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CIMMYT director general gains insights into breeding activities at Kiboko research facility

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in News.

In a September 12 visit to CIMMYT facilities on the agricultural research station of the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) at Kiboko, Bram Govaerts, CIMMYT director general, extolled the longstanding partnership with KALRO and suggested creating a platform to speed access of national researchers to improved breeding lines and populations.

Located 155 kilometers southeast of Nairobi in a dryland area better suited to raising cattle, goats, sheep, and camels than row crops, the Kiboko station comprises more than 15,000 hectares, with controlled irrigation systems, and has allowed efficient selection for tolerance to drought and insect pests in Africa-adapted maize, as well as the development of dryland crops such as pigeon pea, sorghum and groundnuts.

“Our recent work where we open up our maize and wheat research platform for dryland crops highlights CIMMYT efforts to diversify cropping options for farmers in challenging settings, enhancing their livelihoods and farming system resilience,” Govaerts said.

Govaerts, Das and Beyene listen to laboratory staff explain advances in climate-resilient maize. (Photo: Marion Aluoch/CIMMYT)

Yoseph Beyene, CIMMYT maize breeding coordinator for Africa, described collaborative efforts to speed the breeding and deployment of climate-resilient varieties. “This work covers maize breeding and seed system networks, participatory engagement with farming communities through on-farm trials, interactions and sharing with global partners, and documenting the adoption of stress tolerant maize in sub-Saharan Africa,” Beyene explained.

CIMMYT data show that drought-tolerant maize varieties derived from shared research of the Center, CGIAR and partners are being sown on more than 6 million hectares in 9 countries of eastern and southern Africa, benefitting an estimated 38 million people and producing additional grain worth as much as US$1.5 billion each year.

Beyene added that the expansion of on-farm testing to over 1,000 locations in eastern and southern Africa has enabled CIMMYT to assess preferences and genotype-by-environment interactions which, along with support from the seed systems team regarding small-scale farmers’ acceptance of drought-tolerant maize hybrids, have underpinned the development of successful hybrids.

A prominent stop on Govaerts’s tour was the maize double haploid (DH) facility established in Kiboko in 2013, with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Govaerts examines improved fall armyworm tolerant experimental varieties. (Photo: Marion Aluoch/CIMMYT)

Long used by private seed companies, the double haploid approach generates inbred lines that are completely “homozygous,” wherein genes on each pair of chromosomes are identical. It achieves this in a single year, compared to three to four years for conventional inbreeding, which can produce lines that may not be purely homozygous and are thus less useful for breeders.

“The facility offers double haploid line production services for organizations throughout Africa and is key to increasing genetic gains in maize breeding,” said Aparna Das, technical program manager for CIMMYT’s Global Maize Program.

Govaerts also visited the fall armyworm (FAW) artificial screening site and experiments in which CIMMYT scientists are evaluating five new FAW-tolerant experimental varieties for possible sharing with partners. In the fall armyworm screening facility, a team works to integrate and test ecofriendly crop management solutions against fall armyworm, critical research to safeguard agricultural production against this highly destructive insect pest.

“The excellent teamwork and facilities at Kiboko point up multiple opportunities for KALRO and CIMMYT to continue joint work that advances agricultural science to benefit farmers and consumers,” Govaerts concluded.

Davaatseren Narmandakh

Written by mcallejas on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Dashaa is an Agricultural and Development Economist based in Kenya. She joined CIMMYT in April 2023.

Before joining CIMMYT, Dashaa worked at the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) and Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) as a Research Associate, as a Consultant for the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Mongolia, and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture of Mongolia as an economist/policy specialist.

Dashaa has a PhD in Agricultural Economics from the University of Tokyo.

SPG Coalition: CIMMYT is a leading organization for climate-smart agriculture, nutrient-use efficiency, and pest and fertilizer management

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in Blogs.

The Coalition on Sustainable Productivity Growth for Food Security and Resource Conservation (SPG Coalition) brings together researchers, non-governmental organizations, and private sector partners to advance a world with greater access to nutritious food and affordable diets. The Coalition recognizes that increasing the productivity of natural resources through climate adaptation and mitigation is instrumental to reaching this goal.

In a recent report, the SPG Coalition provides a path forward for NGOs, research institutions, and government agencies to strengthen agrifood and climate policies. The report contains real-life, evidence-based examples to further the sustainable production and conservation of natural resources, detailing the potential impacts on social, economic, and environmental conditions.

CIMMYT features prominently in the report as a leading organization focused on 4 main areas: climate-smart agriculture, nutrient-use efficiency (NUE), and pest and fertilizer management.

Nutrient-use efficiency and fertilizer management

While chemical fertilizers increase crop yields, excessive or improper use of fertilizers contributes to greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and increases labor costs for smallholders. Efficient NUE is central to nutrient management and climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Women using spreader for fertilizer application. (Photo: Wasim Iftikar/CSISA)

In India, CIMMYT, along with the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA), CGIAR Research Centers, and regional partners, tested digital tools like the Nutrient Expert (NE) decision support tool which measures proper fertilizer use for optimized yields and provides nutrient recommendations based on local soil conditions.

