CIMMYT’s work in Africa helps farmers access new maize and wheat systems-based technologies, information and markets, raising incomes and enhancing crop resilience to drought and climate change. CIMMYT sets priorities in consultation with ministries of agriculture, seed companies, farming communities and other stakeholders in the maize and wheat value chains. Our activities in Africa are wide ranging and include: breeding maize for drought tolerance and low-fertility soils, and for resistance to insect pests, foliar diseases and parasitic weeds; sustainably intensifying production in maize- and wheat-based systems; and investigating opportunities to reduce micronutrient and protein malnutrition among women and young children.
Conservation agriculture (CA) has increasingly been promoted in southern Africa to address low agricultural productivity, food insecurity, and land degradation. Despite significant experimental evidence on the agronomic and economic benefits and the large scaling-up investments by donors and national governments, the adoption rates of CA practices among smallholder farmers are low and slow.
With funding from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) and implemented by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and CIMMYT, ACASA strives to understand “why previous efforts and investments to scale CA technologies and practices in southern Africa have not led to widespread adoption.” It is a three-year project implemented in Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, where CA is part of national policy.
Since 2021, the project has undertaken extensive surveys aimed to understand incentives, drivers, and barriers of CA adoption across the three countries (Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe) typifying much of the southern Africa smallholder systems. The aim of the project is to consolidate the lessons learned so far and provide a pathway to scaling and foster the next generation of social, crop, agronomic and climate research; to mainstream CA enabled by fundamental paradigm shifts in farming practices, markets, and social institutions for sustainable intensification of smallholder farming systems of southern Africa.
Project objectives include –
Understanding the contexts of smallholder farmer in southern Africa to identify the drivers and barriers preventing adoption of CA practices, including biophysical, socio-economic, institutional and policy constraints
Identifying labor-efficient mechanization options for smallholder farmers
Identifying opportunities and tools for better targeting of appropriate CA practices and options across heterogenous agroecologies and farm types, and
Identifying approaches and strategies for inclusive scaling of CA practices (policy, institutional and value chain entry points and pathways to promote and scale CA)
Certified soyabean seed from Afriseed. (Photo: AFRI archives)
In Zambia, smallholder farmers obtain their seed from a variety of sources. Over 75 percent of farmers in Zambia have adopted certified maize seed and about 30 percent in southern Africa, overall. The private sector has been instrumental in creating demand for certified and timely delivery of seed to remote areas, and the Government of Zambia’s Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) has largely contributed to better accessibility to certified seed for farmers. In 2022–2023, of the three million registered smallholder farmers in Zambia, more than one million accessed certified seed through FISP.
Afriseed is a seed company in Zambia that has been gaining ground in local seed markets. It has emerged as a catalyst for helping smallholder farmers transition to new, high-yielding legume varieties. Afriseed provides solutions to help smallholders increase their agricultural productivity with improved seed varieties of cereals and legumes and assist them with technology transfer. The company aims to increase the food security and incomes of Zambia’s smallholder farming community, which accounts for 90 percent of agricultural output in the country. During the 2022–2023 farming season, a critical turning point was reached when Afriseed became a partner in the Southern Africa Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative (AID-I) Rapid Delivery Hub, or MasAgro Africa, a two-year project under CIMMYT, with the aim of scaling-up production of certified seed varieties of soybean and common bean.
Under the partnership, Afriseed promotes the cultivation of improved legume seed through a smallholder farmer seed multiplication approach. By engaging with practicing smallholder farmers and signing grower contracts, basic seeds are multiplied into certified seed for soybean and common bean. Certified seed is a known variety produced under strict seed certification standards to support varietal purity. In collaboration with the Seed Control and Certification Institute (SCCI), the country’s national seed authority, contracted farmers received training on climate-smart agricultural techniques and seed production guidelines. Through extension services to seed growers, smallholder farmers can adhere to the seed production guidelines set out in the National Seed Act to ensure the quality of certified seed produced.
Smallholder farmers hold improved, certified seed. (Photo: AFRI archives)
Afriseed has invested more than USD 335,000 toward supporting the production, aggregation, and processing of 317 t of certified climate-smart legume seeds—265 metric tonnes (MT) for soybean and 52 MT for common bean. Data have shown that the seeds were aggregated from 313 smallholder seed growers, 40 percent of whom were women, in Zambia’s Eastern Muchinga, Copperbelt and the Northern provinces. Seed aggregation improves access to quality seed varieties, increases crop yields and incomes, enhances integration into value chains, and creates market links for smallholder farmers.
Notable progress has been made with the contracted farmers, who have applied improved crop management practices and technologies on more than 600 ha of land to produce the seed. With this encouraging progress, Afriseed intends to scale up its last-mile seed distribution strategy to reach and directly help an estimated 35,000 underserved rural smallholder farming households with improved legume seeds in the 2023–2024 cropping season.
