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Location: Asia

As a fast growing region with increasing challenges for smallholder farmers, Asia is a key target region for CIMMYT. CIMMYT’s 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.

Haryana Chief Minister: conservation agriculture is the way of future farming

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Chief-Minister-discussing-CA-in-fieldThanks to high-yielding cultivars of wheat and rice, development of irrigation infrastructure, the work of innovative farmers, and the state’s support for improved technologies, the Indian state of Haryana has been a major contributor to the national food basket. However, the unsustainable monotonous rice-wheat cropping system increasingly threatens food security in the country. On 22 December 2012, a seminar on “Prosperity through diversification in agriculture” was jointly organized by the Haryana Farmers Commission, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), Government of Haryana’s (GoH) Department of Agriculture, CIMMYT, Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Right Authority (PPV&FRA), and Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (LLRUVAS) in Karnal, India, to discuss the challenges presented by ground water resources depletion, soil health deterioration, energy and labor cost volatility, and climate change, as well as options for sustainable farming.

The seminar was inaugurated by Haryana Farmers Commission chairman RS Paroda, and the inaugural function was attended by Roshan Lal (GoH Secretary of Agriculture), AK Singh (GoH director general for agriculture), KD Kokate (ICAR Agricultural Extension deputy director general), AK Srivastava (NDRI director), Indu Sharma (Directorate of Wheat Research director), and DK Sharma (Central Soil Salinity Research Institute director, Karnal). The seminar was chaired by ICAR Agricultural Extension deputy director general KML Pathak.

ML Jat, CIMMYT’s senior cropping systems agronomist, presented on the current farming issues of Haryana and potential solutions with special emphasis on crop diversification through crop systems management practices based on conservation agriculture (CA) principles. “The results of a large number of participatory field experimentations across the state suggest that CA-based cropping system management practices do not only help to produce more with less water, energy, labor, and cost,” highlighted Jat, “but also restore natural resources and adapt and mitigate climate change effects.” He added that in many rice-wheat areas of Haryana, where water table depletion is a serious concern, maize-wheat-mungbean rotation with CA-based management saves 75-80% of irrigation water. AK Srivastava (NDRI) and AK Saini (horticulture additional director), respectively, discussed potential livestock and horticultural diversification options. After the presentations, nearly 20 farmers shared their experiences on crop, livestock, and horticultural diversification using new technologies and approaches. RS Paroda summarized the deliberations made during the seminar and highlighted the need for diversification in crops and cropping systems, as well as production and management technologies, horticultural crops, and livestock. While reiterating the issues of water, labor, and energy shortages, and emerging climate change challenges, he outlined the possible technological options and necessary policy support for scaling up and scaling out these technologies. Real time access to information at farmers’ doorsteps and connecting farmers to markets is a key to success, Paroda added. He also mentioned that Haryana is the only state in the country with its own agricultural policy for convergence and synergy of programs, schemes, and investments aiming to achieve farmers’ prosperity while conserving the natural resources and rich biodiversity through complementarity and value added services.

On 23 December 2012, the seminar participants joined over 7,000 farmers, extension agents, and government and ICAR officials to celebrate the National Farmers Day. The attendees were addressed by Bhoopendra Singh Hooda, Chief Minister of Haryana. Prior to the event, Hooda, S Ayyappan (ICAR director general), and RS Paroda visited a CA field trial managed by NDRI and CIMMYT, where Jat explained the benefits of CA-based management practices and CA machinery. S Ayyappan emphasized the need for location specific diversification options including all components of farming, such as field crops, horticultural crops, livestock, and fisheries, in a holistic manner. He also stressed shrinking farm profitability as an issue of concern which should be addressed by developing technologies and strategies to increase productivity and reduce cost of production. To adopt modern farm technologies, Ayyappan concluded, it is necessary to bring youth to agriculture.

In his address, the Chief Minister emphasized replacement of rice with maize and soybean in some areas, direct seeding of rice, zero tillage, ending residue burning, usage of Happy Seeder, introduction of short-duration legumes like mungbean, bed planting and intercropping in sugarcane system, laser leveling, micro-irrigation, balanced plant-nutrient management, adoption of high value crops, and protected cultivation in the peri-urban interface. To promote these technologies, he announced doubling of subsidies on laser leveler, zero till planter, happy seeder, multi-crop planter, raised bed planter, and reaper. Hooda appreciated the progress of the CA action plan in the state and awarded 19 Haryana farmers, including 5 CA and climate smart farmers in Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) villages, for their innovative efforts in technology adaptation and scaling-out.

