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research: Sustainable agrifood systems

Rear fish in a rice paddy? Old ways can future-proof food production

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in In the media.

In an op-ed for the South China Morning Post, Bram Govaerts, Director General at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), and Essam Yassin Mohammed, Interim Director General of WorldFish and acting Senior Director of Aquatic Food Systems of CGIAR, explore the role of the research community in developing future-proof strategies to address challenges to the global agrifood system.

Through examples from Egypt, Malaysia and Mexico, the authors explain the benefits of “co-culture”, such as when different crop species are grown together.

This innovation centers on co-design, combining farmer-centric models and new measurement tools that allow scientific advances to benefit a variety of smallholder production systems.

Read the original article: Rear fish in a rice paddy? Old ways can future-proof food production

How a policy to address a groundwater shortage inadvertently increased air pollution in northern India

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in In the media.

A recent study by Harvard University, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), the University of Michigan, the Public Health Foundation of India, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Columbia University, and the University of California, Los Angeles, has determined the environmental impact of a government policy of delayed rice planting in northwest India.

As explained in an article for the Tech and Science Post, farmers had to push back rice sowing to take advantage of monsoon rains and decrease reliance on groundwater-fed irrigation systems. However, this led to farmers relying on fire to quickly clear fields ready for the next planting season, thereby exacerbating air pollution in the region.

“We have shown that the groundwater and air quality crises are major regional issues and are interconnected,” said co-author Balwinder-Singh, former Cropping System Scientist at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in New Delhi. “But there is still a path to clearer skies and safer water practices. Local solutions include planting rice varieties that either grow more quickly or need less water. Promoting less water-demanding crops like maize would be helpful in zones with severe groundwater depletion.”

Read the original article: How a policy to address a groundwater shortage inadvertently increased air pollution in northern India

Sustainability of rice production in the Northwestern Indo-Gangetic Plains

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in Publications.

Rice is a vital crop for India, contributing around 30 percent of calories consumed in the country and providing a crucial source of income from exports. However, due to climate change and conversion of land for other uses, rice growing area in India is projected to decline by 6-7 million hectares (ha) by 2050, while production must increase by 1.1% annually over the next four decades to achieve rice self-sufficiency for the country.

As there is limited opportunity to horizontal expansion of cultivable land, the predicted increase in demand must be met through increasing rice yields in regions with low yields and maintaining existing yields in high-yielding areas. This must be achieved using sustainable farming practices: currently, 90 percent of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of monsoon season cropped cereals in India is caused by rice cultivation, as is 80 percent of the energy and water used in agriculture.

Scientists found that in the Northwestern Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) of India, yield gaps were small (ca. 2.7 t ha−1, or 20% of potential yield) mainly because of intensive production system with high input use. Using management data from 4,107 individual farmer fields, the study highlighted scope to reduce nitrogen (N) inputs without compromising yields in this intensive production system.

Findings show evidence of and methodology for the quantification of yield gaps and approaches that can improve resource-use efficiency, providing a possible alternative approach that could be reproduced elsewhere for other crops and contexts. It is recommended that future research focuses on ways to reduce other production inputs without compromising the yields in such intensive production systems.

This paper is the result of Harishankar Nayak’s PhD training in collaboration with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) jointly supervised by the researchers at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) and International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT).

Read the study: Rice yield gaps and nitrogen-use efficiency in the Northwestern Indo-Gangetic Plains of India: Evidence based insights from heterogeneous farmers’ practices

Cover photo: A farmer stands in his rice field at a Climate-Smart Village in the Vaishali district of Bihar, India, as part of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS). (Photo: DK Singh/CIMMYT)

Combining improved seed varieties and index insurance to address drought losses

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in In the media.

This VoxDevTalk features Paswel Marenya, Adoption and Impact Assessment Economist at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), being interviewed about a recent study, “Bundling Genetic and Financial Technologies for More Resilient and Productive Small-scale Agriculture”.

To test solutions that could mitigate the impacts of drought, the study used randomized control trials to test the impact of combining drought-resistant seeds and index insurance in Mozambique and Tanzania.

Results show that combining these two technologies expands their benefits: using the improved seeds reduces insurance costs, and having insurance to begin with counteracts the risk of adopting the seeds. Farmers who use both technologies have greater resilience to drought in the short- and long-term.