AID-I is one of the ways in which Feed the Future, the U.S. Government’s global food security and hunger initiative led by USAID, is taking immediate action to help cushion the blow of high fuel and fertilizer prices on farmers. One of the project’s initial actions is to strengthen local seed systems so that agribusinesses can reach smallholder farmers with a diversity of improved seeds varieties, including climate-resilient and more nutritious varieties for maize and legumes.
CIMMYT’s involvement in the TELA Maize Project has been instrumental in the development of new drought-tolerant and pest-resistant maize varieties, recently released by Nigeria’s Federal Government. This initiative, aimed at enhancing food security and agricultural productivity, underscores CIMMYT’s commitment to agricultural innovation and global collaboration in biotechnology.
CIMMYT and ICBA sign a memorandum of understanding. (Photo: ICBA)
Dubai/Mexico City, 10 January 2024 – 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.
“Farmers 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,” said Bram Govaerts, director general of CIMMYT. “ICBA brings enormously valuable expertise and partnerships to efforts that will help them.”
The specifics of the two centers’ 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 world’s largest collections of germplasm of drought-, heat- and salt-tolerant plant species.
“We 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 farmers’ food security and nutrition, while enhancing water security and environmental sustainability, and creating jobs and livelihoods in different parts of the world,” 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 world’s 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 UAE’s 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 tomorrow’s 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.
Excited farmers pose after purchasing seed in preparation for the upcoming cropping season. (Photo: CIMMYT)
More than 1,300 smallholder farmers, across the Mwenezi and Masvingo districts of Zimbabwe, braved the hot morning sun to attend the fourth edition of the seed and mechanization fair organized by CIMMYT and partners in early October 2023. The event, themed “Harnessing improved seed and mechanization for climate resilience,” saw these farmers from all walks of life—first timers to past attendees—eager to participate, learn and explore the innovations on display.
Evolving over time, the seed and mechanization fair has continued to serve as a strategic platform to connect local farmers with private sector companies while enhancing the uptake of drought-tolerant maize varieties and scale-appropriate machinery. “Since 2020, CIMMYT-driven seed fairs have encouraged smallholder farmers in semi-arid areas, to grow the right seed at the right time to avoid any shortcomings due to unpredictable of weather patterns,” said Christian Thierfelder, principal cropping systems agronomist at CIMMYT.
Fast approaching farming season
El Niño continues to pose a threat to farmers especially in semi-arid areas such as in Mwenezi district situated in southern Zimbabwe and Masvingo district in south-eastern Zimbabwe which are drought prone areas characterized by high temperatures, rainfall deficit, among other challenges. Through the seed fairs, CIMMYT, a consortium member of the World Food Program projects, R4 Rural Resilience and the Zambuko Livelihoods Initiatives supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and USAID, has been at the forefront, advocating for and inspiring local farmers to buy and use seed varieties suitable for their environment, while encouraging farming as a business. In addition, the regional project Ukama/Ustawi Diversification in East and Southern Africa joined efforts to support farmers in income diversification from pure cereal-based systems to more diversified cereal-legume and mechanized farming systems.
“I believe this is the right function at the right time as we prepare for the next farming season. From this event, we anticipate that farmers will say, ‘Yes we have received new technology, yes we have knowledge on new varieties, yes we have information about the weather forecast’. We now have confidence that farmers are well-equipped and ready for the season to achieve the Zimbabwe Vision 2030,” said Isaac Mutambara, district development coordinator from Mwenezi.
Building resilience with drought-tolerant varieties
Amid climate change, equipping farmers with climate-smart knowledge and the right seed varieties has been central to the seed fairs. Working hand in hand with the government, CIMMYT has been breeding drought tolerant, orange maize with high nutritional value. “We encourage the growing and consumption of crops with nutritional value for household food security. Furthermore, we have different varieties of orange maize which are drought-tolerant,” said Thokozile Ndhlela, maize line development breeder. In addition, CIMMYT as part of HarvestPlus, has been encouraging the growing and consumption of nutritious NUA45 beans which are high in iron and zinc.
Mechanizing agriculture
Live demonstration of the basin digger in Mwenezi. (Photo: CIMMYT)
The joint participation of the USAID funded ‘Feed the Future Zimbabwe Mechanization and Extension activity’, helped to emphasize the importance of transforming smallholder agriculture through scale-appropriate equipment. At the event, machinery manufacturers such as Prochoice, Kurima and Mahindra showcased cutting-edge machinery, designed to ease farming operations. These companies showed live demonstrations of two-wheel tractors, basin diggers, multiple crop threshers amongst others, effectively emphasizing the benefits of scale-appropriate mechanization. The innovations on display demonstrated the unwavering dedication of the private sector towards supporting farmers and driving agricultural innovation. “It has been a truly exciting opportunity operating the peanut sheller, while appreciating the different machinery in live action. I will consider buying this machine as it reduces the added burden of shelling and processing,” said Lungiwe Nyathi, a local farmer from Mwenezi.
