Tag: awards

The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind (left) and the Minister of External Affairs, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (right) announce the award to Ravi Singh. (Photo: Ministry of External Affairs, India)

CIMMYT scientist Ravi Singh receives prestigious award from the Government of India

Written by Marcia MacNeil on January 20, 2021. Posted in News.

Ravi Singh, Distinguished Scientist and Head of Global Wheat Improvement at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), has received the highest honor conferred by the Government of India to non-resident Indians.

The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award recognizes outstanding achievements by non-resident Indians, persons of Indian origin, or organizations or institutions run by them either in India or abroad. Awardees are selected for their support to India’s causes and concerns by a committee led by the Vice President and the Minister of External Affairs of India. The awardees, according to the awards website, “represent the vibrant excellence achieved by our diaspora in various fields.” The online award announcement ceremony took place on January 9, 2021, with India’s President Ram Nath Kovind as a chief guest.

Ravi Singh, whose career at CIMMYT spans 37 years, was recognized for his invaluable contributions to wheat research and the development and training of scientists that have increased food production and nutritional security in Mexico, India and numerous other countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

“The award recognizes and values many years of wheat breeding at CIMMYT, where I had the opportunity, privilege and satisfaction to have contributed and made impacts through our invaluable partners in India and many other countries,” Singh said. “By continuously providing superior varieties, we increased wheat production and incomes of millions of smallholder farming families.”

Singh’s nomination cited his contribution to the development, release and cultivation by national partners worldwide of over 550 wheat varieties over the past three decades. These national partners include the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and its affiliated institutions in India. These varieties, sown annually on over 40 million hectares by as many farmers, add over $1 billion annually to farmers’ incomes through increased productivity and built-in disease resistance, thus reducing chemical dependence to a negligible level.

Ravi Singh (left, in striped shirt) shows students how to score the seed of freshly-harvested wheat lines at CIMMYT's experimental station near Ciudad Obregón, Mexico, during the international Wheat Improvement Course in 2007. (Photo: CIMMYT) — Ravi Singh (left, in striped shirt) shows students how to score the seed of freshly-harvested wheat lines at CIMMYT’s experimental station near Ciudad Obregón, Mexico, during the international Wheat Improvement Course in 2007. (Photo: CIMMYT)

“Great teamwork leads to breakthroughs — and is the only way to achieve a common goal. Dr. Ravi Singh’s work alleviating hunger is a great service to mankind,” said Gyanendra Pratap Singh, director of the ICAR Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (ICAR-IIWBR). “We are proud to have him on our team.”

“This award recognizes Dr. Ravi Singh’s important contribution to CIMMYT wheat breeding, delivering major impacts to wheat production and smallholder livelihoods in India, and around the world,” said Alison Bentley, director of CIMMYT’s Global Wheat Program.

Over his career, Singh has nourished and further expanded an already strong partnership between CIMMYT, ICAR and various agricultural universities in India by developing and sharing each year new, diverse wheat varieties possessing increased grain and straw yields, resistance to diseases such as rusts, spot blotch and blast, climate resilience, and processing and nutritional quality.

Over the past decade, Singh’s team developed about half of the wheat varieties released in India through the ICAR network. These include the country’s first high-yielding biofortified varieties, WB-2 and PBW1-Zn, released in 2017 to benefit India’s zinc-deficient population.

Millions of farmers in India continue to grow CIMMYT wheat varieties or their derivatives developed by Indian institutions, to ensure safe and abundant harvests and better nutrition.

Ravi Singh’s numerous recognitions include membership as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the American Phytopathological Society (APS), the Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), the American Society of Agronomy (ASA) and India’s National Academy of Agricultural Science (NAAS). His awards include the Outstanding CGIAR Scientist Award, the CSSA Crop Science Research Award, the University of Minnesota E.C. Stakman Award, and the China State Council’s Friendship Award, among others. He has been included among the top 1% of highly cited researchers according to Clarivate Analytics-Web of Science every year since 2017. Singh also serves as Adjunct Professor at Cornell University and Kansas State University.

CIMMYT working to create climate-resilient wheat

Written by Bea Ciordia on January 12, 2021. Posted in In the media.

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) was awarded a $5 million grant from the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) to develop climate-resilient wheat.

Eminent members of Indian diaspora honoured with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award at PBD Convention

Written by Bea Ciordia on January 11, 2021. Posted in In the media.

Ravi Singh, Distinguished Scientist and Head of Global Wheat Improvement at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), received the highest honor conferred by the Government of India to non-resident Indians.

Singh, whose career at CIMMYT spans 37 years, was recognized for his invaluable contributions to wheat research and the development and training of scientists that have increased food production and nutritional security in Mexico, India and numerous other countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Maize and wheat fields at the El Batán experimental station. (Photo: CIMMYT/Alfonso Cortés)

2020 Bӓnziger Award winners announced

Written by Emma Orchardson on December 21, 2020. Posted in News.

