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research: Sustainable agrifood systems

Angola: shifting from landraces to improved maize varieties

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By Florence Sipalla/CIMMYT

CIMMYT, in partnership with the Instituto de Investigação Agronómica (IIA), the Angolan national agricultural research institute, is helping the country shift from using maize landraces to locally adapted materials.

Angola is rebuilding its infrastructure after a prolonged civil war that slowed down agricultural production. During the war, farmers could not access improved maize seed and relied on landraces. “After the war, they started shifting from the landraces to open-pollinated varieties (OPVs),” explained Peter Setimela, CIMMYT seed systems specialist. “Five years ago, there were no improved maize seeds in Angola. Now, we have some good OPVs and hybrids.”

Pivot irrigation at a seed production farm in Angola. Both Kambondo and Matogrosso farms use pivot irrigation; this frees the farms from dependence on rain for seed production.
Pivot irrigation at a seed production farm in Angola. Both Kambondo and Matogrosso farms use pivot irrigation; this frees the farms from dependence on rain for seed production.

The country has been importing improved maize varieties from Brazil and France, though not without problems. “They discovered that some of these varieties were hampered by diseases such as gray leaf spot, maize streak virus and northern leaf blight,” said CIMMYT breeder Cosmos Magorokosho. Working in partnership with IIA breeders, CIMMYT scientists have been testing materials that are locally adapted, some of which are now being produced by local seed companies. Last month, a multidisciplinary team from CIMMYT and IIA, led by the Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) Project Leader Tsedeke Abate, went on a field tour in Angola.

The team visited seed production farms in Kwanza Sul, demonstrations and on-farm and on-station trials at the IIA Chianga experimental station in Huambo to evaluate drought-tolerant maize varieties being grown and tested in the country. The team, including CIMMYT and IIA breeding, communications, seed systems and socioeconomics staff, visited a community seed production farm managed by Cooperativa Faca Tudo Pelo Tempo (“do everything on time” in Portuguese). The farmer’s cooperative produces rain-fed basic seed for the OPV maize varieties ZM309, ZM521 and ZM523, with technical support from IIA breeder Dibanzilua Nginamau. The cooperative is an umbrella body for 30 farmer groups with 1,250 members, including 600 women, according to Nginamau.

Participants stand in front of 50 hectares of the CIMMYT hybrid CZH03030 and a rainbow at Kambondo farm in Kwanza Sul, Angola.

The team visited smallholder farmer Dominga Ngueve, who planted varieties for demonstration on her farm near the Chianga station. “I prefer ZM309 because it matures early and I am able to get [maize for] food earlier,” Ngueve said. “When improved seed is unavailable, I buy local varieties from other farmers.” The smallholder farmer practices the crop rotation of planting maize during the long season and beans during the low season. She also grows cassava and potatoes. “Our food crop is maize; if you sell it, you create hunger,” said Ngueve, explaining the importance of maize in her community.

CIMMYT is helping Angola improve this important crop. “Angola has great potential for advancing agriculture,” Abate said, citing the country’s arable land and water resources. CIMMYT is using its germplasm resources to help public and private sector partners, such as SEDIAC, Matogrosso and Kambondo farms, that have recently ventured into seed production in Angola. CIMMYT is also contributing to capacity building by training breeders and technicians from the national program and seed companies.

Visitors at the DTMA stand during the SEDIAC field day in Kwanza Sul, Angola.

Angola is producing ZM523 on 560 hectares at Kambondo and Matogrosso farms with technical support from DTMA. An expected 2,400 tons of certified seed will be available for use by local farmers in the coming season. These two companies are well-positioned to produce certified seed through irrigation, as they each have six units of pivot irrigation that enable them to continue production even when the rains are erratic.

Kambondo farm has already produced nine tons of CZH03030 and has planted 50 hectares of the same variety for grain production. Abate commended SEDIAC for hosting the field day. “It is an opportunity for researchers from the national agriculture research system to network with all the agricultural stakeholders in Angola,” he said. The field day was also attended by three traditional leaders from the local community.

Through the collaborative work of IIA, CIMMYT, seed companies and cooperatives to strengthen seed systems in Angola, “farmers can increase their food security and livelihoods by taking up droughttolerant varieties,” said CIMMYT socioeconomist Rodney Lunduka.

Traditional chiefs in eastern Zambia learn about sustainable intensification

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By Walter Mupangwa and Christian Thierfelder/CIMMYT

The quiet Khokwe village in the Chanje Central Block in Chipata district, Zambia, was buzzing with activity on 2 April when six traditional chiefs visited the Sustainable Intensification of Maize-Legume Systems for the Eastern Province of Zambia-Africa Rising (SIMLEZA-Africa Rising) project.

Traditional leaders in African societies hold deep-rooted power in the communities, make important decisions on land use and distribution and guide villagers in times of change and uncertainty. Smallholder farmers in the Eastern Province face high labor costs and low labor availability and are confronted with the negative effects of climate variability, which require climate-resilient, low-cost alternatives to improve farm productivity. Conservation agriculture (CA)- based management practices, combined with drought-tolerant maize varieties, as suggested by SIMLEZA-Africa Rising, can reduce production costs and improve resource-use efficiency, productivity and profitability. Farmers from communities surrounding Khokwe warmly welcomed the six chiefs drawn from Chewa- and Tumbuka-speaking tribes of eastern Zambia.

CIMMYT’s Walter Mupangwa explains how the animal-drawn direct seeder works while Duncan Tembo of Agro-Chemicals shows the chiefs the different herbicides and pesticides available to farmers.