Partnerships for growth
Various seed companies, including AgriSeeds, SeedCo, Farm and City, Super Fert, National Tested Seeds, Intaba Trading, Sesame for Life and K2, marketed appropriate seed varieties that ensure bumper harvests. Sales of seed, fertilizer and other inputs were high, with the total value of sales reaching US6,450. Vouchers were distributed to farmers who made high cash purchases of seeds. “I bought 45kgs of seed which I believe is a great start, and I am happy that I do not have to pay extra money for transporting the seed to my home,” said Martha Chiwawo, a farmer from ward 16 in Masvingo.
The fairs would not be complete without CIMMYT partners. While Zambuko Livelihoods Initiative shared their expertise in the district, SNV has been encouraging sustainable savings and lending schemes among farmers to purchase machinery while facilitating market access and reducing post-harvest losses. The World Food Programme (WFP) encouraged farmers to become resilient and self-sufficient through valuable knowledge and skills to improve their lives. In addition, the Mwenezi Development Training Centre (MDTC) focused on encouraging small livestock which are adaptable to the area. Additional partners Cesvi and Sesame for Life, who both operate in ward 6 of Mwenezi district, participated in the seed fairs for the first time. Both partners advance the production of high value crops—paprika and sesame—which have a ready export market and favorable prices for smallholder farmers. Government extension departments showed strong support while researchers from the Makoholi Research Station in Masvingo used the opportunity to talk to farmers about their research initiatives.
As the day came to an end, farmers were brimming with excitement and ready to embark on the season ahead with purchased, improved seed and a wealth of knowledge on innovative conservation agriculture practices. The event proved to be an invaluable opportunity for uniting farmers, government, seed companies, and partners in a shared mission to promote sustainable farming practices and ensure food security.
Maize is a staple crop in Zimbabwe, playing a vital role in the country’s agricultural landscape as food for its own people and an export good. However, behind every successful maize harvest lies the quality of seed and resistance to diseases and stresses.
Amidst the multitude of diseases that threaten maize crops, one adversary is maize lethal necrosis (MLN). Though not native to Zimbabwe, it is crucial to remain prepared for its potential impact on food security.
What is maize lethal necrosis?
MLN is a viral disease, caused by a combination of two virus diseases. The disease emerged in Kenya in 2011 and quickly spread to other countries in eastern Africa. The introduction of MLN to Africa was likely affected by the movement of infected seed and insect vectors. MLN has had a severe impact on regional maize production, leading to yield losses of up to 90%.
Recognizing the need to equip seasoned practitioners with the knowledge and skills to effectively diagnose and manage MLN, CIMMYT organized a comprehensive training on MLN diagnosis and management, targeting 25 representatives from Zimbabwe’s Plant Quarantine Services.
From students to experienced technicians, pathologists and plant health inspectors, this was an opportunity to refresh their knowledge base or an introduction to the important work of MLN mitigation. “This training for both advanced level practitioners and students is crucial not only for building competence on MLN but also to refresh minds to keep abreast and be prepared with approaches to tackle the disease once it is identified in the country,” said Nhamo Mudada, head of Plant Quarantine Services.
Expectations were diverse, ranging from sharpening understanding of key signs and symptoms to learning from country case examples currently ridden with the disease. With CIMMYT’s guidance, practitioners learned how to identify MLN infected plants, make accurate diagnoses, and implement management strategies to minimize losses.
“For over 10 years, these trainings have been important to raise awareness, keep local based practitioners up to speed, help them diagnose MLN, and make sure that they practice proper steps to tackle this disease,” said L.M Suresh, CIMMYT maize pathologist and head of the MLN screening facility in Kenya.
Identifying the specific MLN causing viral disease affecting a maize plant is the first step in combating MLN. Determining whether it is a biotic or abiotic disease is critical in establishing its cause and subsequent diagnosis. By implementing proper diagnostic techniques and understanding the fundamentals of good diagnosis, practitioners can bring representative samples to the lab and accurately identify MLN.
Tackling MLN in Zimbabwe
Initiated in 2015 at Mazowe as a joint initiative between the Government of Zimbabwe and CIMMYT, a modern quarantine facility was built to safely import maize breeding materials from eastern Africa to southern Africa and enable local institutions to proactively breed for resistance against MLN.
The MLN quarantine facility at the Plant Quarantine Institute is run by the Department of Research and Specialist Services (DRSS) and is mandated to screen maize varieties imported under strict quarantine conditions to ensure that they are MLN-free.
Training participants pose outside of the MLN screening facilities. (Photo: CIMMYT)
To date, CIMMYT and partners have released 22 MLN resistant and tolerant hybrids in eastern Africa. CIMMYT’s research and efforts to combat MLN have focused on a multidimensional approach, including breeding for resistant varieties, promoting integrated pest management strategies, strengthening seed systems, and enhancing the capacity of farmers and stakeholders.
