A Maasai woman holding a baby (center) attends the plenary session of the GLF Nairobi 2018. (Photo: Global Landscapes Forum)
NAIROBI, Kenya (CIMMYT) â The latest event of the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) took place on August 29-30 in Nairobi, Kenya, under the topic of forest and landscape restoration in Africa. To tackle the urgent issue of deforestation and land degradation, the sessions and panels covered topics as diverse as community-led restoration, how to address social inclusion in land management, or how to work with supply chain actors to achieve sustainable landscapes and better livelihoods for local communities.
Landscape degradation directly affects 1.5 billion people. Local communities are usually the first ones to experience the negative effects of this problem on their livelihoods, access to water and loss of topsoil and farm productivity.
Sustainable landscapes play a role in CIMMYTâs work. In Ethiopia, CIMMYTâs research in collaboration with CIFOR showed that a landscape approach can improve the nutrition and resilience of farming families. The transfer of organic matter and nutrients from forest patches to farmersâ fields, through livestock manure and fuelwood, enriches the soils and increases the zinc and protein content of wheat grain.
While agronomy tends to look at the fieldâs scale, a landscape perspective may also be important for more efficient pest control, as CIMMYTâs research with Wageningen University found. A useful learning as agriculture experts look at ways to combat emerging pests like the fall armyworm.
Voices of the Landscape Plenary at the GLF Nairobi 2018. (Photo: Global Landscapes Forum)
Better soil and rights
Participants in GLF Nairobi 2018 called for concrete collective action to restore degraded landscapes.
Having real-time accurate dashboards of land degradation could help governments and development organizations build coherent policies and restoration programs. Mark Schauer from the Economics of Land Degradation Initiative explained why soil is important and how monetizing the costs and benefits of sustainable soil management practices could help decision-makers build more sustainable food systems. Sharing data in transboundary contexts is a challenge but can be overcome, as the Eastern Africa Forest Observatory (OFESA) has shown.
Asking uncomfortable questions is necessary to support the people who depend the most on landscapesâ health. Milagre Nuvunga from the MICAIA Foundation in Mozambique recommended to put womenâs rights at the center of landscape restoration programs. Several testimonies reminded that women living in patriarchal societies often do not have land rights, so land will go back to the husbandâs family in case of death or divorce. Even if they know the benefits of landscape restoration, âwhy would women careâ to invest time and energy on it if their rights are not secured, she asked.
Matthew Rouse, a researcher with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS), has been named the winner of the 2018 Norman Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application. Rouse is recognized for his essential leadership efforts to contain and reduce the impact of Ug99, a devastating new race of the stem rust pathogen that poses a serious threat to the worldâs wheat crops and food security.
The Norman Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application is presented annually to a young extension worker, research scientist or development professional who best emulates the dedication, perseverance, and innovation demonstrated by Norman Borlaug while working in the field with Mexican farmers in the 1940s and ’50s.
âWhen I learned that I was selected for the Borlaug Field Award, I was humbled by both the legacy of Norman Borlaug and by the fact that any impact I made was a part of collaborations with talented and hard-working individuals at USDA-ARS, the University of Minnesota, CIMMYT, the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, and other national programs,â Rouse said.
Rouse has been an essential collaborator for a wide range of crucial projects to protect the worldâs wheat crops. His research supports more than 20 breeding programs in the U.S. and 15 wheat genetics programs around the world, including those at CIMMYT. As the coordinator of ARSâs spring wheat nursery project in Ethiopia and Kenya, he has provided Ug99 resistance genes to breeders worldwide, accelerating the process for incorporating enhanced stem rust protection into wheat varieties.
Rouse also collaborated with CIMMYT in 2013, when a race of stem rust unrelated to Ug99 caused an epidemic in Ethiopia. He rapidly assembled a team of scientists from CIMMYT, the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) and USDA-ARS, and developed a research plan to establish four stem rust screening nurseries. This led to the selection of promising new wheat breeding lines by Ethiopian and CIMMYT scientists and the rapid 2015 release of the variety âKingbirdâ in Ethiopia, which was shown to be resistant to four of the most dangerous races of stem rust in addition to Ug99.
After 13 years of research, an international team of more than 200 scientists recently cracked the full genome of bread wheat. Considering that wheat has five times more DNA than humans, this is a significant scientific breakthrough. The complete sequencing provides researchers with a map for the location of more than 100,000 genes which, experts say, will help accelerate the development of new wheat varieties.
Philomin Juliana, a Post-Doctoral Fellow in wheat breeding at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) talks about the relevance of the new map for the center, whose genetics figures in the pedigrees of wheat varieties grown on more than 100 million hectares worldwide.
Are you already using this resource, and how?
We have anchored the genotyping-by-sequencing marker data for about 46,000 lines from CIMMYTâs first-year wheat yield trials (2013-2018) to the new, International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium (IWGSC) reference sequence (RefSeq v1.0) assembly of the bread wheat genome, with an overall alignment rate of 64%. This has provided valuable information on the location of key genome regions associated with grain yield, disease resistance, agronomic traits and quality in CIMMYTâs wheat germplasm, identified from genome-wide association mapping studies.
We have also used the new reference sequence to understand the impact of marker densities and genomic coverage on the genomic predictability of traits and have gained a better understanding of the contributions of diverse chromosome regions (distal, proximal, and interstitial) towards different phenotypes.
How will use of the new wheat reference sequence help CIMMYT and partners to develop improved wheat for traits of interest?
There are so many ways we can use this new tool! It provides valuable insights into trait genetics and genomics in bread wheat and will help us to more quickly identify candidate genes associated with traits of interest and to clone those genes. We will also be able to design molecular breeding strategies and precisely select and introgress target regions of the genome.
More generally, the reference sequence already has a range of markers â among them, simple sequence repeats (SSR), diversity array technologies (DArT) markers, and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) â anchored to it, which will facilitate comparisons between mapping studies and the quick development and validation of useful new markers.
