As a fast growing region with increasing challenges for smallholder farmers, Asia is a key target region for CIMMYT. CIMMYTâs work stretches from Central Asia to southern China and incorporates system-wide approaches to improve wheat and maize productivity and deliver quality seed to areas with high rates of child malnutrition. Activities involve national and regional local organizations to facilitate greater adoption of new technologies by farmers and benefit from close partnerships with farmer associations and agricultural extension agents.
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Riya works as the Communication Officer at the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA), leading communications for a BISA-led project- Atlas of Climate Adaptation in South Asian Agriculture (ACASA).
She is currently executing a comprehensive communication strategy for partner countries in South Asia, such as Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and India. Riya holds a masterâs degree in public health and brings a range of experience in various domains such as maternal nutrition, food security, WASH, and now agriculture and climate change.
Prior to BISA, Riya has led and ideated effective social behaviour change communication (SBCC) campaigns on-ground concerning maternal health in one of the aspirational districts of India. With her expertise in content strategy, Riya also supported her clients in establishing a strong thought leadership and public relations in media.
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Richa is a digital anthropologist and communicator with 17+ years of experience in the media and development sector. Currently, she provides strategic leadership and support for BISAâs institutional and corporate communications programs in India.
She is an ex-journalist and worked with Indiaâs leading news channel, TV Today (now India Today), as a correspondent and anchor, but now aims to strengthen and empower NGOs with communication strategies in the digital landscape. Richa has a broad understanding of coalitions and networks; she strives to develop people-centric communication strategies for the Asia Pacific region. Richaâs previous role, as a fellow for the Affinity Group of National Associations program, provided overall programmatic leadership and oversight for policy advocacy, knowledge management, communication and campaigns. Her core strengths are digital media, content development, filmmaking, website management, media mobilization, social media & Comms Strategy.
On January 10, 2024, Vijesh V. Krishna, Principal Scientist / Lead Economist of CIMMYT visited the Foundation for Agrarian Studies in Bengaluru, sparking collaborative discussions on future research. This meeting, enhanced by online participation, laid the groundwork for potential joint research efforts in the future.
CIMMYT and ICBA sign a memorandum of understanding. (Photo: ICBA)
Dubai/Mexico City, 10 January 2024 â An award-winning not-for-profit agricultural research center recognized for its work on sustainable agriculture in the Middle East and North Africa is joining forces with the global organization whose breeding research has contributed to half the maize and wheat varieties grown in low- and middle-income countries.
The International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) and CIMMYT have signed an agreement to jointly advance the ecological and sustainable intensification of cereal and legume cropping systems in semi-arid and dryland areas.
âFarmers in such settings confront enormous risks and variable conditions and often struggle to eke out a livelihood, but they still comprise a critical part of the global food system and their importance and challenges are mounting under climate change,â said Bram Govaerts, director general of CIMMYT. âICBA brings enormously valuable expertise and partnerships to efforts that will help them.â
The specifics of the two centersâ joint work are yet to be defined but will cover soil health, salinity management approaches, crop productivity and breeding, gender-transformative capacity development, and finding markets for underutilized crops, among other vital topics.
Established in 1999 and headquartered in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), ICBA conducts research and development to increase agricultural productivity, improve food security and nutrition, and enhance the livelihoods of rural farming communities in marginal areas. The center has extensive experience in developing solutions to the problems of salinity, water scarcity and drought, and maintains one of the worldâs largest collections of germplasm of drought-, heat- and salt-tolerant plant species.
âWe are excited about the synergies our partnership with CIMMYT will create. It will focus on a range of areas, but the priority will be given to developing breeding and cropping system innovations to improve farmersâ food security and nutrition, while enhancing water security and environmental sustainability, and creating jobs and livelihoods in different parts of the world,â said Tarifa Alzaabi, director general of ICBA.
Based in Mexico but with projects in over 80 countries and offices throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America, CIMMYT operates a global seed distribution network that provides 80% of the worldâs breeding lines for maize and wheat, including many that offer superior yields and resilience in dry conditions and in the presence of crop diseases and pests.
The center is also conducting breeding and seed system development for dryland crops such as sorghum, millet, groundnut, cowpea, and beans, known for their climate resilience and importance as foods and sources of income for smallholder farm households and their communities.
