CIMMYT training courses play a critical role in helping international researchers meet national food security and resource conservation goals. By sharing knowledge to build communities of agricultural knowledge in less developed countries, CIMMYT empowers researchers to aid farmers. In turn, these farmers help ensure sustainable food security. In contrast to formal academic training in plant breeding and agronomy, CIMMYT training activities are hands-on and highly specialized. Trainees from Africa, Asia and Latin America benefit from the data assembled and handled in a global research program. Alumni of CIMMYT courses often become a significant force for agricultural change in their countries.
Imtiaz Muhammad sharing his views on the importance of follow-up surveys for improved Pakistani agricultural productivity. CIMMYT/Amina Nasim Khan
ISLAMABAD (CIMMYT) — Development and agricultural professionals attending a planning meeting in Islamabad in March discussed the importance of follow-up surveys for project evaluation and intervention impact, particularly in relation to the Agricultural Innovation Program for Pakistan (AIP).
“This is the right time to assess AIP’s performance, and we need to focus on the demands of the farmers, their challenges and work out a way forward for them to improve their agricultural productivity,” said Imtiaz Muhammad, CIMMYT country representative in Pakistan.
Nazim Ali, AIP activity manager, explained the importance of follow-up surveys and their significance in project evaluation and impact assessment. AIP primary partners shared lessons learned from baseline surveys and presented a work plan for follow-up surveys.
Akhter Ali, CIMMYT agricultural economist, spoke about the methodology used in follow-up surveys, sampling techniques, geographic spread and data analysis techniques.
Participants reached consensus on the following points:
Follow-up survey questionnaires must be aligned with indicators, which AIP is currently reporting to USAID
Follow-up survey questionnaires will be refined internally
Women enumerators should collect sex-disaggregated data sets
For all AIP interventions, samples need to be representative
Agreed time frame for completion of the follow up surveys is tentatively December
For all interventions, AIP partners agreed on documentation of impact through follow up surveys.
These joint efforts will enable smallholder farmers to improve agricultural productivity and livelihoods across different agro-ecological regions of Pakistan.
P.K. Malaker, BARI senior wheat pathologist (2nd from left) and other BARI scientists showing blast affected wheat to Martin Kropff in Jessore district. Malaker first identified the emergence of wheat blast in Bangladesh. Photo credit: CIMMYT/Bangladesh
DHAKA, Bangladesh (CIMMYT) — On a recent visit to Bangladesh, Martin Kropff , director general of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) held discussions with partners and government officials on combating wheat blast disease and other aspects of maintaining food security in the country.
Meetings were held with Bangladesh’s agriculture minister and member of Parliament Begum Matia Chowdhury and Secretary of Agriculture Mohammad Moinuddin Abdullah, where CIMMYT’s activities in Bangladesh were also discussed. Wheat blast is one of the most feared and intractable wheat diseases.
A new, severe outbreak of the disease in Bangladesh validated the prediction of the spread of the disease beyond its origins in Latin America to Africa and South Asia. The spread of wheat blast could be devastating to South Asia, which is home to 300 million undernourished people and whose inhabitants consume over 100 million tons of wheat each year.
Martin Kropff and Nynke Kropff-Nammensma with CIMMYT-Bangladesh staff. CIMMYT/Utam Barman
During a two day field visit, Kropff saw the impacts of wheat blast in the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute’s (BARI) research station in Jessore and farmers’ fields. He also spent the visit meeting Bangladeshi farmers, observing mechanization scaling efforts and visiting a range of CIMMYT varietal and agronomic research trials and demonstrations funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research in Jessore and Dinajpur districts. In addition he held discussions with scientists from BARI and visited the organization’s headquarters in Gazipur and
Martin Kropff (L) meets with Bangladesh’s agriculture minister and Member of Parliament Begum Matia Chowdhury (2nd from left) to address the spread of wheat blast in the country, along with (from L-R) Nynke Kropff – Nammensma, CIMMYT-Bangladesh Country Representative TP Tiwari and Secretary of Agriculture Mohammad Moinuddin Abdullah. CIMMYT/Zia Ahmed
the Wheat Research Centre in Dinajpur district. Kropff also learned how irrigation management advisory with satellite technology is being developed with BARI, the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) and other core partners to release mobile applications for farming.
