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CIMMYT announces 2030 Strategy

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in Features.

The world’s food systems are under threat by escalating armed conflicts, economic stagnation, the effects of the climate crisis and natural resource degradation. Against this backdrop, the next seven years are crucial in meeting the challenges of keeping the world’s growing population fed and secure.

Recognizing that business as usual will not be sufficient, CIMMYT has embarked on a journey to proactively face the new challenges of the 21st century. This novel approach to agrifood systems is the core of CIMMYT’s 2030 Strategy, which has the potential to shape the future of agriculture.

Ethiopian Seed Enterprise maize crop for multiplying seedlings of DT maize. (Photo: Peter Lowe/CIMMYT)

“We understand that the challenges facing food security are complex, varied and rapidly changing. For instance, the effects of COVID-19 and Ukraine-Russia conflict on food systems are still being felt today. With that in mind, we set out to develop a strategy that is both robust and nimble. The best way to create a sustainable and inclusive strategy was to engage directly with CIMMYT scientists and staff, the people on the front lines of this effort to deliver food and nutrition security to the world,” said CIMMYT Director General Bram Govaerts.

Looking back to move forward

The first step in crafting the 2030 Strategy was looking at where does CIMMYT want the world to be in 2100. In answering this question, CIMMYT crafted a long-term vision of how it wants to engage in a changing world and achieve the transformation to a food and nutrition secure world within planetary boundaries. CIMMYT has integrated the use of foresight and specifically a set of 2030 Food and Agriculture scenarios to explore potential changes in intervention areas over the strategic period and help prepare engagements in different contexts across the globe. These scenarios are a decision-making tool that has underpinned the development of the strategy to ensure that it is context-driven and focused on the most pressing challenges facing the agrifood systems in which CIMMYT operates.

From the future CIMMYT looks back at its history and examines how its core business has evolved over the years to proactively meet ever-changing needs across the world.

At each stage of CIMMYT’s evolution, it has taken its strengths and the skills it has built and added to its experience, and expanded on what it delivers while maintaining the core strengths.

Norman Borlaug teaching trainees. (Photo: CIMMYT)

In CIMMYT’s earliest days, the mission was developing and improving germplasm and agronomic practices, then CIMMYT began working more closely with farmers (1980s), broadened emphasis in genetic improvements (2000), embarked on sustainable multidisciplinary projects (2010s), and most recently, advancing technologies in participatory innovation systems (2015-2022). All leading to the mission codified in the 2030 Strategy: accelerating food systems transformation by using the power of collective action.

Now, in 2023, CIMMYT’s progress is being shaped by the CGIAR mission statement: “To deliver science and innovation that advance the transformation of food, land, and water systems in a climate crisis.”

Building the Strategy

To define the 2030 Strategy, CIMMYT responded to the following core questions:

  • What does success look like?
  • Where can CIMMYT deliver the most value?
  • How can CIMMYT deliver value for communities?

“As an organization, we have concentrated on strategies that foster collaboration and adapt them for a non-profit international organization whose vision is not to grow as an institution but to deliver greater value for the communities they serve, to innovate for the end users of their products and to ensure a better future for our global community,” said Govaerts.

The tools used to develop the elements of this strategic plan leveraged the framework provided in the CGIAR Research and Innovation Strategy to guide the process. Staff from across the Center engaged in a consultative process to develop the objectives for following strategic components: Excellence in Science and Innovation, Excellence in Operations, Talent Management, Resource Mobilization, Partnership, and Influence.

Developing the Excellence in Science and Innovation component serves as an example of this collaborative, bottom-up approach. Planning was led by the Emerging Thought Leaders Group, made up of 24 early and mid-career scientists across the breadth of CIMMYT’s global and program portfolio. The group worked collaboratively with CIMMYT researchers and staff to first delineate the challenges facing agri-food systems and then workshopped solutions which now serve as the foundation of the 2030 Strategy.

Workshop participants study seed samples in CIMMYT’s Seed Health Laboratory. (Photo: Xochiquetzal Fonseca/CIMMYT)

“Each component complements the others,” said Govaerts. “This is our answer to the core questions. Only by working collectively can we initiate sustainable solutions that reach everyone.”

Together, the components create a network to support CIMMYT’s three pillars: Discovery (research and innovation), SystemDev (working collaboratively to innovate foundational systems), and Inc. (incubating startups and new ways of doing business in the agri-food system space).