Demonstrating the benefits to farmers and informing the scaling-up of the solution-bundling approach was also found to be important.

Listen to the podcast: Combining improved seed varieties and index insurance to address drought losses

Smallholder farmers embrace climate-smart seed and mechanization fairs

Written by Tawanda Hove on . Posted in News.

Farmers pose with the drought-tolerant seed of their choice at a seed fair in Masvingo district, Zimbabwe. (Photo: Tawanda Hove/CIMMYT)

The long-term climate outlook for sub-Saharan Africa predicts more erratic rainfalls and higher temperatures. For this reason, the rapid uptake of measures to adapt to climate change within seed systems is of paramount importance. In Zimbabwe, the adoption of “climate-smart seed varieties”, environmentally-sustainable and scale-appropriate mechanization is critical to reaching zero hunger in the face of climate change. Farmers in Zimbabwe’s Masvingo district appear to have embraced this goal. More than 1,000 farmers participated in recent R4/Zambuko climate smart seed and mechanization fairs held in the region on October 11 and 12, respectively.

The fairs were organized by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in partnership with Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development. Financial support was provided by the United States Agency of International Development (USAID), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the World Food Programme (WFP). With the onset of the 2022/2023 cropping season, the new OneCGIAR Ukama Ustawi initiative will build upon this work to reach thousands more farmers in the area.

One highlight of the fairs was a strong focus on smallholder mechanization, which saw Zimbabwean and international mechanization companies displaying their products. Each demonstrated two-wheel tractors and a range of attachments, from trailers to crop production and harvesting implements. In the words of the District Development Coordinator (DDC) Kenneth Madziva, “It’s important that farmers own machinery that is appropriate to their context as we now need to move into an era of high productivity and efficient post-harvest processing. We also see some of the machinery on display quite relevant for conservation agriculture practices which aligns with the government’s Pfumvudza program.” Mechanizing the manual basin planting system in Pfumvudza to ripline seeding will dramatically reduce the farm labor usually needed to dig the basins while maintaining the key principles of conservation agriculture: no-tillage, crop residue retention and crop diversification.

According to Madziva, “Such initiatives from partners are very welcome, as rural livelihoods are predominantly agriculturally based. There is need to rapidly transition our farmers from a donor dependence to self-sufficiency, hence I am impressed with the number of farmers I have seen buy seed with their own hard-earned money.” The fairs generally strive to achieve two goals: first, ensuring that farmers are well-informed about climate adapted varieties able to withstand climate challenges such as in-season dry-spells and/or heat stress, and, second, that they buy the improved seed directly from private sector partners.

Farmers observe a two-wheel tractor engine being used to power a maize sheller. (Photo: Tawanda Hove/CIMMYT)

It is hoped that increasing famers’ exposure to scale-appropriate mechanization will translate into increased purchases of the equipment and a move away from the drudgery of both draft or manual production and processing systems. Robin Vikström, the donor representative from WFP also stated that it is high time for smallholder farmer systems be intensified, and mechanization is one of the essential triggers of intensification.

Vikström, speaking on the significance of the events said, “Such initiatives are part of a broader national resilience building strategy where our intention is to enable smallholder farmers to deal with climate shocks and stresses through capacity development trainings, diversified crop production systems, effective and well-governed Income Savings and Lending groups (ISALS) and improved livestock. This is a step forward from our tradition of distributing food, which is still necessary in certain contexts, but has to be progressed to self-reliance. The seed and mechanization fairs facilitate stronger interactions between the farmers and the private sector and furthermore the procurement of the right seed and mechanization for their ecological region. More interaction translates to better product development and increased sales which is a win-win for all stakeholders concerned. This is a major step towards sustainable achievement of food and nutrition security.”

Concerning the long-term plan of the intervention, Vikström added, “The initiative is currently set to run until 2025 with plans already underway to expand to more wards and districts as the development strategy is proving to be yielding significant results.” The seed fairs resulted in the sale of approximately 1.9 metric tons of improved white and orange maize seed, generating over $6,000 in revenue for participating private sector vendors.

