research: Sustainable agrifood systems

CIMMYT and CGIAR staff members put their tree seedlings in the ground. (Photo: CIMMYT)

CIMMYT and CGIAR staff join Ethiopia’s record-breaking tree-planting campaign

Written by Rodrigo Ordóñez on August 1, 2019. Posted in News.

Staff members of CIMMYT and other CGIAR centers in Ethiopia participated in the country's nationwide campaign that resulted in the planting of more than 350 million trees in one single day. (Photo: CIMMYT) — Staff members of CIMMYT and other CGIAR centers in Ethiopia participated in the country’s nationwide campaign that resulted in the planting of more than 350 million trees in one single day. (Photo: CIMMYT)

July 29, 2019, was a remarkable day for Ethiopia. People across the country planted 353,633,660 tree seedlings in just 12 hours, according to the official count, in what is believed to be a world record. This figure also exceeded the target of a nationwide campaign calling citizens to plant 200 million trees in one day. This initiative was part of the Ethiopian government’s “Green Legacy” initiative, which aims to plant 4 billion trees by October.

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and other CGIAR centers working in Ethiopia joined the tree-planting campaign. In the morning of July 29, staff members turned out at Adwa park, near Addis Ababa’s Bole International Airport, to plant tree seedlings. This activity was coordinated by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) after receiving an invitation from the Bole subcity administration.

Ethiopia’s tree-planting day received worldwide attention. Al Jazeera reported that, “in addition to ordinary Ethiopians, various international organizations and the business community have joined the tree planting spree which aims to overtake India’s 66 million planting record set in 2017.”

A greener future for CGIAR

Ethiopia’s reforestation efforts align with CGIAR’s sustainability strategy.

In its current business plan, CGIAR has five global challenges including planetary boundaries. Food systems are driving the unsustainable use of the planet’s increasingly fragile ecosystem. A stable climate, water, land, forests and the biodiversity they contain are a precious, yet finite, natural resource. Food systems account for about one-third of greenhouse gas emissions and will be profoundly affected by its impacts. Agriculture is driving the loss of the world’s forests and productive land, with 5 million hectares of forests lost every year and a third of the world’s land already classified as degraded. Agriculture accounts for about 70% of water withdrawals globally, is a major cause of water stress in countries where more than 2 billion people live, and water pollution from agricultural systems poses a serious threat to the world’s water systems.

With Ethiopia’s increasing population, there is a high pressure on farmland, unsustainable use of natural resources and deforestation.

At the Agriculture Research for Development Knowledge Share Fair organized in Addis Ababa on May 15, 2019, CGIAR centers demonstrated how they are working together to improve agriculture production and environmental sustainability, tackling local challenges and generating global impact in partnership with other organizations, communities and governments.

At the fair’s opening ceremony, Seleshi Bekele, Ethiopia’s Minister of Water, Irrigation and Electricity, noted that the country has policies, institutional arrangements as well as human and financial resources to work towards sustainability. As a result, Ethiopia has made remarkable achievements towards meeting the Sustainable Development Goals with the continued support and contributions from partners like CGIAR. He also called CGIAR centers to support the efforts to plant 4 billion tree seedlings in 2019, as part of Ethiopia’s climate change adaptation and mitigation goals.

CIMMYT staff show their hands full of dirt after planting tree seedlings in Bole subcity, near Addis Ababa's international airport. (Photo: CIMMYT) — CIMMYT staff show their hands full of dirt after planting tree seedlings in Bole subcity, near Addis Ababa’s international airport. (Photo: CIMMYT)

Cobs & Spikes podcast: Interview with Juan Gonzalo Jaramillo Mejia on social inclusion

Written by Mary Donovan on July 31, 2019. Posted in Podcasts.

How can social protection programs be truly inclusive? Taking a social inclusion lens to agricultural development means looking beyond gender to other identity markers and changing the narratives in gender development approaches, which often place a disproportionate burden on women. Social protection programs do not always keep up with the changes of the traditional gender order.

In this episode, we talk to Juan Gonzalo Jaramillo Mejia, Project Manager and Researcher on Inclusion Innovation and Social Protection. He discusses why we must engage men in the fight for gender equality and how using a social inclusion lens to social protection programs is necessary to ensure that no one is left behind.

You can listen to our podcast here, or subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, SoundCloud, or Google Play.

Local irrigation service providers in southern Bangladesh demonstrate the use of a two-wheeled tractor to power an axial flow pump to provide fuel-efficient surface water irrigation. (Photo: Tim Krupnik/CIMMYT)

New publications: A study of water markets in Bangladesh

Written by Emma Orchardson on July 30, 2019. Posted in Publications. 3 Comments on New publications: A study of water markets in Bangladesh

Domestic rice and wheat production in Bangladesh has more than doubled in the last 30 years, despite declining per capita arable land. The fact that the country is now almost self-sufficient in staple food production is due in large part to successful and rapid adoption of modern, high-yielding crop varieties. This has been widely documented, but less attention has been paid to the contribution of small-scale irrigation systems, whose proliferation has enabled double rice cropping and a competitive market system in which farmers can purchase irrigation services from private pump owners at affordable rates.