The majority of smallholders who applied the NE tool reported higher yields while emitting less GHG emissions by 12-20% in wheat and by around 2.5% in rice as compared with conventional fertilization practices. Farmers also recorded double economic gains: increased yields and reduced fertilizer costs. Wider government scaling of NE could enhance regional food security and mitigate GHG emissions.

The Feed the Future Nepal Seed and Fertilizer (NSAF) project, led by CIMMYT and USAID, advocates for climate-smart agriculture by linking smallholders with improved seed, providing capacity-building programs, and promoting efficient fertilizer use. With a vast network established with the support from the Government of Nepal, NSAF successfully provides smallholders with expanded market access and nutritious and climate-resilient crop varieties.

Climate-smart maize breeding 

Since its arrival to sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) in 2016, fall armyworm (FAW) has devastated maize harvests for countless smallholders on the continent. Economic uncertainty caused by unstable yields and climate stressors like drought coupled with this endemic pest risk aggravating food insecurity.

Fall armyworm. (Photo: Jennifer Johnson/CIMMYT)

CIMMYT and NARES Partner Institutions in Eastern and Southern Africa are spearheading a robust pest management project to develop, screen, and introduce genetically resistant elite maize hybrids across SSA. South Sudan, Zambia, Kenya, and Malawi have already deployed resistant maize varieties, and eight other countries in the region are projected to release their own in 2023. These countries are also conducting National Performance Trials (NPTs) to increase awareness of host plant resistance for the sustainable control of FAW and to sensitize policymakers on accelerating the delivery of FAW-tolerant maize varieties.

The establishment of FAW screening facilities in Africa permits more rapid detection and breeding of maize varieties with native genetic resistance to FAW, facilitating increased deployment of these varieties across Africa. The sustainable control of FAW demands a rapid-response effort, overseen by research organizations and governments, to further develop and validate genetic resistance to fall armyworms. Achieving greater impact for maize smallholders is critical to ensuring improved income and food security in Africa. It is also paramount for biodiversity conservation and removing labor burden on farmers applying additional synthetic pesticides to prevent further losses by the pest.

“The SPG Coalition report emphasizes the power of partnership to enhance financial and food security for smallholder communities in the Global South. This is fully in line with the recently launched CIMMYT 2030 strategy. It’s also an important reminder to assess our strong points and where more investment and collaboration is needed,” said Bram Govaerts, CIMMYT director general.

Building capacities for advanced modern breeding programs in Africa

Written by Susan Otieno on . Posted in News.

In December 2022, more than 40 scientists from African National Agricultural Research Institutes (NARI) and Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) seed companies received training on the design and implementation of modern maize breeding programs.

The training, explains Yoseph Beyene, project leader in the Accelerating Genetic Gains (AGG) – Maize project, was designed to improve maize breeders’ knowledge of the most advanced technologies and methodologies in order to increase genetic gains in their respective breeding programs. It was supported by AGG-Maize and the CGIAR Accelerated Breeding Initiative (ABI) and formed part of ongoing efforts to modernize NARI breeding programs under AGG-Maize.

Yoseph Beyene, Accelerating Genetic Gains-Maize Project leader, makes introductory remarks at the start of the Senior Breeders Training in Nairobi, Kenya. (Photo: Susan Otieno/CIMMYT)

Over the course of five days in Nairobi, Kenya, participants from 13 countries where AGG-Maize is implemented worked to develop their skills in the use of new technologies and approaches to improving genetic gains and breeding efficiencies. Topics covered included the prioritization of market segmentation and product profile development, application of quantitative genetics principles in maize breeding, seed production research, improved designs for regional on-farm trials, and much more.

“The training was an eye opener supported by detailed explanations on applications of diverse research methodologies in maize breeding,” said Isiah Aleri, a research assistant for the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center’s (CIMMYT) Maize Program in Kenya. “I met teams who had different views on some breeding techniques, but later received guided explanations from trainers on why certain standards and requirements are set for effective decision making.”

Veronica Ogugo, a research associate in the same CIMMYT program, agreed saying: “It was very educative and in-depth in all the areas that were covered by the different specialists. The best part was that each of the components complimented one another.” She added that the training also offered a good opportunity for interaction with other experts.

B.M. Prasanna, CIMMYT Global Maize Program director, speaks at the Senior Breeders Training in Nairobi, Kenya. (Photo: Susan Otieno/CIMMYT)

What and whom to breed for

In his opening remarks at the training, B.M. Prasanna, Global Maize Program director at CIMMYT, noted the need for efficient use of limited resources, and encouraged scientists to work smartly, for instance, by leveraging available germplasm across phenotyping networks from other regions to diversify germplasm base for increased genetic gains. He emphasized the importance of clearly determining market segments and developing product profiles that have clear objectives, as well as the key traits to be considered, such as tolerance to drought, heat, and pests and diseases like fall armyworm.

