Location: Japan

Young CIMMYT scientist receives 2022 Japan Award for global research to combat wheat aphids

Written by Mike Listman on November 24, 2022. Posted in News.

“To meet expected wheat demand for 2050, production will need to double, which means increasing harvests nearly 70 kilograms per hectare each year,” said Leonardo Crespo-Herrera, CIMMYT wheat scientist and 2022 Japan Award recipient. “Breeding will be a major contributor, but better agronomic practices and policies will also be critical.” (Photo: CIMMYT)

International science to save wheat — a crucial food grain for 2.5 billion of the world’s poor — from a rising tide of insect pests known as aphids was lauded on November 22 with the 2022 Japan International Award for Young Agricultural Researchers (the Japan Award).

The 2022 Japan Award recognized novel breeding approaches to identify and select for genetic resistance in wheat to two species of aphids that cause wheat grain losses reaching 20% and whose rapid spread is propelled by rising temperatures.

Aphid resistant wheat can contribute to more sustainable food production, protecting farmers’ harvests and profits, while reducing the need to use costly and harmful insecticides, said Leonardo Crespo-Herrera, bread wheat improvement specialist for the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and one of the three 2022 Japan Award recipients.

“In addition to genetic yield potential, CIMMYT wheat breeding focuses on yield stability, disease resistance, and nutritional and end-use quality,” Crespo-Herrera explained. “Adding another target trait — aphid resistance — makes wheat breeding much more challenging.”

Efficient and effective field testing to confirm the genetics

Crespo-Herrera and his CIMMYT colleagues managed to identify and characterize genome segments responsible for aphid resistance in wheat and its near relatives, as well as running innovative field tests for a set of elite wheat breeding lines that were predicted to carry that resistance.

“With the aphid species called the greenbug, its feeding causes yellowing and necrotic spots on wheat, so we could actually measure and score wheat plants in plots that we deliberately infested with the aphids, keeping the resistant lines and throwing out the susceptible ones,” said Crespo-Herrera.

For the other species, the bird cherry-oat aphid, the only visible feeding damage is when the plants become stunted and die, so Crespo-Herrera and colleagues instead measured biomass loss and reduced growth in 1,000 artificially infested wheat lines, identifying a number of lines that had low scores for those measurements. Given that the lines tested came from a set that had already shown resistance to the greenbug, some of the successful lines feature resistance to both aphid species.

For the bird cherry-oat aphid, in two years of additional field tests, Crespo-Herrera and his team found that aphid populations were lower in plots sown with resistant wheat lines. “The experiments included remote sensing measurements that identified certain spectral signatures correlated with aphid populations; this may help us to assess resistance in future field trials.”

The researchers also found that a cutting-edge approach known as “genomic prediction” provided good estimations regarding promising, aphid-resistant wheat breeding lines.

Motivating young researchers in research and development

Established in 2007, the Japan Award is an annual prize organized by the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research Council (AFFRC) of Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) and supported by the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS). Awardees receive a $5,000 cash prize.

In an excerpt of an official note regarding Crespo-Herrera’s research, those agencies said “…This study has been highly evaluated for developing (wheat) lines that have been distributed worldwide for use in wheat breeding, and the methods of this study have been applied to develop varieties with resistance mechanisms against various kinds of insects, not only aphids.”

Crespo-Herrera thanked JIRCAS and MAFF for the award. “I feel honored to have been selected.”

BNI-enhanced wheat research wins 2021 Cozzarelli Prize

Written by Rodrigo Ordóñez on April 1, 2022. Posted in News.

The paper “Enlisting wild grass genes to combat nitrification in wheat farming: A nature-based solution” received the 2021 Cozzarelli Prize, which recognizes outstanding articles published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS). The paper was published as a joint research collaboration of Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) and Nihon University.

The study identifies of a chromosomal region that regulates the biological nitrification inhibition (BNI) ability of wheat grass (Leymus racemosus), a wild relative of wheat. It also outlines the development of the world’s first BNI-enhanced wheat, through intergeneric crossing with a high-yielding wheat cultivar.