It will also help to apply tools like gene-editing to obtain desired phenotypes and will allow us to better characterize the genetic diversity in CIMMYTâs wheat, to identify useful genes in key CIMMYT parent lines and rapidly introgress them into breeding lines.
With the annotated whole genome information, breeders can design crosses focused directly on desired combinations of genomic regions or predict the outcome of crosses involving gene combinations.
It will definitely speed varietal testing in partner countries through quick and accurate molecular screens for the presence of desired genes, instead of having to perform multiple generations of field testing.
Finally, it will help us to detect molecular-level differences between CIMMYT varieties released in different countries.
Which traits are being targeted by CIMMYT and partners?
We are using the new reference sequence to understand better the molecular bases of grain yield, heat and drought tolerance, rust resistance, flowering time, maturity, plant height, grain and flour protein, and various other quality traits.
Philomin Juliana
A recipient of Monsantoâs Beachell-Borlaug International Scholars Program Award, Juliana completed a Ph.D. in Plant Breeding and Genetics at Cornell University in 2016. Her work at CIMMYT seeks to identify the genetic bases of key traits in CIMMYT wheat germplasm and to assess high-throughput genotyping and phenotyping to increase the rate of genetic gain for yield in the centerâs bread wheat breeding. In this work, she partners with the Cornell-led Delivering Genetic Gain in Wheat (DGGW) project and Jesse Poland of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Kansas State University. Her research also forms part of USAIDâs Feed the Future projects.
Abraham Blum, 1934-2018. (Photo: Courtesy of Arnon Blum)
Long-time CIMMYT partner and plant physiologist Abraham Blum passed away on March 10, 2018, at the age of 84, after having dedicated his career to understanding how plants cope with stress.
From 1968 to 2000 he was based at The Volcani Centre in Israel, where he led the Agriculture Research Organizationâs dryland wheat and sorghum breeding programs. His research focused on the functional basis and improvement of heat and drought tolerance in cereals.
Blum and his team developed wheat and sorghum cultivars adapted to dryland conditions, using novel breeding methods. A strong advocate for multidisciplinary approaches, he pioneered and championed the study of observable traits to enhance the understanding of plantsâ ability to cope with and adapt to changes in the environment.
Blum authored more than 100 scientific papers and reviews, challenging common beliefs concerning drought tolerance. His 1988 book, Plant Breeding for Stress Environments, describes how plants cope with drought stress through traits to avoid or tolerate dehydration and is considered the first comprehensive treatise on plant breeding for water-limited environments.
âAbraham initially visited CIMMYT in my first year, 1989,â said Matthew Reynolds, head of wheat physiology at CIMMYT, âbut I later applied his advice to make more strategic crosses and this eventually became the core principle of our physiological breeding work.â
Blum sustained his engagement with CIMMYT, serving as an advisor and speaker at CIMMYTâs inaugural Yield Potential Workshop in ObregĂłn, Mexico, in 1996, and again at the inaugural meeting of the Heat and Drought Wheat Improvement Consortium (HeDWIC) in Frankfurt in 2014.
He spent much of his retirement consulting, teaching, and curating his website, Plant Stress, which offers concentrated information on environmental plant stress, written or compiled by specialists. âThe website he developed is a unique resource that has been used by plant and crop scientists worldwide for decades,â explained Reynolds, âand I am honored to have been asked to help continue this invaluable legacy.â
Plant physiologist Abraham Blum in the field. (Photo: Courtesy of the Journal of Experimental Botany)
Aflatoxins are harmful compounds produced by the fungi Aspergillus flavus, which can be found in the soil, plants and grain of a variety of cereals and commodities including maize, nuts, cottonseed, spices and dried fruit. The toxic carcinogenic qualities of aflatoxins pose serious health hazards to humans and animals when contaminated crops are ingested. These health risks include cancers of the liver and gallbladder, stunted development in children, premature births and abnormal fetal development.
Not all strains of A. flavus produce aflatoxins however, so it is important to be able to detect and distinguish between A. flavus strains that are benign (atoxigenic) and those that produce dangerous toxins (aflatoxigenic). Current methods of detection are often complicated by the fact that the fungal strains display very similar physiological and molecular traits, thus a new approach is required.
In the study, a novel approach to detect and distinguish A. flavus strains was tested. Using soil samples from a CIMMYT experimental maize field in Mexico, fungal isolates were chemically treated in-line with a method recently developed in Japan, resulting in a color change indicative of toxicity. The method was found to be effective and accurate in the detection of the aflatoxigenic strains of the fungus.
This study is foundational work in the development of a simple, cost-effective and efficient method of detecting aflatoxigenic strains of A. flavus, which will help inform growers about the potential aflatoxin contamination of their crops. This is of particular importance in the developing world, where the resources for effective control of the fungus are often lacking.
To read the original study, âDetection of Aflatoxigenic and Atoxigenic Mexican Aspergillus Strains by the DichlorvosâAmmonia (DVâAM) Methodâ, please click here.
Original citation: Kushiro, M.; Hatabayashi, H.; Yabe, K.; Loladze, A. Detection of Aflatoxigenic and Atoxigenic Mexican Aspergillus Strains by the DichlorvosâAmmonia (DVâAM) Method. Toxins2018, 10, 263.
Maize ear infected with Aspergillus flavus. (Photo: Maize Pathology Laboratory/CIMMYT)
Check out other recent publications by CIMMYT researchers below:
Genetic analysis of tropical midaltitude-adapted maize populations under stress and nonstress conditions. 2018. Makumbi, D., Assanga, S., Diallo, A., Magorokosho, C., Asea, G., Regasa, M.W., BĂ€nziger, M. In: Crop Science v. 58, no. 4, p. 1492-1507.