CIMMYT is leading the way in shaping a sustainable and prosperous agricultural landscape

The goal to facilitate food security where sustainable agriculture is part of the solution to the climate crisis and agriculture provides an avenue to build household resilience and enables communities to pull themselves out of poverty requires the strategic use of resources. CIMMYT’s 2030 Strategy, built from the bottom up on a foundation over 50 years’ experience and the expertise of scientists, staff, and farmers maximizes resources, enhances dynamic partnerships, and both retains and recruits a world-class staff in a world of growing challenges to food security.

Read the 2030 Strategy: Science and Innovation for a Food and Nutrition Secure World: CIMMYT’s 2030 Strategy 

A heartfelt farewell to Walter Falcon, an agricultural giant

Written by mcallejas on . Posted in News.

Did you ever read Seeds of Sustainability: Lessons from the Birthplace of the Green Revolution in Agriculture?

Among its authors is an honorable person who served as a Board Member supporting CIMMYT’s Director General Robert D. Havener from 1978 to 1985. Later, in 1995, CIMMYT was proud to have him as Board Chair during Timothy G. Reeves tenure as CIMMYT’s Director General (1995-2002). He brought all his experience in issues relating to agricultural economics and policy, particularly in Asia, and his experience as chairman of the IRRI Board of Directors (1988-1994).

The book synthesized the experiences and lessons learned at the Sustainability in the Yaqui Valley Project, a joint venture between Stanford University and CIMMYT. And one of the amazing authors was Dr. Walter Falcon, an agricultural economist known as Wally by his friends and family.

We have just learned the sad news that he has passed away, and we would like to express our sincerest condolences and enormous gratitude to him, as he played a key role in helping us to get to where we are now, ready to solve tomorrow’s problems today.

At the end of the 2010s, his opinion was recognized and valued in Latin America. At that time, he saw that technological innovation could help to overcome the growing scarcity of basic inputs such as land, water, and energy. He stressed that everything would depend on the reversal of the trend to reduce funding for research.

In 1989, Dr. Falcon was made an outstanding graduate of 1958 by Iowa State University. In 1992 he was awarded the prestigious Bintang Jasa Utama medal of merit by the Government of Indonesia for 25 years of assistance in the country’s development. His recent co-authored papers have analyzed the effects of El Niño on Asian agriculture, Mexican agricultural policy, food price volatility, and biofuels.

Dr. Falcon received a BSc in Agricultural Economics from Iowa State University in 1958, an MA in Economics from Harvard University in 1960, and a PhD in Economics from Harvard University in 1962. His other roles include deputy director of the Center on Food Security and the Environment, director of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, and Farnsworth professor of International Agricultural Policy and Economics at Stanford University (Emeritus).

Let’s celebrate his legacy.
Let’s take a moment to remember that we are standing on the shoulders of a giant.

Timothy G. Reeves, CIMMYT’s Director General (1995-2002), and Walter Falcon at wheat fields in Obregon, taking a close look at Sonalika, the most widely adopted Green Revolution variety, sown on more than 12 million hectares.

 

How to add value in baking by blending wheat, millet

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in In the media.

Adding value to millets can be achieved through various ways, such as incorporating them into baking.  By celebrating the International Year of Millets, individuals and communities are encouraged to explore the versatility of millets and contribute to their preservation and use for a healthier and more sustainable future.

Read the full story.

Regional Integrated Food Security Intiatives Respond to El Niño

Written by mcallejas on . Posted in In the media.

It is official: the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announced the beginning of the global climate heating event El Niño on July 4, which means that extreme weather events will affect the lives and livelihoods of millions of people on all continents from now until midyear 2024. El Niño is considered the biggest climate oscillation on Earth. It occurs when winds and water temperatures change periodically in the Pacific Ocean. The last occurrence was in 2016, which according to the WMO remains the hottest year on record.

What can we do to mitigate El Niño’s effects in the food systems that sustain livelihoods in the Global South?

Read the full story.

Research local: co-creation generates novel options to tackle global problems

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in Publications.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are broad mandates for transitioning to fair and sustainable agrifood systems. However, because of their global view, they often operate at a scale not clearly seen or understood by local stakeholders.

New research led by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) scientists offers participatory action research (PAR) as a potential bridge between the macro scope of the SDGs and the needs and desires of local communities.

The article, Participatory action research generates knowledge for Sustainable Development Goals, published in the June 2023 issue of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, examines two decades of participatory action research activities in Malawi, a highly rural society dependent on rainfed agriculture.

Trying out conservation agriculture wheat rotation alongside conventionally grown maize, farmer’s field, Mexico. (Photo: E. Phipps/CIMMYT)

“Participatory research is known for giving voice to farmers, for accelerating adaptation and for impact,” said lead author Sieglinde Snapp, director of the Sustainable Agrifood Systems program at CIMMYT. “What is novel in this study is that new discoveries were documented, showing the scientific contributions possible through PAR.”