“Support extended through valuable partnerships between CIMMYT, and the collaborations have played a pivotal role from surveillance to diagnostics and building capacity,” said Mudada.
Feedback and insights
Chief Plant Health Inspector for Export and Imports Biosecurity, Monica Mabika, expressed gratitude for the training. “It is always an honor when we have expert pathologists come through and provide a valuable refresher experience, strengthening our understanding on issues around biosecurity and learning what other countries are doing to articulate MLN,” she said.
Students learn how to screen maize plants for MLN. (Photo: CIMMYT)
Among the students was Audrey Dohwera from the University of Zimbabwe, who acknowledged the importance of the training. “I have been attached for 2 months under the pathology department, and I was eager to learn about MLN, how to detect signs and symptoms on maize, how to address it and be able to share with fellow farmers in my rural community,” she said.
With the knowledge gained from this training, practitioners are well equipped to face the challenges that MLN may present, ultimately safeguarding the country’s maize production status.
Bram Govaerts and Amsal Tarekegne compare a maize hybrid. (Photo: Katebe Mapipo/CIMMYT)
Maize is a vital crop in Zambia and Tanzania, both for farmers’ economic livelihoods and for delivering nutrients and sustenance to a large group of people. But maize is threatened by climate change, like more severe droughts, and from pests like fall army worm (FAW), which can completely devastate farmers’ fields.
Against this backdrop of looming threats, CIMMYT, as part of the Southern Africa Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative (AID-I) Rapid Delivery Hub, or MasAgro Africa, is partnering with the Zambia Seed Company Limited (Zamseed) to distribute seeds that are drought tolerant and resistant to the ravages of FAW. And because maize is a staple of many people’s diets, CIMMYT and Zamseed are also developing and distributing maize varieties enhanced with vitamin A.
To uphold maize variety integrity, CIMMYT and Zamseed are engaged in the capacity building of quality assurance and quality control for local stakeholders.
CIMMYT’s engagement with Zamseed involves efforts to popularize high yielding, drought-tolerant, and vitamin enhanced maize varieties in Zambia and Tanzania. Some of these efforts include demonstrations of the new varieties, field days held at different stages of maize development, and deliberate engagement of women throughout the entire seed selection, planting and harvesting effort.
“Our partnership with Zamseed started in October 2022,” said Ir Essegbemon Akpo, a CIMMYT maize seed systems specialist. “It has been a fruitful collaboration, delivering significant outputs to thousands of farmers in Zambia and Tanzania.”
To date, Zamseed has held 300 and 500 demonstrations in Tanzania and Zambia, respectively. The company has held many field days at the demonstration sites to showcase drought tolerant and vitamin A enhanced maize to hundreds of small-scale farmers.
“We have witnessed many farmers who visited the demonstration activities who are excited to see the new high yielding and drought tolerant varieties,” said Amsal Tarekegne of Zamseed.
Seeded by funds from the AID-I project, Zamseed is producing 60kg of Early Generation Seed (EGS) of parents of a FAW-tolerant hybrid maize variety. The company plans to produce 200kg of this hybrid for commercialization and launch in 2024.
To ensure that seeds delivered to farmers are of the highest quality, CIMMYT is working with Zamseed to develop quality assurance and control frameworks, involving genotyping of selected seeds at various times during the seed multiplication and distribution process.
Zamseed has been servicing the requirements of farmers in the sub-Sahara region since 1980, focusing on products that will enhance the profitability of the small-scale farmer and ensure household food security.
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.
To bring together farmers with seed distributors and other stakeholders, the Southern Africa Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative (AID-I) Rapid Delivery Hub, or MasAgro Africa, held a seed fair with the theme ‘Promoting Access to Drought Tolerant Seed and Appropriate Scale Technologies,’ in Zambia’s Chongwe district. The objectives of the fair were to create a platform for farmers and input suppliers to engage before the onset of the planting season. Over 1,200 farmers attended the seed fair.
Zambian government officials and CIMMYT staff tour fair stands. (Photo: Nancy Malama/CIMMYT)
“The seed fair plays a critical role in linking farmers to seed companies and exposes them to appropriate technologies. The links created with agro-dealers and other suppliers ensure farmers gain access to sufficient volumes of appropriate multiple stress tolerant maize hybrids, legume seed and agricultural inputs locally. Access to drought tolerant seed and technology in the times of climate change is timely and critical to today’s farmers. This fair will help our farmers acquire inputs at their doorsteps, promoting food security,” said Kasuba, the district agriculture officer.
AID-I is also using these fairs to provide information on agronomic practices such as conservation agriculture, climate-smart agriculture and small mechanization options to support smallholders not only to learn but also enjoy the events through participation in fun quizzes. Farmers purchase seed and other inputs when they redeem vouchers provided by participating companies who develop the questions for farmers.