However, excess groundwater abstraction in areas of high shallow tube-well density and increased fuel costs for pumping have called into question the sustainability of Bangladesh’s groundwater irrigation economy. Cost-saving agronomic methods are called for, alongside aligned policies, markets, and farmers’ incentives.

A recent study by researchers at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) examines the different institutions and water-pricing methods for irrigation services that have emerged in Bangladesh, each of which varies in their incentive structure for water conservation, and the level of economic risk involved for farmers and service providers.

Using primary data collected from 139 irrigation service providers and 556 client-farmers, the authors assessed the structure of irrigation service types as well as the associated market and institutional dimensions. They found that competition between pump owners, social capital, and social relationship between of pump owners and client farmers, significantly influence the structure of irrigation services and irrigation water pricing methods. Greater competition between pump owners, for instance, increases the likelihood of pay-per-hour services while reducing that of crop sharing arrangements.

Based on these and other findings, authors made policy recommendations for enhancing irrigation services and sustainability in Bangladesh. As Bangladesh is already highly successful in terms of the conventional irrigation system, the authors urge taking it to the next level for sustainability and efficiency.

Currently Bangladesh’s irrigation system is based on centrifugal pumps and diesel engines. The authors suggest scaling out the energy efficient axial flow pump, and the alternate wetting and drying system for water conservation and irrigation efficiency. They also recommend further investment in rural electrification to facilitate the use of electric motors, which can reduce air pollution by curbing dependency on diesel engines.

Read the full article:
“Understanding clients, providers and the institutional dimensions of irrigation services in developing countries: A study of water markets in Bangladesh” in Agricultural Water Management, Volume 222, 1 August 2019, pages 242-253.

This study was made possible through the support provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA). Additional support was provided by the CGIAR Research Programs on Maize (MAIZE) and Wheat (WHEAT).

Read more recent publications by CIMMYT researchers:

A spatial framework for ex-ante impact assessment of agricultural technologies. 2019. Andrade, J.F., Rattalino Edreira, J.I., Farrow, A., Loon, M.P. van., Craufurd, P., Rurinda, J., Shamie Zingore, Chamberlin, J., Claessens, L., Adewopo, J., Ittersum, M.K. van, Cassman, K.G., Grassini, P. In: Global Food Security v. 20, p. 72-81.
Assessing genetic diversity to breed competitive biofortified wheat with enhanced grain ZN and FE concentrations. 2019. Velu, G., Crespo-Herrera, L.A., Guzman, C., Huerta-Espino, J., Payne, T.S., Singh, R.P. In: Frontiers in Plant Science v. 9, art. 1971.
Genome-wide association mapping and genomic prediction analyses reveal the genetic architecture of grain yield and flowering time under drought and heat stress conditions in maize. 2019. Yibing Yuan, Cairns, J.E., Babu, R., Gowda, M., Makumbi, D., Magorokosho, C., Ao Zhang, Yubo Liu, Nan Wang, Zhuanfang Hao, San Vicente, F.M., Olsen, M., Prasanna, B.M., Yanli Lu, Zhang, X. In: Plant Breeding v. 9, art. 1919.
Diversifying conservation agriculture and conventional tillage cropping systems to improve the wellbeing of smallholder farmers in Malawi. 2019. TerAvest, D., Wandschneider, P.R., Thierfelder, C., Reganold, J.P. In: Agricultural Systems v. 171, p. 23-35.
Biofortified maize can improve quality protein intakes among young children in southern Ethiopia. 2019. Gunaratna, N.S., Moges, D., De Groote, H. Nutrients v. 11, no. 1, art. 192.

CIMMYT scientist M.L. Jat (third from left) receives the Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Award.

India honors CIMMYT climate-smart farming expert

Written by Mike Listman on July 22, 2019. Posted in News.

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) honored a cropping systems agronomist from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) with its prestigious Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Award for outstanding and impact-oriented research contributions in natural resource management and agricultural engineering.

M.L. Jat, a native of India and a CIMMYT principal scientist, received the award from Narender Singh Tomar, India’s Union Minister of Agriculture, in New Delhi, as part of ceremonies celebrating ICAR’s 91st Foundation Day on July 16.

The award is given every other year to Indian scientists engaged in research relevant for Indian agriculture. It includes a cash prize of half a million Rupees, about $7,250.

Dedication and achievement making a difference

Jat has worked for more than two decades to benefit farmers and the environment in South Asia’s vast rice-wheat farm belt through the study and promotion of conservation agriculture and better natural resource management practices. These have included reduced or zero-tillage, keeping crop residues on the soil instead of burning or removing them, more precise fertilizer and water use, scale-appropriate mechanization, and the intelligent diversification of crops.

“I’m extremely honored and grateful for this recognition,” said Jat. “With a rising population of 1.6 billion people, South Asia hosts 40% of the world’s poor and malnourished on just 2.4% of its land. Better practices can help farmers adapt to the warmer winters and extreme, erratic weather events such as droughts and floods, which are having a terrible impact.”

The science of Jat and his associates aims to boost the efficiency of use of water, nutrients, and energy, while improving soil health, raising farmers’ profits, and reducing agriculture’s environmental footprint.