Prestigious INSA fellowship to Arun Joshi

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Arun-JoshiArun Joshi, CIMMYT senior wheat breeder for South Asia, has been named Fellow of the prestigious Indian National Science Academy (INSA) at its annual meeting in Pune, India, during 27-29 December 2012. Joshi has received this award for his contribution in development of popular wheat varieties and for research in management of losses caused by spot blotch pathogen (Bipolaris sorokiniana) and heat stress. He is one of the few scientists who have not only contributed to basic and applied research in wheat, but also carried research to the field, thus directly contributing to food security and improvement of farmers’ livelihoods. “It has been a very satisfying journey for an agricultural scientist,” Joshi stated.

INSA, the leading science academy in India, plays crucial role in promoting, recognizing, and rewarding excellence in science. It was established in 1935 with the objective of promoting science in the country and harnessing scientific knowledge for the cause of humanity and national welfare. This fellowship is a great honor not only for Joshi, but also for CIMMYT and the Institute of Agricultural Sciences at the Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi, India, of which Joshi is the first faculty to receive this award. Congratulations!

Honoring the memory of former maize director, Rip Paliwal

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We are sad to inform readers that on 05 January 2013, at the age of 84, Ripusudan L. Paliwal, a CIMMYT employee for 17 years who served as director of the maize program, passed away in the presence of his family near New Delhi, India. Rip, as he was respectfully and affectionately known by colleagues, came to CIMMYT as associate director of the maize program in 1976, after serving as dean of the college of agriculture of GP Pant University, Pantnagar, India. Former colleague and retired CIMMYT maize director Ron Cantrell called Paliwal a major factor in the success of the maize program. “I have nothing but fond memories of my time at CIMMYT and one of the principal reasons was the support and friendship of Rip,” says Cantrell. “He was an invaluable source of information about tropical maize and the national programs throughout the world.” His activities after retirement from CIMMYT in 1993 included authoring books such as the 2000 FAO publication “Tropical maize: Improvement and production.” The CIMMYT family extends its sincere sympathy and prayers to the Paliwal family, including children Nirupama, Nivedita, Muktesh, and Sarvesh, who worked as a CIMMYT maize scientist in the early 2000s.

The best photo of 2012

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Since the beginning of our weekly photo contest, we have received many pictures of maize and wheat from staff and friends around the world. Every week, we chose a winner, but we asked you to choose the best photo of 2012. After three weeks of online voting, the winner is Vadim Ganeyev, one of our friends and partners in Kazakhstan, with his photo of a grasshopper on a wheat spike. Congratulations to Vadim and many thanks for everyone’s participation!

Innovative public-private partnership to scale up conservation agriculture in Bangladesh

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Infroma-photo-BDDeveloping public-private partnerships (PPPs) to expand conservation agriculture (CA) is one of the main goals of the USAID-funded Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia in Bangladesh (CSISA-BD). A key stakeholder in CSISA-BD, CIMMYT has partnered with International Development Enterprises (iDE) to develop business models to support Solar International, a leader in the agricultural machinery sector in Bangladesh. To kick-start the PPP, Solar International recently imported 54 seeder-fertilizer drills that can be attached to the ubiquitous two-wheel hand tractors found in Bangladesh, and used for the CA strip tillage technique. Using such machinery allows for rapid precision planting of wheat, reduces the turn-around time before the rice harvest, and responds to the problem of growing labor scarcity for planting in Bangladesh. The PPP prioritizes farmer and service provider training in better-bet agronomic practices, optimum use of the seeder-fertilizer drills, and the marketing of agricultural services to small and marginal farmers at reasonable prices.

