India holds an impressive record in agricultural production. We are among the largest producers of milk, pulses, tea, spices, cashew, jute and bananas. Additionally, we rank as the second-largest producer of wheat, rice, fruits and vegetables. Our agricultural sector has experienced notable growth, with production increasing from 3 to 127 times since the 1970s. We have also witnessed a substantial boost in agricultural productivity, with yields per hectare rising from 0.7 to 2.3 tons during the same period.
Despite these achievements, we face pressing challenges that threaten our agricultural landscape. Water scarcity, soil degradation, pest and disease outbreaks, and the intensifying impacts of climate change need urgent attention.
In India, we observe that minimum temperatures are rising faster than maximum temperatures. We also witness a more pronounced temperature increase during the rabi (winter) season than the kharif (monsoon) season. Rainfall is becoming more variable with increasing episodes of extreme rainfall. These climate risks increase our food and livelihood insecurity.
We need advanced technological interventions and optimized resource allocation to address these challenges. Our development path, “Amrit Kaal,” necessitates climate-friendly practices prioritizing low carbon, water, nitrogen and energy usage. To further realize this vision, adopting 5Ms based on better markets, regional planning for monsoons, improved mechanization, management of micro-irrigation and new fertilizers, and mainstreaming the insurance is pivotal.
India has undertaken research, development and policy initiatives to build resilience in our food production system. However, the growing challenges of climate extremes demand sustained global efforts. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) therefore, welcomes international collaboration to exchange experiences and knowledge in climate action. We believe that collective efforts and shared expertise will strengthen our adaptation strategies.
In this regard, the Atlas of Climate Adaptation in South Asian Agriculture (ACASA) project can play a vital role. ICAR is glad to support ACASA and will deploy a team of young scientists to contribute to and benefit from this Adaptation Atlas. Furthermore, we are pleased to offer our website as a platform to host the Atlas, facilitating its broader utilization within our country. We thank the Borlaug Initiative in South Asia (BISA) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) for initiating this project in India.
Together, let us pave the way toward a climate-resilient future for agriculture, safeguarding our farmers’ livelihoods and securing food for future generations.
Piece by Himanshu Pathak, Secretary (DARE) and Director General-Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), India
The world’s food systems are under threat by escalating armed conflicts, economic stagnation, the effects of the climate crisis and natural resource degradation. Against this backdrop, the next seven years are crucial in meeting the challenges of keeping the world’s growing population fed and secure.
Recognizing that business as usual will not be sufficient, CIMMYT has embarked on a journey to proactively face the new challenges of the 21st century. This novel approach to agrifood systems is the core of CIMMYT’s 2030 Strategy, which has the potential to shape the future of agriculture.
Ethiopian Seed Enterprise maize crop for multiplying seedlings of DT maize. (Photo: Peter Lowe/CIMMYT)
“We understand that the challenges facing food security are complex, varied and rapidly changing. For instance, the effects of COVID-19 and Ukraine-Russia conflict on food systems are still being felt today. With that in mind, we set out to develop a strategy that is both robust and nimble. The best way to create a sustainable and inclusive strategy was to engage directly with CIMMYT scientists and staff, the people on the front lines of this effort to deliver food and nutrition security to the world,” said CIMMYT Director General Bram Govaerts.
Looking back to move forward
The first step in crafting the 2030 Strategy was looking at where does CIMMYT want the world to be in 2100. In answering this question, CIMMYT crafted a long-term vision of how it wants to engage in a changing world and achieve the transformation to a food and nutrition secure world within planetary boundaries. CIMMYT has integrated the use of foresight and specifically a set of 2030 Food and Agriculture scenarios to explore potential changes in intervention areas over the strategic period and help prepare engagements in different contexts across the globe. These scenarios are a decision-making tool that has underpinned the development of the strategy to ensure that it is context-driven and focused on the most pressing challenges facing the agrifood systems in which CIMMYT operates.
From the future CIMMYT looks back at its history and examines how its core business has evolved over the years to proactively meet ever-changing needs across the world.
At each stage of CIMMYT’s evolution, it has taken its strengths and the skills it has built and added to its experience, and expanded on what it delivers while maintaining the core strengths.