Christian Thierfelder, Principal Cropping Systems Agronomist at CIMMYT and Principal Investigator for the program said, “As we expanded this year to different wards, our objective was to first create an educational platform for farmers where farmers could learn more about the various stress-tolerant seed varieties with improved genetics available from the private sector. Secondly, we wanted to create a selling platform for the private sector where various companies could have their products made much more easily accessible to the smallholder farmers. I am happy that the private sector talked about conservation agriculture, which is an important new narrative. Farmers need to grow the right seed in a good agronomic environment for the crop to succeed.”

Although this crop season’s outlook is yet to be officially communicated to farmers, there is high anticipation for a bumper harvest through improved varieties and efficient, mechanized operations and farmers were eager to buy the right seed to reap the benefits of science in their own homestead.

A renewed CGIAR can better support South Asia to determine its food future

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in In the media.

In this article, Temina Lalani-Shariff, Regional Director of South Asia at CGIAR, explores the evolution of CGIAR to meet changing global needs, such as the critical challenge of ending hunger, poverty and inequality across South Asia by 2030 while reaching the climate goals of each country. “A reinvented CGIAR can offer greater flexibility and leadership in three key areas to accelerate the region’s agricultural development and its multiplier benefits for livelihoods, health and climate action,” said Lalani-Shariff.

Highlighting work by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) to target the spread of crop pests and diseases in Kenya, Lalani-Shariff explains how this success can transfer to fighting fall armyworm (FAW) in South Asia. She cites CGIAR’s experience in scaling innovations and solutions in a variety of agroecologies and environments in partnership with national research institutes, as well as examples from the Seeds Without Borders Initiative and climate-smart villages.

Lalani-Shariff explains the purpose of CGIAR’s Regional Integrated Initiative Transforming Agrifood Systems in South Asia (TAFSSA), which is combining efforts in South Asia to achieve agrifood systems that are more productive and environmentally sound, and support equitable access to sustainable, nutritious diets. Collaboration between CGIAR research centers on Initiatives like this offers opportunities to build effective networks and partnerships for addressing future challenges.

Read the original article: A renewed CGIAR can better support South Asia to determine its food future

How does physical disturbance of soil impact carbon mineralization?

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in Publications.

Higher levels of potential carbon mineralization (Cmin) in soil indicate that the soil is healthier. Many reports indicate that Cmin in agricultural soils increases with reductions in soil disturbance through tillage, but the mechanisms driving these increases are not well understood.

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) has established a network of research platforms in Mexico, where collaborating scientists evaluate conservation agriculture and other sustainable technologies to generate data on how to improve local production systems. This network of research trials, many of which have over five years in operation, allowed us to participate with Mexican sites in the North American Project to Evaluate Soil Health Measurements (NAPESHM). This project aimed to identify widely applicable soil health indicators and evaluate the effects of sustainable practices on soil health in 124 long-term experiments across Canada, the United States of America, and Mexico.

Experienced field teams from CIMMYT sampled the soils from 16 experiments in Mexico, which were then analyzed by the Soil Health Institute for this study. Potential carbon mineralization, 16S rRNA sequences, and soil characterization data were collected, with results demonstrating that microbial (archaeal and bacterial) sensitivity to physical disturbance is influenced by cropping system, the intensity of the disturbance, and soil pH.

A subset of 28 percent of amplicon sequence variants were enriched in soils managed with minimal disturbance. These enriched sequences, which were important in modeling Cmin, were connected to organisms that produce extracellular polymeric substances and contain metabolic strategies suited for tolerating environmental stressors.

The unique sampling design of this study – analyzing across a variety of agricultural soils and climate – allows to evaluate management impacts on standardized measures of soil microbial activity. Additionally, understanding the microbial drivers of soil health indicators like Cmin can help with the interpretation of those indicators and ultimately the understanding of how to better manage soils.

Read the study: Linking soil microbial community structure to potential carbon mineralization: A continental scale assessment of reduced tillage

Cover photo: Soil sampling in the Tlaltizapan station, Mexico in March 2019. (Photo: Simon Fonteyne/CIMMYT)

Inspiring future generations of scientists

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in News.

Evidence shows that for every US $1 invested in anticipatory action to safeguard lives and livelihoods, up to US $7 can be saved by avoiding losses in disaster-affected communities, highlighting the power of agricultural research and development that can be continued by the scientists of the future.

