U.S. Department of State Special Representative for Global Partnerships Dorothy McAuliffe visited CIMMYT in Texcoco, Mexico, on July 7, 2023. The visit aimed to strengthen ties between the United States government and CIMMYTâreaffirming commitment to fostering partnerships to achieve food and nutrition security goals.
McAuliffe examined maize germplasm from the U.S. (Photo: CIMMYT)
McAuliffe toured the CIMMYT gene bank, museum and conservation agriculture trial plots. CIMMYT scientists explained their efforts to protect one of the largest maize and wheat seed collections through research and collaboration with CGIAR and seed health initiatives.
She also received a detailed briefing about the Southern Africa Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative Rapid Delivery Hub (AID-I), a regional project in southern and eastern Africa led by CIMMYT with the backing of Office of Special Envoy for Global Food Security and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). CIMMYT practitioners briefed McAuliffe on AID-Iâs inspiration in a successful model implemented in Mexico, MasAgro, with the potential to inform policy makers and transform agrifood systems in Central America to respond to migration.
Partner seed companies and project leaders shared significant milestones already achieved in Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania to expand access for smallholder farmers to market actors, high-yielding seeds and climate-adaptable, resilient crop varieties.
(Left to right) Bram Govaerts, Daniela Vega, and Dorothy McAuliffe toured conservation agriculture trial plots. (Photo: CIMMYT)
After the tour of CIMMYT facilities, McAuliffe heard private and public partners share success stories and current initiatives jointly led with CIMMYT on regenerative agriculture, gene bank development across CGIAR and climate-smart and scale-appropriate mechanization technologies.
âThrough partnership, we can work on R&D goals for better nutrition, data-driven decision making and promotion of regenerative agriculture so that farmers produce diversified crops. On behalf of CIMMYT, Iâd like to thank the U.S. government and the American people, who have historically made scientific innovation possible, leaving a huge footprint to feed the world,â shared Bram Govaerts, CIMMYT director general.
Written by mcallejas on . Posted in Uncategorized.
Pankaj Koirala has a PhD in Economics and currently contributes to CSISA Ukraine project within CIMMYTâs Sustainable Agrifood Systems (SAS) program. He conducts research in agricultural systems, climate change, and sustainability, especially focusing on survey data and human/farmer’s behaviors, socioeconomic and institutional contexts. Currently, he engages in studies to understand the impacts of climatic variables on food and nutritional security, climate change adaptation and mitigation.
Koirala has published peer-reviewed scientific papers on Economic Policy and Analysis, sustainability, and others and served as a reviewer in various peer-reviewed journals.
Wheat is critical to millions of households in Pakistan as it serves a dual role as a foundational part of nutritional security and as an important part of the countryâs economy. Pakistanâs goal to achieve self-sufficiency in wheat production is more attainable with the release of 31 wheat varieties since 2021.
These new seeds will help the countryâs 9 million hectares of cultivated wheat fields become more productive, climate resilient, and disease resistantâa welcome development in a region where climate change scenarios threaten sustained wheat production.
The varieties, a selection of 30 bread wheat and 1 durum wheat, 26 of which developed from wheat germplasm provided by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) were selected after rigorous testing of international nurseries and field trials by partners across Pakistan. During this period, three bread wheat varieties were also developed from local breeding programs and two varieties (one each of durum and bread wheat) were also developed from the germplasm provided by the ICARDA. These efforts are moving Pakistan closer to its goal of improving food and nutrition security through wheat production, as outlined in the Pakistan Vision 2025 and Vision for Agriculture 2030.
Harvesting wheat in Tandojam, Pakistan (Photo: CIMMYT)
Over multiple years and locations, the new varieties have exhibited a yield potential of 5-20% higher than current popular varieties for their respective regions and also feature excellent grain quality and attainable yields of over seven tons per hectare.
The new crop of varieties exhibit impressive resistance to leaf and yellow rusts, compatibility with wheat-rice and wheat-cotton farming systems, and resilience to stressors such as drought and heat.
Battling malnutrition
Malnutrition is rampant in Pakistan and the release of biofortified wheat varieties with higher zinc content will help mitigate its deleterious effects, especially among children and women. Akbar-2019, a biofortified variety released in 2019, is now cultivated on nearly 3.25 million hectares. Farmers like Akbar-2019 because of its 8-10% higher yields, rust resistance, and consumers report its good chapati (an unleavened flatbread) quality.
âIt is gratifying seeing these new varieties resulting from collaborative projects between Pakistani wheat breeding programs and CIMMYT along with funding support from various donors (USAID, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, HarvestPlus, and FCDO) and the government of Pakistan,â said Ravi Singh, wheat expert and senior advisor.
Closing the yield gap between research fields and smallholder fields
Releasing a new variety is only the first step in changing the course of Pakistanâs wheat crop. The next step is delivering these new, quality seeds to markets quickly so farmers can realize the benefits as soon as possible.
Increasing evidence suggests the public sector cannot disseminate enough seeds alone; new policies must create an attractive environment for private sector partners and entrepreneurs.
Field monitoring wheat fields (Photo: CIMMYT)
âPakistan has developed a fast-track seed multiplication program which engages both public and private sectors so the new varieties can be provided to seed companies for multiplication and provided to farmers in the shortest time,â said Javed Ahmad, Wheat Research Institute chief scientist.
Strengthening and diversifying seed production of newly released varieties can be done by decentralizing seed marketing and distribution systems and engaging both public and private sector actors. Marketing and training efforts need to be improved for women, who are mostly responsible for household level seed production and seed care.
A concerted effort to disseminate the improved seed is required, along with implementing conservation agriculture based sustainable intensification, to help Pakistanâs journey to self-sufficiency in wheat production.
Honoring a legacy of innovative development in Zambia and looking forward to meeting the nationâs goals for food security, Bram Govaerts, director general of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), along with CGIAR Board Chair Lindiwe Sibanda, visited facilities and met with southern Africa collaborators of the Southern Africa AID-I Rapid Delivery Hub on June 2 and 3, 2023.
