Peter Walker, who worked at CIMMYT from 1975 to 1980, died at his home in Mexico City on 17 November 2009 after a short illness. He was 77.

During his time at CIMMYT, Walker set up and managed the Statistical Services Unit, using a DG Nova 3 computer to analyze the results of large sets of international cooperative breeders’ trials, initially for maize and later for wheat, durum, barley, and triticale. In addition to managing the unit, he also worked with programming and statistics.

Walker was born in Leeds, England, in 1932. He studied mathematics and statistics at Pembroke College, Cambridge, and began a long and varied career in tropical biometrics in 1960 in Nigeria. He came to CIMMYT following work as an overseas liaison officer at the Rothamsted Experimental Station in the UK. After leaving CIMMYT, his subsequent career took him to Syria, Zimbabwe, back to Nigeria, and finally to Sri Lanka.

He retired in 1994 to live in Mexico. Walker is survived by his wife Nydia, as well as by two sons, two daughters, and five grandchildren.

The CIMMYT community welcomes its new Global Maize Program Director, Boddupalli M. Prasanna, who will join us on 10 March and will be based in Nairobi, Kenya. A native of India, Prasanna holds a M.Sc. (1987) and Ph.D. (1991) in genetics from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI). In 1991 he took up a scientist appointment at IARI and, since 2005, has worked there as a National Fellow & Principal Scientist of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). During 1998-2005, Prasanna served as the India team leader for the Asian Maize Biotechnology Network (AMBIONET), a CIMMYT-facilitated project to foster the use of molecular markers for maize improvement.

A diverse group of farmers, researchers, farm machinery experts, and private and public sector representatives gathered in the Yaqui Valley of Sonora, Mexico, on 18 January 2010 to discuss conservation agriculture (CA), with a focus on CA hub activities for irrigated systems in the Pacific zone of Mexico.

“To be able to implement CA, you have to be a real farmer and be totally immersed in the system,” said Mayo Félix, a local farmer who hosts a CA plot on his land. Félix, who has extensive experience with CA, spoke to farmers from the states of Sonora and Sinaloa about the advantages of the system, and also about the problems that may arise and how to solve them.

Another innovative CA leader, Mexican farmer Román Portela, spoke of the relevance of CA for improving sustainability and crop competitiveness, as well as the importance of incorporating other new technologies, such as the GreenSeeker sensor. GreenSeeker allows farmers to apply just the right amount of nitrogen to the crop, a process that was further explained Iván Ortiz-Monasterio, fertilization expert.

In addition to Mexican-based CA users—and those interested in adopting CA practices—the event included several agronomy experts from other countries. Enamul Haque, an agronomist based in Bangladesh, talked about the good results they’ve had with bed planting in different Asian countries and expressed his appreciation for Mexico’s support, which has enabled him to bring CA to farmers in his country. Ravi Gopal, Indian hub manager for the Cereal System Initiative for South Asia (CSISA), gave a presentation on weed control in the CA system.

Bram Govaerts, a CA specialist who has extensive experience with CA in Mexico and in other parts of the world, also shared his experiences. “To get the system off to a good start, beds must be evenly spaced, you must have good furrows and effective land leveling, because, once formed, the beds will never be moved. All this will avoid problems later on.”

The event was proof that CA is a platform for achieving sustainable agriculture that can be combined with other technologies and agronomic practices, and that together they can produce an efficient and functional system.

A new award for female wheat researchers is now accepting applications. Established in 2010, the Jeanie Borlaug Laube Women in Triticum (WIT) Award provides professional development opportunities for early-career women working with wheat. The award is named after Norman Borlaug’s daughter, who has served as chair of the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative (BGRI) since October 2009. Submissions should be sent to WIT@globalrust.org by 01 March 2010.

The CGIAR’s Gender & Diversity Program is now accepting applications for its 2010 African Women in Agriculture Research and Development (AWARD) fellowships. African women who are studying agricultural sciences are invited to apply for this twoyear fellowship program; 60-70 women will be selected. Applicants must have completed their bachelor’s degree and be a national of one of the following countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia. Submissions should be sent to AWARDFellows@cgiar.org by 22 March 2010.

Recognizing the importance of accurate and engaging science reporting, CIMMYT co-organized a science journalism workshop in Kenya during 12-14 January in Nairobi, Kenya. Both science and mainstream journalists in print, TV, and radio from Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania attended the event, which was held with support from the African Agricultural Technology Foundation and ScienceAfrica, a Kenyan science communications firm.

The workshop focused on science, agricultural biotechnology, and climate change reporting, as well as the Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) project and the Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) Initiative. It included lectures, interactive discussions, and visits to two local agricultural science facilities: Biosciences East and Central Africa Hub (BeCA), and the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute’s Biotechnology Center.

To address the common misconception among journalists and the public that all biotechnology is genetic modification, CIMMYT molecular biologist Kassa Semagn presented on molecular breeding for drought tolerance in Africa, with a focus on the use of genetic markers. Anne Wangalachi explained the DTMA objectives, key achievements, and its relevance for East Africa. To ensure this information was transmitted to as many people as possible, especially rural farmers in Kenya and Tanzania, Wangalachi repeated the information in two radio interviews broadcast in Swahili. In addition to gaining scientific knowledge, journalists received tips on how to interest others in the media and the public in science stories, while scientists who attended the event learned how to package their research findings in an accessible and appealing manner.

“For practicing journalists, the workshop was useful not only for knowledge gathering, but also for upgrading our reporting skills for the constantly changing world of science and communications,” said attendee Zephania Ubwani, senior science writer at the Citizen Daily, a paper in Tanzania. “We hope this program will continue.”

As one practical outcome, following the workshop several regional media outlets published science-related stories based on information gathered from the course.

In memory of revered maize breeder and CIMMYT distinguished scientist Hugo Córdova, who died 25 December 2009, CIMMYT staff and management joined with América Córdova, Hugo’s wife, and friends of the family in a simple, solemn ceremony on Wednesday 20 January 2010 to plant a Pino Michoacana Martínez in the pine grove near the main building at El Batán. The planting followed the opening presentations for 2010 Science Week, which included a tribute by Tom Lumpkin on the center’s behalf to Córdova and Norman Borlaug. “These two hunger fighters are part of the CIMMYT ‘panteon’—people whom we should all remember and emulate,” said Lumpkin. In the planting ceremony, Marianne Bänziger briefly mentioned Hugo’s achievements and the way he constantly challenged colleagues and partners to do their best in pursuit of CIMMYT’s mission. América thanked all present for their support and kind words. “It’s a great comfort for me in this difficult moment to hear CIMMYT directors’ recognition of the value of Hugo’s work and the esteem and affection colleagues had for him,” she said. Bänziger announced that similar commemorative trees would be planted in honor of Hugo at the Agua Fría and Tlaltizapán experiment stations.

In honor of Norman Borlaug and his importance to the farmers of Sonora State, Mexico, and to the entire developing world, the Mexican National Institute of Forestry, Agriculture, and Livestock Research (INIFAP) has decided to change the name of the Yaqui Valley Experiment Station in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, to “The Norman E. Borlaug Experiment Station,” effective as of 25 March 2010, Norm’s birthday. The new name will also be used henceforth in CIMMYT publications, official documents, and other communications.