Location: Global

Women leaders in science: reaching out to break through

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on August 28, 2023. Posted in News.

On August 15, 2023, CIMMYT organized the third series of the Catalysts of Change: Women Leaders in Science virtual seminar for a conversation on advancing women’s leadership in science, showcasing a wealth of power-packed insights and success stories.

Featuring Catherine Bertini, an accomplished leader in international organization reform and a powerful advocate for women and girls, the TED talk meets fireside chat style seminar began with a pre-recorded message from Catherine highlighting how women as catalysts of change can play an essential role in breaking through gender barriers in leadership roles. “Each of us must define for ourselves what’s important to us. We should assume opportunities to lead and to improve. We need to reach out, look forward and say, I’m going to make a difference. We can all be a catalyst for change,” stated Catherine, the 2003 World Food Prize laureate.

CIMMYT Director General Bram Govaerts highlighted the importance of recognizing the immeasurable contributions of women leaders in science. “We want more women leaders in organizations like CIMMYT. Through the recently launched CIMMYT 2030 Strategy, we are taking one step further in ensuring that gender equality isn’t just a concept but a reality, he reiterated. “The CIMMYT 2030 Strategy leverages a systems approach to overcome barriers to achieving gender equity by providing more opportunities to hear and learn from current women leaders in all capacities,” explained Govaerts.

“Girls can do anything,” Catherine set the scene for her presentation, showcasing personal stories based on her remarkable career and leadership journey. She detailed her distinguished career of improving the efficiency and operations of organizations serving poor and hungry people around the world. Sharing behind-the-scenes insights and actionable takeaways, Catherine wanted participants to walk away remembering, “here are some of the things that I have learned that I’d like to share with you today: engage in meaningful networking opportunities; be intentional about the impacts you want to create; understand your own tolerance level; be grounded in your principles, and champion inclusive leadership by mentoring others.”

Natalia Palacios, a member of the Woman in Science group at CIMMYT, interviewed Catherine. “Catherine’s contributions have been instrumental in enhancing food security, nutrition, and gender equality. Her advocacy has shed light on the crucial roles that women play in food production, family nutrition and community resilience—areas that are aligned with CIMMYT’s mission,” said Natalia. Responding to Natalia’s question on proud moments, Catherine talked about the Trust Fund she created with her World Food Prize to support programs that increased opportunities for girls and women to attend school. “I created the Catherine Bertini Trust Fund for Girls’ Education. There are some wonderful stories of support we’ve given. I learned that nobody should underestimate their potential to be a role model,” she added.

Catherine also addressed questions from session participants on how to build inclusive organizations through a learning culture; tips to help employees adapt to new technology in the age of artificial intelligence (AI); and approaches to manage culture change: how to find the balance and address tensions and trade-offs.

The third session ended with closing remarks from Bram who expressed his gratitude to Catherine for participating in the Catalysts of Change Seminar Series, highlighting her incredible leadership journey and unwavering passion in accelerating the advancement of women in leadership. “This was such an inspiring conversation. There are two take home messages for me: let us appreciate the contributions of those who came before us; and we need more dialogue and to listen to each other much more,” he concluded, underscoring CIMMYT’s commitment to changing the leadership equation through greater representation of women leaders at CIMMYT and CGIAR.

To learn more about Catalysts of Change: Women Leaders in Science, click here to watch the seminar video or visit our website.

CIMMYT director general and cropping system scientist to receive the 2023 Glenn Anderson Lectureship Award

Written by Mike Listman on August 18, 2023. Posted in News.

The Canadian Phytopathological Society (CPS) will bestow on Bram Govaerts, director general of CIMMYT, the 2023 Glenn Anderson Lectureship Award, during the upcoming International Congress of Plant Pathology (ICPP2023) in Lyon, France, on August 21, 2023.

Bram Govaerts, CIMMYT director general, participates in the World Food Prize and Borlaug Dialogue. (Photo: CIMMYT)

The award honors the legacy of Robert Glenn Anderson (1924-81), eminent Canadian agricultural scientist and former CIMMYT wheat research director who helped ignite in India the “green revolution,” a rapid modernization of agriculture during the 1960s-70s and by which that nation went from grain shortages and hunger to becoming a leading grain exporter.

A bioscience engineer and soil scientist who is a PhD graduate from Belgium’s Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and has worked in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, Govaerts will give the keynote address “Agrifood system for a food and nutrition secure world: From efficiency to resilience,” describing in part the relevance of CIMMYT and its partners’ work.

“Early warning and surveillance systems are key to building resilience in food insecure communities and regions,” said Govaerts. “Supporting this, in concert with national agricultural research systems and private partners, CIMMYT crop breeding programs yearly disseminate dozens of disease resistant, climate resilient varieties of maize, wheat, and dryland cereals, where they are most needed.”