This research result is expected to contribute to the prevention of nitrogen pollution that leads to water pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, reducing the use of nitrogen fertilizer while maintaining productivity.

Best of the year

PNAS is one of the most cited scientific journals in the world, publishing more than 3,000 papers per year on all aspects of science. A total of 3,476 papers were published in 2021, covering six fields: Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Biological Sciences, Engineering and Applied Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, Behavioral and Social Sciences, and Applied Biological, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

The Cozzarelli Prize was established in 2005 as the PNAS Paper of the Year Prize and renamed in 2007 to honor late editor-in-chief Nicholas R. Cozzarelli. It is awarded yearly by the journal’s Editorial Board to one paper from each field reflecting scientific excellence and originality. The BNI research paper received the award in the category of Applied Biological, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.

The awards ceremony will be held online on May 1, 2022, and a video introducing the results of this research will be available.

Recently, lead researcher Guntur V. Subbarao presented this research on a talk at Princeton University’s Center for Policy Research on Energy and the Environment: “Low-nitrifying agricultural systems are critical for the next Green Revolution.”

Fruitful collaboration

CIMMYT has collaborated with JIRCAS on BNI-enhanced wheat research since 2009, with funding from Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. CIMMYT is one of the founding members of the BNI Consortium, established in 2015.

The CGIAR Research Programs on Wheat (WHEAT) and Maize (MAIZE) co-funded BNI research since 2014 and 2019 respectively, until their conclusion at the end of 2021.

BNI research has been positioned in the “Measures for achievement of Decarbonization and Resilience with Innovation (MeaDRI)” strategy of Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and was also selected as one of the ministry’s “Top 10 agricultural technology news for 2021.”

Read the full article:
Enlisting wild grass genes to combat nitrification in wheat farming: A nature-based solution

CIMMYT-supported researcher earns doctorate for work on gender, maize value chains and food security

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on October 30, 2020. Posted in News.

Gebre received his doctorate in Agricultural and Resource Economics from Kyushu University, Japan.

On September 25, with financial and academic support from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Girma Gezimu Gebre upgraded his honorific from mister to doctor. Born in Dawuro zone, in southern Ethiopia, Gebre received his doctorate in Agricultural and Resource Economics from Kyushu University, Japan.

His dissertation—Gender Dimensions of the Maize Value Chain and Food Security: The Case of Dawuro Zone in Southern Ethiopia—was supported by CIMMYT through the Stress Tolerant Maize for Africa (STMA) project. Dil Rahut, global program manager of the socioeconomics and sustainable intensification programs at CIMMYT, served on his committee.

Asked about Gebre’s achievement, Rahut alluded to his hard work and dedication. “Desire is the starting point of all achievements while hard work and commitment are the end points of all the high achievements,” he said.

Gebre’s research explores how and to what degree gender plays a role in the adoption of improved maize varieties, maize productivity, maize market participation, and marketing channel choices, as well as food security among smallholder households across the maize value chain. Gebre already boasts published articles on the impact of gender on various dimensions of agriculture and agricultural development as well as various other topics— from the development of sustainable banana value chains in Ethiopia to barriers to farmers’ innovativeness.

At Kyushu University Gebre was awarded the 2020 Graduate School of Bioresources and Bioenvironmental Science “Outstanding Student Prize.” He was also awarded the 2020 Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics Prize in recognition of his excellent academic achievements and quality as a role model for other students.

Before pursuing a Ph.D., Gebre received a Master’s degree in Economics (Development Policy Analysis) from Mekelle University, Ethiopia, and a Master’s degree in Agricultural Production Chain Management—Horticulture Chain from Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. He has served as the coordinator of the postgraduate program in Agribusiness and Value Chain Management and as the head of the Department of Agricultural Economics at Aksum University, Ethiopia.

Norman Borlaug works with researchers in the field. (Photo: CIMMYT archives)

From east Asia to south Asia, via Mexico: how one gene changed the course of history

Written by on January 3, 2016. Posted in Features. 59 Comments on From east Asia to south Asia, via Mexico: how one gene changed the course of history

This story is one of a series of features written during CIMMYT’s 50th anniversary year to highlight significant advancements in maize and wheat research between 1966 and 2016.