Nyao traditional dancers known as “Gule Wankulu” and Ngoni dancers also joined the farmers in welcoming and entertaining the chiefs, who were accompanied by two representatives from the Ministry of Chiefs Affairs, village headmen, councilors and officers from the District Agricultural Coordinator’s Office (DACO). They were invited by the SIMLEZA-Africa Rising project team with representatives from CIMMYT, community agricultural committees, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL), the National Agricultural Information Service (NAIS), Total LandCare (TLC) and the Zambia Agricultural Research Institute (ZARI). SIMLEZA-Africa Rising is funded by USAID-Feed the Future. The chiefs visited trial sites in Khokwe, including a maize regional on-farm trial.

Farmers are directly involved in selecting the best maize varieties from the 20 that are being tested, which was emphasized in explaining participatory varietal selection. Most crops appeared stressed by drought, as the area had not received any rain for one month. ‘’These varieties are really drought-tolerant,’’ remarked Chief Magodi as participants left the maize regional on-farm trial to visit a maize mother-baby trial, where 12 drought-tolerant maize varieties are being tested. At the CA trial, the chiefs studied maize crops planted under zero tillage in rotation or intercropped with cowpeas.

The chiefs observed that maize in the ridge and furrow system was severely moisture-stressed while maize on the CA plots was still green and growing well. ‘’I never knew that there are such activities happening in our district,’’ exclaimed Chief Misholo from the Chiparamba block in Chipata district, adding that the visit was an “eye-opener” for him.

Chiefs wearing yellow and white SIMLEZA-Africa Rising T-shirts and caps visit a conservation agriculture field during a tour of SIMLEZA-Africa Rising project. Photos: Walter Mupangwa

CIMMYT’s Walter Mupangwa highlighted environmentally-friendly products used on CA fields and the procedures farmers should follow when using herbicides. for weed control. Next to the CA field, new animal traction seeding equipment was showcased, including the animal traction direct seeder, Magoye ripper tines and a hand-held no-till planter. An agro-dealer from ATS Agro-Chemicals, part of the SIMLEZA-Africa Rising innovation network, displayed the herbicides and pesticides available for smallholder farmers in the region. Farmers were keen on interacting with the traditional leaders on farming-related issues. Main discussion points included the need to improve market links and information flow for soybean and maize crops.

Chief Mban’gombe encouraged farmers to diversify the crops they grow in the face of low prices for maize. The chiefs strongly advocated for SIMLEZA-Africa Rising to set up trials in their areas to help disseminate technology to more farming households within their jurisdiction. The chiefs’ visit is a major breakthrough for the SIMLEZA-Africa Rising project. The support of traditional leaders is a main driver of change toward more sustainable intensification.

Zambia maize technicians learn about new breeding tools

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By Peter Setimela/CIMMYT

Regular training sessions are a key component of capacity building for partners CIMMYT works with in breeding and seed systems. On 24-27 March, 28 maize technicians, including 10 women, participated in a week-long training program at the Natural Resources Development College (NRDC) in Lusaka, Zambia. A joint seed systems, breeding and seed business development team from the CIMMYT-Southern Africa Regional Office in Harare and staff from the Zambia Research Institute (ZARI) conducted the training.

CIMMYT breeder Cosmos Magorokosho explains pollination to participants at the Zambian Agricultural Research Institute in Lusaka. Photo: Peter Setimela

The participants were drawn from selected seed companies and various government units in the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA). The course was supported by two CIMMYT projects, Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) and Sustainable Intensification of Maize- Legume Systems for the Eastern Province of Zambia (SIMLEZA), in collaboration with ZARI. The training gave the participants insights into key processes in germplasm development using conventional and molecular tools, variety testing and release, seed production and seed business development. Emphasis was given to new phenotyping tools, the importance of trial uniformity and good agronomic management. Course organizers include Kambamba Mwansa, Zambian maize coordinator, and Franscico Miti from ZARI, the MoA and CIMMYT’s Peter Setimela, Cosmos Magorokosho, Kennedy Lweya, Zaman-Allah Mainassara and Obert Randi.

Uganda team shines at DTMA awards for eastern Africa

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By Florence Sipalla/CIMMYT

The Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) project recognized country teams that demonstrated excellence in breeding and disseminating drought-tolerant maize varieties during the Regional Maize Working Group (MWG) meeting held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 17 to 19 February.

For the third time since 2011, Uganda’s National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) won the breeding award while breeders from the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) came in second. The Uganda team, comprised of partners from the public and private sector, also won the prize for disseminating drought-tolerant maize varieties, a category in which the Tanzania team came in second.

The combined efforts of the national agriculture research institutes and the seed companies were recognized. The awards were given after a systematic evaluation of the breeding and dissemination programs in the participating countries. “The strength of breeding programs was assessed based on existence of short-, intermediate- and long-term objectives,” said DTMA administrator Kimani Kamau. Kamau cited as selection criteria the layout and management of trials, inbred line development, testing of new hybrids and open-pollinated varieties and efficient use of germplasm from regional and international testing programs. “Efficient use of appropriate software in managing and analyzing trial data and the existence of a clear framework showing how the seed would reach the farmers was also considered,” Kamau added.

Breeders from the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research display the plaque they received at the award ceremony. They were runners up in the breeding category. Photos: Florence Sipalla/CIMMYT

Finally, teams were also assessed on institutional representation, variety registration and release, certified seed production, companies that had taken up and were promoting drought-tolerant maize varieties and awareness building activities and events. The winning teams received plaques and certificates presented to individual members by a team led by DTMA project leader Tsedeke Abate, assisted by Aberra Debelo, Sasakawa – Global 2000 country director for Ethiopia; Stephen Njoka, director of the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) Embu; and Alemayehu Mekonnen, a commercial farmer. “It is good to be appreciated and recognized for the work we are doing,” said Godfrey Asea, crop breeder and cereal research leader at the National Crops Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI) and the Uganda Maize Working Group chair. “We are happy the breeding work is also translating into products to improve farmers’ incomes and food security.”