Norman Borlaug teaching trainees. (Photo: CIMMYT)
In CIMMYT’s earliest days, the mission was developing and improving germplasm and agronomic practices, then CIMMYT began working more closely with farmers (1980s), broadened emphasis in genetic improvements (2000), embarked on sustainable multidisciplinary projects (2010s), and most recently, advancing technologies in participatory innovation systems (2015-2022). All leading to the mission codified in the 2030 Strategy: accelerating food systems transformation by using the power of collective action.
Now, in 2023, CIMMYT’s progress is being shaped by the CGIAR mission statement: “To deliver science and innovation that advance the transformation of food, land, and water systems in a climate crisis.”
Building the Strategy
To define the 2030 Strategy, CIMMYT responded to the following core questions:
What does success look like?
Where can CIMMYT deliver the most value?
How can CIMMYT deliver value for communities?
“As an organization, we have concentrated on strategies that foster collaboration and adapt them for a non-profit international organization whose vision is not to grow as an institution but to deliver greater value for the communities they serve, to innovate for the end users of their products and to ensure a better future for our global community,” said Govaerts.
The tools used to develop the elements of this strategic plan leveraged the framework provided in the CGIAR Research and Innovation Strategy to guide the process. Staff from across the Center engaged in a consultative process to develop the objectives for following strategic components: Excellence in Science and Innovation, Excellence in Operations, Talent Management, Resource Mobilization, Partnership, and Influence.
Developing the Excellence in Science and Innovation component serves as an example of this collaborative, bottom-up approach. Planning was led by the Emerging Thought Leaders Group, made up of 24 early and mid-career scientists across the breadth of CIMMYT’s global and program portfolio. The group worked collaboratively with CIMMYT researchers and staff to first delineate the challenges facing agri-food systems and then workshopped solutions which now serve as the foundation of the 2030 Strategy.
Workshop participants study seed samples in CIMMYT’s Seed Health Laboratory. (Photo: Xochiquetzal Fonseca/CIMMYT)
“Each component complements the others,” said Govaerts. “This is our answer to the core questions. Only by working collectively can we initiate sustainable solutions that reach everyone.”
Together, the components create a network to support CIMMYT’s three pillars: Discovery (research and innovation), SystemDev (working collaboratively to innovate foundational systems), and Inc. (incubating startups and new ways of doing business in the agri-food system space).
CIMMYT is leading the way in shaping a sustainable and prosperous agricultural landscape
The goal to facilitate food security where sustainable agriculture is part of the solution to the climate crisis and agriculture provides an avenue to build household resilience and enables communities to pull themselves out of poverty requires the strategic use of resources. CIMMYT’s 2030 Strategy, built from the bottom up on a foundation over 50 years’ experience and the expertise of scientists, staff, and farmers maximizes resources, enhances dynamic partnerships, and both retains and recruits a world-class staff in a world of growing challenges to food security.
Malnutrition is rampant in Pakistan and the release of bio-fortified wheat varieties with higher zinc content will help the country’s 9 million hectares of cultivated wheat fields become more productive, climate resilient and disease resistant.
Scientists, researchers and stakeholders from around the world gathered at the global sorghum conference from June 5-9, 2023, in Montpellier, France, to discuss the latest developments in sorghum research, innovation, challenges and sustainable practices in the face of climate change.
The Dryland Crops Program (DCP) partners pose for a group photo at the Sorghum Conference (Photo: Marion Aluoch/CIMMYT)
Participating as a sponsor, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) demonstrated valuable insights and technological advances in a variety of sessions. Two CIMMYT representatives and six National Agricultural Research Extension Systems (NARES) partners, presented findings, addressing critical topics such as adaptation genetics and genomics, climate and environmental change, sorghum yield optimization techniques and the development of new sorghum products for human consumption.
CIMMYT has initiated a crop improvement program, known as the Dryland Crop Program (DCP), focused on sorghum, millets (pearl and finger millet), chickpea, pigeon pea and groundnut. The program is in the process of establishing a CGIAR-NARES network with stakeholders form 17 countries in Africa to collaboratively create, develop and implement a crop improvement network for these crops in Eastern, Southern, Western and Central Africa. This cooperative approach will enable CIMMYT and the network to identify suitable products for specific market segments, establish joint breeding pipelines, conduct on-farm germplasm testing and ultimately release and scale up superior seed varieties. This will ultimately lead to improving the quality and yield of these dryland crops, ensuring food security and promoting sustainable agricultural practices.