With global and local partners, CIMMYT is also refining and spreading a suite of resource-conserving, climate-smart innovations for highly diverse maize- and wheat-based cropping systems, including more precise and efficient use of water and fertilizer, as well as conservation agriculture, which blends reduced or zero-tillage, use of crop residues or mulches as soil covers, and more diverse intercrops and rotations.
As part of the new agreement, the centers will also explore research collaborations with universities and research institutions in the UAE to develop and test maize varieties that are suitable for the UAEâs climate and soil conditions, as well as organizing training programs and workshops for farmers, extension workers, and other stakeholders in the UAE to build their capacity in maize production and management.
About ICBA
The International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) is a unique applied agricultural research center in the world with a focus on marginal areas where an estimated 1.7 billion people live. It identifies, tests, and introduces resource-efficient, climate-smart crops and technologies that are best suited to different regions affected by salinity, water scarcity, and drought. Through its work, ICBA helps to improve food security and livelihoods for some of the poorest rural communities around the world.
CIMMYT is a cutting edge, non-profit, international organization dedicated to solving tomorrowâs problems today. It is entrusted with fostering improved quantity, quality, and dependability of production systems and basic cereals such as maize, wheat, triticale, sorghum, millets, and associated crops through applied agricultural science, particularly in the Global South, through building strong partnerships. This combination enhances the livelihood trajectories and resilience of millions of resource-poor farmers, while working towards a more productive, inclusive, and resilient agrifood system within planetary boundaries. CIMMYT is a core CGIAR Research Center, a global research partnership for a food-secure future, dedicated to reducing poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security and improving natural resources.
CIMMYT, in collaboration with China, plays a critical role in the global initiative for germ plasm sharing. This effort is essential in advancing agricultural research and combating the decline of crop biodiversity in developing countries.
Farmers participate in a training on improved seeds and technologies. (Photo: S. Mojumder Drik/CIMMYT)
Rapid urbanization, globalization, economic development, technological advancement, and changing agriculture production systems in South Asia are transforming food systems and the food environment.
India and Bangladesh, particularly, have seen a significant transformation since the advent of the Green Revolution as each became able to feed their population without having to import major crops.
However, that policy focus on food self-sufficiency and yield intensification has incurred significant health, environmental and fiscal costs, including a precipitous drop in crop diversification*.
This loss of crop diversification threatens economic and social development and environmental stability while weakening the crucial link between agriculture and community health, particularly in undernourished rural areas. To ensure sustainable food production and nutritional security, it is imperative to manage and conserve crop diversification.
To address these issues and ensure sustainable food production, there is an urgent need to transition from intensive to sustainable farming practices.
CIMMYT exploring crop diversification pathways
CIMMYTâs ongoing projects in South Asia, including the Transforming Agrifood Systems in South Asia (TAFSSA) and Transforming Smallholder Food Systems in the Eastern Gangetic Plains (RUPANTAR) are conducting extensive on-site and on-farm trials, including socioeconomic dimensions of farmers to promote crop diversification.
âTo effectively address the challenges of crop diversification, it is essential to integrate on-farm trials and participatory action research, involving farmers in the experimentation and adaptation process tailored to their unique regional needs,â said Ravi Nandi, innovation systems scientist at CIMMYT in Bangladesh. âThis hands-on involvement provides valuable data to guide policymaking, ensuring relevance and applicability.â
In addition, TAFSSA and RUPANTAR are engaging in participatory action research to uncover the most viable options for crop and livelihood diversification, understand the socioeconomic factors impacting farmers, and identify the potential opportunities and challenges associated with the crop and livelihood diversification efforts among the farmers.
Researchers completed two comprehensive surveys, engaging with 2,500 farmers across the Eastern Gangetic Plains (EGP) of India, Nepal and Bangladesh, yielding valuable data that will inform future strategies for crop diversification in the region.
Ongoing investigations into the political economy of policies for crop diversification in Bangladesh generate novel insights, further contributing to the development of efficient crop diversification projects and sustainable agricultural policies.
The rise of crop diversification in practices and policy
In recent years, crop diversification has gained traction as a promising strategy to boost agricultural productivity, reduce risks (production, market, climate, and environmental), enhance nutritional outcomes, and promote sustainable agriculture.