The breeders indicated that they still face challenges in increasing farmers’ productivity because of the high costs of inputs and fertilizer. The team’s efforts in disseminating drought-tolerant maize varieties are backed by research. According to a recent adoption survey coordinated by the socioeconomics team, the adoption of drought-tolerant maize between 2007 and 2013 was at 28 percent. “The survey indicated that a total of 83 percent of households had adopted drought-tolerant varieties including those developed before 2007 and varieties developed during the current phase of the DTMA project,” said CIMMYT socioeconomist Monica Fisher.

These statistics are derived from a survey carried out on a sample of 400 maize farmers in four districts in Uganda where DTMA seed has been disseminated. The Ugandan team credits their success in disseminating the drought-tolerant varieties to a combination of factors. “Farmers have quickly adopted drought-tolerant maize seed as they have seen its response to climate change,” said Cliff-Richard Masagazi, managing director for Pearl Seeds. “We have the advantage of having two maize seasons which enables us [seed companies] to quickly build seed volumes and move them.” The strong partnership among researchers, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and seed companies also enables them to reach more farmers. Masagazi said NGOs were instrumental in enabling the seed companies to reach more farmers in different parts of the country.

“The struggle still continues,” said Hillary Rugema, Sasakawa-Global 2000 coordinator for crop productivity improvement, an NGO partner. “We shall keep reaching out to bring more farmers and partners on board.” “We appreciate the consistent support and recognition from CIMMYT,” said Gezagn Bogale, EIAR maize breeder based in Melkassa, Ethiopia, whose team won the breeding award from 2007 to 2010. Bogale also thanked CIMMYT for providing his team with tablets that would allow them to digitize data collection on the breeding trials. “This encourages us to work hard in the future.”

Increasing local adoption of conservation agriculture: new bulletin released in Hindi

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By H.S. Jat, R.S. Dadarwal, Love K. Singh and J.M. Sutaliya/CIMMYT

The Central Soil Salinity Research Institute (CSSRI), one of India’s leading agricultural research institutes, has partnered with CIMMYT to develop a technical bulletin in Hindi on conservation agriculture practices as part of the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA).

The bulletin was recently released at the spring farmers’ fair “Rabi Kisan Mela” organized by CSSRI in Karnal, Haryana. The bulletin aims to increase awareness among farmers about sustainable intensification and the latest conservation agriculture technologies. R.S. Paroda, former director general of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and chairman of the Haryana Farmers Commission, launched the bulletin at the fair’s inauguration and advised farmers to adopt sustainable agricultural practices to combat shrinking land and declining water resources. He praised the conservation agriculture research-for-development efforts in Haryana by ICAR, CIMMYT, the Department of Agriculture and other institutions and advocated for faster adoption of conservation agriculture to address the emerging challenges of climate change.

Progressive farmers were recognized for using conservation agriculture practices. Photo: CIMMYT

The fair provided a platform for more than 3,000 farmers from the states of Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh to participate and interact with researchers, extension agents and policymakers on the issues of salt-affected soils management, conservation agriculture, precision agriculture, farm mechanization and options for climate-resilient farming under diverse production systems. During the fair, 25 progressive farmers were congratulated for their efforts. The CIMMYT-Haryana team also used an exhibition to disseminate resource-conserving and climate-smart agricultural technologies.

Indian farmers reach policy makers and researchers

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By Raj Gupta and Raj Kumar Jat/CIMMYT

J.S. Sandhu (center) and M.C. Diwakar (left) discuss the merits of the mid-October planting of wheat genotype CSW-18 (in foreground) with Raj Gupta, Raj Kumar Jat and I.S. Solanki. (Photo: CIMMYT)

A three-day agricultural festival held in India allowed farmers to articulate their production technology needs in the presence of policymakers, researchers and extensionists. The Rajendra Agricultural University (RAU) organized FarmFest from 8-11 March in Pusa, India, and a field day in Mathlupur. The theme of the FarmFest was “Making Agriculture Profitable under Changing Scenarios.”

FarmFest interactive sessions were attended by Gurubachan Singh, chairman, Agricultural Scientists’ Recruitment Board (ASRB); Mangla Rai, agriculture advisor to the chief minister, Government of Bihar; J.S. Sandhu, agriculture commissioner, Government of India; N.N. Singh, former vice-chancellor, Birsa Agriculture University, Ranchi; M.C. Diwaker, director, Directorate of Rice Development, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India; R.K. Mittal, vice chancellor, RAU; Gopalji Trivedi, former horticulture commissioner, RAU; and H.P. Singh former vice chancellor, RAU.

Raj Gupta, team leader for the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA) Research Station Development and Raj Kumar Jat, cropping systems agronomist, gave a tour of the conservation agriculture hub and briefed the visitors about agricultural research for development activities at BISA, Pusa. Participants collected information on innovative soil-water-crop management practices being developed for smallholder and resourcepoor farmers. Interactions between policymakers and farmers on the BISA farm helped the officials understand the farmers’ needs and how to make agriculture profitable under changing socioeconomic and climatic scenarios and the competing end-use of natural resources.

Mangala Rai talks with farmers and researchers about the importance of cultivar choices in different agro-ecologies for improving wheat productivity. (Photo: CIMMYT)

Discussions focused on the contributions Bihar farmers can make to sustainable ecosystem intensification by shifting from conventional agriculture to conservation agriculture, replacing low-value crops with high-value commodities and further intensifying existing cropping systems practiced in irrigated and rainfed upland and lowland ecologies with appropriate crop cultivar choices. Sandhu’s speech focused on crop diversification and conservation agriculture, especially the permanent raised bed system of crop planting. He also asked the farmers to plant long-duration, water-logging tolerant pigeon pea and to develop intercropping systems. He told farmers to visit the BISA farm and take advantage of the innovative crop production technologies evolving there.

