Palmira (Colombia), February 14, 2019 — AGROSAVIA, Colombia’s leading not-for-profit organization for agricultural research and technology transfer, the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) have signed a five-year agreement that aims to boost maize production.
The new project will develop maize varieties adapted to the country’s farming conditions, and will promote sustainable intensification technologies and practices among Colombian farmers.
“We should be able to release the first high-yielding maize variety for Colombia in three years”, said Bram Govaerts, CIMMYT’s director of Innovative Business Strategies and regional representative for the Americas.
To achieve this goal, CIMMYT will provide AGROSAVIA’s breeding program with two thousand advanced lines, developed by combining native maize from Colombia with conventionally improved varieties.
“At both institutions we believe that Colombia can increase production to close the big gap between domestic maize consumption and imports”, said AGROSAVIA’s Executive Director, Juan Lucas Restrepo. “With this agreement, we will have more powerful local capacities and once again a Colombian maize research program for Colombians”.
Although experts agree that Colombian farmers could potentially produce more than 10 tons per hectare, the country’s average yield is currently 3.6 tons per hectare.
“With this agreement, the sister CGIAR centers CIMMYT and CIAT give a first step in the implementation of Maize for Colombia, an ambitious plan that will sustainably increase Colombia’s maize output by building on the learnings and achievements of a successful project implemented in Mexico called MasAgro,” said Govaerts.
Colombia’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Andrés Valencia, CIAT’s Director General, Rubén Echeverría, Juan Lucas Restrepo, and Bram Govaerts participated in the launch ceremony for the new agreement, which was signed at CIAT’s headquarters.
INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES:
Bram Govaerts, Director of Innovative Business Strategies and Regional Representative for the Americas, CIMMYT
NEW DELHI (CIMMYT) — India could reduce its greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture by almost 18 percent through the adoption of mitigation measures, according to a new study. Three improved farming practices would account for more than half of these emission reductions, researchers say: efficient use of fertilizer, zero tillage and better water management in rice farming.
In an article published in Science in the Total Environment, scientists estimate that, by 2030, “business-as-usual” greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector in India would be 515 MtCO2e per year. The study indicates that Indian agriculture has the potential to mitigate 85.5 Megatonne CO2 equivalent (MtCO2e) per year without compromising food production and nutrition. Considering the 2012 estimates of 481 MtCO2e, that would represent a reduction of almost 18 percent. Researchers suggest mitigation options that are technically feasible but will require government efforts to be implemented at scale.
The study was conducted by scientists from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), the University of Aberdeen and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), with support from the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security (CCAFS). They followed a “bottom-up” approach to estimate and analyze greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, using large datasets related to crops (around 45,000 data points) and livestock production (around 1,600 data points) along with soil, climate and management information. To evaluate mitigation measures, associated costs and benefits of adoption, researchers used a variety of sources, including literature, stakeholder meetings and consultations with experts in crops, livestock and natural resource management.
The authors also identify “hotspots” where mitigation practices would have the highest potential for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. For example, reduced fertilizer consumption through precision nutrient management shows the highest potential in the state of Uttar Pradesh, followed by Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Punjab. Water management in rice farming has the highest mitigation potential in Andhra Pradesh, followed by Tamil Nadu, Orissa and West Bengal.
India is the world’s third largest emitter of greenhouse gases. Contributing almost one-fifth to the national total, agriculture has been identified as a priority in the country’s efforts to reduce emissions. The results from this study can help the country make great strides towards its goals. However, these climate change mitigation benefits can only work if farmers take up the new practices, some of which require an initial investment. Government policies and incentives will be crucial to help farmers take the first steps, ensure wide-scale adoption of these mitigation options, and help India meet its food security and greenhouse gas emission reduction goals.
Marginal abatement cost curve of Indian agriculture.
Three feasible mitigation measures
Efficient use of fertilizer not only lowers emissions at the field, but also reduces the need for fertilizer and the emissions associated with production and transportation. It also represents savings for the farmer. Mitigation options would include applying fertilizer at the right time and the right place for plant uptake, or using slow-release fertilizer forms or nitrification inhibitors. “Efficient fertilizer use in the agriculture sector in India has potential to reduce around 17.5 MtCO2e per year,” said Tek Sapkota, CIMMYT scientist and lead author of the study.
Adoption of zero tillage farming and residue management — maintaining crop residues on the soil surface to protect the ground from erosion — in rice, wheat, maize, cotton and sugarcane was shown to reduce emissions by about 17 MtCO2e per year. “CIMMYT has successfully worked to develop and promote these practices in India,” said M.L. Jat, CIMMYT principal scientist and co-author of the study.
Better water management in rice farming — such as adopting alternate wetting and drying in rice fields that are currently continuously flooded — can offer mitigation of about 12 MtCo2e per year. Other water management techniques in major cereals, such as laser-levelling of fields, or using sprinkler or micro-sprinkler irrigation and fertigation together, also provide important greenhouse gas emissions savings, with a reduction of around 4 MtCO2e per year for laser levelling alone.
This work was jointly carried out by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and the University of Aberdeen. Research was funded by the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), supported by CGIAR Fund Donors and through bilateral funding agreements.
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (CIMMYT) — Ethiopia’s leading agriculture and policy specialists will craft a new strategy to dramatically raise national wheat production and achieve self-sufficiency for the crop by 2022, at a special conference organized by the Government of Ethiopia and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) for November 23, 2018.
Annual imports to satisfy Ethiopia’s demand for wheat — one of the country’s four key food crops — now cost more than $600 million and expose national food security to capricious global price shifts for grain, according to Mandefro Nigussie, Director General of the Ethiopian Institute of Agriculture (EIAR).
“Ethiopians now consume some 6.5 million tons per year but the country’s 4.2 million households grow only 4.6 million tons on 1.7 million hectares and demand for the crop is rising, as more people move to cities and change in life style,” Nigussie explained.