A farmer who redeemed a voucher said, “I came from Nyimba, because I heard that there is a seed fair here. What I found was very interesting, and I learned a lot. I saw a lot of seeds from different companies. I have also managed to win this pesticide by answering a question, and I am very happy about this project.”
Farmer redeems a voucher for beneficial pesticides. (Photo: Christabel Chabwela/CIMMYT)
These add-ons to the seed fair ensure farmers learn about climate-smart practices and how they can mitigate climate change effects and crop damage caused by pests by using drought and pest resistant varieties. Pests such as fall armyworm (FAW) are a major threat to smallholder farmers and their crops, as these can destroy crops and lead to a significant decrease in yields and income for the farmer.
Some of the outcomes and benefits for the private sector, and farmers alike include farmers to access different seed hybrids at one location, reduced costs of transportation for farmers who often travel long distances to get inputs. Zamseed, an AID-I partner, was able to promote 600 packs of their ZMS 451-medium and ZMS 721-late maturity seeds. SeedCo, another AID-I partner was able to support farmers with 500 seed packs of their medium maturity SC 303-ultra early, SC 555-early and 657-medium maturity maize seed varieties to farmers. Seed input suppliers noted that maize seed packed in smaller bags weighing 10 kgs and of medium maturity variety seed were the most sought-after and have now influenced how they can reach much larger numbers of smallholder farmers through this observation on improved packaging and demand.
In addition to Zamseed and SeedCo, AID-I partners who participated in the seed fair include the Ministry of Agriculture, CRS, Afriseed, Synergy, Animive Enterprises, Bayer, Amiran, Syngenta, Omnia Fertilizer, and Corteva.
Written by mcallejas on . Posted in Uncategorized.
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.
Maize production is surging due to its diversified end uses. While it is already the first staple cereal globally, it is expected to emerge as the world’s predominant crop for cultivation and trade in the coming decade. Globally, it serves primarily as animal feed, but it is also a vital food crop, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and in some areas in Asia.
Climate change is, however, altering the conditions for maize cultivation, especially in the rainfed, stress-prone tropics. Abiotic stresses like heat, drought, and floods, as well as biotic threats such as diseases and insect pests are becoming more frequent. These have a disproportionate impact on the resource-constrained smallholders who depend on maize for their food, income, and livelihoods.
In a race against time, crop breeders are working to enhance maize’s resilience to the changing climates. Among others, CIMMYT and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), working within CGIAR’s Accelerated Breeding Initiative, are utilizing breeding innovations to develop climate-resilient and nutritionally enriched maize varieties needed by the most vulnerable farmers and consumers.
Better processes
Improving maize yields in the rainfed, stress-prone tropics is challenging. Nevertheless, CGIAR’s efforts have significant impacts, as breeding programs embraced continuous improvement and enhanced efficiency over the years.
To increase genetic gains, CIMMYT maize breeding program implemented a systematic continuous improvement plan. Sixty percent of CIMMYT’s maize lines in Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) are now developed through technologies that speed up breeding cycle and improve selection intensity and accuracy; these include doubled haploid technology, high-throughput phenotyping, molecular marker-assisted forward breeding, and genomic selection. The breeding cycle time has been reduced from five or six years to only four years in most of the maize product profiles. Product advancement decisions now incorporate selection indexes, and specialized software aid in the selection of parental lines for new breeding starts.
CIMMYT and IITA maize teams are working together to investigate several key traits in maize for discovery, validation, and deployment of molecular markers. CGIAR maize team developed a framework for implementing a stage-gate advancement process for marker-trait pipeline, which enables informed decision-making and data-driven advancements at multiple stages, from marker-trait discovery proposal to marker discovery, validation, and deployment. Consolidating research efforts and implementing this process is expected to increase efficiency and collaboration in maize breeding programs.
An example of maize biotic stress exacerbated by climate change: fall armyworm (FAW) larvae, highly destructive pests, emerge out from an egg mass placed on a maize leaf. (Photo: A. Cortés/CIMMYT)
At the end of the breeding process, breeders must ensure the quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) of the parental lines of the new varieties. Seed quality, which includes genetic purity, genetic identity, and verification of parentage – is critical in maize breeding and commercial seed production.
CIMMYT has worked to enhance the capacity of NARES and seed company partners in Eastern and South Africa (ESA), Asia, and Latin America, in utilizing molecular markers for QA/QC in breeding and commercial seed production. This has resulted in more reliable and accurate outcomes. In addition, webinars and user-friendly software have boosted results for NARES maize breeders, regulatory agencies, and seed companies. These combined efforts mean a dependable, cost-effective, and efficient QA/QC system for the maize seed value chain in the Global South.