Interactions among genes Sr2/Yr30, Lr34/Yr18/Sr57 and Lr68 confer enhanced adult plant resistance to rust diseases in common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) line ‘Arula’. 2018. Randhawa, M.S., Caixia Lan, Basnet, B.R., Bhavani, S., Huerta-Espino, J., Forrest, K.L., Hayden, M., Singh, R.P. In: Australian Journal of Crop Science v. 12, no. 6, p. 1023-1033.
Practical breeding strategies to improve resistance to Septoria tritici blotch of wheat. 2018. Tabib Ghaffary, S.M., Chawade, A., Singh, P.K. In: Euphytica v. 214, art. 122.
Sashaydiall : A SAS program for haymanâs diallel analysis. 2018. Makumbi, D., Alvarado BeltrĂĄn, G., Crossa, J., Burgueño, J. In: Crop Science v. 58, no. 4, p. 1605-1615.
Soil bacterial diversity under conservation agriculture-based cereal systems in indo-gangetic plains. 2018. Choudhary, M., Sharma, P.C., Jat, H. S., Dash, A., Rajashekar, B., McDonald, A., Jat, M.L. In: 3 Biotech v. 8, art. 304.
Farmers frequently encounter trade-offs between maximizing short-term profits and ensuring sustainable, long-term production. Santiago LĂłpez-Ridaura, a senior scientist at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), says these trade-offs are even more complicated for small-scale farmers who grow a mix of crops and raise livestock. With computer models to play out different scenarios, he and his team are helping them find optimal solutions.
âIf you have $100, one hectare of maize, a half hectare of beans and three cows, you have limited resources,â indicates LĂłpez-Ridaura. âYou have to decide how you allocate those resources.â
Should the farmer use the money to buy new equipment or vaccinate the cows? What would happen if the farmer replaced the half-acre of beans with maize? These trade-offs, LĂłpez-Ridaura explains, are one aspect of a farming systemâs complexity.
âThe other is that these farmers are trying to satisfy multiple objectives,â he adds. âThey want to generate income. They want to produce enough food to feed their family and they may be trying to maintain cultural values.â
For example, a hybrid maize variety may produce higher yields under certain growing conditions, but the farmer could decide to continue growing the native variety because it carries cultural or even religious importance. Seasonal migration for off-farm jobs, climate change and access to markets are just some of the other factors that further complicate the decision-making process. LĂłpez-Ridaura points out many models in the past have failed to capture these complexities because they have focused on one objective: productivity at the plot level.
âOur models show the bigger picture. They take a lot of time to develop, but theyâre worth it,â says LĂłpez-Ridaura.
Custom solutions to farming challenges
The models start with hundreds of in-depth household surveys from a specific region. LĂłpez-Ridaura and his team then organize the large pool of data into several categories of farming systems.
âWe make a model that says, âOK, this farm in Oaxaca, Mexico, has five hectares, 20 sheep and five people,â he explains. âWe know how much the animals need to eat, how much the people need to eat, how much the farm produces and how much production costs.â
He and his team can then adjust certain factors in the model to explore different outcomes. For example, they can see how much water the farmer could use for irrigation to maximize his/her yields without depleting the local water supply during a drought. They can see which farmers would be the most vulnerable to a commodity crop price drop or who would benefit from a new policy.
Santiago LĂłpez-Ridaura (left) asks a farmer in Guatemala about his priorities â produce food, generate income, maintain soil health and feed his livestock â and the reasons behind his agricultural practices. (Photo: Carlos Sum/Buena Milpa)
âThe political guys often want a simple solution so they may say, âWe should subsidize inputs such as seeds and fertilizers.â In Mexico, for example, you might miss 60-70% of farmers as they donât use much of these inputs,â LĂłpez-Ridaura says. âSo thatâs great for 30% of the population, but why donât we think about the other 70%? We must be able to suggest alternatives from a basket of options, considering the diversity of farming systems.â
LĂłpez-Ridaura emphasizes that the models on their own do not provide solutions. He and his research team work with farmers to learn what they identify as their main challenges and how best to support them.
âWe have networks of farmers in Guatemala and Oaxaca, and some may say, âWell, our main challenge is being self-sufficient with forage crops,â and weâll say, âOK, why donât we try a crop rotation with forage crops? Our model suggests that it might be an appropriate option.ââ
He and his team can then help the farmers access the right kind of seed and find out how best to grow it. This relationship is not a one-way street. The farmers also provide feedback on what is or is not working on the ground, which helps the researchers improve the accuracy of their models. This approach helps the researchers, farmers and policymakers understand different pathways forward and develop locally adapted, sustainable solutions.
Santiago LĂłpez-Ridaura and his team work in Africa, Latin America and South Asia. Their funding often comes from development agencies such as IFAD and USAID.
New technologies are at the core of sustainable agricultural growth and rural poverty alleviation, says Khondoker Mottaleb, an Agricultural Economist working within CIMMYTâs Socioeconomic Program. However, he explains, despite the visible benefits of using new agricultural machinery or farm management practices, overall uptake remains low as a range of factors continue to limit farmersâ ability to invest.
In a bid to enhance irrigation efficiency, Bangladesh has tried to introduce and popularize the use of axial-flow pumps (AFPs) for surface water irrigation. These pumps can lift up to 55 percent more water than a conventional centrifugal pump, but despite the obvious benefits, there has been limited uptake in targeted areas of the country. From 2012-13, a CIMMYT initiative made AFPs available for purchase for farmers in the southern regions of Bangladesh, but as of September 2017 only 888 had been purchased by lead farmers and irrigation service providers.
A recent study by CIMMYT in Bangladesh used primary data collected from 70 irrigation service providers â each of whom was given a free AFP for one season under a demonstration program â to examine user perception of AFPs and the major constraints to their adoption. It found that even though the use of AFPs can significantly reduce irrigation and overall crop production costs, more demonstrations and awareness-raising programs are needed if uptake is to be increased in target areas.