Bram Govaerts visited field experiments with the head of science at Zamseed (Photo: Katebe Mapipo/CIMMYT)
âCIMMYTâs work in Zambia and the region is geared to help national governments build resilience to climate change, diversify maize-based farming systems and improve productivity and production to address reduce hunger and poverty,â said Govaerts.
Southern Africa AID-I Rapid Delivery Hub aims to provide critical support to over 3 million farming households in Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia via targeted interventions for demand driven seed scaling, improved soil health and fertilizer use efficiency, and rapid delivery of critical agricultural advisory services deep into rural communities.
CIMMYT research and innovation supports Zambiaâs medium-term goal of âSocio-Economic Transformation for Improved Livelihoodsâ and its 2030 Vision of becoming âA Prosperous Middle-Income Nation by 2030.â
Govaerts and Sibanda toured Afriseedâs factory in Lusaka and its wheat field trials in Ngwerere. They also attended a field demonstration of Purdue Improved Crop Storage bags in the nearby district of Chongwe organized by the Catholic Relief Services, a local partner promoting low-cost post-harvest technologies for small-scale farmers in Zambia.
The delegation visited private partner Zamseed, a company commercializing and releasing CIMMYT-bred, Fall Armyworm tolerant maize seeds.
Southern Africa AID-I Rapid Delivery Hub has enabled the release of nearly 10,000 metric tons of certified maize and legume seed, which have been harvested by Zambian seed companies and community-based seed organizations, directly benefiting a million semi-subsistence farmers.
Govaerts also hailed Zambiaâs commitment to creating a transparent seed system. âThanks to this conducive policy environment, Zambia is a major hub in sub-Saharan Africa for hybrid maize seed production and export in Africa.â
Kevin Kabunda opened a partner meeting in which Bram Govaerts met AID-I farmers and partners from seed companies, educational institutions, CGIAR centers, and micro-finance and tech companies. (Photo: Katebe Mapipo/CIMMYT)
Besides Southern Africa AID-I Rapid Delivery Hub, CIMMYT and the Zambia Agricultural Research Institute have been collaborating for over two decades along with public and private partners in Zambia through different investments designed to create sustainable interventions that strengthen food systems and directly reach small-scale farmers.
The devastating disease wheat blast is a threat to crop production in many South Asian countries. In Bangladesh, it was first identified in seven southern and southwestern districts in 2016, and later spread to 27 others causing significant damage. The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) is working with the Bangladesh Wheat and Maize Research Institute (BWMRI) and other national partners to conduct research and extension activities to mitigate the ongoing threat.
From March 1-10, 2023, a group of 46 wheat researchers, government extension agents, and policy makers from ten countries â Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Ethiopia, India, Japan, Mexico, Nepal, Sweden, and Zambia â gathered in Jashore, Bangladesh to learn about and exchange experiences regarding various wheat diseases, particularly wheat blast. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, this was the first in-person international wheat blast training held in Bangladesh. It focused on the practical application of key and tricky elements of disease surveillance and management strategies, such as resistance breeding and integrated disease management.
Training participants get hands-on practice using a field microscope, Bangladesh. (Photo: Ridoy/CIMMYT)
âThis is an excellent training program,â said Shaikh Mohammad Bokhtiar, executive chairman of the Bangladesh Agriculture Research Council (BARC), during the opening session. âParticipants will learn how to reduce the severity of the blast disease, develop and expand blast resistant varieties to farmers, increase production, and reduce imports.â
This sentiment was echoed by Golam Faruq, director general of BWMRI. âThis program helps in the identification of blast-resistant lines from across the globe,â he said. âFrom this training, participants will learn to manage the devastating blast disease in their own countries and include these learnings into their national programs.â
Hands-on training
The training was divided into three sections: lectures by national and international scientists; laboratory and field experiment visits; and trips to farmersâ fields. Through the lecture series, participants learned about a variety of topics including disease identification, molecular detection, host-pathogen interaction, epidemiology and integrated disease management.
Hands-on activities were linked to working on the Precision Phenotyping Platform (PPP), which involves the characterization of more than 4,000 wheat germplasm and releasing several resistant varieties in countries vulnerable to wheat blast. Participants practiced taking heading notes, identifying field disease symptoms, tagging, and scoring disease. They conducted disease surveillance in farmersâ fields in Meherpur and Faridpur districts â both of which are extremely prone to wheat blast â observing the disease, collecting samples and GPS coordinates, and completing surveillance forms.
Muhammad Rezaul Kabir, senior wheat breeder at BWMRI, explains the Precision Phenotyping Platform, Bangladesh. (Photo: Md. Harun-Or-Rashid/CIMMYT)
Participants learned how to use cutting-edge technology to recognize blast lesions in leaves using field microscopes. They went to a pre-installed spore trapping system in a farmer’s field to learn about the equipment and steps for collecting spore samples, observing them under a compound microscope, and counting spores. They also visited the certified seed production fields of Shawdesh Seed, a local company which has played an important role in promoting wheat blast resistant varieties BARI Gom 33 and BWMRI Gom 3 regionally, and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU) in Gazipur to see current wheat blast research in action.