Co-creation

Participatory action research is a knowledge generation process, characterized by a series of steps to facilitate improved understanding and development of innovations, within a local context. The PAR approach involves engaging stakeholders, to co-create solutions with researchers.

Because knowledge is often local, access to natural resources is highly heterogeneous, climate variability is unpredictable and socioeconomic circumstances are context-dependent, any intervention must be flexible and locally specific to ensure sustainability.

PAR prioritizes empowerment of marginalized communities to build long-term partnerships which support transformational changes at local, regional and national levels.

Yet the evidence base for PAR methodology remains fragmented and is often inaccessible.

“This is the first paper that shows how action research produces new knowledge through a systematic, iterative process that derived ‘middle ways’, such as shrubby food crops as a farmers preferred form of agroforestry,” said Snapp.

Solving wicked problems

Participatory research is well-suited to address conflicts and trade-offs that are key aspects of so-called wicked problems. For instance, annual crops—maize and soybean—are excellent producers of food but feature limited aboveground vegetation and belowground activity to regenerate soil nutrients, while perennials provide soil regeneration services but no food products.

By engaging closely with local stakeholders, PAR identifies “goldilocks options,” or middle ways, such as semi-perennial shrubs and vines that produce food while also promoting soil health.

Genetic and agronomic improvement efforts have almost entirely overlooked semi-perennial plant types to address food–soil trade-offs.

Challenges

Building relationships between researchers and stakeholders; the investment required in selecting representative sites, action learning activities, synthesis of findings, communication and documentation; and the inherent variability of research conducted under real-world conditions are barriers to establishing PAR systems. Living laboratories and education on PAR approaches need investment. Reward structures may need to shift, with greater attention to considering research impact on SDGs and awareness that time lags may occur in publishing scientific findings through PAR.

Demonstrating conservation agriculture to other farmers in Malawi. (Photo: T. Samson/CIMMYT)

“Our findings detailing the efficacy of PAR shows that the potentially high upfront costs to invest in relationship building and learning across disciplines, this is a worthwhile trade-off,” said Snapp.

Through PAR, human condition and social-science questions can be addressed, along with biological and environmental science questions, as illustrated in this Malawian case study.

The findings generated by PAR have relevance beyond the sub-Saharan Africa context because they provide new insights into the development of nature-based solutions that meet local needs, a critical requirement for rural communities in many parts of the globe.

Unveiling the Nexus between Agrifood Systems and Climate Change: Harvesting insights from latest IPCC report

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in News.

August 2 is Earth Overshoot Day 2023, which marks the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year.

Wheat harvest in Juchitepec, State of Mexico. (Photo: Peter Lowe/CIMMYT)

“Climate change is already affecting agrifood systems,” said the director general of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Bram Govaerts. “Efforts to protect food and crop systems from things like rising temperatures and drought are part of the overall solution to reverse ecological overshoot; however, we must work hard to ensure these efforts are collaborative, inclusive and sustainable. We want to reach climate goals without compromising food security.”

To harmonize climate change mitigation efforts, CIMMYT and the CGIAR Climate Impact Platform jointly hosted a webinar on July 11, 2023, for relevant stakeholders to discuss the latest findings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

The IPCC is an organization of governments that are members of the United Nations and provides regular assessments of the risks of climate change and options for mitigation.

“Climate change in agrifood systems presents special challenges. There are adaptation challenges, but even more importantly, reducing emissions while also protecting the lives and livelihoods of smallholder farmers is a huge challenge that requires scientists and practitioners working together,” said Aditi Mukherji, director of the CGIAR Climate Impact Platform. “Action based on science is needed and IPCC and CGIAR came together in this webinar to present those challenges and solutions.”

The webinar summarized key findings from the IPCC on how climate change effects agrifood systems, including potential adaptation measures and strategies for mitigating the effects of climate change on agri-food systems, how food system management can be part of the solutions to mitigate climate change without compromising food security. Participants also identified potential collaborations and partnerships to implement IPCC recommendations.

“On this acknowledgement of Earth Overshoot Day, the IPCC report is an important milestone as we enact sustainable solutions to protect against climate change and work toward pulling back overshoot,” said Claudia Sadoff, the executive managing director of CGIAR. “All strategies must be under-pinned with reliable data to let us know what is happening now and also in the future.”

The webinar kicked off with presentations from Alex Ruane, co-Director of the GISS Climate Impacts Group, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and IPCC author, Mukherji, and Jim Skea, IPCC Co-Chair.

Challenges Ahead

Ruane examined the current impacts of climate change on agrifood systems and presented findings regarding future effects; knowledge that can help guide priority-setting among relevant stakeholders.