In November 2012, supported by CIMMYT, Solar International and iDE completed in-depth training and certification of 108 leading agricultural service providers and their machine operators, who had purchased the seeder-fertilizer drill. To make this approach scalable and sustainable, Solar International embedded the cost of training in the market price of the equipment; emphasizing program sustainability by securing a training and funding source after CSISA-BD withdraws. In turn, CSISA-BD supplied a 50% cost-rebate to purchasing service providers upon successful completion of the training course. This PPP was brokered by CIMMYT’s Timothy J. Krupnik, Cropping Systems Agronomist in Bangladesh, Rajiv Pradhan (iDE), and Sohel Khan (Solar International). Trainings were facilitated by representatives of Solar International, Farhad Hossain (CIMMYT Agricultural Development Officer), Scott Justice (CIMMYT Machinery Consultant), and Shafiq Islam (CIMMYT-CSISA Training and Outreach Officer).

HarvestPlus wheat varieties fight zinc and iron deficiency in India

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DSC04934A series of farmer-scientist interaction meetings to create awareness of HarvestPlus and new biofortified wheat varieties with high zinc and iron content, involve farmers in participatory varietal selection (PVS) of biofortified varieties in the next crop cycle, train farmers on soil sampling for iron and zinc analysis, and discuss seed and wheat production technology, took place in eastern Uttar Pradesh, India, in November 2012. The meetings were held in Bhurkura, Mirzapur district, on 4 November, Sota, Chandouli district, on 10 November, and Pidkhir, Mirzapur district, on 18 November, and were attended by 25, 38, and 30 farmers, respectively. They were jointly organized by the Banaras Hindu University, Mahamana Krishak Samiti farmers’ cooperative, Mirzapur district, and CIMMYT, and supported by a private seed company M/s. Shyam Seed.

Balasubramaniam Arun, Ramesh Chand, and Vinod Kumar Mishra, wheat scientists from the Banaras Hindu University, introduced the HarvestPlus project’s objectives and the importance of biofortified wheat varieties. Chandra Prakash Srivastava explained the role of zinc and iron for human health, while soil scientist Satish Kumar Singh focused on their role and importance in crop production, as well as zinc level distribution in different soil types in the ricewheat growing areas of the region. Each meeting included a hands-on training on HarvestPlus trials sowing, during which farmers learned about experimental design with focus on plot area, number of lines, and amount of seed to be sown, and which included soil samples collection demonstrations. This was followed by a discussion on the use of conventional and zero-till drill for experiment planting, and the farmers’ experience with biofortified varieties, seed purity maintenance, and the use of the progeny row method. Balanced use of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, sulfur, and boron based on soil analysis was also covered.

CIMMYT wheat breeder Arun Joshi described the steps involved in quality seed production and the importance of seed producers’ organizations for small-scale farmers. He also highlighted advantages of the PVS approach, including the increased adoption rate of new varieties within a shorter period of time. Joshi appreciated the keen interest and active participation of farmers in PVS programs and encouraged them to continue their work and facilitate varietal selection to identify and promote agronomically superior biofortified varieties. The participating farmers showed their interest in HarvestPlus experiments and their continuing support for the wheat biofortification program. They expressed their full satisfaction with the interaction meetings, as these help them to build confidence and enhance their knowledge and capacity for understanding new wheat research processes and results. According to the participants, smallholder farmers have achieved significant gains through the participatory research program, an easier access to new varieties being one of them. Sri Hari Kirtan Singh of M/s. Shyam Seed agreed to multiply all lead varieties seeds identified for high zinc and iron content to allow easy access to an even larger number of farmers.

Conservation agriculture and spatial variability analysis of soils using EM 38 course in India

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CIMMYT and the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA), in collaboration with Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), organized an advanced course on “Conservation agriculture and spatial variability analysis of soils using EM 38” in Ludhiana, India, during 5-13 October 2012. The course was attended by 15 scientists from 3 state agricultural universities (Jawahar Lal Nehru Krishi Viswa Vidyalaya, Rajendra Agricultural University, and PAU), Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, BISA (Jabalpur, Ludhiana, and Pusa), and CIMMYTIndia. It was inaugurated by Jaskarn Singh Mahal (PAU Additional Director of Research; Farm Mechanization and Bio Energy) and organized by Jill Cairns (CIMMYT-Zimbabwe), Raj Gupta and HS Sidhu (BISA), ML Jat (CIMMYT-India), and Yadvinder Singh and Ken Syare (CIMMYT). The course was supported by WHEAT Strategic Initiatives 2 and 3 (Sustainable wheat-based systems: Improving livelihoods while safeguarding the environment, and Nutrientand water-use efficiency).