Gubachan Singh was concerned about declining farm holding size and factor productivity. He asked scientists to reorient their research to focus on the needs of smallholder farmers. Rai reminded farmers of the power of cooperative efforts in procuring farm inputs and marketing their produce. Without policy corrections such as buying in retail and selling in bulk, it is difficult to make agriculture profitable, but collective efforts can help.

CIMMYT strengthens partnerships in South America

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By Sam Storr/CIMMYT

Representatives from the national agricultural systems in Bolivia and Ecuador visited CIMMYT at El BatĂĄn, Mexico, from 7-9 April to lay the framework for future collaboration to improve maize production.

The meeting was preceded by a visit from Colombian officials and will be followed by a visit of officials from Peru at the end of April, completing initial talks between CIMMYT and the four South American countries. “We are determining how CIMMYT can work more quickly and concretely to help feed populations in alliance with these countries. Bolivia is self-sufficient in maize, but it could become an exporter,” said Luis Narro, plant breeder for CIMMYT in Colombia. “Ecuador is importing more, but the government has decided to achieve self-sufficiency in two years. So they want to know how CIMMYT can be more involved in solving the problem of production in these countries, and we hope to improve the lives of producers.” Visitors included Nemesia Achacollo, Bolivian minister for land and rural development; Gabriel Hoyos, executive director general of the National Institute of Agrarian and Forestry Innovation (INIAF, Bolivia); and JosĂ© Luis Zambrano, director of research at Ecuador’s Autonomous National Institute of Agrarian Research (INIAP).

A delegation from Bolivia and Ecuador visited CIMMYT on 7-9 April to discuss possible collaboration. (Photos: Xochiquezal Fonseca)

Presentations on advanced maize research at CIMMYT, including an introduction to MasAgro work in sustainable intensification were conducted for the delegation. After learning more about the extent of work undertaken by CIMMYT, Achacollo was impressed by the challenges facing Bolivia in establishing its own international quinoa center. The delegation members also visited the Agua Fría Experimental Station in Puebla, where Achacollo announced that the Bolivian government would create policies for young Bolivian researchers to train in similar facilities. “We must invest in future generations so that they can provide the foundation of agricultural knowledge,” she said. “We cannot be left behind.”

Borlaug Centennial celebrated with international summit

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By Brenna Goth/CIMMYT

More than 700 people from nearly 70 countries joined with some of the greatest minds in agriculture and food security during 25-28 March to recognize the legacy of Dr. Norman E. Borlaug and the future of wheat in Ciudad ObregĂłn, Sonora, Mexico.

CIMMYT organized the Borlaug Summit on Wheat for Food Security with the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative and the Patronato farmers’ association to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Dr. Borlaug’s birth. Dr. Borlaug, known as the father of the Green Revolution, was awarded the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize for his work developing high-yielding wheat varieties now used around the world. He began this research in Ciudad Obregón working for CIMMYT’s predecessor organization.

The Summit built on Borlaug’s history in Sonora’s Yaqui Valley to recognize his scientific contributions, remember his spirit and work ethic and ask what interventions are available today to help feed a growing population in the face of climate change and other challenges. Wheat was the focus of these discussions, with topics including precision agriculture, market outlook, the history of wheat and its importance in various parts of the world.

Norman Borlaug’s Legacy

“Without fail, if you met Norman Borlaug, you remember him,” said CIMMYT Director General Thomas Lumpkin. Summit sessions included personal memories of Dr. Borlaug. Letters and reports from students at the Norman E. Borlaug Primary School, near Mexico City, were displayed at the CIMMYT research station.

CIMMYT Director General Thomas Lumpkin opens
the Borlaug Summit on Wheat for Food Security. Photo: Mike Listman/CIMMYT

Jeanie Borlaug-Laube, Dr. Borlaug’s daughter, left a video message for the Summit reflecting on his life and work. Julie Borlaug, Dr. Borlaug’s granddaughter, arrived to present CIMMYT with the World Food Prize Foundation’s Norman E. Borlaug Medallion. CIMMYT is the Foundation’s fifth recipient of the medal, which recognizes organizations and heads of state  who are not eligible for the World Food Prize but have made outstanding contributions to improving food security and nutrition.

Participants also witnessed CIMMYT’s continuation of Dr. Borlaug’s research with a visit to the Norman E. Borlaug Experimental Station (CENEB) during the Summit field day. Buses took participants to sites throughout the research station to learn about CIMMYT breeding program efforts, wheat improvement strategies and efforts to breed for rust resistance. The wheat physiology group demonstrated tools, including blimps and helicopters, used to measure wheat photosynthesis and other traits. The day recognized Dr. Borlaug’s fondness for Mexico by including a traditional barbeque and mariachi music.

The State of Wheat Today

Speaker sessions held at the Universidad La Salle Noroeste focused on the successes and shortcomings of the Green Revolution and current challenges in producing enough food. Wheat has socially evolved from the grain of “civilized people” to a crop for everyone, said food historian Rachel Laudan. Mechanized milling eliminated the need to devote significant time and back-breaking labor grinding wheat and led to consumption of the grain worldwide.

Speakers agreed that increasing wheat yield to meet worldwide demand is a challenge. “We live in a world of chronic crises,” said Sir Gordon Conway, professor at Imperial College London, during his talk on lessons learned from the Green Revolution, adding that, oftentimes, when one crisis is solved, another arises.

Summit attendees learn about CIMMYT research. Photo: Mike Listman/CIMMYT

Not all of the poor benefitted from the Green Revolution; it passed by much of Africa and it led to increased reliance on synthetic fertilizers, Conway said. At the same time, rising food prices, a need to increase food production, rising meat consumption and stressors such as climate change challenge food security today. Sustainable intensification – through ecological and genetic approaches – can help, Conway said, as well as making sure people get the inputs they need. “We’ve got to intensify production,” he said. “We’ve got to get yields up.”