Nebie Baloue from CIMMYT Senegal providing information about the Dryland Crops Program (DCP) program to visitors at the CIMMYT’s booth (Photo: Marion Aluoch/CIMMYT)
Abhishek Rathore presented “Understanding sorghum race level diversity and development of sorghum genomic resources by using deep learning-based variant calling approach,” which examines sorghum’s racial diversity and the creation of genomic resources. Using a deep learning-based variant, researchers identified race-specific genetic signatures and gained a comprehensive understanding of sorghum race structure and domestication processes. These discoveries pave the way for more targeted breeding programs and the identification of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) markers.
Baloua Nebie presented a poster on “Crop improvement network approach to co-develop market required products and strengthen partners’ capacities in Africa.” He indicated the dryland crops improvement programs are in collaboration with CGIAR-NARES programs, with CIMMYT acting as a facilitator within the network to deliver varieties more quickly and efficiently in response to market demand. The network is comprised of 10 NARES in Western and Central Africa, seven NARES in Eastern and Southern Africa, as well as farmer organizations and seed companies. In addition to their national roles, NARES partners will contribute to regional activities based on their comparative advantages; these roles include co-sharing of regional pipelines development, early to late testing of breeding lines, product release and scaling. Through consultative meetings and program evaluation, these activities will be aligned with the regional and country-specific market segments identified by stakeholders.
Alex Zongo of the Institut de l’Environnement et des Recherches Agricoles (INERA) / CNRST – Burkina Faso, a NARES partner, presented research analyzing the macro-institutional determinants of the adoption of new sorghum/millet varieties. He shed light on the obstacles associated with the adoption of new sorghum/millet varieties. The research uncovered the economic and social incentives that prevent their scaling through a combination of qualitative and quantitative analysis.
Mr. Jeffrey Ehlers Program Officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation engages in conversation with Nebie Baloua from CIMMYT Senegal at the CIMMYT’s booth (Photo: Marion Aluoch/CIMMYT)
With climate change posing a significant threat to global agriculture, NARES partners involved in regional networks have delved into the pressing issues of enhancing sorghum production’s climate resilience. Rekiya Abdoulmalik, from the Institute of Agriculture Research (IAR) in Nigeria, presented a poster on the threats to sorghum cultivation in Nigeria posed by current security issues and potential climate change effects. The study evaluated 14 varieties of dwarf sorghum in multiple locations. The analysis identified stable, high-yielding varieties with the potential to contribute to Nigeria’s food security in the face of shifting environmental conditions.
Other NARES partners presenting posters included Henry Nzioka from Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research (KALRO), who made a case for the biological control of the striga weed in sorghum. Citing technological advancements, he illustrated how the integration of climate-smart weed management technologies can lead to the control of the weed.
Another presentation by Charles Bett of KALRO focused on mechanization in the sorghum value chain, which revealed that investments in machinery and traction power have a positive and significant effect on sorghum yield. The findings recommend a shift in policy to help farmers afford small-scale machinery and gradually replace ox power with affordable machinery.
Assitan Daou from the Institut d’Economie Rurale (IER) in Mali emphasized the suitability of sorghum as a crop for growing populations in varying climates and the significance of an agroecological transition for adaptation to climate change. His poster presentation centered on sorghum cropping systems under rainfed conditions, which aligned with the conference’s goals of increasing crop productivity, adapting to climate variations and bolstering the resilience of small-scale farmers.
The conference, according to Chris Ojiewo, Strategic Partnerships and Seed Systems lead for the Dryland Crops Program at CIMMYT, played a crucial role in sharing the latest sorghum research findings and their outcomes. “The conference provided an important platform for communicating advances in research and associated outputs and outcomes on sorghum as an important cereal grain contributing to food, nutrition and income securities and overall resilience in agrifood systems especially to smallholder farmers in areas prone to drought stress and more so in the face of changing and variable climates,” said Ojiewo.
Nebie Baloua from CIMMYT Senegal engaging with visitors at the CIMMYT’s stand (Photo: Marion Aluoch/CIMMYT)
CIMMYT also set up an exhibition booth that provided an overview of the various activities undertaken as a part of its dryland crop programs and CGIAR-NARES improvement network. Senior officials of donor organizations consulted CIMMYT staff regarding approaches to dryland crops improvements, key achievements and the possibility of new partnerships.