Among other contributions, Jat’s efforts have fostered the adoption of precision land levelling for better irrigation and conservation agriculture practices on more than 6 million hectares in India. Research and policy advice by Jat and colleagues helped foster a recent shift in national policy to avoid rice residue burning and mitigate the region’s severe seasonal smog.

Evidence from studies of Jat and co-workers suggests that India could cut nearly 18% of its agricultural greenhouse gas emissions through sustainable and cost-saving farming practices, while helping to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of reducing poverty and hunger.

Jat has authored or co-authored more than 100 peer-reviewed, widely-cited articles in high impact journals. One recent innovation studied and promoted by Jat and partners involves precision delivery of fertilizer through sub-soil drip irrigation.

“Climate change has complex and local impacts, requiring scalable solutions likewise to be locally-adapted,” explained Jat, who in 2016 received India’s National Academy of Agricultural Sciences fellowship in Natural Resource Management and has been at the forefront of training farmers and young researchers in conservation agriculture and climate-smart practices.

ICAR Foundation Day draws large attendance

The ICAR ceremonies were attended by more than 1,500 stakeholders, including representatives of CGIAR centers and other international agencies; Shri Kailash Choudhary and Shri Purshottam Rupala, Ministers of State for Agriculture and Farmer Welfare; Trilochan Mohapatra, Director General of ICAR and Secretary of India’s Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE); along with vice chancellors of state agriculture universities and other senior officers of ICAR, the Ministry of Agriculture, and state governments.

A long-time partner and funder of CIMMYT and one of the world’s largest national agricultural research systems, ICAR is an autonomous organization under DARE in India’s Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare that encompasses more than 100 institutes and 70 agricultural universities spread across the country.

A woman operates a precision spreader during a demonstration for a farmer group in Guleriya MCP, Bardiya, in coordination with the Suahaara nutrition project. (Photo: Salin Acharya/CIMMYT)

Precision spreader for fertilizer set to change the agriculture scene in Nepal

Written by Rodrigo Ordóñez on July 19, 2019. Posted in News.

A man demonstrates the precision spreader to farmers in Bardiya, Nepal, in collaboration with the Janaekata cooperative and the local government. (Photo: Hari Prasad Acharya/CIMMYT)

Smallholder farmers in Nepal tend to apply fertilizer by hand, spreading it as they walk through the field. Under this practice, fertilizer is dispersed randomly and is therefore unevenly distributed among all the seedlings. A recently introduced method, however, helps farmers spread fertilizer in a more uniform, faster and easier way.

The precision spreader is a hand-operated device that ensures an even distribution of fertilizer and is easy to operate. This technology is endorsed by the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA), a project led by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) which helps Nepalese farmers adapt measures that are efficient, effective and resilient to the impacts of climate change.

In addition to more consistent distribution, the precision spreader regulates the exact amount of fertilizer required and helps the farmer cover a considerable area with limited movement. This technology has been proven to require less time and effort than the traditional method of broadcasting by hand.

Considering the potential benefits, the CSISA team introduced farmers in Nepal to the precision spreader through training sessions followed by demonstrations of its use. They took place in wheat fields in Bansgadhi, Barbardiya and Duduwa, in Lumbini province, in collaboration with multipurpose cooperative Janaekata and the local governments. Through these sessions, conducted in 45 different sites, more than 650 farmers had a chance to familiarize themselves with the precision spreader, and most of them took a keen interest in incorporating the device into their cropping management practices.

Perhaps the most prominent reason why the precision spreader sparked such interest is that women can easily use it. Most men in rural areas have migrated to the city or abroad in hopes of higher income, so work in the fields has been inadvertently transferred to women. Since Nepal is a predominantly conservative patriarchal society, women have not yet become comfortable and familiarized with all farming practices, especially operating heavy agricultural machinery. However, as expressed by women themselves, the precision spreader is highly convenient to use. Its use could help ease women into the agriculture scene of Nepal and consequently reduce farming drudgery.

Healthier crops, healthier people

Nestled between China and India, Nepal predominantly relies on agriculture for employment. With the majority of its population engaged in the agricultural sector, the country still struggles to produce an adequate food supply for its people, resulting in depressed rural economies, increased malnutrition and widespread hunger.

Sustainable intensification, therefore, is necessary to increase the overall yield and to accelerate agricultural development.

Better distribution of fertilizer in the fields results in a higher chance of healthier crops, which are the source of better nutrition.

A wider use of a seemingly small technology like the precision spreader would not only reduce hardships in farming, but it would also help farmers become more resilient towards the natural and economic adversities they face.

The Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) is a regional project in Bangladesh, India and Nepal that was established in 2009 with the goal of benefiting more than 8 million farmers by the end of 2020. Funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, CSISA is led by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and implemented jointly with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).

Farmers monitor wheat fields in Bardiya district, Nepal. (Photo: Surya B. Thapa/CIMMYT)

Improved access to finance can boost seed business in Nepal

Written by Rodrigo Ordóñez on July 16, 2019. Posted in Features.

Finance is a key driver for agricultural development, as it allows farmers and agribusinesses to improve production efficiency and adopt improved technologies. In Nepal, most of the seed in the formal sector is produced by companies and cooperatives which, like any enterprise, need access to finance in order to grow and increase their capacity.

