Tag: conflict

The Impact of War on Agrifood Entrepreneurs in Sudan: Gendered Insights from Participatory Action Research in Kassala and Gadarif States

Written by dmedina on October 23, 2024. Posted in Publications.

Introduction

CIMMYT, through the USAID-funded Sustainable Agrifood Systems Approach for Sudan (SASAS) program, empowers farmers and herders to reduce their reliance on humanitarian assistance, even in conflict-affected Sudan, where over 10 million people have been displaced and livelihoods across the country have been severely impacted. Improving agricultural value chains and agribusiness development is one of the five broad intervention areas of the SASAS program.

Several SASAS program partners support agribusiness development by working directly with micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), which act as intermediaries between large firms and smallholder farmers, facilitating farmers’ access to inputs and promoting national food security. The critical role and challenges faced by agricultural MSMEs have been exacerbated by the ongoing civil war in Sudan. Due to pre-existing gender norms, the impact may differ between women and men entrepreneurs. SASAS implementing partners urgently need up-to-date, ground-level insights into the key business challenges. This includes understanding which businesses are existing and why, identifying promising and actionable coping strategies adopted by agrifood entrepreneurs, and capturing MSME owners’ perspectives on the priority interventions needed to support them.

To provide SASAS partners with critical evidence to inform their development activities with agricultural MSMEs, a team of CIMMYT researchers conducted semi-structured interviews in May 2024 with 20 women and 20 men agrifood enterprise owners residing in Kassala and Gadarif states. The findings from this research were documented in reports. The next phase of the CIMMYT team’s participatory action research focused on holding results dissemination meetings in each of the two states. The purpose of these meetings was to share study findings with research participants and SASAS partners, Mercy Corps and Practical Action, and provide an opportunity for feedback. This feedback helps clarify and validate the study findings and is central to the CIMMYT team’s approach to generating nuanced, contextually based lessons that inform the programming of SASAS partners working with agribusinesses.

Attendance at results dissemination meetings and perceptions of participants

The results dissemination meetings brought together SASAS development partners and MSME owners (research participants). In Kassala, 20 agrifood entrepreneurs (10 women and 10 men), along with several representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), the Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC), and local Kassala communities, attended the meeting. CIMMYT’s partner, Practical Action, co-organized the session. In Gadarif, 13 agrifood entrepreneurs (10 women and 3 men) were joined by representatives from the MoA and local community leaders for the results dissemination meeting, hosted by CIMMYT’s partner Mercy Corps. Participants in both states engaged actively in open discussions about the research findings, offering valuable feedback, while also helping to validate and refine the results.

Participants in the research results dissemination meeting –in Kassala actively participate in the group work (Photo: Mohamed Abdulmajid/CIMMYT)

After introductions and an icebreaker, the results dissemination meetings turned into a brief presentation of key study findings facilitated by CIMMYT’s MEL consultant, Mudar Ahmed. Participants in both meetings listened intently, and their initial feedback conveyed the relevance of the study results to their lives. For instance, when asked about the applicability of the study findings, one participant in Kassala said, “The research on the impact of war on women and men agrifood entrepreneurs is valuable as it gathers various perspectives on how war has affected our work, outlines the challenges we face, identifies coping mechanisms, and offers suggestions to overcome the current bottleneck.”

Social norms influencing women’s and men’s participation in the agrifood sector

One of the factors influencing CIMMYT’s selection of Gadarif and Kassala states as study sites, aside from the relatively stable security situation and concentration of agrifood enterprises, was the interesting contrast the two states offer in terms of women’s participation in the labor market and (agricultural) business operation, with women in Gadarif generally being more active. During the meetings, participants were asked to elaborate on these gender dynamics and how they play out in their lives.

A female participant in Kassala state explained this regional difference in gendered agricultural roles and shared insights into how and why it is changing over time, “In Gadarif most of the agricultural activities are rainfed and farms are in remote areas, limiting the number of women in cultivation activities. However, more and more women cooperatives are active in agriculture and many of them get loans from funding institutions and receive technical support from women’s empowerment institutions. The main challenge that hinders more women from participating in agricultural activities in Gadarif is that rainfed cultivation requires a lot of financial resources that women cannot access. In Kassala, although the community is more conservative and many believe that women need to stay at home and not to go out for work, more and more women are active in agricultural activities, including manual weed control and harvesting. Now thousands of women in Kassala are active in vegetable production and processing like drying okra and onions.”

Participants further explained that while there are differences in occupational gender dynamics in different states, in general, women farmers in Sudan face major barriers to agricultural entrepreneurship regardless of location. However, some highlighted ongoing improvements towards gender equality. A female participant in Gadarif had this to say: “Most agricultural land is inherited or assigned by authorities, often excluding women from ownership. However, as more women become active agrifood entrepreneurs, many have purchased farms, and several women’s cooperatives have gained access to these lands.”

Participants in the results dissemination meeting in Gadarif (Photo: Mohamed Abdulmajid/CIMMYT)

War-related challenges to daily business operations

One of the top discussion points at the meetings, was the war-related challenges to participants’ daily business operations.

A male agricultural input dealer in Gadarif noted, “Since the conflict began, prices for agricultural inputs have soared and availability has decreased, leaving us without funding and diminished profits. Many of our customers have exited agriculture and stopped purchasing from us, resulting in significant stagnation. To mitigate the adverse effects of the war on our business, we have sought joint ventures with other dealers to cut operational costs and are looking for funding to revive our operations.”

