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Tag: food security

Nane Nane fair in Tanzania showcases agricultural innovation and collaboration

Written by dmedina on . Posted in News.

Partners at the AID-I exhibition booth (Photo: CIMMYT)

In Tanzania, the first week of August is all about agriculture. From August 1 to 8, agricultural fairs, also known as Nane Nane fairs, are held all over the country to recognize the contribution of farmers to the national economy. ‘Nane Nane’ in the local language means ‘eight eight,’ referring to August 8, which is celebrated as Farmers Day in the country.

Organized by the Agricultural Society of Tanzania, these fairs serve as a landmark event for agricultural stakeholders across the region. This year, the 31st edition of the fair was organized at the Nzuguni grounds in Dodoma. It saw 500 exhibitors, including smallholder farmers, agricultural enterprises, public and private sector entities, and government officials.

Themed ‘Embrace Visionary Leadership for Agricultural Transformation,’ the event emphasized the need for leadership commitment to sustainable agriculture, while highlighting the critical role of agriculture in Tanzania’s economic growth and food security.

The Southern Africa Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative (AID-I), funded by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by CIMMYT, along with several partners, played a prominent role at this year’s fair. In addition to raising awareness of the innovative work being done, the fair provided a platform for AID-I and its partners to showcase a range of innovative agricultural technologies designed to address the specific needs of Tanzanian farmers. The event also enabled AID-I and its partners to interact directly with farmers and entrepreneurs, resulting in valuable feedback. 

Celebrating the Success of AID-I Beneficiaries at Nane Nane

 

The Nane Nane fair was more than just a display of agricultural technologies. It was also a celebration of the successes of local entrepreneurs who had benefited from AID-I’s support.

Among them was Sarah Mashauri, an entrepreneur from the Tabora region, who ventured into the business world by producing and selling maize flour, both wholesale and retail. Starting with only one sack of maize and a loan of 100,000 Tanzanian shillings (approximately US$36), Sarah faced numerous obstacles, including regulatory challenges that resulted in the Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority confiscating her items. The AID-I project recognized her potential and resilience. She was equipped with a milling and dehulling machine, which significantly improved her business. “Before the AID-I project came into my life, I was struggling on my own,” she said. “The support, coupled with the extensive training they provided, enabled me to scale up my operations. I went from employing seven people to 35, and my business expanded significantly. I am now able to source raw materials easily from small-scale farmers, thanks to the networks and training provided by AID-I.”

Agatha Laiza, managing director of Seasoning Palate, a food products company operating under the brand name Tobi Product in Dar es Salaam, is another entrepreneur who benefited from AID-I’s support. Agatha specializes in peanut butter, crunchy nuts, and peanut oil. Her journey began in 1996 with a focus on food product processing. She later realized the potential in peanut production and shifted to adding value to peanuts, while also addressing the critical issue of aflatoxin contamination. With support from AID-I, Agatha was able to build solar dryers for farmers and provide them with high-quality seeds, significantly reducing the risk of aflatoxin in their crops. “The support from USAID, CIMMYT, and AID-I has been invaluable,” Agatha said. “They have helped us build confidence among our farmers, reducing ground nut loss and ensuring safe, quality produce. Our factory, which can process up to three tons of peanuts daily, now operates more efficiently and our products are safer and more reliable.”

Aithan Chaula, executive director of the Dodoma Agriculture Seed Production Association (DASPA), also benefited from the AID-I project’s support. Since beginning pigeon pea production in 2022, DASPA saw substantial growth in demand for pigeon pea seeds, partnering with ALSSEM, a local seed production company.

DASPA expanded its operations to produce quality declared seeds (QDS) and certified seeds, catering to a growing market. Aithan attributed their success to the strategic support from AID-I and partnerships with organizations such as CIMMYT and ALSSEM. “The collaboration allowed us to expand our production capabilities and reach more farmers across various regions,” he said. DASPA is currently working with approximately 20,000 farmers and plans to increase this number by distributing small seed packs and conducting field demonstrations.

“This year at Nane Nane, we were able to distribute small packs of pigeon pea seeds to approximately 1,200 farmers to plant and farm,” said Aithan. “This effort, supported by AID-I, ensures that pigeon pea cultivation becomes well-known and widely adopted by farmers, contributing to both food security and income generation.”

The U.SA Ambassador to Tanzania interacting with exhibitors at the AID-I exhibition booth (Photo: CIMMYT)

Dr. Michael A. Battle Sr., the United States Ambassador to Tanzania, paid a visit to the AID-I exhibition booth. He engaged with AID-I representatives and the exhibitors, praising their innovative efforts to advance climate-smart agriculture and enhance food security. “It’s a joy to be participating in Nane Nane, particularly because USAID is interested in assisting Tanzania not only to become food secure but also to help with East Africa’s food security and ultimately the continent’s food security,” said Ambassador Battle Sr. He added that it was fulfilling to see the entire value chain of agriculture and agribusiness involving young people and old people engaged in the process of making Tanzania wealthier and more food secure.

For AID-I and its partners, the fair was a crucial opportunity to highlight ongoing initiatives and foster new partnerships. Peter Setimela, the Legume Seed Systems lead for AID-I, emphasized the importance of such events. “Our work in accelerating innovative technologies and ensuring they reach the farmers is reliant on strong partnerships. We bring these technologies to farmers by strengthening local seed systems, connecting farmers to financial services and products, and providing advisory services,” he said.

U.S. Pledges $5M for Guatemala Food Security Initiative

Written by dmedina on . Posted in In the media, News.

At the UN General Assembly, the U.S. Department of State announced $5 million in food security assistance to advance the Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils initiative in Guatemala. Co-led by CIMMYT and FAO, it aims to enhance sustainable agriculture through innovative practices that improve soil health and crop diversity. This initiative, part of the U.S. Feed the Future program, will strengthen resilience to climate change and support Guatemala’s agricultural sector, directly benefiting the 1.6 million people dependent on farming. CIMMYT’s leadership ensures scientific expertise in crop and soil management is central to addressing food insecurity and malnutrition in the region.

Read the full story.

Harnessing the benefits of commercial agriculture

Written by dmedina on . Posted in Blogs.

Rajendra in the maize field (Photo: Deepa Woli, CIMMYT)

Rajendra Kathariya, a 41-year-old resident of Joshipur-2 in Kailali district, far-west of Kathmandu, has transformed his life and that of his family of five through commercial agriculture. Despite many challenges, Rajendra has remained committed to achieving financial sustainability through enhanced farming practices. Over the last two years, his partnership with Nepal Seed and Fertilizer (NSAF) and CIMMYT, in collaboration with Nisrau Multipurpose Cooperative, a partner cooperative of NSAF, has been instrumental in his success. 

Moving from traditional to modern farming

Previously, Rajendra cultivated cereal crops using traditional methods which often led to food crises for his family. However, he has now shifted to cultivating various crops throughout the year using modern farming techniques on his 1.02 ha of land and an additional 2.71 ha which he has leased. 

“Before NSAF’s support, we only cultivated two crops per year. Now we harvest three crops and are considering commercial maize production,” Rajendra said. 

Remarkable achievements in crop production

Last year, Rajendra cultivated rice on 3.72 ha, yielding 8.8 metric tons (t) worth NPR 250,000 (US $1,880.71). Similarly, he sold 3.8t of spring maize from 1.35 ha, earning NPR 110,000 (US $827.51). This year, he expanded maize cultivation to 2.03 ha, with an expected income of NPR 200,000 (US $1,504.57). His potato crop yielded 5.5t worth NPR 125,000 (US $940.35), with an additional 5.5t stored for future sale. 

In addition to crops, Rajendra has established a pig farm, earning NPR 400,000 (US $3,009.13) in 2023 from selling pigs. He received a feed-making machine for pigs from NSAF, under its support to agribusiness Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).  