Alex Ruane presented on the current and future impacts of climate change on agrifood systems. (Photo: CIMMYT)

He detailed the perilous state of agrifood systems, as they need to sustainably increase production to provide healthy food for growing populations, adapt to climate change and ongoing climate extremes, mitigate emissions from agricultural lands and maintain financial incentives for agriculture.

Answering those challenges requires the development of models that can track all potential climate drivers. A co-development process with robust data-sharing is vital to provide context for risk management and planning for climate adaptation and mitigation.

Adaptation

Mukherji examined current adaptation efforts within agrifood systems. The IPCC data showed that the people and regions seeing the most adverse effects of climate change have also emitted the fewest amount of greenhouse gases.

Aditi Mukherji delivered a talk on climate change adaptation in the agrifood sector. (Photo: CIMMYT)

There are multiple opportunities for scaling up climate action. CGIAR is working on such responses in the areas of efficient livestock systems, improved cropland management, water use, agroforestry, sustainable aquaculture and more.

Maladaptation can be avoided by flexible, inclusive, long-term planning and implementation of adaptation actions, with benefits shared by many sectors and systems.

Mitigation

Skea investigated the demand and supply side synthesis: land use change and rapid land use intensification have supported increased food production and food demand has increased as well.

He also summarized the IPCC findings regarding land use mitigation efforts, like reforestation (restoring trees in an area where their population has been reduced), afforestation (establishing trees in an area where there has not been recent tree cover) and improved overall forest management, quantifying each action on agrifood systems.

Panel discussion

Moderated by Tek Sapkota, CIMMYT/ CGIAR and IPCC scientist, with panelists Kaveh Zahedi, director of the Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment, FAO; Jyotsna Puri, associate vice-president, International Fund for Agricultural Development; Jacobo Arango, thematic leader, Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT/CGIAR and IPCC author; Louis Verchot, principal scientist, Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT/CGIAR and IPCC author, and Jim Skea, the panel discussed the IPCC findings and examined crucial areas for targeted development.

Earth Overshoot Day is hosted and calculated by the Global Footprint Network, an international research organization that provides decision-makers with a menu of tools to help the human economy operate within Earth’s ecological limits.

CIMMYT welcomes US Department of State visit

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in News.

U.S. Department of State Special Representative for Global Partnerships Dorothy McAuliffe visited CIMMYT in Texcoco, Mexico, on July 7, 2023. The visit aimed to strengthen ties between the United States government and CIMMYT—reaffirming commitment to fostering partnerships to achieve food and nutrition security goals.

McAuliffe examined maize germplasm from the U.S. (Photo: CIMMYT)

McAuliffe toured the CIMMYT gene bank, museum and conservation agriculture trial plots. CIMMYT scientists explained their efforts to protect one of the largest maize and wheat seed collections through research and collaboration with CGIAR and seed health initiatives.

She also received a detailed briefing about the Southern Africa Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative Rapid Delivery Hub (AID-I), a regional project in southern and eastern Africa led by CIMMYT with the backing of Office of Special Envoy for Global Food Security and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). CIMMYT practitioners briefed McAuliffe on AID-I’s inspiration in a successful model implemented in Mexico, MasAgro, with the potential to inform policy makers and transform agrifood systems in Central America to respond to migration.

Partner seed companies and project leaders shared significant milestones already achieved in Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania to expand access for smallholder farmers to market actors, high-yielding seeds and climate-adaptable, resilient crop varieties.

(Left to right) Bram Govaerts, Daniela Vega, and Dorothy McAuliffe toured conservation agriculture trial plots. (Photo: CIMMYT)

After the tour of CIMMYT facilities, McAuliffe heard private and public partners share success stories and current initiatives jointly led with CIMMYT on regenerative agriculture, gene bank development across CGIAR and climate-smart and scale-appropriate mechanization technologies.

“Through partnership, we can work on R&D goals for better nutrition, data-driven decision making and promotion of regenerative agriculture so that farmers produce diversified crops. On behalf of CIMMYT, I’d like to thank the U.S. government and the American people, who have historically made scientific innovation possible, leaving a huge footprint to feed the world,” shared Bram Govaerts, CIMMYT director general.

Closing the gender leadership gap: The power of women role models

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in News.

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) hosted the first seminar of Catalysts of Change: Women Leaders in Science, on July 4, 2023. This exciting seminar series, which supports women’s empowerment, features inspiring women leaders who share their expertise and perspectives on today’s women leadership styles, extending insights into their own leadership journey, and shedding light on the extraordinary impact of women leadership transforming today’s leadership through their critical roles as catalysts of change.