National wheat yields are steadily climbing but still average only 2.7 tons per hectare; well below global standards, according to Bekele Abeyo, CIMMYT wheat scientist and Ethiopia country representative.
“There’s great potential to expand irrigated wheat production, especially in the lowlands along the major river basins,” Nigussie said. “In the Ethiopian highlands, wheat’s traditional environment, more farmers need to use high-yielding, disease resistant seed and modern farming practices. Even modest levels of technology adoption can provide yields as high as 4 tons per hectare.” Wheat yield can also be increased significantly by treating acidic soils and by making broad-beds in vertisol soil areas.
Called “Wheat Self-Sufficiency in Ethiopia: Challenges and Opportunities,” the consultative workshop builds on recent successes and lessons in Ethiopia of the Wheat Initiative, an international partnership of private and public organizations that conducts wheat research for food security and to help wheat farmers in diverse environments to improve and stabilize their yields.
To be held in the Hiruy Meeting Hall at the headquarters of the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR), Addis Ababa, the event will draw some 70 participants, including representatives of Ethiopia’s ministries of agriculture, EIAR, regional agricultural research institutes, the Ethiopian Seed Enterprise, Oromia Seed Enterprise, and the Agricultural Transformation Agency. Adding their experience and ideas will be experts on wheat trade, irrigation and energy, finance and economic cooperation, along with representatives from the Regional Bureau of Agriculture, millers associations, funding agencies, and global organizations including the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
“Aims will include strengthening wheat research and development partnerships, tapping into policies that foster competitive and profitable wheat farming, and supporting national efforts both to reduce imports and end poverty and food insecurity,” Abeyo explained. Kristie Drucza, Gender and Development Specialist at CIMMYT, also notes that, “We see striking opportunities to raise productivity by empowering women in wheat farming, fostering their access to knowledge, technology, and financial resources and their voice in decision making.”
Ethiopia and CIMMYT. Since 1970, Ethiopian farmers have had access to more than 100 high-yielding bread and durum wheat varieties developed and spread through collaboration among EIAR, Ethiopia’s regional agricultural research institutes, and CIMMYT, whose work has contributed to 70 percent of Ethiopia’s wheat varietal development. Use of these high-yielding, disease resistant varieties, along with supportive government policies and better cropping practices, have caused Ethiopia’s average annual wheat production to grow more than double since the early 2000s.
Research partners to develop new maize hybrid seed production system to help smallholder farmers access modern, high quality maize hybrid seed.
Pretoria, South Africa, 26 October 2018– An initiative launched in 2016 seeks to provide African smallholder farmers with better quality and high yielding hybrid maize seed. The Seed Production Technology for Africa (SPTA) initiative strives to improve seed production systems to ensure that high-quality hybrid maize seed is available to smallholder farmers, as well as to deliver new hybrids with a high yield potential adapted for low fertility areas common in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).
SPTA will utilize a technology provided by Corteva Agriscience, and implemented by the Agricultural Research Council of South Africa (ARC) alongside the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), and the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO). Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the four-year initiative will cost US$ 6.4 million.
“As Africa faces significant challenges of low maize yields, climatic extremes and variability, costly farm inputs, threats due to pests and diseases, and growing demand for food, it is critical to provide smallholder farmers with access to high quality and stress resilient modern maize hybrids to allow them to increase yields and incomes,” said Kingstone Mashingaidze, Senior Research Manager at ARC.
The SPTA process will address pressing seed production concerns in the region that include insufficient genetic purity due to pollen contamination resulting from improper or incomplete detasseling practices. As a result, small and medium seed companies are expected to produce greater volume of hybrid maize seed at lower cost. Partner seed companies in the region will access the technology royalty free.
Maize productivity in Africa lags behind other maize producing regions, and through SPTA more smallholders will improve their yield. Average maize yield in much of Africa is approximately 2 metric tons per hectare, which is less than 20 percent of the yield level in more productive parts of the world. Farmers cannot access or afford high quality seed. Only 57 percent of the SSA maize growing area is planted with recently purchased seed; a lot of hybrids grown in the region are obsolete – 15 years or older compared to an average of less than 5 years in highly productive regions. In many situations, seeds of these older varieties are no longer suited for the climate and cropping environments that exist today.
Hybrid maize seed delivered through SPTA will have higher yield in low fertility environments. This will enable resource-constrained farmers to harvest more despite limited inputs like fertilizer. This means stronger livelihoods coupled with improved professionalism in the maize seed value chain for farmers, seed companies, consumers, and governments to deliver a more food-secure future.
SPTA originated from the Improved Maize for African Soils (IMAS) project that concluded in 2015. IMAS focused on developing maize hybrids that could use nitrogen fertilizer more efficiently to deliver higher yields under low fertility conditions prevalent in Africa. The IMAS project was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation together with the United States Agency for International Development.
Issued by Agricultural Research Council
For more information contact:
Agricultural Research Council (South Africa)
Mary James
Tel: +27 (0) 18 299 6100, Cell: +27 84 817 2376, Email: JamesM@arc.agric.za
Corteva Agriscience (South Africa)
Barbra Muzata
Tel: +27-11-218-8600, Email: barbra.Muzata@pioneer.com
Notes to editors:
The Agricultural Research Council (ARC), a schedule 3A public entity, is a premier science institution that conducts research with partners, develops human capital and fosters innovation in support of the agricultural sector. The Agricultural Research Council provides diagnostic, laboratory, analytical, agricultural engineering services, post-harvest technology development, agrochemical evaluation, consultation and advisory services, food processing technology services as well as various surveys and training interventions. ARC has successfully collaborated with international partners in the WEMA project. ARC has successful partnerships with local seed companies for deployment of its products to smallholder farmers. For more information, visit the website at www.arc.agric.za
Corteva Agriscience™, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont (NYSE: DWDP), is intended to become an independent, publicly traded company when the spinoff is complete by June 2019. The division combines the strengths of DuPont Pioneer, DuPont Crop Protection and Dow AgroSciences. Corteva Agriscience™ provides growers around the world with the most complete portfolio in the industry — including some of the most recognized brands in agriculture: Pioneer®, Encirca®, the newly launched Brevant™ Seeds, as well as award-winning Crop Protection products — while bringing new products to market through our solid pipeline of active chemistry and technologies. More information can be found at www.corteva.com.