Embracing modern technology and techniques

Rajendra uses both organic and chemical fertilizers and follows improved farming techniques such as hybrid seeds, line sowing, and machinery use. He owns a mini tiller and rents other machinery as needed. This year, with support from NSAF, he used a drone to spray fertilizer on his spring maize, significantly reducing labor and time. 

“I have viewed videos of drones spraying fertilizer but never imagined it happening on my spring maize land. As a demonstration, 0.57 ha was used for nano urea spraying. The task was completed within five minutes of the drone taking flight. Similarly, I was astonished to learn that a drone can cover 2.02 ha in a mere 20 minutes,” he shared. 

Intercropping and future plans

Rajendra has also implemented intercropping, combining maize with legumes on a 0.10-hectare plot. “Spring maize-legume intercropping is productive and effective for farmers such as me. We can make a profit from legumes, as well as spring maize. I will continue using this practice in the future,” he said. 

Financial investments and community impact

The profits from agriculture have helped Rajendra to manage his household comfortably. He can now provide education for his four children, manage household expenses, and also pay the loan that he had taken for his household expenses. In addition, he recently invested NPR 250,000 (US $1,880.71) to build a new pig shed. He also sells his produce in local markets at Joshipur, Kailali.  

“I have travelled a long way from being a subsistence farmer to engaging in commercial farming. This shift from traditional to improved farming technologies has been made possible with the support of NSAF/CIMMYT. I am grateful for their assistance and encouragement,” Rajendra said. 

Vision for sustainability

Rajendra’s story reflects his dedication and hard work. “I was working as a daily wage laborer in India, hoping to secure a promising future for my children. Today, I can achieve complete sustainability through agriculture and provide quality education and a better life for my children,” he shared. 

Drone on maize field (Photo: by Shishir Sapkota, CIMMYT)

Innovative Integration of Cutting-Edge AI and Genetic Diversity in Wheat Breeding Revolutionizes Agricultural Practices

Written by dmedina on . Posted in Press releases.

Perth, Australia – September 24, 2024 – Esteemed Professor Matthew Reynolds, Head of Wheat Physiology at CIMMYT, will deliver a pivotal plenary at the International Wheat Congress, centering on enhancing abiotic stress tolerance in wheat through the integration of complex traits by combining cutting-edge artificial intelligence with genetic diversity. This significant session promises to contribute valuable insights towards addressing the pressing global challenge of food security.

Pioneering Research to Future-Proof Wheat

Crop yield depends on a myriad of traits that interact across various dimensions such as growth stage, plant architecture, and growing environment. Until now, the complexity of these interactions has impeded precision breeding for traits like abiotic stress tolerance, input use efficiency, and yield potential. However, recent advancements in AI, remote sensing, and gene sequencing are making more deterministic breeding feasible.

In his presentation, Professor Reynolds will introduce a series of wiring diagrams representing trait interactions over time for wheat. These diagrams, based on empirical data and crop models, will serve as a framework for AI-assisted simulations to explore different breeding strategies. This innovative approach enables the genetic control of complex traits, allowing for more resilient wheat varieties that can withstand environmental stresses.

Collaborative Efforts Driving Innovation

This initiative is a collaboration between CIMMYT, the University of Florida, University of Queensland, and Wageningen University. The goal is to leverage advanced technologies to combine complex genetic traits in wheat, improving its tolerance to drought, heat, and poor soil conditions. This research holds significant promise for farmers worldwide, ensuring stable yields even under challenging growing conditions.

Impact and Benefits
  • Global Food Security: By developing high-yielding, climate-resilient wheat varieties, this research contributes to global food security, particularly benefiting farmers in South Asia and Africa.
  • Environmental Sustainability: Innovative research in Biological Nitrification Inhibition (BNI) addresses nitrogen pollution and enhances nitrogen use efficiency in wheat, contributing to environmental sustainability.
  • Disease Resistance: Advanced breeding techniques are being employed to develop wheat varieties resistant to devastating diseases like wheat rust, protecting yields and ensuring food security.

“By combining cutting-edge AI and genetic diversity, we are future-proofing wheat to thrive in challenging environments,” said Professor Matthew Reynolds.

The session will take place during Plenary Session 4 on Tuesday, September 24, 2024, from 8:30 am to 8:50 am at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre.

About CIMMYT

CIMMYT is a cutting-edge, non-profit, international organization dedicated to solving tomorrow’s problems today. By fostering improved production systems for maize, wheat, and other cereals through applied agricultural science, CIMMYT enhances the livelihoods and resilience of millions of resource-poor farmers while working towards a productive, inclusive, and resilient agrifood system within planetary boundaries.

Contact Information

For more information or interviews:

Jelle Boone

Interim Head of Communications, CIMMYT

Email: j.boone@cgiar.org

Mobile/WhatsApp: +52 595 1247241

Samuel Stacey

Managing Director, Cultivate Communications

Email: samuel@cultivatecomms.com

Mobile/WhatsApp: +61 476 032 852

Empowering women in Zanzibar: the transformative impact of amaranth farming

Written by dmedina on . Posted in Blogs.

Mariam Salim with amaranth grain that is ready to harvest from her vegetable field. (Photo: World Vegetable Centre)

On Pemba Island, part of Tanzania’s Zanzibar archipelago, more women are engaging in vegetable production and value addition, bolstering household nutrition and income security. This movement is significant in areas where modern agricultural technology and awareness of nutrient-rich crops like amaranth—a vegetable high in fiber, protein, and essential micronutrients—are limited.

Mariam Salim, who lives in Mjini Ole village on Pemba Island, is among the women embracing amaranth cultivation. Along with 272 other farmers, 53% of whom are women, she attended a three-day training course on vegetable cultivation and value addition. Funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), through CIMMYT under the Southern Africa Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative (AID-I) project, and implemented by the World Vegetable Center, the training covered good agricultural practices, as well as the cultivation and processing of grain amaranth into flour.

The training equipped Mariam with essential knowledge and skills to enhance her agricultural productivity and livelihood.

Sowing seeds for success

Participants received seed kits containing eight varieties of nutritious traditional African vegetables, including African eggplant, African nightshade, amaranth, cowpea, and Ethiopian mustard. Farming a diverse range of crops supports food security and improves community nutrition.

During the training, Mariam realized the potential of growing grain amaranth for seed production. “I discovered that I could produce my own seeds and amaranth flour,” she said. “This opened up new opportunities for me to take control of my farming practices and increase my self-sufficiency.”

Seed production is a vital part of sustainable agriculture, enabling farmers like Mariam to boost productivity, diversify crops, and adopt climate-smart practices. By venturing into seed production, Mariam not only gained a valuable skill but also contributed to conserving and propagating important crop varieties within her community.

Mariam now sells seeds to other farmers, providing her with a new income source while supporting the broader agricultural community by facilitating access to quality seeds. Since the training in July 2023, Mariam has harvested 150 kg of seeds, selling them per kilogram (kg), earning US $450 and enhancing her household income security.

Healthy choices for communities

As the first woman in her community to undertake such an endeavor, Mariam is inspiring other women to explore new farming and food processing opportunities. Through the AID-I project on Zanzibar Island, more than 500 women have started home gardening to access quality vegetables for family consumption and business purposes, introducing new crop varieties and increasing household vegetable consumption.

This light bulb moment underscores the transformative power of education and knowledge-sharing initiatives under AID-I. By providing farmers with information on vegetable grain production and value addition, the project fosters self-reliance and innovation in sustainable farming practices.

Mariam’s detailed description of her seed production process highlights her dedication to agricultural innovation and community health. “It takes three months to harvest seeds, so I must be patient and committed to nurturing healthy crops,” she said. “I must also be precise in caring for the seeds through harvesting, drying, tapping, and sifting.”

The World Vegetable Center promotes home gardening among women. More than 500 participants actively cultivate and process vegetables into nutrient-dense packs. By growing their own vegetables, these women access nutritious food for their families, generate income from surplus produce, and improve health and well-being within the community.