Better tools
With traditional means, obtaining a genetically homozygous or true-to-type maize line requires six to eight generations of inbreeding, and thus, more than ten years for developing a new hybrid. The technique of doubled haploid (DH), which enables derivation of 100% genetically homozygous lines in just two generations, is now integral to modern maize breeding. CIMMYT has pioneered the development of tropical maize DH technology, by developing and disseminating tropicalized haploid inducers, establishing centralized DH facilities in Mexico, Kenya and India, and providing DH development service to partners.
Regional on-farm trials (ROFTs) is a crucial step in maximizing the impact of breeding investments. ROFTs help scientists understand performance of the pipeline hybrids under diverse farmers’ management conditions, besides environment, soil variability, etc.
In ESA, ROFT networks for maize are expanded significantly over the last few years, from 20-30 sites per product profile to up to 300 sites, encompassing a wide range of smallholder farming practices. The experimental design was simplified to use less germplasm entries to be tested per farm, making it easier for the farmers to participate in the network, while improving data quality. Collaboration with NARES, seed companies, NGOs, and development partners was significantly stepped up to capture the social diversity within the target market segments. Gender inclusion was prioritized.
Training workshop organized by CIMMYT at the Maize Doubled Haploid Facility in Kunigal, India. (Photo: CIMMYT)
Strengthening the capacity of NARES and SMEs to systematically access and utilize improved maize germplasm is critical for increasing genetic gains in the stress-prone tropics. But partner institutions are at different stages of evolution, which means capacity strengthening must be tailored to institutional strengths and constraints.
Accelerated Breeding has been strengthening regional CGIAR-NARES-SME collaborative maize breeding networks via activities such as exchanging elite tropical germplasm (inbred lines, trait donors, and breeding populations) through field days, and widely disseminating CIMMYT maize lines (CMLs) requested by institutions globally.
Partners participate in CGIAR maize stage-advancement meetings – they are given access to multi-location trial data and participate in the selection process of promising hybrids to be advanced from the different breeding stages. CGIAR maize teams also assessed the capacity of different NARES institutions, and formulated continuous improvement plans in consultation with respective NARES teams for further support.
Better varieties
Systematic integration of new breeding techniques and innovations in CGIAR maize breeding pipelines are leading to better varieties, at a much faster pace, and at lower cost. Given the impacts of climate change, this is indeed the need of the hour.
Maize breeders need to respond rapidly to emerging and highly destructive insect-pests and diseases. For instance, the invasion of fall armyworm (FAW) in Africa (since 2016) and Asia (since 2018) has ravaged maize crops across more than 60 countries. CGIAR maize team in Africa responded to this challenge and made progress in identifying diverse sources of native genetic resistance to FAW, resulting in elite hybrids and open-pollinated varieties (OPVs) adapted to African conditions.
Since 2017, CIMMY has strengthened the maize insectary capacity of KALRO-Katumani byoptimizing the FAW mass rearing protocol and screening of maize germplasm under FAW artificial infestation at Kiboko Station, Kenya. The station now has sixteen 1,000m net houses. The intensive work since 2018 led to identification of FAW-tolerant inbred lines by CIMMYT and their distribution to over 90 public and private institutions in 34 countries.
NARES partners across 13 countries in Africa have undertaken national performance trials of three FAW-tolerant hybrids developed by CIMMYT. Kenya, Zambia, Malawi, South Sudan and Ghana released the three hybrids in 2022-23, while several more countries are expected to release these hybrids in the coming months.
Drought and heat tolerant maize ears are harvested through a CIMMYT project. (Photo: J.Siamachira/CIMMYT)
Climate change is also exacerbating maize diseases. Affecting at least 17 countries in the Americas, the Tar Spot Complex (TSC) disease affects maize in the cool and humid regions. It causes premature leaf death, weakens plants, and reduces yields by up to 50%. CIMMYT maize team in Mexico has mapped genomic regions conferring TSC resistance, and is using these markers in breeding programs.
The Global South is also particularly vulnerable to drought and high temperature stresses. In the past five years, 20 drought- and heat-tolerant maize hybrids have been released in Asia, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. Socio-economic studies in India and Nepal showed that farmers who adopted these hybrids realized higher grain yields, and increased income compared to the non-adopters.
In 2022, certified seed production of CGIAR multiple stress-tolerant maize varieties reached 181,119 metric tons in sub-Saharan Africa (from 72,337 tons in 2016). This is estimated to cover ~7.4 million hectares, benefiting over 46 million people in 13 countries.
With maize facing unprecedented threats from climate change-induced stresses in the rainfed stress-prone tropics, CGIAR maize breeding programs working closely with NARES and private sector have demonstrated remarkable success in breeding as well as deploying climate resilient maize. These efforts rely on better processes and modern breeding tools, leading to drastically reduced breeding cycle time, cost saving, and improved efficiency.
The resulting improved varieties–resilient to major environmental stresses, diseases and insect-pests–are increasingly adopted by smallholders across sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America, showing that tomorrow is already here. The work continues to ensure that maize remains a constant source of food security and prosperity for generations to come in the tropical regions.