The next 21st Century Global Sorghum Conference will be hosted by Texas University in Lubbock in September 2026.
Silvia Chinda an organic soya farmer posing in front of her soya crop. (Photo: Tawanda Hove/CIMMYT)
Leading scientists, practitioners and representatives of development agencies, and international and non-governmental organizations reimagine the path to achieve Zero Hunger at a time when recurring crises driven by food insecurity, climate change and conflict stretch both emergency response and development efforts to the limit.
The exercise aims to trigger disruptive thinking around how long-term development investments can help build more resilient communities. Stronger cooperation mechanisms between the humanitarian and development sectors are necessary to break the cycle of recurrent crises by building local agency and capacities. Aid and development beneficiaries in vulnerable communities must be front and center in every effort seeking to achieve a hunger free and sustainable planet.
The brief has been endorsed by a group of experts who participated in the 2022 Borlaug Dialogue of the World Food Prize in Des Moines, Iowa.
How can we overcome the primary obstacles to a food secure, resilient, and inclusive world?
The first challenge involves addressing fractures between aid and development organizations that work in silos without sharing information, objectives, learnings, and resources. The authors make a strong case for increasing cooperation – rather than competition – to confront the intricate and interconnected challenges of climate change, food insecurity and conflict.
In addition, they advocate for more ambitious and community-centered interventions that prioritize systemic change over emergency responses to food crises. The change of perspective implies shifting the emphasis from addressing immediate humanitarian needs to investing in long-term resilience.
The third recommendation is to phase out outdated top-down planning and policy-making processes that fail to align with community needs, delegate decisions or transfer resources directly to partners on the ground. Listening to the needs of beneficiaries and affected communities from the start of any intervention is considered the most significant step to achieve lasting change.
CIMMYT and partners are leading by example and catalyzing change in sub-Saharan Africa
With funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), CIMMYT and other CGIAR centers, in partnership with innovation generators and organizations on the ground, will develop and scale up solutions for transforming farming systems by implementing the Accelerated Intervention Delivery Initiative (AID-I) in Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia, and the Sustainable Agrifood Systems Approach for Sudan (SASAS). Both initiatives answer the need for stronger cooperation between the humanitarian and development sectors by creating a common space where aid and research organizations work together on the ground to address the urgent and long-term needs of vulnerable communities to their mutual advantage.
These CIMMYT-led projects will establish innovation hubs or networks for developing, testing, and adapting sustainable farming practices and technologies to the needs of local farmers actively engaged in participatory research and extension activities, building cooperative relationships, and leveraging the existing collaboration between One CGIAR research systems. As a result, co-creation between partners and project beneficiaries is at the heart of every research activity, co-development process and scaling endeavor.
AID-I will adopt market-based approaches to provide critical information and innovations to 3 million smallholder farmers, who will maintain or increase local food production and mitigate the impacts of the global food, fuel, and fertilizer crises. Small and medium sized enterprises will be supported to strengthen innovative approaches to agricultural value change development, creating agricultural systems that are built for long-term resilience and success.
Similarly, SASAS will take a multi-crop approach focusing on soil fertility management to achieve productivity gains and inclusive agriculture-led economic growth in the Greater Khartoum, Blue Nile and South Kordofan regions of Sudan. CIMMYT will leverage on-the-ground partnerships to adapt and replicate previously successful Integrated Agrifood Systems Initiatives (IASI) projects, empowering communities to ensure the agricultural transformation works for their needs.
Ultimately, both initiatives shift their focus from crisis response to building long-term resilience and aim to achieve rapid but lasting climate-smart impacts that demonstrate the power of small-scale agriculture as a major driver of transformative change by expanding access to improved technologies, tools, and information in sub-Saharan Africa.
About CIMMYT
The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) is an international organization focused on non-profit agricultural research and training that empowers farmers through science and innovation to nourish the world in the midst of a climate crisis. Applying high-quality science and strong partnerships, CIMMYT works to achieve a world with healthier and more prosperous people, free from global food crises and with more resilient agri-food systems. CIMMYT’s research brings enhanced productivity and better profits to farmers, mitigates the effects of the climate crisis, and reduces the environmental impact of agriculture.
CIMMYT is a member of CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food secure future dedicated to reducing poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security, and improving natural resources.
