIMMYT to improve maize and wheat varieties for farmers in Australia and the developing world.
From left to right: José Juan Ramírez (1974-2014); Hans Braun; John Snape; Roberto Javier Peña (1971-2013); Guillermo Ortiz-Ferrara (1971-2010); Sanjaya Rajaram; Alfredo Valencia (1975-2013); María Dolores Mir (1971-2013); María Luisa Gómez (1974-2013); José Daniel De Teodoro (1969- 2013); Vicente Morales(1969-2013) and Ramón Gil Montoya (1969-2011). Photo: Mike Listman
About 100 CIMMYT staff, family and Science Week visitors gathered at CIMMYT headquarters on 6 December 2013 to honor and bid farewell to nine retiring or recently retired members of the Global Wheat Program (GWP). “These people together have more than 360 years of work at CIMMYT,” said Hans Braun, GWP director, speaking at a dinner to honor the retirees, who included scientists, field technicians, secretaries and an office assistant. “Several started here as early as 1969. For some, this means having helped grow 80 cycles of wheat — not many outside of CIMMYT could say that. On behalf of CIMMYT and the wheat farmers of the world, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your many contributions.”
The retirees had their contributions recognized through the bestowal of the GWP’s Yaqui Indian Award “that will identify you forever as a pillar of the wheat community,” Braun said. Wheat quality researcher Peña Bautista, who played a crucial role in strengthening CIMMYT’s relationship with Mexico, said he thought of the GWP as his family. “I love this work and if I were born again I would do the same thing with the same passion,” he said.
Ortíz-Ferrara, who worked for 35 years in wheat research before changing crops three years ago to lead CIMMYT’s Hill Maize Research Project in Nepal, recounted working under six CIMMYT directors general and five wheat directors, but said he especially recognized the behind-the- scenes contributions of support staff. “It’s beautiful to see how we have worked together and have been recognized with many awards from national programs,” he said.
Sanjaya Rajaram and Ramón Gil Montoya attend the event. Photo: Mike Listman
Special guest Sanjaya Rajaram, former GWP director and CIMMYT distinguished scientist, congratulated the group and emphasized the importance of continuity in GWP work. “Just remember that your efforts have in one way or another translated into removing misery in many parts of the world,” he said.
Many of the retirees have memories of CIMMYT’s early days. Field technician Gil Montoya was with Dr. Norman E. Borlaug at CIMMYT’s Toluca research station when Borlaug received the news of his 1970 Nobel Prize. “His reaction surprised many of us —he took it calmly and said it might not even be true,” Montoya said. “When the media began to arrive a little later, Borlaug complained that they were distracting him from his work.”
Mir Rodríguez, who worked as a GWP secretary, was grateful for her professional development over 42 years at CIMMYT. “Thanks for what you’ve taught me,” she said, “and I carry you all in my heart.”
Wheat agronomists in India learned about precision-conservation agriculture and received the tools to continue their education at a workshop in November.
Nearly 40 participants attended “Precision-Conservation Agriculture for Improving Wheat Productivity in South Asia,” which was organized by CIMMYT, the Directorate of Wheat Research (DWR) and the International Plant Nutrition Institute – South Asia Program (IPNI), with support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The workshop was held 26 to 27 November at the DWR in Karnal, India.
Agronomists receive GreenSeeker training at a DWR field. Photo: RK Sharma, DWR
Attendees represented nine of the All India Coordinated Research Centres on Wheat and Barley Improvement (AICRCW&BI) located in different state agricultural universities as well as CIMMYT, IPNI, three Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) institutes, the State Department of Agriculture in Karnal and the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK). The goal of the workshop was to train scientists in blending precision and conservation agriculture, an important strategic initiative of the CGIAR Research Program on Wheat (WHEAT), said M.L. Jat, senior cropping systems agronomist for CIMMYT.
The event aimed to raise awareness about Nutrient Expert, a software tool that helps determine fertilizer requirements, and GreenSeeker, an optical sensor that measures Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), an indicator of crop development and health. In 2009, IPNI and CIMMYT started working with the Nutrient Expert Decision support tool in close collaboration with national agricultural research and extension systems. The tool gained wide acceptance after private organization and corporations began providing it to farmers.
Targeting widespread adoption of both technologies, each coordinated research center received a GreenSeeker tool and Nutrient Expert software. Participants were engaged and motivated to learn about and implement the tools in farmers’ fields. Kaushik Majumdar, director of IPNI in South Asia, applauded the workshop collaboration and continuous efforts on implementing site-specific nutrient management. Etienne Duveiller, director of research for CIMMYT-South Asia, urged a multidisciplinary approach to address yield potential in germplasm and agronomy.
Partners should expand their innovation and training efforts and construct an action plan to reach farmers, said DWR Project Director Indu Sharma. She also proposed discussion of technology adoption and said training scientists is one way to move forward on agricultural issues. She cited a report on farmers who said they obtained 7 to 9 ton per hectare grain yield with higher nutrient applications.
In addition, she mentioned the need to bridge the production gaps of 15 to 20 percent in high productive zones and up to 35 percent in low productive zones through best-bet agronomic management practices. Regarding training, she emphasized the dissemination of knowledge. “Learning from the best farmers who are harvesting with higher productivity is required to ensure sustainable development,” she said. Participants said they appreciated the knowledge they gained during the workshop. CIMMYT, DWR and IPNI extended their support to participating institutes for future precision conservation agriculture endeavors.