Kropff also held discussions with partners, including BARI Director General Rafiqul Islam Mondal and Abul Kalam Azad, executive director of BARC. Mondal lauded CIMMYT for its continuous support of BARI’s promotion of maize and wheat for food security in Bangladesh.
Conservation agriculture (field at right) protects wheat from damage due to water stagnation experienced in a conventional field, visible in the blackening of the wheat (left field). CIMMYT/Tek Sapkota
Julianna White is program manager for low emissions agriculture at the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security. Tek Sapkota is a scientist with the International Maize and Wheat Improvment Center and lead author of the study. Any opinions expressed are their own.
Research shows conservation agriculture increases the income of farmers, moderates canopy temperatures, improves irrigation productivity and reduces greenhouse gas emissions in cereal systems in the Indo-Gangetic plains.
In an August 2015 article in the Journal of Integrative Agriculture, researchers report that a comprehensive literature review and evidence collected from on-farm trials showed that conservation agriculture – defined as minimal soil disturbance and permanent soil cover combined with appropriate rotations – improved farmers’ income, helped crops sustain or adapt to heat and water stresses, and reduced agriculture’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions in cereal systems in South Asia.
Farmer Ram Shubagh Chaudhary in his wheat fields, in the village of Pokhar Binda, Maharajganj district, Uttar Pradesh, India. He alternates wheat and rice, and has achieved a bumper wheat crop by retaining crop residues and employing zero tillage. CIMMYT/Petr Kosina
Farmers reap economic benefits
Conservation agriculture recommends minimal soil disturbance, most commonly tillage. Farmers who practiced zero tillage saved 23 percent in production costs by avoiding preparatory tillage and reducing the number of times fields were irrigated, while reaping the same or slightly higher yields.
Minimizing heat stress
High temperatures during the maturity stage cause wheat to decrease grain size, lowering overall yields, a phenomenon known as “terminal heat effect.” Farmers who practice conservation agriculture avoid this heat stress because residues left on the surface of the field conserve soil moisture, enhancing transpiration and creating a cooling effect – thus avoiding reduced yields caused by terminal heat effect.
Efficient use of water resources
Researchers found multiple examples that the zero tillage component of conservation agriculture led to significant water savings in both rice and wheat systems. Water savings accrued across systems. In rice-wheat systems, retention of wheat residues reduces water use in rice, and retention of rice residues causes reduced water use in wheat. Non-requirement of preparatory tillage advances the planting times thereby increasing rainwater-use efficiency and utilizing residual moisture from the previous crop.
Decrease in greenhouse gas emissions
Minimizing soil disturbance allows for soil carbon to accumulate, causing a net soil carbon gain. Although scientists are still debating the extent of soil carbon sequestered through conservation agriculture, indirect emissions reductions are numerous: less power and fuel consumption due to decreased tillage in conservation agriculture, decreased labor from machines and humans, and slower depreciation of equipment.
Business-as-usual production practices such as conventional tillage and farmers’ nutrient and irrigation management systems are greenhouse gas-intensive, while zero tillage reduces energy consumption in land preparation and crop establishment and efficient use of water resources reduces energy needs from pumping. Leaving residues in the field increases soil health and fertility, thereby reducing the need for chemical fertilizers.
Researchers found that, on average, farmers could save 36 liters of diesel per hectare, equivalent to a reduction in 93 kg CO2 emission per hectare per year by practicing zero tillage for land preparation and crop establishment in the rice-wheat system typical on the Indo-Gangetic Plain. Given that 13.5 million hectares are under rice-wheat system cultivation in the region, this represents a reduction of 12.6 megatons of CO2 equivalent.
New technologies increase uptake of conservation agriculture
Despite excellent productivity, economic gains and environmental benefits, adoption of conservation agriculture in South Asia is still relatively slow, most likely due to various technological and socio-economic factors. It takes years and ample evidence for farmers to change the entrenched habit of tillage with planting. And it is a process.
For example, some farmers have adopted zero-tillage in wheat production, primarily to facilitate early planting, lower production costs and increase yields (and therefore profitabilitiy). However, these same farmers still prefer to practice tillage and puddling (wet-tillage) in their rice crops for weed control and reduction in percolation loss of water/nutrient. Also, farmers tend to burn crop residues to facilitate planting with the zero-tillage drill. To realize the full potential of conservation agriculture, all crops in rotation have to be brought under zero tillage, and crop residues will have to be used as soil surface mulch.