Philanthropist Howard Buffett also stressed sustainability with his call for a “Brown Revolution,” or a focus on saving soil and the world’s ecosystem. Much of his philanthropic work focuses on farming and agriculture. Farming is the most important profession in the world, Buffett said, yet he has met farmers who cannot feed their families. “I said ‘This is wrong,’” Buffett commented. “We have to figure out how to do this better.”

Looking Forward

Increasing demand for wheat combined with climate change and declining water availability could present challenges to food security. “The time for wheat is arriving,” said Tray Thomas, founding partner of The Context Network, while addressing the wheat market outlook. “We have the technology; we have the people; we have the demand for it.”

New agronomy and tools, untapped wheat genetic diversity, non-conventional breeding and intensification on all fronts could lift yields, stated Tony Fischer, honorary research fellow for the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization in Australia. Conventional breeding is also helping, he added. “Even in the toughest environments, science can make progress.”

Changing how to breed and select crops and deciding where they are grown are all ways forward, added Robb Fraley, executive vice president and chief technology officer for Monsanto. Multi-faceted solutions to address ever-evolving problems are key. Computer-modeled and statistically based data science, for instance, can optimize farm management practices to improve productivity.

CIMMYT Director General Thomas Lumpkin sits with Mexican officials at the opening of the Borlaug Summit
on Wheat for Food Security. Photo: Mike Listman/CIMMYT

Advice can be distributed to farmers in most countries using cell phones. Biotechnology is also changing the way people think about breeding crops, Fraley said. About 17 million farmers in nearly 30 countries are using biotech crops. The Summit ended with the official launch of the International Wheat Yield Partnership, which aims to increase wheat yield potential by up to 50 percent in 20 years through collaboration between the public and private sectors.

Why farmers still grow maize land races: variety choices in eastern Zambia

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By Jens A. Andersson and Peter Setimela/CIMMYT

CIMMYT researchers in eastern Zambia have discovered that farmers continue to grow land races alongside new, higher-yielding varieties as a risk-avoidance strategy. The Sustainable Intensification of Maize-Legume Systems for the Eastern Province of Zambia (SIMLEZA)- Africa Rising project, funded by the USAID Feed the Future Initiative, hosted a field tour for researchers and journalists at the end of January.

They visited on-station experiments at the Msekera research station and trials on farmer fields, including conservation agriculture, cowpea, maize and soy variety trials. The Katete District, bordering Mozambique, looks very different from last year’s field tour. In 2013, the trial plots featured green maize ready to tassel; this year, the plots have maize plants measuring 30cm. Maize in the trial plots was planted only a month ago due to the rainy season’s late start. Outside of the trial plots is maize as it commonly looks in Eastern Zambia; it varies in color, from dark green to yellow, and has an uneven crop stand.

SIMLEZA-Africa Rising staff, farmers and journalists visit a CA agronomy trial with hybrid maize in front of a field with dry-planted local maize in the Katete District, Eastern Zambia. Photo: Jens A. Andersson

Different planting dates and the levels and timing of fertilizer application are the major reasons for this variability. Among this variation one also observes very tall and already tasseling maize. These are low-yielding landraces that were dry-planted in October. Farmers will be able to harvest them in the next few weeks. Why would Zambian smallholder farmers plant low-yielding landraces when high-yielding, open-pollinated varieties (OPV) and hybrid varieties are available? The answer is usually sought at the household level; smallholder farmers are taken to prefer landraces for their taste and storability.

Yet, those reasons are only part of the answer. In Zambia, most farmers do grow and eat OPVs and hybrids. Certified seed is widely available from agrodealers and is distributed through the government’s Farm Input Subsidy Programme (FISP), which provides smallholders with a package of 100 kilograms (kg) of basal fertilizer, 100 kg of top dressing fertilizer and 10 kg of hybrid maize seed for a nominal price. In addition, the Zambian government has instituted a good market for maize. Its Food Reserve Agency (FRA) offers high prices and buys locally and has turned maize into a lucrative cash crop.

Zambian farmers have responded to these institutional changes; they dedicate larger plots to the cultivation of hybrid maize. The SIMLEZA-Africa Rising project builds on these changes; in addition to improving agronomic practices for maize and legume cultivation in Eastern Zambia, it introduces and demonstrates new maize varieties, including drought-tolerant maize hybrids. The project expands farmers’ options for increased maize production. Three new varieties were recently released while collaboration from seed companies ensures that farmers can access them for fair prices.

A recent survey by the project found that once farmers are aware of SIMLEZA maize varieties, nearly half cultivate them. Why do farmers in this part of rural Zambia continue to grow landraces next to high-yielding ones, instead of switching to high-yielding varieties altogether? For farmers in Kawalala village, it is about agronomic and institutional risks. Dry-planting is a gamble, as limited first rains may result in crop failure and necessitate replanting. Zambian farmers are therefore reluctant to use expensive seeds and fertilizer when dry-planting; they often only apply basal fertilizer after the maize has germinated. “We only plant certified seed with good rains; otherwise, you lose money,” explained farmer Gertrude Banda.

But the highly uneven maize crop stand in Kawalala is not merely a difference between early-planted, tallgrowing landraces and late-planted hybrids. Farmers also delayed planting hybrids on account of late payments by the FRA for last season’s crop; they lacked the cash to buy seeds and fertilizers in time. Others had to wait for the FISP input packages that were distributed late – even now, as their maize turns yellow, some farmers are still waiting for their FISP top dressing fertilizer.

With institutional risks such as late payment and input delivery, it is clear that there remains a niche for local maize varieties. But this niche may soon be filled by OPVs that cost less and produce greater yield, such as the MV409 variety, introduced by SIMLEZA-Africa Rising. OPVs do not require farmers to purchase new seed annually. New hybrid varieties may take time to be adopted by the majority of farmers, but farmers in Kawalala involved in the project are convinced that they will increasingly be grown.