Prasanna highlighted zinc as an example of an important feature to focus on, pointing out the micronutrient’s vital role in mental well-being and its immune boosting properties, especially in children. “Different geographies have different ways of using maize,” he explained. “In general, maize provides 15-56% of total calorie intake in the rain-fed tropics, hence its importance for improving not only smallholder farmer incomes but also food and nutrition security.”

He also outlined how important partnerships with national programs and seed companies are for achieving the fullest impact of CIMMYT’s work. “The strong regional collaborative maize breeding and seed systems is fundamental for impact,” he said. “It is also the reason for arguably the largest public sector maize germplasm testing network in the Global South, in rain-fed stress-prone tropical environments.”

CIMMYT at the AIM for Climate Summit

Written by Alison Doody on . Posted in News.

Sieg Snapp, Tek Sapkota, and partners photographed during AIM for Climate (Photo: CIMMYT)

As climate change threats accelerate, new technologies, products, and approaches are required for smallholder farmers to mitigate and adapt to current and future threats. Targeting smallholder farmers will benefit not only the farmers but the entire agri-food system through enhanced locally relevant knowledge that harnesses handheld sensors and advisories on management options, soil status, weather, and market information.

The Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate / AIM4C) seeks to address climate change and global hunger by uniting participants to significantly increase investment in, and other support for, climate-smart agriculture and food systems innovation over five years (2021–2025).

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), as a partner of AIM for Climate, organized a breakout session titled “Smart Smallholder Fertilizer Management to Address Food Security, Climate Change, and Planetary Boundaries” during the AIM for Climate Summit in Washington DC, May 8-10, 2023.

Fertilizers are essential for increasing crop yields and ensuring food security, yet fertilizer use for food and fodder is severely skewed at the global level, leading to over-fertilization in some regions and under-fertilization in others.

Farmers in low-income countries are highly vulnerable to fertilizer supply shortages and price spikes, which have direct consequences for food prices and hunger. Improving fertilizer efficiency and integrated organic and inorganic sources is important globally as nutrient loss to the environment from inappropriate input use drives greenhouse gas emissions and pollution.

Innovation Sprint

Because smallholder farmers are the primary managers of land and water, the CIMMYT-led AIM4C Innovation Sprint, Climate-Resilient soil fertility management by smallholders in Africa, Asia, and Latin America is designed to implement and scale-up a range of climate robust nutrient management strategies in 12 countries, and to reach tens of millions of smallholder farmers in close collaboration with nearly 100 public-private partners organizations.

Sieg Snapp called for more investments in data synthesis (Photo: CIMMYT)

Strategies include innovations in extension where digital tools enable farmer-centered private and public advisories to increase the uptake of locally adapted nutrient management practices. Connecting farmers to investors and markets provides financial support for improved nutrient management.

By tailoring validated fertility management practices to their specific conditions, and integrated use of legumes and manure, smallholders will optimize productivity, enhance climate resilience, and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Research from other organizations has determined that improved fertilizer management can increase global crop yield by 30% while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Right place, right time

“We need locally adapted fertilizer management approaches that work for smallholder farmers. By tailoring validated fertility management practices to their specific conditions, smallholders will optimize productivity, enhance climate resilience, and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions,” said Sieg Snapp, CIMMYT’s Sustainable Agricultural Systems Program Director. She continued, “What is needed now is major investment in data synthesis. Through this SPRINT we are exploring options to enable taking sensors to scale, to reach tens of millions of farmers with hyper-local soils information.”

Inequality is the core of the problem in fertilizer management: some regions apply more than the required amount, where in other regions fertilizer application is insufficient for plant needs, leading to low yields and soil degradation.

Tek Sapkota spoke on fertilizer management (Photo: CIMMYT)

“Fertilizer efficiency can be improved through application of the right amount of fertilizer using the right source employing the right methods of application at the right time of plant demand,” said Tek Sapkota, CIMMYT Senior Scientist, Agricultural System/Climate Change.

The session included presentations by the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR), UN Foundation, Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), USDA, and Alliance of CIAT-Bioversity. Highlights sustainable and climate-smart practices in Pakistan, novel plant genetics for improved nitrogen cycling, and soil water and nutrient management in the Zambezi to tackle food security and climate change challenges.

On-farm-Maize Select

Written by Leslie Domínguez on . Posted in Uncategorized.

The On-farm-Maize Select project will pilot a new genomics-driven selection method based on on-farm performance of Stage 1 maize breeding materials that is expected to deliver increased rates of genetic gain to the farmers through:

  • More accurate selection for the conditions of small-scale producers in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), especially women and the poorest farmers, who often apply fewer inputs.
  • Improved sampling of the diversity of on-farm conditions across the entire target population of environments (TPE).
  • Improved understanding of the diversity of socio-economic factors, agronomic management (especially by women), and environmental on-farm conditions across the TPE.
  • Genomic-assisted rapid recycling of parents (population improvement) to reduce breeding cycle time.
  • Improved social inclusion in breeding processes, leading to greater gender responsiveness and wider appeal of breeding outputs.