Following the inaugural National Conference of Chief Secretaries in Dharamshala, India, led by the Prime Minister of India, state governments introduced numerous policies and schemes to support crop diversification. Some of these initiatives, highlighted in Figure 1, were backed by substantial budget allocations aimed at motivating farmers to diversify their crop production from the current intensive production system.
Figure 1: Authorâs compilation from various public sources.
Similar initiatives have been started in Bangladesh, Nepal and other South Asian countries to promote crop diversification. These policies and schemes are important steps towards addressing inadequacies that intensive farming has created in agriculture and food systems.
While policies promoting crop diversification in South Asia are a positive step, their effectiveness is contingent on evidence-based decision-making. The complexities of implementing diversification strategies vary significantly depending on local contexts, particularly in countries like India, Nepal and Bangladesh, where most farmers operate on less than one hectare of land and face diverse weather conditions.
Smallholder farmers, at risk of losing economic stability from abandoning profitable monocrops, face additional challenges because of limited access to advanced technologies and fragmented markets, making the transition to diversified farming a precarious endeavor.
A shift towards comprehensive multi-criteria assessments, including qualitative methods and stakeholder interactions, is necessary for creating practical and locally relevant indicators. Supporting infrastructure, accessible extension services and market development, along with empowering farmers through education on agronomic practices and crop management, will play a crucial role in successfully implementing and reaping the benefits of crop diversification.
*Crop diversification is a process that makes a simplified cropping systems more diverse in time and space by adding additional crops.Â
In Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA), agri-food systems are under pressure from resource depletion, population growth, and food insecurity. CIMMYT’s work is vital, focusing on sustainable agricultural practices and innovative technology to enhance productivity and resilience. Research and development efforts are critical in addressing the environmental and socio-economic challenges of agriculture in this diverse and dynamic region.
CIMMYT stands out for its role in agricultural innovation, demonstrated through the dedicated research of visiting Chinese scholar Wang Hui. Her tenure at CIMMYT underscores the center’s pivotal role in driving agricultural advancements through international partnerships, significantly contributing to global food security and scientific development.
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Kelvin Mulungu is an Agricultural Economist whose main research interests lie at the intersection of natural resources, food, and climate change. He has extensive experience in development work in several African countries, including Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Malawi, Zambia, and some Asian countries. His current research at CIMMYT focuses on understanding social enablers and barriers to adoption, assessing the impact of different agricultural technologies, and testing social incentives to improve farmer adoption of agricultural technologies. He is interested in applying the latest econometric advances to provide rigorous evidence on development challenges in developing countries.
Prior to joining CIMMYT, Kelvin was a research manager at HarvestPlus Zambia, a postdoctoral researcher at AfricaRice, and most recently a postdoctoral fellow at the International Center of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) in Nairobi, Kenya. He holds a PhD in Agricultural and Resource Economics from Colorado State University (USA), an MSc in Agricultural and Applied Economics from Egerton University (Kenya), and a BSc in Agricultural Economics from the University of Zambia.
A climate resilient agriculture program for the state of Bihar, India, launched in 2019 by the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA) and the state government, was operating in 190 villages and had by 2022 improved water, soil nutrient, energy, labor and time use efficiency by at least 20% with around 35% higher yields and a reduced environmental footprint, as well as helping rice-wheat farmers to diversify their production with crops such as maize, millet and mungbean, among others.
This is just one of the achievements cited in a recent 2023 end-of-year reflection involving members of the BISA Executive Committee in New Delhi, India, including Bram Govaerts, director general of CIMMYT and BISA, and Arun Kumar Joshi, managing director of BISA.
âBISA has achieved significant milestones and is progressing towards organizational goals,â said Joshi. âThe long-standing and productive partnership with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and agricultural councils of other countries in South Asia became more robust, as strategies that focused on building capacities and improving seed systems for the whole of South Asia were implemented.â
Established jointly by CIMMYT and ICAR in 2011, BISA is a non-profit international research institute dedicated to food, nutrition, livelihood security and environmental rehabilitation in South Asia, home to more than 300 million undernourished people. Its work harnesses the latest genetic, digital, resource management technologies, and research-for-development approaches.