“The Center’s science and partnerships have helped prevent the spread of deadly crop pests and diseases in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia,” he added, “and we have new ‘Glenn Andersons’ who are doing exactly what is needed to strengthen global food security, with plant health innovations and systemic thinking.”

Borlaug’s wish: Take it to the farmer

Working with scientists, training specialists, extension agents, farmers, and communications and technology experts, a CIMMYT program led by Govaerts for over a decade in Mexico applied the admonition of Norman E. Borlaug, Nobel laureate and colleague of Anderson, to “take it to the farmer,” combining the right seed with the right conservation agriculture production practices embedded in integrated markets, while recognizing and incorporating farmer knowledge.

“Ongoing efforts of the Center and national and local partners are promoting the adoption of conservation agriculture-based sustainable intensification to transform food systems throughout the Global South” Govaerts explained. “The training offered, and the advisory systems supported by CIMMYT’s work aim to empower women and disadvantaged social groups, while offering opportunities for fulfilling livelihoods to a new generation of farmers who will grow nutritious food for all.”

A CIMMYT scientist since 2007 as a Post-doctoral Fellow, Maize and Wheat based Cropping Systems Management, and current director general, in 2014 Govaerts received the World Food Prize’s “Norman Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application from the World Food Prize” for the development and spread of sustainable agricultural systems. He is A.D. White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University and, in 2020, was elected a Fellow of the American Society of Agronomy (ASA) for outstanding contributions to the field of agronomy.

The Robert Glenn Anderson lecture series on the security of the world food supply was first given at joint meetings of the Canadian Phytopathological Society (CPS) and American Phytopathological Society (APS) in 1986 and an endowment fund was then established by the CPS. More recently, the Lecture has been given at the International Congresses of Plant Pathology (ICPP1998 to 2018).

As a Robert Glenn Anderson lecturer, Govaerts enters the hallowed company of other distinguished scientists who have been invited to give the address, including Norman E. Borlaug (1992); Per Pinstrup-Andersen, Emeritus Professor of Cornell University (2000), South African researcher Jennifer A. Thomson (2015); and late World Food Prize laureate and CIMMYT wheat director, Sanjaya Rajaram (2019).

For more information or interviews:

Ricardo Curiel
Communications manager to the director general
CIMMYT
r.curiel@cgiar.org

Set an example of how to thrive

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on August 14, 2023. Posted in News.

In July 2023, CIMMYT launched a new seminar series on women’s leadership — Catalysts of Change: Women Leaders in Science. Pitched as a ‘TED Talk meets fireside chat’, the series shines a spotlight on successful women who are leaders in their fields, providing a platform for them to share insights from their lives and careers. Taking into consideration the fact that leadership can take make many different forms, the talks will highlight women who are leaders in all sorts of disciplines and capacities.

Altagracia emphasized that social and political changes across the world present new opportunities for women to advance in leadership roles. (Photo: CIMMYT)

“We want more women leaders in science organizations and institutions like our own,” explains CIMMYT Director General Bram Govaerts. “To achieve this goal we need proper representation, and we need role models that balance science, business insights and decision-making to provide opportunities to hear from women leaders about their life journeys, lessons and insights.”

Disruption without destruction

The second event in the series, held online on July 18, featured presentation by Altagracia Gómez Sierra, a leader in sustainable business, Chair of Mexico’s Western Business Promoter Council, and one other the most influential women in agribusiness and energy within the region. During her talk, Gómez emphasized that while many challenges persist, social and political changes across the world are presenting new opportunities for women to advance in leadership roles.

“As we enter a time of absolute change in this new decade, I think women have their best shot at stopping the reproduction of poverty and entering into leadership positions that were previously denied to them,” she said. “And in doing so, we should learn to be disruptive without being destructive. We should build on what we already have and keep pushing it forward.”

Gómez pointed to the advantage of being trained to develop soft skills, which companies and recruiters increasingly see as equally valuable as technical ones. “I think women are trained, even as young girls, to be very effective communicators. They are trained to be part of larger teams or communities and to advance forward without leaving people behind,” she told attendees. “I think that’s an attribute that women — and you as women in science — can bring to the table and communicate. And that is something that I believe, whether it’s in the short or long term, does eventually get recognized.”

Help girls aspire to leadership

Gómez also outlined the importance of supporting women’s leadership at all ages, and crucially even before entering the workforce. “What we sometimes fail to realize is that true innovation comes from the small businesses that constitute up to 76% of new jobs worldwide. And that 90% of companies are still family-run. So, when we think about changing companies, we need to think about changing families and how families work,” she explained. “Because if we truly want to give women a shot, we need to give girls a shot.”