A female agrifood entrepreneur in Kassala described how internal displacement during the war has strained her business, driven by a sense of obligation to help those most in need “Due to the ongoing conflict in Sudan, hundreds of thousands of displaced people resorted to Kassala state seeking safety and work opportunities. However, the limited housing capacity in the town forced many displaced people to shelter on farms limiting our cultivation activities. As vegetables and fruit producers, we had to give some of our yields freely to these vulnerable displaced people.”

A participant sharing his view during a group discussion in Gadarif (Photo: Mohamed Abdulmajid/CIMMYT)

War-related financial challenges

Participants discussed how the ongoing conflict has impacted access to finance, cash flow, and overall business sustainability. They highlighted several challenges, including the loss of assets, difficulties in accessing loans, and shifts in market dynamics caused by the war. In both Kassala and Gadarif, discussions emphasized the rising prices, which have directly affected their businesses and personal lives.

A common issue raised was the lack of adequate financial assistance, largely due to the suspension of financial aid projects that previously provided grants or microfinance through various institutions. Participants in Kassala proposed forming partnerships with institutions that could offer funding opportunities as a potential solution. Meanwhile, participants in Gadarif suggested creating small savings funds to meet the needs of the most vulnerable by offering credit opportunities within the community.

War-related non-financial challenges

Participants in this group discussed the broader non-financial impacts of the ongoing conflict, focusing on issues such as displacement, lack of infrastructure, and psychological stress. They shared personal experiences and explained how these challenges have negatively impacted business operations and development.

In Kassala, one of the key issues raised was the suspension of education, which has left thousands of students out of school. This directly affected businesses involved in food production and marketing to students. Another major challenge discussed was the increased competition in the labor market, exacerbated by the influx of internally displaced persons (IDPs). Participants suggested that small NGOs should provide more support to herders and called for government intervention to address the education crisis.

In Gadarif, the group discussed security concerns that have made it difficult to conduct business operations or even move around the area safely. They also noted the strain on basic services due to the influx of IDPs, which has led to overpopulation of the state. As solutions, participants emphasized the need for an end to the conflict, improved security, and better services to address the IDP crisis and strengthen basic infrastructure and social services.

Future business plans and needs

At the results dissemination meetings, agrifood entrepreneurs openly discussed how the ongoing conflict has affected their business expansion plans. As one male participant in Kassala state noted, “Our growth plans have been severely affected by the current economic situation, as many financial institutions are no longer operating, the operational and fuel costs are high, our marketing areas have shrunk, we face competition from new businesses established by displaced people, and public services such as electricity, water, and transportation are under increased demand.”

While most participants agreed that the conflict has created significant challenges, some meeting participants described opportunities that have arisen for local agrifood entrepreneurs during the current civil war in Sudan. For example, some participants described how internally displaced farmers have begun to cultivate in Gadarif and Kassala, creating a moderate demand for agricultural inputs that has benefited agribusinesses. It was also noted that displaced entrepreneurs have started new businesses in the two states, which, in addition to financial and other support from international NGOs, has facilitated the acquisition of new skills and technologies, including solar systems for processing agricultural products. Finally, one participant explained that the conflict has made entrepreneurs become more agile. These observations provide examples of human resilience and document how growth can persist even under the most challenging circumstances.

A participant shares the findings from a group discussion about the Impact of War on Women and Men Agrifood Entrepreneurs Research (Photo: Mohamed Abdulmajid/CIMMYT)

The Sudan Food Security Initiative: Early wins amidst conflict and crisis

Written by dmedina on September 4, 2024. Posted in News.

As the summer cultivation season began in May 2024, Fatima Hassan, a 52-year-old farmer from New Halfa, Kassala State, in eastern Sudan, faced an uncertain future. Like thousands of other farmers in her region, Fatima lacked the financial means to purchase seeds, fertilizers, herbicides, or even hire a tractor. The ongoing armed conflict in Sudan had severely disrupted agricultural activities, leaving farmers without the necessary resources to cultivate their land.

‘When I learned about the Sudan Food Security Initiative (SFSI), I was extremely happy. The support from the initiative has given me and my family renewed hope,’ Fatima said while tending to her groundnut farm.”

Fatima Hassan weeds her groundnut field cultivated with support from the SFSI. (Photo credit: Suliman Fadlalla/CIMMYT)

Under the aegis of the SASAS program, the USAID-funded SFSI was launched in May 2024 in response to Sudan’s food security challenges. Targeting over 50,000 farmers in the New Halfa scheme, the initiative aims to strengthen resilient food production systems by providing significantly subsidized agricultural inputs and technologies, ensuring that farmers can sustain and enhance their farming practices despite the ongoing conflict in the region.

Hamid Rahama expresses his gratitude to the tractor driver ploughing his land in New Halfa as part of the SFSI. (Photo credit: Suliman Fadlalla/CIMMYT)

Sowing seeds of optimism

‘Support from SASAS came at a critical time as the armed conflict spread into new areas across the country, de-risking the crucial summer planting season. Through the SFSI, we are enabling farmers to adopt improved technologies and inputs at more affordable rates, thereby enhancing Sudan’s domestic food production,’ said SASAS Program Chief of Party Abdelrahman Kheir.

The SFSI provides each farmer with a 70% subsidy on a comprehensive package that includes land preparation for 0.42 hectares (ha), improved seeds for groundnut and sorghum, crop protection supplies, fertilizers, and agricultural advisory services. This initiative has already resulted in the planting of 14,568 ha of sorghum and 5,882 ha of groundnut. The crops are showing promising signs, with germination progressing well across all cultivated areas.

‘We had lost all hope of benefiting during this cultivation season. The subsidized land preparation, seed purchase, and other inputs have given us a lifeline. In the past, I was not able to buy fertilizers and herbicides, so my sorghum production was poor. This time things have changed dramatically, and we are well-equipped for a good cultivation season,’ said Hamid Rahama, a farmer from northern Halfa. Hamid echoes the optimism shared by many farmers in the region.”