The study also highlighted the need for continuous modification of new technologies based on farmersâ requirements, with Mottaleb emphasizing that these must be adapted to local demand specifications, and that prices must be competitive with those of alternative technologies in order to ensure rapid uptake.
This study was supported by USAID through the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia â Mechanization and Irrigation (CSISA-MI) project. It was also supported by USAID and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation through the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) Phase II project.Â
A farmer in Bangladesh irrigates his land using an axial-flow pump. (Photo: Ranak Martin)
Check out other recent publications by CIMMYT researchers below:
Bayesian functional regression as an alternative statistical analysis of high-throughput phenotyping data of modern agriculture. 2018. Montesinos-López, A., Montesinos-Lopez, O.A., De los Campos, G., Crossa, J., Burgueño, J., Luna-Vazquez, F.J. In: Plant Methods v. 14, art. 46.
Exploring the physiological information of sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence through radiative transfer model inversion. 2018. Celesti, M., van derâ Tol, C., Cogliati, S., Panigada, C., Peiqi Yang, Pinto Espinosa, F., Rascher | Miglietta, F., Colombo, R., Rossini, M. In: Remote Sensing of Environment v. 215, p. 97-108.
Genome-wide association mapping for resistance to leaf rust, stripe rust and tan spot in wheat reveals potential candidate genes. 2018. Juliana, P., Singh, R.P., Singh, P.K., Poland, J.A., Bergstrom, G.C., Huerta-Espino, J., Bhavani, S., Crossa, J., Sorrells, M.E. In: Theoretical and Applied Genetics v. 131, no. 7, p. 1405-1422.
High-throughput method for ear phenotyping and kernel weight estimation in maize using ear digital imaging. 2018. Makanza, R., Zaman-Allah, M., Cairns, J.E., Eyre, J., Burgueño, J., Pacheco Gil, R. A., Diepenbrock, C., Magorokosho, C., Amsal Tesfaye Tarekegne, Olsen, M., Prasanna, B.M. In: Plant Methods v. 14, art. 49.
Long-term impact of conservation agriculture and diversified maize rotations on carbon pools and stocks, mineral nitrogen fractions and nitrous oxide fluxes in inceptisol of India. 2018. Parihar, C.M., Parihar M.D., Sapkota, T.B., Nanwal, R.K., Singh, A.K., Jat, S.L., Nayak, H.S., Mahala, D.M., Singh, L.K., Kakraliya, S.K., Stirling, C., Jat, M.L. In: Science of the Total Environment v. 640-641, p. 1382-1392.
Major biotic maize production stresses in Ethiopia and their management through host resistance. 2018. Keno, T., Azmach, G., Dagne Wegary Gissa, Regasa, M.W., Tadesse, B., Wolde, L., Deressa, T., Abebe, B., Chibsa, T., Mahabaleswara, S. In: African Journal of Agricultural Research v. 13, no. 21, p. 1042-1052.
Detection of aflatoxigenic and atoxigenic mexican aspergillus strains by the dichlorvosâammonia (DVâAM) method. 2018. Masayo Kushiro, Hidemi Hatabayashi, Kimiko Yabe, Loladze, A. In: Toxins v. 10, no. 7, art. 263.
Excessive pruning and limited regeneration: Are Faidherbia albida parklands heading for extinction in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia? 2018. Tesfaye Shiferaw Sida, Baudron, F., Dejene Adugna Deme, Motuma Tolera, Giller, K.E. In: Land Degradation and Development v. 29, no. 6, p. 1623-1633.
Multi-temporal and spectral analysis of high-resolution hyperspectral airborne imagery for precision agriculture: Assessment of wheat grain yield and grain protein content. 2018. Rodrigues, F., Blasch, G., Defourny, P., Ortiz-Monasterio, I., Schulthess, U., Zarco-Tejada, P.J., Taylor, J.A., Gerard, B. In: Remote Sensing v. 10, no. 6, art 930.
Screening and validation of fertility restoration genes (Rf) in wild abortive CMS system of rice (Oryza sativa L.) using microsatellite markers. 2018. Bhati, P.K., Singh, S.K., Kumar, U. In: Indian Journal of Genetics and Plant Breeding v. 78, no. 2, p. 270-274.
Time-series multispectral indices from unmanned aerial vehicle imagery reveal senescence rate in bread wheat. 2018. Hassan, M.A., Mengjiao Yang, Rasheed, A., Xiuliang Jin, Xianchun Xia, Yonggui Xiao, He Zhonghu. In: Remote Sensing v. 10, no. 6, art. 809.
Natural variation in elicitation of defense-signaling associates to field resistance against the spot blotch disease in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). 2018. Sharma, S., Ranabir Sahu, Sudhir Navathe, Vinod Kumar Mishra, Chand, R., Singh, P.K., Joshi, A.K., Pandey, S.P. In: Frontiers in Plant Science v. 9, art. 636.
Population structure of leaf pathogens of common spring wheat in the West Asian regions of Russia and North Kazakhstan in 2017. 2018. Gultyaeva, E.I., Kovalenko, N.M., Shamanin, V.P., Tyunin, V.A., Shreyder, E.R., Shaydayuk, E.L., Morgunov, A.I. In: Vavilovskii Zhurnal Genetiki i Selektsii v. 22, no. 3, p. 363-369.
The ADRA2A rs553668 variant is associated with type 2 diabetes and five variants were associated at nominal significance levels in a population-based caseâcontrol study from Mexico City. 2018. Totomoch-Serra, A., Muñoz, M. de L., Burgueño, J., Revilla-Monsalve, M.C., Perez-Muñoz, A., Diaz-Badillo, A. In: Gene v. 669, p. 28-34.