Moderated by Isabel Peña, this first seminar featured Yvonne Ochoa Rosellini, a distinguished business strategy and finance expert who has advised CEOs of public and private companies in Mexico, the U.S., Argentina, and Spain in a wide range of sectors ranging from finance to biotechnology and agriculture.

Yvonne spoke on CIMMYT’s legacy of enhancing global peace and food security (Photo: CIMMYT)

CIMMYT Director General Bram Govaerts delivered the opening remarks and set the stage for the interactive TED style seminar series—highlighting the importance of recognizing the benefits of gender, diversity, and inclusion to further economic, social, and political progress for all—catalyzing the power of women in leadership and decision-making roles as powerful catalysts of change. It is clear that still a lot of work needs to be done to address the problem for women in science organizations as recently described in a Nature Careers Opinion Piece. This seminar series sought to connect people of all genders to be inspired to make a difference through advancing culture change toward greater gender equity, finding common ground in overcoming challenges, lingering gender-based obstacles, and showcasing role models to foster and accelerate women leaders’ transformation as catalysts of change.

Through TED talk style conference, Yvonne, an inspiring woman leader and a catalyst of change, who has attained various accolades throughout her outstanding career, shared engaging insights from her personal leadership journey and elaborated on the incredible experience as a catalyst of change in various industries. “To be the catalyst of change in our work and personal environments, responding eloquently to life instead of reacting to it. When we cease defining ourselves by what we do and live with ourselves as who we are, both at home and at work, we will live a personal singularity of sorts, only to become the leaders we wish to be. Because when we are true and upstanding to ourselves, others believe, care and ultimately will follow us,” she said. Yvonne emphasized the importance of what it means to be a true catalyst of change and shared reflections and perspectives on driving impactful change in today’s scientific community and mentoring people in organizations to be those critical catalysts.

Yvonne Ochoa Rosellini and Aparna Das discussed the vital elements of implementing holistic and successful diversity and inclusion programs (Photo: CIMMYT)

Next, Aparna Das, a prominent advocate for gender equality in the scientific community, interviewed Yvonne in a fire-side chat. The intensively engaging session discussed Yvonne’s inspiring experiences of becoming a woman leader in science. Aparna and Yvonne explored the challenges, prejudices, and hurdles faced by women leaders, the expectations that society places upon them, and shared valuable insights into how women leaders today can successfully negotiate work-life challenges while pursuing their career goals.

Following Yvonne’s thoughts, participants on the seminar actively participated in the Q&A session and asked questions about the role of leaders and organizations in providing support and opportunities to young women leaders when transitioning to the future. “Building a gender-balanced organization is really opening up to these conversations of career. Companies that have been most successful at getting women to participate are the companies that are thoughtful about not only policies to integrate women [into leadership and decision-making roles] but how we’re supporting people at work and the needs for work-life balance,” said Yvonne. She provided great insights on how these challenges could be overcome to advance women leaders––who continue to be vastly under-represented in decision making in all spheres: in the workplace, businesses, and communities––to positions of greater leadership.

The inspiring first session concluded with a power message from Yvonne addressing the importance of creating the space and time for reflection, learning to effectively advocate for personal goals and needs, and leveraging strengths to tap into the right resources. The time has come for women leaders to remain strategic, to empower themselves, to rise above the challenges and barriers to women leadership, and to push forward in building equitable and thriving work environments by embracing themselves as catalysts of change.

Wrapping up the seminar, CIMMYT Director General Bram Govaerts thanked Yvonne for sharing her inspiring leadership journey as well as her continued dedication to change. “As we learn by doing, as individuals, as teams, and as organizations, to do the right thing, this conversation really inspired us. With this we also kick off our Catalysts of Change seminar series with over 200 participants and this is just a start. We need to listen and lead by example to allow us to be catalysts of change to resolve tomorrow’s problems today” he added. Thus, foregrounding strategic moves in the learning journey to empower organizations such as CIMMYT to support the work of changemakers like Yvonne and Aparna and the communities they impact.

To learn more about Catalysts of Change: Women Leaders in Science, click here to watch the seminar video on our YouTube channel or visit our website.

‘Africa is a focal point for composite flour research’: 3D-printed crackers from African-grown peas and quinoa nabs Mühlenchemie’s Flour Innovation Award

Written by mcallejas on . Posted in In the media.

The jury of international scientist experts evaluated twenty-three research projects spanning nine countries on four continents for the 2023 Composite Flour Innovation Award. Sidhar Bhavani, senior scientist, head of Rust Pathology and Molecular Genetics at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) enriched the jury of the Awards, aimed to highlight the scientific work around the production and processing of non-wheat flours and their blends with wheat flour.