BISAâs flagship projects benefit millions of farmers and include the Atlas of Climate Adaptation in South Asian Agriculture (ACASA), the testing of experimental wheat that carries grass genes associated with the inhibition of nitrification in the soil near crop roots, a climate resilient agriculture program for South Asia, and implementation of the CGIAR Fruit and Vegetables for Sustainable Healthy Diets (FRESH) initiative.
âOf the top 10 bread wheat varieties in India, 6 are derived from the ICAR-CIMMYT-BISA collaboration,â Joshi explained.
âBISA has grown tremendously in the last few years,â said Govaerts. âThe diverse arena of projects shows the capabilities and potential that BISA holds today. The flagship programs are undoubtedly creating a huge impact and would contribute to solving tomorrowâs problems today.â
BISA has renewed and diversified its research projects each year, according to T.R. Sharma, deputy director general of Crops, ICAR. âBISAâs impact on genetic innovation in wheat through ICAR-CIMMYT-BISA collaboration is indeed praiseworthy,â he said. Govaerts also attended an interactive session with CIMMYT-BISA India staff, presenting an analysis of the CIMMYT 2030 strategy and encouraging everyoneâs contributions towards the goals.
When it comes time to consider career plans, very few young people even consider agriculture as an option. Many young people believe urban areas offer more profitable jobs with less physical labor. However, agriculture in India is evolving every single day. New digital innovations and cutting-edge technologies are making farming more profitable and smarter.
In the four-day conference, gender researchers and practitioners from 68 countries shared their perspectives, knowledge and skills about improving gender inclusion in food systems. The conference served as a platform where policymakers, practitioners and private sector actors came together to share the goal of equitable food-systems transformation. They aimed to bridge the gap between research and practice and foster gender-equal and socially inclusive, resilient food systems.
Technology and combined efforts from academia, industry and the government will continue to play critical roles in collectively attracting young people toward these new, innovative ideas in agriculture. Agricultural education can, therefore, play a profound role in shaping the future of sustainable agriculture in India.
S. Pandey, vice-chancellor of Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Bihar, shared his thoughts on addressing youth-centric issues in agriculture. He emphasized that artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly vital because of its many applications and benefits and that it can help youth to use the power of big data and the internet.
âUse of AI can change the entire scenario: technology-driven agriculture is the need of the hour. New tools and techniques are important to address the current challenges where youth can be at center stage,â he said.
In addition, Geethalakshmi Vellingiri, vice-chancellor of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) said, âAgriculture is looked at as manual, hard work, and not as a lucrative job, which makes it unattractive to youth. TNAU is starting One Student One Farm Family linkage for the first-year students. In this model, students will get to know about the issues being faced by the farmers in the field. They will then link the farmer to the scientist for probable solutions, thus bridging the gap.â
Governmentâs role in shaping policy
âStudents are unaware of the different dimensions of agriculture; hence, their inclination towards agriculture education is not much,â said R. C. Agrawal, deputy director general of the Agricultural Education Division of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), and moderator of the youth careers session. âICAR is designing a new agriculture-based curriculum for primary, middle and secondary levels to attract more youth. ICAR has initiated its efforts towards integrating the agriculture world with this new education policy.â
Industry opening doors for youth in agriculture
Ch. Srinivasa Rao, director of ICARâs National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM), Hyderabad, spoke about the importance of industry. âThe youth, both men and women, should be sensitized towards the agrifood sector. Start-ups can help to attract youthsâ attention. We should characterize farms as an industry, farming as a business and the farmer as a businessperson. If this orientation doesnât occur, livelihoods cannot be improved, and youth retention in agriculture wonât be achieved.â
As geographical neighbors, Bangladesh and India share many characteristics in terms of land, weather, and food production. Because of these similarities, the Feed the Future Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia-Mechanization Extension Activity (CSISA-MEA) organized a series of exposure visits to India for Bangladeshi farmers and other agricultural stakeholders to establish market linkages, provide access to financial and technical advice.
The CSISA-MEA, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) works to increase the usage of agricultural machinery to benefit farmers by increasing their productivity and efficiency. The Activity works with several stakeholders, including agriculture-based light engineering (ABLE) enterprises, dealers, and machinery solution providers (MSPs).
Over the course of the activity, a significant lesson learned is that both groups, the hosting party and the visiting party, benefit from exposure visits.
CSISA-MEA organized two international exposure visits to India in July 2023. A total of 34 participants in two cohorts visited India, 18 workers from Faridpur and Coxâs Bazar, and 16 from Bogura and Jashore.