Blast-resistance in Bangladesh
âI am so happy to see the excellent infrastructure and work ethics of staff that has made possible good science and impactful research come out of the PPP,â said Aakash Chawade, associate professor in Plant Breeding at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. âRapid development of blast-resistant varieties and their dissemination will help Bangladesh mitigate the effects of wheat blast, not only inside the country but by supporting neighboring ones as well.â
Training participants scout and score disease in a blast-infected wheat field, Bangladesh. (Photo: Md. Harun-Or-Rashid/CIMMYT)
âBesides the biotic and abiotic challenges faced in wheat production, climate change and the Russia-Ukraine crisis are further creating limitations to wheat production and marketing,â said Pawan Kumar Singh, head of Wheat Pathology at CIMMYT and lead organizer of the training. âDue to the development of blast-resistant wheat varieties and its commercial production under integrated disease management practices, the domestic production of wheat in Bangladesh has increased and there is increased interest from farmers in wheat.â
Dave Hodson, a principal scientist at CIMMYT and one of the trainingâs resource speakers, added: âThis is a remarkable success that researchers developed two blast resistant varieties in Bangladesh urgently. It was only achievable because of the correct measures taken by the researchers and support of Government policies.â
However, there are still some barriers to widespread adoption of these varieties. As such, in parallel to other activities, a team from Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) joined the field trip to meet local farmers and conduct research into the socio-economic factors influencing the adoption and scaling of relevant wheat varieties.
In the Indo-Gangetic Plains of northern India, nearly 70% of the population is involved in agriculture and extension services. Despite the abundantly fertile soil and farmers’ resilience, the adoption of agricultural innovations and productivity in the region has been slow.
This slow progress is often attributed to comparatively low levels of agricultural mechanization in the region and small land holdings of individual farmers, which often makes them risk averse to new technologies. However, times are changing.
Farmer Gangesh Pathak, in his recently harvested field using combine harvester machine, discuss Kharif â summer crops â schedule with CIMMYT Agronomist Ajay K Pundir. (Photo: Vijay K. Srivastava/CIMMYT)
Through the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) project, researchers from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), working closely with the local Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) and partners, have led the transition from traditional farming to sustainable intensification agricultural practices in the region, helping the region slowly but steadily realize its full potential. Over the years, working extensively with progressive farmers, CSISA scientists have helped optimize the cost of inputs and increase productivity through new technology adoption and capacity building for these farmers.
Krishnamohan Pathak, a farmer in his early sixties from the village of Patkhaoli, first learned about conservation agriculture practices when he attended a field event in Nonkhar village in Deoria district, Uttar Pradesh. CSISA researchers invited farmers from Nonkhar and neighbouring villages to attend a field day event, an exposure activity, on zero tillage wheat and direct seeded rice (DSR) technologies. Zero tillage allows farmers to plant directly without plowing or preparing the soil, minimizing soil movement. Pathak was one of the farmers who got to see first-hand the advantages of these sustainable agricultural practices.
Seeing merit in these practices, Pathak continued to engage with CSISA scientists and in 2013-2014, adopted zero tillage, and directly seeded rice in his family-owned fields.
“The CSISA field team encouraged me to buy a rice planter which has helped manage paddy transplantation on time, and wheat after that through zero till,” Pathak said.
Pathak later participated in other agri-technology events and CSISA field trial activities. In 2018, he joined other progressive farmers from the region who attended a training at ISARC (IRRI South Asia Regional Centre) in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh on direct seeded rice, organized by CSISA researchers to build capacity and raise awareness of the conservation agriculture method.
The next generation leads the way
Today, Pathak is one of the key influential farming members in the region. He has now, however, passed the baton to his 37-year-old son Gangesh Pathak. “I have occupied myself with other local leadership activities after my son has been active in the fields. I am not so skilled at using these machines, their maintenance and their services. The younger generation seems much better at adapting,” he said.
Gangesh has been involved actively in farming ever since he finished his graduation, trying to make it lucrative. He has enjoyed recent success growing wheat and rice through new technology and practices. Standing in the fields recently harvested with the new improved wheat variety DBW 187, grown through early sowing â a method which goes against the traditional practice of planting after November â and zero tillage, he is happy with his 5.5 ton per hectare yield.
He spoke enthusiastically about the farming machinery he has procured to reduce drudgery in his farms and the hiring services provided to smallholder farmers in the region. After his father bought the transplanter in 2014, the family added larger machines such as the Happy Seeder, Super Seeder, Laser Land Leveller, Straw Reaper, and Direct Seeded Rice machine.
Farmer Gangesh Pathak explains the use of machinery that has enabled conservation agriculture practices in his fields and helped improve yields and income. (Photo: Nima Chodon/CIMMYT)
According to Gangesh, this has been possible thanks to the support from the local agriculture authorities and guidance from the CSISA team, who told his father about the various schemes offered by the central and state government to support farmers to adopt more productive and sustainable agricultural technologies.
Ajay Kumar Pundir, CIMMYT agronomist, based in Uttar Pradesh and leading CSISA’s efforts, stressed the importance of access to agricultural mechanization and support.
“Our job just does not end at informing and training farmers about better-bet agricultural practices. Along with other public and private stakeholders, we must support and ensure their availability and access â machines, quality seeds, timely information â for farmers to adopt it,” he said.
Custom hiring center help scale mechanization
With so much farm machinery, the Pathaks soon began extending hiring services. Custom hiring is a promising enterprise opportunity for farmers as they can use the machinery on their farms and earn extra income by extending services to other farmers at a reasonable cost, which helps cover diesel and maintenance costs. Gangesh made about 2.5 lakhs (USD $3,033.76) in profit during the 2022-2023 Rabi (winter crops) through hay machine hiring services, where around 250 farmers used these services.
Once the word spread, demand for hiring services by smallholder farmers, challenged by scarce labor for sowing and harvesting, started growing. Gangesh was encouraged by the good profits and was keen to share the benefits of such hiring services to as many farmers as possible, and he helped establish a Farmer Producer Organization (FPO) with his father, Krishnamohan. FPO is a group made up of farmer-producers who are entitled to a host of benefits, including quality seeds, technical support, market access, under the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DA&FW).
The FPO, started by the Pathaks in 2020, with 75 members (farmers) initially, currently boasts of around 300 farmers. Almost all FPO members have availed the custom hiring services for all farming purposes and various crops. Farmers, “particularly smallholders who cannot afford to purchase these machines for less than a few acres of land, are happy with the custom hiring services. It helps reduce their input cost by almost 50% along with other FPO member benefits,” Gangesh said.