Focus on a sustainable and food secure ecosystem

One of the most significant aspects of the initiative is its focus on building a sustainable seed production system. In partnership with 120 farmers and a private seed company, 252 ha (189 ha of sorghum and 63 ha of groundnut) were established for seed production in New Halfa. The initiative is projected to yield 360 metric tons (t) of sorghum and 270 t of groundnut seeds, thereby enhancing the resilience of the local agricultural ecosystem.

The anticipated yields from these efforts instill a much-needed optimism in an otherwise challenging situation. For groundnuts, the expected yield is 4.5 t/ha, resulting in an output of 26,000 t, enough to meet the nutritional needs of over 1.2 million people. Likewise, the sorghum harvest is projected to reach 54,000 t, providing sustenance for approximately 720,000 people.

An agricultural expert from SASAS inspects the growth of groundnuts cultivated under the SFSI in New Halfa. (Photo credit: Suliman Fadlalla/CIMMYT)

A farmer inspects the growth of his sorghum field in New Halfa cultivated with support from the SFSI. (Photo credit: Suliman Fadlalla/CIMMYT)

The bold sections indicate the changes made for grammatical correctness, including unit consistency and phrasing adjustments.

In addition to providing inputs, the SASAS program also addresses broader food security challenges by ensuring that farmers receive the necessary technical support throughout various agricultural operations. This includes the introduction of drought-tolerant sorghum varieties, which are showcased to farmers through field days and demonstration plots.

Despite the numerous challenges posed by the ongoing conflict in Sudan, CIMMYT and its partners involved in implementing the SASAS initiative remain undeterred. Although the ongoing armed conflict has compelled many local agriculture advisory companies to scale back their operations due to security and logistical difficulties, the teams remain committed to supporting Sudanese farmers and improving agricultural productivity, thereby contributing to Sudan’s overall food security.

‘We lost a significant number of improved seed production fields due to the conflict. Nevertheless, we ensured the provision of all necessary certified seeds for the SFSI, along with top-quality herbicides,’ said the CEO of Harvest Agricultural Company Isam Ali. He added that despite considerable challenges in transporting agricultural machinery due to security issues, the company completed all land preparations in a timely manner for farmers.

The early impact of SFSI is evident in the renewed hope and optimism among farmers in New Halfa, who are now better equipped to face the challenges of the summer cropping season and contribute to the nation’s food security. With the harvest dates approaching—November for groundnuts and December for sorghum—the initiative is on track to significantly enhance food production in the region, providing a lifeline to thousands of farmers such as Fatima and Hamid.

Packing improved sorghum seeds for delivery to farmers as part of the SFSI in New Halfa. (Photo credit: Suliman Fadlalla/CIMMYT)

CIMMYT calls for direct agricultural investment to address Sudan’s food crisis

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on June 26, 2024. Posted in Press releases.

Nairobi, Kenya — 26 June 2024 — CIMMYT calls upon the global community to take immediate and decisive action to address the worsening food crisis in Sudan. As the country teeters on the brink of a famine that could surpass the devastating Ethiopian famine of the 1980s, CIMMYT emphasizes the critical need for both emergency food aid and long-term investment in Sudanese agriculture.

Urgent humanitarian needs and long-term solutions

Recent reports indicate that the ongoing civil war in Sudan has created the world’s most severe humanitarian crisis, with millions of people facing acute food shortages due to the impact of climate change, blocked aid deliveries, failing agricultural systems and infrastructure, and continued conflict. In response, CIMMYT highlights the necessity of balancing emergency aid with sustainable agricultural development to prevent recurring food crises.

“The escalating food crisis in Sudan demands not only immediate emergency assistance but also strategic investment in the country’s agricultural sector to ensure food security and stability,” said Director General of CIMMYT, Bram Govaerts. “We must break away from the aid-dependency model and support Sudanese farmers directly, empowering them to rebuild their livelihoods and contribute to the nation’s recovery as well as todays food availability.”

CIMMYT’s commitment to Sudanese agriculture

CIMMYT, alongside other international organizations and NGOs, has been actively working in Sudan to support farmers and improve agricultural productivity as part of the Sustainable Agrifoods Systems Approach to Sudan (SASAS) project in collaboration with USAID. With the outbreak of the civil war, SASAS has pivoted to be acutely focused on interventions that support and underpin food security in Sudan, with 13 partners operating across 7 States as the largest operating consortium on-the-ground in the country. Activities range from the provision of improved seeds and agricultural technologies to vaccination campaigns and community resource (water, land) management.

Investing in agricultural resilience

CIMMYT’s initiatives have shown significant impact, even amidst conflict. For example, the Al Etihad women-led farmer cooperative in South Kordofan has empowered its members to improve their production and incomes through collective resource management, training on best practice farming techniques, provision of agricultural inputs, and structured business planning. This cooperative model is essential for building resilience and ensuring food security in Sudanese communities.

“Sudan’s need for food assistance is growing exponentially, but donors have provided only 3.5 percent of requested aid. This gets the story backwards. Food insecurity is at the root of many conflicts. Peace remains elusive without well-functioning agricultural systems, and it is unreasonable to expect viable agricultural production without peace,” Govaerts stated.

Call for global action

CIMMYT urges the international community to –

Increase funding: Support the UN humanitarian appeal for Sudan, which has received only 16% of the necessary funds.
Facilitate aid deliveries: Press all parties in the conflict to allow unobstructed humanitarian access, particularly through critical routes such as the Adré crossing from Chad.
Invest in agriculture: Commit to immediate agricultural development by supporting Sudanese farmers with training, resources, and infrastructure improvements so they can produce locally the needed food.
Do not forget: It is easy to overlook the war in Sudan with more publicized conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine. Leaders must continue to highlight the challenges Sudan faces and the global reverberation of their precarious food security situation.