This message was reiterated at the Global Food Security Forum for Young Scientists on December 2-3, designed to bring together scientists, scholars, and innovators from different subjects to discuss their research findings and exchange innovative ideas on all aspects of global food security. The event was co-organized by Huazhong Agricultural University (HZAU), China, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), and the Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO).

Topics included the resilience of global food systems and food supply chains, change of dietary patterns and transition of agrifood systems, digital and smart food production, and sustainable agricultural development and maintenance of the environment.

On behalf of CIMMYT Director General Bram Govaerts, agronomist Iván Ortiz-Monasterio presented at the launch event. “Investing in agriculture and a safe and peaceful future is something that CIMMYT and China can build together,” explained Monasterio. “We can develop networks and platforms of collaboration. You have excellent research institutes, and we can combine our capabilities.”

Govaerts then presented a plenary session on the power of young researchers to transform agri-food systems (above), reflecting on the disruption to global supply chains caused by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and high levels of inflation.

“For you as the young, new generation, for you as scientists that need to design the future, it is very important to ask you one central question: when historians pick up their pens and write the story of the 21st century, what will it say about you?” asked Govaerts, as he emphasized training opportunities through the CIMMYT Academy and stories from young scientists at CIMMYT, such as Leonardo Crespo-Herrera, recent winner of the 2022 Japan International Award for Young Agricultural Researchers.

At the conclusion of the conference, Govaerts was also appointed as an advisor of the Global Food Security Forum for Young Scientists.

Cover photo: Iván Ortiz-Monasterio presents at the launch of the Global Food Security Forum for Young Scientists, December 2022. (Photo: CIMMYT)

Using ENM principles to preserve soil health

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in Publications.

In a new Frontiers publication, scientists from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) outline how to achieve an ecologically based approach to sustainable management of soil fertility, particularly for smallholders.

What is ecological nutrient management (ENM)?

Across the globe, smallholder farming communities only have limited resources to improve their financial and food security, and soil degradation is common. Ecological nutrient management (ENM), an agroecological approach to managing the biogeochemical cycles that regulate soil ecosystem services and soil fertility, can prevent degradation and preserve soil health.

Five principles guide ENM strategies:

  • Building soil organic matter and other nutrient reserves.
  • Minimizing the size of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) pools that are most vulnerable to loss.
  • Maximize agroecosystem capacity to use soluble, inorganic N and P.
  • Use functional biodiversity to maximize presence of growing plants, biologically fix nitrogen and access sparingly soluble phosphorus.
  • Construct agroecosystem and field scale mass balances to track net nutrient flows over multiple growing seasons.
At the ICRISAT headquarters in Patencheru, India, M.L. Jat and Sieg Snapp stand in front on pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) varieties, a semi-perennial legume that fixes nitrogen and solubilizes phosphorus for greater nutrient efficiency while building soil health. (Photo: Alison Laing/CSIRO)

Using functionally designed polycultures, diversified rotations, reduced fallow periods, increased reliance on legumes, integrated crop-livestock production, and use of a variety of soil amendments exemplify how ENM works in practice. A key principle is to underpin agroecosystem resilience through the promotion of soil organic matter accrual and restoration of soil function.

Strategic increases of spatial and temporal plant species diversity are used, that meet farmer requirements. This often involves perennial or semi-perennial bushes and vines that provide food, fuel and fodder while restoring soil fertility. ENM long-term management systems can increase yields, yield stability, profitability, and food security, thus addressing a range of smallholder needs.

Read the study: Advancing the science and practice of ecological nutrient management for smallholder farmers

Cover photo: A maize-bean intercrop that exemplifies the ENM approach, taken at CIMMYT’s Chiapas Hub, a long-term field experiment. (Photo: Sieg Snapp/CIMMYT)

Public-private collaboration to improve fertilizer supply

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in News.

Basanta Shrestha, Vice-Chair of FAN, shares the objectives of the public-private dialogue with Govinda Prasad Sharma, Secretary of MoALD (seated left) ,Mrigendra Kumar Singh Yadav, Honorable Minister of MoALD (seated center), Chandrakanta Dallakoti, Chairperson of FAN (seated right), and other participants. (Photo: Aayush Niroula/CIMMYT)

Fertilizer supply shortages are a chronic problem in Nepal, where thousands of farmers are often unable to access the required quantities on time. This is particularly common during the cultivation of rice — the major staple food crop for the country.