The hypothesis is that generating genomic estimated breeding values (GEBVs) based on on-farm phenotyping will lead both to increased selection accuracy for performance under farmer management, including challenging conditions that women and the poorest farmers face, and enable rapid cycling of parents by reducing the number of years of testing before new crosses are made. This hypothesis will be initially tested by estimating expected genetic gain on-station and on-farm based on the genetic correlation between on-station and gender-disaggregated on-farm performance of the same set of genotypes, as well as the repeatability of selection on-station versus on-farm. The value of on-farm versus on-station testing for estimating GEBVs for parent selection and early-stage advancement will be confirmed in two selected CIMMYT maize breeding pipelines (one each in eastern and southern Africa – EA-PP1 and SA-PP1) by comparing the performance on-farm of a sample of Stage 1 breeding lines from the second cycle of on-farm vs on-station selection. The efficacy and costs of undertaking on-farm genomic selection versus on-station selection at Stage 1 of the two selected breeding pipelines will also be evaluated.

Key Outputs

  • The genetic correlation between, and accuracy of estimation of, on-farm and on-station breeding values will be measured in terms of ability to predict performance under farmer management. This will enable comparison of the relative efficiency of direct selection on-farm versus indirect selection on-station. We expect that increased on-farm genetic gains will be achieved if the genetic correlation between on-farm and on-station performance is 0.8 or less.
  • Elite breeding populations improved for on-farm performance will be generated, and products extracted from them will be compared on-farm with those selected the same founder populations using conventional on-station selection (comparison of the products of the pipelines will not be possible until the second project phase, if approved).
  • Separate GEBVs generated for lines under the management of male and female farmers, with genetic correlations estimated to ensure that performance on female-managed farms is adequately weighted in selection indices.
  • Genomic-assisted on-farm sparse testing network, experimental design and capacity developed.
  • Improved representativeness of results due to enhanced gender and social inclusion approaches in the on-farm trial design.

Expected Outcomes

  • Greater rates of genetic gain delivered on-farm through more extensive sampling of TPEs
  • Improved accuracy of selection based on performance in farmers’ fields in the TPE.
  • Incorporation of farmer-preferred traits in selection decisions supports faster replacement of older hybrids with newer products.

Counties Urged To Scale Up And Adopt Pest Control Technologies

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in In the media.

Scientists from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) suggest counties in Kenya should scale up and accelerate the adoption of technologies that can control and prevent Maize Lethal Necrosis (MLN) and fall armyworm (FAW) to achieve higher maize yields.

Although the technologies exist, many farmers have little information on how to implement them.

Seed companies and senior officials from the Ministry of Agriculture could play a key role in disseminating information, as could mobile phone technology and emerging digital innovation platforms.

Read the original article: Counties Urged To Scale Up And Adopt Pest Control Technologies

Plant Health Innovation Platform at Kiboko, Kenya: integrating and testing eco-friendly solutions against fall armyworm

Written by Susan Otieno on . Posted in News.

Smallholder farmers and agricultural extension officers assessing Integrated Pest Management Packages (IPMs) treatments against fall armyworm at the Plant Health Innovation Platform at the KALRO Kiboko Research Station in Kenya. (Photo: Peter Kinyumu/CIMMYT)

CGIAR’s Plant Health Initiative (PHI) is testing integrated pest management (IPM) packages against fall armyworm (FAW) in partnership with smallholder farmers and agricultural extension officers at the Plant Health Innovation Platform at the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) Kiboko Research Station in Kenya.

The IPM packages comprise 18 combinations of treatments, including maize varieties with native genetic resistance to FAW, biopesticides, biological control agents, push-pull system, and bean varieties.

“This is a unique opportunity to identify eco-friendly and cost-effective IPM packages against a major pest like FAW through participatory engagement of smallholder farmers and extension personnel,” said BM Prasanna, Global Maize Program Director at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and CGIAR Plant Health Initiative Lead. “Also In our efforts against FAW, three FAW-tolerant maize hybrids have been recommended for release after national performance trials in Kenya.”

CIMMYT Global Maize Program Director and CGIAR Plant Health Initiative Lead, BM Prasanna explaining to smallholder farmers and agricultural extension officers; CGIAR’s Plant Health Initiative (PHI) testing of integrated pest management (IPM) packages against fall armyworm (FAW) at KALRO Kiboko, Kenya. (Photo: Susan Otieno/CIMMYT)

Participatory assessment

Participating farmers and extension personnel made their first assessment of the IPM combinations at the vegetative stage on November 8, 2022.

“With this second assessment on February 7, 2023, farmers and extension personnel are evaluating the same IPM combinations for their yield potential, which means the plants need to be not only healthy but also productive. The farmers are also looking at the quality of the maize ears, and the level of ear and kernel damage by the pest, if any. These assessments both at the vegetative and reproductive stages are critical for us to conclude this experiment and draw appropriate inferences,” Prasanna said.