Nepal’s Agricultural Development Strategy 2015-2035 and National Seed Vision 2013-2025 are key policy documents of the government that provide a roadmap for the development of the agricultural and seed sectors in the country.

In 2017, realizing the need to increase investments in the agricultural sector, the central bank of Nepal, Nepal Rastra Bank, adopted the Priority Sector Lending Programme (PSLP). This program mandates banks and financial institutions to allocate 10% of their loan portfolio to the agricultural sector at a subsidized interest rate of 5%.

The Nepal Seed and Fertilizer (NSAF) project is providing an interface between banks and seed enterprises. Commercial banks are improving their knowledge of the seed sector, its needs and growth opportunities, so they can develop loan products and credit modalities that match the requirements of seed producers and agribusinesses.

These enterprises require finances to upgrade their infrastructure, increase production and grow their businesses. The business plans of seed companies which partner with the NSAF project indicate that the average size of loan required is around $50,000 — 60% for infrastructure development and 40% for working capital. About 66% of the working capital is used to procure raw seed from contract seed growers.

A farmer processes a loan through Laxmi Bank's branchless banking system in Kailali district, Nepal. (Photo: Suman Khanal/CIMMYT) — A farmer processes a loan through Laxmi Bank’s branchless banking system in Kailali district, Nepal. (Photo: Suman Khanal/CIMMYT)

Barriers to lending

Given the huge requirement for finance for seed procurement, access to loans through the PSLP can provide respite to seed companies. However, unlike in other commercial agribusiness, bank lending under the PSLP is uncommon in the seed business, as financial institutions lack understanding of the sector. Many seed companies have not been able to benefit from these loans due to perceived high risks or the lack of business plans and compliance mechanisms required by banks.

In 2018, the NSAF project team assessed the current status, challenges and opportunities in seed business financing through the PSLP. The project also facilitated a seed growers’ lending model through a tripartite agreement between Laxmi Bank Pvt. Limited, Panchashakti Seed Company and seed growers to access loans under PSLP.

On June 14, 2019, NSAF organized a meeting in collaboration with Seed Entrepreneurs Association of Nepal (SEAN) to present findings of their assessments and experiences. The meeting brought together representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, national financial institutions, private sector banks, seed companies, agricultural cooperatives and development organizations, who took part in the deliberations and also contributed to refining policy recommendations to enhance seed sector financing.

The assessments showed that PSLP awareness among farmers is low and seed growers borrowing from the informal sector were paying high interest rates, ranging from 24-36% per year. Lack of adequate business plans and compliance mechanisms for seed companies, limited eligibility criteria for PSLP, complex loan acquisition process and collateral issues were some of the factors that made funds largely inaccessible to smallholder farmers. Moreover, the terms and conditions for loan repayment stipulated by banks do not synchronize with the agricultural crop calendar and farm cash flows.

Navin Hada, AID Project Development Specialist at USAID, discusses the strategic measures to enhance access to seed business financing with relevant stakeholders. (Photo: Bandana Pradhan/CIMMYT)

Tailor-made financing solutions

Participants in the meeting discussed ways to create a conducive environment to access financial services for agricultural producers and agribusinesses. Seed companies suggested to improve banks and financial institutions’ understanding of the agricultural markets and build their capacity to assess business opportunities. They also requested that banks simplify the documentation process for acquiring loans for farmers.

Participants from the Kisanka Lagi Unnat Biu-Bijan Karyakram (KUBK), a Nepal government project located in Rupandehi district Province 5, highlighted their model where farmers, organized into cooperatives, are linked to the Small Farmer Development Bank, which could be worth exploring in other sites.

Branchless banking promoted by NSAF is a workable strategy to provide financial services to seed growers in remote areas.

The action research also highlighted that innovative modalities, such as group guarantees, can be a feasible approach to mitigate risks to fund seed growers who do not have land registration certificates and whose land rights have not been transferred in their names. In the case of female producers, this is especially helpful, as many women are the lead decision-makers on the land registered under the name of their husbands, who are migrant workers abroad.

Utilizing the learning from this event, NSAF and SEAN will share the evidence-based policy recommendations with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, the Ministry of Finance, the central bank and the Bankers’ Association of Nepal.

Through the NSAF project’s facilitation, banks have approved loans amounting to $2.5 million for business expansion of seven seed companies in 2018. The project will continue to support its seed partners in developing and strengthening their business plans and will facilitate linkages with commercial banks.

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

Participants of the results sharing meeting on Access to Finance in Seed Sector in Nepal. (Photo: Bandana Pradhan/CIMMYT)

Groundwater, the unexpected villain in India’s air pollution crisis

Written by Mary Donovan on July 15, 2019. Posted in In the media.

In a study by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), water conservation policies by the regional governments of Haryana and Punjab were revealed to actually aggravate air pollution. Read more here.

CIMMYT researcher Bram Govaerts participates in the World Food Prize and Borlaug Dialogue.

Cornell University appoints Bram Govaerts as Andrew D. White Professor-at-Large

Written by Ricardo Curiel on July 12, 2019. Posted in News.