Some of the critical challenges to meeting fertilizer demand include limitations to import mechanisms and budget allocation for fertilizer subsidies by the Government of Nepal. Additionally, the successive COVID-19-induced lockdowns and Russia-Ukraine war have further deepened the crisis in the past two years by significantly delaying imports and increasing fertilizer prices. This continuous gap in supply has compelled farmers to buy fertilizers from the country’s unofficial or “gray” markets.

To address these shortcomings, researchers on the Nepal Seed and Fertilizer (NSAF) project, implemented by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), have been supporting the Fertilizer Association of Nepal (FAN) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MOALD) to resolve policy issues that will enhance fertilizer distribution efficiency.

Fertilizer sector stakeholders participate in a panel discussion at the public-private dialogue. (Photo: Aayush Niroula/CIMMYT)

On 23 September 2022, the NSAF project team joined representatives from the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) and FAN to organize a policy dialogue around improving the country’s fertilizer supply system. Held in Kathmandu, the event brought together concerned public and private sector stakeholders to discuss existing challenges and propose different policy alternatives that ensure the timely availability of fertilizers in the required quantities.

Representatives from FAN presented the key issues and challenges in the sector while NSAF project coordinator Dyutiman Choudhary presented the findings of different fertilizer policy studies conducted jointly with local partners. The results showed that involving the private sector in distribution improved farmers’ access to fertilizers compared to distribution carried out solely by cooperatives. The study also indicated a potential to reduce fertilizer subsidies and increase import volume to help meet demand.

Lynn Schneider, Deputy Director of USAID Economic Growth Office shares her remarks at the policy dialogue. (Photo: Dyutiman Choudhary/CIMMYT)

Improving national supply systems

The event featured a panel discussion, where participants shared their experiences and outlined the issues faced by private sector importers, logistic service providers and retailers, and policymakers from federal and provincial governments while engaging in their respective functions. The panel members also suggested a number of different ways to improve national fertilizer supply systems, such as:

  1. Restructuring fertilizer subsidy programs, i.e. reducing the current subsidy by 20-30% (a recommendation from the NSAF assessment) and using budget savings to increase imports and allocate subsidies based on fertilizer demand.
  2. Making a procurement process timeline to ensure timely fertilizer supply for three major crops — rice, wheat, and maize — and importing about 30% of the total fertilizer through Government-to-Government (G2G) agreement.
  3. Implementing a crisis management strategy by maintaining buffer stocks (20% of the demand).
  4. Ensuring a level playing field for the private sector in the import and distribution of the fertilizers.

The dialogue concluded with mutual agreement by stakeholders from the public and private sectors to improve local fertilizer distribution through private sector engagement. They agreed to revise some clauses specified in the Nepal Fertilizer Distribution Directive 2020 related to profit margins, volumes, classification of fertilizer distributors and selling fertilizers. Govinda Prasad Sharma, secretary of MOALD, informed attendees that the ministry has already started planning fertilizer procurement based on actual demand and gave assurances about G2G agreements with neighboring countries such as India to bring in fertilizers for distribution during times of peak demand. Sharma also agreed to continue supporting the private sector in capacity building to import fertilizers and to revise subsidies to make more fertilizers available.

“It is our great pleasure to see all fertilizer-related stakeholders in a common platform, which is critical to bring out key issues and cooperation between the public and private sector,” said Lynn Schneider, deputy director of the Economic Growth Office at USAID Nepal. Schneider also emphasized the importance of generating efficiency in estimating fertilizer demand and supply and fertilizer types by using Nepal’s digital soil map, working in close coordination with provincial and local governments, and increasing the role of the private sector to ensure fertilizer supply to meet crop requirements in the peak season.

Attendees at the Public Private Dialogue on Improving Fertilizer Supply System in Nepal (Photo: Aayush Niroula/CIMMYT)

The Nepal Seed and Fertilizer project is supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and is a flagship project in Nepal. It aims to build competitive and synergistic seed and fertilizer systems for inclusive and sustainable growth in agricultural productivity, business development and income generation in Nepal.