EL BATAN, Mexico (CIMMYT) — In 1935, Japanese scientist Gonjoro Inazuka crossed a semi-dwarf Japanese wheat landrace with two American varieties resulting in an improved variety, known as Norin 10. Norin 10 derived varieties eventually ended up in the hands of Norman Borlaug, beginning one of the most extraordinary agricultural revolutions in history. This international exchange of germplasm ultimately saved hundreds of millions of people from starvation and revolutionized the world of wheat.

The journey of semi-dwarf wheat from Japan to Mexico may have begun in the 3^rd or 4^th century in Korea, where short wheat varieties are thought to have originated. From East Asia, wheat breeders began to seek and utilize dwarfing genes to breed varieties with high yield potential, resistance to lodging and the ability to produce more tillers than traditional varieties.

The term Norin is an acronym for the Japanese Agricultural Experiment Station spelled out using Latin letters. From 150 centimeters (cm) that other varieties measured, Norin 10 reduced wheat plant height to 60-110 cm. The shorter stature is a result of the reduced height genes Rht₁ and Rht₂.

Pictured above is a cross between Chapingo 53 - a tall variety of wheat that was resistant to a fungal pathogen called stem rust - and a variety developed from previous crosses of Norin 10 with four other wheat strains. Photo: CIMMYT — Pictured above is a cross between Chapingo 53 – a tall variety of wheat that was resistant to a fungal pathogen called stem rust – and a variety developed from previous crosses of Norin 10 with four other wheat strains. Photo: CIMMYT

Norin 10 began to attract international attention after a visit by S.D. Salmon, a renowned wheat breeder in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), to Marioka Agriculture Research Station in Honshu. Salmon took some samples of the Norin 10 variety back to the United States, where in the late 1940s Orville Vogel at Washington State University used them to help produce high-yielding, semi-dwarf winter wheat varieties, of which Gaines was the first one.

In neighboring Mexico, Norman Borlaug and his team were focusing their efforts on tackling the problem of lodging and rust resistance. After unsuccessfully screening the entire USDA World Wheat Germplasm collection for shorter and strong varieties, Borlaug wrote to Vogel and requested seed containing the Norin 10 dwarfing genes. Norin 10 was a lucky break, providing both short stature and rust resistance.

In 1953, Borlaug began crossing Vogel’s semi-dwarf winter wheat varieties with Mexican varieties. The first attempt at incorporating the Vogel genes into Mexican varieties failed. But after a series of crosses and re-crosses, the result was a new type of spring wheat: short and stiff-strawed varieties that tillered profusely, produced more grain per head, and were less likely to lodge. The semi-dwarf Mexican wheat progeny began to be distributed nationally, and within seven years, average wheat yields in Mexico had doubled. By 1962, 10 years after Vogel first supplied seed of the Norin 10 semi-dwarf progeny to Borlaug, two high-yielding semi-dwarf Norin 10 derivatives, Pitic 62 and Penjamo 62, were released for commercial production.

As the figure below indicates, these wheat varieties then led to a flow of other high-yielding wheat varieties, including Sonora 64 and Lerma Rojo 64, two varieties that led to the Green Revolution in India, Pakistan and other countries, and Siete Cerros 66, which at its peak was grown on over 7 million hectares in the developing world. The most widely grown variety during this period was the very early maturing variety Sonalika, which is still grown in India today.

[Reproduced from Foods and Food Production Encyclopedia, Douglas M. Considine]

In the early 1960s South Asia was facing mass starvation and extreme food insecurity. To combat this challenge, scientists and governments in the region began assessing the value of Mexican semi-dwarf wheat varieties for their countries. Trials in India and Pakistan were convincing, producing high yields that offered the potential for a dramatic breakthrough in wheat production but only after agronomy practices were changed. Without these changes, the Green Revolution would never have taken off.