The training was preceded by a brainstorming session to deliberate the design of the Long-term Research on Conservation Agriculture (CA) at three BISA sites. The session covered critical issues in major production systems, soil types, and agro-ecologies, and identified and prioritized future production systems for long-term CA trials. Component technologies and design protocols of long-term trials were discussed and finalized.

During the actual training, Cairns introduced the EM 38, the non-invasive, nondestructive, quick, and inexpensive sampling method using electromagnetic induction to measure salinity, moisture, and other characteristics of soil. Cairns then described the steps in EM 38 calibration, and the team worked on EM 38 surveys at a BISA farm in Ladowal. Participants were exposed to application of EM 38 in mapping spatial variation in fields with long-term and other trials and learned to generate maps from collected data. At the end of the session, maps generated by participants were presented and described, which was followed by a Q&A session.

As part of the course, HS Sidhu and the BISA Ladowal team provided a hands-on training on operation, calibration, and maintenance of CA-based planting machinery, including multi-crop zero till planter, raised bed planter, Turbo Happy Seeder, New Easy Seeder, relay crop planter, and high clearance tractor.

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Australia and CIMMYT continue support for wheat and maize research in Afghanistan

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After a decade of successful work in Afghanistan, CIMMYT has begun a new phase of a project supported by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). The four-year phase entitled “Sustainable Wheat & Maize Production in Afghanistan” began in October 2012 and builds upon research and development and capacity building activities of the previous phases with a greater emphasis on rainfed wheat and hybrid maize.

The livelihoods of approximately 80% of the Afghan population depend on agriculture and related activities. The central crop in Afghanistan is wheat, providing about 60% of daily calorie intake for an average Afghan. Afghanistan’s annual per capita wheat consumption of 180 kilograms places the country among the top wheat consumers worldwide. While wheat constitutes the most important grain crop in Afghanistan, occupying about 80% of all cereals area, maize is a grossly underutilized food and feed option in the country. It ranks third in importance as far as area and production are concerned, but the current production levels are low at about 0.3 million tons (a considerable decrease from about 0.7 million tons in the 1960s and 1970s). This is expected to change with the Government of Afghanistan’s recently renewed emphasis on maize. CIMMYT, with support from AusAID and ACIAR, has been working towards sustainable growth in wheat and maize production and productivity in the war-torn country.

Agriculture in Afghanistan generally faces various constraints and challenges, including severe droughts and great agro-climatic diversity. However, following a decade of concerted efforts on part of researchers, seed producers, and the farming community, wheat production and productivity is now showing a positive trend. Furthermore, the 10 wheat and 4 maize CIMMYT genotypes that were released in Afghanistan in the past 10 years have contributed to the growth of a public-private partnership within the seed industry, which is expected to produce up to 12% of Afghanistan’s wheat certified demand. Nevertheless, serious issues remain, including the absence of an in-country wheat breeding program and the stark fact that more than 80% of certified seed produced in the country is still Ug99 susceptible. There is also a need to initiate agro-climatic zonespecific varietal testing and to reach out to farmers with zone-specific crop management knowledge.

These are some of the issues to be addressed by the new phase of the project. Additionally, the project will create information management hubs in the provinces of Nangarhar, Herat, Balkh, and Kabul. These hubs, led by the Agricultural Research Institute of Afghanistan (ARIA) and engaging all stakeholders and partners, will undertake baseline and subsequent annual surveys to assess levels of technology adoption. They will also study factors affecting adoption, including the role of children and women in wheat- and maize-based cropping systems, and engage in technology assessment, demonstration, and dissemination.

The current phase aims to empower ARIA to assume a leadership role in all the spheres of technology development and dissemination. To realize this plan, annual workshops will be held to eventually hand over the leadership and coordination role to ARIA and national partners. Implementation of this project in Afghanistan will draw support from in-country partners including, but not limited to, ICARDA-Afghanistan, FAO, the French Agricultural Cooperation, Japan International Cooperation Agency in Kabul, NGOs, seed organizations, farmers, and private sector to ensure sustainable gains.