CIMMYT crop scientist shares strategies for decolonization

Written by Alex Smith on . Posted in Features.

International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) crop scientist Sieglinde Snapp is working to break down decolonization and promote inclusivity.

Decolonization is a long standing issue in science and has led to work from marginalized people being erased.

This problem has largely affected scientists in the Global South, who can, as a result, develop a lack of trust in the science community and feel unwelcome in academia.

A 2021 study highlights the scale of the issue of decolonization, with only 16 percent of articles in high-profile development journals being authored by researchers exclusively based in the global south.

In an article which contributes to a series on decolonizing the biosciences, Snapp explained not only the importance of crediting scientists for their work, but also providing those from the Global South with platforms to share and discuss ideas.

“Working for an international research organization that studies global food production, I think we, as an organization, need to change the reward structure,” Snapp wrote. “The current one tends to reward pure science first, then applied research and outreach — and it tends to exclude the global south because much of work there is more locally contextualized and applied. Decolonization should go beyond simply citing colleagues from developing countries to including them in conferences and as co-authors, especially if we are creating knowledge together.”

Participatory research is key to Snapp’s approach of championing diversity. This strategy links indigenous scholars to conventional science through engagement, such as speaking at conferences.

“I’ve studied rain-fed cropping systems alongside colleagues in sub-Saharan Africa, notably Malawi, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, throughout my career,” she added.

“Those colleagues are not invited by their white, Western collaborators to speak at big conferences or to co-author high-profile papers in agriculture. My colleagues at CIMMYT and I hope to reverse this trend by advocating for decolonization through authorship. As a start, my team of researchers will include a paragraph about what each author did, and how the team paid attention to gender and Global South inclusivity in publications.”

Snapp is also encouraged by the development of new technology and programs, which challenge traditional methods of sharing findings. Crucially, these advances mean that research is available much quicker and distributed more equitably than before.

“I’m making the case at CIMMYT that performance evaluations reward sharing data sets and information with and between communities quicker,” Snapp explained. “This is part of decolonization in my view. Rather than, say, top-down fertilizer recommendations from experts, this offers a way to connect people so they can share information more directly in a local context.”

Cover photo: Sieg Snapp, Director of the Sustainable Agrifood Systems (SAS) program, outside CIMMYT headquarters. (Photo: Francisco Alarcón/CIMMYT)

Participatory action research identifies solutions for improved seed storage in Bangladesh

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in Publications.

Traditional and alternative seed storage methods have been compared in a participatory household trial co-designed by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and smallholder farmers in Bangladesh, demonstrating how farmers can be involved in agricultural research.

In the summer monsoon season preceding planting in the winter, farmers typically use low-density polyethylene (LDPE) bags contained within woven polypropylene bags to store their wheat seed. Seed quality typically deteriorates over the monsoon as a result of increased seed moisture and pests that are associated with high humidity and temperature.

After initially being consulted by survey and detailed focus group interactions on the design of the trial, 80 wheat farming households participated in a 30-week action research process by conducting trials to compare seed storage methods. This included comparing hermetic SuperGrainbags® (Premium RZ) against LDPE bags, both with and without the addition of dried neem tree leaves (Azadirachta indica), the latter representing a common method used by farmers in Bangladesh to improved stored seed.

Results of the trials demonstrated that seed germination and seedling coleoptile length were greater, and that seed moisture was maintained at levels close to before storage in SuperGrainbags® compared to LDPE bags. The use of neem however had no effect on these factors.

Furthermore, hermetic bags were more effective in lessening seed damage caused during the storage process, but neem slightly reduced damage rates for seeds stored using traditional methods compared to SuperGrainbags®.

In relation to diseases and pests, SuperGrainbags® suppressed Coleopteran pests and blackspot, while storing neem alongside the seeds in LDPE bags had a slight additional pest suppressive effect.

Scoring by both men and women farmers revealed their preference for SuperGrainbags® hermetic storage. The study recommends actions for value chain development to increase farmers’ access to improved hermetic storage options at low cost.