From left to right: Norman Borlaug, Mohan Kohli and Sanjaya Rajaram at Centro de Investigaciones Agricolas del Noreste (CIANO), Sonora, Mexico, in 1973. (Photo: CIMMYT)

Borlaug had sent a fewdozen seeds of his high-yielding, disease-resistant semi-dwarf wheat varieties to India to test their resistance to local rust strains. M.S. Swaminathan, a wheat cytogeneticist and advisor to the Indian Minister of Agriculture, immediately grasped their potential for Indian agriculture and wrote to Borlaug, inviting him to India. Soon after the unexpected invitation reached him, Borlaug boarded a Pan Am Boeing 707 to India.

To accelerate the potential of Borlaug’s wheat, in 1967 Pakistan imported about 42,000 tons of semi-dwarf wheat seed from Mexico, Turkey imported 22,000 tons and India 18,000 tons. At the time this was the largest seed purchase in the history of agriculture. Wheat yield improvement in both India and Pakistan was unlike anything seen before.

Fifty years on, we face new challenges, even though we have continued to make incremental increases to average yield. There is an ever-increasing demand for wheat from a growing worldwide population with changing dietary preferences. The world’s climate is changing; temperatures are rising and extreme weather events are becoming more common. Natural resources, especially ground water, are also being depleted; new crop diseases are emerging and yield increases are not keeping pace with demand.

Borlaug and his contemporaries kicked off the Green Revolution by combining semi-dwarf, rust resistant and photoperiod insensitive traits. Today, a new plan and commitment to achieving another quantum leap in wheat productivity are in place. The International Wheat Yield Partnership, an international public-private partnership, is exploiting the best wheat research worldwide to increase wheat yield potential by up to 50%. This one-of-a-kind initiative will transfer germplasm to leading breeding programs around the world.

Cover photo: Norman Borlaug works with researchers in the field. (Photo: CIMMYT archives)

Tottori University students visit CIMMYT

Written by on January 2, 2015. Posted in News.

Masahiro Kishii of CIMMYT’s Global Wheat Program gives students a tour of the Wellhousen-Anderson Genetic Resources Center. Photos: Xochiquetzal Fonseca

A group of 16 undergraduate students and three professors from the University of Tottori, Japan, visited CIMMYT on 26 November. The visit was the last stop of a three-month study visit to Mexico, which also included visits to the Universidad Autonoma de Baja California Sur (UABCS) and the Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste S.C. (CIBNOR).

Jelle Van Loon, leader of smart mechanization for CIMMYT’s conservation agriculture program in Mexico, teaches students about machinery development.

The students began their visit with an overview of CIMMYT from Isabel Peña, Head of Institutional Relations-Latin America, followed by a meeting with Dr. Masahiro Kishii, a Japanese scientist formerly of Tottori University who now works in wheat cytogenetics in CIMMYT’s Global Wheat Program. The group was then given a tour of the Wellhousen-Anderson Genetic Resources Center and the labs of the Biosciences Complex.

The day concluded with a visit to the Global Conservation Agriculture Program’s D5 demonstration plot, where the students learned about developments in machinery and post-harvest technology.

Isabel Peña, Head of Institutional Relations-Latin America, welcomes students to CIMMYT.

Former DG praises CIMMYT’s progress, renews Japanese collaboration with CIMMYT

Written by on August 7, 2014. Posted in News.

By Karen Willenbrecht/CIMMYT

CIMMYT’s previous director general had strong praise for the organization’s current working environment and leadership after a tour of the headquarters office at El Batán on 24 July.

(Left to right): Akira Endo, director of International Research and Cooperation Division, Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forests and Fisheries; Masa Iwanaga, president of JIRCAS; Thomas Lumpkin, CIMMYT Director General; Hans-Joachim Braun, CIMMYT Global Wheat Program director; and Masahiro Kishii, CIMMYT scientist in wheat cytogenetics/wide crossing. Foto: Xochiquetzal Fonseca/CIMMYT

“I’m pleased to see the energy of the staff, the new facilities and how Tom has built on CIMMYT’s strengths,” Dr. Masa Iwanaga said. “It gives me professional satisfaction; the six years I devoted here have paid off handsomely.”