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.
Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) is a corporate body created under the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Act of 2013 to establish suitable legal and institutional framework for coordination of agricultural research in Kenya with the following goals: Promote, streamline, co-ordinate and regulate research in crops, livestock, genetic resources and biotechnology in Kenya, and expedite equitable access to research information, resources and technology and promote the application of research findings and technology in the field of agriculture.
Despite significant efforts to control the spread of the invasive Fall Armyworm, first detected in Africa in 2016, the pest keeps advancing to new areas in sub-Saharan Africa and beyond.
The effects of its insatiable appetite continue to be felt across the continent as it feeds on many crops in addition to maize, with for instance an increasingly growing appetite for sorghum and millet. Without appropriate action, the Fall Armyworm threatens to cause billions of dollars in annual damage to African food staples.
The international consortium members will hold their first face-to-face meeting on October 29-31, 2018, at the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
A wheat crop in northern Kazakhstan. (Photo: Alexey Morgounov/CIMMYT)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEXICO CITY — Breeders of spring wheat for North America and Russia need to adapt their varieties to the regions’ changing climates, which are bringing longer and wetter whegrowing seasons, according to a scientific paper published yesterday.
Published by a five-country team of wheat researchers, the study analyzed changes in wheat yields, along with air temperatures and precipitation, on farms and research stations in Canada, Kazakhstan, Russia, and the USA, from 1981 to 2015.
The 22 million hectare study area — nearly the size of the United Kingdom — accounts for as much as 10 percent of global wheat production and exports nearly all its wheat, making it a big contributor to world food markets, according to Alexey Morgounov, wheat scientist at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center(CIMMYT) and first author of the paper.
“June, when the grain-holding wheat spike begins to form, turned out to be the critical month for spring wheat,” Morgounov said. “Maximum temperatures for that month rose over the 35 years studied, which hurt yields, but average rainfall increased and boosted grain yield, offsetting the temperature effect.”
Still, breeding for adaptation to higher temperatures will be critical to increasing spring wheat yields, according to Morgounov, who added that there were substantial changes in the dates of planting and harvesting, normally leading to longer growing seasons in the regions studied. “New varieties should be able to take advantage of the longer wheat growing seasons that warming brings.”
Overall, climate changes were more favorable for spring wheat in North America than in Kazakhstan and Russia, with greater precipitation in Canada and the USA and less exposure to extreme, high temperatures. Growing season precipitation increased as much as 15 percent at North American locations.
The two regions covered in this study represent distinct environments. The Kazakhstan and Russia locations are more than 500 kilometers further north than the North American latitudes and experience colder winters, hotter summers, and less precipitation.
“Interestingly, the two regions appear to complement each other, over the period we studied,” Morgounov said. “Higher-than-average wheat yields in one were normally associated with lower yields in the other, helping to foster stability in grain markets.”
“The whole high-latitude, continental climate spring wheat area certainly presents a huge potential for global wheat production,” he added, “and both can benefit from germplasm exchange and cooperation, with emphasis on the climate change challenges and opportunities presented in this paper.”
Morgounov acknowledged contributions for the study from the Prairie Recommending Committee on Wheat, Rye and Triticale, Canada, and other Canadian partners; the USDA-ARS Plant Science Research Unit; the Samara Agricultural Research Institute, the Agricultural Research Institute of Southeast Saratov, the Altay Agricultural Research Institute at Barnaul, the Siberian Agricultural Research Institute at Omsk, the Shortandy Variety Testing Site, and the Siberian Crop Production Research Institute at Novosibirsk, Russia; and the Karabalyk Agricultural Research Station, Kostanay, Kazakhstan. Finally, Morgounov thanked the CGIAR Research Program on Wheat for its support.
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO ARRANGE INTERVIEWS:
Courtney Brantley
Junior communications consultant
International Maize and Wheat Improvement (CIMMYT)
Email: c.brantley@cgiar.org
Tel: +52 55 5804 2004
LUDHIANA (India) — International experts on maize have gathered in Ludhiana, in the Indian state of Punjab, for the 13th Asian Maize Conference and Expert Consultation on Maize for Food, Feed, Nutrition and Environmental Security. The conference, held on October 8-10, 2018, has attracted over 280 participants from 20 countries. The delegates come from a broad range of stakeholders, including researchers, policy makers, seed companies, service providers, innovative farmers, and representatives of development organizations and funding agencies.
In the opening ceremony on October 8, the Director of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) Global Maize Program and the CGIAR Research Program on Maize (MAIZE), B.M. Prasanna, discussed the current situation of maize in Asia as well as the themes of the conference. A diverse range of relevant topics will be covered, from breeding for climate resilience in maize based systems and climate-smart agriculture to socioeconomics for greater impact. “Gender and social inclusion is an important issue not only for Asia, but for the entire world. Women play a very important role in our farming systems, but women’s access to improved inputs such as seed is very low. All communities, regardless of caste or creed, need access to these inputs,” he said. The need for scale-appropriate mechanization and the importance of public-private partnerships will also be discussed.
Another topic of interest is fall armyworm, an invasive insect pest that has spread through 44 countries in Africa and was recently reported in India for the first time. “This pest can migrate very quickly, and doesn’t require visas and passports like we do. It will travel, so Asian nations need to be prepared,” said Prasanna. “However, there is no need for alarm; we will be looking at lessons learned from other regions and will work together to control this pest.”
Maize in Asia has high productivity and high demand, with maize productivity in the region growing by 5.2 percent annually, compared to a global average of 3.5 percent. However, this is not enough. “Asia produces nearly 80 million tons of maize annually, but demand will be double by the year 2050,” said the Director General of International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Martin Kropff. “We need to produce two times more maize in Asia, using two times less inputs, and it needs to be two times more nutritious. Climate change will make this more difficult. Continued funding for maize research is crucial. We need to work together to ensure that this research and innovation gets to farmers,” he explained.