Read the study: Performance of a hermetic device and neem (Azadirachta indica) in storing wheat seed: Evidence from participatory household trials in central Bangladesh

Cover photo: A female farmer in a field of wheat in Bangladesh, where participatory research is helping farmers adapt to better ways of storing seeds. (Photo: Ranak Martin/CIMMYT)

CIMMYT leads innovation sprint to deliver results to farmers rapidly

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in Features.

Smallholder farmers, the backbone of food systems around the world, are already facing negative impacts because of climate change. Time to adapt climate mitigation strategies is not a luxury they have. With that in mind, the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM4C) facilitates innovation sprints designed to leverage existing development activities to create a series of innovations in an expedited timeframe.

At the UN COP27 in Egypt, AIM4C announced its newest round of innovation sprints, including one led by the International Center for Maize and Wheat Improvement (CIMMYT) to enable smallholder farmers to achieve efficient and effective nitrogen fertilizer management. From 2022 to 2025, this sprint will steer US $90 million towards empowering small-scale producers in Africa (Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe), Asia (China, India, Laos and Pakistan), and Latin America (Guatemala and Mexico).

“When we talk to farmers, they tell us they want validated farming practices tailored to their specific conditions to achieve greater productivity and increase their climate resilience,” said Sieg Snapp, CIMMYT Sustainable Agrifood Systems (SAS) program director who is coordinating the sprint. “This sprint will help deliver those things rapidly by focusing on bolstering organic carbon in soil and lowering nitrous oxide emissions.”

Nitrogen in China

Working with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), the sprint will facilitate the development of improved versions of green manure crops, which are grown specifically for building and maintaining soil fertility and structures which are incorporated back into the soil, either directly, or after removal and composting. Green manure can significantly reduce the use of nitrogen-based fertilizers, which prime climate culprits.

“There are already green manure systems in place in China,” said Weidong Cao from CAAS, “but our efforts will integrate all the work being done to establish a framework for developing new green manure crops aid in their deployment across China.”

Triple wins in Kenya

The Kenya Climate Smart Climate Project, active since 2017, is increasing agricultural productivity and building resilience to climate change risks in the targeted smallholder farming and pastoral communities. The innovation sprint will help rapidly achieve three wins in technology development and dissemination, cutting-edge innovations, and developing sets of management practices all designed to increase productive, adaption of climate smart tech and methods, and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Agricultural innovations in Pakistan

The Agricultural Innovation Program (AIP), a multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral project funded by USAID, led by CIMMYT, and active in Pakistan since 2015, fosters the emergence of a dynamic, responsive, and competitive system of science and innovation that is ‘owned’ by Pakistan and catalyzes equitable growth in agricultural production, productivity, and value.

“From its beginning, AIP has been dedicated to building partnerships with local organizations and, smallholder farmers throughout Pakistan, which is very much in line with the objectives and goal as envisioned by Pakistan Vision 2025 and the Vision for Agriculture 2030, as Pakistan is a priority country for CIMMYT. However, a concerted effort is required from various players representing public and private sectors,” said Thakur Prasad Tiwari, senior scientist at CIMMYT. “Using that existing framework to deliver rapid climate smart innovations, the innovation sprint is well-situated to react to the needs of Pakistani farmers. “

Policies and partnerships for innovations in soil fertility management in Nepal

The Nepal Seed and Fertilizer (NSAF) project, funded by USAID and implemented by CIMMYT, facilitates sustainable increases in Nepal’s national crop productivity, farmer income, and household-level food and nutrition security. NSAF promotes the use of improved seeds and integrated soil fertility management technologies along with effective extension, including the use of digital and information and communications technologies. The project facilitated the National Soil Science Research Centre (NSSRC) to develop new domain specific fertilizer recommendations for rice, maize, and wheat to replace the 40 years old blanket recommendations.

Under NSAFs leadership, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MOALD) launched Asia’s first digital soil map and has coordinated governmental efforts to collect and analyze soil data to update the soil map and provide soil health cards to Nepal’s farmers. The project provides training to over 2000 farmers per year to apply ISFM principles and provides evidence to the MOALD to initiate a balanced soil fertility management program in Nepal and to revise the national fertilizer subsidy policy to promote balanced fertilizers. The project will also build efficient soil fertility management systems that significantly increase crop productivity and the marketing and distribution of climate smart and alternative fertilizer products and application methods.