Climate smart practices and conservation agriculture in India

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DSC00335Under the aegis of Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), CIMMYT, Rajendra Agricultural University (RAU), and Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) organized a travelling seminar on Climate Smart Practices. The seminar was attended by nearly 100 participants, including 60 farmers from village clusters in the CCAFS grid in Vaishali district of Bihar, scientists and officers from RAU, IARI, IFFCO Foundation, CIMMYT, Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA), Cereal System Initiative South Asia (CSISA), and several private organizations. The aim was to discuss opportunities for climate-smart practices.

ML Jat (CIMMYT senior cropping systems agronomist) started the seminar with a summary of CCAFS activities, target regions, and priorities for Bihar. He stressed the importance of conservation agriculture (CA) for adaptation, mitigation, and risk management in farming practices in the context of emerging climatic extremes and projected effects of global climate change. In locations like Bihar, with typically uncertain weather, cropping system optimization is crucial for climate change adaptation; this optimization can be facilitated through CA-based management practices.

Jat also discussed the involvement of women farmers in decision making, which is critical not only for risk management but also for women’s empowerment, as it allows them to harness their full potential. Women are generally not involved in the decision making process and they often lack access to information, which prevents them from efficient decision making and full involvement in the farm system. Jat then explained some new nutrient management tools and techniques, such as the Nutrient Expert decision support systems for maize and wheat and the hand-held GreenSeeker sensors. Following the presentation, some farmers expressed their interest to learn about the Nutrient Expert tool in order to provide services to other farmers in their villages.

Raj Kumar Jat (CIMMYT cropping system agronomist) and Mukesh Kumar (RAU professor) discussed the key benefits of CA in terms of productivity enhancement, soil health improvement, water efficiency, production cost, and mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. IS Solanki (head of IARI-Pusa) and S Chowdhury (BISA seed specialist) then demonstrated seed production of single-cross maize hybrids with CA-based management practices (permanent beds). Solanki and his team also showed hybrid seed production of rice with complete seed chain (production to processing) and discussed opportunities for horticultural diversification. Solanki emphasized the importance of hybrid seed production directly by farmers to ensure timely availability of quality seed and to generate employment opportunities for farmers. RK Malik (CSISA coordinator for eastern India) shared CSISA experiences on alternate tillage, including direct dry seeded rice, mechanical transplanted rice, zero tillage, and raised bed planting. The farmers then visited a seed processing plant at an IARI station and observed the long-term CA experiment on rice-wheat and rice-maize systems established jointly by CIMMYT and RAU in 2006.

VP Singh (RAU director of research) highlighted the importance of this experiment: “CA-based crop management technologies are the way forward not only for reducing production cost and improving income but also for enhancing climate resilience and long-term sustainability of farming in Bihar.”

The Government of Bihar reflects Singh’s sentiment, as it has given high priority to CA and promised to provide over 5,000 zero-till planters to the farmers in 2012. Singh urged the farmers to adopt other best management practices as well, including timely planting, improved varieties, nutrient, water, and weed management practices for higher productivity and profitability, and efficient use of input to help mitigate GHG emissions.

In the end of the seminar, an interaction session was organized at a BISA farm where participants discussed key lessons and critical issues. The session included a demonstration of mechanized harvesting of maize using small multi-crop combine harvester.

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USAID and CIMMYT visit the 1st community-managed maize seed company in the hills of Nepal

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PHOTO-NEPAL21The community based seed production (CBSP) program is one of the most successful interventions of the Hill Maize Research Project (HMRP) Phase IV in Nepal. Through this program, the project has significantly contributed to the increase in maize seed replacement rate, maize productivity, and income of smallholder and resource-poor farmers in the hills of the country. To observe the successes achieved so far, teams from USAID-Nepal, CIMMYT-Mexico, and HMRP visited a community-managed seed company in the Thumpahkar Village of Sindupalchowk district, located about 100 km north-east of Kathmandu, on 12 October 2012. The USAID team comprised of John Stamm (General Development Office director, USAID-Nepal), Luis Guzman (Feed the Future team leader, USAID-Nepal), Shanker Khagi (South Asia Regional Initiative for Energy country coordinator), and Lindsey Moore (USAID-Bangladesh). CIMMYT’s Thomas Short (deputy director general for Corporate Services), Nellooli P. Rajasekharan (International Human Resources director), G. Ortiz Ferrara (HMRP team leader), Nirmal Gadal (HMRP agronomist), and Dilli KC (HMRP seed value chain and marketing expert) were also present, along with about 35 seed growers, including the management team of the company.