In his welcome remarks, the director of research at Punjab Agricultural University, N.S. Bains, expressed his pleasure that the conference would be held in India for the second time, after 24 years. “What brings us together today is maize, a crop with an evolution bordering on the magical, that belongs even more to the future than to the past. Now maize leads the way in crop genomics. We are looking to use maize to solve many current challenges, which will be the theme of this conference,” he said.
The director general of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Trilochan Mohapatra, discussed in detail the situation of maize in India. The country produces 25-27 million metric tons of maize per year, yet low productivity for kharif, or rainfed season, remains a challenge. “We have continuously enhanced maize productivity in India since the times of great food insecurity in the 1950s, and have tremendous scope to improve using new technologies, such as marker-assisted selection for quality in maize,” he said.
The director of the ICAR-Indian Institute of Maize Research, Sujay Rakshit, gave a vote of thanks to the conference organizers and particularly the funders that made the event possible.
B.S. Dhillon (center) receives the MAIZE Champion Award for his pioneering work in maize breeding. Left to right: N.S. Bains, B.M. Prasanna, Martin Kropff, B.S. Dhillon, Trilochan Mohapatra, Sujay Rakshit. (Photo: Manjit Singh/Punjab Agricultural University)
At the conclusion of the opening remarks, the organizers presented the vice-chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University, B.S. Dhillon, with the MAIZE Champion for Asia Award for his pioneering work in maize breeding throughout his career. “We are so lucky to work with a crop that has contributed so much to humanity. No other crop can compare,” Dhillon said in his address to participants. He also discussed the importance of climate-resilient maize varieties to help smallholder farmers suffering from the effects of climate variability.
The remainder of the conference will address the main opportunities and challenges for maize in Asia through technical sessions covering diverse topics such as novel tools and strategies for increasing genetic gains, specialty maize, processing and value addition, and nutritionally enriched maize for Asia.
On October 10, conference participants will go on a field trip to the BISA farm in Ladhowal, Ludhiana. Nearly 100 improved maize varieties developed by CIMMYT, ICAR and public and private sector partners will be on display, in addition to scale-appropriate mechanization options, precision nutrient and water management techniques, decision tools, sensors and automation-based management systems.
At the closing of the conference, the 2018 MAIZE-Asia Youth Innovators Awards will be presented, and winners will present their research. The awards were launched in collaboration between the CGIAR Research Program on Maize (MAIZE) and YPARD (Young Professionals for Agricultural Development) to recognize the contributions of innovative young women and men who can inspire fellow young people to get involved with maize-based agri-food systems.
The conference program and details are available at www.maize.org.
For further information, contact:
Jennifer Johnson
Communications Officer
CGIAR Research Program on Maize (MAIZE)
CIMMYT, Mexico
Telephone: +52 (55) 5804 2004 ext. 1036
Email: j.a.johnson@cgiar.org
CIMMYT
CIMMYT – The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center – 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.
MAIZE
The CGIAR Research Program on MAIZE (MAIZE) is an international collaboration between more than 300 partners that seeks to mobilize global resources in maize research and development to achieve a greater strategic impact on maize-based farming systems in Africa, South Asia and Latin America.
Led by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) as its main CGIAR partner, MAIZE focuses on increasing maize production for the 900 million poor consumers for whom maize is a staple food in Africa, South Asia and Latin America. MAIZE’s overarching goal is to double maize productivity and increase incomes and livelihood opportunities from sustainable maize-based farming systems.
NAIROBI (Kenya) — As the invasion of the voracious fall armyworm threatens to cause US$3-6 billion in annual damage to maize and other African food staples, 35 organizations announced today the formation of a global coalition of research for development (R4D) partners, focused on developing technical solutions and a shared vision of how farmers should fight against this pest. After causing extensive crop damage in Africa, the presence of the fall armyworm was recently confirmed in India.
The new Fall Armyworm R4D International Consortium will serve to develop and implement a unified plan to fight this plant pest on the ground. Focusing on applied research, the consortium joins other global efforts and coordinates with international bodies working against this pest. The Fall Armyworm R4D International Consortium will be co-led by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).
“This pest caught us all by surprise and it continues eating away at maize and other crops that are important for the food security and livelihoods of African farmers. We can no longer afford to work in isolation,” said the Director General of CIMMYT, Martin Kropff. “Many organizations in the public and private sector are working intensively on different approaches,” he added, “but farmers are not interested in half solutions. They want to have integrated solutions, supported by strong science, which work effectively and sustainably.”
Consortium members will coordinate efforts to pursue a wide range of options for fighting fall armyworm, with a strong emphasis on integrated pest management, which includes host plant resistance, environmentally safer chemical pesticides, biological and cultural control methods, and agronomic management.
The Deputy Director General for Partnerships for Delivery at IITA, Kenton Dashiell, said that efforts are underway to identify and validate biopesticides, or “very safe products that don’t harm the environment or people but kill the pest.” In some areas, Dashiell explained, farmers may need to consider temporarily switching to a food crop that is not susceptible to armyworm.
A fall armyworm on a damaged leaf in Nigeria, 2017. (Photo: G. Goergen/IITA)
The Vice President of Program Development and Innovation at the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Joe DeVries, said his organization is serving as a bridge between scientists and farmers. AGRA is developing a network of “village-based advisers” across 15 countries who will be connected to farmers via a “private sector-led” extension system to help farmers deal with fall armyworm infestations. AGRA and its partners already have trained more than 1,000 advisers and expect to add several thousand more who can “quickly bring to farmers the latest knowledge about the best methods of control.”
