Building on the success of their initial project, CropSustaiN, CIMMYT and the Novo Nordisk Foundation are proud to announce an expanded partnership aimed at tackling agriculture’s biggest challenges. This enhanced collaboration will broaden efforts to transform farming practices, reduce environmental impacts, and support farmers worldwide.
From specific solutions to a broader vision:
The initial partnership focused on developing innovative wheat varieties through Biological Nitrification Inhibition (BNI), significantly reducing the need for nitrogen fertilizers. Now, this expanded collaboration sets a foundation for exploring a wider range of initiatives, including:
Climate-smart crop systems with reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
Advanced agricultural technologies for greater resilience and sustainability.
Inclusive tools to empower farmers globally.
Bram Govaerts, CIMMYT’s director general, said:
“This partnership exemplifies how collaboration and science can transform agriculture, addressing both food security and environmental sustainability on a global scale.”
This next phase reflects a shared commitment to creating a sustainable future by turning scientific innovation into actionable, real-world impact for millions of farmers worldwide.
Soil health is not just a medium for healthy crop production; it’s also a vital pillar to support sustainable food production and ultimately a nation’s economy. In India, where over 45% of the population works in agriculture, soil health underpins household and national food security, rural incomes and the economy at large. Despite this dependence, the ratio of agricultural production to the national income, i.e. GDP has fallen from 35% in 1990 to 15% in 2023, a decline driven by low productivity, shrinking farm incomes, and environmental degradation (Government of India, 2023).
A tractor operates in an agricultural field in India (Photo: CIMMYT).
India faces an annual economic loss of ₹2.54 trillion annually—about 2% of its GDP—due to land degradation and unsustainable land-use practices (TERI, 2018). For smallholder farmers, soil degradation is a silent economic burden that reduces yields and increases input costs. In Bihar, studies by the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) show that droughts have a lasting impact on soil quality and agricultural productivity, with increasing frequency and severity exacerbating vulnerabilities in states like of Bihar and its neighboring states (Nageswararao et al., 2016; Singh et al., 2022).
The frequency of these drought conditions pushes farmers into a vicious cycle of low productivity, high costs for irrigation, and a growing dependence on non-farm income sources exacerbating the state’s vulnerability to drought (Kishore et al., 2014).
“CIMMYT India scientists greatly value the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues from ICAR and other NARES partners in supporting farmers to enhance soil health and achieve sustainable productivity”, said Alison Laing, CSISA project lead in India. “We are proud of the contribution we make alongside the Indian national systems to improving farmers’ livelihoods”, she added
Investing in solutions for soil resilience
Addressing soil degradation and climate challenges requires investment in climate-resilient agricultural technologies, and robust agronomic research. Evidence-based policies are critical to sustain agriculture, improve farmer well-being and ensure food and economic security.
A promising innovation is the Soil Intelligence System (SIS), launched in 2019 under CSISA. Initially operational in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, and Odisha, SIS generates high-quality soil data and digital maps to provide farmers with precise agronomic recommendations. These recommendations help reduce fertilizer and water overuse, improving efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. By empowering smallholder farmers with data-driven decision-making, SIS exemplifies how technology can enhance productivity and sustainability.
SIS’s success extends beyond the farm. Data-driven insights have influenced policies like the Andhra Pradesh State Fertilizer and Micronutrient Policy, demonstrating the potential of soil health management to drive systemic agricultural reforms.
Working in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha, SIS uses soil spectroscopy and digital mapping to improve sustainable soil management, reduce costs and increase productivity for smallholder farmers. (Photo: CIMMYT)
The 3M Framework: measure, monitor and manage
This year’s World Soil Day theme, “Caring for Soils: Measure, Monitor, Manage,” highlights the importance of data driven soil management. By measuring key indicators like organic carbon levels and erosion rates, and monitoring changes overtime, policymakers can develop sustainable strategies for soil restoration.
Scaling initiatives like SIS is crucial. Robust soil monitoring programs can inform better alignment between subsidies and sustainable practices. Together with state and central governments, NGOs, and other research organizations, CIMMYT is actively collaborating with farmers to measure, monitor and manage soil health for long-term sustainability and resilience.
References:
Government of India (2023). Contribution of agriculture in GDP. Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare. Accessed online.
TERI (2018). Economics of Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought in India, Vol I. The Energy and Resources Institute. Accessed online.
Nageswararao, M.M., Dhekale, B.S., & Mohanty, U.C. (2016). Impact of climate variability on various Rabi crops over Northwest India. Theoretical and Applied Climatology, 131(503–521). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-016-1991-7.
