With 96% of its population engaged in farming and crop production, residents of the province of Niassa in the northern part of Mozambique rely heavily on agriculture for both their own nutritional needs and household income.
Famers in Niassa face many challenges in achieving successful agricultural development, including a 60% yield gap between male head of household farms and female led farms and while improved crop varieties are available, their rate of adoption is uneven across the province.
Implemented by CIMMYT in partnership with key collaborators and supported by Irish Aid, the Transformative Dryland Crops Project aims to enhance food security and boost incomes for more than 14,000 farm families in Niassa.
Delegation from CIMMYT and the Embassy of Ireland led by Moses Siambi, Africaâs regional director, and Adrian Fitzgerald, chief of cooperation at the Embassy of Ireland, during discussions at the launch of the Transformative Dryland Crops Project in Mozambique. (Photo: Mozambique)
Speaking at the launch meeting, Niassaâs Secretary of State, Lina Maria da Silva Portugal said, âThis project focuses on leveraging technology and innovative approaches to bolster resilience and sustainability which will benefit all of Niassa.â
The Transformative Dryland Crops Project will focus on crops known for their drought tolerance, such as pigeon peas, groundnuts, common beans, and soybeans. By adopting a ‘hub-model’ approach, the project will enhance learning and technology dissemination, facilitating collaboration among farmers, farmer organizations, service providers, buyers, and processors. This collaborative effort will ensure the effective implementation of the project and maximize its impact on the ground.
âThrough collaborative efforts with local stakeholders, we aim to narrow the gender yield gap, increase adoption rates of improved crop varieties, and enhance overall agricultural productivity, said Irish AID Ambassador, Adrian Fitzgerald.
Governor of Lichinga, Judite Massengele, Niassaâs capitol, said, âThe launch of this project marks a significant milestone in the journey towards enhancing food security and improving livelihoods here in Niassa.â
Governor of Niassa, Judite Massengele, hosts a meeting in her office during the launch of the transformative dryland crops project in Mozambique. (Photo: Mozambique)
Transformative changes
Besides increased agricultural productivity, enhanced food security, and income generation, the Transformative Dryland Crops Project promotes gender equity, increases resilience to climate shocks, implements sustainable resource management, builds capacity among farmers and extension agents and facilitates inclusive market systems.
âThe Transformative Dryland Crops Project will impact many different parts of the agricultural system of Niassa,â said Moses Siambi, CIMMYT Africa regional director. âThe key part of our implementation plan is the knowledge that all these systems and stakeholders are interconnected and any intervention in one of part of the system must account for its effects on the entire system in order to be sustainable.â
As the world grapples with climate change, resilient crops such as millets play an increasingly important role. Their ability to thrive in low soil fertility and limited moisture levels makes them ideal for Africa’s changing climate. However, despite their potential, it remains largely untapped.
In an initiative to address the untapped potential and the growing challenges associated with the cultivation of pearl and finger millets in Africa, a high-profile discussion convened experts from various fields. This session, part of a workshop titled “Bottlenecks to Expansion of Pearl and Finger Millets in Africa,” organized by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in collaboration with the Senegalese Institute of Agricultural Research (ISRA) and CIMMYT, aimed to identify and prioritize key bottlenecks in crop improvement.
A panel of experts from different organizations discuss the importance of national and international initiatives in promoting crop improvement and millet innovations, emphasizing collaboration as a key driver of agricultural progress. (Photo: Marion Aluoch/CIMMYT)
Significance of the International Year of Millets
The United Nations General Assembly declared 2023 the International Year of Millets to raise awareness of and direct policy attention to the nutritional and health benefits of millets and their suitability for cultivation under adverse and changing climatic conditions. The program highlighted the critical need to promote sustainable agriculture and enhance food security by adopting climate-resilient crops like millets, which play an important role in mitigating the effect of climate change, due to their adaptability to adverse and changing climatic conditions.
âWe have been actively engaged in gathering input and support from all over the world, not just from Africa and Asia but also from regions like Latin America and Eastern Europe,â said Makiko Taguchi of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). âThis year has seen a surge in interest and collaboration in the millet community and we are excited about the possibilities that lie ahead,â she added.
Makiko Taguchi of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) emphasizes the significance of the 2023 International Year of Millets. Kevin Pixley, director of CIMMYT’s Dryland Crops Program, attentively listens. (Photo: Marion Aluoch/CIMMYT)
National strategies to enhance millet production
In an effort to ensure food security and achieve production goals over the next five years in Senegal, a strategic plan encompassing various key initiatives will be implemented to meet the demands of millets.
Hamidou Diallo, from the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Equipment, and Food Sovereignty of Senegal (MAERSA), summarized the strategy. First, is a focus on enhancing production and productivity. Second, the plan calls for the use of high-quality seeds and collaboration with ISRA to provide foundational seeds. Third, aiming to equip producers with the necessary tools and equipment. Last, the plan seeks to increase the overall cultivated area of millets.
âWe align ourselves with the needs of the local community. By doing this, it ensures that the initiatives undertaken are not only impactful but also resonate with the agricultural landscape and the needs of the communities served,â said Diallo.
