What is green manure? And how is it helping maize farmers?
Ten farmers in a hot and dry area of Zimbabwe trial intercropping legumes and green manure cover crops alongside their maize, to assess their impact on soil fertility.
Search Results for “family farming”
Planting the seed of agricultural innovation in Africa
We have seen an increased use of improved seed, appropriate technologies and agricultural machinery, all adapted to the specific needs of African farmers. It’s time to take this progress even further.
Towards more sustainable food systems through a landscape lens
Participants in GLF Nairobi 2018 called for concrete collective action to restore degraded landscapes.
Breaking Ground: Santiago López-Ridaura supports farmers facing tough decisions
Farmers frequently encounter trade-offs between maximizing short-term profits and ensuring sustainable, long-term production. Santiago López-Ridaura, a senior scientist at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), says these trade-offs are even more complicated for small-scale farmers who grow a mix of crops and raise livestock. With computer models to play out different scenarios, he […]
African youth find entrepreneurial opportunity in agricultural mechanization
An increasing number of youth across eastern and southern Africa are creating a stable living as entrepreneurs in agricultural mechanization service provision.
Nutritious vitamin A orange maize boosts health and livelihoods in Zimbabwe
As Zimbabwe’s child malnutrition rate peaks above the international threshold for emergency response, nutritious vitamin A orange maize gains ground on the national market.
Training manual greases the wheels for mechanization entrepreneurs
The manual gives practical guidance for service providers in rural areas, where family farmers commonly lack capital to invest in farm power.
Hunger busters: Ed Mabaya on improved seeds in Africa
At a recent TEDx event in Johannesburg, South Africa, agricultural economist and development practitioner Ed Mabaya invited the audience to think of improved seed varieties as ‘tiny little robots’ that can be deployed to remote African villages to deliver nutrition and improved livelihoods. During his talk, Mabaya showed the impact of Bazooka maize, a drought- […]
Preserving native maize and culture in Mexico
Indigenous farmers in Oaxaca are custodians of maize biodiversity, growing seeds passed down over generations.
Breaking Ground: Lorena Gonzalez fast-forwards action on hunger using technology
Intrigued by the unique relationship food crops have to their geographical environment, Lorena Gonzalez dedicated her passion for geomatic technology to collect site-specific farm data that is revolutionizing the way researchers tackle hunger.
Farmers, environment, and carbon markets to profit from more precise fertilizer management, study shows
Seminal study on nitrous oxide emissions from fertilizer in semi-arid, irrigated agriculture shows that reducing nitrogen fertilizer rates significantly cuts nitrous oxide emissions without reducing grain yield or quality. Results are applicable to large-scale irrigated wheat cropping systems in China, India, Mexico, and Pakistan. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE EL BATAN, MEXICO – Farmers of irrigated wheat […]
Climate adaptation and mitigation
Helping farmers adapt to shocks while producing more food and reducing emissions.
End of eight-year project leaves farmers ready to tackle climate change in Africa
After eight years the Sustainable Intensification of Maize-Legume Cropping Systems for Food Security in Eastern and Southern Africa (SIMLESA) project concludes this June.
About us
Our mission is “Maize and wheat science for improved livelihoods.” We envision a world with healthier and more prosperous people — free from the threat of global food crises — and with more resilient agri-food systems.
Genetic resources
The power of a seed.