Singh, A. & Akhtar, Md. P. (2022). Drought-like situation in Bihar: Study and thought of sustainable strategy. IWRA (India) Journal, 11(1). Accessed online.
Kishore, A., Joshi, P.K., & Pandey, D. (2014). Droughts, Distress, and Policies for Drought Proofing Agriculture in Bihar, India. IFPRI Discussion Paper 01398. https://ssrn.com/abstract=2545463.
The foundation for a Vision for Adapted Crops and Soil (VACS) is capacity building: to boost adoption of opportunity crops, for nutritional security, diverse and climate-resilient cropping systems, to build healthy soils, a cohort of researchers and professionals is being supported to improve opportunity crops in Africa. Launched in October 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya, the VACS Capacity Project aims to train scholars and professionals in the latest plant breeding technologies. Professor Julia Sibiya, VACS Capacity Project Lead at CIMMYT, elaborates on how the project aims to contribute to the promotion, development and delivery of improved “crops that nourish” people, and the planet.
As part of the VACS Capacity Project, 30 Master and PhD students will be mentored by prominent experts in plant breeding. What support will they receive?
The students will be exposed to the latest technologies in plant breeding but will also learn from their mentors to deliver the VACS vision on opportunity crops and healthy soils.
The project also includes training of 40 mid-careers professionals. We want them to master the latest technologies and be able to apply them to develop improved opportunity crop varieties that will be used by farmers.
For maximum and long-term impact, the CIMMYT Academy, with the support of the Sustainable Agrifood Systems program, is developing gender-aware mentoring and curriculum on a wide range of topics, to directly address priorities of the 70 scholars and professionals. Expertise is being sourced at institutions such as Iowa State University, CIMMYT and African universities for robust e-learning modules on the entire plant breeding pipeline and seed systems, with materials updated and designed for the African continent.
What gaps does the VACS Capacity Project aim to address?
Today, in Africa, very few plant breeders and scientists working on plant improvement are focusing on the opportunity crops identified by VACS, such as finger millet, bambara groundnut, and amaranth. Most breeders focus on the main staples. This is why we want to build a critical mass of scientists who work on opportunity crops that are vital for food security and nutrition under climate change.
Besides increasing the critical mass of researchers working on the opportunity crops, we also want to bring up-to-date the skills of professionals in the breeding sector, which is a sector where technologies are evolving very quickly. Most of the approaches to crop improvement used today differ greatly from approaches used ten years ago, hence the request by many professionals to upgrade their skills.
In addition to the long-term training fellowships for Master and PhD students, we will provide targeted skills training to professionals, with short-term placements between one and six months in institutions where they can learn cutting-edge techniques that they will apply to opportunity crops.
The project is also designed to build networks and communities of practice around these crops, so people can collaborate in breeding and scaling efforts that are requested by farmers and consider market intelligence for impact pathways. This is in addition to exchanging knowledge and germplasm.
How does this project differ from other plant breeding capacity building projects?
The difference is that we will place professionals into institutions where they will be provided with hands-on training. We will work with universities, international research institutes, and the private sector, including seed companies. This is like offering internships to mid-career professionals who want to upgrade their skills or learn new ones.
Our approach also includes mentorships for both scholars and professionals. Mentors will be recruited from all over the world to assist the fellows in various aspects of their research journey. Last but not least, we hope to see researchers working with farmers so they can learn from each other.
What are the expected outcomes of reaching a “critical mass of plant breeders”?
The objective is to have sufficient breeders to implement crop breeding programs designed for opportunity crops. We also want to encourage them to apply modern techniques to improve opportunity crops and, this way, to contribute to the development of more nutritious plants that are grown in healthy soils. As I mentioned earlier, besides empowering scientists themselves, we also aim to create the conditions for effective collaboration and partnerships for the successful delivery of improved opportunity crop varieties, and this delivery will be accelerated by reducing the breeding cycle. Overall, it will allow us to scale up efforts towards opportunity crops worldwide.
From left to right: Bram Govaerts, Diego Montenegro, and Pedro Díaz. (Photo: Jenifer Morales / CIMMYT)
Texcoco, State of Mexico, November 6-7, 2024 – Reducing carbon (CO₂) emissions has become a global priority, as the severe consequences of global warming directly affect everyone. CO₂ is the most abundant greenhouse gas (GHG), accounting for 82% of global emissions. Carbon sinks are natural systems that can remove part of atmospheric CO₂ through capture or recarbonization. Healthy soils are the second most important carbon sink after oceans, and implementing progressive regenerative practices to restore soil health is essential in agriculture to contribute significantly to soil recarbonization.