Hamidou Diallo from Senegal’s Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Equipment, and Food Sovereignty (MAERSA) highlights the government’s strategic plan for meeting the country’s millet demand. (Photo: Marion Aluoch/CIMMYT)
Innovative initiatives for the Dryland Crops Program
Kevin Pixley, director of the Dryland Crops Program (DCP) and Wheat Program director a.i. at CIMMYT, highlighted four initiatives in which the program is involved. One is the establishment of the Africa Dryland Crops Improvement Network, comprising national program scientists and led by the steering committee from Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) and Western and Central Africa (WCA). Their mandate is examining investments in capacity development and infrastructure and shape breeding programs. Second, a legumes mining project at Colorado State University, focusing on genetic diversity and using big data tools to identify resilient traits. Third, working on gene editing projects such as reducing rancidity in pearl millets in countries that are open to these technologies. Last, the Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (VACS) project, that will include millets as a prioritized crop. These initiatives are crucial for creating pathways to improve farmersâ livelihoods and popularize millets.
“Creating an effective pathway is critical to these approaches. We need to find innovative ways to reach more farmers with options to improve their livelihood and popularize millets across different market segments,â said Pixley.
Kevin Pixley, director of the Dryland Crops Program at CIMMYT, discusses CIMMYT’s current initiatives as Hamidou Diallo (MAERSA, Senegal) and Makiko Taguchi (FAO) listen. (Photo: Marion Aluoch/CIMMYT)
CIMMYTâs program on Dryland Crops is at the forefront to improving breeding and seed systems, with the aim to improve the livelihoods of small-scale producers and consumers of these crops in sub-Saharan Africa.
Aware of the changing needs of the global community, CIMMYT has begun on a journey to advance research and broaden its impact by implementing the Dryland Crops Program. This approach is based CIMMYT’s 2030 Strategy, which has the potential to shape the future of agriculture as a catalyst of climate resilience, sustainable and inclusive agricultural development, and food and nutrition security.
The program is critical in promoting climate resilience, sustainable agricultural practices, and food and nutrition security in sub-Saharan Africa. CIMMYT is working on dryland crops like millets and legumes, which have untapped potential for contributing to food security, particularly in climate-vulnerable regions.
Research and innovative labs
Geoff Morris from Colorado State University shared insights on the recently concluded United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Innovation Lab on Sorghum and Millets. This activity spanned the entire value chain from trait discovery to breeding program support to the development of value-added products. The most successful projects, in his opinion, were those led by African-based scientists.
âIt is essential for Africa scientists to be in the driver sear to ensure that research agenda aligns with their needs,â he said. âThere is a gap in knowledge not about what we know here but about what U.S. researchers know about supporting African breeders. Itâs crucial for researchers to define the needs to guide effective collaborations,â said Morris.
Pioneering role in millet sector growth
The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has contributed significantly to driving growth in the millet sector, including innovation generation and knowledge sharing. Damaris Odeny, ICRISAT India, highlighted the organizationâs contributions particularly in the agri-business incubation platform. The platform serves as a bridge, identifying suitable technologies to specific regions and supporting local entrepreneurs in deploying these technologies to reach smallholder farmers. While the model has been successful in India, its adoption in Africa has been slower, owing to regional differences and varying levels of investments.
Damaris Odeny of ICRISAT India shares insights on ICRISAT’s impact on the agri-business incubation platform. (Photo: Marion Aluoch/CIMMYT)
The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Crop Improvement, managed by USAID and Cornell University efforts in fostering regional collaborations funds a center for innovations across regions, fostering regional collaborations that are critical for sharing knowledge and resources, benefiting not only regions within Africa but also further afield.
âMoving forward, we should align these initiatives and identify synergies to maximize their impact. This approach will encourage greater engagement and the adoption of innovative solutions at the local level,â said Odeny.
The path forward for millets in Africa and beyond is not only promising but essential for addressing issues of food security, climate resilience, and sustainable development. This can be accomplished by aligning these initiatives with global sustainability goals and focusing on innovative, collaborative efforts.
Changing the narrative through communication
Turning to the power of communication, Douglas Gayeton, co-founder of The Lexicon emphasized the role of effective messaging in changing people’s perceptions of millets.
âWhen consumers understand what they are purchasing and how it aligns with their values, they can make informed decisions that benefit the entire food system,â said Gayeton.
He also underscored the importance of changing the narrative around millets. He emphasized the importance of shifting away from terms like âneglectedâ and âorphanedâ crops to more positive empowering language that resonates with consumers and policy makers.
“In order to change the food system, we must provide consumers with information at the point of purchase that applies to their values. By linking that benefit to consumer values, this approach has the potential to significantly expand millet markets,” said Gayeton.
Douglas Gayeton, co-founder of The Lexicon, emphasizes the role of effective messaging while Geoff Morris from Colorado State University shared insights on research and innovation labs on sorghum and millets. (Photo: Marion Aluoch/CIMMYT)
The discussions highlighted the valuable lessons to be learned from the efforts to enhance millet utilization in Africa and other regions. The collaboration across various sectors, from government to research institutions and the private sector, highlights the multifaceted approach in addressing the challenges facing millet cultivation and utilization. Recognizing the significance of local engagement and the empowerment of local scientists underscores a crucial lesson: solutions need to be tailored to the specific context, utilize local knowledge, and address local needs to ensure sustainability. In addition, the significant impact of communication in reshaping perceptions about millets demonstrates the importance of storytelling in shaping consumer behavior and policy.