 

Read the story.

 

 

Brazil moves towards wheat self-sufficiency and seeks expansion in the global market

Written by mcallejas on . Posted in In the media.

Brazil is moving towards self-sufficiency, reducing the need for imports and increasing its participation in the international wheat market. The development of adapted wheat varieties with stable yields disease resistance, and wheat strains from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) enabled the consolidation and expansion of cereal crops in the country.

 

Read the full story.

Government of Nepal adopts new fertilizer recommendations

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in News.

Balancing the application of fertilizers based on the characteristics of soil leads to increased crop productivity, income, and fertilizer use efficiency unlike former “one size fits all” recommendations, said Bedu Ram Bhushal, Nepal’s Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MoALD) during a press briefing earlier this month in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu.

Participants from the press release (Photo: Deepa Woli/CIMMYT)

The site-specific recommendations applicable to maize, wheat, and rice were jointly launched with the Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC) and National Soil Science Research Center (NSSRC). They were implemented in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture (DoA) and led by the Nepal Seed and Fertilizer (NSAF) Project at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT).

“I congratulate NARC for this historical work on updating the fertilizer recommendations after 46 years,” Bhushal said. “Now, we should support the large-scale adoption of these new recommendations by farmers for sustainable soil fertility management.”

Earlier recommendations developed by the Agricultural Chemistry and Soil Science Service Section under the Department of Agriculture (DoA) in 1976 did not take into account soil diversity, biophysical conditions, and agronomic management. Nutrients recommended for a particular crop were the same for terai lowlands, hills, and mountains.

In general, soil fertility changes over time due to deployment of continuous intensive cropping systems. The new recommendations consider the indigenous nutrient supply of soils, target yields, and the amount of nutrients removed by crops at harvest.

Senior officials and dignitaries endorsed new fertilizer recommendation (Photo: Deepa Woli/CIMMYT)

It took six years for NSSRC of NARC in partnership with NSAF, to update the recommendations through nutrient omission and optimum nutrient rate trials in various locations. By using advanced analytical methods and machine learning tools for extrapolating data across different agroecological zones and domains, they were able to make them site-specific.

Other factors considered, included attainable yield at a particular farm, soil fertility status, agro-climate, crop management practices, and the amount of nutrients to be supplied to fill the gap between crop nutrient removal and soil nutrient supply of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Micronutrients and organic inputs were also considered.

These recommendations were presented to leading soil scientists and agronomists from NARC and MoALD and were validated at national meetings in July and October 2022.

The Honorable Minister of MoALD, Bedu Ram Bhusal reviewed the press release (Photo: Deepa Woli/CIMMYT)

The new recommendations were included in the DoA’s agriculture extension guidelines in 2023, to achieve potential yield at the farm level and to link with the extension system through the three-tier of governments for its extensive use throughout the country. The new approach is part of CIMMYT’s efforts to support the NARC, MoALD, provincial agriculture ministries, and farmers to build indigenous soil fertility management resources and capabilities and promote locally adapted strategies for long-term resilience by using integrated soil fertility management approaches.

What’s the link between two-wheel tractors and elephants?

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in Publications.

CIMMYT principal scientist Frédéric Baudron has two main research interests: making mechanization appropriate to smallholders and biodiversity conservation.

Wondering how these two intersect, a colleague of Baudron once asked him what the link was between an elephant and a tractor?

Now, in the recent report, “Addressing agricultural labour issues is key to biodiversity-smart farming research,” published in Biological Conservation, Baudron and other contributors have answered that question, examining trade-offs between labor and biodiversity conceptually, as well as in the specific context of Indonesia and Ethiopia.

This research continues work CIMMYT has done on the relationship between agriculture and biodiversity, including Commodity crops in biodiversity-rich production landscapes: Friends or foes? The example of cotton in the Mid Zambezi Valley, Zimbabwe and Sparing or sharing land? Views from agricultural scientists

Innovations in agricultural technology have led to undeniable achievements in reducing the physical labor needed to extract food from fields. Farm mechanization and technologies such as herbicides have increased productivity, but also became on the other hand major threats to biological diversity.

Adopting technologies that improve the productivity of labor benefits farmers in multiple ways, including a reduction of economic poverty, time poverty (i.e., lack of discretionary time, reducing labor drudgery), and child labor. Conversely, technologies that promote biodiversity often increase the burden of labor, leading to limited adoption by farmers. Therefore, there is a need to develop biodiversity-smart agricultural development strategies, which address biodiversity conservation goals and socio-economic goals, specifically raising land and labor productivity. This is especially true in the Global South, where population growth is rapid and much of the world’s remaining biodiversity is located.