A path forward

The confluence of conflict, climate change, and economic instability has overwhelmed Sudan. However, by investing directly in the country’s agricultural sector, the international community can help break the cycle of crisis, fostering economic activity and political stability. Let us not forget, no food without peace and you cannot build peace on empty stomachs, so no peace without food.

About CIMMYT

CIMMYT is a cutting-edge, non-profit, international organization dedicated to solving tomorrow’s problems today. It is entrusted with fostering improved quantity, quality, and dependability of production systems and basic cereals such as maize, wheat, triticale, sorghum, millets, and associated crops through applied agricultural science, particularly in the Global South, through building strong partnerships. This combination enhances the livelihood trajectories and resilience of millions of resource-poor farmers while working towards a more productive, inclusive, and resilient agrifood system within planetary boundaries.

Media Contact: Jelle Boone
Head of Communications, CIMMYT
Email: j.boone@cgiar.org
Mobile: +52 595 124 7241

For more information about CIMMYT’s work in Sudan and other initiatives, please visit staging.cimmyt.org.

Sudan: Catastrophic hunger amid conflict creates a crisis of instability across northeast Africa

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on June 18, 2024. Posted in Blogs, Director General's corner.

Children walk to their shelter at an IDP camp near El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, Sudan. (Photo: Shehzad Noorani/UNICEF)

Sudan, the third largest country in Africa, is on the verge of a food crisis of epic proportions. Since the outbreak of civil war in April 2023, the country has descended rapidly into political upheaval, severe economic contraction, extreme social unrest, and rampant violence.

In addition to the estimated 13,000-15,000 people killed and 33,000 injured, some 6.3 million people have been internally displaced and more than 1.7 million have crossed into neighboring countries as refugees. Many are women and children.

The United Nations considers this the largest child displacement crisis in the world. About 25 million people urgently require food assistance, including more than 14 million children. Acute food insecurity is affecting 18 million people, or 37 percent of the population, with another 10 percent in emergency conditions.

News stories are dominated by reports of violent clashes and political maneuverings. So far, coverage of food insecurity has been scant. As is often the case, this topic seems to only get traction when there is outright famine.

This gets the story backwards. Food insecurity is at the root of many conflicts. Moreover, peace remains elusive without well-functioning agricultural systems, and it is unreasonable to expect viable agricultural production without peace.

Anticipating significantly reduced harvests in Sudan, UN agencies are projecting 50-100 percent price hikes for staple grains over the coming months. Following a doubling in food price over the previous two years, Sudan’s need for food aid will grow exponentially, while logistical barriers to humanitarian operations are getting harder to overcome.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) has called for peace-building, unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief, and agricultural livelihood support. And the World Food Program warns that without substantial intervention, catastrophic hunger is likely to prevail in conflict hotspots by next year’s lean season.

Most of Sudan’s 45 million people rely on farming for their livelihoods. Yet only 3.5 percent of requested donor funding for the 2024 Sudan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan has been provided.

With more frequent and severe droughts and floods degrading agricultural productivity, the income and food security of farming families has become more precarious over recent decades. Concurrent erosion in governance and social protection systems accelerates a vicious cycle of vulnerability, social tension, and maladaptive coping strategies.

In already fragile agricultural areas, displacement of millions of people is severely impacting the agriculture sector, disrupting input supply and agricultural services and limiting labor availability. Producers, input suppliers, processors, and traders all struggle to operate with communication systems interrupted by conflict preventing normal commercial transactions and movement of produce.

Just five years ago, Sudan’s agri-food sector contributed 32 percent to total GDP. In 2023, the country has seen a 20 percent drop in agricultural GDP and employment. If no preventive action is taken this year, an estimated 1.8 million more people will fall into poverty amid the ongoing conflict.

With significant untapped agroecological potential, Sudan’s economic and political stability depends on a transition to productive and climate-resilient agriculture. But this demands investment in farm management capacity, improved use of inputs and irrigation, and increased access to markets and finance, as well as viable governance of rural infrastructure and natural resources. The situation in Sudan is especially challenging given the weakened state of agricultural supply chains and the extension system, the two backbones of the agricultural sector.

To boost food supplies and prevent depletion of productive assets, international organizations are working to provide Sudanese farmers with high-quality seeds, agrochemicals, livestock vaccines, and fuel on an emergency basis. The situation requires the sustained presence of support agencies.

However, the blanket economic embargo placed on Sudan has made it difficult, if not impossible, for local development agencies to access project funds vital for saving lives and sustaining livelihoods.

Extreme uncertainty in conflict zones hampers interventions designed to reduce dependency on food aid and increase the resilience of local farming systems. By sharing knowledge resources, foresight capabilities, and decision frameworks, partner organizations can better anticipate and reduce human suffering and disaster relief costs.

Sudan is facing a complex emergency, which may lead to state failure, mass migration, resource conflicts, and starvation, triggering waves that would be felt across all of northeastern Africa. Sudan is too big to fail.

Climate-resilient agricultural livelihoods are the engine of food security and social stability. This cannot be achieved in one or two years, so the global community must have long-term aspirations to support the transformation of agrifood systems in Sudan.

We need to adapt our strategies to build resilience before, during, and after periods of conflict. By reducing poverty, in-country inequality, and other societal drivers, increased agricultural resilience can help mitigate and moderate conflict.