The Chief Scientist at the Bureau of Food Security of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Rob Bertram, expressed his excitement about the formation of the consortium, both for its immediate relevance for fighting fall armyworm and as a forerunner of “more resilient” agriculture systems in Africa, which is likely to see similar threats in the future. CIMMYT and USAID, together with global experts, developed an integrated pest management guide to fight fall armyworm, available in English, French and Portuguese.
The Director General of Development at the Center for Agriculture and Biosciences (CABI), Dennis Rangi, noted that the ability for people to more rapidly travel around the world is also making it easier for plant pests to hop from continent to continent. “Today we are focusing on the fall armyworm, tomorrow it could be something different,” he said.
The members of the Fall Armyworm R4D International Consortium will hold their first face-to-face meeting on October 29-31, 2018, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This international conference will be organized by CIMMYT, IITA, AGRA, CABI, FAO, icipe, FAO, USAID and the African Union Commission.
The technical coordinators of the consortium are B.M. Prasanna, Director of the CGIAR Research Program MAIZE and Global Maize Program at CIMMYT, and May-Guri Saethre, Deputy Director General of Research for Development at IITA.
PARTNERS OF THE FALL ARMYWORM R4D INTERNATIONAL CONSORTIUM
Leads:
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)
Members:
African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF)
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)
Bayer
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Biorisk Management Facility (BIMAF)
Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa)
Center for Agriculture and Biosciences (CABI)
Corteva
CropLife International
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA)
International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe)
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)
Lancaster University
Leibniz Institute DSMZ (German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures)
Michigan State University (MSU)
Mississippi State University (MSU)
North-West University (NWU)
Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO)
Oregon State University (OSU)
Rothamsted Research
Syngenta
UK Department for International Development (DFID)
United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
University of Bonn
University of Florida (UFL)
University of Greenwich
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech)
Wageningen University and Research (WUR)
West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research (CORAF/WECARD)
World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)
MEDIA CONTACTS
For more information, please contact:
Geneviève Renard, Head of Communication, CIMMYT g.renard@cgiar.org, +52 (55) 5804 2004, ext. 2019.
Katherine Lopez, Head of Communication, IITA k.lopez@cgiar.org, +234 0700800, ext. 2770
International experts to convene in Ludhiana, India, to discuss the way forward to increase climate resilience and productivity of maize, and to strengthen maize-based cropping systems in Asia.
A farmer checks her maize as it comes out of a shelling machine powered by a four-wheel tractor, Nepal. (Photo: P. Lowe/CIMMYT)
Ludhiana, India (CIMMYT) — Maize is one of the most important crops in Asia, alongside rice and wheat, and provides important economic opportunities to smallholder farmers. The 13th Asian Maize Conference will take place in Ludhiana, India, on October 8-10, 2018. It will bring together key Asian maize partners and global experts to discuss the present status, challenges, and future opportunities for enhancing maize for food, feed, nutrition and environmental security in Asia.
The conference is jointly organized by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), the ICAR-Indian Institute of Maize Research (ICAR-IIMR), Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), the CGIAR Research Program on Maize (MAIZE) and the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA).
The importance of maize in Asian cropping systems has grown rapidly in recent years, with several countries registering impressive growth rates in maize production and productivity. China ranks first in the world in terms of area under maize, with nearly 36 million hectares. In South and South East Asia, maize is cultivated on more than 22 million hectares, where farmers produce nearly 80 million metric tons of maize (FAOSTAT, 2018).
Despite the achievement of increased maize production in Asia, there is a need to keep up with ever-increasing and competing demands for food, feed and industry needs. The demand for maize in Asia is expected to double by 2050. However, the magnitude and dynamics of abiotic and biotic stresses are rapidly increasing due to changing climates, placing constraints on maize production. Existing constraints to maize production and productivity in several Asian countries exacerbates the pressure to meet demand, further emphasizing the need for improved technologies and management practices. Therefore, continued investment in maize research for development (R4D) is required to ensure future maize production can meet demand.
Farm workers harvest maize. (Photo: P. Lowe/CIMMYT)
Tremendous opportunities exist for innovations in maize breeding, precision agriculture, seed systems, and value chains, offering exciting prospects for future growth and development of maize in the region. The 13th Asian Maize Conference will focus on ways and means to enhance Asian farmers’ access to high-yielding, climate-resilient and quality seeds, along with climate-smart agronomic management practices. Further topics of discussion include institutional innovations and enabling policies for sustainable intensification of maize-based cropping systems in Asia, and increasing engagement of women and young farmers and entrepreneurs in maize value chains.
The 2018 Maize-Asia Youth Innovators Awards were launched in collaboration between the CGIAR Research Program on Maize (MAIZE) and YPARD (Young Professionals for Agricultural Development) during the run-up to the conference. The awards recognize the contributions of innovative young women and men who can inspire fellow young people to get involved with maize-based agri-food systems. Winners from different categories (researchers and change agents) have been invited to attend the 13th Asian Maize Conference, where they will make brief presentations of their work and receive their awards.
The Conference is expected to draw around 275 participants from several maize-growing countries in Asia, besides experts outside the continent. The delegates come from a broad range of stakeholders, including researchers, policy makers, seed companies, service providers, innovative farmers, and representatives of several development organizations and funding agencies.
The conference program and details will be available on http://maize.org/.
For further information, contact:
Jennifer Johnson
Communications Officer
CGIAR Research Program on Maize (MAIZE)
CIMMYT, Mexico
Telephone: +52 (55) 5804 2004 ext. 1036
Email: j.a.johnson@cgiar.org
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 world’s foremost food crops. This process has also lessened the crop’s 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 today’s wheat varieties, but such transfers carry along many undesirable genes that must be removed through painstaking selection in repeated generations of breeding lines — a process that takes many years.
Meanwhile, rapidly emerging and evolving races of wheat stem rust and stripe rust diseases, the crop’s 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 “multilayered” 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 CIMMYT’s position statement on genetic modification.
Click here to read the full article on Science magazine.