Altagracia and Maria Itria spoke on the importance of representation and having role models. (Photo: CIMMYT)

“I would invite every one of you, if you have girls at home, to encourage them not only to be prepared to take on leadership roles, but also to aspire to them,” she added. “You can do this by setting an example of how to thrive.”

“I believe that the decade of the 2020s, in spite of all the challenges, is truly a wonderful opportunity for girls and women across the world — especially in science.” She ended her talk by encouraging attendees to do anything they can to enhance inclusion — particularly enhancing the accessibility of infrastructure, technology, and education for rural communities — in order to advance business objectives with social as well as economic profitability.

Gómez’ presentation was followed by a Q+A session led by Maria Itria Ibba, head of the Wheat Quality Laboratory and cereal chemist at CIMMYT. The full discussion can be viewed online here. Spanish and French-language audio is also available.

In memory of Gordon Conway

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on August 11, 2023. Posted in News.

The Rockefeller Foundation announced the passing late last month of Gordon Conway, former Rockefeller Foundation President, from 1998 to 2004.

Conway developed integrated pest management programs in Malaysia and worked to extend the benefits of the Green Revolution to Africa. During his tenure as President of the Rockefeller Foundation, he sought to address urban poverty by developing low-income housing and other solutions as part of the “Living Cities” program. Under his leadership, the Foundation also launched the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), which has since connected nearly a million Africans to treatment for HIV, and the Mother to Child Transmission Plus Initiative, which provided long-term care to women living with HIV in Africa and Asia.

“Gordon was a pioneer of sustainable agriculture committed to eradicate hunger who challenged our thinking”, said Bram Govaerts sending heartfelt condolences to Conway’s friends and relatives on behalf of CIMMYT.

CIMMYT will continue his efforts, in partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation, to improve food and nutrition security for communities around the world.

CIMMYT announces 2030 Strategy

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on August 8, 2023. Posted in Features.

The world’s food systems are under threat by escalating armed conflicts, economic stagnation, the effects of the climate crisis and natural resource degradation. Against this backdrop, the next seven years are crucial in meeting the challenges of keeping the world’s growing population fed and secure.

Recognizing that business as usual will not be sufficient, CIMMYT has embarked on a journey to proactively face the new challenges of the 21st century. This novel approach to agrifood systems is the core of CIMMYT’s 2030 Strategy, which has the potential to shape the future of agriculture.

Ethiopian Seed Enterprise maize crop for multiplying seedlings of DT maize. (Photo: Peter Lowe/CIMMYT)

“We understand that the challenges facing food security are complex, varied and rapidly changing. For instance, the effects of COVID-19 and Ukraine-Russia conflict on food systems are still being felt today. With that in mind, we set out to develop a strategy that is both robust and nimble. The best way to create a sustainable and inclusive strategy was to engage directly with CIMMYT scientists and staff, the people on the front lines of this effort to deliver food and nutrition security to the world,” said CIMMYT Director General Bram Govaerts.

Looking back to move forward

The first step in crafting the 2030 Strategy was looking at where does CIMMYT want the world to be in 2100. In answering this question, CIMMYT crafted a long-term vision of how it wants to engage in a changing world and achieve the transformation to a food and nutrition secure world within planetary boundaries. CIMMYT has integrated the use of foresight and specifically a set of 2030 Food and Agriculture scenarios to explore potential changes in intervention areas over the strategic period and help prepare engagements in different contexts across the globe. These scenarios are a decision-making tool that has underpinned the development of the strategy to ensure that it is context-driven and focused on the most pressing challenges facing the agrifood systems in which CIMMYT operates.

From the future CIMMYT looks back at its history and examines how its core business has evolved over the years to proactively meet ever-changing needs across the world.

At each stage of CIMMYT’s evolution, it has taken its strengths and the skills it has built and added to its experience, and expanded on what it delivers while maintaining the core strengths.

Norman Borlaug teaching trainees. (Photo: CIMMYT)

In CIMMYT’s earliest days, the mission was developing and improving germplasm and agronomic practices, then CIMMYT began working more closely with farmers (1980s), broadened emphasis in genetic improvements (2000), embarked on sustainable multidisciplinary projects (2010s), and most recently, advancing technologies in participatory innovation systems (2015-2022). All leading to the mission codified in the 2030 Strategy: accelerating food systems transformation by using the power of collective action.

Now, in 2023, CIMMYT’s progress is being shaped by the CGIAR mission statement: “To deliver science and innovation that advance the transformation of food, land, and water systems in a climate crisis.”