Researchers will analyze the efficacy of the scoring of different IPM treatments by the farmers and from the vegetative/foliar and reproductive/harvest stages. In addition, scientists will conduct a cost-benefit analysis for each IPM treatment to identify relevant IPM packages that can be potentially scaled. Prasanna noted the initial scoring by the scientists and farmers were highly comparable.

The trials engaged farmers and extension workers from five different counties in Kenya. “The Plant Health Initiative is keen on co-creation and co-validation and taking an inclusive, participatory approach to innovations,” said Prasanna. He added that such an approach is vital for buy-in by the farmers, who need to be active partners in effectively scaling the selected IPM packages.

Farmers participating in the Field Day at the Innovation Platform applauded the initiative to involve them in validating solutions to manage FAW and expressed their eagerness to have the innovations in their hands. The farmers also had opportunities to ask questions, provide preliminary verbal feedback, and receive immediate clarification from the scientists to their queries.

”I know a farmer who has trained his two sons to go to every plant and kill the armyworm physically. You can imagine the time and energy that takes,” said Justice Kimeu, a farmer from Makueni County, Kenya. “Let the innovative methods we have seen here reach every farmer across the country.”

A participant giving his preliminary observations on the Integrated Pest Management Packages (IPMs) treatments against fall armyworm at the Plant Health Innovation Platform at the KALRO Kiboko Research Station in Kenya. (Photo by Peter Kinyumu/CIMMYT)

Plant Health Innovation Platform catalyzes collaboration

The Plant Health Innovation Platform at Kiboko brings together different innovations developed by the collaborating institutions: CIMMYT, KALRO, International Center for Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), AgBiTECH, Center for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI), and Farmfix Africa.

“Robust data is being generated on the efficacy and cost-benefit of various IPM combinations. After data analysis, 2-3 few specific IPM packages will be identified based on efficacy against FAW, cost effectiveness, affordability to smallholder farmers, and potential for rapid scale up,” Prasanna said.

Besides the FAW Innovation Platform at Kiboko, Kenya, the CGIAR Plant Health Initiative is operating eight other Innovation Platforms in Benin, Cameroon, Nigeria, Uganda, Lebanon, Philippines, Ecuador, and Colombia. Each of these platforms bring together diverse institutions engaged in developing game-changing solutions in managing key pests and diseases in the Initiative’s primary crops that include maize, banana, cassava, potato, sweet potato, rice, yam, sorghum, wheat, millets, legumes, and vegetables.

CGIAR Initiative: Seed Equal

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Inadequate seed supply and delivery systems, sometimes also misaligned with user and market demand, mean that smallholders often recycle seed or use older varieties, leaving them more vulnerable to pests and diseases.  Small-scale farmers, especially women and other disadvantaged groups, are particularly vulnerable to climate-related challenges, such as more frequent and severe droughts and erratic rainfall. Additionally, farmers may not be well informed about varietal options available to them or may be reluctant to experiment with new varieties. These challenges threaten agricultural production and can compromise their ability to meet their own food, nutrition and income needs.  

Improved varieties, innovations and approaches developed and promoted by CGIAR and partners could transform agrifood systems and reduce yield gaps, “hunger months” and other disparities. However, limited access to and use of affordable, quality seed of well-adapted varieties with desired traits, means these bottlenecks remain. 

This Initiative aims to support the delivery of seed of improved, climate-resilient, market-preferred and nutritious varieties of priority crops, embodying a high rate of genetic gain to farmers, ensuring equitable access for women and other disadvantaged groups.

This objective will be achieved through:

  • Supporting demand-driven cereal seed systems for more effective delivery of genetic gains from One CGIAR cereal breeding, as well as improving government, private sector and farmer-based capacity to deliver productive, resilient and preferred varieties to smallholders. 
  • Boosting legume seed through a demand-led approach that builds on growing demand for grain legumes. This multistakeholder approach will strengthen partnerships to provide efficient, more predictable and demand-led access to quality seed of new varieties. 
  • Scaling and delivering vegetatively propagated crop seed through sustainable enhanced delivery pathways that efficiently target different market segments and farmer preferences. 
  • Supporting partnerships (including with smallholders), capacity building and coordination to ensure uptake of public-bred varieties and other innovations by providing technical assistance for national agricultural research and extension systems (NARES) and foundation seed organizations in early-generation seed production and on-farm demonstrations. 
  • Developing and implementing policies for varietal turnover, seed quality assurance and trade in seeds by leveraging global expertise and experience to generate both the evidence and engagement necessary to advance efficient, sustainable, and inclusive seed markets that promote varietal turnover and wider adoption. 
  • Scaling equitable access to quality seed and traits in order to reach the unreached and provide inclusive access while addressing gender and social constraints and the digital divide. 