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) congratulates the winners of the inaugural 2020 Bӓnziger Award.

The award is named for former CIMMYT Deputy Director General Marianne Bӓnziger, who retired in 2019 after 23 years in maize science and leadership, including as CIMMYT’s first woman to reach the Deputy Director General position. It recognizes the contribution of women to CIMMYT’s work and mission. Nominees must exemplify one or more of the core values of CIMMYT: teamwork, integrity, excellence and respect.

“Gender diversity is critical to the development of robust and impactful science,” said CIMMYT Director General Martin Kropff, speaking at the virtual award ceremony during an all-staff CIMMYT end-of-year celebration on December 15.

“Research and administration have been demonstrated time and time again to be more effective and efficient when gender is considered, because women bring unique perspectives to conversations and decisions.”

The inaugural Bӓnziger Award received more than 50 nominations from across the organization’s offices in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Because of the high number of excellent candidates, the 2020 award committee selected two winners: Rahel Assefa and Kate Dreher.

Rahel Assefa is a project manager based in Ethiopia who has spent nearly five years supporting CIMMYT programs in eastern and southern Africa. In their nomination, her colleagues emphasized her “can-do” attitude and problem-solving skills as well as her positivity, maintained even when “deadlines are tight and tensions are high.”

Rahel Assefa receives her certificate during the virtual award ceremony. (Photo: CIMMYT)

“The nominations for Rahel covered all bases — teamwork, integrity, excellence and respect,” explained Sarah Hearne, a maize molecular geneticist at CIMMYT and chair of the 2020 award committee. “She was praised for her openness, collaboration and support of colleagues, both in and outside of her immediate environment and program.”

“I am grateful to my colleagues for the recognition of my contributions to CIMMYT,” said Rahel Assefa. “It is nice to be awarded — even though it is not why we do what we do. I like my work and I enjoy my colleagues in Africa and at HQ, and more than anything I believe in teamwork and collaboration.”

Kate Dreher is a senior germplasm curator based at CIMMYT HQ in Mexico. Her award focused not only on her official duties but also on her charity and community-building work in larger the El Batan and Texcoco area — including leading the Charity Initiative and organizing countless gatherings and activities for staff, newcomers and visitors to CIMMYT HQ.

“Nominees told us that Kate goes extra mile to help others succeed, selflessly focusing on ‘we’ rather than ‘I’ and ensuring that the voices and needs of all in a team are heard — a fantastic example of empowering teams,” said Hearne.

“Her hard work, kindness and dedication not only apply to CIMMYT’s mission enhance the CIMMYT community as a whole, touching the lives of colleagues and those less fortunate within the communities where we work.”

Kate Dreher receives her certificate during the virtual award ceremony. (Photo: CIMMYT)

Dreher expressed that this recognition would encourage her to redouble her efforts to follow Bӓnziger’s example.

“I feel inspired when I see people trying to improve the well-being of others — at work and in life in general — and I feel uplifted by the countless daily examples that I see in the CIMMYT community of people trying to make a positive impact in the world,” she said. “I admire everyone who is motivated by this goal whether their actions have an immediate impact or will lead to positive outcomes many years in the future.”

Marianne Bӓnziger shared her appreciation for the fact that CIMMYT has installed the award in her name. Speaking at the ceremony, she reiterated the words inscribed on the plaques, and offered advice for all CIMMYT staff.

“The header of the award says ‘Diversity enriches every team. Women make CIMMYT stronger,’” she told ceremony attendees. “Let’s open our eyes to the contribution that diverse team members make: women and men, young and more experienced, staff in research and administration, staff from different nations.”

“This award celebrates excellence among women staff. It’s a call to everybody to find, celebrate and foster diversity; to find, celebrate and foster excellence. Diversity in views and contributions make us stronger, and life much more colorful.”

CIMMYT scientists recognized for impact

Written by Marcia MacNeil on November 20, 2020. Posted in News.

Four scientists working with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) have been recognized as 2020 recipients of the Clarivate™ Highly Cited Researchers list.

The honor recognizes exceptional research performance demonstrated by the production of multiple papers that rank in the top 1% by citations for field and year, according to the Web of Science citation indexing service.

Called a “who’s who” of influential researchers, the list draws on data and analysis performed by bibliometric experts and data scientists at the Institute for Scientific Information™ at Clarivate.

The 2020 CIMMYT honorees include:

José Luis Francisco Crossa: CIMMYT Distinguished Scientist.
Julio Huerta: CIMMYT-seconded wheat breeder and rust geneticist with Mexico’s Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias (INIFAP).
Matthew Reynolds: CIMMYT Distinguished Scientist, wheat physiologist and member, Mexican Academy of Sciences.
Ravi Singh: CIMMYT Distinguished Scientist and Head of Bread Wheat Improvement.