Building the Strategy

To define the 2030 Strategy, CIMMYT responded to the following core questions:

What does success look like?
Where can CIMMYT deliver the most value?
How can CIMMYT deliver value for communities?

“As an organization, we have concentrated on strategies that foster collaboration and adapt them for a non-profit international organization whose vision is not to grow as an institution but to deliver greater value for the communities they serve, to innovate for the end users of their products and to ensure a better future for our global community,” said Govaerts.

The tools used to develop the elements of this strategic plan leveraged the framework provided in the CGIAR Research and Innovation Strategy to guide the process. Staff from across the Center engaged in a consultative process to develop the objectives for following strategic components: Excellence in Science and Innovation, Excellence in Operations, Talent Management, Resource Mobilization, Partnership, and Influence.

Developing the Excellence in Science and Innovation component serves as an example of this collaborative, bottom-up approach. Planning was led by the Emerging Thought Leaders Group, made up of 24 early and mid-career scientists across the breadth of CIMMYT’s global and program portfolio. The group worked collaboratively with CIMMYT researchers and staff to first delineate the challenges facing agri-food systems and then workshopped solutions which now serve as the foundation of the 2030 Strategy.

Workshop participants study seed samples in CIMMYT’s Seed Health Laboratory. (Photo: Xochiquetzal Fonseca/CIMMYT)

“Each component complements the others,” said Govaerts. “This is our answer to the core questions. Only by working collectively can we initiate sustainable solutions that reach everyone.”

Together, the components create a network to support CIMMYT’s three pillars: Discovery (research and innovation), SystemDev (working collaboratively to innovate foundational systems), and Inc. (incubating startups and new ways of doing business in the agri-food system space).

CIMMYT is leading the way in shaping a sustainable and prosperous agricultural landscape

The goal to facilitate food security where sustainable agriculture is part of the solution to the climate crisis and agriculture provides an avenue to build household resilience and enables communities to pull themselves out of poverty requires the strategic use of resources. CIMMYT’s 2030 Strategy, built from the bottom up on a foundation over 50 years’ experience and the expertise of scientists, staff, and farmers maximizes resources, enhances dynamic partnerships, and both retains and recruits a world-class staff in a world of growing challenges to food security.

Read the 2030 Strategy: Science and Innovation for a Food and Nutrition Secure World: CIMMYT’s 2030 Strategy

Research local: co-creation generates novel options to tackle global problems

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on August 3, 2023. Posted in Publications.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are broad mandates for transitioning to fair and sustainable agrifood systems. However, because of their global view, they often operate at a scale not clearly seen or understood by local stakeholders.

New research led by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) scientists offers participatory action research (PAR) as a potential bridge between the macro scope of the SDGs and the needs and desires of local communities.

The article, Participatory action research generates knowledge for Sustainable Development Goals, published in the June 2023 issue of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, examines two decades of participatory action research activities in Malawi, a highly rural society dependent on rainfed agriculture.

Trying out conservation agriculture wheat rotation alongside conventionally grown maize, farmer’s field, Mexico. (Photo: E. Phipps/CIMMYT)

“Participatory research is known for giving voice to farmers, for accelerating adaptation and for impact,” said lead author Sieglinde Snapp, director of the Sustainable Agrifood Systems program at CIMMYT. “What is novel in this study is that new discoveries were documented, showing the scientific contributions possible through PAR.”

Co-creation

Participatory action research is a knowledge generation process, characterized by a series of steps to facilitate improved understanding and development of innovations, within a local context. The PAR approach involves engaging stakeholders, to co-create solutions with researchers.

Because knowledge is often local, access to natural resources is highly heterogeneous, climate variability is unpredictable and socioeconomic circumstances are context-dependent, any intervention must be flexible and locally specific to ensure sustainability.

PAR prioritizes empowerment of marginalized communities to build long-term partnerships which support transformational changes at local, regional and national levels.

Yet the evidence base for PAR methodology remains fragmented and is often inaccessible.

“This is the first paper that shows how action research produces new knowledge through a systematic, iterative process that derived ‘middle ways’, such as shrubby food crops as a farmers preferred form of agroforestry,” said Snapp.

Solving wicked problems

Participatory research is well-suited to address conflicts and trade-offs that are key aspects of so-called wicked problems. For instance, annual crops—maize and soybean—are excellent producers of food but feature limited aboveground vegetation and belowground activity to regenerate soil nutrients, while perennials provide soil regeneration services but no food products.

By engaging closely with local stakeholders, PAR identifies “goldilocks options,” or middle ways, such as semi-perennial shrubs and vines that produce food while also promoting soil health.

Genetic and agronomic improvement efforts have almost entirely overlooked semi-perennial plant types to address food–soil trade-offs.

