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Tag: modeling

Md. Rokonnuzzaman Rokon

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Md. Rokonnuzzaman Rokon is a machinery development officer with CIMMYT’s Sustainable Agrifood Systems (SAS) program in Bangladesh. He graduated from Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University in 2014 with a degree in agricultural engineering, before completing a masters in irrigation and water management at Bangladesh Agricultural University.

After finishing his masters, Rokon joined Solargao Ltd as an assistant engineer to a solar irrigation project, before becoming a lecturer at the Government Shahid Akbar Ali Science and Technology College. He joined CIMMYT in 2022.

Mustafa Kamal

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Mustafa Kamal is a GIS and remote sensing analyst in CIMMYT, leading the GIS, remote sensing and data team in Bangladesh as part of the Sustainable Agrifood Systems (SAS) program’s Innovation Sciences in Agroecosystems and Food Systems theme across Asia.

Kamal’s core expertise is in earth observation and geospatial data science, scientific and cloud computing, webGIS, Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), advance landcover-landuse classification, and tool development. He contributes to research and innovation of irrigation and agro-meteorological advisory, crop identification and yield prediction, disaster and crop monitoring, landscape diversity, and climate analytics. He has published many peer-reviewed papers, reports, and training manuals, and provided teaching/training.

Kamal’s interdisciplinary background in urban and rural planning and disaster management helps him to integrate and lead an interdisciplinary team to provide solutions for sustainable agrifood systems.

Sagar Kafle

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Sagar has been working at CIMMYT-Nepal since December 2015, contributing to various projects. His main focus has been on the CSISA initiative, which aims to research and scale up resource-saving technologies within Nepal’s cereal systems. Through his work, he has developed expertise in technology scaling within cereal systems, developing market systems, and strengthening governance in the agricultural research and extension services sector. This is in part due to his strong understanding of local contextual factors that influence the adoption of sustainable intensification technologies, including mechanization.

Since 2024, Sagar has turned his attention to generating innovations, tools and scaling pathways in the mixed farming systems of the mid-hills of Nepal as part of the CGIAR Mixed Farming Systems (MFS) Initiative.

Asif Al Faisal

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Asif Al Faisal is a data analyst with CIMMYT in Bangladesh. He is an expert in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning modeling, graph representation learning, algorithms, agro-geospatial analysis and data visualization.

Washiq Faisal

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Washiq Faisal is a Research Associate with CIMMYT’s sustainable intensification program, based in Bangladesh. He joined CIMMYT in 2014 and has been involved in applied agricultural research to tackle food insecurity through improved nutrient-rich, high-yielding varieties and sustainable agronomic practices for nearly 15 years.

Faisal is involved in innovative and multi-disciplinary research focused on the principles of sustainable and ecological intensification in smallholder dominated and tropical agricultural systems in Bangladesh. His current research focuses on climate-driven epidemiology of two crop diseases, Stemphylium blight of lentil and wheat leaf rust.

In collaboration with the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) and Bangladesh Department of Agricultural Extension, Faisal learnt how to use Agvisely, an agro-meteorological services tool providing location-specific advice to farmers.

Sieglinde Snapp

Sieglinde Snapp

Written by Rodrigo Ordóñez on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Sieg Snapp is the director of the Sustainable Agrifood Systems program at CIMMYT, which brings together global agricultural economics, systems analysis on agrifood innovations and agricultural systems for development in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

As a Professor of Soils and Cropping Systems Ecology at Michigan State University and Associate Director of the Center for Global Change and Earth Observations, she led research on sustainable farming, particularly for cereal-based, rainfed systems in Africa and North America.

Snapp first partnered with CIMMYT in 1993, when she developed the “mother and baby” trial design. This go-to tool for participatory research has developed farmer-approved technologies in 30 countries.

Snapp has partnered with local and international scientists to tackle sustainable development goals, improve livelihoods and farm sustainably. Her two hundred publications and text books address co-learning, ecological intensification and open data to generate relevant science.

Dorcus Chepkesis Gemenet

Written by Leslie Domínguez on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Dorcus Chepkesis Gemenet is a Breeding Simulation Specialist working with CIMMYT’s Integrated Development program.

She is currently working with the CGIAR Excellence in Breeding (EiB) Platform, in the Breeding Program Optimization team as a Breeding Simulation Specialist mainly giving direct support on program optimization for Roots, Tubers and Bananas CGIAR group of crops (RTB) with IITA, CIAT and CIP.

She has more than 10 years’ experience working with different CGIAR centers. Before joining EIB, she worked for the International Potato Center (CIP) as a Molecular Breeder and Quantitative Geneticist with duties to develop genomics-ssisted breeding tools and establish quality control standards in sweet potato and potato. Before CIP, as part of her PhD, she worked with ICRISAT in the Sahel region of West Africa (Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso and Senegal) on the genetic basis of low phosphorus tolerance in the Pearl millet systems. Chepkesis Gemenet was also part of the Kenya Maize Working group (KALRO) and worked on CIMMYT/NARS Projects including IRMA II, DTMA, WEMA and IMAS.

João Vasco Silva

Written by Bea Ciordia on . Posted in Uncategorized.

João Vasco Silva is an Agronomy-at-scale Data Scientist with the Sustainable Agrifood Systems (SAS) program based in Harare, Zimbabwe. His expertise includes yield gap and resource use efficiency analysis, farming systems research, and integrated assessments at field, farm, and regional levels.