Expertise, multiple achievements and a significant contribution to sustainable agri-food systems in Mexico and globally, have merited Bram Govaerts, director of the Integrated Development Program and regional representative for the Americas at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Cornell University’s appointment as Andrew D. White Professor-at-Large. This is a distinction granted to individuals whose work in science, education, social sciences, literature and creative arts has had great impact and international visibility.

Cornell University launched the Professors-at-Large program to commemorate its centenary and to honor its first president, Andrew D. White. The program secures a connection between the university and its faculty with the world, global issues, great thinkers and outstanding intellectuals. Since then, personalities such as philosopher Jacques Derrida, writer and poet Octavio Paz, geneticist M. S. Swaminathan, and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Norman Borlaug have received this distinction.

“I was honored to learn about my nomination and glad to be interviewed, but I was happily surprised and humbled to learn that I had been chosen to join this group of distinguished thinkers and artists, which has welcomed such outstanding members as Norman Borlaug and Octavio Paz,” said Govaerts.

Professors-at-Large take the responsibility to participate, over a six-year period, in several activities that strengthen the international academic community and are, afterwards, considered distinguished and lifetime members of the university.

Govaerts takes inspiration from the “take it to the farmer” vision, and has been instrumental to the development of CIMMYT’s project portfolio, which integrates innovations in maize and wheat production systems by minimizing their environmental impact.

Govaerts shares this acknowledgement with his team and collaborators who have joined efforts to achieve the objectives set in Colombia, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Mexico and many other countries that have taken the decision to make a difference.

In 2014, Bram Govaerts received from the World Food Prize Foundation the Norman E. Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application, endowed by the Rockefeller Foundation, for leading the MasAgro project and finding innovative ways of applying science to improve the productivity and resilience of small and medium-sized maize and wheat farmers in Mexico.

Breaking Ground: Munyaradzi Mutenje tailors innovations to farmers needs

Written by Carolyn Cowan on July 11, 2019. Posted in Features.

Sometimes innovations fail to make an impact. Take 3D televisions, for example; launched at a large scale more than a decade ago, they did not achieve the expected commercial success. On paper, the technology was an affordable and thrilling breakthrough in home entertainment, but in practice many viewers failed to embrace it due to poor implementation. Today, it has largely fallen by the wayside.

Farming innovations can suffer similar fates if product designers do not consider the overall socioeconomic picture during development, warns Munyaradzi Mutenje, an agricultural economist with the Socioeconomics program of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT).

“When the direct seed drill was first launched in Zimbabwe, farmers did not take to it,” Mutenje explains. “Here was a technology that could reduce the drudgery of hand sowing — vastly reducing labor costs and saving time — but no one wanted it. The scientists asked ‘why is no-one adopting this seed drill we designed? It solves so many production challenges… Why don’t people want it?’”

It transpired that women, who constitute a significant portion of the farming community in Zimbabwe, simply found the direct seed drill too heavy and awkward for practical use. They chose to stick with traditional farming methods and were skeptical of the new technology. In short, the product was not designed with the end user in mind.

Design that meets farmers’ needs

Mutenje stands next to a demonstration plot of maize during a field day organized by CIMMYT and Agriseeds. (Photo: CIMMYT)

Mutenje works in close association with CIMMYT’s sustainable intensification team in Zimbabwe, adding value by opening a dialogue with many different types of farmers. “From the basket of sustainable intensification technologies available, which one is appropriate for each type of farmer?” she asks herself when designing new interventions.

Technologies can seem good to scientists, but they might not be suitable for farmers, who operate within a system of which agriculture is only one component.

“You have to look at the situation from the farmers’ perspective,” Mutenje explains. “In order to assess the economic viability of innovations and to understand how and where to target them, we have to look at factors like social acceptance and cultural barriers that might constrain adoption within farming communities.”

Once technologies are rolled out to farmers, it is vital to seek feedback about the demand for new, and reviews of existing, technologies. This allows scientists to tailor their innovations to the needs and objectives of farmers.

“When we design technologies that meet farmers’ needs because we have interacted with them and understood the whole system; that is our greatest impact.”

All roads lead to CIMMYT

Growing up on a farm in rural Zimbabwe instilled in Mutenje a deep respect for women’s role in agriculture in southern Africa. With her father engaged in off-farm work, her mother tended the farm. She grew curious about household decision-making and was inspired to pursue a career in agricultural science, first studying at the University of Zimbabwe before obtaining her doctoral degree at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa with a thesis on the effects of AIDS on rural livelihoods.

“I was inspired by the multidisciplinary nature of science and how its application to farming allows scientists to directly help feed people and really transform people’s lives.”

During her undergraduate studies, Mutenje learned from CIMMYT scientists who offered her class practical agronomic examples and taught the students how to apply data analysis to solve complex problems. Fascinated by the power of data to elucidate patterns that can help scientists, she resolved, “One day I will work for CIMMYT to address food and nutritional security issues in southern Africa!”

In 2012, her aspirations became reality as she joined CIMMYT in Zimbabwe as a postdoctoral fellow. Today, she is a CIMMYT scientist.