Challenges

Building relationships between researchers and stakeholders; the investment required in selecting representative sites, action learning activities, synthesis of findings, communication and documentation; and the inherent variability of research conducted under real-world conditions are barriers to establishing PAR systems. Living laboratories and education on PAR approaches need investment. Reward structures may need to shift, with greater attention to considering research impact on SDGs and awareness that time lags may occur in publishing scientific findings through PAR.

Demonstrating conservation agriculture to other farmers in Malawi. (Photo: T. Samson/CIMMYT)

“Our findings detailing the efficacy of PAR shows that the potentially high upfront costs to invest in relationship building and learning across disciplines, this is a worthwhile trade-off,” said Snapp.

Through PAR, human condition and social-science questions can be addressed, along with biological and environmental science questions, as illustrated in this Malawian case study.

The findings generated by PAR have relevance beyond the sub-Saharan Africa context because they provide new insights into the development of nature-based solutions that meet local needs, a critical requirement for rural communities in many parts of the globe.

Unveiling the Nexus between Agrifood Systems and Climate Change: Harvesting insights from latest IPCC report

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on August 2, 2023. Posted in News.

August 2 is Earth Overshoot Day 2023, which marks the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year.

Wheat harvest in Juchitepec, State of Mexico. (Photo: Peter Lowe/CIMMYT)

“Climate change is already affecting agrifood systems,” said the director general of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Bram Govaerts. “Efforts to protect food and crop systems from things like rising temperatures and drought are part of the overall solution to reverse ecological overshoot; however, we must work hard to ensure these efforts are collaborative, inclusive and sustainable. We want to reach climate goals without compromising food security.”

To harmonize climate change mitigation efforts, CIMMYT and the CGIAR Climate Impact Platform jointly hosted a webinar on July 11, 2023, for relevant stakeholders to discuss the latest findings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

The IPCC is an organization of governments that are members of the United Nations and provides regular assessments of the risks of climate change and options for mitigation.

“Climate change in agrifood systems presents special challenges. There are adaptation challenges, but even more importantly, reducing emissions while also protecting the lives and livelihoods of smallholder farmers is a huge challenge that requires scientists and practitioners working together,” said Aditi Mukherji, director of the CGIAR Climate Impact Platform. “Action based on science is needed and IPCC and CGIAR came together in this webinar to present those challenges and solutions.”

The webinar summarized key findings from the IPCC on how climate change effects agrifood systems, including potential adaptation measures and strategies for mitigating the effects of climate change on agri-food systems, how food system management can be part of the solutions to mitigate climate change without compromising food security. Participants also identified potential collaborations and partnerships to implement IPCC recommendations.

“On this acknowledgement of Earth Overshoot Day, the IPCC report is an important milestone as we enact sustainable solutions to protect against climate change and work toward pulling back overshoot,” said Claudia Sadoff, the executive managing director of CGIAR. “All strategies must be under-pinned with reliable data to let us know what is happening now and also in the future.”

The webinar kicked off with presentations from Alex Ruane, co-Director of the GISS Climate Impacts Group, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and IPCC author, Mukherji, and Jim Skea, IPCC Co-Chair.

Challenges Ahead

Ruane examined the current impacts of climate change on agrifood systems and presented findings regarding future effects; knowledge that can help guide priority-setting among relevant stakeholders.

Alex Ruane presented on the current and future impacts of climate change on agrifood systems. (Photo: CIMMYT)

He detailed the perilous state of agrifood systems, as they need to sustainably increase production to provide healthy food for growing populations, adapt to climate change and ongoing climate extremes, mitigate emissions from agricultural lands and maintain financial incentives for agriculture.

Answering those challenges requires the development of models that can track all potential climate drivers. A co-development process with robust data-sharing is vital to provide context for risk management and planning for climate adaptation and mitigation.

Adaptation

Mukherji examined current adaptation efforts within agrifood systems. The IPCC data showed that the people and regions seeing the most adverse effects of climate change have also emitted the fewest amount of greenhouse gases.

There are multiple opportunities for scaling up climate action. CGIAR is working on such responses in the areas of efficient livestock systems, improved cropland management, water use, agroforestry, sustainable aquaculture and more.

Maladaptation can be avoided by flexible, inclusive, long-term planning and implementation of adaptation actions, with benefits shared by many sectors and systems.

Mitigation

Skea investigated the demand and supply side synthesis: land use change and rapid land use intensification have supported increased food production and food demand has increased as well.

He also summarized the IPCC findings regarding land use mitigation efforts, like reforestation (restoring trees in an area where their population has been reduced), afforestation (establishing trees in an area where there has not been recent tree cover) and improved overall forest management, quantifying each action on agrifood systems.