Mariam Salim’s light bulb moment came during a training session on amaranth grain, where she recognized the potential of producing her own seeds. (Photo: World Vegetable Center)

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

Written by dmedina on . 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)

Driving innovation through digital agriculture: Digital Ag Nepal, 2024

Written by dmedina on . Posted in News.

Stakeholder collaboration to create a coherent digital agriculture framework, an ecosystem to promote digital agriculture, and local government participation emerged as top recommendations to bridge the gap between technology and agriculture during the International Digital Agriculture Forum, Nepal 2024, held in Kathmandu, Nepal.  

The event themed “Innovate, Cultivate, Thrive: Advancing Agriculture with Digital Solutions” brought together global and local stakeholders to explore the transformative potential of digital solutions in Nepal’s agricultural sector.  

The focus on addressing the digital divide in Nepal’s agricultural sector by sharing emerging technologies and innovations, generating research ideas to provide inputs to the upcoming digital agriculture strategy of Nepal National Digital Agriculture Strategy and Action Plan for Nepal, and promoting an inclusive and sustainable transformation in the agriculture and food systems of Nepal. 

Over the course of two days, the event attracted 135 participants, including 11 international experts and 29 national experts and representatives. It was organized by the Nepal Seed and Fertilizer Project (NSAF) and implemented by CIMMYT, with support from the United States Agency for Agriculture Development (USAID) in partnership with Pathway Technologies & Services Pvt Ltd, Seed Innovation Pvt Ltd, and Kathmandu Living Labs Pvt Ltd.

Key highlights from the event  

The forum included keynote presentations, success stories of ICT business practices, and panel discussions with global subject experts, industry leaders, government agencies and local agritech companies. The event also comprised breakout groups for in-depth discussions, and formal and informal networking opportunities. 

In his welcome address, Country Representative for Nepal and Coordinator of NSAF Dyutiman Choudhary highlighted the impact of digital agriculture on Nepalese farmers through the NSAF project. He shared how, in partnership with GeoKrishi and PlantSat, farmers now stay more informed on various issues through mobile app, SMS, IVR, farmer advisory services, and crop insurance.  

The opening session was chaired by Dr. Deepak Kumar Kharal, secretary, agriculture  development, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MoALD). Keynote speeches included a global perspective on digital agriculture by Prof. Athula Ginige from Western Sydney University, and national perspective by Ms. Shabnam Shivakoti, joint secretary MoALD.  

Prof. Ginige presented on “Cultivating Innovation: Transforming Challenges into a Sustainable Digital Agrifood Future.” He highlighted the plight of 719 million smallholder farmers living below the poverty line and stressed the need to use digital opportunities such as IoT, AI, and big data to address challenges of food waste and climate change. He shared his experience in developing mobile platforms to improve the lives of smallholder farmers.  

In her keynote address Shivakoti set the context of Nepal’s digital agriculture and the initiatives undertaken by the government. She highlighted how digital innovations such as virtual agriculture commodity market E-hatbazar, programs such as digital land record maintenance, remote sensing data, and digital apps like GeoKrishi are driving growth in Nepal’s agricultural sector. She also shared details about the draft National Digital Agriculture Strategy.  

Judith Almodovar, acting director of the Economic Growth Office at USAID-Nepal, emphasized the importance of digital tools in enhancing productivity, efficiency and sustainability. She highlighted USAID’s investment through NSAF in digital innovations, such as seed and soil fertility management using digital tools.  

“By leveraging advanced technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), big data analytics, and remote sensing, we can provide real-time insights, improve supply chain management, and increase farmers’ resilience to climate shocks,” she said.  

The forum featured three technical sessions: innovations in digital agriculture; digital agriculture in action—policies and practices and; rapid fire presentations by seven Nepalese digital ag companies. Additionally, six local digital start-up companies displayed their products.  

The closing session was chaired by Dr. Narahari Prasad Ghimire, director general of the Department of Agriculture, while Dr. Rajendra Prasad Mishra, secretary of Livestock Development, was invited as chief guest. 

Recommendations from the forum  

The discussions and deliberations led to a series of recommendations primary among which were the importance of stakeholder collaboration to create a cohesive digital agriculture framework and developing partnerships and ecosystems to support digital agriculture, including data governance and personalized advisory services for farmers. Participants also emphasized that local governments must be encouraged to lead agricultural digitization initiatives, including staff training and adopting IoT-based intelligent irrigation systems, sensor-based drip irrigation, and drone technology for monitoring crops and livestock. Digital input certification and QR-based agri-input verification (seed, breed, saplings, and fertilizer) tracking systems to enhance trust and transparency emerged as a critical factor. Participants agreed that it was necessary to design technical information, including emergency agricultural alerts, in various formats (text, video, audio) to accommodate farmers with lower levels of literacy.  

Watch event video here. 

Intercropping

Written by mcallejas on . Posted in Uncategorized.

The Intercropping project aims to identify options for smallholder farmers to sustainably intensify wide-row crop production through the addition of short-duration, high-value intercrop species and to help farmers increase their productivity, profitability and nutrition security while mitigating against climate change.

The focus is on intensification of wide-row planted crops: dry (rabi) season maize in Bangladesh, eastern India (Bihar and West Bengal states) and Bhutan, and sugarcane in central north India (Uttar Pradesh state). The primary focus is to sustainably improve cropping system productivity, however, the effects of wide-row, additive intercropping at the smallholder farm level will be considered, including potential food and nutrition benefits for the household.

There are many potential benefits of wide-row, additive intercropping, beyond increased cropping system productivity and profitability: water-, labor- and energy-use efficiencies; improved nutrition and food security for rural households; empowerment for women; and (over the longer term) increased soil health.

Little research has been conducted to date into wide-row, additive intercropping (as distinct from traditional replacement intercropping) in South Asian agroecologies. To successfully and sustainably integrate wide-row, additive intercropping into farmers’ cropping systems a range of challenges must be resolved, including optimal agronomic management and crop geometry, household- and farm-scale implications, and potential off-farm bottlenecks.

This project aims to identify practical methods to overcome these challenges for farming households in Bangladesh, Bhutan and India. Focusing on existing wide-row field crop production systems, the project aims to enable farmers to increase their cropping system productivity sustainably and in a manner that requires relatively few additional inputs.

Project activities and expected outcomes:

  • Evaluating farming households’ initial perspectives on wide-row, additive intercropping.
  • Conducting on station replicated field trials into wide-row, additive intercropping, focusing on those aspects of agronomic research difficult or unethical to undertake on farms.
  • Conducting on farm replicated field trials into wide-row, additive intercropping.
  • Determining how wide-row, additive intercropping could empower women. Quantify the long-term benefits, risks and trade-offs of wide-row, additive intercropping.
  • Describing key value/supply chains for wide-row, additive intercropping. Determine pathways to scale research to maximize impact.
  • Quantifying changes in household dry season nutrition for households representative of key typologies in each agroecological zone.

Deployment of new tools and technologies into the CGIAR-NARS breeding program increases the rate of genetic gain per dollar invested

Written by dmedina on . Posted in Publications.

Food security in the prevailing uncertain climatic and economic conditions can only be guaranteed by deliberate actions toward maximizing production, especially in stress-prone environments. The main priority of the CGIAR and NARS breeding programs is to enhance genetic gain in crops through the assessment of seed varieties with drought-resilient, nutritional, and yield traits. This is achieved by leveraging data-driven approaches and embracing contemporary tools and methodologies.

Innovative approaches such as molecular tools, doubled haploid technology, and refined breeding schemes have greatly contributed to the strides made in CIMMYT’s endeavor to elevate genetic gain within breeding pipelines. These advancements not only drive improved productivity but also promise cost-effective strategies for navigating the challenges posed by climate variability.