Efforts to recarbonize agricultural soils in primary production must be complemented by a vigorous process to decarbonize agri-food systems. By reducing GHG emissions across their value chains, these systems can ensure a long-term solution to the current climate emergency.
In alignment with this approach, CIMMYT, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), and the Trust Funds for Agriculture (FIRA) have joined forces in a strategic alliance to transform agri-food systems. Their focus is on recarbonizing soils and decarbonizing agri-food systems and value chains, convinced that, beyond being part of the climate change problem, agriculture is a crucial part of the solution.
At the first forum, “Recabonization of Agricultural Soils and Decarbonization of Agri-food Systems,” experts from public and private institutions shared experiences and explored how integrating science and the ancestral knowledge of rural communities can regenerate soils, reduce emissions, and build low-emission, highly adaptable production systems in response to climate impacts across Mexico and Latin America’s diverse agro-ecological regions.
Bram Govaerts, Director General of CIMMYT, stated: “Mitigating climate change requires both soil recarbonization and decarbonization. Here, carbon is our metric, but we also consider nitrogen fertilizer emissions, which, when released into the air, have a larger footprint than carbon itself. Beyond this, we need to shift from a purely productive focus, which was perhaps the goal 50-60 years ago, to a resilience-centered approach. This means evolving from efficient production to effective and resilient practices. Resilience is essential for the agri-food sector to adapt to phenomena like El Niño or changing rainfall patterns, such as in 2004, when rain arrived late but intensely for a short period.”
Jelle Van Loon, Associate Director of the Sustainable Agri-food Systems Program at CIMMYT, emphasized the importance of institutional cooperation to address the challenges posed by climate change in agriculture. “Regenerative agriculture is not just a concept; it is an imperative for food security and the planet’s sustainability,” he stated. Van Loon highlighted research findings and long-term trials showing the benefits of regenerative practices, such as cover cropping and organic fertilization, in improving soil health and reducing CO₂ emissions.
Jesús Alan Elizondo Flores, General Director of FIRA, detailed FIRA’s sustainability strategy, driven by a network of 88 local offices across Mexico. His approach includes ecological finance, biofertilizer use, agroforestry, and farmer-to-farmer extension models, all aimed at transitioning small-scale producers to the carbon credit market, thus strengthening soil recarbonization efforts.
Diego Montenegro, IICA’s representative in Mexico, emphasized the strategic alliances among actors in the agri-food system as essential for technical cooperation, with producers as central figures. He stated, “This forum should guide us toward a new paradigm, a new way of doing agriculture in Mexico and globally. This collective work will bring about the sustainable agricultural practices we need to expand.”
At the second keynote address, Rattan Lal, 2020 World Food Prize Laureate and Goodwill Ambassador for IICA, stressed the importance of understanding soil carbon’s environmental impact and called for the restoration of degraded soils as part of the climate solution, advocating for “soil rights” to protect and responsibly manage soils worldwide.
In a panel discussion, Elisa Muñoz Rodríguez, a chemical engineer and producer from Guanajuato, and María Eugenia Rico González, a conservation farmer from the Valley of Santiago, shared their experiences in implementing sustainable practices, underlining both benefits and challenges in convincing others to adopt these methods.
In final reflections, José Luis Ayala, IICA Mexico’s Technical Coordinator, noted that collective action with producers is key to achieving a resilient and efficient agricultural model. “Together, we can progress in food security, reduce poverty, and collectively build a better future,” he concluded.
The forum featured participants from international organizations like FAO, private sector actors like ILBI, Canopia, and Nestlé, public sector entities like the government of Chile, and academic institutions like UNAM and Oxford University, promoting a systemic approach to recarbonization and decarbonization for impactful climate action.
About CIMMYT
CIMMYT is an international public organization dedicated to improving agricultural systems in the Global South through applied science, innovation, and collaboration.
About IICA
The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) is committed to agricultural development and rural well-being across the Americas, promoting policies, technical cooperation, and capacity building to ensure sustainability, competitiveness, and resilience.
About FIRA
The Trust Funds for Agriculture (FIRA) support Mexico’s agricultural development through finance, technical assistance, and capacity building, assisting farmers in transitioning to sustainable, low-emission, and climate-resilient production systems.
CIMMYT contributed over 5,400 maize and wheat samples to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault’s recent historic deposit, reinforcing its commitment to safeguarding crop diversity essential for global food security. These deposits protect genetic resources vital for adapting to climate change and improving resilience, especially in vulnerable regions. This backup effort ensures CIMMYT’s research on these staple crops remains available to support sustainable food systems and address crises worldwide.