The Borlaug Summit on Wheat for Food Security: 27 March

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By Brenna Goth/CIMMYT

Check out the Storify recap here.

Wheat’s importance in the world was the focus of day three of the Borlaug Summit on Wheat for Food Security. Wheat’s history, production needs and methods of improvement were among the topics of discussion.

CIMMYT receives the World Food Prize’s Norman E. Borlaug medallion. (photo: Brenna Goth)

Wheat has socially evolved from the grain of “civilized people” to a crop for everyone, said food historian Rachel Laudan. Mechanized milling eliminated the need to devote significant time and back-breaking labor  grinding wheat and led to consumption of the grain worldwide.

 

“Wheat has touched every corner of the world,” Laudan said. Today, tortillas, noodles, breads and other regional products are available in nearly every country.

 

This global dependence on wheat highlights the importance of its nutritional value, according to Wolfgang Pfeiffer, deputy director of operations for HarvestPlus. The organization is working on biofortification, which can pack crops with minerals at no additional cost, he said.

Current efforts focus on zinc-dense wheat, though biofortication in general requires branding, marketing and advocacy. Biofortified crops have been released in 27 countries, and HarvestPlus is working to demonstrate the viability of biofortification as a global solution.

 

Apart from improving nutrition, increasing wheat yield to meet worldwide demand is a challenge, said Tony Fischer, honorary research fellow for the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization in Australia.

 

However, new agronomy and tools, untapped wheat genetic diversity, non-conventional breeding and intensification on all fronts could lift yields. Conventional breeding is also helping, Fischer said.

 

“Even in the toughest environments, science can make progress,” he added.

 

Factors such as water use and climate change challenge wheat production and present uncertainty, said independent scholar Uma Lele and Graham Farquhar, professor at the Australian National University.

 

Declining water availability is causing discussions, debates and conflicts worldwide, yet research and development on water management and rainfed agriculture is often ignored. This complacency could lead to sudden food shortages or dramatic rises in prices, Lele said.

 

“We’ll wake up and say that we should have paid more attention to water,” she added.

 

Farquhar said farmers have faced challenges presented by climate change before but that water use efficiency for drought tolerance is becoming increasingly important. Some grain-producing areas, including Australia, Central America, Chile, Mexico and southern Africa, are projected to become drier.

 

Summit sessions emphasized that agricultural research offers tools to help.

 

The use of wheat’s distant relatives – such as rye and triticum – can help improve salt tolerance, biomass, disease and insect resistance, said Ian King, researcher at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom. The university works with a UK consortium to increase the gene pool of wheat and the screening of germplasm produced at Nottingham will take place at CIMMYT.

 

Additionally, genomic selection and precision phenotyping improve breeding efficiency, said Jesse Poland, assistant professor at Kansas State University.

 

Bruno Gerard, director of CIMMYT’s Conservation Agriculture Program, explained sustainable intensification and precision agriculture principles.  Technological breakthroughs allow for more research that’s better, easier, faster and cheaper.
Not every solution will work in every country. Speakers addressed regional differences with specific presentations on wheat in Mexico, China, India, Central and West Asia and North Africa. After, a panel discussion focused on how private-public partnerships can be used to foster collaboration in addressing these challenges.

 

A special highlight of the day  occurred during the Summit dinner. CIMMYT was honored with the World Food Prize Foundation Norman E. Borlaug Medallion. CIMMYT is the Foundation’s fifth recipient of the medal, which recognizes organizations and heads of state who are not eligible for the World Food Prize but have made outstanding contributions to improving food security and nutrition.

 

Summit speakers Sir Gordon Conway, Ronnie Coffman, Per Pinstrup-Andersen (2001 World Food Prize Laureate) and Robb Fraley (2013 World Food Prize Laureate) presented the award, along with Julie Borlaug, Dr. Borlaug’s granddaughter. Marianne BĂ€nziger, CIMMYT’s deputy director general for research and partnerships, accepted the medal on CIMMYT’s behalf.

 

The Summit ends tomorrow with sessions focusing on the future of wheat and food security.

 

The Borlaug Summit on Wheat for Food Security: 26 March

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By Brenna Goth/CIMMYT

Read the Storify recap here.

 

Today’s sessions at the Borlaug Summit on Wheat for Food Security recognized Dr. Norman Borlaug’s legacy and the roles of wheat and wheat farmers around the world in the fight for global food security.

 

Participants packed the auditorium at the Universidad de La Salle Noreste in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, Mexico, for a day focusing on the successes and shortcomings of the Green Revolution and the challenges in producing enough food for today’s  world and in the future. Keynote speakers included Sir Gordon Conway, professor at Imperial College London, and Howard G. Buffett, chairman and CEO of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation.

Howard G. Buffett answers questions from Sir Gordon Conway about the “Brown Revolution.” (Photo: Brenna Goth)

 

Speakers addressed past and current successes in agricultural research while stressing that problems persist.

 

“We live in a world of chronic crises,” Conway said during his talk on lessons learned from the Green Revolution, adding that, oftentimes, when one crisis is solved, another arises.

 

Not all of the poor benefitted from the Green Revolution; it passed by much of Africa and it led to increased reliance on synthetic fertilizers. At the same time, rising food prices, a need to increase food production, rising meat consumption and stressors including climate change challenge food security.

 

Sustainable intensification – through ecological and genetic approaches – can help, Conway said, as well as making sure people get the inputs they need.

More than 700 people attended the Borlaug Summit on Wheat for Food Security (Photo: Brenna Goth)

 

“We’ve got to intensify production,” he said. “We’ve got to get yields up.”