EL BATAN, MEXICO – Cargill Mexico and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) announced the winners of the third Cargill-CIMMYT Food Security and Sustainability Award on July 24. The award ceremony took place at CIMMYT’s global headquarters in México.
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 Barragán, for the project ‘De la milpa a tu plato’ (‘From the field to your plate’). Based in the state of Oaxaca, this initiative promotes food security and sustainability in small-scale farming systems.
Opinion Leaders: Fundación 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 López, for the project ‘Technology for bean production.’ 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, Mexico’s Agriculture Council and Mexico’s Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food.
About Cargill
Cargill’s 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.
Photos available (click on the image to download the high-resolution JPG file)
Carlos Barragán (center) receives the Cargill-CIMMYT Award, in the Farmers category. Behind him are representatives from the organizations in the jury (from left to right): Bosco de la Vega, President of Mexico’s National Agriculture Council; David Hernández, Global Chief Procurement Officer of Grupo Bimbo; Martin Kropff, Director General of CIMMYT; Jorge Zertuche, Mexico’s Undersecretary of Agriculture; Marcelo Martins, President of Cargill Mexico; and José Sáenz, Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Economy. (Photo: CIMMYT)From left to right: Marcelo Martins, President of Cargill Mexico; Carlos Barragán, Farmers category winner; Citlali Fuentes, from Fundación Mexicana para el Desarrollo Rural, Opinion Leaders category winner; Mario López, Researchers category winner; and Martin Kropff, Director General of CIMMYT. (Photo: CIMMYT)
Seminal study on nitrous oxide emissions from fertilizer in semi-arid, irrigated agriculture shows that reducing nitrogen fertilizer rates significantly cuts nitrous oxide emissions without reducing grain yield or quality.
Results are applicable to large-scale irrigated wheat cropping systems in China, India, Mexico, and Pakistan.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
EL BATAN, MEXICO – Farmers of irrigated wheat can increase profits and radically reduce greenhouse gas emissions by applying fertilizer in more precise dosages, according to a new study.
Published today in the journal Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, the study shows that farmers in the Yaqui Valley, a major breadbasket region in northwestern Mexico that covers over 1.5 times the area of the Mexico City, are applying significantly more nitrogen fertilizer than they need to maximize wheat yields.
Lower application of nitrogen fertilizer would cut the region’s yearly emissions of nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas, by the equivalent of as much as 130,000 tons of carbon dioxide, equal to the emissions of 14 million gallons of gasoline, according to Neville Millar, a senior researcher at Michigan State University (MSU) and first author of the published paper.
“Our study is the first to isolate the effect of multiple nitrogen fertilizer rates on nitrous oxide emissions in wheat in the tropics or sub-tropics,” Millar said. “It shows that applying fertilizer to wheat at higher than optimal economic rates results in an exponential increase in nitrous oxide emissions.”
Yaqui Valley wheat farming conditions and practices are similar to those of huge wheat cropping expanses in China, India, and Pakistan, which together account for roughly half of worldwide nitrogen fertilizer use for wheat, according to study co-author Iván Ortíz-Monasterio, a wheat agronomist at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), whose Yaqui Valley experiment station was the site of the reported research.
“The recommendations are thus globally relevant and represent a potential triple win, in the form of reduced greenhouse gas emissions, higher income for farmers and continued high productivity for wheat cropping,” Ortíz-Monasterio said.
Measuring nitrous oxide after nitrogen fertilizer applications in spring durum wheat crops during two growing seasons, Millar and an international team of scientists found an exponential increase in emissions from plots fertilized at greater than economically-optimal rates—that is, when the extra nitrogen applied no longer boosts grain yield.
They also found that grain quality at the economically optimal N rates was not impacted and exceeded that required by local farmer associations for sale to the market. They examined five different nitrogen fertilizer dosages ranging from 0 to 280 kilograms per hectare.
“In our study, the highest dosage to get optimum wheat yields was 145 kilograms of nitrogen fertilizer per hectare in the 2014 crop,” said Millar. “Yaqui Valley farmers typically apply around 300 kilograms. The wheat crop takes up and uses only about a third of that nitrogen; the remainder may be lost to the atmosphere as gases, including nitrous oxide, and to groundwater as nitrate.”
Promoting profitable, climate-friendly fertilizer use
Farmers’ excessive use of fertilizer is driven largely by risk aversion and economic concerns, according to Ortíz-Monasterio. “Because crops in high-yielding years will require more nitrogen than in low-yielding years, farmers tend to be optimistic and fertilize for high-yielding years,” said Ortíz-Monasterio. “At the same time, since farmers don’t have data about available nitrogen in their fields, they tend to over-apply fertilizer because this is less costly than growing a crop that lacks the nitrogen to develop and yield near to full potential.”
Ortíz-Monasterio and his partners have been studying and promoting management practices to help farmers use fertilizer more efficiently and include available soil nitrogen and weather in their calculations. This technology, including Greenseeker, a handheld device that assesses plant nitrogen needs, was tested in a separate study for its ability to advise farmers on optimal rates of fertilizer use.
“Sensing devices similar to Greenseeker but mounted on drones are providing recommendations to Yaqui Valley farmers for wheat crops grown on more than 1,000 acres in 2017 and 2018,” Ortiz-Monasterio noted.
A result of the research partnership between CIMMYT and MSU’s W.K. Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) Long-Term Ecological Research program to reduce greenhouse gas impacts of intensive farming, the present study also aimed to generate new emission factors for Mexican grain crops that accurately reflect nitrous oxide emissions and emission reductions and can be used in global carbon markets, according to Millar.
“The emission calculations from our work can be incorporated by carbon market organizations into carbon market protocols, to help compensate farmers for reducing their fertilizer use,” he said.
“This study shows that low emissions nitrogen management is possible in tropical cereal crop systems and provides important guidance on the optimal levels for large cropping areas of the world,” said Lini Wollenberg, an expert in low-emissions agriculture for the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), which helped fund the research. “With these improved emission factors, countries will be able to better plan and implement their commitments to reducing emissions.