Community-based technology demonstrations by CSISA and KVK and partners are ongoing to scale-out proven technologies and practices like early wheat sowing, zero tillage, and direct seeded rice. Gangesh is hopeful that farmers in the region, despite the emerging climate crisis concerns â already being felt in the region â can produce more and improve their income. He reckons that diversifying between rice-wheat cropping systems, mechanizing and system optimization through better advisories, and improved access to technologies as recommended by agronomists, will help farmers stay ahead of the curve.
About CSISA
Established in 2009, the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) is a science-driven and impacts-oriented regional initiative for increasing the productivity of cereal-based cropping systems. CSISA works in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal. CSISA activities in India focus on the eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains, dominated by small farm sizes, low incomes, and comparatively low agricultural mechanization, irrigation, and productivity levels. Learn about CSISA (India) Phase 4.0 Â
AID-I staff inspect germination in Malawi (Photo: CIMMYT)
Accelerated delivery with a difference is underway in Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia to ensure access to stress-tolerant seeds for underserved farmers in remote areas. Supported by USAID, the Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative (AID-I) project brings public-private and civil society together to address the impacts of climate change, pests and diseases, and food shocks on maize and legume systems.
One simple and cost-effective solution to tackle these threats is last mile delivery of stress-tolerant and nutritious seeds. Ensuring that farmers have access to a diverse range of seeds means they can choose the best varieties to suit their needs and their local environment.
Through AID-I, scientists at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) are working with over 20 global, regional, national, and local partners to strengthen maize and legume seed systems in Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia.
So far, in 2023, the team has set up over a hundred mega-demonstrations across Malawi and Zambia, to raise awareness and increase seed production by exposing communities to improved, climate-adapted and nutritious crop varieties. As learning centers, the mega-demonstrations give farmers a chance to see for themselves the advantages of improved maize and legume varieties and better farming practices including conservation agriculture and doubled up legumes systems.
Farmers plant mega-demonstration plots in Malawi (Photo: CIMMYT)
Spotlighted were drought-tolerant and nutritious varieties, expected to play a crucial role in the recovery of regional maize production. The Zambian and Malawian governments have also just released maize hybrids tolerant to fall armyworms, which will be scaled through the AID-I. The fall armyworm is an invasive pest that attacks more than 80 different crops but has a particular preference for maize. Without proper control measures, the pest can decimate crops, threatening food security, incomes, and livelihoods.
Alongside maize, the AID-I team is making seed of improved legume varieties, including beans, soybean, pigeon peas, cowpea, and groundnuts available at the last mile. Legumes are nutritious and good for the soil, providing valuable nutrients like nitrogen (N) so farmers can use less fertilizer, save money, and protect soil health.
AID-I supports strengthening of strategically located seed stockists of improved legume varieties and linking seed growers and buyers. These stockists, called agricultural development agents will also receive training in community seed production. Through connection with hundreds of agricultural development agents in the first farming season with seed suppliers, hundreds of thousands of farmers will be able to access a wide variety of improved seed.
Members of the CIMMYT leadership team with representatives from the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency of International Development (USAID) visit AfriSeed in Zambia (Photo: CIMMYT)
Building strong relationships between public and private sector organizations is an integral part of the project. On January 16, 2023, long-term CIMMYT collaborator and AID-I key partner, AfriSeed hosted senior government officials from the United States Department of State (DOS) and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The visitors gained valuable insight into how private seed companies involved in the marketing and distribution of maize and legume seeds operate in Zambia and showed their crucial role in the countryâs seed sector.
Sieglinde Snapp (right), director, Sustainable Agrifood Systems Program, CIMMYT, poses with Mr, and Mrs. Banda, who are part of seed producers who sell seed to fellow farmers. (Photo: CIMMYT)
Smallholder farmers have long been considered purely subsistence producers without the capacity to participate in commercial value chains. This has led to their exclusion from many agribusiness enterprises which typically focus on medium- to large-scale growers.
Through the Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative (AID-I), the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and partners are supporting smallholder farmers to enter viable legume value chains. Soybean is one crop experiencing a rapidly expanding market. This is a unique opportunity for small-scale farmers to access a legume value chain, one that drives sustainable intensified farming for improved income and livelihoods.
In the Kasenengwa District, in eastern Zambia, Josephine Mbewe produces soybean for local oil production and grain traders who export the commodity to neighboring countries like Zimbabwe and Malawi. She is one of many farmers who are benefitting from the Agriculture Development Agent model, a concept that has been developed by CIMMYTâs implementation partner Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and scaled up in the AID-I project.
âFor years we always wanted to produce for the market, but the costs were just too high. In addition, we didnât exactly know who to sell to so this model really helps us as we sell our products locally but knowing that our aggregated produce will go to distant consumers. This model is helping us to have access to high quality inputs such as improved seed, crop chemicals, fertilizers, and other related products,â Mbewe said.
The Agriculture Development Agent model aims to create a consortium of village based agrodealers who double as seed producers multiplying seed and selling it to surrounding farmers. The same dealers buy back the grain and sell it to oil pressing companies and export commodity trading companies.
The AID-I project scales promising innovations with proven ability to address some of the systemic constraints that have discouraged agribusinesses from engaging with smallholder farmers.
âThis is a model that is leveraged on community social capital where trust exists between the ADA and the local farmer,â said James Nguluwe from CRS. âIssues related to seed diversion or side marketing of the harvested crop are kept at a bare minimum as farmers donât want to spoil their relationship with the Agriculture Development Agent and their general reputation within the community.â
âThe model is also catalytic to the use of improved seed as farmers have to produce using a particular seed type. The interactions with ADA over soya seed, production and reverse purchase set up has seen the farmers extending to procure improved maize varieties as well, as opposed to times past where they would recycle seed and reap poor harvests,â he said.