 

Buffett also stressed sustainability with his call for a “Brown Revolution,” or a focus on saving soil and the world’s ecosystem. Much of his philanthropic work focuses on farming and agriculture.

 

Farming is the most important profession in the world, Buffett said, yet he has met farmers who cannot feed their families.

 

“I said ‘This is wrong,’” Buffett commented. “We have to figure out how to do this better.”

 

He called on world leaders to support agriculture and said he remains a “pessimistic optimist” in facing global challenges.

 

Participants enjoyed the campus of La Salle University (Photo: Brenna Goth)

Dr. Borlaug took action when witnessing these challenges and didn’t back down to opposition, according to Summit speakers. Several presentations focused on their personal relationships with Dr. Borlaug and the impact he made on wheat research.

 

M.S. Swaminathan, known as the father of the Green Revolution in India, spoke about Dr. Borlaug’s impact on India through a video message. In another video message, Jeanie Borlaug-Laube, Dr. Borlaug’s daughter, said her father worked for everything he had and would tell young people to continue the fight to feed the world. Wheat breeder Sanjaya Rajaram, who started his career with Dr. Borlaug, recounted early mornings in the field and Dr. Borlaug’s kindness to Mexican staff.

 

Though Dr. Borlaug focused much of his career on fighting wheat stem rust, new factors threaten wheat production. Hans Braun, director of CIMMYT’s Global Wheat Program, spoke about the need to breed varieties resistant to climate change and revisit triticale, a crop full of potential and Dr. Borlaug’s “unfinished business.”

 

Scientists today can learn from Dr. Borlaug’s communication skills, said Ronnie Coffman, professor at Cornell University and chair of the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative. Researchers must advocate for biotechnology to fight hunger, he said.

 

Regarding Dr. Borlaug’s response to opposition to the Green Revolution, Coffman said, “Borlaug did not waver before the naysayers and policymakers. We must draw on his conviction and share it with the world.”

 

The day ended with policy recommendations and a panel discussion on what Dr. Borlaug might do today. The Summit continues tomorrow with a focus on why wheat matters to the world. Follow @CIMMYT on Twitter from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. MST for live updates.

Climate smart villages: local adaption to promote climate smart agriculture

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By M.L. Jat, Tripti Agarwal, R.S. Dadarwal and Promil Kapur/ CIMMYT and CCAFS

To witness firsthand the mainstreaming of climate-smart agriculture practices and innovative community-based adaptation strategies in India, Alok K. Sikka, deputy director general of the Natural Resource Management Division of the Indian Council of Agriculture Research’s (ICAR) and leader of ICAR’s National Initiative on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA), visited and interacted with farmers at a climate-smart village (CSV) in Haryana on 11 February.

AK Sikka (center) at Taraori CSV. Photo: Vikas

 

He was accompanied by D.K. Sharma, director of the Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, and P.C. Sharma, one of the Institute’s principal scientists, along with other scientists from ICAR and CIMMYT. Participants agreed that South Asian agriculture needs new technologies, community-based adaptation of relevant practices and the strengthening of local decision-making. The 27 CSVs being piloted in Haryana, India, will disseminate key climate-smart agricultural interventions, focusing on water, energy, carbon nutrient, weather and knowledge implemented through innovative partnerships and farmer cooperatives, according to M.L. Jat, CIMMYT senior cropping system agronomist.

The climate-smart villages are implemented through the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), in close collaboration with NICRA and a range of innovative partnerships. Under CCAFS, CIMMYT in close collaboration with national agriculture research and extension systems, other CGIAR centers, farmer cooperatives, the Haryana Department of Agriculture and policy planners, have piloted several CSVs in Haryana for research and as learning sites. Sustainable intensification and conservation agriculture-based management systems are the key areas in which CIMMYT and these partners work together.

 

Visitors interacted with farmers and members of farmer cooperatives who are actively disseminating the practices to local communities. The model of innovation platforms for strategic participatory research and learning at CSVs was recognized as an effective method to link science with society. Sikka emphasized that the depleting water table, deteriorating soil health, escalating input costs and weather uncertainties constitute critical concerns and that current production systems are not sustainable.

Discussion regarding damage to conventional tillage based wheat crop due to excess moisture owing to heavy rains and back side a happy wheat crop under CA-Photo RS Dadarwal-CIMMYT. Photo: RS Dadarwal/CIMMYT-Karnal

 

He cited conservation agriculture-based sustainable intensification, supplemented by more precise use of inputs like fertilizer, as the way to achieve resilience in production and natural resource conservation. Institutions and organizations must work with emerging technologies to address climate change and provide relevant options for farmers. CCAFS and NICRA are good examples of this.

India festival takes technology to farmers

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By Raj Kumar Jat, M.L. Jat, R. Valluru, Raju Singh, Nikhil Singh, Jagman Dhillon and Raj Gupta/CIMMYT

  
A day-long “FarmFest” hosted by the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA) allowed farmers to interact directly with researchers on issues including new planting machines, cultivar choices for early, timely and late planting, weed management options and crop diversification.

 

During the “Take it to the Farmers – FarmFest” event on 22 February, BISA showcased innovative, farmer-friendly sustainable intensification options. The trials focus on increasing yields using timely planting and increased nutrient inputs; increasing cropping intensity by using short season cultivars, relay and inter-cropping; and mechanization and marketing by substituting highvalue commodities for those that fetch lower prices. Farmers were shown soil conservation measures such as gully plugs, check dams and temporary structures to store rainwater, which reduce negative environmental impact and contribute to natural capital of environmental services.

 

About 1,500 farmers came from 7 districts to collect information and see the performance of 1,500 bread and durum wheat genotypes grown through new BISA shuttle breeding efforts. The efforts include collaboration among the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI)-New Delhi, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU)- Ludhiana and CIMMYT-Mexico. The Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi VishwaVidyalaya University (JNKVV) agreed to participate next season.