“I congratulate my colleagues in the Global Wheat Program for this excellent recognition of their important work,” said incoming CIMMYT Global Wheat Program Director Alison Bentley.

For more information, you can view the full Highly Cited Researchers 2020 list and information on the methodology.

Hans Braun receives prestigious Norman Borlaug Award for Lifetime Achievement in Wheat Research

Written by Rodrigo Ordóñez on October 12, 2020. Posted in News.

Hans-Joachim Braun, director of CIMMYT's Global Wheat Program, speaks at the 8th International Wheat Conference in 2010. Braun has dedicated nearly four decades to wheat research. (Photo: Petr Kosina/CIMMYT) — Hans-Joachim Braun, director of CIMMYT’s Global Wheat Program, speaks at the 8th International Wheat Conference in 2010. Braun has dedicated nearly four decades to wheat research. (Photo: Petr Kosina/CIMMYT)

Hans Braun, director of the Global Wheat Program at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), has received the Norman Borlaug Lifetime Achievement Award for nearly four decades of wheat research. He received the award on October 9, 2020, during the virtual Borlaug Global Rust Initiative (BGRI) Technical Workshop.

“We rest on the shoulders of a lot of mighty people who have come before us,” said Ronnie Coffman, vice chair of BGRI, speaking to a global audience of wheat scientists and farmers as he presented four individuals with the award. “Each of these individuals has contributed to the improvement of wheat and smallholder livelihoods in major and enduring ways.”

Responsible for technical direction and implementation of the Global Wheat Program at CIMMYT and the CGIAR Research Program on Wheat (WHEAT), Braun leads and manages a team of 40 international scientists who develop wheat germplasm. This germplasm is distributed to around 200 cooperators in wheat-producing countries worldwide, and is responsible for the derived varieties being grown on more than 50% of the spring wheat area in developing countries.

Lifetime achievement

“In his 35 years with CIMMYT, Hans has become familiar with all major wheat-based cropping systems in the developing and developed world,” said Coffman, who called Braun an important collaborator and close personal friend.

“Hans was integral to the BGRI’s efforts in preventing Ug99 and related races of rust from taking out much of the 80% of the world’s wheat that was susceptible when Ug99 was first identified in 1999,” Coffman explained. He “has been an integral partner in the development and implementation of the Durable Rust Research in Wheat (DRRW) and Delivering Genetic Gain in Wheat (DGGW) projects.”

Braun delivered a keynote speech accepting the award and discussing the bright future of wheat, despite the many challenges that lie ahead.

“The future of wheat improvement in developing countries remains on the shoulders of public organizations and institutions. It is paramount that we share germplasm, information and knowledge openly,” he said.

He emphasized the need to “keep the herd together” and maintain strong, global partnerships.

Braun also noted the importance of continuing to improve nutritional content, growing within planetary boundaries, and taking farmers’ preferences seriously. He highlighted CIMMYT’s exceptional capacity as one of the world’s largest and most impactful wheat breeding programs, and encouraged national partners to continue their close collaboration.

He recalled what Norman Borlaug told him in 2004, when he became head of the Global Wheat Program: “Hans, I have confidence you can lead the program and I will always help you” — and how he did.

“I would like to thank all with whom I cooperated over four decades and who contributed to make CIMMYT’s program strong,” concluded Hans. “I am very optimistic that the global wheat community will continue to develop the varieties farmers need to feed 10 billion.”

This story was first posted on the BGRI blog and on the WHEAT website.

Learn more about the other distinguished scientists receiving this award, and the Technical Workshop outcomes, on the BGRI website.

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

Leading US agronomy organization awards fellowship to CIMMYT agri-food systems expert

Written by Ricardo Curiel on October 6, 2020. Posted in News.

The director of the Integrated Development program and Representative for the Americas at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Bram Govaerts, has been elected as Fellow by the leading professional organization of agronomists in the United States.

The American Society of Agronomy (ASA) presented this award to Govaerts for his outstanding contributions to the field of agronomy.

“His initiatives, excellence in science for impact and the partnerships he inspired have resulted in improved nutrition, nature conservation, and national and international resilience and food security”, announced the ASA in a news release.

Being an ASA Fellow is the highest honor offered by the organization, with only 0.3% of active and emeritus members holding this distinction.

The awarding body recognized Govaerts as an international authority in maize and wheat cropping systems who works for a successful transition to sustainable intensification of small-scale farming in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Bram Govaerts (third from right) with the members of management committee of the Río Fuerte Sur Farmer Association (AARFS) (Photo: José Saucedo)

“Bram engages from the field in a remote village all the way up to the office of the president, and from livelihoods and social inclusion to science and business development, in a tireless effort to generate systems change creating sustainable agri-food systems for nutrition, nature conservation and peace,” said Sanjay Rajaram, ASA Fellow, 2014 World Food Prize Laureate, distinguished scientist and retired CIMMYT Wheat Program director, who nominated Govaerts to the ASA’s Fellows Committee.