Panel discussion

Moderated by Tek Sapkota, CIMMYT/ CGIAR and IPCC scientist, with panelists Kaveh Zahedi, director of the Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment, FAO; Jyotsna Puri, associate vice-president, International Fund for Agricultural Development; Jacobo Arango, thematic leader, Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT/CGIAR and IPCC author; Louis Verchot, principal scientist, Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT/CGIAR and IPCC author, and Jim Skea, the panel discussed the IPCC findings and examined crucial areas for targeted development.

Earth Overshoot Day is hosted and calculated by the Global Footprint Network, an international research organization that provides decision-makers with a menu of tools to help the human economy operate within Earth’s ecological limits.

CIMMYT welcomes US Department of State visit

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on July 31, 2023. Posted in News.

U.S. Department of State Special Representative for Global Partnerships Dorothy McAuliffe visited CIMMYT in Texcoco, Mexico, on July 7, 2023. The visit aimed to strengthen ties between the United States government and CIMMYT—reaffirming commitment to fostering partnerships to achieve food and nutrition security goals.

McAuliffe examined maize germplasm from the U.S. (Photo: CIMMYT)

McAuliffe toured the CIMMYT gene bank, museum and conservation agriculture trial plots. CIMMYT scientists explained their efforts to protect one of the largest maize and wheat seed collections through research and collaboration with CGIAR and seed health initiatives.

She also received a detailed briefing about the Southern Africa Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative Rapid Delivery Hub (AID-I), a regional project in southern and eastern Africa led by CIMMYT with the backing of Office of Special Envoy for Global Food Security and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). CIMMYT practitioners briefed McAuliffe on AID-I’s inspiration in a successful model implemented in Mexico, MasAgro, with the potential to inform policy makers and transform agrifood systems in Central America to respond to migration.

Partner seed companies and project leaders shared significant milestones already achieved in Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania to expand access for smallholder farmers to market actors, high-yielding seeds and climate-adaptable, resilient crop varieties.

(Left to right) Bram Govaerts, Daniela Vega, and Dorothy McAuliffe toured conservation agriculture trial plots. (Photo: CIMMYT)

After the tour of CIMMYT facilities, McAuliffe heard private and public partners share success stories and current initiatives jointly led with CIMMYT on regenerative agriculture, gene bank development across CGIAR and climate-smart and scale-appropriate mechanization technologies.

“Through partnership, we can work on R&D goals for better nutrition, data-driven decision making and promotion of regenerative agriculture so that farmers produce diversified crops. On behalf of CIMMYT, I’d like to thank the U.S. government and the American people, who have historically made scientific innovation possible, leaving a huge footprint to feed the world,” shared Bram Govaerts, CIMMYT director general.

Closing the gender leadership gap: The power of women role models

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on July 25, 2023. Posted in News.

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) hosted the first seminar of Catalysts of Change: Women Leaders in Science, on July 4, 2023. This exciting seminar series, which supports women’s empowerment, features inspiring women leaders who share their expertise and perspectives on today’s women leadership styles, extending insights into their own leadership journey, and shedding light on the extraordinary impact of women leadership transforming today’s leadership through their critical roles as catalysts of change.

Moderated by Isabel Peña, this first seminar featured Yvonne Ochoa Rosellini, a distinguished business strategy and finance expert who has advised CEOs of public and private companies in Mexico, the U.S., Argentina, and Spain in a wide range of sectors ranging from finance to biotechnology and agriculture.

Yvonne spoke on CIMMYT’s legacy of enhancing global peace and food security (Photo: CIMMYT)

CIMMYT Director General Bram Govaerts delivered the opening remarks and set the stage for the interactive TED style seminar series—highlighting the importance of recognizing the benefits of gender, diversity, and inclusion to further economic, social, and political progress for all—catalyzing the power of women in leadership and decision-making roles as powerful catalysts of change. It is clear that still a lot of work needs to be done to address the problem for women in science organizations as recently described in a Nature Careers Opinion Piece. This seminar series sought to connect people of all genders to be inspired to make a difference through advancing culture change toward greater gender equity, finding common ground in overcoming challenges, lingering gender-based obstacles, and showcasing role models to foster and accelerate women leaders’ transformation as catalysts of change.

Through TED talk style conference, Yvonne, an inspiring woman leader and a catalyst of change, who has attained various accolades throughout her outstanding career, shared engaging insights from her personal leadership journey and elaborated on the incredible experience as a catalyst of change in various industries. “To be the catalyst of change in our work and personal environments, responding eloquently to life instead of reacting to it. When we cease defining ourselves by what we do and live with ourselves as who we are, both at home and at work, we will live a personal singularity of sorts, only to become the leaders we wish to be. Because when we are true and upstanding to ourselves, others believe, care and ultimately will follow us,” she said. Yvonne emphasized the importance of what it means to be a true catalyst of change and shared reflections and perspectives on driving impactful change in today’s scientific community and mentoring people in organizations to be those critical catalysts.