A fall armyworm found on maize plants in Khamman district, Telangana state, India. (Photo: ICAR-Indian Institute of Maize Research)
The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda, a devastating insect-pest, has been identified for the first time on the Indian subcontinent. Native to the Americas, the pest is known to eat over 80 plant species, with a particular preference for maize, a main staple crop around the world. The fall armyworm was first officially reported in Nigeria in West Africa in 2016, and rapidly spread across 44 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Â Sightings of damage to maize crops in India due to fall armyworm mark the first report of the pest in Asia.
Scientists from the College of Agriculture at the University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences (UAHS) confirmed the arrival of the pest in maize fields within campus grounds in Shivamogga, in the state of Karnataka, southern India. Both morphological and molecular techniques confirmed the identity as FAW.
A pest alert published on July 30 by the National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources (NBAIR), part of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), further confirmed a greater than 70% prevalence of fall armyworm in a maize field in the district of Chikkaballapur, in the state of Karnataka. Â Unofficial reports of incidence of FAW are rapidly emerging from several states in India, including Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Telangana.
The pest has the potential to spread quickly not only within India, but also to other neighboring countries in Asia, owing to suitable climatic conditions.
Leaf damage from fall armyworm on maize plants in Khamman district, Telangana state, India. (Photo: ICAR-Indian Institute of Maize Research)
âThe strategies outlined in this manual can be of great importance to farmers in India when dealing with this insect pest. FAW is indeed one of the most destructive crop pests, and there is no option than to adopt an integrated pest management strategy to effectively tackle this complex challenge,â said B.M. Prasanna, director of MAIZE and the Global Maize Program at CIMMYT. âMAIZE and partners are dedicated to finding solutions to this problem that will protect the food security and incomes of smallholder farmers across Asia and Africa.â
Other regions are at risk as well. Researchers have warned of the potential impacts if FAW spreads to Europe, where customs inspectors have already reported having discovered and destroyed the pest on quarantined crops imported from Africa on several occasions.
Global experts on maize and key stakeholders in Asia will gather together in Ludhiana, India, on October 8-10, 2018, for the 13th Asian Maize Conference to discuss pressing issues to the crop across the continent, including the spread of fall armyworm. The conference, organized by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), the Indian Institute of Maize Research (IIMR), CIMMYT, MAIZE, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) and the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA), is expected to attract more than 250 participants from almost all the major maize-growing countries in Asia.
After receiving training from CIMMYT, this group of young men started a small business offering mechanized agricultural services to smallholder farmers near their town in rural Zimbabwe. (Photo: Matthew OâLeary/CIMMYT)
The sound of an engine roars as Gift Chawara, a 28-year-old from rural Zimbabwe, carefully removes a mesh bag bulging with maize grain hooked to his mechanized sheller. Fed with dried maize cobs, the sheller separates the grain from the shaft before shooting the kernels out the side into the awaiting bag. Chawara swiftly replaces the full bag with an empty one as the kernels continue to spill out.
It is eleven in the morning and the sun beats down over the small farm. Chawara and his friends have only been working a few hours and have already shelled 7 tons for their neighbor and customer Loveness Karimuno; thirteen more tons to go.
The widowed farmer watches as the bags of grain line up, ready for her to take to market. It used to take Karimuno two to three weeks to shell her maize harvest by hand, even with the help of hired labor. This grueling task saw her rub each maize ear on a rough surface to remove the grain from the shaft. Now, these young men and their mechanized sheller will do it in just a few hours for a small fee.
âWhen my neighbor told me the boys were shelling small amounts of maize at reasonable prices, I got in contact with them,â said Karimuno. âItâs cheaper than hiring people to help me do it manually and the speed means I can sell it faster.â
It used to take widowed farmer Loveness Karimuno (left) two or three weeks to shell her 20-ton maize harvest manually, even with the help of hired labor. Using mechanization services, all of her maize is shelled within a day, meaning she can take her grain to market faster. (Photo: Matthew OâLeary/CIMMYT)
The group of young entrepreneurs is serving almost 150 family farms around the village of Mwanga, located about two hours northwest of the capital Harare. They offer services such as shelling and planting, powered by special machinery. Since Chawara and his partners started the business three years ago, word has spread and now they are struggling to keep up with demand, he expressed.
The five young men are among the increasing number of youth across eastern and southern Africa creating a stable living as entrepreneurs in agricultural mechanization service provision, Baudron said.
Tired of the lack of profitable work in their rural community, the group of youths jumped on the opportunity to join a training on agricultural mechanization, run by CIMMYT. They heard about this training through local extension workers.
âWe would probably be out of work if we hadnât had the opportunity to learn how agricultural mechanization can be used to help smallholder farmers and gain skills to run our own business to provide these services,â Chawara expressed as he took a quick rest from shelling under a tree.
âIt has really changed our lives. Last season we shelled over 300 tons of maize making just under US $7,000,â he said. âIt has gone a long way in helping us support our families and invest back into our business.â
Masimba Mawire, 30, and Gift Chawara, 28, take a break from shelling and rest under a tree. The small car behind was bought by Chawara with his profits earned from the mechanization service business. (Photo: Matthew OâLeary/CIMMYT)
Chawara and his partners attended one of these trainings, hosted on the grounds of an agricultural technical college on the outskirts of Harare. For a week, they participated in practical courses led by local agriculture and business experts.
As part of the CIMMYT research project, the youth group paid a commitment fee and were loaned a planter and sheller to start their business, which they are now paying off with their profits.
Youth tend to be better at managing modern technologies and successfully take to service providing, said Baudron, who leads the FACASI project.