“I am honored and grateful for receiving this award which shows, above all, that CIMMYT stands for impact and sound science that saves millions of lives, a duty to humanity that we must never compromise,” Govaerts said.

Born in Belgium, Govaerts studied Bioscience Engineering at K.U. Leuven, where he earned a master’s degree in the same subject with specialization in Soil Conservation and Tropical Agriculture. Research stays in Ethiopia and Mexico sparked his interest in sustainable intensification of small-scale farming systems. He achieved a doctoral degree in Bioscience Engineering – Soil Science, also from K.U. Leuven.

Govaerts cut his teeth as cropping systems expert at CIMMYT, where he progressed from post-doctoral fellow to his current position. He received the Norman Borlaug Field Award in 2014 from the World Food Prize Foundation. Govaerts has co-authored over 90 peer-reviewed publications. He is a member of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network on Data and Statistics (TReNDS) for the Sustainable Development Goals and A.D. White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University.

50 years building peace through agriculture

Written by Ricardo Curiel on September 22, 2020. Posted in Videos.

On December 10, 1970, the former chair of the Nobel Committee, Aase Lionaes, called Norman Borlaug to receive the Nobel Peace Prize arguing, “He has given us a well-founded hope, an alternative of peace and of life — the Green Revolution.”

From that moment, Borlaug became known as “the man who saved one billion lives” from famine and as “the father of the Green Revolution.” Borlaug started a pivotal process in the 20^th century, characterized by the development of high-yielding new wheat and maize varieties from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT).

“Food is the moral right of all who are born into this world,” Borlaug said during his acceptance speech or Nobel Lecture almost 50 years ago. The scientist, credited for coining the phrase “You can’t build peace on empty stomachs,” became the world’s most acknowledged advocate of the right to food.

The Nobel Peace Center, the government of Mexico — through its Embassy in Oslo, Norway — and CIMMYT remembered Norman Borlaug’s legacy to commemorate the International Day of Peace on September 21. Established in 1981 by the United Nations General Assembly, this day calls to halt all forms of violence for 24 hours and to strengthen the ideals of peace, including Sustainable Development Goal number 2, ‘zero hunger.’

“Dr. Borlaug’s impact is an example of international cooperation for us to learn from and build the future,” said Ulises Canchola Gutiérrez, Mexico’s Ambassador to Norway, in the video Borlaug’s legacy: Agriculture for Peace #PeaceDay 2020.

According to the Nobel Peace Center, “Dr. Norman Borlaug’s work is one of the greatest achievements for humankind.” On a similar note, CIMMYT’s director general, Martin Kropff, noted that “Peace lies in the hands of those who cultivate the land. We can build peace through agriculture.”

CIMMYT carries on Borlaug’s legacy by implementing integrated strategic development projects that aim to transform food production units into sustainable, resilient and healthy agri-food systems. For that reason, CIMMYT issued a call to form an international coalition to tackle the current crisis and avert a new food crisis.

“Norman Borlaug led the charge in the war against hunger more than 50 years ago; let us learn from this experience, let us do it again together by listening to the current crisis and by developing a matching transformative answer to overcome today’s challenges and shortcomings,” said Bram Govaerts, director of CIMMYT’s Integrated Development program and representative for the Americas.

Dhugga identified the gene for an enzyme that propels the chemical reactions to produce guar gum, a cell wall polymer that is a dominant component of the edible kernel of the coconut. (Photo: Allen Wen/CIMMYT)

Kanwarpal Dhugga awarded top honor in science

Written by Mike Listman on November 28, 2019. Posted in News.

Kanwarpal S. Dhugga, a Principal Scientist at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) who specializes in biotechnology, has been elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Section on Biological Sciences, in recognition of his invaluable contributions to science and technology.

Announced by AAAS on November 26, 2019, the honor acknowledges among other things Dhugga’s leading research on plant cell wall formation, with applications including their role in lodging resistance and in producing high-value industrial polymers in maize and soybean, and the assimilation, transport, and metabolism of nitrogen in plants.

“I consider this a special honor,” said Dhugga, who leads CIMMYT’s research in biotechnology with a focus on editing genes for disease resistance in maize and wheat. He has published in high-impact scientific journals including Science, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA), Plant Cell, Molecular Plant, Plant Biotechnology Journal, Plant Physiology and others.

AAAS Fellows are elected each year by their peers serving on the Council of AAAS, the organization’s member-run governing body. Scientists who have received this recognition include the inventor Thomas Edison (1878), anthropologist Margaret Mead (1934), and popular science author Jared Diamond (2000), as well as numerous Nobel laureates. The election of Dhugga doubles the tally of AAAS fellows at CIMMYT, the other one being Ravi P. Singh, Distinguished Scientist and Head of Global Wheat Improvement.