Yvonne Ochoa Rosellini and Aparna Das discussed the vital elements of implementing holistic and successful diversity and inclusion programs (Photo: CIMMYT)

Next, Aparna Das, a prominent advocate for gender equality in the scientific community, interviewed Yvonne in a fire-side chat. The intensively engaging session discussed Yvonne’s inspiring experiences of becoming a woman leader in science. Aparna and Yvonne explored the challenges, prejudices, and hurdles faced by women leaders, the expectations that society places upon them, and shared valuable insights into how women leaders today can successfully negotiate work-life challenges while pursuing their career goals.

Following Yvonne’s thoughts, participants on the seminar actively participated in the Q&A session and asked questions about the role of leaders and organizations in providing support and opportunities to young women leaders when transitioning to the future. “Building a gender-balanced organization is really opening up to these conversations of career. Companies that have been most successful at getting women to participate are the companies that are thoughtful about not only policies to integrate women [into leadership and decision-making roles] but how we’re supporting people at work and the needs for work-life balance,” said Yvonne. She provided great insights on how these challenges could be overcome to advance women leaders––who continue to be vastly under-represented in decision making in all spheres: in the workplace, businesses, and communities––to positions of greater leadership.

The inspiring first session concluded with a power message from Yvonne addressing the importance of creating the space and time for reflection, learning to effectively advocate for personal goals and needs, and leveraging strengths to tap into the right resources. The time has come for women leaders to remain strategic, to empower themselves, to rise above the challenges and barriers to women leadership, and to push forward in building equitable and thriving work environments by embracing themselves as catalysts of change.

Wrapping up the seminar, CIMMYT Director General Bram Govaerts thanked Yvonne for sharing her inspiring leadership journey as well as her continued dedication to change. “As we learn by doing, as individuals, as teams, and as organizations, to do the right thing, this conversation really inspired us. With this we also kick off our Catalysts of Change seminar series with over 200 participants and this is just a start. We need to listen and lead by example to allow us to be catalysts of change to resolve tomorrow’s problems today” he added. Thus, foregrounding strategic moves in the learning journey to empower organizations such as CIMMYT to support the work of changemakers like Yvonne and Aparna and the communities they impact.

To learn more about Catalysts of Change: Women Leaders in Science, click here to watch the seminar video on our YouTube channel or visit our website.

MC Mühlenchemie presents the winners of the first Flour Innovation Award

Written by mcallejas on July 6, 2023. Posted in In the media.

Sridhar Bhavani of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) enriched the jury of the 2023 Flour Innovation Award, as a recognized expert in the use of enzymes to improve wheat flour quality, with more than one and a half decades of experience in wheat research.

Read the full story.

Bram Govaerts appointed as CIMMYT Director General

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on July 3, 2023. Posted in News.

Bram Govaerts, renowned scientist and leader, has been appointed as CIMMYT’s Director General for the period 2023-2028 as of July 1, 2023, after holding the position on an interim basis for two years and steering the organization through the unprecedented global challenges of the pandemic and ongoing food insecurity.

Under Govaerts’ leadership, CIMMYT has expanded its research portfolio and strengthened its work in key regions. Govaerts has also started an effort to streamline internal processes and operations to speed up CIMMYT’s response capacity and impact across the world.

Bram with Zamseed staff holding pro-vitamin A orange maize (Photo: Katebe Mapipo/CIMMYT)

Govaerts holds a PhD in Bioscience Engineering – Soil Science, a master’s degree in Soil Conservation and Tropical Agriculture, and a bachelor’s degree in Bioscience Engineering, all from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. He has also received multiple awards during his career: the Development Cooperation Prize from the Belgian Federal Government in 2003, the Norman Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application in 2014, the Premio Tecnoagro, awarded by an organization of 2,500 Mexican farmers in 2018, and Fellow of The American Society of Agronomy (ASA). In addition to leading CIMMYT, Govaerts is an A.D. White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University.

“With Bram’s appointment, I am excited and confident about CIMMYT’s future,” said Margaret Bath, Chair of CIMMYT’s Board of Trustees. “We look forward to many great days ahead for CIMMYT staff across the globe, who lift smallholder farmers and their communities to achieve better and more sustainable livelihoods and to ensure that food security is delivered, and human potential maximized.”

Martin Kropff retires from CGIAR

Written by mcallejas on June 26, 2023. Posted in News.