The meeting was chaired by Gunda Bahadur Dhami, chairperson of Sindhu-Tuki Seed Production Cooperative Ltd. During a brief presentation, the company’s coordinator D.B. Bhandari summarized the institutional graduation of the farmers’ groups to a cooperative and later to a private seed company. Starting in 2005, the cooperative developed into a private seed company in 2010 with the technical support from HMRP. It currently works with 300 members organized in 14 CBSP groups. Bhandari also discussed the company’s current activities, future plan, operational model, membership policy, marketing activities, and approaches to gender and sustainability.

Stamm acknowledged the project team and congratulated farmers on the impact achieved so far. “USAID-Nepal considers HMRP a very successful project, and your seed company is a model for economic development of rural areas,” he said. Rajasekharan then thanked the HMRP team for organizing the field visit and expressed CIMMYT’s commitment to support the project staff in their work aiming to improve food security among Nepalese maize farmers. Short added: “I echo Raj’s words in congratulating the members of this seed company, but I also take the opportunity to thank the two donors of HMRP, USAID and SDC, for their financial and technical support given to the project.” Ortiz Ferrara stressed that “sustainability is the prime concern of HMRP, and the entire project activities are built on the clearly defined roles and responsibilities of the multiple stakeholders.

This small seed company is now operating on its own resources, and this is only one of the 195 CBSP groups coordinated by HMRP in 20 hill districts.” Responding to a question raised by Khagi regarding the competitiveness of improved maize seed, a female maize seed grower said: “The new maize varieties are high yielding, disease and lodging tolerant, have good taste, and the grain can be stored for a longer time.” Dhami followed: “We are just learning to walk and there is still a lot to do to help small farmers in our hill area to achieve food security and increase their income.” He thanked the guests for their valuable time and their continuing collaboration with the recently established seed company. At the end of the discussion, the team observed the seed processing plant, seed store house, and the community seed bank.

USAID supports CIMMYT-led partnership for heat resilient maize in South Asia

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PHOTO-NEPALThe U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will support a partnership to develop heat resilient maize for South Asia, as part of the US government’s Feed the Future initiative. The partnership is led by CIMMYT and involves Purdue University, Pioneer Hi-Bred, and several private and national research partners in South Asia. The aim is to develop and deploy heat stress tolerant, high-yielding maize hybrids for vulnerable, maize-dependent areas of South Asia.

“Out of a total of approximately six million hectares of hybrid maize grown in South Asia, nearly a million hectares are highly vulnerable to high temperature stress,” said BM Prasanna, director of CIMMYT’s global maize program. “Nearly 80 percent of the maize in this region is rainfed and highly vulnerable to extreme weather events, including drought and high temperatures. At the same time, spring maize has become an important option for intensifying and diversifying cropping systems in South Asia, especially in the upper and middle Indo-Gangetic plains, but the crop is prone to severe heat stress as well.”

The project will be funded for five years (2012-17) and USAID contributions will be matched with in-kind support from the public-private alliance. Work will build on the elite, abiotic stress tolerant maize germplasm from CIMMYT; the technical expertise of key resource partners (CIMMYT, Purdue University, and Pioneer Hi-Bred); the maize breeding and phenotyping locations and strengths of the national research programs of Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan; and the seed production capacity, farmer linkages, and market reach of private partners (Pioneer Hi-Bred, Vibha AgriTech, Ajeet Seeds, and Kaveri Seeds).

Ravi Singh receives 2012 China Tianshan Award from Xinjiang Province of China

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Ravi-Singh1Ravi Singh, distinguished scientist and head of Bread Wheat Improvement and Rust Research, Global Wheat Program, received the 2012 China Tianshan Award for his contributions to the economic and social progress of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China. The highest award given to foreign experts by the Government of Xinjiang Province was presented by Huang Wei, Executive Vice- Governor of the Province, on 27 September 2012 during a ceremony at Urumqi attended by over 150 officials and guests.