Fatima Ali, a 48-year-old displaced woman in war-torn Sudan, takes shelter in a school at Kassala, East Sudan. She struggles to feed her five children and lives in dire conditions. Recently, Fatima participated in a training program in household farming, organized by the International Potato Center (CIP) and the Sudanese agricultural community Alzereea Alsudani (AZAS), where displaced community members were guided to build small gardens and cultivate potatoes to meet their food needs.
Displaced children in Kassala, East Sudan, learn how to cultivate potatoes in plastic bags. (Photo: CIMMYT)
âI encouraged my 13-year-old daughter Shima to participate in a training to produce potatoes for household consumption. She was very interested and active,â said Fatima.
The training marked the International Day of Potato, celebrated on 30 May. CIP and AZAS trained displaced children of Kassala to grow potatoes at home using plastic and jute bags.
âWe learned how to cultivate potatoes using plastic bags, and it was fun. We now know that potatoes are rich in nutrients and can be used to cook a variety of dishes. I am glad that I can cultivate potatoes and help feed my family,â said Shima.
Children engage in a coloring session as part of the International Potato Day celebrations at Kassala. (Photo: CIMMYT)
Underscoring the potential of potatoes
The International Day of Potato highlights the multiple nutritional, economic, environmental and cultural values of the crop and its contribution as a unique food resource and a generator of income for rural families and producers. This is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)Â of transforming agrifood systems to be more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable.
Training local women farmers of Kassala to cultivate potato in plastic bags. (Photo: CIMMYT)
The theme for the 2024 event was âHarvesting Diversity, Feeding Hopeâ. The focus was on the importance of having a wide variety of potato types versus over-reliance on a few varieties that can expose the crop to pests and diseases. With over 5,000 different kinds of potatoes worldwide, including both improved varieties and traditional types grown by farmers, the crop can meet the needs of different farming methods, cooking styles, and industrial uses.
To highlight the importance of potato and its riches, CIP and AZAS organized orientation sessions with housewives and chefs from local restaurants in Kassala. The discussions reflected on the nutritious values of potatoes and how they can be integrated into everyday meals.
A session by nutrition experts for chefs and housewives to discuss the value and uses of potatoes. (Photo: CIMMYT)
During the discussion, nutrition experts explained how potatoes are rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber essential for a balanced diet. The chefs shared how potatoes are extremely versatile in the kitchen; they can be baked, boiled, grilled, fried, steamed, or processed into various dishes.
Working with partners for maximumimpact
Potato is an important staple food that can ensure food security in Sudan and combat hunger. CIMMYTâs partners CIP, Mercy Crops, and Practical Action are leading the potato and sweet potato component of SASAS, along with other private partners.
With funding support from USAID, SASAS partners are working with farmers and private sector to increase potato and sweet potato production in Kassala and Blue Nile states of Sudan. By using verified potato varieties and introducing new cultivation techniques, the program aims to achieve SDG goals and enhance food security in Sudan.
Farmers in Blue Nile proudly show their high potato production. (Photo: CIMMYT)
âWe work with our partners and private sector to help Sudanese farmers integrate potato and sweet potato into their agricultural production systems,â said Abdelrahman Kheir, SASAS lead in Sudan.
He added that potato is an exceptionally resilient plant that can thrive in a variety of climates across the country. âWe use modern cultivation techniques and certified potato varieties to increase production. We are also enhancing the value chain and enlarging cold storage capacities,â he said.
The value of the project truly lies in its collaboration with private sectors and innovation partners to ensure at-scale and adept responses for stakeholders and dynamic situations in target areas.
Nairobi, Kenya â 26 June 2024â 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.
âThe 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,â said Director General of CIMMYT, Bram Govaerts. âWe must break away from the aid-dependency model and support Sudanese farmers directly, empowering them to rebuild their livelihoods and contribute to the nationâs recovery as well as todays food availability.â
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
CIMMYTâs 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.
âSudan’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,â 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.
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 countryâs 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 CIMMYTâs work in Sudan and other initiatives, please visit staging.cimmyt.org.
The Songwe Region in Tanzania faces a variety of challenges in its agricultural communities, including low productivity, poor farming practices, and limited access to resources. Low yields from white sorghum, the crop of preference in the area, contribute to food insecurity, and insufficient extension support compounds the challenges for farmers.
Schools in the region face their own problems, with students experiencing a lack of food during certain months, resulting in poor academic performance and attendance. Parents, burdened by financial constraints and the low yields of sorghum, struggle to contribute to the school feeding program, further aggravating the situation. The School Feeding Program provides at least one nutritious meal daily to students in rural Tanzania to combat hunger and enhance academic performance. Most schools in rural areas have enough farmland for learning purposes; by utilizing this land, the program aims to produce food locally, reducing reliance on parental contributions and involving the community in addressing food and nutrition insecurity.
To address these challenges, the Center for Behavior Change and Communication (CBCC), initiated a proactive intervention during the 2022-2023 farming season to increase awareness of improved sorghum seed varieties (TARI SOR 1 and TARI SOR 2) through the school feeding program in Momba district, Tanzania. This collaborative effort between the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI), CIMMYT, local seed producers, and the local government aimed to address the persistent food and nutrition insecurity in the area.
School children and community members engage in hands-on learning by practicing good agricultural practices on their school farms. (Photo: CBCC)
One of the key strategies employed by CBCC was using schools as platforms for raising awareness. Schools primarily grow sorghum for food rather than trade, making them ideal places to introduce these new, higher-yielding, and nutritionally valuable seed varieties.