Molecular Tools

In maize breeding, traditionally, at each stage of the pipeline, entries are grown in multi-location trials. Phenotyping in multiple environments helps to select the best entries not only based on their genetic values but also on environmental factors and their interaction with diverse environments. However, this is also a labor-intensive and time-consuming step in the breeding pipeline. Molecular breeding offers a transformative solution by expanding breeding programs while minimizing phenotyping requirements. It is a well-known fact that trait phenotype results from both genetic and non-genetic factors, with genetic factors being contributed by the expression of genes at the DNA level.

Identifying genomic regions close to causative genes for traits of interest, such as high yield, disease resistance, or quality, can help to incorporate desirable genes/alleles into selected elite genotypes. DNA-based markers aid in efficiently tracking the inheritance of genetic traits, thereby facilitating the selection of desired traits in breeding programs. Marker-assisted forward breeding accelerates the selection of plants with desired traits by identifying the genetic markers associated with those traits. With such harnessed genotypic information, breeders can pre-select genetic material before embarking on the resource-intensive phenotyping stages. This strategic utilization of molecular markers, particularly in identifying susceptibility to key diseases like maize streak virus (MSV) and maize lethal necrosis (MLN), enables the judicious allocation of resources for phenotyping.

 

Figure 1. Summary of marker-assisted forward breeding across six breeding pipelines for MLN- and MSV-resistance haplotypes over the past six years.

Since 2018, CIMMYT has been implementing marker-assisted forward breeding for MSV and MLN. Since then, more than 100,000 pure breeding lines have been tested by examining their favorable haplotypes with a small set of 10 genetic markers and discarding the lines carrying unfavorable haplotypes for MSV and MLN resistance. In the last six years, nearly 30,000 lines have been rejected before undergoing field testing. In southern Africa, for instance, a rapid response to seed movement using molecular and serological techniques prevented the spread of MLN and facilitated the incorporation of resistance traits into new plant varieties.

Most hybrids in the final stages of breeding pipelines are passed through forward breeding. While Fall Armyworm, Gray Leaf Spot, common rust, and Turcicum Leaf Blight also cause substantial yield reductions in sub-Saharan Africa, research carried out under the AGG project indicates that the genetic makeup of these traits is oligogenic, governed by both moderate and small effect quantitative trait loci (QTLs), but lacking a single major-effect QTL and not amenable to forward breeding. This means that their resistance is influenced by complex multiple genetic factors, rather than being primarily controlled by a few major genetic regions. Alternatively, these biotic stress traits can be improved effectively through genomic selection.

Genomic selection is used to improve complex traits that are controlled by many small-effect QTLs. This approach does not require prior genetic information about the trait of interest and uses genome-wide marker information to estimate all marker effects and select individuals with high genomic-estimated breeding values (GEBVs). This means it uses data from various genetic markers to predict which individuals are likely to have desirable alleles for MSV and MLN. Genomic selection is being applied for grain yield under drought stress, and efforts are underway to extend its application to address more complex challenges related to plant diseases and pests. Foliar diseases are moderately complex traits.

Proof of concept on applying genomic selection for foliar diseases like gray leaf spot and northern corn leaf blight showed high prediction accuracies, supporting the implementation of genomic selection together with forward breeding for other traits at the early stage of the breeding pipeline. Implementing genomic selection for GY under optimum and drought management proved that maize breeders could obtain the same gain as with conventional breeding, where all entries are phenotyped in the field, but at approximately 35-40% less cost. Many candidate hybrids now entering the advanced stages of the breeding pipeline were developed using genomic selection. Several of our earlier studies (Beyene et al., 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021; Chaikam et al., 2019; Crossa et al., 2017; Prasanna et al., 2022; Vivek et al., 2017) showed that breeding pipelines achieved high genetic gain by adopting new molecular tools, thus confirming the benefit of adopting molecular breeding tools.

Currently, in CIMMYT’s eastern and southern breeding pipelines, all product profiles are using genomic selection at stage I, where the training population is evaluated in multiple locations with a sparse design, estimating the GEBVs for the unphenotyped lines, and using GEBVs and phenotypic BLUPs of test crosses in the selection for stage II. This process allows the handling of a large number of lines at stage I with a fixed budget without losing selection accuracy. Since 2017, we have used the “test half and predict half” strategy (Figure 2), where all the lines were genotyped with mid-density markers, and the selected ~50% of the total stage I lines were testcrossed and evaluated in multiple locations to be used as a training population to estimate the GEBVs for the other 50% of the unphenotyped lines for the traits of interest. High prediction correlations were observed in three selected product profiles for GY under optimum, managed drought, and low soil N conditions (Figure 3).

Genomic selection is also implemented to reduce the breeding cycle. However, our final products are three-way cross hybrids, where genomic selection is applied only to select the best line rather than selecting the best hybrid combinations. Historical data were used to test the possibility of reducing the breeding cycle. However, our results showed that the use of historical data to predict 100% of lines from the current year yielded low to moderate prediction correlations both under optimum and drought conditions for GY, anthesis date, and plant height (Figure 4). Incorporating 10 to 30% of the testing population into the training population leads to high prediction correlations. This concludes that by using historical data, the training population, which needs to be test-crossed and evaluated in multiple locations every year, can be reduced from 50% to 10-30%, which helps breeders allocate the saved resources to evaluate more lines without losing prediction accuracy.

Doubled Haploid Technology

Doubled haploid technology speeds up the creation of inbred lines by producing entirely uniform lines. Pedigree line development is a traditional method in plant breeding aimed at gradually improving and stabilizing the genetic makeup of the new variety over time. It involves multiple generations of controlled crosses between parent plants with known characteristics. Each subsequent generation is carefully selected based on specific traits of interest, such as yield, disease resistance, or quality. Pedigree line development is expensive, particularly when nurseries are in remote locations.

Unlike traditional methods where some genetic variation remains, doubled haploid lines are completely homogeneous. This means that there is increased heritability of desirable traits and improved accuracy of selection. Doubled haploid technology, which is more compatible with the use of molecular markers, simplifies breeding processes and shortens the time needed to develop inbred lines (Chaikam et al., 2019).

The first doubled haploid facility in Africa was established in 2013 and is extensively used by the CGIAR, NARES, and the private sector. Over the past five years, 1,349 populations have been induced and more than 223,144 doubled haploid lines delivered to breeding programs from CGIAR, NARES, and the private sector in sub-Saharan Africa. Shifting from traditional pedigree-based breeding to doubled haploid technology has shown a high impact on key breeding metrics (gain per cycle and gain per year) not only in CIMMYT but also in national partners’ breeding programs, thus increasing genetic gain within the available budget.

Figure 2. Number of lines evaluated with phenotypic selection (PS) and genomic selection (GS) at stage I in EAPP1 product profile from 2017 to 2023. (PS – phenotypic selection, GS – genomic selection)
Figure 3. Prediction correlations for grain yield (GY) under optimum (OPT), drought (MDt) and low soil N (low N) management conditions in EAPP1, EAPP2 and SAPP1 at stage I in 2023

 

Figure 4. Prediction accuracies for grain yield (GY), anthesis date (AD) and plant height (PH) estimated from independent validation schemes using a training population (TRN) consisting of 2017- and 2018-years breeding data and 10%, 30%, 50%, 70% and 90% of 2019 data converted from the testing population (TST) to the training population under optimum and managed drought conditions

 

References

Beyene, Y., Gowda, M., Olsen, M., Robbins, K. R., PĂ©rez-RodrĂ­guez, P., Alvarado, G., Dreher, K., Gao, S. Y., Mugo, S., and Prasanna, B. M. (2019). Empirical comparison of tropical maize hybrids selected through genomic and phenotypic selections. Frontiers in plant science 10, 1502.

Beyene, Y., Gowda, M., Pérez-Rodríguez, P., Olsen, M., Robbins, K. R., Burgueño, J., Prasanna, B. M., and Crossa, J. (2021). Application of genomic selection at the early stage of breeding pipeline in tropical maize. Frontiers in Plant Science 12, 685488.