âWe found consistently, in all countries where we work, that being a successful service provider is highly correlated to being young,â he highlighted. âHowever, other factors are also important, such as being entrepreneurial, educated, able to contribute to the cost of the machinery and preferably having an experience in similar businesses, particularly in mechanics.â
(From left to right) Shepard Kawiz, 24, gathers dried maize cobs into a bucket passing it to his brother Pinnot Karwizi, 26, who pours the maize into the sheller machine by feeding the hopper. The maize falls into the shellerâs barrel where high-speed rotation separates the grain from the cob. As the bare shafts are propelled out one side, Masimba Mawire, 30, is there to catch and dispose of them. Meanwhile, Gift Chawara, 28, is making sure a bag is securely hooked to the machine to collect the maize grain. (Photo: Matthew OâLeary/CIMMYT)
Mentoring and support are key to success
The young men operate like a well-oiled machine. Shepard Kawiz, 24, gathers dried maize cobs into a bucket and passes it to his brother Pinnot Karwizi, 26, who pours the maize into the sheller machine by feeding the hopper. The maize falls into the shellerâs barrel where high-speed rotation separates the grain from the cob. As bare shafts are propelled out one side, Masimba Mawire, 30, is there to catch and dispose of them. Meanwhile, Gift Chawara is making sure a bag is securely hooked to the machine to collect the maize grain.
Trials showed that when youth form a group and are provided guidance they are more inclined to succeed as service providers, explained CIMMYT agribusiness development specialist Dorcas Matangi.
âThe group model works because they share the costs, the workload and they are more attractive to lenders when looking for investment capital,â she remarked.
Throughout the season, Mantangi works with local government extension workers and engineers from the University of Zimbabwe to mentor those starting out. They also organize meetings where service providers can gather to discuss challenges and opportunities.
âThis is a good opportunity to iron out any problems with the machines, connect them with mechanics and spare part providers and we gain their feedback to improve the design of machinery,â she added.
Mechanization backs resilient farming systems
CIMMYT has provided a model to promote the use of agricultural mechanization among smallholder farmers through service providers, affirmed Misheck Chingozha, a mechanization officer with Zimbabweâs Ministry of Agriculture.
Farm machinery helps farmers implement sustainable crop practices that benefit from greater farm power and precision,â he said. âThis is in line with the governmentâs strategy to promote conservation agriculture â defined by minimal soil disturbance, crop residue retention and diversification through crop rotation and intercropping.â
CIMMYT promotes small-scale mechanization, such as two-wheel tractor-based technologies, including direct seeding planters that reduce labor and allow for improved resource allocation when implementing these practices, described CIMMYTâs Baudron.
Conservation agriculture is a sustainable intensification practice that seeks to produce more food, improve nutrition and livelihoods, and boost rural incomes without an increase in inputs â such as land and water â thus reducing environmental impacts.
With support from CIMMYT, students at the University of Zimbabwe are working to develop agricultural machinery fitted to the environmental conditions and needs of farmers in their country and other parts of Africa. (Photo: Matthew OâLeary/CIMMYT)
Students fuel next-generation machinery
As part of their degree, students at the University of Zimbabwe are working with CIMMYT to continuously improve the effectiveness and efficiency of agricultural machinery.
In a bid to improve the allocation of resources, agricultural engineering student Ronald Mhlanga, 24, worked on a prototype that uses sensors to monitor the amount of seed and fertilizer distributed by planters attached to two-wheel tractors. The device sends information to the driver if anything goes off course, helping farmers improve precision and save resources.
âOften planters will get clogged with mud blocking seeding. The sensors identify this and send a signal to the driver,â said Mhlanga. âThis allows the driver to focus on driving and limits wasted resources.â
Learning from farmer feedback and working with agricultural engineers and the private sector, CIMMYT is building agricultural mechanization suited to the needs and conditions of sub-Saharan African farms, concluded Baudron.
Nominations are open for the 2018 Maize-Asia Youth Innovators Awards. The first edition of these awards recognizes the contributions of young women and men below 35 years of age who are implementing innovations in Asian maize-based agri-food systems.
The awards aim to identify young innovators who can serve to inspire other young people to get involved in maize-based agri-food systems.
Winners will be given the opportunity to present their work at the 13th Asian Maize Conference in Ludhiana, India (October 8-12, 2018). They will also join a platform for young innovators from around the world to network and share their experiences.
MAIZE invites CGIAR researchers and partners to nominate young innovators for any of the following three categories:
a) Researcher: Maize research-for-development (in any discipline)
b) Farmer: Maize farming systems in Asia
c) Change agent: Maize value chains (i.e., extension agents, input and service suppliers,
transformation agents).
As societies consider the advantages and risks of modern biotechnology, including genetic modification and gene editing, a commentary by scientists from the John Innes Centre (JIC) and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), published in Science magazine today, highlights the potential for deploying genes from ancestral relatives of wheat to strengthen its disease resistance.
Spontaneous natural crosses between wild ancestors created bread wheat some 10,000 years ago. Subsequent domestication and breeding by humans has made it one of the worldâs foremost food crops. This process has also lessened the cropâs genetic diversity for stress and disease resistances found in its wild relatives.
It is thus rare to find resistance to a new disease race among currently grown wheat varieties. Wild relatives of wheat provide a larger, naturally-occurring treasure trove of resistance.
Conventional cross-breeding is being used to transfer beneficial traits, including disease resistance, from wild relatives into todayâs wheat varieties, but such transfers carry along many undesirable genes that must be removed through painstaking selection in repeated generations of breeding lines â a process that takes many years.
Meanwhile, rapidly emerging and evolving races of wheat stem rust and stripe rust diseases, the cropâs deadliest scourges worldwide, are quickly overcoming the genetic resistance of many widely grown wheat cultivars. Other wheat diseases are spreading beyond their place of origin. For example, wheat blast, which is native to South America, unexpectedly devastated parts of the wheat crop in Bangladesh in 2016. It could now spread to other areas at risk in South Asia, where wheat covers 15 million hectares and nearly a billion inhabitants eat wheat.