Leveraging school farmland
The Youth and Women Quality Centres (YWQCs) are part of an innovative model implemented through the Dryland Crops Program (DCP) through the Accelerated Varietal Improvement and Seed Systems in Africa (AVISA) project, led by CIMMYT and implemented in partnership with CBCC and TARI. Its goal is to increase the adoption of improved variety and quality seeds among young and female farmers through behavior change interventions, with a focus on sorghum and groundnut improvement in the Songwe Region.
Using schools as focal points for raising awareness, the initiative leveraged the YWQCs to provide extension support and distribute seeds to schools. Training materials tailored to the school environment facilitated practical learning on agronomic practices such as farm preparation, seed selection, planting, fertilizer application, weeding, and pest management.
Mkama Secondary School was one of the first to enroll in the program, setting aside 0.5 acres to demonstrate the performance of TARI sorghum seed varieties. With the use of good agronomic practices, the pilot led to an increase in yield, with 350 kilograms (kg) of sorghum harvested. This was an increased improvement compared to their previous yield of 200 kg per acre on their four-acre farm, representing an increase of approximately 75%.
Concerns raised by teachers about the limited yield of local seeds, yielding less than 200 kg per acre, necessitate the urgency of implementing sustainable solutions. The low productivity observed on school farms is also attributed to poor farming practices and inadequate extension support.
Growing these new varieties offers many practical benefits. The increased yield enabled the school to provide lunch to its 129 students during the critical period when food insecurity is most pronounced (October-April). “The new improved sorghum varieties have higher yields, and TARI SOR 2 makes good Ugali,” said Johnas Marwa, the school headmaster. Motivated by their success, the school will plant TARI SOR 1 and TARI SOR 2 on all four acres of their farm during the 2023-2024 season.
Community-wide benefits
The projectâs success also inspired confidence in the broader community, leading to a surge in demand for the new sorghum seeds. Consequently, eight seed producer groups and five individual seed producers decided to cultivate these improved varieties in the coming season.
Initially, some community members were hesitant to adopt the new varieties because they were not as white as the traditional local seeds. However, the impressive performance of TARI SOR 1 and TARI SOR 2 quickly won them over, capturing the attention of both farmers and parents due to their potential to reduce food insecurity at household level.
The achievements at Mkama Secondary School led to the expansion of the initiative across 19 additional schools in 14 villages. These schools were chosen based on their willingness to participate and the availability of their farmland. Out of the schools involved, only five produced sorghum on their farms, with the rest relying on parental contributions for the feeding program, but they all relied upon sorghum as the main source of food. Some primary schools only provided porridge, while most of the secondary schools only offered lunch.
Across the 19 schools, a total of 58 acres were allocated for farming sorghum. The project provided 190 kg of seeds, 21% of which were the Macia variety, a popular choice because of its whitish appearance and marketability.
Emmanuel Mwenda, national sorghum coordinator at TARI, said, “This intervention is one of a kind and will bring a huge impact to farmer communities in Momba district.”
Project legacy
The initiative has already had a significant impact and will continue to do so for future planting seasons and generations. “Given the level of effort and investment by partners, in the next season, 4 out of 10 farmers purchasing improved seed at YWQCs will choose either TARI SOR 1 or 2,” said Michel Amson from CBCC.
More than 2,000 students and 50 teachers were trained in agronomic practices by dedicated youth champions. This training caused a ripple effect, with parents visiting YWQC to purchase quality seeds too for growing on their own land.
To ensure the projectâs sustainability and longevity, education officers will work with more schools and YWQCs would provide seeds on credit, with schools repaying after harvest to make the improved varieties more accessible when they are needed most.
âThis initiative not only improves nutrition and food security for school children, but also benefits the wider community by increasing yields and extending meal provision periods. The collaborative efforts of various stakeholders have been instrumental in driving the success of this initiativeâ, says Chris Ojiewo, seeds systems lead at CIMMYT.
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.
The authors are thought leaders of CGIAR, the world’s largest global agricultural innovation network, and lead respectively CIMMYT, CGIAR, WorldVeg Africa, The Alliance CIAT Bioversity, IFPRI, CIP and ICARDA.
Ethiopia is the largest wheat producer in Africa, accounting for around 65% of the total wheat production in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite the old tradition of rainfed wheat cultivation in the highlands, irrigated production in the dry, hot lowlands is a recent practice in the country.
In the irrigated lowlands of Afar and Oromia, situated along the Awash River Basin, CIMMYT and the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) have been supporting small scale farming households to improve yields since 2021. The Adaptation, Demonstration and Piloting of Wheat Technologies for Irrigated Lowlands of Ethiopia (ADAPT-Wheat) project supports research centers to identify new technologies suitable for target planting areas through adaptation and development, which are then released to farmers. Funded by Germanyâs Federal Ministry for Economic Development (BMZ) and Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GMBH, EIAR leads on implementation while CIMMYT provides technical support and coordination.
In the Afar and Oromia regions of Ethiopia, farmers observe wheat trials of the new varieties released in partnership with CIMMYT and EIAR. (Photo: Ayele Badebo)
So far, several bread and durum wheat varieties and agronomic practices have been recommended for target areas through adaptation and demonstration. The seeds of adapted varieties have been multiplied and distributed to small scale farmers in a cluster approach on seed loan basis.
Cross-continent collaboration
The Werer Agricultural Research Center (WRC) run by EIAR has released two wheat varieties: one bread wheat line (EBW192905) and one durum wheat line (423613), both suitable for agroecology between 300-1700 meters above sea level.