Due to the recent development of the “Turbo Happy Seeder,” which can drill seed and fertilizer directly through loose and anchored crop residues, farmers are gradually moving towards zero tillage across the agriculture system.
Farmers who practice conservation agriculture also must adjust their nutrient management systems in order to maximize crop productivity decrease costs. Conventional fertilizer recommendations have been calibrated based on tillage-based systems are thus not necessarily appropriate for conservation agriculture systems, including nutrient stewardship (applying the right source of fertilizer at the right time in right place using right method).
Crop residue management is essential for continuous coil cover, an important component of conservation agriculture, but farmers are faced with competing uses of crop residue as livestock feed, fuel, mulch and compost. Local adaptive research is needed to address strategic residue and nutrient management, weed control and scale-appropriate machinery development.
Such a paradigm shift in crop management requires a mindset transition among farmers and other value chain actors, including researchers, extension agents, market players and other institutions. Though it is recognized that transition takes time, recent progress and development in weed control and nutrient management systems signal that practice of conservation agriculture is growing across the region, including among different socio-economic groups and farm typologies.
CCAFS and CIMMYT continue research and implementation of low emissions agriculture across the globe. See also the regional focus on conservation and climate-smart agriculture in South Asia.
First place winner of the photo contest “Mujeres innovando,” Photo: Yashim Victoria Reyes C.
OAXACA – In agriculture, extension agents are change agents: they intervene to bring about change in order to help improve the lives of farmers and their families. They are critical to any extension program succeeding.
MasAgro’s annual Pacífico Sur Hub photo contest “A look at agriculture in Oaxaca” has documented the work of extension agents in the area since 2014. These photos show the field environment where extension agents work every day, by showcasing the agents’ daily work and life, as well as record farmers’ adoption of innovations, from their point of view.
Extension agents working in different regions of Oaxaca have sent in their photos to participate in the following categories: The Oaxacan landscape, The farmer and his/her community, The innovating farmer, and The innovative plot. Out of sixty selected photos that were presented at a 2015 hub meeting, the winning image was chosen to be on the cover of EnlACe magazine’s June 2016 issue. 12 of the top-rated photos on Facebook will also be included in the same issue.
The winners include:
“Mujeres innovando”, by Yashim Victoria Reyes C.
“La fuerza de las alturas”, by Jacinto Rafael Valor
“Cultivo de maíz en área de impacto”, by Oscar Noel Mejía Domínguez
“Siembra de maíz en módulo de AC”, by Oscar Noel Mejía Domínguez
“La organización que se niega a desaparecer”, by Jacinto Rafael Valor
“El productor y sus tradiciones”, by Zenaida Pérez Martínez
“Un vistazo por la cocina”, by Aminta Olvera Avendaño
“Atardecer en el campo”, by Zenaida Pérez Martínez
“Mujer trabajadora”, by Zenaida Pérez Martínez, 48 votes
“Siembra tradicional en Piedra Azul”, by Jeremías García Orozco
“La familia”, de Xel Reyes
“Cosecha de cacahuate”, by Yashim Victoria Reyes Castañón
“Ociendo el suelo de mi parcela”, by Yashim Victoria Reyes Castañón
Congratulations to the extension agents who took part in the contest and who are aware of the important role that communications play in their activities!
Kropff with with CIMMYT Bihar staff. Photo: Nynke Kropff-Nammensma/CIMMYT
NEW DELHI — The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) Director General Martin Kropff presented the organization’s draft strategy with its unifying vision of ‘One CIMMYT’ at the staff session in the Delhi office during his India visit from 24 February to 3 March. Kropff highlighted that CIMMYT’s excellent scientific work, global presence, partnerships and people are its strengths. However, the organization needs to focus on engaging with new donors and increasing organizational effectiveness in the future.
In the meeting, Kropff shared reflections on his eight months at CIMMYT, emphasizing that improving integration among different projects, teams and geographies through shared values and teamwork will help to achieve a common mission: “Maize & Wheat Science for Improved livelihoods.”
Kropff examines zero tillage wheat in Bihar. Photo: Nynke Kropff-Nammensma/CIMMYT
Staff discussed different elements of the strategy in smaller group breakout sessions and suggested various steps to raise scientific excellence, increase capacity building and to achieve the One CIMMYT objective across all regions. The groups agreed that the “will play a key role in bringing innovative ideas and developing the next generation of well-trained scientists.