Work that sparks joy

Working with the CIMMYT sustainable intensification program on projects spanning five countries in southern Africa, Mutenje finds joy in working alongside partners as part of a large team. “You become one big family,” she reflects.

She feels pride in working with smallholder farmers and transforming their livelihoods through science. By boosting the knowledge and potential of women in particular, she believes that sustainable, positive change is possible.

“Women are the custodians of food and nutritional security, so we need to understand their challenges and opportunities. If you help women and offer them training, their impact will go far since they will pass their knowledge on to their children.”

Mutenje carries out a qualitative vulnerability assessment in Bvukuru community, Masvingo province, Zimbabwe, to feed into a study for a project funded by the Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA) and Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ). (Photo: CIMMYT)

Policy change to help farmers

Although working directly with farmers is what Mutenje enjoys the most, she concedes that prompting widespread change often calls for deeper scrutiny of the value chain, to identify bottlenecks that constrain adoption. Gathering empirical data and presenting evidence of the complete story to policymakers has enabled Mutenje to influence policy change on a national scale.

“In Mozambique, we discovered fertilizer costs were too high for farmers, so they were missing out on a technology that would enable increased yields.”

Mutenje’s work analyzed the whole system and found the import tax on fertilizer component materials was too high and that manufacturers were simply handing that cost down to the farmers. By highlighting this issue to government representatives, she triggered a change in import tax policy. This initiative resulted in fertilizer prices that are affordable to farmers, facilitating improved yields and livelihoods.

“An evidence-based approach, based on quantitative and qualitative data from multiple sources allows scientists to present the complete story,” she explains. “Armed with this, we can convince policymakers to make changes to help farmers and improve food security.”

Halima Begum operates her two-wheel tractor, equipped with a self-starter device. (Photo: Mostafa Kamrul Hasan/CIMMYT)

Cranking, a thing of the past

Written by Rodrigo Ordóñez on July 10, 2019. Posted in Features. 1 Comment on Cranking, a thing of the past

Halima Begum wanted to increase her income by providing mechanization services to other farmers in Bangladesh’s Chuadanga district, but she was limited by the level of physical effort required. Starting the engine of her tractor was difficult and embarrassing — cranking it required a lot of strength and she had to rely on others to do it for her. She was also afraid she would get injured, like other local service providers.

Women in rural areas of Bangladesh are often hesitant to work in the fields. Social norms, limited mobility, physical exertion, lack of time and other constraints can cause aspiring female entrepreneurs to step back, despite the prospect of higher income. The few women like Halima who do step out of their comfort zone and follow their dreams often have to overcome the physical effort required to operate these machines.

Starting the tractor is a daunting task on its own and the possibility of having to do it multiple times a day adds to the reluctance of ownership.

To make manual cranking a thing of the past for Bangladeshi women entrepreneurs, and to encourage others, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), through the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia-Mechanization and Irrigation (CSISA-MI), is supporting small businesses who manufacture and sell affordable mechanical self-starter attachments for two-wheel tractors.

The self-starter is a simple spring-loaded device mounted over the old crank handle socket, which allows users to start the engine with the flick of a lever.

For women like Begum, manually starting a tractor was a difficult task that is now gone forever.

“I used to struggle quite a lot before, but now I can easily start the machine, thanks to this highly convenient self-starter,” Begum said.

The self-starter reduces the risk of accidents and coaxes hesitant youth and women to become entrepreneurs in the agricultural mechanization service industry.

CIMMYT is supporting businesses like Janata Engineering, which imports self-starter devices and markets them among local service providers in the district of Sorojgonj, Chuadanga district. The project team worked with the owner, Md. Ole Ullah, to organize field demonstrations for local service providers, showing how to use and maintain the self-starter device.

The Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia-Mechanization and Irrigation (CSISA-MI) is led by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The project focuses on upstream market interventions in Bangladesh, ensuring technologies are reliably available in local markets and supported by an extensive value chain.

Farmers in low- and middle-income countries are benefiting from CIMMYT's improved maize and wheat varieties, suitable for drought- and disease-affected areas. (Photo: Apollo Habtamu/ILRI)

Inequality, agriculture and climate change: From a vicious to a virtuous circle

Written by Rodrigo Ordóñez on July 10, 2019. Posted in News.

A new urgency is being felt on climate change. Schoolchildren are striking, there are protests in the streets, and politicians across the world, including the UK, are pushing to call climate change a national emergency.

A cruel irony is that climate change will not be felt equally by all—those who have contributed the least to rising temperatures are set to suffer the most.

Read the full op-ed authored by Elwyn Grainger-Jones, Executive Director of the CGIAR System Organization, in Diplomatic Courier’s special G20 Edition.

Sylvanus Odjo

Written by Emma Orchardson on July 3, 2019. Posted in Uncategorized.

Sylvanus Odjo is a postharvest specialist working on the development and implementation of postharvest practices for cereals and other grains to achieve food security in rural communities in the developing world. He coordinates a network of research platforms for postharvest research with collaborators in Mexico, Central America and Africa to address research gaps and inform recommendations to farmers, private sector, governments, national agricultural research institutions and non-governmental organization.