“Without accounting for labor issues biodiversity conservation efforts will not be successful or sustainable,” said Baudron. “Because of this, we wanted to examine what biodiversity-smart agriculture might look like from a labor point of view.”

Research has quantified that farming families in Africa who use tractors expended an average of 640 labor hours per hectare in maize cultivation. In contrast, farmers not using tractors spent over 1100 hours for the same yield.

Practicing tractor operation at Toluca experiment station (Photo: X. Fonseca/CIMMYT)

Trade-offs

While that is a clear win for reducing the heavy physical toil of farming, there are potential negative effects on biodiversity. In many countries in the Global North, the rise of tractors and other big machinery has led to larger and more rectangular fields and the removal of farm trees and hedgerows, all of which is associated with lower biodiversity. The same is now happening in parts of the Global South.

“A trade-off implies that one goal can only be achieved at the expense of another goal,” said Baudron. “It is not always a conscious choice; however, as farmers often adopt labor-saving techniques without considering the effects on biodiversity, simply because they lack options, and sometimes the necessary context.”

In Indonesia, the transition from harvesting rubber to producing palm oil has reduced the amount of physical labor, but biological diversity has decreased. However, innovations such as reducing fertilizer usage to avoid nutrient leaching into soil have been possible without compromising yield, and with the benefit of lower costs to farmers.

In Ethiopia, labor-saving technologies like the use of small-scale combine harvesters have been compatible with high biodiversity.

“I tell my colleagues a two-wheel tractor that allows mechanization with little negative environmental consequence (compatible with a mosaic of small, fragmented fields, with on-farm scattered trees, etc.) contributes to a landscape that works for people and biodiversity, including elephants,” said Baudron.

Evaluation and Planning Workshop on Transforming Agrifood Systems in South Asia (TAFSSA)

Written by Nur-A-Mahajabin Khan on . Posted in News.

The Transforming Agrifood Systems in South Asia (TAFSSA) Initiative held its Evaluation and Planning Workshop in Dinajpur, Bangladesh, from June 6 to 8, 2023. The purpose of this interactive workshop was to bring together people from diverse sectors to assess the progress and challenges and adjust future implementation of the Initiative’s activities, which aim to improve South Asian agrifood systems to promote sustainable and nutritious foods for all. All three government partners participated in the three-day event: the Bangladesh Institute of Research and Training on Applied Nutrition (BIRTAN), Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute – On-Farm Research Division (BARI-OFRD), and the Bangladesh Wheat and Maize Research Institute (BWMRI).

Participants visited the research platform trial hosted by BWMRI in Dinajpur, Bangladesh (Photo: Nur-A-Mahajabin Khan/CIMMYT)

The primary goal of the first day was to visit the locations of TAFSSA’s experiments and to interact with the farmers hosting the trials while they were taking place. Participants were divided into groups and visited several on-farm sites, viewing the trials and engaging in meaningful discussions with the farmers. These visits provided useful firsthand insights on the problems farmers confront while attempting to diversify their crops and improve their livelihoods. For example, visiting the research platform trial hosted by the BWMRI at its research station in Dinajpur allowed the participants to compare results from a broader set of diversified cropping patterns.

“More crops mean more money,” said Mohammad Ali, one of the farmers. “I am delighted to produce a variety of crops and witness the increase in my earnings. By cultivating four crops in a single year, I have experienced firsthand the positive impact on my income. Crop diversification has opened doors to new opportunities and has brought greater satisfaction to my farming endeavors.”

During the second day of the workshop, presentations were held to provide an overview of results from the activities TAFSSA implemented during the first seasons of the Initiative, including research platform trials, training sessions on nutrition, and on-farm activities carried out across the divisions of Rangpur and Rajshahi. These presentations emphasized TAFSSA’s progress, obstacles, and preliminary results and were followed by a question-and-answer session to discuss the outcomes and efforts. This interactive workshop promoted information exchange and sparked more debate. Participants underlined the significance of market links between farmers and consumers, emphasizing the need to develop sustainable and lucrative value chains.

Panelists engaged in a discussion about TAFSSA’s progress, challenges, and path forward (Photo: Nur-A-Mahajabin Khan/CIMMYT)

Future adjustments and improvements were discussed, which encouraged collaboration and problem-solving as a group. The method was inclusive and participative, ensuring that all opinions were heard and considered. The day ended with a dinner, during which participants were free to network and discuss ideas further with one another.

The third and final day began with a discussion on TAFSSA’s beneficiaries, particularly those involved in altering agrifood systems in South Asia to promote sustainable and healthy diets for all in the region. Participants looked at the gender aspect of the Initiative and whether it was effectively reaching all of its target beneficiaries, including men, women, and other marginalized groups.