Masa, now president of the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), came to CIMMYT to sign a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the two organizations.

“Our previous agreement was signed in 1998,” Masa said after the signing ceremony. “I wanted to refresh and strengthen our relationship, and ensure more opportunities for scientific collaboration.”

He said the alliance is valuable because CIMMYT can translate the basic science conducted by his agency into practical applications for farmers. JIRCAS, part of Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, plays a core role in international collaborations for research in Japan.

Masa Iwanaga, CIMMYT’s former director general, paid a visit 24 July to headquarters, where he toured the gene bank and renewed
the memorandum of understanding between CIMMYT and his current organization. Photo: Xochiquetzal Fonseca/CIMMYT

The MOU calls for both organizations to cooperate on research projects that promote “agricultural technologies which will contribute to the increased production of agricultural commodities and improved natural resource management in developing countries in the world.” Masa and his successor, Dr. Thomas A. Lumpkin, discussed holding a conference in Japan this year, and Masa said he anticipates JIRCAS having a much stronger influence in the Global Wheat Program under the new MOU.

Dr. Marianne Bänziger, deputy director general for research and partnerships, said the collaboration with Japan on biological denitrification inhibition could support the next Green Revolution, as earlier Japanese technologies have done.

Masa was DG of CIMMYT from 2002 to 2008, a period of extreme financial difficulties for the organization. Lumpkin credited him with keeping CIMMYT afloat and bringing it back to profitability, establishing important new partnerships and continuing the Center’s record of scientific achievements and recognition.

“I appreciate all the staff who worked very hard with me to survive and make CIMMYT better,” Masa said. “It’s a stronger institution now.”

CIMMYT wheat research interests future scientists

Written by on September 27, 2013. Posted in News.

Photo: Arnauld Thiry, consultant to the GWP physiology team

Wheat research is an intriguing story to many. CIMMYT’s Global Wheat Program (GWP) keeps germplasm flowing worldwide, and more than 100 wheat researchers and 40 junior scientists and graduate students attend its annual wheat improvement course. The program hosted students from around the world in 2013, introducing them to the program’s critically important work.

Visit to wheat research station at Ciudad Obregón

The GWP hosted a visit from 10 to 11 April for 50 children, ages 8 to 12, who are part of the PERAJ program at the Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora (ITSON). The university’s “adopt a friend” program encourages students to tutor children from public primary schools in Ciudad Obregon. The CIMMYT visit originated from the daughter-mother link of Carolina Rivera Amado, a Ph.D. student in the MasAgro program, and Alma Amado Quintana, the PERAJ coordinator at ITSON. Alma Amado said the program creates relationships between the tutors and their “adopted” students to support education and strengthen the professional and personal development of ITSON students. The children and their tutors were intrigued by the diversity of wheat. They learned the source of their favorite wheat tortillas and discovered the work scientists do to increase wheat productivity. The experience allowed Mathew Reynolds and colleagues Araceli Torres, Carolina Rivera, Arnauld Thiry and Perla Chávez to explain how plants grow and for Amor Yahyaoui to explain how scientists ensure the production of healthy plants.

Yokohama City University (YCU) students visit CIMMYT headquarters

Seven undergraduate students came to CIMMYT’s headquarters from Japan’s Yokohama City University (YCU) from 6 to 7 August to tour facilities and interact with wheat and maize scientists. The overall objective of the visit was to expose the students to international agricultural research on crop improvement and to give them an opportunity to meet worldleaders in research helping to feed the world. Through the efforts of Tomohiro Ban, a former CIMMYT scientist who is a lead researcher at the Kihara Institute for Biological Research (KIBR) and his working relationship with wheat scientist Ravi Singh, young undergraduates from Japan visit CIMMYT almost every year. CIMMYT scientists who interacted with the group included Singh, Jose Juan Caballero, Sehgal Deepmala, Bibiana Espinosa, Velu Govindan, Julio Huerta, Masahiro Kishii, Aleksandre Loladze, Monica Mezzalama, Henry Ngugi, Tom Payne, Pawan Singh, Sukhwinder Singh, Prashant Vikram, He Xinyao and Amor Yahyaoui. The students were introduced to CIMMYT’s global maize and wheat research programs as well as training activities in the fields of breeding and genetics, pathology, biotechnology, seeds of discovery and bio-fortification research. The visit to the new Bioscience Complex showed the students the steps in wheat variety development from DNA analysis to field plot techniques. “I learned about the importance of connecting biotechnology and breeding,” said Yuki Kajita, a student participating in the visit. “I had a very good time at CIMMYT. I hope to come again someday as a researcher.”