During his first visit to the state of Bihar, Kropff visited BISA research farm at Pusa, where he was accompanied by Hari S. Gupta, Director General of BISA, senior officials from Rajendra Agriculture University and CIMMYT scientists. Raj Kumar Jat, BISA cropping systems agronomist, explained the positive impacts of long-term conservation agriculture research on productivity, profitability and soil health at the farm. Kropff saw demonstrations of small farm mechanization, climate-smart practices and the latest research tools and techniques for breeding crop varieties.
The team visited the research platform of the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) project in Patna. R.K. Malik, CIMMYT cropping systems agronomist, highlighted that research results have shown that using shorter hybrid rice varieties can help facilitate an early rice harvest and advance wheat sowing. This will help combat the adverse effects of climate change such as rising heat during the wheat ripening phase and will increase wheat productivity in Bihar. Kropff also interacted with women farmers and service providers to understand their business development services around service provision model.
Kropff and the CIMMYT-BISA team then met with Nitish Kumar, Bihar Chief Minister to discuss how CIMMYT and BISA’s work on new technologies could be helpful to double the productivity in the state with less cost and less water while improving the soil quality. The meeting was also attended by the senior officials of the state government and the Agricultural Production Commissioner of Bihar.
Actors celebrating a fruitful harvest thanks to drought-tolerant maize. Photo: Brenda Wawa/CIMMYT
KOLA, Kenya (CIMMYT) – A new video aimed at raising awareness among farmers about high-yielding, drought-tolerant maize varieties is set for distribution in eastern Kenya ahead of the long rains that begin in March 2016. In the video, which was made by Michigan State University, farmers discuss the challenges of food scarcity related to poor maize seeds that wither because of moderate drought conditions prevalent in the area. The climate, coupled with poor agronomic practices, results in very low yields that cannot sustain households, the video shows.
“The actors are local farmers who are known and trusted,” said Charles Steinfield, a professor at Michigan State University (MSU), who led the project, which focuses on Kola village in Machakos County, about 62 kilometers East of Nairobi.
“The context of the story is real, therefore, this approach comes out as more engaging, practical and has some entertaining bits to appeal to the audience.”
Additional cast members include a leader, an agro-dealer and an agronomic expert who guides the farmers to use improved drought-tolerant maize varieties and recommended agronomic management practices during land preparation, planting, harvesting and post-harvest.
The video was made in the farmers’ homesteads and farms, as a way of including them in the filming and encouraging them to become part of the process. David Kyule and Winfred Kyule were among the main actors. They said they found the experience exciting; adding that they think the video will encourage farmers to plant improved drought-tolerant seeds.
KDV6, a drought-tolerant maize variety was filmed among improved maize suitable for Kola location, in eastern Kenya. Photo: Brenda Wawa/CIMMYT
The videos will be shown to farmers in local meetings called barazas organized by Farm Input Promotions Africa (FIPS), which supports farmers in Kola and the greater eastern Kenya region to access improved farm inputs through a network of village-based advisors and network coordinators. Given the lack of electricity in the targeted areas, some of which are remote, the video will be screened using portable battery-operated projectors.
The plan is to screen the videos just before the farmers start their next planting season in March 2016, Steinfeld said. In addition to sharing information, farmers will be encouraged to engage in discussions about drought-tolerant varieties before and after they see the video. Any change in perception and adoption of these varieties in the coming planting season will be monitored. The screening will target at least 600 farmers in Kola location.
“Our key message in the video is on the benefit of Drought Tolerant varieties and we want farmers to simply try the varieties and see how they perform,” Steinfeld said.
“We are not asking farmers to throw away their local varieties, but giving them a chance to know and experiment the improved drought tolerant varieties that will give them much better yield. All they have to do is try the seeds.”
Through FIPS, the farmers will receive small packets of the drought-tolerant varieties to plant on a small portion of their land to see how it performs.
Plans are underway to air the videos by mid-February 2016 when farmers will be preparing to plant during the March-to-May long rains season.
The main cast of the film (from L to R) Winfred Kyule, Damaris Kyala, Boniface Kyala and David Kyule. Photo: Brenda Wawa/CIMMYT
Soon after the video screening, pre-recorded mobile phone voice messages will be sent to farmers to remind them to buy improved certified drought-tolerant varieties. The messages will be followed up in April by another voice message recommending required agronomic practices that include fertilizer or manure application and weeding. In August, farmers will receive messages including advice on drying and storing the maize harvest.