The Science article notes that research thus far has missed the opportunity of using some of the tools of modern biotechnology to more effectively access diversity from wild relatives of wheat and provide it with a âmultilayeredâ disease resistance that pathogens could not easily overcome. The process is no different from what conventional crossing or natural out-crossing could do, except that it is faster, the chance of success is much higher and it may be the only affordable approach to provide durable resistance.
Fact-based decisions are needed by the international community and individual countries regarding the potential use of modern biotechnology to ensure food security. That use must reflect concerns of human and animal health and environmental safety, as well as respect to national sovereignty, regulations and procedures.
By the same token, decisions must take into account the interests of the people who are most affected when new diseases devastate livelihoods and drive up consumer prices: smallholder farmers and consumers in the developing world.
Click here to read CIMMYTâs position statement on genetic modification.
Click here to read the full article on Science magazine.
At CIMMYTâs Science Week 2018, Nature Genetics Senior Editor Catherine Potenski spoke on how to publish plant genomics research that has broad, novel impact.
Having research that is high-impact is not only critical to doing excellent science that has meaning, but also a premier way to let the research community know what you are doing and reach a broader audience, according to Catherine Potenski, Senior Editor at Nature Genetics, one of the more than 70 high-quality academic journals of publishing company Springer Nature.
âPlant genomics is an exciting field that is a priority for Nature Genetics given climate change and other challenges,â said Potenski. âWe look for studies with novelty, a genetics scope and resource value.â
Nature Genetics is highly selective and publishes approximately 200 papers per year. Potenski wants to make the editorial review process more productive and simple for researchers so they can share their best work.
âYou should organize your paper to highlight the impact of the findings and write a cover letter that places your work in context, highlighting what gap of knowledge it fills and how others will use this research,â explained Potenski. In addition, scientists should target the right journal for their research. In case of doubt, they can send a pre-submission inquiry and work with editors.
Impact is not always immediate, and the impact factor is not necessarily a good or proven metric. âThe first CRISPR articles published in the early 2000s are now very impactful, but nobody knew the impact they would have then. Just because it is not in a high-impact journal, it does not mean it is not high-impact,â she said.
Potenski shared the six questions plant researchers should ask themselves when submitting research to Nature Genetics.
Is my main approach genetic?
Your main analyses should be based on genetic screens, Quantitative Trait Locus (QTL) mapping, genome re-sequencing or other genetic approaches. If the main analysis of a paper is in transcriptomics, imaging or biochemistry, this could be considered off scope (but fine if they are secondary analyses).
Are the findings highly novel?
Your research should reflect a new method or finding that is really groundbreaking. Findings that just provide insight into a known process, are confirmatory or incremental do not meet Natureâs standards. If the finding is only new for a specific crop, that might also not be sufficiently novel.
Is there a large user group for the data?
Bigger is usually always better; you want your research to apply to or benefit as many people as possible. If the crop you are studying is widely consumed like wheat, or you have a large study scope such as large-scale GWAS (Genome-Wide Association Study) analysis, that will impact many more people than if you are studying watermelons using single QTL mapping.
Is this a very large or unique dataset?
You want large, high-quality datasets and analyses that are unique and other groups cannot easily repeat. Ideally this leads to a new approach in your field. Data that are open and easily available, and studies using the latest technologies also get priority.
Do the findings provide biological insights?
You want people reading your study to learn something new about plant biology. Instead of merely reporting domestication patterns, you want something new about the mechanisms of evolution or adaptation. Editors look for comprehensive, molecular mechanistic insight into the processes studied.
Is there evidence for crop improvement?
Editors prioritize studies with potential for crop improvement, especially in the context of climate change and food security. You want your research to be demonstrated in a crop plant, ideally in the physical plant and not in a model simulation.
A new study shows Earth Overshoot Day â the point at which the consumption of earthâs resources exceeds the capacity of nature to regenerate â is arriving faster. Thirty years ago, Earth Overshoot Day was October 15. Twenty years ago, it was September 30, and ten years ago, it was August 15. This year, August 1 marked the earliest date ever recorded.
In âHow changing the worldâs food systems can help to protect the planet,â CGIAR System Organization Executive Director Elwyn Grainger-Jones says one of the greatest pressure points pushing the planet to its limits is the food system. The way food is grown, produced, transported and consumed has serious consequences on the quantity and quality of earthâs natural resources. Grainger-Jones says there are numerous initiatives around the world working to transform food systems to have lower environmental footprints.
In a major wheat growing region of Mexico, CIMMYT researchers are studying how to more precisely apply nitrogen to significantly lower emissions and runoff without affecting yield.
Read the full article to learn more about this study and what other CGIAR centers are doing to close the resource gap.
CIMMYT staff share lessons learned at UNLEASH innovation labs with colleagues
Jennifer Johnson (first from right) and her team at UNLEASH 2018 work on solutions to improve nutrition for adolescent girls in Nepal. (Photo: Jennifer Johnson)
Four young staff members from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) are working to bring home lessons learned at UNLEASH to foster innovation across CIMMYT programs. UNLEASH is a global innovation lab that brings together people from all over the world to transform personal insights into hundreds of ideas and build lasting global networks around the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The annual event, which began in 2017 and is scheduled to occur each year until 2030, brings together 1,000 selected young talents for 10 immersive days of co-creation and problem solving.
Innovation is key to finding solutions to major global challenges such as hunger, climate change and sustainability. However, innovation cannot occur in a vacuum â the strongest and most inclusive solutions are often interdisciplinary approaches developed by a wide range of people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives. What sets UNLEASH apart from other innovation labs and processes is this commitment to diversity, as well as its focus on the Sustainable Development Goals.
While at UNLEASH 2017 in Denmark, CIMMYT staff Aziz Karimov, Daniela Vega and David Guerena were part of 200 teams that were split across 10 âfolk high schoolsâ in the Danish countryside. There, they worked through an innovation process with facilitators and experts, refined their ideas to contribute to the SDGs and finally reconvened in the city of Aarhus to pitch the solutions they had developed.