Paitana Mwanza, an ADA agreed and spoke of his positive experiences of the model.
âI have had no contractual breach with the farmers. When they buy the seed, we agree on a separate grain buy back arrangement â the farmers have always delivered as per agreement.â
For years, farmers have been growing recycled seed and use of improved seed has been very uncommon among smallholder farmers. Having a financial incentive where ADAs provide an assured market is proving to be a good enough incentive to facilitate behavioral change.
Agribusiness agents face high costs associated with aggregation of produce, which the Agriculture Development Agent model overcomes. Farmers are organized and supported by ADAs, who are registered market players that have been extensively trained in business practices, seed handling and seed and grain production. As such, both grain traders and processors can make a realistic profit through this innovative system that facilitates small-scale farmers accessing new markets.
One of the key objectives of the AID-I project is to ensure that participating in market systems is a choice for smallholder farmers and exclusion from viable value chains is a thing of the past. The Agriculture Development Agent model promises to transform not only eastern Zambia but the whole country at large.
Agriculture offers major solutions to several global challenges â most notably the tightly interlinked challenges of meeting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on hunger (SDG2), extreme poverty (SDG1), and climate change (SDG13). CGIAR, in concert with a wide network of partners, has a vital role to play in transforming agri-food and land systems in the face of the climate emergency â ultimately benefiting low-income producers and consumers who are most at risk.
What is Crops to End Hunger?
Crops to End Hunger (CtEH) is a CGIAR initiative to accelerate and modernize the development, delivery and widescale use of a steady stream of new crop varieties. These new varieties are developed to meet the food, nutrition and income needs of producers and consumers, respond to market demand and provide resilience to pests, diseases and new environmental challenges arising from climate change.
CGIARâs plant breeding program has made major contributions to global food security since the mid 1960s, but there is evidence that the rate of adoption of new varieties has slowed. CtEH will support the acceleration of breeding cycles and application of modern breeding methods needed for both productivity gains and climate change adaptation. Farmers need varieties bred in and for the current climate, but are generally using varieties selected 20-30 years ago. In addition, many new varieties are insufficiently improved to induce farmers to adopt them. Prioritization of crops by specific geographies is based on projected benefits to poverty reduction and nutrition, and is an integral dimension of the modernization effort. Using market research, crop breeders gain greater awareness of the traits preferred by men and women farmers, consumers and others along the value chain, integrating them into âproduct profilesâ that guide breeding. Delivery of varieties is done through integrated partnerships and linkages to seed systems in-country, in which national regulatory agencies take responsibility for the release of improved seeds, while public agencies, community organizations and private seed companies undertake multiplication, distribution and promotion to reach farmersâ fields.
In 2017-18, a multi-Funder group, including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), agreed to launch a modernization program for public plant breeding in lower-income countries. The CtEH initiative will invigorate breeding for the staple crops most important to smallholder farmers and poor consumers.
How does it work?
CtEH supports focused, science-based, well-resourced and long-term CGIAR Programs and investments in modern plant breeding on priority crops, which build on:
CGIARâs comparative advantages in global public goods research on crop breeding and genetics;
CGIARâs central role and responsibility for the conservation and characterization of the worldâs crop biodiversity, which is held in trust by CGIAR Research Centers for the world community.
This initiative aims to accelerate a transition in CGIAR crop breeding to address very different challenges from those faced in the Green Revolution. Twenty CGIAR crops, including cereals, legumes and root crops, have been chosen for this breeding initiative.
One part of this challenge is for breeding to modernize in terms of its objectives beyond pure yield gain â to address the expanding demand for improved varieties to meet biotic and abiotic stresses, such as climate change and environmental degradation, and to include a wider set of nutritional and market traits, as well as traits relevant to both end-users and value chains, which would increase the adoption rate of newly-bred varieties.
The first step towards modernization of breeding programs is to identify the gaps â the areas that need to be addressed or improved. The Breeding Program Assessment Tool (BPAT) has been developed for this purpose. The deployment of BPAT has been administered by the University of Queensland and has now been used to assess the breeding programs across CGIAR Research Centers. Examples of gaps include cross-CGIAR data management tools, access to low-cost genotyping, and sharing high-quality technical advice across programs and with partners.
What will result?
This process of improvement and modernization of CGIAR breeding programs will provide multiple benefits:
For a given level of investment it is anticipated that each breeding program will achieve increased rates of genetic gain and scale of impact â through adoption of farmer-preferred, market-demanded, climate-resilient varieties.
There will be further opportunity to integrate and support allied CGIAR crop programs, and to apply best practices across CGIAR Research Centers.
A stronger partnership and closer cooperation with national breeding programs, including national research institutes, universities and small and medium-sized enterprises in the private sector in low-income countries, as well as multilateral seed companies and advanced research institutes.
Adopting standardized ways of reporting needs, opportunities and progress will provide Funders with a transparent view of where and how they are getting high rates of return for their investment.
With this new initiative, CGIAR will enhance its contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals towards 2030 through high-priority staple crops tailored for the specific needs of targeted regions and their populations.
Bram Govaerts, Sieg Snapp, Minister Mtolo Phiri and Prassana Boddupalli pose at the conclusion of the high level meeting between CIMMYT and the Government of Zambia. (Photo: Tawanda Hove/CIMMYT)
Senior government officials in Zambia have embraced the rollout of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center’s (CIMMYTâs) new innovations which target smallholder farmers and agriculture-based value chain actors in the country.
On January 17, 2023, CIMMYT Director General Bram Govaerts met with Minister of Agriculture Reuben Mtolo Phiri. The Minister reassured Govaerts that the investments made by CIMMYT in the country had the Governmentâs full support.
Earlier this year, a delegation led by Cary Fowler, the US Special envoy for Global Food Security met the Minister and his team at the Government complex in Lusaka, Zambiaâs capital, to deliberate on a variety of agriculture development issues concerning the country.