SEED ACCESS
After raising awareness about the drought-tolerant varieties, demand for the seed is expected to increase. The Drought Tolerant Maize for Seed Scaling project, run by CIMMYT is currently working with seed companies to increase availability of affordable drought-tolerant seed. Some of the varieties, which feature in the video, include DroughtTego, KDV2, KDV4 and KDV6 developed under International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) maize projects – Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa and Water Efficient Maize for Africa.
The participatory farmer video filming project in Kola location, Machakos County in eastern Kenya was developed by Michigan State University and funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development with support from FIPS and CIMMYT.
Participants see a demonstration of artificial inoculation at MLN screening site. Photo: K. Kaimenyi/CIMMYT
NAIROBI — Since maize lethal necrosis (MLN) was first reported in Kenya in 2011, CIMMYT and its partners, including Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), have been intensively engaged in breeding for resistance to the disease, which was later confirmed to be present in D.R. Congo, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.
KALRO and CIMMYT invited public and private sector partners in eastern Africa to a MLN field day at the screening facility at KALRO-Naivasha on 20 January 2016. KALRO Director General Eliud Kireger officially opened the field day, which was attended by about 70 participants from national agricultural research organizations, multinational, regional and national seed companies, national plant protection agencies, international institutions, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and CIMMYT.
The field day demonstrated 21,074 maize germplasm entries from 16 institutions, including public and private sector partners. Several promising inbred lines and pre-commercial hybrids with tolerance/ resistance to MLN were on display in the field blocks. These included MLN tolerant/resistant hybrids that are currently undergoing national performance trials (NPTs) in eastern Africa.
Kireger expressed his appreciation for the work being done at the facility and pointed out, “Last year there were very few germplasm entries offering promise against MLN at the screening site. Today we have seen materials that have potential to be released in the next two years or less.”
“Within the next few years, we can reach out to the farmers in eastern Africa with seed of MLN resistant varieties. We can now confidently tell farmers and the ministries of agriculture that there is a strong ray of hope,” he added.
Using molecular marker assisted breeding, CIMMYT is currently working on more than 25 elite inbred lines that are susceptible to MLN but are parental lines of several prominent commercial maize hybrids in sub-Saharan Africa.
“Our vision of replacing a large set of commercial MLN-susceptible varieties with MLN-resistant hybrids is well on track. Within three or four years we hope to have at least 20 to 25 MLN-resistant hybrids released, scaled up and delivered to farmers in eastern Africa with the help of our seed company partners,” stated B.M. Prasanna, Director of CIMMYT’s Global Maize Program and the CGIAR Research Program MAIZE.
Collaborative work at the MLN facility will continue to help partners identify MLN-resistant germplasm, including inbred lines and hybrids. “The work being done at the MLN screening facility is critical in successfully responding to the MLN epidemic in eastern Africa,” said L.M. Suresh , CIMMYT maize pathologist and manager of the MLN screening facility.
Participants also visited a seed treatment trial, where seed care treatments from Syngenta and Bayer are being evaluated for their effectiveness on a selected set of six hybrids. “Today we have not only seen excellent work on breeding for MLN resistance, but also very good research work being done on seed treatments. This is very important for seed companies,” said Maarten van Ginkel, consultant breeder, SeedCo. “From the trials we have seen today, we are assured that in the near future we will have MLN resistance introgressed in all our hybrids, enabling seed companies to improve the quality of seed delivered to the market.”
The creation, development and strengthening of farmers’ and technicians’ capacities are a pillar of the MasAgro strategy. For this reason, besides investing in research and technological development, SAGARPA and CIMMYT are also investing in building the capacities of agents of change to foster testing and implementation of new technologies with farmers. To this end, as part of the MasAgro Productor (Take It to the Farmer) extension strategy, in 2013, they set up a network of trainers responsible for detecting areas of opportunity for the technicians they supervise and designing a training plan to develop their technical and social skills, which will enable them to innovate together with farmers.
Thanks to this information and their efforts, a book titled Options Available for Implementing MasAgro Technologies has been published which analyzes the options available for implementing sustainable agricultural practices and technologies in 23 Mexican entities where MasAgro instructors have supported, mentored, followed up and evaluated the agents of change who have provided technical backup to farmers involved in this strategy.
This systems focus of agricultural innovation fosters interaction among different actors with the purpose of developing new technologies, better practices, new processes and new ways of organizing and managing. This in turn promotes learning and sets aside the old innovation paradigm––which considers innovation to be the result solely of scientific research and technological development––and regards innovation as a collective event for which everyone is responsible.