To view the article
Millar, N., A. Urrea, K. Kahmark, I. Shcherbak, G. P. Robertson, and I. Ortiz-Monasterio. 2018. Nitrous oxide (N2O) flux responds exponentially to nitrogen fertilizer in irrigated wheat in the Yaqui Valley, Mexico. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2018.04.003.
KBS LTER
Michigan State University’s Kellogg Biological Station Long-term Ecological Research (KBS LTER) Program studies the ecology of intensive field crop ecosystems as part of a national network of LTER sites established by the National Science Foundation. More information at http://lter.kbs.msu.edu
MSU AgBioResearch
MSU AgBioResearch engages in innovative, leading-edge research that combines scientific expertise with practical experience to help advance FOOD, ENERGY and the ENVIRONMENT. It encompasses the work of more than 300 scientists in seven MSU colleges — Agriculture and Natural Resources, Arts and Letters, Communication Arts and Sciences, Engineering, Natural Science, Social Science and Veterinary Medicine — and includes a network of 13 outlying research centers across Michigan.
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.
CCAFS
The CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), led by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), brings together some of the world’s best researchers in agricultural science, development research, climate science and earth system science to identify and address the most important interactions, synergies and tradeoffs between climate change, agriculture and food security. CCAFS is carried out with support from CGIAR Fund Donors and through bilateral funding agreements. www.ccafs.cgiar.org
For more information or for interviews:
Holly Whetstone
Associate Director, ANR Communications & Marketing
Michigan State University
Tel: 517.884.3864
Email: whetst@msu.edu
Mike Listman Communications officer, CGIAR Research Program on Wheat
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)
Tel (office): +52 (55) 5804 7537
cel: +52 (1595) 114 9743
Email: m.listman@cgiar.org
skype: mikeltexcoco
Photo available for use with proper accreditation:
Farmers family in Obregon, Mexico. Photo: CIMMYT/ Peter Lowe
CIMMYT and the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council are set to hold a seminar on women and youth in wheat-based farming systems on March 8. Photo: CIMMYT archives
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CIMMYT) – As part of activities around 2018 International Women’s Day, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) will hold a seminar on women and youth in wheat-based farming systems: How do women and youth contribute? What are their problems and concerns? How can their issues be addressed to increase farm productivity and benefit all household members?
The event will draw some 70 participants from public, private, and academic organizations, including high-level wheat sector officials, social scientists from all Pakistan provinces, and scientists from CIMMYT, the global leader in publicly-funded research on maize and wheat and related farming systems.
Among other topics, speakers will share and discuss Pakistan-specific findings from GENNOVATE, a large-scale qualitative study by CGIAR during 2014-16, based on focus groups and interviews involving more than 7,500 rural men and women in 26 developing countries.
The event, which takes place in the Inspire Meeting Hall, Agricultural Economics Research Institute (AERI), NARC Premises, Park Road, Islamabad, on Thursday, 8 March from 8:45 to 11:30 a.m., will feature presentations followed by question and answer sessions and discussions and will be chaired by Ghulam Muhammad Ali, Director General, NARC, and Dr. Imtiaz Muhammad, Country Representative, CIMMYT Pakistan.
The program includes Muhammad Khair and Zarmina Achakzi from Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences (BUITEMS), who will highlight the role of women in farming in Balochistan and factors that limit their income and social status. Sidra Majeed and Nusrat Habib of the Agricultural Economics Research Institute (AERI), NARC, will present on gender roles and responsibilities in Pakistan.
From CIMMYT, Mulunesh Tsegaye, a research associate, will describe GENNOVATE findings on women and youth’s roles in wheat-based agriculture in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan provinces. Consultant Sidra Minhas will share gender-related results from 14 agricultural program evaluations in Pakistan and how better to address gender dynamics in project design, programming, monitoring, and evaluation. Kristie Drucza, gender and social development research manager, will introduce results of three quantitative surveys that highlight the need for greater participation of women in agriculture research to raise the sector’s productivity and profitability.
The theme of 2018 International Women’s Day is #PressforProgress, and encourages global momentum in striving for gender parity.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), women make up 43 percent of the agricultural workforce in developing countries, but for many access to resources and services is severely restricted and they are often left out of decisions regarding use of income—even that which they earn.
GENNOVATE is supported by generous funding from the World Bank; the CGIAR Gender & Agricultural Research Network; the government of Mexico through MasAgro; Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ); numerous CGIAR Research Programs; and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Cali, Colombia (CIMMYT) – The first zinc-enriched maize variety developed for South America will be released in Colombia on February 23 in an effort to combat malnutrition in the country.
Developed using traditional breeding techniques, this biofortified maize variety has naturally higher concentrations of zinc, an essential mineral that plays an important role in human development. It is estimated that in some regions of Colombia up to 50 percent of the population is zinc deficient, a condition that can lead to respiratory infections, diarrheal disease and a general weakening of the immune system.
The new variety, known as BIO-MZN01, was developed by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) with the support of HarvestPlus, the CGIAR Research Program on Maize (MAIZE) and the CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH). The official launch of BIO-MZN01 will be held at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Palmira, Colombia.
“The support that CIMMYT and CIAT have received from HarvestPlus has been fundamental in allowing our researchers to develop crops with enhanced vitamin and mineral content,” said Martin Kropff, CIMMYT director general. “This product shows the value of conserving, studying and utilizing the biodiversity of staple crops such as maize. These genetic resources are the base of our breeding work, and allow us to develop the improved seeds that will help us to fight malnutrition and the challenges of climate change.”
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 6.6% of the population of Latin America, or 42 million people, suffer from malnutrition. Biofortified crop varieties such as maize with enriched zinc content seek to reduce this malnutrition burden by making micronutrients more bioavailable, or readily able to be used by the human body. CIMMYT has developed several other forms of biofortified crops in the past, including provitamin A maize, quality protein maize (QPM) and zinc-enriched wheat.