The victims of the current conflict have no political capital and may have little idea why the warring sides took up arms. To relieve the extreme suffering in Sudan, it is the responsibility of the international community to marshal the political will to achieve a negotiated truce and a sustained ceasefire.

Women farmers enhance agricultural production in conflict-torn Sudan

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on April 30, 2024. Posted in Blogs.

Women farmers show their harvested vegetables, Kassala, East Sudan. (Photo: CIMMYT)

The ongoing conflict in Sudan continues to contribute to a food crisis threatening the lives of over 18 million people. Farmers, especially smallholders and vulnerable women, are facing extraordinary challenges in obtaining needed agricultural inputs, and access to markets is diminishing.

In Kassala State, East Sudan, which hosts hundreds of thousands of people displaced by ongoing armed conflict including Ethiopian and Eritrean refugees, the USAID-funded Sustainable Agrifood Systems Approach for Sudan (SASAS) is working with women farmers to prepare and safeguard the upcoming growing season. This work is critical to help meet the unprecedented demand for vegetables in the region and achieve sustainable development goals.

“At SASAS, we are working to empower women farmers, especially those who lost their traditional livelihood resources, and help them to acquire skills and techniques to increase their agricultural production to help improve food security,” said Abdelrahman Kheir, SASAS chief of party in Sudan.

Women farmers participate in a training on vegetable growing, Kassala, East Sudan. (Photo: CIMMYT)

SASAS works with the El-Haram Agricultural Cooperative, a women-led farmers group, based in Kassala, to help increase vegetable production. SASAS trains El-Haram Agricultural Cooperative members on modern agricultural techniques, irrigation techniques, pest control, and organic fertilizers to increase crop yields.

“SASAS trained us on new ploughing and land preparation techniques, which we never used before and then provided us with improved seeds of okra, tomato, chili, and mallow, and encouraged us to use legumes as organic fertilizers,” said Imtithal Atta, a farmer from the Alsawagi neighborhood in Kassala. “In the past, I used to buy vegetable seeds from the local market, but they grow poorly. The improved seeds given by SASAS are germinating extremely well. My income has doubled; I almost made $250 from my first harvest of vegetables.”

The ongoing conflict has interrupted traditional livelihood activities in many regions. In some areas, farmers missed the harvest, leading to a dramatic reduction in agricultural production and debilitating price increases for cereals and vegetables. SASAS is helping to restore agricultural production in key growing regions by ensuring farmers have timely access to necessary production inputs, including fertilizer and climate-adapted seeds.

SASAS staff examine the germination of vegetables in women-led farms, Kassala, East Sudan. (Photo: CIMMYT)

“For years, I have worked tirelessly on my family’s farm, season after season, without earning a good income, and I was not sure what was wrong. Luckily, this cultivation season, SASAS trained us on new ploughing techniques to better prepare the land for cultivation, using organic fertilizers to enrich the soil and offering us improved vegetable seeds,” said Fatima Ahmed, a woman farmer and a mother of three children from the El-Haram Agricultural Cooperative.

“Thanks to SASAS, both the quality and the quantity of my agricultural products have greatly improved. I am so happy that I got some good money from my vegetables. I feel empowered and now I can have a strong voice within my community. I am more confident and gained the courage to participate in important decision-making processes within my family and express my opinions without fear,” said Ahmed.

A critical part of SASAS are efforts to diversify food production in Kassala, where malnutrition among children under 5 years old, and breastfeeding, lactating, and pregnant women, are prevalent.

Women farmers process their onions, Kassala, East Sudan. (Photo: CIMMYT)

“I used to go to the main market in town to get my daily needs from vegetables, but now I buy what I need from women farmers closer to my home. They are selling me fresh vegetables at a good price. The taste of the vegetables is quite fresh and healthy, this is something I have been missing for a long time,” said Hanan, a resident of Alswagi.

“The vegetables produced by members of the El-Haram Agricultural Cooperative has led to an increased supply in the local market. I buy vegetables from women farmers and sell them here in the neighborhood market. This has cut my transportation cost as I used to buy vegetables from markets a long distance away,” said Osman, vegetables trader, also in Alswagi.

Explore our coverage and analysis of the Russia-Ukraine war and its impact on global food security.

Russia-Ukraine conflict and global food security

Written by Rodrigo Ordóñez on April 4, 2022. Posted in Features.

For the past month, researchers from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) have analyzed the expected impacts of the Russia-Ukraine war on global food security.

The war in Ukraine and the sanctions against Russia will disrupt wheat supply chains, fertilizer exports and other components of food systems. Their combined effect, along with other factors, could unchain a major food security crisis as well as increased inequality.

Explore our analysis and coverage on major media outlets and journals. To get in touch with our experts, please contact the media team.

CIMMYT scientists have also made available a summary of key facts and figures about the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on wheat supply (PowerPoint, 32MB): changing patterns of consumption and effect on food prices, geographic export supply concentration, global wheat imports, and specific vulnerabilities particularly in the Global South.

Another food crisis?

The Russia-Ukraine conflict will cause massive disruptions to global wheat supply and food security. Agricultural research investments are the basis of resilient agri-food systems and a food-secure future.

Broken bread — avert global wheat crisis caused by invasion of Ukraine

War highlights the fragility of the global food supply — sustained investment is needed to feed the world in a changing climate, Alison Bentley explains on Nature.

Food is just as vital as oil to national security

A new Bloomberg op-ed urges nations to steer more money to organizations like CIMMYT that are advancing crucial research on how to grow more resilient wheat and maize crops in regions that are becoming steadily less arable.

What price wheat?

Crisis in Ukraine underscores the need for long-term solutions for global food security, Alison Bentley and Jason Donovan explain.