Govaertsâ visit came off the back of the new Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative (AID-I), a CIMMYT-led project funded by the United Stated Agency for International Development (USAID). The project seeks to scale up promising innovations that could transform the maize and legume value chains within the southern African region, with a focus on Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania.
âAs the Government of Zambia, we intend to create a private sector driven economy for which agriculture plays a critical role. Having progressive partners like CIMMYT helps us achieve this cause and this new program is received with open arms,â said Phiri.
The aims of the AID-I project include strengthening seed systems, the promotion and adoption of stress-tolerant maize and legume varieties, demonstration of good agriculture practices that respond to the effects of climate change and addressing systemic constraints in maize and legume value chains.
Through AID-I, CIMMYT experts are working with over 20 global, regional, national and local partners including the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Catholic Relief Services (TLC), Total Land Care (TLC), the International Water Management Institution (IMWI) and World Vegetable Center.
Also attending the meeting was AID-I Technical Lead and CIMMYT Scientist Hambulo Ngoma who discussed some of the latest project activities.
âAs this project focuses on accelerated delivery, we have set up more than 40 demonstrations in eastern Zambia with the intention of showcasing stress-tolerant varieties for maize and legume under conservation agriculture. In addition, we are showcasing other good agriculture practices such as strip cropping which not only enhances intensified crop production but is a biological control for fall armyworm,â Ngoma said.
Hambulo Ngoma receiving a verbal vote of confidence from Zambian Minister of Agriculture Mtolo Phiri. (Photo: Tawanda Hove/CIMMYT)
The Minister appreciated the rationale of the project and indicated that participatory variety selection for farmers was crucial if they were going to maximize their yields and returns from farming.
Phiri further emphasized that CIMMYT and partnersâ investment in legume value chain strengthening came at a welcome time as upscaling soya bean production was a key priority in the Governmentâs strategic plan for agricultural development because of its export-ready market within the region.
âMarkets such as Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Tanzania can readily take up the soya we produce, and we are looking to export legumes such as soya and groundnuts to East Africa. This project therefore fits very well within our strategic road map,â Phiri said.
The demonstration plots set up by CIMMYT experts will help farmers grow the right varieties for their agro ecologies and have greater response capabilities to the export market opportunities the Government is facilitating.
The Minister also indicated that he hoped CIMMYT would assist in strengthening the countryâs capacity to deal with fall armyworm. CIMMYT Global Maize Program Director B.M. Prasanna reassured Phiri that through the Zambian Agriculture research Institute (ZARI), CIMMYT had already released three fall armyworm-tolerant varieties. He also discussed how the AID-I project would be instrumental in scaling up their uptake, especially amongst smallholder farmers who have minimal disposable income to buy enough pesticides to control the pest.
Concluding the meeting, Govaerts spoke of CIMMYTâs commitment to supporting Zambia achieve its food security and agricultural export goals.
âAs CIMMYT, we want you to recognize us as a listening partner. We are of the conviction that we can only combat climate change and achieve shared prosperity through the strength of convening power, where we leverage on each otherâs strength.â
As the project is focused on scaling existing promising technologies and innovations, rapid transformative results are on the horizon for the people of Zambia.
CIMMYT Director General Bram Govaerts, USAID Special Envoy for Global Food Security Carey Fowler, and USAID staff assess the new wheat variety trials at PYXUS. (Photo: CIMMYT/Tawanda Mthintwa Hove)
Scientists at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) are helping to scale up wheat production and productivity in Malawi.
The political conflict between Russia and Ukraine has disrupted food supply chains globally and Malawiâs wheat supply has been adversely affected. As a response, Pyxus Trading, the biggest agribusiness private company in Malawi, has endeavored to partner with CIMMYT to accelerate the growth of wheat production in the country.
At a recent visit by CIMMYTâs Director General Bram Govaerts, the executive management of Pyxus provided detailed updates of how CIMMYT has facilitated access to 100 improved wheat varieties now undergoing trials in Malawi. The visit was part of the Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative (AID-I), a new project funded by the United States of Agency for International Development (USAID).
Attending the Pyxus field visit was United States Department of State Special Envoy for Global Food Security Cary Fowler, Dina Esposito, Assistant to the Administrator at USAID Bureau of Resilience and Food Security, and other USAID staff.
Speaking at a field tour this January at the Pyxus farm headquarters, Commercial Manager John Gait expressed the importance of achieving self-sufficiency in countries like Malawi.
âItâs become very apparent with the global supply chain disruptions of wheat and related commodities that countries like Malawi should rise to a level of self-sufficiency for strategic commodities such as wheat,â Gait said. âThrough the help of CIMMYT, we managed to obtain materials for 100 varieties which we have put under trial. Our objective is to select varieties that are most adapted to our agroecology and provide us with satisfactory yields and grain quality sufficient for our processing ambitions.â
CIMMYT Sustainable Agrifood Systems (SAS) Director Sieg Snapp affirmed CIMMYTâs support for private sector companies like Pyxus.
âWhen they told me they were searching for high performing genetic materials I told them about the Global Wheat Program and how such material could easily be obtained from our headquarters in Mexico,â Snapp said. âI immediately facilitated linkages between Pyxus and CIMMYT headquarters which saw the quick delivery of the varieties. Considering that it was quite recent, I am impressed to see that the trials are already so well established.â
Multiple varieties on display at the Pyxus farm in Malawi imported from the CIMMYT gene bank in Mexico. (Photo: CIMMYT/Tawanda Mthintwa Hove)
Achieving global food security will require cooperation and collaboration between partners from different sectors. One of CIMMYTâs strategic thrusts is to encourage public-private partnerships where national governments can leverage on the competencies and capabilities of the private sector.