Jennifer Johnson, Maize Communications Officer at CIMMYT, attended the UNLEASH Innovation Lab 2018 in Singapore last June. She worked alongside a diverse team of young people to develop solutions to improve nutrition for adolescent girls in Nepal.
The UNLEASH innovation process has five main phases: problem framing, ideation, prototyping, testing and implementing. âUNLEASH is really about finding and framing the problem,â said Vega, a projects coordinator and liaison officer for the Americas at CIMMYT and UNLEASH 2017 alumna. âInnovation is 90 percent about understanding the problem. Once you get that right, everything that follows becomes easier,â she explained.
Daniela Vega (third from left), UNLEASH 2017 alumna, leads CIMMYT colleagues in a breakout session on innovation during Science Week. (Photo: Alfonso Arredondo/CIMMYT)
Johnson, Guerena and Vega held a session on innovation and lessons learned at UNLEASH at CIMMYTâs Science Week 2018. Participants were walked through an abridged version of the UNLEASH innovation process to develop creative solutions to real-world problems relating to agriculture. The session emphasized diversity, respect and creativity, which are central tenets of both CIMMYT and UNLEASH.
âOne of the key takeaways I got from UNLEASH was the power of diversity and collaboration,â said Guerena, a soil scientist and systems agronomist at CIMMYT who participated in UNLEASH 2017. âThe diversity of the participants and collaboration lead to better solutions.â
Vega agreed. âPeople come from different backgrounds, geographically and professionally, and the level of cooperation and openness with no judgement is essential. We all share a similar value set, we are here because we want to make the world a better place by solving problems on a very hands-on level.â
In just one hour, participants of the CIMMYT session formed diverse teams, developed problem framings, brainstormed potential solutions and gave a three-minute pitch presenting their solution to the audience. Participants expressed extreme satisfaction with what they had learned and the innovation process they had been guided through, as well as interest in participating in similar programs in the future.
âThis is a great idea, a very good experience. Often creativity doesnât get enough attention,â said Lennart Woltering, CIMMYT scaling expert.
âThis is fantastic and Iâm going to adopt it. This is a great way to introduce concepts such as gender,â said Rahma Adam, CIMMYT gender and development specialist.
In the future, CIMMYTâs UNLEASH alumna hope to continue sharing their experience with colleagues and implementing lessons learned within their work.
âUnleash helps young people to think freely and differently,â said Karimov, a CIMMYT development economist whose team won second place in UNLEASH 2017âs âSustainable Consumption & Productionâ category which targeted Goal 12 of the SDGs. âWe think innovation is something very complicated but by attending UNLEASH I realized that very simple moves can make a big change. You start believing that what is not possible is actually very possible. You just have to have will and strong desire.â
Agricultural and development economist Aziz Karimov (left photo, fifth from left) and soil scientist and systems agronomist David Guerena (right photo, fifth from left) represented CIMMYT at UNLEASH Innovation Lab 2017. (Photos: UNLEASH)
The Cargill-CIMMYT Award supports initiatives that tackle food security challenges in Mexico through long-term solutions. Winners have successfully increased the production of nutrient-rich food and made it available to people.
This year, the jury selected the most innovative projects in three categories:
Farmers: Carlos BarragĂĄn, for the project âDe la milpa a tu platoâ (âFrom the field to your plateâ). Based in the state of Oaxaca, this initiative promotes food security and sustainability in small-scale farming systems.
Opinion Leaders: FundaciĂłn Mexicana para el Desarrollo Rural, for the project Educampo. This project supports poor maize smallholders who live in marginalized communities to make their farming more productive and profitable.
Researchers: Mario LĂłpez, for the project âTechnology for bean production.â This initiative incremented production from 2 to 9 tons per hectare, disseminated agricultural technologies and increased the use of improved seed.
Winners were awarded a total of $25,000. The Farmers and Researchers categories received $10,000 each and the Opinion Leaders category was supported with $5,000.
A panel of experts from the agricultural and food sectors selected the winners from a shortlist of 30 projects across the country. The jury included representatives from Cargill Mexico, CIMMYT, Grupo Bimbo, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, Mexicoâs Agriculture Council and Mexicoâs Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food.
About Cargill
Cargillâs 155,000 employees across 70 countries work relentlessly to achieve our purpose of nourishing the world in a safe, responsible and sustainable way. Every day, we connect farmers with markets, customers with ingredients, and people and animals with the food they need to thrive.
We combine 153 years of experience with new technologies and insights to serve as a trusted partner for food, agriculture, financial and industrial customers in more than 125 countries. Side-by-side, we are building a stronger, sustainable future for agriculture. For more information, visit Cargill.com and our News Center.
About Cargill Mexico
Cargill Mexico aims to contribute in improving agricultural productivity, satisfying and fulfilling the expectations of the domestic industry. In addition to adding value to human and animal nutrition and thus encourage economic development, Cargill Mexico reinvests its profits in several new businesses in the country. Cargill has 9 business units that have operations in Mexico, it employs more than 1,750 people in 13 states and has a total of 30 facilities, including a corporate office in Mexico City. For more information, visit Cargill.com.mx, and our News Center.
About CIMMYT
The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) is the global leader in publicly-funded maize and wheat research and related farming systems. Headquartered near Mexico City, CIMMYT works with hundreds of partners throughout the developing world to sustainably increase the productivity of maize and wheat cropping systems, thus improving global food security and reducing poverty. CIMMYT is a member of the CGIAR System and leads the CGIAR Research Programs on Maize and Wheat and the Excellence in Breeding Platform. The Center receives support from national governments, foundations, development banks and other public and private agencies. For more information, visit staging.cimmyt.org.