Singh is the second CIMMYT scientist to have received the award. Sanjaya Rajaram, former CIMMYT wheat director, received the Tianshan Award in 2005. This is a reflection of the significant contributions to wheat production in the province achieved through the use of CIMMYT germplasm. More than 20 CIMMYT-derived spring wheat varieties have been released in the province directly after introduction or by being used as parents since the 1970s. The main breeding priorities for the new varieties are increased yield potential with early maturity, short stature, rust resistance, and good end-use quality. The wheat production area covers about one million hectares in the province, 40 % of which is used for spring wheat. Spring wheat is sown in March, which enables drip irrigation systems to be used widely to mitigate the negative effects of limited water resources, as water becomes available from the melting snow in the mountains. The most recent CIMMYT-derived variety is Kambara, known as “Xinchun 23” in China (released in northwestern Mexico as “Tacupeto F2001”). High yielding, early-maturing wheat lines developed in recent years in Mexico and shared with two academies in the province offer further possibilities of increasing yield as they fit into the crop rotation.

Conservation agriculture for smallholder maize farmers in Jharkhand, India

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Farming in Jharkhand in eastern India is typically characterized by land degradation, moisture stress, low cropping intensity, poor biomass production, and low farm income. To address these issues faced largely by smallholder farmers, a conservation agriculture (CA) project was initiated in 2011 by CIMMYT in collaboration with Birsa Agricultural University (BAU) and Ranchi and Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), with support from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). A stakeholder consultation/field day was organized on 8 October 2012 jointly by CIMMYT and BAU at Ranchi, Jharkhand, to demonstrate the benefits of CA in sustainable intensification. The event was attended by over 150 participants, including the vice chancellor and other key officers of BAU, CIMMYT scientists, and farmers from three districts of Jharkhand. In addition, representatives from three private companies attended the field day to showcase their latest products and to discuss their support for scalingup seed production of existing commercial and advanced hybrids.

SP Poonia, CIMMYT scientist based at Ranchi, provided an overview of activities and progress of the IFAD “Sustainable Intensification of Smallholder Maize-Livestock Farming Systems in Hill Areas of South Asia” project. Poonia shared salient achievements on sustainable intensification of maize systems using CA-based crop management technologies, and on quality protein maize performance. Raj Gupta from CIMMYT-India stressed that farmers can produce more yield under CA with less supplemental irrigation. He further emphasized that farmers need to consider mechanised farming to ensure timely planting and to realize the full potential of available resources on a sustainable basis.

Ken Sayre from CIMMYT-Mexico appreciated the farmers for efficient adoption of CA within one year since the launch of the project. He then focused on relations between farmers and researchers to enhance knowledge sharing and appreciated the cooperation and vast presence of BAU officials, private sector representatives, and farmers, demonstrating a strong partnership aiming to help the farmers. Sayre also shared his experience with CA-based crop management technologies from Mexico and elsewhere. R.P. Singh Ratan, BAU Extension Director, added that seed companies form a vital link in delivering improved maize varieties to farmers. They are also crucial in training local mechanics and making need-based corrections to CA machineries. He further added that CA techniques are indispensable for conserving natural resources. MP Pandey, Vice Chancellor of BAU and chief guest of the event, appreciated farmers’ feedback on CA-based technologies. He then applauded the CIMMYT and BAU teams for their work both on station and on farmers’ fields in remote areas. He assured his full support for further scaling out of CA-based technologies in the state to achieve more efficient management of natural resources. The event was followed by a field visit and in-field interactions. Officials present at the event included DK Singh ‘Dron’ (ADR, BAU), R Thakur (Chairman of Agronomy), ZA Haider (Chairman of PBG), and other eminent scientists from BAU.