He is currently involved in different research projects in Africa dealing with spatially explicit ex-ante assessments of agricultural technologies and sustainable intensification of farming systems in the region.

Silva holds a PhD from Wageningen University, where he is a guest researcher at the Plant Production Systems Group.

Narain Dhar

Written by Leslie Domínguez on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Narain Dhar is a research fellow working with CIMMYT’s Global Wheat program and CGIAR Research Program on Wheat (WHEAT). His recent work is on charaterization and evaluation of a unique set of germplasm lines for abiotic stress.

Tesfaye Shiferaw Sida

Written by Leslie Domínguez on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Tesfaye Shiferaw Sida is a multi-disciplinary researcher, educator and R&D practitioner emphasizing on production ecology and resource conservation. He currently holds a Scientist position at International Maize & Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT). He organizes and runs projects that facilitate the delivery of agronomy-at-scale solutions, create links among institutions in digital decision support systems, assist implementation of next generation agronomy at scale innovations and nurture internal efficiencies for demand-driven R&D in agronomy.

He is passionate for data-driven decisions, hence proficient in advanced data analytics and programing tools including Python, R, ArcGIS, and more. He is experienced with dynamic systems modeling tools such APSIM, FARMSIM, STELLA and SMILE. He aspires to link hands-on, on-farm and practical experiences to the emerging big data and digital capabilities to assist smallholder farmers benefit from the ‘digital revolution’.

Vimbayi Grace Petrova Chimonyo

Written by Leslie Domínguez on . Posted in Uncategorized.

With ten years of experience as a crop scientist, Vimbayi Grace Petrova Chimonyo’s research focuses on integrated crop management to address food and nutrition security issues, climate change and rural development. She works primarily with crop simulation modelling as a tool for adapting to climate change and variability and improving food security, especially for smallholder farmers.

She has a good understanding of resource use (water, soil nutrients and solar radiation) within the agricultural sector, Water-Food-Nutrition-Health nexus, the Water-Energy-Food nexus within food system landscapes, and the need for transformative strategies for inclusive food security.

Her main research interests are developing resilient cropping systems with an emphasis on sustainable intensification under climate variability and change.

Gokul P. Paudel

Written by Emma Orchardson on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Gokul P. Paudel is an agricultural economist working with CIMMYT’s Socioeconomics Program, based in Nepal. His research mostly focuses on technology adoption and impact assessment, scale-appropriate mechanization, climate change impacts and adaptations, conservation agriculture, technical efficiency analysis, trade-off analysis, non-market valuation and big data, data mining and advanced machine learning.

Crop Modeling community of practice

Written by Rodrigo Ordóñez on . Posted in Videos.

The Community of Practice on Crop Modeling is part of the CGIAR Platform for Big Data in Agriculture and encompasses a wide range of quantitative applications, based around the broad concept of parametrizing interactions within and among the main drivers of cropping systems. These are namely: Genotype, Environment, Management and Socioeconomic factors (GEMS) to provide information and tools for decision support. The Community of Practice was formed in 2017 and is led by Wheat Physiologist Matthew Reynolds at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Texcoco, Mexico.

Crop modeling has already contributed to a better understanding of crop performance and yield gaps; predictions of potential pest and disease epidemics; more efficient irrigation and fertilization systems, and optimized planting dates. These outputs help decision makers look ahead and prepare their research and extension systems to fight climate change where it is most needed. However, there is a significant opportunity — and need — to improve the global coordination of crop modeling efforts in agricultural research. This will, in turn, greatly improve the world’s ability to develop more adaptive, resilient crops and cropping systems.

Our Community of Practice aims to promote a better-coordinated and more standardized approach to crop modeling in agricultural research. With over 900 members involving CGIAR centers and a wide range of international partners, the Crop Modeling Community of Practice is already facilitating and sharing knowledge, resources, “model-ready” data, FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data principles, and other useful information; while promoting capacity building and collaboration within the CGIAR and its community.

Get more information about the Crop Modeling Community of Practice on the Big Data website.

Join the Crop Modeling mailing list to get information about publications, webinars, new tools, updates and collaboration opportunities.

Connect to our LinkedIn group: Crop Modeling CoP.

Kindie Tesfaye Fantaye

Written by Emma Orchardson on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Kindie Tesfaye is a Senior Scientist based in Ethiopia. He has more than 15 years of experience in executing and managing climate, crop modeling and GIS related projects for agricultural research and development in developing countries.

During his time at CIMMYT, he has developed a system of data acquisition and quality control for climate, crop modeling and geospatial analysis. He has applied systems analysis, cropping systems modeling and geospatial analysis tools for yield gap analysis, targeting of climate smart technologies and climate change studies across different scales. In collaboration with partners, he has also developed a digital agro-climate advisory system that provides decision support to smallholder farmers.

Francisco J. Piñera-Chavez

Written by Emma Orchardson on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Francisco Piñera has a multidisciplinary background in biology, crop production and crop physiology. He joined CIMMYT’s Global Wheat Program in 2016.

Piñera’s research focuses on identifying traits and developing genetic resources for increased lodging resistance in wheat. He also coordinates collaborative activities with Mexican partners to develop new germplasm for wheat growing areas in Mexico.