âWe aim to be catalytic in all our functions. We believe we have a critical role in ensuring that countries like Malawi have access to the best genetics to ensure that they meet their food requirements. I am happy Pyxus identified us a strategic partner to work with in their wheat program, and through working hand in hand with the government and other key players, the quest to achieve food self-sufficiency can have a shortened pipeline,â Govaerts said.
From left: Hambulo Ngoma, Moses Siambe, Bram Govaerts, Siege Snaap and Regis Chikowo observing the wheat trials supported by CIMMYT in Malawi. (Photo: CIMMYT/Tawanda Mthintwa Hove)
In addition to witnessing the wheat trials, Govaerts received a tour of the entire Pyxus operations which included the groundnut and forestry operations. Pyxus staff each took turns explaining the various business models the company was employing to contribute to Malawiâs export earnings and food security.
As a commitment to help Malawi realise increased wheat production, CIMMYT will be closely following the Pyxus trials and providing technical support to ensure that the best varieties adopted are rapidly scaled.
Delegates with other officials in front of the seminar room. (Photo: Biswajit/BWMRI)
Representatives from Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) paid a visit to Bangladesh to see the valuable work of the Precision Phenotyping Platform (PPP).
PPP was established in response to the devastating wheat blast disease, which was first reported in the country in 2016.
Technical and financial support from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), the Australian Commission for International Agricultural Research and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, along with other funders, has contributed to the effort to combat the disease.
This is achieved by generating precise data for wheat blast resistance in germplasm in Bangladesh, as well as other wheat growing countries. This PPP has been used to screen elite lines and genetic resources from various countries.
On February 16 and 17, 2023, two groups of national and international delegations visited the BWMRI-CIMMYT collaborative research platform PPP at the BWMRI regional station in Jashore, Bangladesh.
The first group was made up of representatives from both the Australian Commission for International Agricultural Research and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research. This included seven commissioners under the direction of Fiona Simson, along with ACIAR senior officials from Australia and India.
The other group was from BARC, which was led by Executive Chairman Shaikh Mohammad Bokhtiar, along with Golam Faruq, Director General of BWMRI, and Andrew Sharpe, Bangabandhu Research Chair, Global Institute of Food Security (GIFS), University of Saskatchewan in Canada.
Both delegations were welcomed by Muhammad Rezaul Kabir, the Senior Wheat Breeder at BWMRI. Kabir gave a brief presentation about the platform and other wheat blast collaborative research programs in the seminar room.
The delegations then went to the PPP field, where BWMRI researchers Kabir and Robiul Islam, as well as CIMMYT researcher Md. Harun-Or-Rashid, explained further information about the BWMRI-CIMMYT collaborative research. Both commissioners and delegates appreciated seeing the work being conducted in person by the national and international collaborations of BWMRI and CIMMYT on wheat blast research.
Visitors observing blast disease symptoms in wheat leaves. (Photo: Muhammad Rezaul Kabir/BWMRI)
âIt is important, innovative work, that is affecting not only Bangladesh but many countries around the world that are now starting to be concerned about the impacts of wheat blast,â commissioner Simson said. âThis study is very important for Australia and we are pleased to be contributing to it.â
Lindsay Falvey, another commissioner, added, âThis is a wonderful experiment, using high-level science and technologies to combat wheat blast in Bangladesh. The experiment is well-planned. Overall, it is an excellent platform.â
ACIAR delegate Eric Huttner added to the praise for the project. âThe platform is performing extremely well for the purpose of evaluating lines, resistance to the disease and thatâs very useful for Bangladesh and rest of the world,â he said. âThis is a gift that Bangladesh is giving to the neighboring countries to protect wheat.â
The delegates pledged to share their expert advice with the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Bangladesh in order to increase investments and improve facilities for agricultural research programs in the country.
Golam Faruq, Director General of BWMRI discussing the PPP with Shaikh Mohammad Bokhtiar, Executive Chairman of BARC (Photo: Md. Harun-Or-Rashid/CIMMYT)
âThis is an excellent work,â Executive Chairman of BARC, Bokhtiar said. âWe can get more information from screening activities by using bioinformatics tools and training people through the BARC-GIFS program.â
Pawan Kumar Singh, Head of Wheat Pathology at CIMMYT-Mexico and Project Leader, coordinated the visits virtually and expressed his thanks to the delegations for their visit to the platform. This PPP, within a short span of few years, has been highly impactful, characterizing more than 15,000 entries and releasing several resistant varieties in countries vulnerable to wheat blast.
Stewards Global, trading as Afriseed, is a Zambia seed systems intervention success story. Thanks to support from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and other partners such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Afriseed is transforming rural farmersâ livelihoods through supplying drought tolerant maize seed.
What began as a start-up in 2007 has since grown to be one of the leading companies in Zambiaâs seed industry. âI started this company with a team of three people. We did not have much, but we had a compelling vision,â says founder Stephanie Angomwile. âInitially, we were multiplying and distributing legume seed to the market as we had observed the deficit where it was very difficult for any serious farmer to procure improved and high-performing seed.â
âHaving set up the business, we were fortunate to get AGRAâs support to secure proper industrial premises where we could focus our operations and serve the Zambian market,â she explains. âUsing a basic drum seed dresser, we were able to churn out 100 metric tons of seed per season, which was quite impressive considering how rudimentary our equipment was.â
At this point, USAID bought into their vision and furnished Afriseed with a processing plant that could handle, sort, treat, and package seeds for both legume and maize. The company then pivoted to working with maize seed, based off the observation that most farmers were obtaining yields lower than the genetic potential of existing varieties.