The CSISA-MEA delegation from Bangladesh in Punjab, India visits the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA) during the exposure visit. (Photo: Rowshon Anis, OMD, CSISA-MEA, iDE Bangladesh)
CSISA-MEA arranged the visits with the objective to familiarize Bangladesh ABLE enterprises with modern agri-machinery manufacturing and improve their working practices. The visits covered factories, ABLE workshops and foundries in Punjab, including Amargarh, Bamala, and Ludhiana, areas where Indiaâs agriculture mechanization is most notable, and incorporated public and private sector companies, and academia including LANDFORCE, M/S Dasmesh Mechanical Works, Panesar Agriculture Works Pvt. Ltd., Sokhi Manufacturing Ltd., the Borlaug Institute for South Asia, and National Agro Industry.
Learnings from the exposure visit
The exposure visits have emphasized the importance of systematic line production for machinery and spare parts manufacturing to ensure efficiency and consistency in output. Quality control has been highlighted as a non-negotiable aspect, and the significance of delivering reliable and high-quality products. Using natural light and ventilation systems showcased the potential for environmentally friendly production facilities.
The visits also highlighted how maintaining proper occupational health and safety measures ensures the well-being of the workforce along with a gender inclusive environment in the agri-machinery factories. The factories have a significant female workforce, an eye-opening sight for the ABLE owners of Bangladesh.
These exposure visits have helped equip ABLE owners with invaluable insights and strategies for success in their agricultural machinery businesses, including building connections among themselves, such as that between two ABLEs from Jashore, Bangladesh to facilitate the production and supply of the fodder chopperâdemonstrating the potential for cooperation to expand market reach.
Reflections from the visits
The trip to meet their Indian counterparts provided CSISAâMEA ABLE owners with invaluable insights and knowledge, with their unanimous feedback reflecting the profound impact of the visits, which they deemed truly eye-opening. Encouragingly, since their return, each ABLE enterprise has prepared action plans, taking proactive steps to implement the new techniques and business strategies they gained during their visit.
âI can’t express how thrilled I am to have unlocked the secrets behind the exceptional quality of Indian machines and spare parts. It’s not just a technical upgrade, it’s a commitment to quality products,â said Md. Ashraf Hosen, owner of M/S Ashraf Machinery & Akmol Engineering Workshop.
During the exposure visit, the CSISA-MEA team from Bangladesh visits the Sokhi Components in Ludhiana, Punjab, India. (Photo: Sokhi Components)
Another visitor, Md. Iqbal Hosen, proprietor of Titas Moulding & Engineering Works, said, âI found discovering new innovations very exciting, especially the core-making process, the mechanical mold-making process to reduce production costs, appropriate charge calculation techniques and induction furnaces. Iâm determined to apply these things in my foundry, to improve the quality of the products and reduce production costs.â
Sarkar Agro-Engineering & Multiple Works in Bangladesh has displayed a commitment to implementing the key takeaways of the exposure visit to India. The owners have ensured natural light and ventilation in their production facilities, creating a more conducive and eco-friendlier working environment for staff. They have also installed a customized lathe machine, painting every part of a machine before assembling it, and manufacturing mini tractors, all because of their exposure visit.
CSISAâMEA staff have also taken something from the trips, including feedback to include demonstrations of forging machines in future visits to further extend the workforceâs technical knowledge. There are plans to visit local spare parts markets during the next expedition to provide participants with a broader understanding of market dynamics, while visits to solar power and battery-operated machinery companies would provide an opportunity to witness sustainable technologies in action.
Quality seed is a crucial agricultural input for enhancing crop production and productivity per unit of land. However, in many developing countries, including Bhutan, ensuring the availability, affordability, and accessibility of quality seed, especially of preferred varieties, remains a significant challenge for farmers. Maize is the second most important cereal in Bhutan after rice. However, the total area dedicated to cereal cultivation in Bhutan has been decreasing due to factors such as rural-urban migration, urban expansion, and the effects of climate change.