Former CIMMYT Director General Martin Kropff contributed a decade of his career to improving agri-food systems within CGIAR.

After ten years working at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and CGIAR, Martin Kropff is retiring as Managing Director for Resilient Agri-food Systems at CGIAR. Learn more about his decision and his career in the video below.

At CIMMYT, Kropff led the development and implementation of a new Strategic Plan (2017-2022) for science with impact at scale. He also helped frame the One CIMMYT philosophy, which encourages a shared mission and vision through scientific excellence, impact through partnerships, and capacity development. He was a strong promoter of CIMMYT’s integrated and systems approach to multi-disciplinary science and, under his direction, CIMMYT became a more efficient, effective, and impactful organization.

Kropff also played a critical role in the development of One CGIAR, of which he was an early champion, by leading the organization’s reform in 2016, serving on the first System Management Board, and acting as co-chair of the advisory group on the CGIAR 2030 Research and Innovation Strategy. Throughout his tenure, Martin’s leadership, vision, and commitment to the organization’s mission have been instrumental in advancing CGIAR’s research for development agenda.

Margaret Bath, Chair of CIMMYT’s Board of Trustees, said, “We cannot thank Martin enough for his visionary efforts and for his strong contribution to the integration process that we have successfully achieved. We are grateful for his contributions and wish him well in his future endeavors.”

Food security is a national security issue everywhere

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on June 14, 2023. Posted in In the media.

By: Professor Lindiwe Majele Sibanda, Chair, CGIAR System Board

With conflict in Ukraine, Sudan and elsewhere, the relationship between instability, migration and food security is increasingly apparent.

The Russia Ukraine crisis, is affecting food systems around the world, driving up the price of grains and fertilizers with countries that can least afford it hit the hardest. At the same time, broader food insecurity is contributing to forced migration and rising social tensions.

Accelerating climate change amplifies the risks, with yields for some crops in sub-Saharan Africa set to fall by up to 35 per cent by 2050.

Read the full story in English here.

This article was originally published in Swedish by Global Bar Magazine.

Healthy Eating Week 2023: Sustainably feeding a growing world

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on June 13, 2023. Posted in News.

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) has a proven history of improving the lives of smallholder farmers and their families through innovative crop science and strong global partnerships.

CIMMYT celebrates Healthy Eating Week (June 13 – June 18) in the context of strengthening sustainable agrifood systems, which facilitate the production and consumption of healthy foods, against the impacts of climate change and the cost-of-living crisis.

Nutritious diets contribute to human health and productivity. Diversified cropping, whereby staple cereals like maize and wheat are grown in associations or rotations with legume or horticulture crops, help to conserve soil and water. They boost the climate resilience of farms while reducing their ecological impacts, also lowering costs for small-scale farmers and improving the nutrition of rural communities.

Conserving biodiversity in crops, livestock, aquaculture, fisheries, and forestry results in more robust food production systems, able to provide reliable supplies of nutritious grain, meat, vegetables, and seafood.

Rising temperatures, freshwater depletion, more erratic and extreme weather, market swings, and human conflict are threatening agrifood systems as never before, exacerbating food and nutrition insecurity.

Smallholder farmers and their households, which the World Bank estimates to number 0.5 billion globally and comprise a large proportion of humans living on less than $2 a day, produce much of the world’s food. At the same time, they and food system workers disproportionately bear the brunt of environmental and socioeconomic shocks.

To protect them and meet the world’s rising demand for food, CIMMYT joins global calls to leverage agrifood systems to ensure equitable access to food for all, as well as greater investment in and use of technology that supports more intensive, climate resilient, and ecologically sensible food production.

Read four stories about CIMMYT’s efforts to support access to healthy food through seed health initiatives, global partnerships, and crop biofortification.

Seeds of Discovery

The discovery and use of powerful genetic traits from maize and wheat seed collections can strengthen crops, help produce healthy foods, and improve livelihoods.

Science and partnerships are critical to reach G7 food security goals

The recent six-page statement from the G7 warns of the increased global risk of famine. CIMMYT offers innovative science and partnerships to help the G7 achieve its stated ambitions for global food and nutrition security.

The G7 statement lays out detailed actions, policy goals, and partnerships to respond to the immediate food security crisis

Miguel Ezequiel May Ic, San Felipe Orient, Quintana Roo (Photo: Peter Lowe/CIMMYT)

A sustainable solution to micronutrient deficiency

In the absence of affordable options for dietary diversification, biofortification through crop breeding offers a viable way to reduce the micronutrient deficiencies that hamper the health and productivity of billions of humans, particularly in developing countries.

Zinc and provitamin A biofortified maize genotypes have potential to reduce hidden hunger in Nepal.