The workshop provided a forum for participants to share their experiences, address issues and collaborate together to reform South Asian agrifood systems. The evaluation and planning exercises aimed to create equal access to nutritious diets, boost livelihoods and resilience among farmers, and safeguard land, air and groundwater resources.

Participants evaluated field production results during the field visit (Photo: Nur-A-Mahajabin Khan/CIMMYT)

“It’s crucial to acknowledge the lack of technical knowledge among farmers,” said Dr. Mazharul Anwar, from the BARI. “Providing targeted training programs for specific crops like tomato, carrot, sorghum, and others can help bridge this knowledge gap and enhance farmers’ capabilities in achieving better yields and sustainable practices.”

Through its work in South Asia, TAFSSA can contribute to change in the region and continue its objective to develop more sustainable and equitable agrifood systems by obtaining useful information from field trials, interactive visits with farmers, presentations, and conversations. To that end, the workshop has set the stage for the Initiative to achieve its goals thanks to the collaborative efforts and collective passion of all the participants.

Forging scaling partnerships in Latin America: Scaling specialists meet to strengthen future collaborations and learn from past experiences

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in News.

On May 26, 2023, representatives from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) hosted a scaling networking event at CIMMYT headquarters in Texcoco, Mexico. This event marked the culmination of a Scaling Readiness Training organized by the One CGIAR Portfolio Performance Unit (PPU), which included 30 participants from various CGIAR centers working on various One CGIAR Initiatives.

Consequently, the Scaling Networking Event was happy to bring together scaling experts from the CGIAR training together with other experts from GIZ, CIMMYT, and other academic and non-governmental organizations. The participants exchanged learnings, ideas, and methodologies for scaling agricultural innovations. Fortunately, this did not remain just an abstract exercise as the attendees were also eager to explore future joint scaling projects. Because collaboration is one of the most important factors in scaling innovations, the purpose of the event was to establish new collaborative initiatives and partnerships.

GIZ and CIMMYT have a long history of collaboration in Mexico and elsewhere. In Africa, for example, a group of mechanization specialists from CIMMYT recently provided training in this area to strengthen the work of the GIZ Green Innovation Centers for the agricultural and food sectors. In this event, both organizations explained what they meant by scaling and how they have worked on it using tools such as the Scaling Scan. The Scaling Scan is another example of the collaboration between GIZ and CIMMYT (and the Netherlands Development Organization SNV) and is a tool that analyzes bottlenecks and opportunities in scaling and innovation.

Both organizations noted a need to explore a wider space to connect sectors and actors interested in scaling innovations developed by agricultural research. Looking at different scaling approaches, the Scaling Readiness framework was presented as the official scaling practice in One CGIAR. Also, the University of Chapingo and the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico showed the tools they are using from analyzing social networks and Geographical Information Systems. They showed the connections with people that scaling requires and the importance of basing scaling assessments on quantitative data.

Plenary discussion to identify the best ways to carry out collaborations (Photo: Ronay Flores/CIMMYT)

The Mexican Center for Philanthropy (CEMEFI) and GIZ Mexico also discussed the difficulties that come with deciding what to scale and how to do so responsibly. Given current environmental concerns, GIZ Mexico emphasized the need to scale technologies at the intersection between biodiversity and agriculture.  CEMEFI started a dialogue among scaling specialists about how to scale while also taking social factors into account. The major topics that came out of this discussion were the need to engage communities more, spend time with them planning interventions, and examine power relations.

As part of this event, scaling practitioners from three One CGIAR Research Initiatives, of which CIMMYT is a member, presented their scaling reflections. They shared their work and some research questions that are now being investigated in the Digital Initiative, the Latin American “AgriLAC” Initiative, and the Mitigation Plus Initiative. Some of the questions addressed in the event included what criteria should be chosen to select innovations, how to bring different scaling processes together, and finally, how to develop scaling strategies that could be supported by the digital and technological enabling conditions and tools.

Before the event concluded, the participants still had sufficient energy to debate and support the idea of creating a Latin American scaling community of practice to continue exchanging scaling experiences in the region, not only with partners but between scaling researchers and practitioners. The expected result would be to strengthen scaling work so that the most relevant practices to make agri-food systems resilient and sustainable could be adopted, adapted, or transformed to suit each community and its needs in each context.

What then were the final learnings for this event? The importance of scaling with partners; the need to address social inclusion in scaling by understanding power relations; and the sharing of varied scaling experiences and processes. All of this was highlighted at the end of the meeting, which gave closure to the day but an initial drive towards future potential collaborations that were created out of it.