Experts from around the world met at headquarters this week to begin hammering out a strategy to ensure the long-term conservation of the genetic diversity of maize, a central pillar of humanity’s food security. Pivotal to this issue is the well-being of gene banks. Both national and international gene banks have not fared well, as investment in public sector agricultural research has steadily declined and fierce competition for dwindling resources in the agricultural sciences has risen.

The meeting, sponsored by the Global Crop Diversity Trust, the World Bank, and CIMMYT, was called to initiate a global response to this growing crisis, with nothing less at stake than the survival of the genetic heritage of this essential crop. At a time when molecular genetics opens new opportunities daily to exploit genetic resources carrying resistance to combat plant diseases, insect pests, and threats such as drought, soil salinity, and heat stress, collecting and preserving the basic sources of resistance traits takes on added importance.

Given the global distribution and subsequent evolution of maize, the job is too large for a single institution or nation—thus the need for a broad-based solution, says maize genetics expert and meeting co-organizer Major Goodman of North Carolina State University.

“With the experience and expertise at this meeting,” says Suketoshi Taba, director of the CIMMYT maize gene bank, “we are posed to discuss and make recommendations, based on ground-level reality, to address the threats to conserving the genetic treasures of maize and to focus our efforts and resources.”

Published 2006

A high-level delegation from the government of Bangladesh has just taken a first-hand look at hybrid maize seed being produced by the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC). The group included M. Nurul Alam, Executive Chairman, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC); M. Sahadad Hussain, Director General, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI); A. Bari, Director, Department of Agricultural Extension; M. Matiur Rahman, Director of Research, BARI; and officials from BADC itself.

With technical support from CIMMYT, BADC is producing hybrid maize seed from CIMMYT-derived materials developed by BARI. The group visited the seed production plots and farmers growing the hybrids. The farmer and their families had taken part in whole family training on maize production, one of the key tools CIMMYT and partners in Bangladesh use to ensure farm families get the most from growing maize.

After visiting the seed production and grain production fields, the group attended a farmer’s rally where growers, seed producers from the public and private sectors, seed dealers, local level extension officers, NGOs and researchers participated and exchanged views.

The policy implication of this visit and meeting is that the CIMMYT whole family training approach for maize will continue with national and CIMMYT support. BADC will produce hybrid maize seed on 161 hectares of land in 2006 with contact growers contributing 20% of the total seed requirement and DAE will do country-wide demonstrations with these hybrids for farmer awareness and adoption.

The field visit was arranged by CIMMYT Affiliate Scientist, Nur-E-Elahi.

Published 2006

It has been a trying two weeks for staff in the CIMMYT South Asia Regional Office in Kathmandu, Nepal. During the time of large daily demonstrations, often met with military force, the government ordered daytime curfews. This made operating the office difficult.

“We in the CIMMYT office have been working whenever the curfews permit, says Memo Ortiz Ferrara, the CIMMYT regional coordinator in Nepal. “If the curfews start late in the day, we come to the office to do some urgent work. When the curfews are declared for the whole day, we of course stay at home.”

Late last week, some international organizations and embassies were preparing to evacuate their international staff as the crisis worsened but on Monday, when the King of Nepal agreed to many of the opposition demands, the situation in Nepal stabilized. Demonstrations have stopped and the daytime curfews have been lifted. All CIMMYT staff in the regional office are safe and the office is working normally.

Memo Ortiz Ferrara wants to thank Director General Masa Iwanaga and members of the Management Committee for their moral support during the crisis.

Published 2006

Three scientists from Pakistan have just concluded a two-week visit to CIMMYT that included a stopover in Obregón during the harvest. The visitors were Nafees Sadiq Kisana, National Coordinator for Wheat, Barley and Triticale, Mukhtar Alam, International Cooperation Office Ministry of Agriculture, and Liaquat Ali Hashmi, International Liaison & Training Officer with the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC).

For Kisana it was a homecoming. In 1983 he was a Wheat Program trainee with CIMMYT for eight months. “It was interesting to see how much the work at Obregón has developed in that time,” he says. For Mukhtar Alam, the visit to Mexico and CIMMYT was a first, though he says CIMMYT was not a new name for him. “I heard about CIMMYT from the time I was a student,” he says. “But coming here I found CIMMYT friendlier, more open and more focused than I had expected.”

As a result of this visit, and a visit to CIMMYT last year of the PARC chairman, Pakistan will again start sending visiting scientists to CIMMYT. There has been no coordinated program for almost a decade, but starting later this year the first of up to 30 mid-career Pakistani agricultural scientists will spend time at CIMMYT. “It will be useful for our scientists, who are well-qualified to give focus to their work and exposure to an international organization,” says Ali Hashmi.

The program is being funded by the government of Pakistan in conjunction with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Mr. M.K. Anwar, Minister of Agriculture for Bangladesh visited CIMMYT for two days this week. In addition to a welcome presentation by the Director General, he toured the Genebank, Biotech, and Cereal Quality labs and saw the Crop Research Informatics Lab (CRIL). The minister noted that wheat production in Bangladesh was declining and hoped CIMMYT could assist in solving the leaf blight problem plaguing Bangladeshi wheat farmers. CIMMYT is currently working with the Bangladesh Wheat Research Centre on this problem.

Showing our best to some high level donor representatives was the name of the game the week of March 20 as CIMMYT played host to several important visitors. Ms Jacqueline Schafer, Assistant Administrator Bureau of Economic Growth Agriculture and Trade (EGAT), USAID came with three colleagues. Their original plan to leave in mid afternoon was shelved when Ms Schafer decided to stay longer and spend more time with CIMMYT staff. Among the stops on her tour – an explanation of conservation agriculture work for small holder farmers. Mr. Fernando Delgado, Field Superintendent in Toluca came to make an enthusiastic presentation on the long term conservation agriculture plots at El Batan.

Former Japanese Prime Minister, Mr. Ryutaro Hashimoto, also visited. He was escorted on his tour by Director General Iwanaga and several of CIMMYT’s Japanese scientists. These visits gave CIMMYT staff the chance to talk about the impact of agricultural research for development and key roles Centers like CIMMYT play in helping alleviate poverty. This message is especially important at a time when donor countries are assessing their funding priorities. A

Also visiting CIMMYT headquarters were the Palestinian Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Walid Abed Rabboh, and Dr. Amor Chermiti Director General of INRA, the national agricultural research program of Tunisia.

Published 2006

From March 20 to 24, approximately 130 participants from more than twenty nations attended the week-long “International Symposium on Wheat Yield Potential: Challenges to International Wheat Breeding,” held at Ciudad Obregon. The symposium was sponsored by CIMMYT and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) with the aim of charting a course for wheat research in developing countries for the coming decade and beyond.

Special acknowledgment must be given to the symposium organizers and implementers: Matthew Reynolds, chair of the organizing committee; Diana Godinez (administrative support); Arnoldo Amaya (travel and logistics); Rodrigo Rascon and Albertina de Gracia (local logistics); Ma. Teresa Rodriguez (computer and logistical support); Carmen Espinosa, Eleuterio Dorantes, and Petr Kosina, visas; and David Poland, Miguel Mellado and the CIMMYT Graphic Design Unit, extended abstracts and posters.

Published 2006