Both varieties were selected from the CIMMYT wheat breeding program at its headquarters in Mexico. The new bread wheat variety exceeded the standard checks by 17% (GaĂĄmabo and Kingbird) and 28% (Mangudo and Werer).Â
The lines were trialed through multi-location testing in Afar and Oromia, with both lines displaying tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Accelerated seed multiplication of these varieties is in progress using main and off seasons.
The ADAPT-Wheat project, working in the region since 2021, has released two new varieties for use in the Ethiopian lowlands. (Photo: Ayele Badebo)
“These new varieties will diversify the number of adapted wheat varieties in the lowlands and increase yields under irrigationâ said Geremew Awas, a CIMMYT research officer working for the ADAPT project in Ethiopia. Hailu Mengistu, EIAR wheat breeder at WRC, also indicated the need for fast seed delivery of climate resilient wheat varieties on farmers’ hands to realize genetic gain and increase income and food security of the households.
These new varieties will be provided with a local name by breeders to make it easy for farmers and other growers to identify them and will be introduced to farmers through demonstrations and field days. Eligible seed growers who are interested in producing and marketing the basic and certified seeds of these varieties can access early generation seeds from the WRC.
Bram Govaerts receives Guillaume Grosso at CIMMYT’s global headquarters. (Photo: Jenifer Morales/CIMMYT)
The visit of Grosso was much more than a courtesy call. As the largest research center in CGIAR, CIMMYT plays a significant role. Grosso’s visit also came at an important moment for CIMMYT as it reorients its people and culture, operations, and research to address todayâs challenges of food security, climate change mitigation, and agricultural development.
âCIMMYT was pleased to have Guillaume for a few days,” said CIMMYTâs Director General, Bram Govaerts. “We discussed areas where CIMMYT can most deliver value in CGIAR and shared all our important advancements in revamping our organizational capacity and forward-thinking vision to meet current food system demands.â
A central focus of CGIAR’s and CIMMYT’s work is the creation of resilient and inclusive food systems. Effective operations are essential for delivering research that will advance agrifood systems towards a sustainable, food-secure future.
Grosso joins CIMMYT colleagues for lunch. (Photo: Jenifer Morales/CIMMYT)
âI enjoyed speaking with CIMMYTâs scientists and staff, who embody a spirit of dedicated, collective action towards creating systems that produce more nutritious food for vulnerable populations. I am confident that the CGIAR-CIMMYT integrated partnership will only accelerate the needed inclusive transformation of our food systems,â said Grosso.
Grosso engaged with CIMMYT’s enabling units part of the operations and engagement chapters, which are driving forward the Excellence in Operations strategic pillar. This pillar is a cornerstone in supporting and expanding the organization’s global impact. Grosso also toured CIMMYTâs museum, which showcases over 55 years of the institution’s history and operational distinction.
Laboratory specialists share how CIMMYT distributes improved wheat lines annually to public breeding research programs and educational institutions. (Photo: Jenifer Morales/CIMMYT)
The new deputy executive managing director also learned about CIMMYTâs Excellence in Science pillar. He spoke with researchers and Mexican partners who gave him an overview of the centerâs research portfolio in genetic innovation and resilient agrifood systemsâcritical areas which will support CIMMYTâs efforts to contribute to the UNâs Sustainable Development Goals and CGIARâs 2030 Research and Innovation Strategy.
Women and the milpa in Chiapas, Mexico. (Illustration: FMG/OpenAI, 2024)
With its transversal focus on gender and social inclusion, CGIARâs Latin American regional initiative AgriLac Resiliente shows how, through sustainable agriculture, women in the Latin American countryside are a fundamental piece to building resilient and inclusive food systems.
One of the most inspiring examples comes from the Tzotzil women’s group of TzabalĂł, in LarrĂĄinzar, Chiapas, Mexico. These women have found in the Chiapas Hub a platform that has allowed them to contribute significantly to the development of their households and environments.
âWe are a group of women who have worked in pig and chicken farming for some years now. In 2022, we started working with CIMMYT and DAI (Desarrollo Alternativo e InvestigaciĂłn AC). We liked it a lot because we see that they are interested in women. They give us the opportunity to learn which awakens our interest in working in the field because we want to help our husbands, but with knowledge,” they said.
According to their testimonies, the opportunity to train in sustainable agriculture has been transformative. Previously, their participation in agricultural activities was limited. Now, with new knowledge acquired, they are producing healthy and nutritious food.
âIf we just stay at home, we don’t do much, but when we go out to the countryside, we feel free, we clear ourselves of so many tasks around the house, and we bring tender beans and fresh vegetables. Now we can produce our food free of toxins and store our maize in airtight containers without chemicals,â they pointed out.
The experience has given them not only autonomy in making decisions about their food but also a sense of freedom and purpose when working in the field where the power of group work has also been a major factor in their success.
âIt is always better to work in a group than individually, but it is necessary to find a good manager or leader to guide you and teach you how to work. As a group, we have obtained knowledge that we share among ourselves, we learned to prune fruit trees, we no longer burn stubble to recycle nutrients, there is more production and the product is bigger, and we also expect good fruit production.”
Plot in Chiapas where sustainable practices have been implemented. (Photo: GarcĂa, RamĂrez and Meentzen/CIMMYT)
However, the path has not been without challenges. The community faces a sociopolitical context that makes collaboration between groups difficult, although these women persist and demonstrate with their achievements that female participation in agriculture is fundamental for community development.