âTo do so, Â it was quite clear that we needed an institution that could help us break into the maize seed industry dominated by large multinational seed companies,â Angomwile explains. âThis led us to partner with CIMMYT, which is a partnership that still exists today and has enabled us to accelerate our market penetration strategy through providing us with high-performing drought-tolerant genetics which are growing in popularity among farmers.â
Stephanie Angomwile gives a tour to representatives from the USAID special envoy and CIMMYT during a visit to Afriseed. (Photo: Tawanda Hove/CIMMYT)
The impact of CIMMYT support
Since 2017, CIMMYT has been working with Afriseed to help smallholder farmers access new and improved varieties that are drought-tolerant and can withstand seasonal weather variations induced by climate change. âAs CIMMYT, our role is not only to breed improved genetic material that farmers can take up, but also to support business development for the private sector through intensive capacity building programs that position such entities to be sustainable and to excel in the absence project support,â explains Hambulo Ngoma, an agricultural economist working with CIMMYT. The organization has provided Afriseed with two high performing varieties so far: AFS 635 and AFS 638. In addition, CIMMYT has supported Afriseed in stimulating demand within the smallholder farmer market through facilitating the establishment of demonstration plots and designing targeted seed marketing strategies.
During CIMMYT Director General Bram Govaertsâ recent visit to Zambia, Ngoma highlighted that the organization is aware that small-to-medium enterprises may be constrained with regards to marketing budgets and market development investments. âAs such, when we are convinced that there is a business case and an opportunity for a food security transformation, we usually support promising entities such as Afriseed with knowledge and resources to stimulate demand,â he said. âThis is of extreme importance as farmers growing old, recycled seed from ancient varieties need to transition to new, improved varieties.â
Govaerts said, âWe are happy we could contribute to the success of Afriseed in our own small way and we hope our partnership will take you to the next level.â
Afriseed has since grown and now comprises nearly 200 workers: 90 permanent staff and 110 casual workers during the peak season. Production has surged to an excess of 10,000 metric tons per season and there is a growing customer base stretching throughout all regions of the country. Angomwile is very grateful to have had a partner like CIMMYT, which facilitated Afriseedâs membership to the International Maize Consortium (IMC), a global body that provides access to an expanded genetic pool bringing exposure to new genetic gains. âBeing a member of IMC is definitely an advantage for us as an entity because the seed supply market is highly competitive,â she explains. âSo, we can now quickly become aware of the new genetic materials available and ask our research and development team â established through the immense support from CIMMYT â to develop new varieties for our target market.â
Through a series of exchange visits and trainings, CIMMYT has mentored the research and development team who are now in a position to breed their own varieties without external support. âThe number of farmers in high potential areas that are remotely located that are still growing recycled seed is still quite large,â says Peter Setimela, a seed systems specialist who was part of the mentoring team. âWe need to continuously render extensive support to entities such as Afriseed such that the seed quality deficiency gap can be greatly reduced.â
As the rains have been in abundance during this 2022/23 season, there is high anticipation that farmers who have grown seed from reputable seed suppliers such as Afriseed, are set for a bumper harvest.
Cover photo: Afriseed staff preparing legume seeds for processing in Zambia. (Photo: Agricomms)
CIMMYT scientists and private sector partners photographed during a dinner hosted by CIMMT Director General Bram Govaerts in Lilongwe, Malawi. (Photo: Tawanda Hove/CIMMYT)
Goal 17 of the United Nationsâ Sustainable Development Goals calls to “Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development”. The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) answered this call to action by recently hosting a collaborative dinner to strengthen ties between the Center, the private sector and government partners in Malawi.
Hosted by CIMMYT Director General Bram Govaerts, the dinner followed a visit by US Special Envoy for Global Food Security Cary Fowler, Dina Esposito, Assistant to the Administrator, USAID Bureau of Resilience and Food Security and other USAID staff to discuss and witness the new Accelerated Innovation for Delivery Initiative (AID-I) in action.
âThe challenges of today do not require a single sector approach but a pluralistic one in which partners from the private, public sectors agree to work hand in hand with science for impact organizations like CIMMYT and other CGIAR centers,â said Govaerts in his keynote address at the event. âI am very grateful for your support and your presence today is a testimony or our harmonious solidarity and spirit of collaboration in addressing food and nutrition security.â
Govaerts engages with government and agro industry captains in a dinner hosted in Lilongwe, Malawi. (Photo: Tawanda Hove/CIMMYT)
The meeting was attended by seed industry players, agricultural input distributors, food processors and Government representatives including Director of Agriculture Research Services Grace Kaudzu, who expressed her appreciation for the gathering.
âAs government, our role is to create an enabling environment for the private sector to thrive and progressive development partners are always welcome. Such gatherings enable us to hear the needs of colleagues and partners from other sectors to create this environment,â she said.
Malawi has established an ambitious roadmap where legume exports and maize production are to be significantly scaled up. The AID-I project dovetails with this roadmap as it focuses on strengthening maize and legume seed systems and addressing systemic constraints in both value chains.
The dinner further facilitated private sector players to meet various CIMMYT specialists ranging from seed system experts, soil scientists, breeders and plant physiologists. According to Peter Setimela, a seed system specialist at CIMMYT, such meetings are critical as they enable a diversity of partners to know what the other has to offer.
âCIMMYT has a lot of expertise which these private sector partners can take advantage of,â Setimela said.
The AID-I project seeks to scale up existing and high potential innovations, technologies and business models as opposed to initiating new ones. This only makes sense considering that the implementation period is only two years and scaling up existing innovations give greater prospects for success.
CIMMYT Regional Representative Moses Siambi labelled the event a success citing the huge turnout of the partners.
âThe effectiveness of our interventions is dependent on the strength of the relationships we have with our partners. Such a massive attendance is indicative of cordial relations between CIMMYT and the private sector in conjunction with the government,â Siambi said.
Govaerts closed the event by stressing that through harnessing the potential of convening power, the future is bright regardless of the reality of climate change and geopolitical conflicts.
Harish Gandhi is a Breeding Lead for Dryland Legumes and Cereals in CIMMYT’s Genetic Resources program in Kenya. He is a transformative plant breeding and genetics professional, with more than 15 years experience of driving genetic gains, building effective teams, and pioneering innovative research and development.