Beyene, Y., Gowda, M., Suresh, L. M., Mugo, S., Olsen, M., Oikeh, S. O., Juma, C., Tarekegne, A., and Prasanna, B. M. (2017). Genetic analysis of tropical maize inbred lines for resistance to maize lethal necrosis disease. Euphytica 213.

Beyene, Y., Semagn, K., Crossa, J., Mugo, S., Atlin, G. N., Tarekegne, A., et al. (2016). Improving maize grain yield under drought stress and non-stress environments in sub-saharan africa using marker-assisted recurrent selection. Crop Science 56, 344–353. doi: 10.2135/cropsci2015.02.0135

Beyene, Y., Semagn, K., Mugo, S., Tarekegne, A., Babu, R., Meisel, B., Sehabiague, P., Makumbi, D., Magorokosho, C., and Oikeh, S. (2015). Genetic gains in grain yield through genomic selection in eight bi‐parental maize populations under drought stress. Crop Science 55, 154-163.

Chaikam, V., Molenaar, W., Melchinger, A. E., and Prasanna, B. M. (2019). Doubled haploid technology for line development in maize: technical advances and prospects. Theor. Appl. Genet. 132, 3227–3243. doi: 10.1007/s00122-019-03433-x

Crossa, J., PĂ©rez-RodrĂ­guez, P., Cuevas, J., Montesinos-LĂłpez, O., JarquĂ­n, D., de los Campos, G., et al. (2017). Genomic selection in plant breeding: Methods, models, and perspectives. Trend Plant Sci. 22, 961–975. doi: 10.1016/j.tplants.2017.08.011

Prasanna BM, Burgueño J, Beyene Y, Makumbi D, Asea G, Woyengo V, Tarekegne A, Magorokosho C, Wegary D, Ndhlela T, Zaman-Allah M, Matova PM, Mwansa K, Mashingaidze K, Fato P, Teklewold A, Vivek BS, Zaidi PH, Vinayan MT, Patne N, Rakshit S, Kumar R, Jat SL, Singh SB, Kuchanur PH, Lohithaswa HC, Singh NK, Koirala KB, Ahmed S, San Vicente F, Dhliwayo T, Cairns JE. 2022. Genetic trends in CIMMYT’s tropical maize breeding pipelines. Scientific Reports 12, 20110. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-24536-4

Vivek, B. S., Krishna, G. K., Vengadessan, V., Babu, R., Zaidi, P. H., Kha, L. Q., et al. (2017). Use of genomic estimated breeding values results in rapid genetic gains for drought tolerance in maize. Plant Genome 10, 1–8. doi: 10.3835/plantgenome2016.07.0070

Helping farmers access waterlogged agricultural lands amid prevailing food insecurity in Sudan

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in Blogs.

In conflict-ridden Sudan, Gadarif State in Eastern Sudan is the most important region for sorghum production, with about 5-6 million feddan (5.18-6.22 acres) cultivated on an annual basis on large scale farms equipped with agricultural machinery. However, like the country, the state is covered with vertisols, clay-rich soils that shrink and swell with changes in moisture content, that become waterlogged and cannot be properly cultivated during rainy season.

To address the issue, technical experts from the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) are mapping areas affected by waterlogging in two localities, namely El Fashaga and El Nahal, to identify the most suitable lands to establish large drainage implementing sites integrated with improved crop varieties of sorghum. This work is part of CIMMYT’s Sustainable Agrifood Systems Approach for Sudan (SASAS) program, which works with farmers and herders to reduce their need for humanitarian assistance in conflict-affected Sudan.

“To address the issue of vertisols affected by water logging in Al Gadarif, the prominent agricultural region in Sudan, we used the map developed by ICRISAT in 2023 and consulted with local farmers to identify 100 hectares El Fashaga and El Nahal localities to improve drainage and avoid waterlogging,” said Gizaw Desta, senior scientist at ICRISAT.

Waterlogging is common on poorly drained soil or when heavy soil is compacted, preventing water from being drained away. This leaves no air spaces in the saturated soil, and plant roots literally drown. Waterlogging can be a major constraint to plant growth and production and, under certain conditions, will cause plant death. In Gadarif state, 2.3 million hectares and 1.8 million hectares of vertisols are under high and moderate waterlogging conditions that impair crop production during the rainy season, leading to food insecurity if not reversed with appropriate agricultural practices.

Experts evaluate the compacted soil. (Photo: CIMMYT)

“For years, my farm has been flooded by water during the rainy season, and I cannot cultivate sorghum as plants die of water suffocation”, said Ali Ahmed, a farmer from Al-Saeeda area of ​​Al-Nahal locality who is affected by waterlogging. “Alternatively, we as farmers affected by waterlogging were forced to cultivate watermelon instead of our main staple food sorghum. This shift in the crops we cultivate is hardly affecting our income.  I am glad that ICRISAT is working to establish drainage systems and address waterlogging within our lands.”

“At SASAS, we strive to ensure that farmers have access to fertile lands and other agricultural inputs. We work with our partners to address all problems facing farmers including waterlogging to help farmers continue producing their staple food and cash crops,” said Abdelrahman Kheir, SASAS chief of party in Sudan.

Eight-year study in India by CGIAR and ICAR scientists suggests adoption of Conservation Agriculture can boost yields and manage an increasing carbon footprint

Written by Nima Chodon on . Posted in Publications.

Twenty-twenty four is set to become one of the hottest years on record. Warmer temperatures are destabilizing ecosystems, threatening human life, and weakening our food systems. On Earth Overshoot Day, CIMMYT calls for increased attention to the interplay between environmental health and efficient, abundant food production through sustainable practices.

Food systems are one of the top contributors to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, accounting for one-third of all human-caused GHG emissions. While contributing to climate change, food production is also sorely impacted by it, undermining agrarian livelihoods and the ability to feed an increasing global population. Extreme and unpredictable weather is causing economic hardship, food and nutrition insecurity, and use of environmentally harmful practices.

In the Western Indo-Gangetic Plains of India, rice and wheat are the dominant staple crops, grown yearly in rotations covering more than 13 million hectares. But conventional tillage-based methods have been unable to increase yields. Some of these traditional methods based on intensive tillage have harmed the soil, exhausted aquifers, and increased GHG emissions, without raising crop yields. CGIAR soil and climate scientists and agronomists have partnered to find solutions that help increase rice and wheat production, while minimizing harmful environmental effects.

One of the CA-based practice research fields at ICAR-CSSRI. (Photo: Nima Chodon/CIMMYT)

At CIMMYT, we interviewed a group of CGIAR scientists who recently published a long-term study on sustainable intensification in the Western Indo-Gangetic Plains. Their work, conducted at the Central Soil and Salinity Research Institute (ICAR-CSSRI) in Karnal, India, demonstrates how integrating Conservation Agriculture (CA)-based principles into cropping systems can support climate-resilient and sustainable food systems.

“Today, agriculture faces many challenges, such as increasing input costs to maintain yield in the face of climate change and ensuring the sustainability of agricultural land,” said Mahesh Gathala, senior scientist at CIMMYT.

He mentioned that the collaborative research spanned over eight years, covering various crops and cropping cycles, and studying seven scenarios representing different farming practices. One scenario was based on farmers’ existing practices, while the other six involved combining and integrating the agronomic management practices and crop diversification options based on CA principles. The team collected data on yield, profitability, soil health, global warming potential, and fertilizer use, to name critical factors.

Gathala highlighted, “The findings are consistent with our previous research conclusions, while reinforcing the significant compounding impact of Conservation Agriculture-based cropping practices in the region, in the long-run.”

According to M.L. Jat, a former CIMMYT scientist who is global director for ICRISAT’s Resilient Farm and Food Systems Program, the CA-based measures that emerged from this research are applicable in much of the Western Indo-Gangetic Plains and beyond.