âWhat we do, people see it badly and ask us why we go to the countryside to learn something that is not for us, that we leave because we don’t have chores at home, but we don’t get discouraged. When they see the results of the work, they ask us how we did it, and we tell them what we learned by not staying alone at home, and we invite them to join the group,” they mentioned, emphasizing that if you are in the group, it does not matter what political group you belong to because the only thing that matters is knowledge and the desire to improve oneself.
Their courage and determination have not only transformed their own lives but is also inspiring other women to join and follow this path of empowerment through sustainable agriculture.
These success stories are proof of the positive impact that the inclusion of women in the field can have. Their voice and experience are fundamental to building more resilient and sustainable food systems, where gender equity and the active participation of all actors are pillars for a prosperous future in rural areas of Latin America.
Directors from Excellence in Agronomy visit modules and platforms at CIMMYT’s South Pacific Hub in Oaxaca, Mexico (Photo: CIMMYT)
“It was a stunning experience for me to understand the operation of a hub and see farmers interact directly with field technicians, applying the principles of Conservation Agriculture. I remember a lady from Oaxaca telling us how productive she has become using la matraca, a simple, manual seeder and fertilizer,” says Mandla Nkomo during his recent visit to the Mixteca oaxaqueña in southern Mexico.
Mandla is the chief growth officer for the Excellence in Agronomy Initiative (EiA) which, âgathers more than 10 CGIAR Research Centers whose goal is to create solutions to problems that farmers face globally. EiA works on a foundation that is driven by demand to understand the challenges farmers are dealing with, and bring forth a development system for innovation that is capable of coping with those challenges and finding solutions that can be tested, validated, and scaled,â he mentions.
His searching for a system that triggers and diffuses innovation for farmers motivated Mandla to visit the hubs in Oaxaca, Mexico. âWe are here because we wanted to study all the hubs and the projects based on the methods CIMMYT and its collaborators have developed in Mexico. One of the things we consider at EiA is the successful and sustainable transition from individual use to working within a partner network.”
âWhat we have seen here is the work of our colleagues from CIMMYT. For the last decade, they have come up with these hubs or innovation centers situated across different agroecological regions in Mexico. What is unique about the hubs is the ecosystem they are creating, which in my opinion, is what brings excellence in agronomy,â says Mandla.
About this methodology, Mandla says those who participate in it, are trying to understand the challenges that farmers truly face. Then a platform is developed to do proper research that responds to farmers’ needs. Subsequently, they test it in modules which provides proof of the impact these solutions are having as compared to conventional farming. Finally, these solutions are transferred to areas called extension, from which large-scale innovations are implemented.
During his visit to the research platform in Santo Domingo Yanhuitlan and to modules for innovation, extension areas, seed warehouses, post-harvest modules and machinery locations at different towns in Oaxaca, Mandla Nkomo and other visitors from EiA had the opportunity of learning not only how the South Pacific Hub operates but also witnessed how this management approach for innovation is socially and culturally relevant to one of the most diverse regions in the country.
âThese days have been truly amazing. They have been very useful in refining the picture of whatâs possible to do and scale. Mexico is a megadiverse country with varied agroecology. Our approach can be replicated in many parts of the world. Iâm very excited with what we have seen. The country that gave us corn is now providing the world with solutions that will have major impacts on global food security. So, it is now our task (me and the whole EiA team) to find ways to pass this on to other latitudesâ.
This terrible season of global conflict just hit a particularly grim milestone in Sudan with the one-year anniversary of the violent civil war last month. One consequence of the conflict is that Sudanese families are beginning to starve â and while emergency food aid is needed, so is investment in longer-term food production.
Political, economic, and social upheaval in the country has displaced over 8 million people and left nearly 25 million people in need of urgent food assistance, including more than 14 million children. The anniversary saw major donors mark the day with more than $2 billion in new aid pledges.
While these pledges are important, the international community also needs to rethink some of its aid strategies. Emergency food assistance for those at immediate risk of starvation is understandably a high priority now, but restoring food production within the country is just as important â otherwise donors risk racing from crisis to crisis and always falling short. It is time to break away from an aid-dependency model and invest directly in farmers.
In fact, challenges to Sudanâs agriculture were likely a contributing factor to the current conflict. The livelihoods of most people in Sudan depend on the agri-food sector, which has been under pressure in recent years. Economic stagnation, weather shocks, land conflicts, high inflation, and health crises made 9.8 million Sudanese severely food-insecure by 2021.
Sudan is not alone, and itâs important that the donor community understand how. Eight out of 10 of the world’s worst food crises are driven by war, persecution, and conflict, in places such as Sudan, Yemen, the Palestinian territories, Myanmar, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The confluence of conflict, state fragility, climate change, and poverty is already overwhelming the international community’s ability to respond to escalating humanitarian needs. The international community has to put more emphasis on anticipatory action, because reaction is just not going to be enough anymore.
The need to get ahead of the growing scale of humanitarian disasters has provoked new thinking and partnerships among research, development, and humanitarian organizations, such as ours.
We are investing in better risk assessment, preparation for future food crises, and accelerated learning about how climate change is affecting agricultural productivity and production. The significant resources and expertise of the international research-for-development community can make humanitarian responses in fragile and conflict-affected states more effective and optimal.