Public-private partnerships accelerate access to innovations in South Asia

The Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA), established in 2009, has reached more than 8 million farmers by conducting applied research and bridging public and private sector divides in the context of rural ‘innovation hubs’ in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal. CSISA’s work has enabled farmers to adopt resource-conserving and climate-resilient technologies and improve their access to market information and enterprise development.

“Farmers in South Asia have become familiar with the value addition that participating in applied research can bring to innovations in their production systems,” said Timothy Krupnik, CIMMYT systems agronomist and senior scientist. “Moreover, CSISA’s work to address gaps between national and extension policies and practices as they pertain to integrated soil fertility management in the context of intensive cropping systems in South Asia has helped to accelerate farmers’ access to productivity-enhancing innovations.”

CSISA also emphasizes support for women farmers by improving their access and exposure to improved technological innovations, knowledge, and entrepreneurial skills.

Sustainable agriculture in Zambia

The Sustainable Intensification of Smallholder Farming systems in Zambia (SIFAZ) is a research project jointly implemented by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Zambia’s Ministry of Agriculture and CIMMYT designed to facilitate scaling-up of sustainable and climate smart crop production and land management practices within the three agro-ecological zones of Zambia. “The Innovation Sprint can take advantage of existing SIFAZ partnerships, especially with Zambia’s Ministry of Agriculture,” said Christian Thierfelder, CIMMYT scientist. “Already having governmental buy-in will enable quick development and dissemination of new sustainable intensification practices to increase productivity and profitability, enhance human and social benefits while reducing negative impacts on the environment.”

Cover photo: Paul Musembi Katiku, a field worker based in Kiboko, Kenya, weighs maize cobs harvested from a low nitrogen trial. (Florence Sipalla/CIMMYT)

Food systems that work for people and the environment

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in News.

Alice Ruhweza, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) Board Member and Africa Regional Director for the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), presented on Nature Positive Food Systems for People and Planet on November 22.

Ruhweza has extensive experience working at the intersection of conservation and development in Africa and globally, fostering successful partnerships with a wide range of international institutions. She sits on the Board of The Global Ever-Greening Alliance and on the steering committee of the Future Earth Water-Food-Energy Nexus working group.

Agriculture has a growing environmental footprint, explained Ruhweza, and food emissions are expected to double by 2050. Exponential action is needed to find ways for food systems to co-exist successfully alongside biodiversity, while providing and maintaining healthy diets for humanity.

Ruhweza suggested three solutions for re-thinking the relationship between agriculture and nature: protecting the remaining natural habits from conversion to agriculture; managing agricultural landscapes in a way that support agriculture to enhance the richness and abundance of biodiversity and ecosystem functions, reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and enhances resilience to climate change; and restoring degraded agricultural lands and soils to healthy natural habitats or to support sustainable food production.

Organizations like CIMMYT have an opportunity to close the triple gap: producing enough healthy good for a growing population on the same extent of cropland available today, while reducing farm level emissions.

Plant breeding must adapt to climate change, finds study

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in Publications.

Breeding is a vital part of the global agrifood system, enabling scientists to adapt crops to developing environmental factors, support improved crop management, and inform policy interventions on global food production. The challenge to crop breeding increases every year, as farmers experience more of the effects of climate change, while the population and food demand continue to rise.

Research by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) has determined that climate change is affecting the objectives, efficiency, and genetic gains of current plant breeding, causing limitations to the breeding approach of the next generation.

The study found that climate change necessitates a faster breeding cycle and must drive changes in breeding objectives by putting climate resilience as the top priority.

“The risk of multiple crop failure due to climate change is very real. Breeding must become more deterministic in terms of adaption if we are to avert food price-hikes, hunger, and social unrest,” said Matthew Reynolds, Distinguished Scientist and Head of Wheat Physiology at CIMMYT.

Challenges in developing climate-ready crops originate from the paradox between urgent breeding requirements prompted by climate change and the limited understanding of how different genotypes interact with the climates. Integrating multiple disciplines and technologies including genotyping, phenotyping, and envirotyping can contribute to the development and delivery of climate-adapted crops in a shorter timeframe.

Read the study: Climate change challenges plant breeding

Cover photo: Wheat growing at the Xuchang Henan experimental station, China. (Photo: Zhiqiang He/CIMMYT)