“Kanwarpal merits CIMMYT’s wholehearted congratulations for this prestigious recognition of his standing in science,” said Kevin Pixley, director of CIMMYT’s Genetics Resources program, to which Dhugga belongs. “I’m humbled and grateful to count him as a member of our team.”

A native of Punjab in India, Dhugga has a M.Sc. in Plant Breeding from Punjab Agricultural University and a Ph.D. in Botany (Plant Genetics) from the University of California, Riverside. He was introduced to membrane protein biochemistry and cell wall synthesis during his postdoctoral research at Stanford University in the laboratory of Peter Ray. Prior to joining CIMMYT in 2015, Dhugga worked at DuPont Pioneer (now Corteva) from 1996 to 2014.

In addition to scientific excellence, Dhugga counts among his achievements prominent international, public-private partnerships, such as the one he led between DuPont Pioneer and the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics to explore new avenues to improve plant nitrogen use efficiency and reduce culm (stalk) lodging in cereals from 2004 to 2014. He continues to explore opportunities to secure funds for undertaking joint work with the collaborators from that period, thanks to the relationships fostered then. One of the scientists in his current group actually completed his Ph.D. under that collaboration.

As part of science outreach he has guided the research of many graduate students in Australia, Canada, India, and the US, a country of which he is also a citizen, and helped make high-quality education accessible to the underprivileged, including establishing a private school in his ancestral village in the state of Punjab in India.

The 2019 Fellows will receive rosette pins in gold and blue, colors symbolizing science and engineering. (Photo: AAAS)

Dhugga has also been successful as a principal or co-principal investigator in attracting significant funding for scientific research from public agencies such as the US Department of Energy, the US National Science Foundation, USAID, and the Australian Research Council. Part of his current research is supported by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. At DuPont Pioneer he was the recipient of two separate, highly competitive research grants to carry out high-risk, discovery research outside of the area of the assigned company goals.

Among his research endeavors, Dhugga highlights a breakthrough he made in the area of cell wall biosynthesis under a discovery research grant from DuPont Pioneer. He identified the gene for an enzyme that propels the chemical reactions to produce guar gum, a cell wall polymer that is also used in industrial products from shampoos to ice cream and is a dominant component of the coconut kernel. The results were published in Science. On a basic level, this provided biochemical evidence for the first time for the involvement of any of the genes from the large plant cellulose synthase gene family in the formation of a cell wall polymer. Dhugga also confides that whenever he flies over coconut plantations anywhere, he gets butterflies in his stomach at the thought that he was the first one to know how simple molecules made a complex matrix that became the edible kernel of the coconut.

“That study constituted a prime example of the power of cross-disciplinary research in answering a longstanding fundamental question in plant biology,” he said. “Assaying enzymes involved in the formation of cell wall polymers is extremely difficult. The approach we used — identify a candidate gene by combining genomics with biochemistry and then express it in a related species lacking the product of the resulting enzyme to demonstrate its function — was subsequently applied by other scientists to identify genes involved in the formation of other key plant cell wall polymers.”

Dhugga will receive a pin as a token of his election as Fellow in an AAAS ceremony in Seattle, Washington, USA, on February 15, 2020.

Four CIMMYT scientists among world’s most influential scholars, based on citations

Written by Mary Donovan on November 19, 2019. Posted in News.

Four scientists from the CIMMYT community have been included in the Highly Cited Researchers list for 2019, Published by the Web of Science Group, a Clarivate Analytics company.

The list identifies scientists and social scientists who have demonstrated significant influence through publication of multiple papers, highly cited by their peers, during the last decade. For the 2019 list, analysts surveyed papers published and cited during 2008-2018 which ranked in the top 1% by citations for their ESI field and year.

Researchers are selected for their exceptional research performance in one of 21 fields, or across several fields.

This year’s recipients affiliated with CIMMYT include:

José Crossa: Cross-field category. CIMMYT Distinguished Scientist at the Biometrics and Statistics Unit with the Genetic Resources Program.
Julio Huerta: Cross-field category. CIMMYT-seconded INIFAP wheat breeder and rust geneticist.
Matthew Reynolds: Cross-field category. CIMMYT Distinguished Scientist, wheat physiologist and Mexican Academy of Sciences member.
Ravi Prakash Singh: Agricultural Sciences category. CIMMYT Distinguished Scientist and Head of Bread Wheat Improvement.

It is a significant honor to be part of this list, as it indicates that their peers have consistently acknowledged the influence of their research contributions in their publications and citations.

“Congratulations and thanks to these colleagues for effectively communicating their excellent science, multiplying CIMMYT’s impact by influencing thousands of readers in the international research community,” said CIMMYT Genetic Resources Program Director Kevin Pixley.