Francisco Mayorga joins the CIMMYT Board of Trustees to reflect on MasAgro. (Credit: Francisco Alarcón/CIMMYT)
Between June 20-23, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) hosted its Board of Trustees meeting, with presentations spanning the breadth of its global projects.
One particular project captured the imagination of attendees: MasAgro, which promotes the sustainable intensification of maize- and wheat-based production systems in Mexico. Through implementing collaborative research initiatives, developing improved varieties, and introducing sustainable technologies and farming practices, the program aims to improve livelihoods and production systems for farmers by enhancing their connections with local value chain actors.
Francisco Mayorga, businessman and former Secretary of Agriculture for Mexico, and Lindiwe Sibanda, CIMMYT board member and member of the CGIAR System Board, presented on the creation of CIMMYT’s MasAgro program and its results. Sibanda interviewed Mayorga to learn where the project’s achievements can be scaled and replicated, describing the project as a “gift for Africa” from Mexico.
Farmers load hybrid maize cobs in sacks for horse transportation over the mountains in Chiapas, Mexico. (Credit: P. Lowe/CIMMYT)
What’s in it for farmers?
Built on the premise of ‘take it to the farmers’, MasAgro helps farmers understand the broader context of agrifood systems in order to facilitate their successful transition to sustainable farming practices. This is accomplished through innovation hubs: core spaces defined by similar agroecological conditions that promote participatory innovation processes and co-implement functional structures for the validation, adaptation, and scaling of sustainable solutions.
Innovation hubs facilitate mentorship by providing closeness between farmers and value chain actors. A physical and virtual network of research platforms, demonstration modules and extension areas support actors to gain skills and knowledge to achieve common objectives. For example, farmers can learn how about agricultural tools and practices and where best to use them on their land, and they now consider the impact of fertilizers on the soil and ecosystem and seek alternatives.
Useful information is provided via multiple communication tools, including mobile messaging, to enable effective knowledge sharing and innovation between actors. The network has led to farmers independently adapting and adopting new practices after learning from others.
The selling point for farmers is understanding why sustainable agriculture creates opportunities for their livelihoods and lives – with improved practices, they can establish a successful long-term setup to increase their yield and income. These opportunities will appeal to smallholders worldwide.
Silvia Suarez Moreno harvests maize in Chiapas, Mexico. (Credit: P. Lowe/CIMMYT)
Benefits for the public and private sector
What also differentiates MasAgro is the emphasis on public and private sector partnerships. CIMMYT collaborated with partners to develop the MasAgro mindset and build their capacity to deliver seed to small- and medium-sized farms. Sibanda praised the use of CIMMYT’s presence in Mexico for developing these connections.
Mayorga highlighted the importance of securing funding and support from the Ministry of Agriculture in the project’s success. He said he initially persuaded colleagues to invest by emphasizing MasAgro’s holistic approach, which considers all elements of farming, rather than dealing with them as individual elements.
Using the different government instruments to support the theory of change towards the impact of MasAgro is part of the success. For example, for businesses, the Mexican government provided funding for laboratory equipment and training needs after identifying seed company partners to support through their research programs and regional markets. Mayorga also celebrated partnerships with small and medium enterprises (SMEs), who were supported by CIMMYT engineers to design more effective machinery and think around scale-appropriate business models. This created additional businesses in the agricultural sector.
Through these partnerships, private sector organizations have invested in agricultural research and development that will benefit smallholders, prevent food insecurity, and support a shift to sustainable farming. Countries in Africa can benefit from similar investment, which could be achieved through exporting and recreating the MasAgro model.
Tzeltal farmer harvests beans in her maize field. (Credit: P. Lowe/CIMMYT)
Flexible government support
Practical support and policy change from the Mexican government further encouraged farmers to adopt sustainable practices. Mayorga explained how a subsidy for farmers’ fuel was replaced with alternative financial support for equipment. Sibanda described this initiative as “visionary” and “a triple win” – farmers could purchase a machine at a subsidized rate, use less labor, and cause less damage to the environment.
To incentivize large companies in Mexico that buy a lot of wheat, Mayorga tapped into their desire “to encourage an economic behavior in the farmer” and introduce a more entrepreneurial approach to agriculture. They encouraged businesses to buy grains from farmers at a better price and learn more about the MasAgro approach.
“You don’t stay with an idea as a policy advisor and politician – you popularize it, look for new champions, walk the talk and put money into it,” summarized Sibanda. “I think that’s a legacy.”