Multiple breadbasket failures: Nations must address looming food emergencies

The war in Ukraine, coupled with weather-related disruptions in the world’s major grain-producing regions, could unleash unbearable humanitarian consequences, civil unrest, and major financial losses worldwide, say Sharon E. Burke (Ecospherics) and Bram Govaerts (CIMMYT) on The Boston Globe.

Multiple breadbasket failures: Nations must address looming food emergencies

Written by Bea Ciordia on March 28, 2022. Posted in In the media.

The war in Ukraine, coupled with weather-related disruptions in the world’s major grain-producing regions, could unleash unbearable waves of displacement, humanitarian consequences, civil unrest, major financial losses worldwide, and geopolitical fragility, says Bram Govaerts, DG of CIMMYT, in a Boston Globe op-ed.

Drone shot of wheat trials at CIMMYT global headquarters in Texcoco, Mexico. (Photo: Alfonso Cortés/CIMMYT)

Another food crisis?

Written by Rodrigo Ordóñez on March 23, 2022. Posted in Blogs.

Mature wheat spikes. (Photo: Alfonso Cortés/CIMMYT)

The impacts of the Ukraine crisis are likely to reverberate over months, if not years, to come. If the reductions in wheat exports from Russia and Ukraine are as severe as anticipated, global supplies of wheat will be seriously constrained. If a major reduction in fertilizer exports comes to pass, the resulting drop in global productivity will tighten global markets for wheat, other grains and alternate food sources — leaving vulnerable people all over the world facing higher food prices, hunger and malnutrition.

These massive disruptions will erode modest progress made toward gender equality, biodiversity conservation and dietary diversification. The severe impact of this single shock shows the underlying fragility and complexity of our agri-food systems. Climate change will bring many more.

The world must take essential actions to mitigate food shocks, stabilize local wheat supplies and transition toward agri-food system resilience, from the current efficiency-driven model. We call for large and sustained agricultural research investments as a foundational element of any viable, food-secure future.

From chronic challenges to food crisis conditions

Global wheat production for export is geographically concentrated, placing inherent vulnerabilities on the global system. Dominance of the wheat export trade by a relatively small number of countries makes sense under an efficiency paradigm, but it opens the door to price spikes and food-related crises. At the same time, biophysical vulnerability of major global breadbaskets is on the rise as drought and other weather extremes increase volatility in cereal yields, exports and prices.

Russia and Ukraine produce 28% of the world’s total wheat exports and Russia is a globally important source of fuel and fertilizer. With over 2.5 billion people worldwide consuming wheat-based products and wheat futures at their highest levels since 2012, disrupted exports from Russia and Ukraine would usher in substantial new pressures on global wheat markets and tremendous risks for vulnerable populations around the world.

Dependence on wheat imports from Russia and Ukraine imperils food security in lower- and middle-income countries in North Africa and the Middle East (Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Yemen), the Mediterranean (Azerbaijan, Turkey), sub-Saharan Africa (Nigeria, Sudan), Southern Asia (Bangladesh, Pakistan) and throughout Southeast Asia. Globally elevated food prices will hit hardest in those countries already struggling with food insecurity.

Layered onto the existing concentration of wheat-exporting countries and the climate-induced vulnerabilities in essential global breadbaskets, the crisis in Ukraine and trade sanctions on Russia are triggering a level of volatility that could easily overwhelm existing mitigation mechanisms. We may well see a range of negative effects over the short, medium and long term, including:

Severe food insecurity and economic impacts due to reduced global wheat supplies and price increases affecting all wheat-importing countries and humanitarian agencies.
Diminished global grain productivity due to fertilizer supply limitations and price escalation, especially in low-income, fertilizer-import-dependent countries.
Higher food prices and expanded global hunger and malnutrition as a result of tighter fuel supplies driving up costs of agricultural production.
Pressure on household budgets negatively affecting nutrition, health, education and gender equity.

The employee of an Ethiopian seed association smiles as bags of wheat seed are ready to be distributed. (Photo: Gerardo Mejía/CIMMYT)

Stabilize while building resilience

With these multi-layered challenges in view, we propose essential actions to mitigate near-term food security crises, to stabilize wheat supply and to concurrently transition toward agri-food system resilience.

Without doubt, the world’s top priority must be to mitigate food security crises at our doorstep. This will involve boosting wheat production through expanded acreage (e.g. in high-performing systems in the Global North) and closing yield gaps (e.g. improved management and value chains of rainfed, wheat-based systems in the Global South) using policy incentives such as price guarantees and subsidized agricultural inputs. Short-term food insecurity can also be addressed through demand-side management (e.g. market controls to conserve grain stocks for human consumption; use of lower-cost flour blends) and de-risking alternative sourcing (e.g. trade agreements).

As these actions are taken, a range of strategies can simultaneously drive toward more resilient wheat supply at local to global scales. Well-functioning seed systems, demand-driven agronomic support and other elements of wheat self-reliance can be encouraged through shifts in local policy, regulatory and sectoral contexts. Enhanced monitoring capacity can track spatial patterns in wheat cropping, including expansion into areas where comparative advantage for wheat production (e.g. agro-ecological suitability; supporting infrastructure) has been identified in rural development frameworks and national plans (e.g. as a double crop in Ethiopian midlands). In addition to enabling yield forecasts, surveillance systems are critical to phytosanitary control of geographically restricted pathogens under altered wheat trade routes.

Yet, these steps to mitigate food shocks and stabilize local wheat supplies will not adequately protect the world from climate-related biophysical risks to food and nutritional security. In parallel, a transition toward agri-food system resilience requires transformative investments in agricultural diversification, sustainable natural resource management and low-greenhouse-gas agroecosystems, as well as meaningful actions toward achieving gender equality, nutritional sufficiency and livelihood security.