Navigating the Challenges of Modern Agriculture: Kevin Pixley’s, Dryland Crops and Wheat Program Director, expertise highlights the transformative impact of genetic engineering in crop improvement, focusing on developing resilient varieties to meet global food demands amidst climate change.
Harnessing Change was the theme of the 2023 Borlaug Dialogue, an annual summit of international thought leaders, development specialists, researchers, farmers, and practitioners, designed to promote global food systems transformation and food security, and is organized by the World Food Prize Foundation.
This iteration of the Borlaug Dialogue, held in Des Moines, Iowa, October 24-26, 2023, was the site of the inauguration of a collaboration between CIMMYT and the Gorongosa Restoration Project to improve climate resilience, food security and nutrition in Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park.
“These kinds of collaborations exemplify what the Borlaug Dialogue is all about,” said CIMMYT Director General Bram Govaerts. “The annual event and the work of the World Food Prize Foundation year-round is dedicated to bringing people and organizations together to work better and smarter. CIMMYT is proud to be a part of it.”
CGIAR Centers based in the Americas host discussion on Latin America’s food security challenges and opportunities
CIMMYT, the International Potato Center (CIP), the Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture, and International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) co-organized the side event Maximizing Latin America and the Caribbean’s Contributions to Global Agriculture and Biodiversity Solutions at Dialogue.
Govaerts moderated the panel discussion and the Q&A session that followed with members of the audience.
Panelists, including Elsa Murano, director of the Norman E. Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture & Development, Rob Bertram, chief scientist for the Bureau for Resilience and Food Security at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and María (pilu) Giraudo, honorary president of Argentina’s No Till Farmers Association, shared views on Latin America’s role in global agriculture from academic, development and farming offer academic insights, international cooperation recommendations and farmer perspectives.
CIMMYT and USAID co-host panel focused on AID-I’s impact at the Borlaug Dialogue
The discussion labelled, Harnessing Innovation to Rapidly Respond to Crises, aimed to present AID-I’s innovative approach to addressing systemic weaknesses in agriculture by accelerating the market-based delivery of improved seeds, fertilizers, and critical information to farmers.
(Left to right) Bram Govaerts, Kevin Kabunda and Dina Esposito. (Photo: CIMMYT)
Dina Esposito, USAID’s Global Food Crisis coordinator and assistant to the Administrator for the Bureau for Resilience, Environment and Food Security, described how AID-I is “turning crisis into opportunity” by improving farmers’ resilience and profitability.
“We joined CIMMYT and went to Zambia, and the partnership was a glimmer in our eyes,” said Esposito, referring to a recent visit to a model farm with AID-I partners.
Reporting progress in Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania, Kevin Kabunda, CIMMYT’S AID-I chief of party in southern Africa, noted that the private sector had produced 13,000 tons of maize in the first year.
“The extended or increased potential for every farmer who uses fall armyworm-tolerant varieties translates to US$100 dollars,” said Kabunda who estimated AID-I reached 1.3 million farmers in its first year generating an aggregated value of at least US$65 million dollars.
In addition, Mtieyedou (Abdou) Konlambigue, AID-I chief of party in the Great Lakes Region, pointed out that the project has given access to new bean varieties and fertilizer recommendations to over 500,000 farmers in Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Farmers take the stage
Two champion farmers, María (pilu) Giraudo and Guillermo Bretón joined CIMMYT’s Director General, Bram Govaerts, and CGIAR Board Chair, Lindiwe Majele Sibanda, during a main stage session of the Borlaug Dialogue organized by the World Food Prize Foundation on Tuesday, October 24.
The event, MasAgro Taking it to the Farmer, reported on progress achieved and milestones reached by one of CIMMYT’s flagship projects, Crops for Mexico (MasAgro), which began 14 years ago and earned Govaerts the 2014 Norman E. Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application endowed by The Rockefeller Foundation.
Giraudo, an Argentinian farmer who co-founded the Rural Women Network and serves as honorary president of Argentina’s no till farmer association Aapersid, said that the best way to acknowledge MasAgro’s work is to seize the opportunity to offer women farmers the possibility of having full access to science and technology.
Bretón, a farmer from Mexico’s state of Tlaxcala, described MasAgro as a disruptive way of understanding agriculture. “Investing in our soils is better than investing in a one-cycle crop,” he said.
CGIAR Board Chair Lindiwe Majele Sibanda was enthusiastic about the project’s trajectory and proud of its evolution into CIMMYT’s ongoing efforts, including adapting MasAgro to southern Africa.
Sibanda expressed her excitement about MasAgro-inspired activities in Africa and praised the diversified seed systems that today include dryland crops sold in smaller seed bags by young entrepreneurs who are taking up businesses in villages without having to go to urban centers.