“Most of our research trials over some 2-5 years have provided substantial evidence in favor of Conservation Agriculture-based cropping diversification and sustainable intensification,” Jat said. “However, this study is one of very few long-term, collaborative research trials that provide strong evidence for policy decisions on resilient, climate-smart cropping system optimization to boost yields and nutrition, while improving soil health and fighting climate change.”

Other lead authors of the publication, Timothy Krupnik, principal scientist at CIMMYT and CGIAR South Asia, and Tek Sapkota, the Climate Change Science lead at CIMMYT, provided further explanation of important lessons from this eight-year study.

Two CA-based practice research scenarios at ICAR-CSSRI. (Photo: Nima Chodon/CIMMYT)
How does CA contribute to the sustainable and conscious use of natural resources? In what ways could CA be framed to governments to develop policies that do a better job of feeding us nutritious food while contributing to climate change adaptation and mitigation?

Tek Sapkota: Conservation Agriculture promotes the production of nutritious, diversified crops, sustainable yield improvements, climate change adaptation, economic benefits, and environmental protection. Governments can support these initiatives through financial incentives, subsidies, investment in research and extension services, and the development of supporting infrastructure and market access. This support further enables farmers to implement and benefit from sustainable agricultural practices.

CIMMYT and CGIAR-led projects in South Asia, like CSISA/SRFSI/TAFFSA, have already recorded some wins for CA implementation. What are some immediate implications of this study on CIMMYT’s ability to deliver this knowledge to more smallholders in the region?

Timothy Krupnik: The ICAR-CIMMYT partnership establishes long-term experiments, or living labs, across diverse ecologies to build trust among smallholder farmers, extension workers, and stakeholders. These initiatives aim to demonstrate CA’s benefits, as part of sustainable intensification. The science-based evidence generated will be co-owned by partners, through their extension networks, and shared with farm communities to highlight CA’s advantages. Additionally, the study supports reducing carbon footprints, contributing to climate change mitigation and sustainable agricultural practices and potentially used by carbon market players to disseminate CA.

Apart from climate resilience, could you explain what are the economic benefits of diversification in the rice-wheat dominant systems?

Tek Sapkota: Diversifying away from rice-wheat cropping systems provides significant economic benefits beyond climate resilience. It enhances income stability, improves resource use efficiency, maintains soil health, reduces production costs (such as irrigation expenses and water usage), and opens up new market opportunities. Diversification contributes to the creation of more sustainable and profitable farming systems.

How can CGIAR and national agricultural research and extension systems promote more widespread adoption of these technologies by farmers in South Asia and beyond?

Tek Sapkota: By establishing a multi-stakeholder platform for learning, knowledge sharing, and developing adoption pathways, CGIAR Research Centers could work together with national partners to create programs that support capacity building and knowledge transfer. Another crucial step would be to collaboratively adapt and customize the technology to local production conditions ensuring smooth implementation at the grassroots level. Additionally, it is important to encourage innovations in policies, markets, institutions and financial mechanisms to facilitate scaling.

Read excerpts of the full journal article: Enhancing productivity, soil health, and reducing global warming potential through diverse conservation agriculture cropping systems in India’s Western Indo-Gangetic Plains

Sowing seeds of change to champion Conservation Agriculture

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in Blogs.

Florence Mutize’s thriving fields of maize, in Bindura, a small town in Mashonaland Central region of Zimbabwe, serve as living proof of the successes of Conservation Agriculture (CA), a sustainable cropping system that helps reverse soil degradation, augment soil health, increase crop yields, and reduce labor requirements while helping farmers adapt to climate change. The seeds of her hard work are paying off, empowering her family through education and ensuring that a nutritious meal is always within reach.

“I have been dedicated to these CA trials since 2004, starting on a small plot,” said Mutize. “Now, with years of experience and adaptation to changing climates, I’ve seen my yields increase significantly, harvesting up to a tonne of maize on a 30 by 30m plot using direct seeding and ripping techniques together with crop residue to cover the soil and rotating maize with soybean.”

Mutize is one of many mother trial host farmers implementing CA principles through the CGIAR Ukama Ustawi regional initiative in Bindura. A mother trial is a research approach involving testing and validating a suite of climate-smart agriculture technologies to identify the best-performing ones which can then be adopted on a larger scale.

Nestled in the Mazowe valley, Bindura experiences a subtropical climate characterized by hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters, ideal for agricultural production. But the extremes of the changing climate, like imminent dry spells and El Niño-induced threats, are endangering local farmers. Yet, smallholder farmers like Mutize have weathered the extremes and continued conducting mother trials, supported by the agriculture extension officers of the Agricultural and Rural Development Advisory Services (ARDAS) Department of the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development.

“Where I once harvested only five bags of maize, rotating maize with soybeans now yields 40 bags of maize and 10 bags of soybeans,” Mutize proudly shares.

The UU-supported CA program also extends to farmers in Shamva, like Elphas Chinyanga, another mother trial implementer since 2004.

Elphas Chinyanga and his son inspect maize cobs in their field. (Photo: CIMMYT)

“From experimenting with various fertilization methods to introducing mechanized options like ripping and direct seeding, these trials have continuously evolved,” said Chinyanga. “Learning from past experiences, we have gotten much more benefits and we have incorporated these practices into other fields beyond the trial area. I am leaving this legacy to my children to follow through and reap the rewards.”

Learning has been a crucial element in the dissemination of CA technologies, with CIMMYT implementing refresher training together with ARDAS officers to ensure that farmers continue to learn CA principles. As learning is a progressive cycle, it is important to package knowledge in a way that fits into current training and capacity development processes.

Pre-season refresher training with mother trial host farmers and extension in Hereford, Zimbabwe. (Photo: CIMMYT)

This process could also be labelled as “scaling deep” as it encourages farmers to move away from conventional agriculture technologies. Reciprocally, scientists have been learning from the experiences of farmers on the ground to understand what works and what needs improvement.

Inspired by the successes of his peers in Shamva, Hendrixious Zvomarima joined the program as a host farmer and saw a significant increase in yields and efficiency on his land.

“For three years, I have devoted time to learn and practice what other farmers like Elphas Chinyanga were practicing. It has been 14 years since joining, and this has been the best decision I have made as it has improved my yields while boosting my family’s food basket,” said Zvomarima.

The longevity and success of the initiative can be attributed to committed farmers like Mutize, Chinyanga, and Zvomarima, who have been part of the program since 2004 and are still executing the trials. Farmer commitment, progressive learning, and cultivating team spirit have been the success factors in implementing these trials. CIMMYT’s long-term advocacy and learning from the farmers has been key to a more sustainable, resilient, and empowered farming community.

Enhancing the resilience of our farmers and our food systems: global collaboration at DialogueNEXT

Written by Mike Listman on . Posted in Features.

“Achieving food security by mid-century means producing at least 50 percent more food,” said U.S. Special Envoy for Global Food Security, Cary Fowler, citing a world population expected to reach 9.8 billion and suffering the dire effects of violent conflicts, rising heat, increased migration, and dramatic reductions in land and water resources and biodiversity. “Food systems need to be more sustainable, nutritious, and equitable.”

CIMMYT’s 2030 Strategy aims to build a diverse coalition of partners to lead the sustainable transformation of agrifood systems. This approach addresses factors influencing global development, plant health, food production, and the environment. At DialogueNEXT, CIMMYT and its network of partners showcased successful examples and promising directions for bolstering agricultural science and food security, focusing on poverty reduction, nutrition, and practical solutions for farmers.

Without healthy crops or soils, there is no food

CIMMYT’s MasAgro program in Mexico has enhanced farmer resilience by introducing high-yielding crop varieties, novel agricultural practices, and income-generation activities. Mexican farmer Diodora Petra Castillo Fajas shared how CIMMYT interventions have benefitted her family. “Our ancestors taught us to burn the stover, degrading our soils. CIMMYT introduced Conservation Agriculture, which maintains the stover and traps more humidity in the soil, yielding more crops with better nutritional properties,” she explained.