Tokyo university students visit CIMMYT

Tokyo University of Agriculture also organized a visit to CIMMYT headquarters. On 12 August, a group of 12 students visited as part of their tour abroad to agricultural research institutions and to learn about agricultural activities of smallholder farmers in Mexico. The students toured the gene bank and learned about seed selection and treatment as part of CIMMYT’s international nursery activities. They also visited wheat and maize demonstration plots and were encouraged to consider CIMMYT as they continue with their post-graduate research. The group was headed by Mariko Kawaminami, agronomist and professor at the University of Chapingo. This tour is organized and hosted by the University of Chapingo every year as part of its international academic exchange activities.

Afghanistan capacity development supported by Japanese Institutions

Representatives from several institutions working on the Development of Wheat Breeding Materials for Sustainable Food Production (SATREPS) project visited CIMMYT on 28 February to encourage support for young Afghan scientists and capacity development of young Japanese researchers and students. SATREPS aims to train Afghan scientists in the development of wheat breeding materials for sustainable food production through partnerships with Afghanistan, Japan and Mexico. Japanese institutions involved in the project include KIBR, Yokohama City University, the Science and Technology Agency (JST) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The project also sponsored two Afghan scientists to join the CIMMYT Global Wheat Program wheat improvement course in Ciudad Obregón from March to May. Lead scientists in breeding, physiology, pathology and biotechnology helped participants to acquire practical experience in wheat breeding. Zahery Eid Mohammad and Ahmadi S. Hasibullah completed the training and are registered for master’s studies at Yokohama City University. CIMMYT will continue to strengthen the Japan-Mexico collaboration by training young Afghan scientists and encouraging young Japanese students to get involved in agricultural research.

Work on transgenic drought tolerance

Written by on November 20, 2007. Posted in News.

Takashi Kumashiro (Director, Biological Resources Division) and Kazuo Nakashima (Senior Scientist, Biotechnology Lab of Dr. Yamaguchi-Shinozaki) from the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) visited CIMMYT during 29-30th November for the first mid-year year review meeting of a new five year project funded by the Japanese Ministry of Fisheries and Food (MAFF).

The project is the second phase of a JIRCAS-CGIAR collaborative initiative to develop transgenic drought tolerance in a range of tropical staple crops—an initiative launched by Masa Iwanaga when he was Director of the Biological Resources Division of JIRCAS. The current project involves the use of a second generation of drought responsive elements (DREB genes) generated by JIRCAS scientists and other transgenes (especially transcription factors) generated by the Gene Discovery Research Team of the Plant Science Center of the RIKEN Yokohama Institute. Led by GREU director Jonathan Crouch, the current project is a joint wheat and rice initiative through collaborations between CIMMYT, CIAT and IRRI.

Award to Jonathan Crouch

Written by on July 27, 2007. Posted in News.

Jonathan Crouch, director of Genetic Resources and Enhancement (GREU) is one of three scientists to win the very first Japan International Award for Young Agricultural Researchers. He is the only one from a CGIAR research center. These new awards, sponsored by the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), recognize the contribution of young agricultural researchers to technological development for the improvement for food security and the environment in developing countries. They commend young researchers who show outstanding performance and research achievements that are expected to lead to future innovation. Jonathan will give a award-acceptance lecture at the United Nations University-HQ (Tokyo) on September 12th.

CIMMYT hosts high level visitors

Written by on April 14, 2006. Posted in News.

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

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

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

Published 2006