For more information, you can view the full Highly Cited Researchers 2019 list and information on the methodology.

CIMMYT scientists Thomas Payne (left), Hans-Joachim Braun (third from left) and Alex Morgunov (right) celebrate their award with World Food Prize laureate and former CIMMYT wheat program director Sanjaya Rajaram. (Photo: Johanna Franziska Braun/CIMMYT)

CIMMYT wheat scientists receive top honors from US agricultural scientists

Written by Marcia MacNeil on November 13, 2019. Posted in News. 2 Comments on CIMMYT wheat scientists receive top honors from US agricultural scientists

Two scientists working in the world’s leading public wheat breeding program at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) have been recognized with awards and fellowships this week at the annual meeting of the American Society of Agronomy, the Crop Science Society of America, and the Soil Science Society of America.

Hans-Joachim Braun, director of CIMMYT’s Global Wheat Program and the CGIAR Research Program on Wheat, has been honored with the American Society of Agronomy’s International Agronomy Award.

Alexey Morgunov, CIMMYT principal scientist and head of the Turkey-based International Winter Wheat Improvement Program (IWWIP) received the distinction of Fellow from the Crop Science Society of America. Braun was also distinguished with this fellowship.

Excellence in agronomy

The American Society of Agronomy’s International Agronomy Award recognizes outstanding contributions in research, teaching, extension, or administration made outside of the United States by a current agronomist. Braun received the distinction during an awards ceremony and lecture on November 12, 2019. The award committee made its selection based on criteria including degrees, professional positions, and contributions and service to the profession such as publications, patents, and efforts to develop or improve programs, practices, and products.

The award recognizes Braun’s achievements developing and promoting improved wheat varieties and cropping practices that have benefited hundreds of millions of farmers throughout Central Asia, South Asia and North Africa. Nearly half the world’s wheat lands overall — as well as 70 to 80% of all wheat varieties released in Central Asia, South Asia, West Asia, and North Africa — are derived from the research of CIMMYT and its partners.

“I am honored to be recognized by my fellow agronomists,” Braun said. “This award highlights the importance of international research collaboration, because the food security challenges we face do not stop at national borders.”

Braun began his 36-year CIMMYT career in Mexico in 1983. From 1985 to 2005, he led the International Winter Wheat Improvement Program in Turkey, implemented by CIMMYT and the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA). As director of CIMMYT’s Global Wheat Program since 2004 and the CGIAR Research Program on Wheat since 2014, he is responsible for the technical direction and implementation of a program that develops and distributes wheat germplasm to more than 200 collaborators in more than 100 countries, grown on over half the spring wheat area in developing countries.

Alex Morgunov (center) receives his Crop Science Society of America Fellow certificate. (Photo: Johanna Franziska Braun/CIMMYT)

Hans-Joachim Braun (center) receives the Crop Science Society of America Fellow certificate onstage. (Photo: Johanna Franziska Braun/CIMMYT)

Detail of the Crop Science Society of America Fellow certificate for Hans-Joachim Braun. (Photo: Johanna Franziska Braun/CIMMYT)

Hans-Joachim Braun (right) receives the International Agronomy Award from Gary Pierzynski, president of the American Society of Agronomy. (Photo: Johanna Franziska Braun/CIMMYT)

Crop fellows

Braun and Morgunov were also chosen as Fellows, the highest recognition bestowed by the Crop Science Society of America. Members of the society nominate worthy colleagues based on their professional achievements and meritorious service. Fellows are a select group: only three out of every 1,000 of the society’s more than 4,000 active and emeritus members receive the honor.

Morgunov joined CIMMYT in 1991 as a spring wheat breeder, working with former Global Wheat Program Director and World Food Prize laureate Sanjaya Rajaram. In 1994, he moved to Turkey to work as winter wheat breeder, and then to Kazakhstan, where he worked to develop and promote new wheat varieties for the Central Asia and the Caucasus region. He has led the International Winter Wheat Improvement Program in Turkey since 2006. In this role, he has been responsible for the release of more than 80 varieties in the region. He also completed a national inventory for wheat landraces in Turkey.

“I am pleased to be recognized as [a Crop Science Society of America] Fellow,” Morgunov said. “I hope this award brings more attention to the importance of finding, saving and using the vast diversity of crop varieties in the world, for resilient crops and healthy food for all.”

Braun and Morgunov were formally recognized as Fellows on November 13.

The annual meeting of the American Society of Agronomy, the Crop Science Society of America, and the Soil Science Society of America convenes around 4,000 scientists, professionals, educators, and students to share knowledge and recognition of achievements in the field. This year’s meeting was held in San Antonio, Texas.