This option includes the hubs’[i] physical infrastructure and technological tools, agronomic management solutions and the human capital that has developed within the framework of MasAgro’s extension activities. The book also talks about various constraints and the potential for implementing the technologies promoted by MasAgro in different states of Mexico. This information is organized into five regions based on the distribution of MasAgro trainers: North (Chihuahua, Durango, San Luis Potosí and Zacatecas), Center (Estado de México, Guerrero, Hidalgo and Morelos) and West (Aguascalientes, Colima, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Michoacán and Querétaro).
This document will undoubtedly be useful to farmers, technicians, researchers, decision makers, input suppliers, development organizations, traders and other actors involved in MasAgro’s innovation network.
[i] A hub is an agricultural innovation node and a model of agricultural extension where farmers interact with technicians and technicians interact with researchers. These innovation nodes usually have similar agroecological conditions for establishing production systems where different technologies promoted by the MasAgro program are developed, disseminated, adapted and improved (for more information, go to http://conservacion.cimmyt.org).
The latest research from CIMMYT covers gender and agriculture in Malawi, topsoil and organic carbon variability, and reallocation of farm resources. Explore the latest publications below, and remember to stay current on new articles related to maize/wheat/conservation agriculture, CIMMYT journal articles, CIMMYT library’s acquisitions and related news at the Knowledge Center’s blog here!
Participants of the “Designing projects focusing on agricultural innovation systems” workshop. Photo: CIMMYT
Agricultural innovation systems (AIS) are networks that contribute to creating, disseminating and using scientific and technological knowledge, as well as coordinating and supporting technological processes. However, the way in which farm projects are designed and research processes are organized has hindered the implementation of these systems. In order to establish guidelines for designing these type of initiatives, the CGIAR Research Program on MAIZE and the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) of the Netherlands organized a workshop called “Designing projects focusing on agricultural innovation systems” in Wageningen, the Netherlands, on 11-13 December 2015.
Representatives of the CGIAR, Sustainable Intensification of Maize and Legume Systems for Food Security in Eastern and Southern Africa (SIMLESA), Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA), Intensification of Maize-Legume Systems in the Eastern Province of Zambia (SIMLEZA) and CIMMYT’s MasAgro and Buena Milpa projects attended the workshop in order to exchange knowledge on lessons learned from their own experiences implementing AIS.
One of the main activities of the workshop included defining AIS as having a holistic and integrated focus that includes technology, innovation and methodology. Workshop participants indicated that based on the lessons they had learned, each farmer has unique needs and it’s essential to integrate technologies at the farm level.
Another subject discussed at the workshop was the scaling out of knowledge to other locations and at different system levels. Scaling out depends on establishing strong and complementary partnerships, on the interaction of the actors in the system and on organizational and institutional change. In agricultural research, it is important to get out of the lab and into the field to understand the social drivers behind technology uptake, recognize diversities of needs and understand the reasons behind the adoption – or failure to adopt – certain technologies. Participants completed the workshop with an understanding of the complex, multidimensional aspects of AIS.
“CIMMYT is famous for helping farmers all over the world, but what fewer people know is that they also help Mexican researchers and students who will become the next generation of researchers through the courses and workshops they offer,” said Alejandro Ledesma, maize researcher at Mexico’s National Forestry, Agricultural and Livestock Research Institute (INIFAP). Above, Ledesma (L), receives certificate from CIMMYT Director General Martin Kropff, Juan Burgueño Ferreira, Head of CIMMYT’s Biometrics and Statistics Unit, and Kevin Pixley, Head of the Genetic Resources Program at a course on statistical analysis of genetic and phenotypic data for breeders held at CIMMYT. Photo: CIMMYT
The Seeds of Discovery (SeeD) project seeks to empower the next generation of Mexican scientists to use maize and wheat biodiversity to effectively meet the needs of Mexican agriculture in the future. By providing professional agricultural research and development opportunities for current and future maize and wheat scientists, SeeD works to ensure that the materials they develop will reach those who need it most. For this reason, SeeD is developing a platform of publicly available data and software tools that enable the efficient use of maize and wheat genetic resources. These genetic resources, or biodiversity, include more than 28,000 maize and 140,000 wheat samples, known as accessions, that are conserved in CIMMYT’s seed bank and available to researchers worldwide.