Odjo holds a master’s degree in Food Science and Nutrition and a PhD in Agronomic Sciences and Biological Engineering. His PhD project focused on the effect of the drying process on maize grain quality.

Experimental stations in Mexico improve global agriculture

Written by Carolyn Cowan on July 1, 2019. Posted in Videos.

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) operates five agricultural experiment stations in Mexico. Strategically located across the country to take advantage of different growing conditions — spanning arid northern plains to sub-tropical and temperate climatic zones — the stations offer unique and well-managed testing conditions for a variety of biotic and abiotic stresses.

Heat and drought tolerance in wheat is the focus of study at Ciudad Obregón, while the humid, cool conditions at Toluca are ideal for studying wheat resistance to foliar diseases. The tropical and sub-tropical settings of Agua Fría and Tlaltizapán respectively are suited to maize field trials, while at El Batán researchers carry out a wide variety of maize and wheat trials.

A new video highlights the important and valuable contribution of the five experimental stations in Mexico to CIMMYT’s goal of developing maize and wheat that can cope with demanding environments around the world, helping smallholder farmers in Africa, Asia and Latin America adapt to challenges like climate change, emerging pests and disease, and malnutrition.

Featuring aerial cinematography and interviews with each station’s manager, the video takes viewers on a journey to each experimental station to highlight the research and management practices specific to each location.

In addition to their role in breeding maize and wheat varieties, CIMMYT’s experimental stations host educational events throughout the year that train the next generation of farmers, policymakers and crop scientists. They also provide the canvas on which CIMMYT scientists develop and test farming practices and technologies to help farmers grow more with less.

Some of the stations also hold historical significance. Ciudad Obregón and Toluca are two of the sites where Norman Borlaug set up his shuttle breeding program that provided the foundations of the Green Revolution. It was also in Toluca, while at a trial plot alongside six young scientists from four developing nations, where Borlaug first received news of his 1970 Nobel Peace Prize award.

Past CIMMYT economist Derek Byerlee awarded high honor by Australia

Written by Mike Listman on July 1, 2019. Posted in News.

Derek Byerlee has worked and published worldwide to promote food security and improved livelihoods through sustainable agriculture. (Photo: Elizabeth Powell/Georgetown University)

Derek Byerlee, former director of CIMMYT’s economics program, has been named an Officer of the Order of Australia, the country’s second-highest membership honor, for his distinguished service to sustainable development, poverty reduction, and food security.

The award was among those announced by Australia on June 10, 2019, as part of birthday commemorations for Queen Elizabeth II.

“This was all quite a surprise to me,” said Byerlee, currently an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. and making arrangements to attend the award ceremony in Australia in September.

Byerlee holds CIMMYT in special regard. “CIMMYT was the highlight of my career,” he explained.

Interested in agriculture since his childhood on a sheep and wheat farm near Orroroo in the South Australian Wheat Belt, Byerlee joined CIMMYT in 1977 as one of its first economists, with stints in Mexico and South Asia. He led CIMMYT economics research during 1987-94 and is fondly remembered by colleagues and support staff from that period.

“Derek has made an immense contribution to the developing world and the profession,” said Olaf Erenstein, current director of the CIMMYT socioeconomics program. “He helped put CIMMYT and its economics program on the global map of research for development. His humble yet insightful contributions guided the way for many, including myself.”

Byerlee moved to the World Bank in 1994, heading its support to agricultural research before becoming Rural Strategy Adviser. He later led the team that produced the agency’s influential 2008 World Development Report Agriculture for Development, one of the Bank’s most respected and widely quoted publications and its first ever to focus on agricultural development.

With a Bachelor of Agricultural Sciences from the University of Adelaide, a master’s degree on Agricultural Economics from the University of New England, New South Wales, and a doctoral degree in agricultural economics from Oregon State University, prior to CIMMYT Byerlee worked in the Agricultural Economics program of Michigan State University and at Njala University, Sierra Leone.

Since retiring from the World Bank, he has held diverse consultancy and advisory roles, including Chair of the Standing Panel on Impact Assessment of CGIAR, Member of the Technical Advisory Committee of the Global Agricultural and Food Security Program, and Visiting Scholar at Stanford University.

Byerlee has published widely on agriculture research policy and impacts, farming systems and technology adoption, food pricing policy and land-use changes, and is a Fellow of the American Association of Agricultural Economics.

Author of the 2016 publication, “The birth of CIMMYT: Pioneering the idea and ideals of international agricultural research,” Byerlee has called for a renewed commitment to eliminating hunger through political action at local, national, and international levels, and particularly enjoys teaching about this and related topics at Georgetown University.

“Working with these excellent students gives me a sense of optimism about the future of the world,” Byerlee stated in a recent article in The Flinders News.

Reconciling food security, resource depletion and environmental quality trade-offs in India

Written by Matthew O'Leary on June 28, 2019. Posted in Features.

Northwestern India is home to millions of smallholder farmers making it a breadbasket for grain staples. Since giving birth to the Green Revolution it has continued to increase its food production through rice and wheat farming providing food security to the region.

This high production has not come without shortfalls; groundwater tables are falling from excessive irrigation and climate change has brought erratic rainfall. In response, the state governments of Haryana and Punjab introduced separate legislation forcing farmers to delay rice planting to coincide with the arrival of the monsoonal rains in late June.