Sustained research & development for a food-secure future

None of the critical actions described above are guaranteed given the oscillating global investment in agricultural research. Enabled by decades of agricultural research, the world has managed to constrain the number and severity of food security crises through major gains in agricultural productivity.

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), the global international wheat research Center of the CGIAR, has been working tirelessly to maintain wheat harvests around the world in the face of mounting disease pressures and climate challenges. The estimated benefit-cost ratio for wheat improvement research ranges from 73:1 to 103:1. Yet, research funding only rises when food crises occur, revealing the globalized risks of our highly interconnected agri-food systems, and then tapers as memories fade.

With limited resources, scientists around the world are attacking the complex challenge of increasing agricultural yields and ensuring stable, equitable food supplies. Receiving only about 2% of international agricultural research funding over time, CIMMYT and the entire CGIAR have had limited ability to develop the long-term research capabilities that could mitigate or prevent short-term emergencies with medium- to long-term effects.

Responding to the mounting pressures on deeply complex agri-food systems requires integrative solutions that allow farmers and other agri-food stakeholders to mitigate and withstand shocks and to achieve viable livelihoods. Knowledge and technology needs are extensive across production systems (e.g. wheat-legume intercropping; cereals-focused agroecological interventions), value chains (e.g. context-appropriate seed systems; nutrition enhancement through flour blending), monitoring systems (e.g. genomics-based surveillance), and social dimensions (e.g. gender implications of new production and consumption strategies; policy interventions).

Generating such solutions depends on robust, multidisciplinary and transparent research capabilities that fuel the transition to agri-food system resilience. Robust international investment in resilient agricultural systems is an essential condition for national security, global peace and prosperity.

Read the full article (pre-print):
Another food crisis? The Ukraine conflict, global wheat supply and food security

Wheat fields in Ukraine. Photo: tOrange.biz on Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

What price wheat?

Written by Rodrigo Ordóñez on February 28, 2022. Posted in Blogs.

Wheat fields in Ukraine. Photo: <a href="http://www.torange.biz">tOrange.biz</a> on <a href="https://flic.kr/p/k6WPqM">Flickr</a> (<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">CC BY 2.0</a>) — Wheat fields in Ukraine. Photo: tOrange.biz on Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

When wheat prices rise, so do global food prices, along with conflict, inequality and instability. Over the past two decades, the world has witnessed multiple crises erupt over the social and political instability caused by rising costs for staple cereals. The global food crisis that impacted many parts of the world in 2007–2008 was a response, in part, to the prices for wheat and rice which had increased 130% and 70%, respectively, compared to the year before. More recently, spikes in grain prices catalyzed the 2011 Arab Spring.

With the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the resulting longer-term disruptions of the country’s rural economy, there is potential for another round of turmoil linked to prices for staple cereals.

Ukraine is a breadbasket for the world, with 57% of its land area arable for agriculture. Wheat production in the country increased roughly 10%, on average, between 2000 and 2020. In 2022, Ukraine ranked as the fifth largest wheat exporter globally, exporting $3.59 billion of wheat.

Today, global wheat prices are at their highest levels since 2012: $9 per bushel, based on data from the Chicago Board of Trade.

Wheat is a staple crop, essential to food security. It is consumed by over 2.5 billion people worldwide, including large proportions of the populations of many food-insecure regions in the world. Many of the wheat-consuming countries in these regions are far from wheat self-sufficient, relying on global imports to meet demand. This causes significant vulnerability in food supply and increases associated humanitarian risks. In 2019, important quantities of Ukrainian wheat were exported to low- and middle-income countries in North Africa and the Middle East. Although the impacts of current price increases are anticipated to be short-term, they are likely to be inequitably felt, as not all buyers are able to pay higher prices.

There are over 6 million hectares of wheat planted in farmers’ fields across Ukraine that will be due for harvest in June and July of 2022. The length and depth of the current crisis has potential implications for the fate of this in-field crop, and for its subsequent harvest and global distribution. Likewise, sanctions and trading restrictions on Russia, the world’s largest wheat exporter — exporting $7.92 billion of wheat in 2020 — are likely to place added pressure on international wheat markets. This comes at a time of rising costs in agriculture, including the soaring price of nitrogen fertilizer and increasing fuel and supply chain costs. The gap between supply and demand is also becoming wider with climatic instability — such as drought conditions — hitting both domestic production and export stocks in several countries.

Rising prices for staple cereals have historically led to instability, particularly in fragile regions where food security is low. The impacts of current high wheat prices are likely to be felt most significantly by populations in the Global South who rely on wheat imports.

The potential humanitarian crisis beyond the borders of the current conflict needs to be addressed to avoid deepening global divisions in equality of access to food. In the case of wheat, long-term solutions will require much higher levels of investment, coordination and cooperation between governments, development organizations and agro-industry. Without doubt, part of the solution lies in increasing wheat productivity and profitability in food-insecure regions where wheat has traditionally been grown, as well as supporting the expansion of wheat production into climatically suitable areas in countries which have traditionally relied on imports to meet local demand.

Dorine Akoth, a smallholder demo plot farmer in Gulu, northern Uganda, shows a maize plant on her plot on which she has planted several varieties that have passed through CIMMYT’s breeding pipeline. (Photo: Joshua Masinde/CIMMYT)

Seeds of hope

Written by Rodrigo Ordóñez on November 15, 2019. Posted in Features. 1 Comment on Seeds of hope

Seed of drought-tolerant maize developed through long-running global and local partnerships in Africa is improving nutrition and food security in northern Uganda, a region beset by conflicts and unpredictable rainfall.