Between 2016 and 2021, the areas under rice and maize cultivation have contracted by 55% and 64%, respectively (FAOSTAT, 2022). This huge reduction in cereal cultivation, combined with relatively low productivity, has led Bhutan to rely on imports to bridge the gap and meet the demand for essential food crops, including maize. The Bhutanese government is committed to enhancing domestic capacity and fostering self-sufficiency in major food crops and discourages the import of seed, especially of hybrid maize.
AbduRahman Beshir, seed systems specialist at CIMMYT, displays incomplete fertilization of maize cobs. (Photo: Passang Wangmo/ARDC-Wengkhar)
Hybrid maize seed to offset deficit
Recognizing the significance of improving maize productivity, the Agriculture Research & Development Center (ARDC) in Bhutan is working on the development and deployment of hybrid maize that has the potential to double yields compared to non-hybrid varieties. In 2020, Bhutan officially released its first hybrid maize variety, Wengkhar Hybrid Maize-1 (WHM-1), which was sourced from CIMMYT. Furthermore, several other hybrid maize varieties from CIMMYT are currently in the pipeline for release and evaluation, including those tolerant to fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda), the most important maize pest in Bhutan.
Despite the testing and release of hybrid maize varieties, the production of high-quality seedâvital for realizing the benefits of hybrid maize for Bhutanese farmersâhas yet to take place. The seed industry in Bhutan is primarily informal, with the majority of farmers relying on farm-saved seed of often inferior quality. The absence of a formalized seed system, coupled with a lack of the necessary skills and technical expertise across the seed value chain, presents considerable challenges in building a competitive and vibrant seed sector in Bhutan.
Training workshop emphasizes the strengthening of seed systems
To ensure a consistent supply of high-quality maize seed to Bhutanese farmers, which is essential for seed and food security and improved productivity, ARDC in collaboration with CIMMYT, under the CGIAR Seed Equal Initiative, carried out an international training workshop on quality seed production and distribution, with the main focus on hybrid maize, from 13â15 November 2023 at ARDC-Wengkhar, Mongar.
The three-day workshop involved 30 participants from diverse organizations, including the National Seed Centre, the College of Natural Resources, extensions agents from the eastern region, the Bhutan Food and Drug Authority, and agriculture research and development centers. The workshop aimed to enhance participantsâ technical skills in understanding and applying the principles and practices of quality hybrid maize seed production; to promote synergistic partnerships among various seed sector stakeholders for initiating and scaling up quality hybrid maize seed production in Bhutan; and to exchange experiences and lessons to be learned from South Asian countries that can be applied to strengthening Bhutan’s seed system.
Participants discuss during the workshop. (Photo: AbduRahman Beshir/CIMMYT)
âThis is the first kind of training I have received on hybrid maize seed production, and it was very relevant, action-oriented and applicable to our condition in Bhutan,â says Kinley Sithup, a researcher at ARDC-Wengkhar, Mongar, and adds that the training workshop was a useful forum for identifying key challenges and the role of stakeholders across the seed value chain, which were discussed in detail during the group work in the training.
Recently, the Bhutanese government has restricted the import of hybrid maize seed in order to promote import substitution and enhance local seed production. âIn light of the unavailability of imported hybrid seeds, it’s crucial for us to intensify our efforts in scaling up local seed production,â says Dorji Wangchuk, project director of the Commercial Agriculture and Resilient Livelihood Enhancement Program (CARLEP), while addressing the participants during the opening.
The training workshop covered courses on seed system components, maize breeding concepts, hybrid seed production principles, the development of a seed roadmap on production and marketing, hybrid seed pricing and marketing approaches, seed quality control and certification, among others. A field visit along with hands-on training at ARDSC Lingmethang enriched the learning experience. In addition, experiences from other South Asian countries on hybrid seed production and marketing were shared during the training.
A group photo with the participants of the seed systems training workshop in Bhutan. (Photo: ARDC)
Team up for seed production
A significant outcome is the planned initiation of the inaugural hybrid maize seed production group in Udzorong, Trashigang, scheduled for January 2024 in collaboration with extension, the National Seed Center, and the Bhutan Food and Drug Authority. This initiative, supported by CARLEP-IFAD and CIMMYT, reflects a dedicated effort to strengthen Bhutan’s seed sector and enhance maize production for the benefit of local farmers. Fast-track variety release and seed deployment are important to Bhutanese smallholder farmers to mitigate the challenges of lower productivity. âCIMMYT is ready to continue working with partners in Bhutan,â says Program Director of the Global Maize Program at CIMMYT and the One CGIAR Plant Health Initiative lead, BM Prasanna, while delivering his messages online. Prasanna added that CIMMYT has licensed three fall armyworm-tolerant hybrids for Bhutan, and partners need to team up for the release and seed-scaling of the hybrids.