With rice sowing pushed back to tackle a looming water crisis, the time available between harvesting rice and planting wheat has been reduced. Consequently, the majority of farmers opt to burn the post-harvest rice straw to quickly prepare their fields for wheat. The majority of the 34 tons of rice residues the region produces is burned in a short window of time, throwing a lot of toxic smoke into the air.

New research, by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), delved into linkages between groundwater and agricultural burning policies. The study uncovered that groundwater conservation policies in Haryana and Punjab are exacerbating the nation’s air pollution crisis by concentrating crop residue burning in the late fall.

“Despite being illegal, the burning of post-harvest rice residues continues to be the most common practice of crop residue management, and while groundwater policies are helping arrest water depletion, they also appear to be exacerbating one of the most acute public health problems confronting India – air pollution,” said CIMMYT scientist and author of the study, Balwinder Singh.

Millions of farmers burn the straw that remains after the rice harvest to prepare their fields for a wheat crop. (Photo: Dakshinamurthy Vedachalam/CIMMYT)

Getting to the guts of air pollution’s chokehold on India

Air pollution in India has increased significantly since 2000. Each fall, from late October to November, a toxic fog containing a mixture of dust, carbon and particles covers northwestern India. For the 18.6 million who live in New Delhi the smog not only brings daily life to a standstill but slices years off life expectancy. It kills an estimated 1.5 million people every year, with nearly half of these deaths occurring in the Indo-Gangetic Plains, the northernmost part of the country that includes New Delhi.

The analysis suggests that temporal changes in burning are a prime contributor to the air quality crisis. The limited amount of time to prepare fields for wheat planting has caused fire intensity to increase by 39 percent, peaking in November with a maximum of 681 fires per day. This increase occurs when temperatures in New Delhi are lower and winds are weak. The still conditions trap pollution and limit the amount that can escape.

Recognizing policy tradeoffs is important for sustainable agricultural intensification

Agriculture for development researchers with CIMMYT investigate how best to sustainably intensify food production. This seeks to produce more food, improve nutrition and livelihoods, and boost rural incomes without an increase in inputs – such as land and water – while reducing environmental impacts. Policies can help to shape efforts towards sustainable intensification by encouraging farming practices that save resources and protect the environment. However, it is important that governments strike the right balance between food security, resource depletion and environmental quality.

The research results shed light on the sustainability challenges confronting many highly productive agricultural systems, where addressing one problem can exacerbate others, said Andrew McDonald, a professor at Cornell University and co-author of the study.

“Identifying and managing tradeoffs and capitalizing on synergies between crop productivity, resource conservation, and environmental quality is essential,” he said.

Policies to promote sustainable intensification can also burst India’s pollution bubble

Surface crop residue retention and incorporation are the promising on-farm management options to address the issue of burning as well as maintaining soil health and long-term sustainability, said M.L. Jat, a scientist with CIMMYT who coordinates sustainable intensification programs in northwestern India.

Apart from pumping toxic smoke into the air, ash left on fields after residue burning can negatively affect soil health in the long term. However, if residue is mulched into the soil, nutrient levels improve and carbon sequestration capacity increases, lowering the release of greenhouse gases. Additionally, residue retention reduces evaporation and increases soil moisture by as much as 10 percent during the wheat-growing season.

“A sensible approach for overcoming tradeoffs will embrace agronomic technologies such as the Happy Seeder, a seed drill that plants seeds without impacting crop residue, providing farmers the technical means to avoid residue burning,” he explained.

“When rice is ready to be reaped, a tractor or a harvester collects the grain, a spreader distributes the straw that remains on the ground and the Happy Seeder drills into the land to seed wheat,” Jat said. “Farmers no longer need to till the land to plant their wheat, instead they practice a form of conservation agriculture.”

M. L. Jat, CIMMYT Cropping Systems Agronomist with a no-till planter that facilitates no-burn farming. (Photo: Dakshinamurthy Vedachalam/CIMMYT)

Researchers at CIMMYT and Punjab Agricultural University have undertaken extensive trials in farmer fields and the new technology has proven itself as a step forward for developing viable solution to rice crop residue burning.

The Indian government launched a $157 million initiative to discourage burning through agricultural machinery innovations. However, the Happy Seeder is yet to be adopted widely. It is estimated that to cover 50 percent, 5 million ha, of the total acreage under rice-wheat cropping systems in India, about 60,000 Happy Seeders are needed. At present, there are only about 10,000 available.

A recent policy brief suggests rapid adoption needs a major government push to publicize and popularize the technology. The brief suggests delivery of machinery hire services through Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies and private entrepreneurs with ongoing government support is a viable tool to equitably reach farmers.

Access the journal article on Nature Sustainability:
Tradeoffs between groundwater conservation and air pollution from agricultural fires in northwest India

Policy Brief:
Innovative Viable Solutions to Rice Residue Burning in Rice-Wheat Cropping System through Concurrent Use of Super Straw Management System-fitted Combine and Turbo Happy Seeder

Video demonstration:
The concurrent use of super SMS-fitted combines and Turbo Happy Seeder