Sudan will hopefully show how this kind of intervention can work. Our organizations are part of an international effort to partner with Sudanâs farmers to improve livelihoods in the country. We had started operating across six Sudanese states just before the outbreak of the current conflict, training farmers on how to manage their crops, livestock, and natural resources, and supporting them to access drought-tolerant seeds, with a specific focus on last-mile delivery to women and youth. When the civil war started last year, we quickly pivoted to supporting farmers in safer locations and focusing on the needs of internally displaced people in new areas.
Make no mistake: Implementing these interventions in the current conditions is a heavy lift. Roadblocks, skyrocketing fuel costs, denied travel permits, and breakdowns in telephone service all impede communication with farmers and the delivery of seeds, tools, and training. The threat of emergent violence is driving displacement and staff turnover.
Nonetheless, our coalition has continued to operate. Local partners, including cooperatives, microfinance institutions, and private sector players have shown themselves to be especially effective as the conflict has escalated. These cooperatives, strengthened by farmer training, enable farmers to improve their production and incomes by pooling their resources.
For example, the 72-member Al Etihad women-led farmer cooperative in South Kordofan has initiated multiple enterprises, guided by a structured business plan that steers them toward a more empowered role in local food value chains.
Through the program, last-mile seed retailers have helped nearly 6,000 farmers access agronomic advisories and seeds at a subsidized price. This has empowered farmers like Fatna Mohammed, a 48-year-old widow and mother of three, to build a better livelihood from her small-scale groundnut and vegetable production. She reports that an increased harvest of 18 sacks of groundnut, up from five sacks, enabled her to invest in her farm and better feed her family.
This unique last-mile delivery network, carefully tailored to local realities and drivers, is helping Sudanese communities to survive the current crisis and it can be activated for the rebuilding period â which cannot come soon enough.
Sudan, as with many war-affected nations, is caught in a doom loop of insecurity: Any restoration of political stability requires economic activity, but any economic activity requires political stability. Both depend on physical security, which is hard to achieve without political stability and economic activity.
While a cessation of violence and the restoration of civil order is ultimately up to the parties to the conflict, a direct, international investment in farmers is a way to potentially break the cycle, simultaneously addressing the growing hunger crisis and helping build the preconditions for peace.
Fanta Mohamed, a 48-year-old widow with three children, lives in Aldagag village in South Kordofan. For years, Fanta has worked on her small farm to feed her children. Fanta used local seeds, and her agricultural yield was very poor. It made her wonder where she was going wrong. Fanta, like thousands of women farmers in remote and hard-to-reach areas of South Kordofan in central Sudan, has limited access to quality inputs and agricultural extension services.
In South Kordofan, Mercy Corps, aided by USAID-funded Sustainable Agrifood Systems Approach for Sudan (SASAS), trained 15 local farmers and producers in the Farmer Field School methodology and climate-smart agriculture with the support of officials from the State Ministry of Agriculture.
âAt SASAS, we work to empower women farmers, especially those who live in remote areas such as South Kordofan. We help them with agricultural inputs such as improved seeds, new agricultural skills, and techniques to increase their production and help enhance food security amid the looming food crisis in Sudan,â said Abdelrahman Kheir, SASAS chief of party.
Women farmers apply new agricultural techniques in South Kordofan. (Photo: CIMMYT)
To address the challenges of poor seed quality, Mercy Corps contracted local supplier Alzahra Seed for Trade to sell improved seeds at a subsidized price and expand access by establishing last-mile seed retail networks. Alzahra Seed for Trade would also deliver agronomic extension training to farmers in remote villages such as Aldagag.
Fanta recalls how she and other women farmers came to know about the improved seeds. âWe were at a coffee gathering at my neighborâs house, when one of the women told us that Alzahra Seed for Tradeâs retail agent had brought improved seeds from Dilling town for sale. We were not even aware of the existence of improved seeds,” she said.
With accessible and affordable improved seeds in Aldagag, Fanta was one of the smallholder farmers who bought seeds from a retailer in her village. She bought groundnut and vegetable seeds and received basic agronomic extension training from the retailer who offered it as an embedded service. In addition to getting access to improved seeds, Fanta was visited by an extension officer from Alzahra Seed for Trade.
Women farmers participate in an agronomic extension training. (Photo: CIMMYT)
Fanta recalls how she managed her farm before she was introduced to improved seeds. âIn the seasons before I got the training, my farm looked disorganized. Like other farmers in my area, I didnât care about the distances between the plants. Local seeds yielded about four or five sacks of groundnut per one feddan (unit of area in Sudan),â she shared. Post training, Fanta planted two feddans of groundnut using the improved seeds and followed the agronomic guidance. âI harvested 18 sacks from the two feddansâmuch higher than before.â
Increased income provides women farmers with greater financial resources, and many of them feel empowered. âWomen famers in my area who have used improved seeds and followed new agricultural techniques have become stronger and feel confident enough to have a voice within our community,â said Fanta.
Sudan, the third largest country in Africa, has long been an epicenter of food production, due to its fertile lands and rich history of agricultural cultivation. But modern Sudan faces chronic food insecurity rooted in social and geopolitical challenges. A situation that has been exacerbated by the outbreak of war on April 15, 2023. The armed conflict has caused a sudden, further decline in agricultural productivity, displacing large populations and pushing millions of Sudanese into high levels of malnutrition and food insecurity.