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) has been working with Uganda’s National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) and local seed companies to develop and disseminate maize seed of improved stress-tolerant varieties. Under the Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) and the Stress Tolerant Maize for Africa (STMA) projects, farmers are now using varieties such as the UH5051 hybrid, known locally as Gagawala, meaning “get rich.”

For two decades, most of the population in northern Uganda has lived in internally displaced people’s camps and depended on food aid and other relief emergencies for their livelihoods due to the insurgency by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).

Gulu, one of the affected districts, has been on a path to recovery for the past few years. With the prevailing peace, Geoffrey Ochieng’ and his wife can now safely till their 4.5 acres of land to grow maize and other staples. They are able to feed their family and sell produce to meet other household needs.

However, farmers in this region, bordering South Sudan, are facing more erratic rains and the uncertain onset of rainfall. Thanks to new drought-tolerant and disease-resistant maize varieties, the Ochieng’ family can adapt to this variable climate and secure a good maize harvest even in unreliable seasons.

Geoffrey Ochieng’, a smallholder farmer from northern Uganda. He plants the UH5051 variety on his land. (Photo: Joshua Masinde/CIMMYT)

Tolerance is key

“The popularity of this drought-tolerant variety among the farmers has been growing thanks to its good yield and reliability even with poor rains and its resistance to common foliar diseases like northern corn leaf blight and gray leaf spot, plus good resistance to the maize streak virus,” explained Daniel Bomet, a NARO maize breeder. “Maturing in slightly over four months, Gagawala can produce two to three maize cobs, which appeals to farmers.”

Ochieng’ has been planting UH5051 maize since 2015. Before adopting the new hybrid, Ochieng’ was growing Longe 5, a popular open-pollinated variety that is less productive and not very disease-resistant.

“What I like about UH5051 is that even with low moisture stress, it will grow and I will harvest something,” Ochieng’ said. Under optimal conditions, he harvests about 1.2 metric tons of maize grain on one acre of UH5051 hybrid.

With the old Longe 5 variety, he would only harvest 700 kg. “If the rains were delayed or it didn’t rain a lot, I would be lucky to get 400 kg per acre with the Longe 5, while I get twice as much with the hybrid,” Ochieng’ explained.

Thanks to this tolerant maize variety, he can pay his children’s school fees and provide some surplus grain to his relatives.

A worker at the Equator Seeds production plant in Gulu displays packs of UH5051 maize seed. (Photo: Joshua Masinde/CIMMYT)

Out with the old, in with the new

“One key strategy to improve our farmers’ livelihoods in northern Uganda is to gradually replace old varieties with new varieties that can better cope with the changing climate and problematic pests and diseases,” said Godfrey Asea, the director of the National Crops Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI) at NARO. “Longe 5 for instance, has been marketed for over 14 years. It has done its part and it needs to give way to new improved varieties like UH5051.”

The Gulu-based company Equator Seeds has been at the core of the agricultural transformation in northern Uganda. From 70 metrics tons of seed produced when it started operations in 2012, the company reached an annual capacity of about 7,000 to 10,000 metric tons of certified seed of different crops in 2018. Working with dedicated out-growers such as Anthony Okello, who has a 40-acre piece of land, and 51 farmer cooperatives comprising smallholder farmers, Equator Seeds produces seed of open-pollinated hybrid maize and other crops, which reaches farmers through a network of 380 agro-dealers.

“80% of farmers in northern Uganda still use farm-saved or recycled seed, which we consider to be our biggest competitor,” Tonny Okello, CEO of Equator Seeds remarked. “Currently, about 60% of our sales are in maize seed. This share should increase to 70% by 2021. We plan to recruit more agro-dealers, establish more demonstration farms, mostly for the hybrids, to encourage more farmers to adopt our high yielding resilient varieties.”

The two-decade unrest discouraged seed companies from venturing into northern Uganda but now they see its huge potential. “We have received tremendous support from the government, non-governmental organizations, UN and humanitarian agencies for buying seed from us and distributing it to farmers in northern Uganda and South Sudan, to aid their recovery,” Okello said.

Godfrey Asea (right), director of the National Crops Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI), and Uganda’s National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) maize breeder, Daniel Bomet, visit an improved maize plot at NARO’s Kigumba Station, in central Uganda. (Photo: Joshua Masinde/CIMMYT)

Social impact

The Ugandan seed sector is dynamic thanks to efficient public-private partnerships. While NARO develops and tests new parental lines and hybrids in their research facilities, they have now ventured into seed production and processing at their 2,000-acre Kigumba Farm in western Uganda through NARO Holdings, their commercial arm.

“Because the demand for improved seed is not always met, NARO Holdings started producing certified seed, but the major focus is on production of early generation seed, which is often a bottleneck for the seed sector,” Asea said.

Aniku Bernard, Farm Manager, examines a maize cob at the foundation seed farm located inside the Lugore Prison premises. (Photo: Joshua Masinde/CIMMYT)

Another innovative collaboration has been to work with the Uganda Prisons Service (UPS) establishments to produce maize seed. “When we started this collaboration with UPS, we knew they had some comparative advantages such as vast farmland, ready labor, mechanization equipment and good isolation, which are important for high-quality hybrid maize seed production,” Asea explained. The UPS facility in Lugore, Gulu, which has 978 hectares of land, produces foundation seed of UH5051.

“Prisons offer a big potential to support the growing seed industry,” he said. “Together with CIMMYT, we should build further the capacity of UPS to produce foundation and certified seeds. It provides much-needed income for the institutions. The inmates, in addition to being remunerated for farm labor, are engaged in positive outdoor impactful activities. This skill is helpful for their future reintegration in the society.”