Engagement

This Initiative will work in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania as a priority, followed by other countries in Latin America, South and Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. 

Outcomes

Proposed 3-year outcomes include:

  1. Robust tools developed and used by funders, developers, researchers and extension staff to sustainably measure and monitor key seed system metrics. 
  2. Increase of 10% in the quantity of quality seed of improved “best-fit” and farmer-preferred varieties available to farmers in representative crops and geographies due to increased capacity of seed companies and other seed multipliers (including farm-based seed actors).  
  3. Public and private seed enterprises adopting innovative and transformative models for accessing, disseminating and multiplying quality early-generation seed, reducing cost and increasing output. 
  4. Reduction of 5% in weighted average varietal age for priority crops in selected countries.     
  5. Government partners in policy design and implementation actively promote policy solutions to accelerate varietal turnover, adoption and quality seed use. 

CGIAR Initiative: Accelerated Breeding

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Resource-poor farmers in low-income and middle-income countries will hugely benefit from improved crop varieties that perform better in terms of nutritional quality, income generation, water and nutrient use, stability of yields under climate change, and the needs of both women and men as farmers and as consumers.  

However, many smallholder farmers still grow old varieties, in part because they derive inadequate benefits from recent breeding efforts. To trigger timely adoption, new varieties must be widely available and affordable to farmers, and offer a step-change in performance through higher rates of genetic gain. A faster pace of varietal turnover is critical – to enable farmers to adapt and advance rapidly as climatic and market conditions change. 

Breeding programs also need a greater focus on developing farmer- and consumer- preferred varieties adapted to distinct production environments, markets and end uses. This can be facilitated by smarter design of breeding programs; stronger partnerships between CGIAR, National Agricultural Research and Extension Systems (NARES) and small and medium enterprises (SMEs); and strengthened organizational capacity.

This Initiative aims to develop better-performing, farmer-preferred crop varieties and to decrease the average age of varieties in farmers’ fields, providing real-time adaptation to climate change, evolving markets and production systems. 

The objective will be achieved through:

  • Re-focusing breeding teams and objectives on farmers’ needs, in particular the needs of women, through achievable product profiles and breeding pipelines targeting prioritized regions and market segments. 
  • Reorganizing breeding teams to drive efficiency gains through the coordinated engagement of specialists and processes using a common organizational framework, stage gates, key performance indicators and handover criteria. 
  • Transforming towards inclusive, impactful CGIAR-NARES-SME breeding networks with empowered partners, along with customized capacity building, standardized key performance indicators, and by dividing labor and resources across partners according to comparative advantage and aligned with national priorities. 
  • Discovering optimum traits and deployments through agile, demand-driven and effective trait discovery and deployment pipelines, and development of elite donor lines with novel and highly valuable traits. 
  • Accelerating population improvement and variety identification through optimizing breeding pipelines (trailing, parent selection, cycle time, use of Breeding Resources tools and services, etc.), with the goal of assuring all programs deliver market-demanded varieties that deliver greater rates of genetic gain per dollar invested. 

Engagement

This Initiative will work with breeding programs serving countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, and South Asia, along with Asia and Latin America. Priority countries for the Initiative include Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe in Africa, and Bangladesh and India in South Asia. 

Outcomes

Proposed 3-year outcomes include:

  1. At least 75% of breeding pipelines are oriented towards specific market segments, enabling greater focus on farmers’ needs, drivers of adoption, distinct impact areas and the strategic allocation of resources. 
  2. At least 70% of breeding pipelines use a revised organizational framework that provides operational clarity and effectiveness for specialized teams pursuing breeding outputs. 
  3. At least 80% of the breeding networks have implemented documented steps toward stronger partnership models where NARES and SMEs have increased breeding capacity, and make greater scientific, operational and decision-making contributions to the breeding process. 
  4. At least 50% of breeding pipelines are supported by a dedicated trait discovery and deployment program that delivers high-impact traits in the form of elite parental lines. 
  5. At least 70% of breeding pipelines have increased the rate of genetic gain in the form of farmer-preferred varieties, with at least 50% providing significantly improved varieties delivered to seed system recipients.    

KALRO research station at Kiboko revamped to accelerate crop breeding

Written by Susan Otieno on . Posted in News.

CIMMYT Global Maize Program Director and CGIAR Plant Health Initiative Lead, BM Prasanna cutting a ribbon at the entrance of a new shed housing, marking the commissioning of five new seed drying machines courtesy of the of the Accelerating Genetic Gains (AGG) Project. (Photo: Susan Otieno/CIMMYT)

Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO)’s research station at Kiboko, Kenya, where several partner institutions including the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), conduct significant research activities on crop breeding and seed systems, is now equipped with five new seed drying machines along with a dedicated shed to house these units, a cold room for storing breeding materials, and an additional irrigation dam/reservoir. These infrastructural upgrades are worth approximately US $0.5 million.