Climate change and the challenges of increasing production in India

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Climate-change-IndiaWhile cereal production in India has increased significantly since the mid-1960s as a result of the Green Revolution, securing the gains achieved is becoming more difficult in the context of soaring food and fuel prices, volatile markets, depleting water resources, soil degradation, and the effects of global climate change. To discuss strategies for improving efficiency and resilience of farming systems as a way to ensure sustainable food security, over 400 participants gathered for an in-field stakeholder meeting on ‘Empowering Farmers for Climate Smart Agricultural Practices in Haryana’ in Taraori, Karnal, India, on 28 September 2012. The event was organized by the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), Haryana Farmers’ Commission (Government of Haryana), Haryana Department of Agriculture, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Directorate of Wheat Research (DWR), Central Soil Salinity Research Institute (CSSRI), CCS Haryana Agricultural University (HAU), CIMMYT, Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA), and Farmers Cooperative. Among the participants were Indian farmers, 50 officials from governmental and private sector organizations, and 25 scientists from national and international institutions. RS Paroda, Chairman of Haryana Farmers Commission, urged farmers to stay connected with scientists, extension agents, and government officials while modifying agricultural practices for adaptation and mitigation of climate change. He suggested that diversification from conventional rice-wheat rotation to new technologies, such as direct seeded rice, zero tillage, residue management, and raised bed planting, and alternative crops to rice is necessary for sustainable agriculture. By quoting Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, late Prime Minister of India, who said “In order to awaken the people, it is the women who have to be awakened. Once she is on move, the family moves, the village moves, and the nation moves,” he stressed the importance of empowering female farmers. Paroda further highlighted the importance of regional and global networks and partnerships for knowledge sharing and enhanced capacity development.

CIMMYT senior agronomist ML Jat emphasized the importance of the principles of conservation agriculture, as they could considerably contribute to arresting the natural resource degradation and to increased farm profitability. PK Aggarwal, CCAFS South Asia coordinator, discussed how current farming practices are partially responsible for climate change and what needs to be done. For example, conventional puddled rice cultivation utilizes standing water which is a major source of methane gas emissions. Therefore, new rice production technologies are necessary. Other participants, including Indu Sharma (Director, DWR Karnal), DK Sharma (Director, CSSRIKarnal ), BS Duggal (Additional Director Agriculture, Government of Haryana), and Sain Dass (President, Indian Maize Development Association) discussed the use of groundwater recharge, gypsum, salt tolerant varieties, the provision of subsidized and/ or free seeds by the Government of Haryana to promote diversification in intensive systems, introduction of maize to replace rice in certain areas, and conservation agriculture practices. Kaushik Majumdar (Director, International Plant Nutrition Institute – South Asia) also mentioned that Nutrient Expert, an excellent tool for site-specific nutrient management for crop yield optimizations and environmental footprint reduction, has been developed and validated in Haryana in collaboration with CIMMYT.

CIMMYT trains Vietnamese scientists in doubled haploid technology

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Doubled haploid (DH) technology is increasingly utilized in maize breeding for achieving rapid genetic gains and speeding up product development. Several maize breeding programs within public institutions and small and medium private enterprises, especially in tropical maize growing countries, lag behind in using this technology. By disseminating newly developed tropical inducer lines, offering technical know-how to breeding programs, and conducting training courses, CIMMYT has been working to close this gap. CIMMYT also produced an elaborate training manual on DH technology (available for download at CIMMYT library repository).

The National Maize Research Institute (NMRI), Hanoi, Vietnam, is currently expanding its technical capacity to adapt the DH technology to its institutional needs. To assist NMRI in achieving this goal, CIMMYT has been offering training to its scientists. Three NMRI scientists were trained at CIMMYT-Mexico from January to May 2012. NMRI then organized a four-day training course during 10–12 September 2012, which was led by CIMMYT scientists Vijay Chaikam and Dan Jeffers and attended by 60 NMRI breeders/scientists. Mai Xuan Trieu (NMRI director general), Luong Van Vang (Maize Development Project director), Kha Le Quy (Maize Breeding Department head), and Dang Ngoc Ha (International Cooperation Department head) inaugurated the course with discussions about the challenges for maize production in Vietnam. Jeffers presented on future challenges for maize in Asia, CIMMYT’s vision for addressing these problems, and identification and management of prominent maize diseases in Southeast Asia. Chaikam’s presentations covered all the technical details of DH technology and the components required for establishing a successful DH breeding program. Jeffers and Chaikam also visited Song Boi experimental station in Hoa Binh province to assess its suitability for DH operations.

During the closing ceremony, Mai Xuan Trieu and Luong Van Vang expressed their gratitude to Thomas Lumpkin (CIMMYT director general), Marianne BĂ€nziger (CIMMYT deputy director general), and B.M. Prasanna (Global Maize Program director) for their efforts in forging collaboration with NMRI and the support provided to adapt DH technology in maize breeding programs.

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