In response to this crisis, CIMMYT, through the USAID-funded Sustainable Agrifood Systems Approach for Sudan (SASAS), is supporting agricultural development by creating robust and sustainable food production systems. SASAS adapts a modular and multi-crop approach to implement an integrated agrifood system that underpins food security, employment, and equity.
As the planting season of 2024 approaches, the project strives to strengthen food production to support the people of Sudan during these challenging times.
Experts speak: SASAS focuses on five key areas
Abdelrahman Kheir, SASAS chief of party, highlights how the agricultural innovations of the project are impacting multiple regions in Sudan. The focus of the project is on five broad intervention areas: promoting agricultural production for smallholder farmers, improving value chains and business development, supporting community management of natural resources, and providing horticultural and livestock services such as vaccination campaigns.
Further in the video, Murtada Khalid, country coordinator for Sudan, explains how the SASAS Food Security Initiative (SFSI) will provide 30,000+ farmers with a diversified package of four inputs: fertilizer, seeds, land preparation, and agricultural advisory services, to prepare for the upcoming 2024 sorghum and groundnut planting season. SFSI is a critical element of SASAS that uniquely provides agricultural development aid during a time of conflict to directly improve the food security situation in Sudan.
How women farmers benefit from SASAS
SASAS works directly with women farmers and pastoralists to ensure an equitable approach to food security in the country. Hear farmers from the women-led El-Harram Agricultural Cooperative in Kassala, Sudan, explain how SASAS has positively impacted their lives and families.
Ali Atta Allah, a farmer in Kassala expresses her gratitude for SASAS support. âThey provided us with seeds including jute, mallow, okra, and sweet pepper. We planted them, and they thrived.â Ali highlighted the financial gainsâa bundle of jute mallow sells for 500 Sudanese Pound (SDG). The income from the entire area amounts to 200,000 to 300,000 SDG. âThe seeds provided by SASAS are of superior quality,â she affirmed.
Aziza Haroun from El-Ghadambaliya village, shares her story of how improved seeds provided by SASAS activities helped double her yields compared to previous years. âWe used to farm in the same land and the yield was poor. Mercy Corps, a SASAS partner, introduced us to a new method of planting legumes as natural fertilizer. Now our yield has increased significantly,â she said.
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.
âAt 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,â 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,â said Imtithal Atta, a farmer from the Alsawagi neighborhood in Kassala. âIn 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.â
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 familyâs 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,â said Fatima Ahmed, a woman farmer and a mother of three children from the El-Haram Agricultural Cooperative.
âThanks 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,â 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,â said Hanan, a resident of Alswagi.
âThe 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,â said Osman, vegetables trader, also in Alswagi.
Gender and social inclusion are fundamental themes for the Latin American regional initiative AgriLac Resiliente, which is why numerous regions bordering Guatemala and Honduras have been selected to implement priority actions with a gender approach.
In order to integrate a guideline that clears up why gender and social inclusiveness are relevant matters and incorporate it in all InnovaHubs activities in Guatemala and Honduras, social inclusion and gender experts from AgriLac have implemented a participatory process in the South Pacific and Chiapas Hubs to gather information and document research results to facilitate the Hub model for replication, developed by CIMMYT in Mexico and other countries.
In this way, Alejandrina Garcia in Oaxaca, Alejandro Ramirez in Chiapas, and Angela Meentzan, head of the AgriLac Gender and Social Inclusion Team, conducted individual and group interviews to learn how the different actors involved in the hubs perceived their own participation: farmers, workers, managers, and staff of the hubs, as well as partners who participated in this participatory process.
There are numerous and successful cases of rural womenâs participation in the centers of Oaxaca and Chiapas that have been collected in this process. âIt is expected that these case studies will become part of an annex to the guideline, just to illustrate why the participation of rural women is essential in their own vision,â said Meentzen, who highlights the case of Juanita, a Tzeltal woman from La Providencia in Ocosingo, Chiapas, Mexico.
âAbout five years ago, I started working alongside CIMMYT. Before we knew them, we were only planting maize and beans, but then we couldnât produce any more. The plants stopped growing, and we had a lot of problems with pests, so we used to burn all the stubble. When the engineers came, they invited us to join them. At first, we werenât that interested, but we let them teach us. They taught us how to grow other crops like sunflowers, peanuts, vegetables, and fruit trees like lemon and soursop,â said Juanita.
âNow we donât burn all the stubble and we have crops all year round. We also grow other types of plants and use a lot of organic products that they taught us how to prepare. Our production has increased, and we sell more and more at the market. My daughter and I take care of the sale of the crops: beans, corn, vegetables, squash, corn, and flowers; the latter have given us such good results that we have earned some extra money,â said Juanita.
âThe benefits we got from our land allowed us to give our children a future. Some of them have graduated from college and have jobs; others are about to graduate, but they have all learned to work the land. It feels a little harder, but I have been able to take care of both: my family and the land. I donât know how I did it, but I did it,â said Juanita proudly, noting that the scientific knowledge gained from the research platform and Hub modules has had a real and positive impact on her and her family.
Photo: Juanita, a Tzeltal woman from La Providencia in Ocosingo, Chiapas, stands in her field. (Garcia, Ramirez and Meentzen/CIMMYT)Â
Nairobi, Kenya â 26 June 2024 â 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.
This terrible season of global conflict just hit a particularly grim milestone in Sudan with the one-year anniversary of the violent civil war last month. One consequence of the conflict is that 