The Frank N. Meyer Medal for Plant Genetic Resources. (Photo: Kevin Pixley/CIMMYT)

Thomas Payne honored at gathering of crop science peers

Written by Marcia MacNeil on November 11, 2019. Posted in News. 1 Comment on Thomas Payne honored at gathering of crop science peers

Thomas Payne, head of the Wheat Germplasm Bank at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), was awarded the Frank N. Meyer Medal for Plant Genetic Resources this morning at the annual meeting of the American Society of Agronomy, the Crop Science Society of America, and the Soil Science Society of America, held in San Antonio, Texas.

The Frank N. Meyer Medal recognizes contributions to plant germplasm collection and use, as well as dedication and service to humanity through the collection, evaluation or conservation of earth’s genetic resources. The award was presented by Clare Clarice Coyne, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) research geneticist.

As an award recipient, Payne delivered a lecture that touched on the philosophy, history and culture surrounding plant genetic diversity and its collectors, and CIMMYT’s important role in conserving and sharing crop diversity.

The scientist has focused his career on wheat improvement and conservation. In addition to leading CIMMYT’s Wellhausen-Anderson Wheat Genetic Resources Collection, one of the world’s largest collection of wheat and maize germplasm, he manages the CIMMYT International Wheat Improvement Network. He is the current Chair of the Article 15 Group of CGIAR Genebank Managers, and has served as Secretary to the CIMMYT Board of Trustees. His association with CIMMYT began immediately after obtaining a PhD at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 1988, and he has held positions for CIMMYT in Ethiopia, Mexico, Syria, Turkey and Zimbabwe.

Thomas Payne delivers a presentation at the Crop Science Society of America’s annual Genetic Resources breakfast, where he received the award. (Photo: Kevin Pixley/CIMMYT)

“CIMMYT is the largest distributor of maize and wheat germplasm worldwide, with materials emanating from its research and breeding programs, as well as held in-trust in the germplasm bank. The Meyer Medal is a reflection of the impact CIMMYT makes in the international research community — and in farmers’ fields throughout the developing world,” Payne said.

Located at CIMMYT headquarters outside Mexico City, the CIMMYT Wheat Germplasm Bank contains nearly 150,000 collections of seed of wheat and related species from more than 100 countries. Collections preserve the diversity of unique native varieties and wild relatives of wheat and are held under long-term storage for the benefit of humanity, in accordance with the 2007 International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. The collections are also studied and used as a source of diversity to breed for crucial traits such as heat and drought tolerance, resistance to crop diseases and pests, grain yield productivity, and grain quality. Seed is freely shared on request to researchers, students, and academic and development institutions worldwide.

In his remarks, Payne also highlighted the story of Frank N. Meyer, after whom the award is named. Meyer, an agricultural explorer for the USDA in the 1900s, spent a decade traveling under harsh conditions through China to collect new plant species suitable for production on the United States’s expanding farmland. Among more than 2,500 plants that he introduced to the U.S. — including varieties of soybeans, oats, wild pears, and asparagus — the Meyer lemon was named in his honor. As he pointed out, Meyer worked during a historical period of great scientific discoveries, including those by his contemporaries Marie Curie and the Wright brothers.

Among those attending the ceremony were Payne’s sister, Susan Payne, and CIMMYT colleagues Kevin Pixley, director of Genetic Resources; Denise Costich, head of the CIMMYT Maize Germplasm Bank; and Alexey Morgunov, head of the Turkey-based International Winter Wheat Improvement Program.

The head of CIMMYT’s Global Wheat Program Hans-Joachim Braun and CIMMYT scientist Alexey Morgunov are also receiving honors or awards this week at the annual meeting of the American Society of Agronomy, the Crop Science Society of America, and the Soil Science Society of America. The meeting convenes around 4,000 scientists, professionals, educators, and students to share knowledge and recognition of achievements in the field.

Thomas Payne (right) celebrates the award with his sister Susan Payne (center) and CIMMYT scientist Alexey Morgunov. (Photo: Kevin Pixley/CIMMYT)

Thomas Payne (left) stands for a photo with CIMMYT’s Director of Genetic Resources Kevin Pixley.

Thomas Payne (left) with Head of CIMMYT’s Maize Germplasm Bank Denise Costich. (Photo: Kevin Pixley/CIMMYT)

Winners of 2019 MAIZE Youth Innovators Awards – Latin America announced

Written by Jennifer Johnson on October 7, 2019. Posted in Features.

The CGIAR Research Program on Maize (MAIZE) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2019 MAIZE Youth Innovators Awards – Latin America. These awards recognize the contributions of young women and men under 35 who are implementing innovations in Latin American maize-based agri-food systems, including research for development, seed systems, agribusiness, and sustainable intensification.

The winners will attend the 23^rd Latin American Maize Reunion (XXIII Reunión Latinoamericana del Maíz) in Monteria, Colombia, where they will receive their awards and present their work. Award recipients may also get the opportunity to collaborate with MAIZE and its partner scientists in Latin America on implementing or furthering their innovations.