During the commissioning of the new facilities on February 7, 2023, CIMMYT Global Maize Program Director, BM Prasanna thanked the donors, Crops to End Hunger (CtEH) Initiative and Accelerated Genetic Gains (AGG) project, that supported the upgrade of the research station, and recognized the strong partnership with KALRO.

“Today is a major milestone for CIMMYT, together with KALRO, hosting this center of excellence for crop breeding. This facility is one of the largest public sector crop breeding facilities in the world, with hundreds of hectares dedicated to crop breeding. These new facilities will enable CIMMYT and KALRO crop breeders to optimize their breeding and seed systems’ work and provide better varieties to the farming communities,” said Prasanna.

Kenya suffered one of its worst droughts ever in 2022, and the newly commissioned facilities will support expedited development of climate-resilient and nutritious crop varieties, including resistance to major diseases and pests.

Visitors at the KALRO research station in Kiboko, Kenya, looking at the newly commissioned cold room storage. (Photo: Susan Otieno/CIMMYT)

Improvements and enhancements

The efficiency of the seed driers capabilities to quickly reduce moisture content in seed from above 30% to 12% in two to three days, reducing the time taken for seed drying and allowing for more than two crop seasons per year in a crop like maize.

The additional water reservoir with a capacity of 16,500 cubic meters will eliminate irrigation emergencies and will also enhance the field research capacity at Kiboko. Reliable irrigation is essential for accelerating breeding cycles.

At the same time, the new cold room can preserve the seeds up to two years, preventing the loss of valuable genetic materials and saving costs associated with frequent regeneration of seeds.

KALRO Director General Eliud Kireger officiating the opening of the cold room storage facility at KALRO research station at Kiboko, Kenya. Looking on is CIMMYT Global Maize Program Director, BM Prasanna. (Photo: Susan Otieno/CIMMYT)

World-class research center

“The Kiboko Research Center is indeed growing into an elite research facility that can serve communities in entire sub-Saharan Africa through a pipeline of improved varieties, not only for maize but in other important crops. This will not only improve climate resilience and nutrition, but will contribute to enhanced food and income security for several million smallholder farmers,” said Prasanna.

KALRO Director General Eliud Kireger appreciated the establishment of the new facilities and thanked CIMMYT and its partners for their support.

“Today is a very important day for us because we are launching new and improved facilities for research to support breeding work and quality seed production. This research station is in Makueni County, a very dry area yet important place for research because there is adequate space, especially for breeding,” said Kireger. “We are significantly improving the infrastructure at Kiboko to produce and deliver better seed to our farmers.”

For more than three decades, CIMMYT has conducted research trials at the Kiboko Research Station, focusing on drought tolerance, nitrogen use efficiency, and resistance to pests and diseases, such as fall armyworm and stem borer. The maize Double Haploid (DH) facility established in 2013 at Kiboko, with the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, offers DH line production service for organizations throughout Africa, and is key to increasing genetic gains in maize breeding.

On Africa’s farms, the forecast calls for adaptation and innovation

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in In the media.

On a visit to Kenya, Bill Gates had the opportunity to learn how smallholder farmers like Mary Mathuli are adapting their practices to account for the impacts of climate change.

Mathuli drew attention to the innovations that are making her life easier, such as drought-tolerant maize seed varieties developed by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and the Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO). She also cited her mobile phone as a vital tool, allowing her access essential information, such as weather forecasts, market prices, and technical farming support.

“In sub-Saharan Africa, more than half of the population works in agriculture,” explains Gates. “Together, they produce about 80 percent of the continent’s food supply. And most of the people doing the backbreaking farm work—like the chores I performed—are women.”

In addition to managing her farm, Mathuli is a model farmer and Village Based Advisor with the Cereal Growers Association, encouraging other farmers to adopt new practices that will improve their productivity. “She is clearly doing a good job in this role because more than 90 percent of farmers in her area have embraced one of the new adaptation practices,” said Gates.

Read the original article: On Africa’s farms, the forecast calls for adaptation and innovation

Michael Kariuki Ndegwa

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Michael Ndegwa is a Market and Value Chain Specialist at CIMMYT with experience in evaluating agricultural policies and technologies using cutting edge evaluation methodologies. As a scientist in the SAS program, he is currently working on strategies for enhancing the performance of seed systems in East Africa, with a particular focus on seed marketing innovations for achieving faster varietal turnover. He has also conducted research on innovative models for financing and derisking agricultural production for smallholders in Africa, evaluation of postharvest technologies such as hermetic bags and metal silos, evaluation of drought maize varieties, among other research agenda.

Geoffrey Muricho

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Geoffrey Muricho works for CIMMYT as a Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Specialist based in Nairobi. Before joining CIMMYT, he was a scientist (Monitoring, Learning and Evaluation Specialist) at ICRISAT where he coordinated monitoring, learning and evaluation activities of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funded projects (TL III, HOPE II and AVISA) in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

Besides monitoring, learning and evaluation, Geoffrey is an experienced research economists with expertise in agricultural technology adoption and impact assessments using quantitative and qualitative methods. Previously, he worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at International Center of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) where he focused his research on technology adoption, gender analysis and impact assessments. Before joining ICIPE, he worked as a Research Associate with CIMMYT and ICRISAT. Geoffrey obtained his PhD (Economics) and MSc. (Agricultural Economics) from the University of Nairobi. He also holds BSc (Agr. Econ).