CIMMYT and African partners, in conjunction with USAID’s Feed the Future, have begun applying the MasAgro [1] model in sub-Saharan Africa through the Feed the Future Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative (AID-I), where as much as 80 percent of cultivated soils are poor, little or no fertilizer is applied, rainfed maize is the most widespread crop, many households lack balanced diets, and erratic rainfall and high temperatures require different approaches to agriculture and food systems.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and CIMMYT are partnering to carry out the Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (VACS) movement in Africa and Central America. This essential movement for transforming food systems endorsed by the G7 focuses on crop improvement and soil health. VACS will invest in improving and spreading 60 indigenous “opportunity” crops—such as sorghum, millet, groundnut, pigeon pea, and yams, many of which have been grown primarily by women—to enrich soils and human diets together with the VACS Implementers’ Group, Champions, and Communities of Practice.

The MasAgro methodology has been fundamental in shaping the Feed the Future Southern Africa Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative (AID-I) Rapid Delivery Hub, an effort between government agencies, private, and public partners, including CGIAR. AID-I provides farmers with greater access to markets and extension services for improved seeds and crop varieties. Access to these services reduces the risk to climate and socioeconomic shocks and improves food security, economic livelihoods, and overall community resilience and prosperity.

Healthy soils are critical for crop health, but crops must also contain the necessary genetic traits to withstand extreme weather, provide nourishment, and be marketable. CIMMYT holds the largest maize and wheat gene bank, supported by the Crop Trust, offering untapped genetic material to develop more resilient varieties from these main cereal grains and other indigenous crops. Through the development of hardier and more adaptable varieties, CIMMYT and its partners commit to implementing stronger delivery systems to get improved seeds for more farmers. This approach prioritizes biodiversity conservation and addresses major drivers of instability: extreme weather, poverty, and hunger.

Food systems must be inclusive to combat systemic inequities

Successful projects and movements such as MasAgro, VACS, and AID-I are transforming the agricultural landscape across the Global South. But the urgent response required to reduce inequities and the needed investment to produce more nutritious food with greater access to cutting-edge technologies demands inclusive policies and frameworks like CIMMYT’s 2030 Strategy.

“In Latin America and throughout the world, there is still a huge gap between the access of information and technology,” said Secretary of Agriculture and Livestock of Honduras, Laura Elena Suazo Torres. “Civil society and the public and private sectors cannot have a sustainable impact if they work opposite to each other.”

Ismahane Elouafi, CGIAR executive managing director, emphasized that agriculture does not face, “a lack of innovative science and technology, but we’re not connecting the dots.” CIMMYT offers a pathway to bring together a system of partners from various fields—agriculture, genetic resources, crop breeding, and social sciences, among others—to address the many interlinked issues affecting food systems, helping to bring agricultural innovations closer to farmers and various disciplines to solve world hunger.

While healthy soils and crops are key to improved harvests, ensuring safe and nutritious food production is critical to alleviating hunger and inequities in food access. CIMMYT engages with private sector stakeholders such as Bimbo, GRUMA, Ingredion, Syngenta, Grupo Trimex, PepsiCo, and Heineken, to mention a few, to “link science, technology, and producers,” and ensure strong food systems, from the soils to the air and water, to transform vital cereals into safe foods to consume, like fortified bread and tortillas.

Reduced digital gaps can facilitate knowledge-sharing to scale-out improved agricultural practices like intercropping. The Rockefeller Foundation and CIMMYT have “embraced the complexity of diversity,” as mentioned by Roy Steiner, senior vice-president, through investments in intercropping, a crop system that involves growing two or more crops simultaneously and increases yields, diversifies diets, and provides economic resilience. CIMMYT has championed these systems in Mexico, containing multiple indicators of success from MasAgro.

Today, CIMMYT collaborates with CGIAR and Total LandCare to train farmers in southern and eastern Africa on the intercrop system with maize and legumes i.e., cowpea, soybean, and jack bean. CIMMYT also works with WorldVeg, a non-profit organization dedicated to vegetable research and development, to promote intercropping in vegetable farming to ensure efficient and safe production and connect vegetable farmers to markets, giving them more sources for greater financial security.

Conflict aggravates inequities and instability. CIMMYT leads the Feed the Future Sustainable Agrifood Systems Approach for Sudan (SASAS) which aims to deliver latest knowledge and technology to small scale producers to increase agricultural productivity, strengthen local and regional value chains, and enhance community resilience in war-torn countries like Sudan. CIMMYT has developed a strong partnership funded by USAID with ADRA, CIP, CRS, ICRISAT, IFDC, IFPRI, ILRI, Mercy Corps, Near East Foundation, Samaritan’s Purse, Syngenta Foundation, VSF, and WorldVeg, to devise solutions for Sudanese farmers. SASAS has already unlocked the potential of several well-suited vegetables and fruits like potatoes, okra, and tomatoes. These crops not only offer promising yields through improved seeds, but they encourage agricultural cooperatives, which promote income-generation activities, gender-inclusive practices, and greater access to diverse foods that bolster family nutrition. SASAS also champions livestock health providing food producers with additional sources of economic resilience.

National governments play a critical role in ensuring that vulnerable populations are included in global approaches to strengthen food systems. Mexico’s Secretary of Agriculture, Victor Villalobos, shared examples of how government intervention and political will through people-centered policies provides greater direct investment to agriculture and reduces poverty, increasing shared prosperity and peace. “Advances must help to reduce gaps in development.” Greater access to improved agricultural practices and digital innovation maintains the field relevant for farmers and safeguards food security for society at large. Apart from Mexico, key government representatives from Bangladesh, Brazil, Honduras, India, and Vietnam reaffirmed their commitment to CIMMYT’s work.

Alice Ruhweza, senior director at the World Wildlife Fund for Nature, and Maria Emilia Macor, an Argentinian farmer, agreed that food systems must adopt a holistic approach. Ruhweza called it, “The great food puzzle, which means that one size does not fit all. We must integrate education and infrastructure into strengthening food systems and development.” Macor added, “The field must be strengthened to include everyone. We all contribute to producing more food.”

Generating solutions, together

In his closing address, which took place on World Population Day 2024, CIMMYT Director General Bram Govaerts thanked the World Food Prize for holding DialogueNEXT in Mexico and stressed the need for all partners to evolve, while aligning capabilities. “We have already passed several tipping points and emergency measures are needed to avert a global catastrophe,” he said. “Agrifood systems must adapt, and science has to generate solutions.”

Through its network of research centers, governments, private food producers, universities, and farmers, CIMMYT uses a multidisciplinary approach to ensure healthier crops, safe and nutritious food, and the dissemination of essential innovations for farmers. “CIMMYT cannot achieve these goals alone. We believe that successful cooperation is guided by facts and data and rooted in shared values, long-term commitment, and collective action. CIMMYT’s 2030 Strategy goes beyond transactional partnership and aims to build better partnerships through deeper and more impactful relationships. I invite you to partner with us to expand this collective effort together,” concluded Govaerts.

[1] Leveraging CIMMYT leadership, science, and partnerships and the funding and research capacity of Mexico’s Agriculture Ministry (SADER) during 2010-21, the program known as “MasAgro” helped over 300,000 participating farmers to adopt improved maize and wheat varieties and resource-conserving practices on more than 1 million hectares of farmland in 30 states of Mexico.

Visual summaries by Reilly Dow.

Children, native maize, and gender perspectives

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in Blogs.

A farmer in Nariño, Colombia on a diversified chagra with native maize, potato, oca, squash, fava bean, and other perennial and wild crop harvests. (Photo: Gonzålez, Alpala, Pinzón, Rodríguez, Bolaños, Romero, Gonzålez)

In the mountains of Nariño and the Cauca Valley, Colombia—as in many other rural regions of Latin America—farming systems are usually family-operated and divided by gender. Women’s and men’s roles are separate and differ in terms of expertise, involvement, and decision-making.