Govaerts moderated the event and thanked Dina Esposito, and U.S. Special Envoy for Global Food Security, Cary Fowler, for facilitating the establishment of MasAgro programs in southern Africa.
CIMMYT is happy to announce three new, improved tropical maize hybrids that are now available for uptake by public and private sector partners, especially those interested in marketing or disseminating hybrid maize seed across southern Africa and similar agroecologies in other regions. NARES and seed companies are hereby invited to apply for licenses to pursue national release, scale-up seed production and deliver these maize hybrids to farming communities.
The deadline to submit applications to be considered during the first round of allocations is January 26, 2024. Applications received after that deadline will be considered during subsequent rounds of product allocations.
The newly available CIMMYT maize hybrids were identified through rigorous, years-long trialing and a stage-gate advancement process which culminated in the southern Africa Stage 5 On Farm Trials. The products were found to meet the stringent performance and farmer acceptance criteria for CIMMYT’s breeding pipelines that are designed to generate products tailored for smallholder farmers in stress-prone agroecologies of southern Africa.
Ethiopia is the largest wheat producer in East Africa, with about 65% share of the total wheat production in sub-Saharan Africa. The area under wheat increased from about 1.5 million hectares in 2010 to 2.5 million hectares in 2023. More importantly, the productivity increased from 1.8 tons per hectare to about 3 tons per hectare in the same period, implying an increase of about 5% per annum in productivity (See Figure 1).
Several factors have contributed to this spectacular increase in productivity, including better farm practices implemented through clustering farmers land to reduce production costs, and introducing new, improved varieties which enable farmers to withstand challenges of crop diseases.
Figure 1: Wheat grain yield trends in Ethiopia by decade, 1960 to 2022 (USDA data).
A DNA finger printing study found that about 87% of the wheat area in Ethiopia comprises of varieties developed by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT). In 2023, the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) released six new wheat varieties of CIMMYT origin aimed for the mid to highlands (> 1800 meters above sea level) and lowlands (< 1800 masl) of the country. “These newly released varieties provide options for farmers to face devastating rust diseases and at the same time obtain higher productivity,” said wheat breeder Leonardo Crespo.
Gadisa Alemu, wheat breeder based in EIAR, Kulumsa, added that the CIMMYT varieties were tested in farmers’ fields prior to release. “This allows participating farmers to have quicker access to seed of selected varieties,” he said.
Wheat breeders . The aim was to obtain additional insights into the activities of CIMMYT’s partners and co-design a strategy that allows early evaluation and access to CIMMYT germplasm by national partners in Ethiopia. The team visited research centers in Holetta (highlands), Debre Zeit and, Kulumsa (midlands), and Arsi Negele (lowlands). Kulumsa, together with the highlands of Meraro and Asasa plains, represent about 60-70% of the wheat area in Ethiopia. “These are important sites for wheat breeding activities in Ethiopia. Given that Holetta and Debre Zeit are hot spots for diseases, there is an increased interest in the Arsi Negele region to expand wheat production under irrigated conditions,” said Bekele Abeyo, wheat breeder and CIMMYT’s Ethiopia Country Representative.
AGG Maize and Wheat Improvement Teams Meet with Partners to Develop CG-NARES Breeding Strategy
In the first fortnight of September 2023, researchers from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and National Agriculture Research and Extension System (NARES) met in Nairobi, Kenya to create high-level strategies and guiding principles for CG-NARES breeding activities. This is in alignment with the ‘Genetic Innovations’ initiative of the One CGIAR strategy. CIMMYT representation included breeding teams from the wheat, maize, and dryland crops. The meetings were organized by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and CIMMYT’s Accelerating Genetic Gains in Maize and Wheat (AGG) project team.
It was recognized that the aforesaid strategies and principles need to be based on the biology of the crops and the context of each breeding program; incorporate the logistics of the breeding operations; and implement data driven tools for decision making such as genomic selection.
Participants shared how the application of novel and innovative technologies shortens the breeding cycles, accelerates the rate of genetic gain, and provides tools to enable the evaluation of plant materials (future variety candidates) and future target environments where these varieties will be grown.
It was concluded that effective breeding networks can be a strong instrument to enable faster delivery of improved germplasm to farmers. For this to happen efficiently, the networks require a high degree of coordination, organizational structure, governance, and clarity of roles. “It is fundamental for network members to agree the objectives, vision and expected outcomes of collaborative activities. This forms the basis for co-design and co-implementation of crop improvement plans” said Kevin Pixley, Interim Director of the Global Wheat Program and Director of the Dryland Crops Program.
The meeting also served as a platform for AGG’s and dryland crop’s breeding teams to exchange ideas and experiences. For instance, the Maize team shared their experience and learnings from on-farm-testing activities. The Wheat team shared the evolution and path of breeding modernization and implementation of new technologies. The Dryland Crops team shared their experience with co-designing and co-implementing breeding networks with NARES partners in Africa.