In maize research, farmers’ priorities are our priorities

Written by Alison Doody on . Posted in Publications.

Figuring out what kinds of crops and crop varieties farmers want – high yielding, disease resistant, drought tolerant, early maturing, consumer-preferred, nutritious etc. – is a crucial step in developing locally adapted, farmer-friendly and market preferred varieties as part of more sustainable seed grain sectors.

While scientists aim to develop the best crop varieties with multiple traits, there are always trade-offs to be made due to the limits of genetics or competing preferences. For example, a variety may be more tolerant to drought but perform less well in consumer taste preferences such as sweet grains, or it may be higher yielding but more vulnerable to pests and diseases. Some of these trade-offs, such as vulnerability to pests or adverse climate, are not acceptable and must be overcome by crop scientists. The bundle of traits a crop variety offers is often a major consideration for farmers and can be the difference between a bumper harvest and a harvest lost to pests and diseases or extreme weather conditions.

Economists from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) have been working with smallholder farmers across sub-Saharan Africa to document their preferences when it comes to maize. Results from Ethiopia were recently published in the journal PLOS ONE.

In a survey with almost 1,500 participants in more than 800 households, researchers found that both male and female farmers valued drought tolerance over other traits. For many farmers in areas where high-yielding, medium-maturing hybrids were available, early maturity was not considered a priority, and sometimes even disliked, as farmers felt it made their harvests more vulnerable to theft or increased their social obligations to share the early crop with relatives and neighbors if they were the only ones harvesting an early maize crop. Farmers therefore preferred varieties which matured more in sync with other farmers.

The team also found some gender differences, with female farmers often preferring taste over other traits, while male farmers were more likely to prioritize plant architecture traits like closed tip and shorter plants that do not easily break in the wind or bend over to the ground. These differences, if confirmed by ongoing and further research, suggest that gender differences in maize variety choices may occur due to differentiated roles of men and women in the maize value chains. Any differences observed should be traced to such roles where these are distinctly and socially differentiated. In aspects where men and women’s roles are similar — for example, when women express preferences in their role as farmers as opposed to being custodians of household nutrition — they will prioritize similar aspects of maize varieties.

The results of the study show that overall, the most important traits for farmers in Ethiopia, in addition to those that improve yields, are varieties that are drought and disease tolerant, while in taste-sensitive markets with strong commercial opportunities in green maize selling, farmers may prioritize varieties that satisfy these specific consumer tastes. The findings of the study also highlight the impact of the local social environment on variety choices.

By taking farmers’ preferences on board, maize scientists can help develop more sustainable maize cropping systems which are adapted to the local environment and respond to global climatic and economic changes driven by farmers’ and consumers’ priorities.

Harvesting maize cobs at KALRO Katumani Research Station in Machakos, Kenya. (Photo: Peter Lowe/CIMMYT)

Drought and striga tolerance come out top for Kenyan farmers

In related research from western Kenya, published in June 2022 in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, results showed that farmers highly valued tolerance to drought, as well as tolerance to striga weed, low nitrogen soils and fall armyworm, in that order. CIMMYT researchers surveyed 1,400 smallholder farmers across three districts in western Kenya.

The scientists called for a more nuanced approach to seed markets, where seed prices might reflect the attributes of varieties. Doing so, they argue, would allow farmers to decide whether to pay price premiums for specific seed products thereby achieving greater market segmentation based on relative values of new traits.

“Both studies show that farmers, scientists and development experts in the maize sector are grappling with a wide array of demands,” said Paswel Marenya, CIMMYT senior scientist and first author of both studies.

“Fortunately, the maize breeding systems in CIMMYT, CGIAR and National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) have produced a wide range of locally adapted, stress tolerant and consumer preferred varieties.”

The results of both these studies provide a framework for the kinds of traits scientists should prioritize in maize improvement programs at least in similar regions as those studied here in central Ethiopia or western Kenya. However, as Marenya noted, there is still work to do in supporting farmers to make informed choices: “The challenge is to implement rigorous market targeting strategies that sort and organize this complex landscape for farmers, thereby reducing the information load, search costs and learning times about new varieties. This will accelerate the speed of adoption and genetic gains on farmers’ fields as envisaged in this project.”

Read the studies:

Maize variety preferences among smallholder farmers in Ethiopia: Implications for demand-led breeding and seed sector development

Building Resilient Maize Production Systems With Stress-Adapted Varieties: Farmers’ Priorities in Western Kenya

Cover photo: Roadside vendor sells roasted maize cobs to a customer in Timau, Kenya. (Photo: Peter Lowe/CIMMYT)