Roles traditionally assigned to women often limit their capacity to bring about changes in agriculture. “Food preparation, house cleaning, family care, and especially childcare, limit their ability to participate in agricultural training”, says a team of CIMMYT specialists who recently carried out a series of participatory diagnostics in these regions of Colombia.

Participatory diagnostics are designed to document and understand farmers’ perspectives on native maize conservation and the desertion of rural regions in order to jointly develop conservation strategies for these regions. However, CIMMYT specialists noted that women farmers struggle to participate and learn when they are burdened with childcare.

Group of women farmers discuss men’s and women’s roles in native maize conservation in CĂłrdoba, Nariño, Colombia. (Photo: GonzĂĄlez, Alpala, PinzĂłn, RodrĂ­guez, Bolaños, Romero, GonzĂĄlez)

“Even when women try hard to attend events, they cannot fully take in the new information because they are busy tending to their children.” In response, the event organizers came up with a novel solution: providing childcare during workshops. “So, mothers can focus on what they are doing during workshops, children partake in organized games and exploratory and artistic activities in a safe space where their mothers can see them.”

During a recent diagnostic “several activities were planned, like board games—CIMMYT developed memory and bingo games, as well as snake and ladder board games on principle maize practices and pests—and some art projects allowing the children to talk about how they interact with the land and what it means to them. At the end, they displayed their work about what they learn with their mothers and family in the tulpa (fire pit) or chagra,” the specialists explain.

“These types of activities are important and enriching for the children because they replace day-to-day cellphone play with recreational games about agriculture. So, it seems that we should make sure that the local children know about these types of events,” expressed the attendees.  They also reflected on how this type of inclusion helps strategies addressing generational replacement, particularly in places like Nariño, where the number of young people in the fields is notably decreasing.

With this in mind, including young people in program development and design is key to “ensuring a future rural population, given that they introduce the community to new, fresher ideas and visions,” says Don JosĂ©, a farmer from CĂłrdoba, Nariño, making note of how the Herederos del Planeta Los Tucanes represents a victory. It is a space where girls, boys, and young people can use their voices to influence issues related to natural reserves, their education, and the preservation of native seeds.

This is how the children—who originally could only hope to be expected to sit silently or play on their phones— became an important part of the participatory processes in Nariño. And now, with this support, women from rural communities, don’t just have the opportunity to expand their knowledge. They can also make positive contributions to household decisions and phytogenetic resource conservation.

Girls make a presentation about their territory to their mothers and fathers, based on the activities during the workshops in Nariño, Colombia. (Photo: Gonzålez, Alpala, Pinzón, Rodríguez, Bolaños, Romero, Gonzålez)

“Yes ma’am, the children’s space was the best because that way we were able to focus on the topics,” reported a woman in Cumbal. This is an example of how an agricultural extension strategy requires us to identify the preferences, interests, and incentives of men and women in relation to their gender roles in order to create environments that facilitate the development of sustainable agricultural technologies and practices. We must understand that the work women farmers perform both in the fields and within the household are inextricable from each other.

These types of strategies are crucial for combatting the environmental and food crisis because small-scale farmers implement sustainable agrifood systems and promote agrobiodiversity conservation. We find the resources essential for agrifood security in their milpas, orchards, backyards, and chagras—in Mexico and Colombia—where they handle, use, and preserve native crops and determine the selection of improved climate-resilient varieties.

Launch of a new Global Partnership for the Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils initiative

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in Press releases.

Traditional and nutrient-rich crops are vital for global food security. (Photo: CIMMYT)

Rome/Texcoco, Mexico – An initiative to build resilient agrifood systems grounded in diverse, nutritious, and climate-adapted crops grown in healthy soils, today marked another milestone through a new partnership between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and CIMMYT, a CGIAR Research Center.

FAO and CIMMYT signed a Memorandum of Understanding establishing a Partnership for the Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (VACS) initiative. The joint Partnership will play a pivotal role leading efforts to coordinate, grow, and strengthen the VACS movement across a wide range of public and private stakeholders.

“By joining forces with CGIAR and CIMMYT, we bring together our collective capacities to build a strong momentum and platform to advance the VACS,” said FAO’s Director-General QU Dongyu. “VACS effectively brings together the Four Betters set out in the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31: better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life – leaving no one behind.”

“Our 2030 Strategy focuses on strengthening agrifood systems to increase nutritional value and climate resilience,” said CIMMYT’s Director General, Bram Govaerts. “We are proud to stand united, through VACS, with FAO, whose excellent track record on policy work and networking with national governments will help equip farmers with resilient seed and climate-smart cropping systems that regenerate, rather than degrade, the soils on which their diets and livelihoods depend.”

Launched in 2023 by the U.S. Department of State in partnership with the African Union and FAO, the VACS movement aims to build sustainable and resilient agrifood systems by leveraging opportunity crops and building healthy soils to enhance agricultural resilience to climate change and improve diets. Nutrient-rich and traditional crops like sorghum, millet, cowpea, and mung bean are vital for food security and nutrition under climate change but have seen little attention so far. VACS recognizes the interdependence of crops and soils: Crops need good soil to be productive, and different crops can only be sustainably grown on some types of land.

FAO-CIMMYT partnership aims to boost farm productivity and nutrition

Since its launch the VACS initiative has supported many activities including the Quick Wins Seed Systems Project in Africa, which promotes the adoption of climate-resilient dryland grains and legumes and helps smallholders access seeds of local nutritious crops like pearl millet, finger millet, and mung bean, and connects them with markets and agri-services. Meanwhile, the VACS Fellows programme trains African breeding professionals, strengthening regional agrifood systems. In Central America, InnovaHubs partner with CGIAR, Mexico, and Norway to connect farmers with markets, technologies, and high-quality seeds. FAO, through its work, including as part of the International Network on Soil Fertility and Fertilizers (INSOILFER) and the Soil mapping for resilient agrifood systems (SoilFER) project, assists members with the implementation of sustainable and balanced soil fertility management for food security and to promote actions to enhance the link between nourished healthy soils and opportunity crops.

Leveraging on the expertise and mandates of both CIMMYT and FAO, the new joint VACS Partnership will support, coordinate and amplify the impact of all stakeholders of the VACS movement, public and private, through the following functions:

  • Strategy: The Partnership will develop and maintain a VACS strategy, including by defining its mission, objectives, and approach.
  • Resource Mobilization: The Partnership will work with public and private sector donors to increase investments in VACS-aligned work.
  • Donor and Implementer Coordination: The Partnership will coordinate work among major VACS donors and implementers, including by coordinating the VACS Implementers’ Group.
  • Stakeholder Engagement: The Partnership will strengthen ties across public and private stakeholders to catalyze action in support of VACS, including by coordinating the VACS Community of Practice and the VACS Champions program.
  • Shaping the Policy Environment: The Partnership will coordinate the development of a VACS policy agenda and work to advance it at the local, national, and multinational levels.
  • Communications: The Partnership will elevate the importance of diverse crops and healthy soils as a fundamental means of advancing a range of sustainable development goals.
  • Results Management: The Partnership will develop and maintain a results management framework to track progress in achieving VACS objectives.

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.

About FAO

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger.

Our goal is to achieve food security and nutrition for all by enabling all people to have regular access to enough locally appropriate high-quality nutritious food to prevent all forms of malnutrition and to lead active, healthy lives. With 195 members – 194 countries and the European Union, FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide.

For more information or interviews:

Jelle Boone
Interim Head of Communications, CIMMYT
j.boone@cgiar.org
Mobile/WhatsApp: +52 595 1247241

Peter Mayer
FAO News and Media
peter.mayer@fao.org