Zinc is an essential micronutrient that plays a crucial role in pre-natal and post-natal development, including bone, brain and nervous system development, and is key to maintaining a healthy immune system, however, it is not produced by the human body. In Colombia, zinc deficiency affects around 22 percent of the population.
BIO-MZN01 contains 36 percent more zinc on average than other maize varieties, meaning that arepas (a maize-based Colombian staple food) made of this new variety offer consumers five times more zinc than those made with traditional varieties. Additionally, BIO-MZN01 can yield up to 6 to 8 tons per hectare(t/ha), nearly double the national average in Colombia of 3.7 t/ha and is resistant to several maize diseases that are common in the region, including rust, turcicum leaf blight, and gray leaf spot. It can be grown between 0 and 1400 meters above sea level during both cropping seasons in the country.
“This is incredible news for the food and nutritional security of all Colombians. It is also an excellent opportunity to share the positive results that can be achieved by teamwork and partnerships such as the work we are doing with HarvestPlus, CIAT, seed companies such as Maxi Semillas S.A.S and of course, with farmers,” said Luis Narro, maize breeder at CIMMYT Colombia.
For Marilia Nutti, the regional director for Latin America and the Carribean at HarvestPlus, the release of this new biofortified variety is the result of “a joint effort we began in 2012, that was only made possible by the trail blazed by the research of several CIMMYT scientists long ago. Together, we have worked to turn maize, a staple food in the region, into a tool capable of reducing zinc deficiency in countries such as El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua and several regions of Colombia.”
These goals are well on their way to becoming reality, as the CIMMYT-HarvestPlus partnership released a zinc-enriched maize variety in Honduras in 2017, and will release others in Guatemala and Nicaragua later this year.
The scientific work conducted at CIMMYT, HarvestPlus and CIAT reaches the hands of farmers through local seed companies such as Maxi Semillas S.A.S., a partner of CIMMYT Colombia for the past 40 years that will be commercializing the new variety. Miguel Lengua, director general of Maxi Semillas S.A.S., considers this new biofortified variety “a seed that will be a useful tool to fight malnutrition due to its increased micronutrient content, including zinc. CIMMYT’s work has given us new varieties that will contribute to better nutrition in Colombia, Latin America and the world.”
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.
HarvestPlus
The HarvestPlus mission is to improve nutrition and public health by developing and promoting everyday food crops that are rich in vitamins and minerals, and providing global leadership on the technology and evidence that have enabled and proven this innovation. HarvestPlus is part of the CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH), which helps realize the potential of agricultural development to deliver gender-equitable health and nutritional benefits to the poor. CGIAR is a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future.
The HarvestPlus program works with over 400 partners worldwide and is coordinated by two CGIAR centers, the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). HarvestPlus’ principal donors are the UK Government; the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; the U.S. Government’s Feed the Future initiative; the European Commission; the Government of Canada and donors to A4NH. HarvestPlus is also supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Visit www.HarvestPlus.org for more information.
CIAT
The International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) – a CGIAR Research Center – develops technologies, innovative methods, and new knowledge that better enable farmers, especially smallholders, to make agriculture eco-efficient – that is, competitive and profitable as well as sustainable and resilient. Eco-efficient agriculture reduces hunger and poverty, improves human nutrition, and offers solutions to environmental degradation and climate change in the tropics. With headquarters near Cali, Colombia, CIAT conducts research for development in tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. www.ciat.cgiar.org
Contact:
Genevieve Renard
Head of Communications
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)
Nepal’s National Grain Legumes Research Program (NGLRP), in collaboration with USAID’s Feed the Future Nepal Seed and Fertilizer Project, led by The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), began a two-day workshop to foster lentil productivity and profitability Tuesday. Engaging both public and private stakeholders involved in lentil research and development activities, the workshop will examine the intricate challenges and tap into potential opportunities for lentil interventions and innovations in Nepal. During the workshop, a newly formed lentil working committee will define a strategic roadmap which will be used to strengthen the lentil market system.
Speaking at the workshop, NGLRP national coordinator Rajendra Darai remarked, “there is high demand for the product globally, but we need to enhance competitiveness and reinforce the lentil value chain.” A lentil seed producer and farmer from Kapilvastu added that “improved variety of seeds, combined with best management practices and technology, will be the key to achieving higher yields.”
Lentils have emerged as an important agricultural export commodity for Nepal. The country is the second largest lentil producer in South Asia and the fifth in the world. However, there is a huge yield gap of almost a ton per hectare between the national average and the achievable yield.
The major constraint to boosting output at the farm level is the limited availability of improved varieties and low quality of seeds and fertilizers. Farmers and lentil seed producers are also impacted by weak market linkages, limited access to new technologies and lack of access to finance. Low-profit margin and price fluctuation of lentil seed hinders companies from selling improved seeds in the market. Meanwhile, export growth is constrained by the lack of proper linkages with international buyers, compatible policies and quality standards.
To enhance Nepal’s lentil productivity and profitability, NGLRP is collaborating with the CGIAR Centers to develop improved varieties and production technologies to better suit different ecological regions. USAID’s Feed the Future Nepal Seed and Fertilizer Project, implemented by CIMMYT, supports the NGLRP by building linkages with private seed companies to develop new varieties of seeds best suited for Nepal’s geography.
CIMMYT’s AbduRahman Beshir, the seed system lead for USAID’s Feed the Future Nepal Seed and Fertilizer Project, said, “we are working with partners to enhance the lentil value chain in Nepal and to ensure that farmers have access to improved farming inputs and technologies. This will result in increased lentil productivity and reel in more earnings for the farmers and the suppliers.”
USAID’s Nepal Seed and Fertilizer Project is made possible thanks to the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
For further inquiries, please contact: AbduRahman Beshir, Seed System Lead – CIMMYT a.issa@cgiar.org
Palmira (Colombia), February 14, 2019 — AGROSAVIA, Colombia’s leading not-for-profit organization for agricultural research and technology transfer, the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) have signed a five-year agreement that aims to boost maize production.
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