This is the third instalment of the awards, following Asia in October 2018 and Africa in May 2019.

Congratulations to this year’s winners, seven exceptional young people working in Latin American maize-based systems:

Eduardo Cruz Rojo (Mexico) – Farmer category

Eduardo Cruz Rojo is a young agricultural entrepreneur, worried about rural out-migration in his region and about the poor agricultural practices that have led farming to cease to be profitable. He has a degree in logistics, and is originally from Alfajayucan, in Mexico’s state of Hidalgo. For the past four years he has been working on maize research and production, with a focus on improved agronomic practices that help farmers increase their yields. This includes soil improvement, organic fertilizers, earthworm compost and biological pest control. Through research and testing, he has shown smallholder farmers the cost-benefit of improved agricultural practices. This has been reflected in local farmers achieving improved soils and yields in an environmentally friendly manner.

Yésica Chazarreta (Argentina) – Researcher category

Yésica Chazarreta has a degree in genetics and is currently a doctoral fellow at the Scientific and Technologic Fund, working with the Crop Ecophysiology group at the National Agricultural Technology Institute (INTA) Pergamino in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her work centers on understanding the genetic and environmental control of the physiological determinants of filling, drying and quality of maize grains in genotypes destined for grain or silage. The objective is to generate knowledge to continue advancing in maize production improvement and to open the possibility of establishing improvement programs differentiated by planting times for her region, as well as to provide valuable information for the creation of mechanistic models to predict the evolution of humidity in maize grains. This information can help farmers make more informed decisions about the best time to harvest. In addition, Chazarreta hopes to deepen understanding of maize biomass quality for animal feed, a practice that has increased in her native country, Argentina, due to changes in crop management practices related to delays in planting dates.

Omar Garcilazo Rahme (Mexico) – Researcher category

Omar Garcilazo Rahme is a postgraduate student researching sustainable management of agro-ecosystems at the Meritorious Autonomous University of Puebla (BUAP).

A food engineer by training, he has a profound interest in Mexico’s bio-cultural heritage and maize as a staple food in his native country, as well as the various methods to produce and conserve the crop. His research project seeks to improve the economic, nutritious and sociocultural benefits associated with the production of maize.

He is currently collaborating in a technology transfer and innovation agency on the topics of nutritional labeling, big data and applied technology solutions for the agri-food industry.

Lucio Reinoso (Argentina) – Researcher category

Lucio Reinoso is an agronomist with a master’s degree in agricultural sciences from the National Southern University, Argentina. He has worked as a professor at the National University of Rio Negro since 2019. Reinoso was a fellow and researcher for 12 years at the National Institute for Agricultural Technology (INTA).

He works on sustainable models of maize production under irrigation in the irrigated valleys of Northern Patagonia, Argentina. Reinoso is specifically investigating the adaptation of maize to the soil and climatic conditions of the region, highlighting the water and nutritional needs to maximize production while also caring for the environment.

He works with local farmers to adapt no-till farming to scale and adjust irrigation management to improve water use efficiency while preserving the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of soil, increasing resilience.

Viviana López Ramírez (Colombia) – Researcher category

Viviana López Ramírez is a biological engineer with a master’s degree in environmental studies from the National University of Colombia in Medellin.

She is currently a doctoral student in biological sciences at the National University in Río Cuarto, Argentina, studying the application of bacteriocins for the biological control of phytopathogens.

This work on bacteriosis in maize is conducted by a multidisciplinary team and focuses on the identification of pathogenic bacteria isolated from a diverse maize population.

José Esteban Sotelo Mariche (Mexico) – Change Agent category

José Esteban Sotelo Mariche is an agronomist from the coastal region of Oaxaca, Mexico. He studied at Chapingo Autonomous University and is certified in rural development and food security.

Since 2012 he has offered capacity building to smallholder maize farmers in his region. In 2014 he formed Integradora Agroempresarial del Rio Verde to promote the production and commercialization of agricultural products. The group now has 80 members, including indigenous and Afro-Mexican farmers. In 2016 he began working with tortilla company Masienda to help local farmers export native maize to gourmet restaurants in the United States.

Most recently he has worked on the integration of the Center for Rural Technology Transfer and Validation (Centro de Validación y Transferencia de Tecnología Rural) to evaluate conservation agriculture systems, efficient water use and agroforestry. This space also serves to provide training activities and technical assistance to local farmers.

Carlos Barragan (Mexico) – Change Agent category

Carlos Barragan has a degree in agroecological engineering from Chapingo Autonomous University.

He collaborates with the MasAgro project in Mexico’s state of Oaxaca, helping to adapt small-scale production systems to climate change.

He also contributes to work on soil fertility as well as inclusive business models for smallholder farmers working in agri-food value chains.

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.

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.