 

The BISA research farm was established in November 2011 in a cotton production region that suffers from land degradation, large yield gaps and low cropping intensity. The farm’s successful conservation agriculture (CA) platform is attracting the attention of the Madhya Pradesh farmers. Scientists grow rice, wheat, maize, Indian mustard, pigeon pea and soybean without plowing or burning crop residues. Production on the 223-hectare farm is improving every season and costs are going down with the CA practices.

 

Many visiting farmers said they have watched the BISA farm evolve from their “pasture backyard to a granary.” They now want BISA to train them in CA and help them procure appropriate machinery. Ramlal Vishkarma of Sonpur village, whose son is a temporary worker on the BISA farm, said CA saves him US $26 to 32 per hectare each season in planting costs. He also stated that surface mulching helps conserve soil moisture and control cracks in black soils on his farm. In collaboration with JNKVV, the Directorate of Weed Science Research (DWSR), the State Agriculture Department and the seed company JPCL, BISA is promoting resource-conserving no-till agriculture to avoid residue burning, conserve ground water aquifers and provide “seeds of needs” to resource-poor smallholder farmers.

 

Participants were addressed by CIMMYT director general Thomas Lumpkin; V.S. Tomar, vice chancellor of JNKVV; S.K. Rao, JNKVV dean of faculty; and B.P. Tripathi, joint director of agriculture for the Government of Madhya Pradesh. Raj Kumar Jat and the BISA team coordinated visits for stakeholders to research and production plots. JNKVV volunteers explained new farm implements while M.L. Jat, Raj Kumar, Ravi Valluru, Raju Singh, Jagman Dhillon, Nikhil Singh and others discussed significant results of their research trials.

 

Tomar emphasized the need to develop climate-resilient, high-yielding varieties and recommended the promotion of low-cost sustainable intensification practices to improve farmers’ economic conditions. He appreciated the efforts of BISA-CIMMYT in introducing CA-based systems. Lumpkin encouraged farmers to adopt cost-saving technologies that offset ever-increasing input costs and low profits from farm outputs, adding that CA-based management practices buffer the negative effects of climatic extremes. He urged farmers to visit BISA regularly and tell researchers what would directly benefit them. M.L. Jat, CIMMYT senior cropping systems agronomist, facilitated a question-and-answer session between farmers and experts from BISA, DSWR and JNKVV.

 

Farmers’ feedback will help shape future research priorities at BISA, such as the need to bridge large management yield gaps, mechanization, weed management, soil moisture conservation, improved maize and wheat cultivars, quality seeds and training on new machinery and technologies

Seed systems team strategizes and plans for Africa

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By Florence Sipalla/CIMMYT

 

The CIMMYT-Africa seed systems team met in Nairobi, Kenya, on 7 February to take stock of progress in 2013, identify challenges and brainstorm on turning those challenges into opportunities. Global Maize Program (GMP) Director B.M. Prasanna and members of the breeding, communications and socioeconomics teams also attended.

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Development officer promotes SIMLESA Project

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By Isaiah Nyagumbo/CIMMYT

Starting a personal conservation agriculture plot and providing training via group theater are some of the tactics an extension development officer in Malawi is using to reach farmers.

Fredrerick Lukhere, the local extension development officer for the Mtuthama Extension Planning Area, has led by example as part of the Sustainable Intensification of Maize-Legume Systems in Eastern and Southern Africa (SIMLESA) project, which is funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research. A SIMLESA team visited fields in the Kasungu district on 12 February. The team was led by Isaiah Nyagumbo, SIMLESA Southern Africa objective 2 coordinator, and included Gift Mashango, program manager; Jefias Mataruse, research assistant; Cyprian Mwale, national coordinator; Donwell Kamalongo, national objective 2 coordinator; Keneth Chaula, assistant chief agricultural extension officer; and others from the local district office.

Fredrick Lukhere takes the time to explain maize-soybean rotations to farmers in Kasungu. Photo by Jefias Mataruse

More than 60 farmers, including 42 men and 20 women, participated in the tour. Initiated in 2010, SIMLESA activities in Malawi’s Kasungu District are in their fourth season. The project aims to improve the food security and incomes of 650,000 households in eastern and southern Africa within 10 years. Activities also aim to increase productivity by 30 percent and reduce downside risk by 30 percent through use of improved maize and legume varieties and conservation agriculture-based sustainable intensification technologies.

Lukhere has promoted SIMLESA activities using innovative techniques. He reinforces innovation platforms and partnerships founded on the Area Stakeholder Panel, a local community-based institution. He strengthens partnerships with local NGOs such as CADECOM and Total Land Care, subcontracted by SIMLESA to scale out sustainable intensification technologies. He has single-handedly trained NGO staff on how to set up and implement outscaling activities using SIMLESA’s outscaling model involving maizelegume (soybean) rotations.

Exploratory trials involving maize and soybeans are testimony to Fredrerick Lukhere’s efforts in Kasungu, Malawi. Photo by Isaiah Nyagumbo

Lukhere has also ensured the success of core exploratory trials, which were established in 2010 with six farmers in the area. The trials provide a learning platform and are also a source of research data. To increase farmer confidence in the technologies tested, Lukhere set up his own conservation agriculture plot planted with maize in 2012 and has increased the area to 0.5 hectares. The healthy and well-managed maize crop stands as a testimony to Luhkere’s efforts. He also runs a small drama group that trains farmers on SIMLESA technologies and performs to visitors and farmers during field days.

As a result of Luhkere’s efforts, at least 37 farmers are hosting outscaling trials; 84 follower or volunteer farmers are using these technologies without any support; and another 140 farmers are working through CADECOM in the surrounding extension planning areas. Total LandCare also supports farmers by providing herbicides and loans and hosts SIMLESA trials in neighboring extension planning areas.