The training workshop on hybrid maize seed was the first of its kind to be held in Bhutan and was conducted under the CGIAR Seed Equal Initiative in collaboration with ARDC and CARLEP. AbduRahman Beshir, seed systems specialist at CIMMYT, delivered the main courses, with additional virtual presentations from CIMMYT staff from India and Kenya.
The Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC) and CIMMYT are partnering to advance actions to revolutionize agriculture in Nepal. The collaboration, announced at a planning meeting between the two organizations on October 16, 2023, aims to enhance food security and improve the livelihoods of farmers in the country. With their combined expertise, NARC and CIMMYT will chart a new course in agricultural development, bringing hope and prosperity to Nepal’s farming communities.
CIMMYT scientists with NARC scientists. (Photo: Nabin Maharjan/CIMMYT)
Previous collaborative efforts developing new crop varieties have helped to strengthen Nepal’s national research framework. In a recent statement, Sreemat Shrestha, NERC chief at the NARC, highlighted CIMMYTâs significant contributions. Shrestha emphasized CIMMYT’s role in introducing revolutionary advancements, such as digital file mapping, market segmentation and advanced agricultural land use technologies.
CIMMYT Country Representative in Nepal, Dyutiman Choudhary, gave the presentation and led the meeting. During the event, he presented a comprehensive explanation of the vast relationship that exists between CIMMYT and NARC. He emphasized the historical significance of this partnership and discussed the various aspects that contribute to the strength of their combined efforts.
NARC expanding global influence and enhancing research impact
In an effort to strengthen its position on the global stage, NARC has set forth a clear mission to enhance capacity development, broaden its influence worldwide and establish a coalition of highly trained scientists to elevate the quality and impact of research.
âWith this ambitious agenda, NARC is poised to make significant strides in scientific advancement, and CIMMYT will be a valued partner with us the entire time,â said Shrestha.
Sieglinde Snapp, director of Sustainable Agrifood Systems (SAS) at CIMMYT, while acknowledging the challenges the world is facing, such as air and water quality issues, rising food prices, emphasized the importance of agriculture in addressing these challenges and further innovations like new genetic research, molecular biology and AI.
Sieglinde and Sreshtha discuss the CIMMYT-NARC collaboration. (Photo: Nabin Maharjan/CIMMYT)
âI am excited about the progress CIMMYT and NARC have already achieved in Nepal,â said Snapp. âI encourage all of us to continue our efforts together, because collective action is necessary for meaningful change.â
Snapp highlights the need for technology adoption and mentions the transformation of wheat value chains, particularly in reducing women’s labor through introducing machines and spare parts. She praises the commitment to balance input and output and cites an example of helping farmers during a fertilizer crisis.
CIMMYTâs new focus at play in Nepal
Timothy Krupnik, CIMMYT regional director for SAS, provided insights into the organization’s growth and global influence in over 80 countries. Krupnik highlighted CIMMYT’s transition from its primary focus on breeding and genomics to its engagement to include other factors, such as agronomy, on-farm participatory research, socioeconomic studies and comprehensive agrifood systems.
âThis shift in focus enhances CIMMYT’s understanding of the broader agricultural landscape and contributes to more comprehensive solutions,â said Krupnik. âRemarkable progress has been achieved in hybrid maize development and seed production, and we look forward to continuing to work with our Nepali partners.â
The meeting discussed various agricultural technology and innovation topics, including machinery, remote sensing, GIS toolsand greenhouse gas emission reduction strategies. NARC officials stressed the significance of enhancing capacity, especially in digital agriculture, to prepare Nepal for present and future climate challenges. Specific focus was on utilizing predictive crop modeling and simulation techniques to ensure crop resilience in the face of changing climate scenarios.
Nepal and CIMMYT have signed a 10-year collaboration to strengthen agriculture. The partnership, formalized by Secretary Govinda Prasad Sharma and CIMMYT director general Bram Govaerts, focuses on improving agricultural production and market systems in Nepal.