Genetic resources are the raw materials or building blocks used to develop new maize and wheat varieties needed to meet the demands of a growing population in a changing climate. Many of these maize and wheat accessions contain positive traits such as drought tolerance or disease resistance, which if bred into new varieties have the potential to improve food security and livelihoods in countries such as Mexico in the global south.
However, the specific potential impact of SeeD on Mexican agriculture and society will only be realized if breeders and scientists effectively use the products resulting from the project. By inviting researchers, professors and students to participate in workshops, training courses and diverse research projects, a growing cadre of scientists is learning how to use the databases and software tools developed by SeeD and validating their utility.
Cynthia Ortiz places DNA samples into a thermal cycler in the CIMMYT Biosciences laboratory. Photo: Jennifer Johnson
“Sharing the knowledge generated by SeeD and making it available to the scientific community will help accelerate the development of new varieties that will benefit long-term food security in Mexico and the world,” said Cynthia Ortiz, a graduate student in biotechnology at the Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (CINVESTAV) in Mexico City.
Ortiz is conducting research for her Master of Science thesis mentored by SeeD scientist Sukhwinder Singh, who is helping her map the quantitative trait loci (QTL) for phenological and grain yield-related traits in wheat varieties created by crossing synthetic wheat varieties with elite lines. She has participated in two SeeD workshops focusing on wheat phenotyping for heat, drought and yield as well as on the use of the maize and wheat molecular atlas, where she learned to use SeeD software such as Flapjack and CurlyWhirly to visualize the results of genetic diversity analyses.
“The materials SeeD has developed have opened the door for identifying genetic resources with positive traits such as heat and drought tolerance, or resistance to pests and diseases that affect crops all over the world,” Ortiz said. “And the best part is that at the same time, they have sought to protect the genetic diversity of these crops, using the native biodiversity we have in Mexico and the world to confront the challenge of ensuring food security.”
David Gonzalez, a recent graduate of the Chapingo Autonomous University in Texcoco, a city about 30 km (20 miles) from Mexico City, agrees. He worked with SeeD scientists Sarah Hearne and Terence Molnar on his Master of Science thesis, identifying genetic resources with resistance to the maize leaf disease “tar spot complex” (TSC) by using genome-wide association study (GWAS) and genomic selection.
David Gonzalez (L) scores maize plants for signs of tar spot disease alongside SeeD scientist Terence Molnar (R) in the state of Chiapas, Mexico. Photo: Jennifer Johnson
“The software and databases SeeD develops for analyzing genotypic and phenotypic data are novel tools that can be used for research as well as academic purposes,” Gonzalez said. “They are a valuable resource that can be utilized by academic institutions to train students in genetic analysis.”
Gonzalez attended the CIMMYT training course “Technologies for Tropical Maize Improvement,” where he learned about new tools for field trial design, data analysis, doubled haploid technology, molecular markers, GWAS and genomic selection.
“This training, as well as the valuable help and support from CIMMYT scientists, really helped me develop myself professionally,” he said. “It was exciting to work with such an ambitious project, doing things that have never been done before to discover and utilize maize and wheat genetic diversity for the benefit of farmers. I look forward to using what I’ve learned in my future career to develop varieties that meet the needs of farmers in Latin America.”
SeeD is a joint initiative of CIMMYT and the Mexican Ministry of Agriculture (SAGARPA) through the MasAgro project. SeeD receives additional funding from the CGIAR Research Programs on Maize (MAIZE CRP) and Wheat (WHEAT CRP), and from the UK’s Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).
The latest studies produced by CIMMYT’s scientists and researchers include new findings on resilient wheat and maize, conservation agriculture, recently discovered trade-offs for farmers and more. One study led by ETH Zürich graduate Stephanie Cheesman, along with CIMMYT senior agronomist Christian Thierfelder, Neal S. Eash from the University of Tennessee, Girma Tesfahun Kassie, ICARDA, and Emmanuel Frossard, professor at ETH Zürich, found limited increase in carbon sequestration under conservation agriculture (CA) after up to seven years of practice. Read the study “Soil carbon stocks in conservation agriculture systems of Southern Africa” here and learn about the rest of our recent publications below.
Stay current on new articles related to maize/wheat/conservation agriculture, CIMMYT journal articles, CIMMYT library’s acquisitions and related news at the Knowledge Center’s blog here!
Workshop participants in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Photo: CIMMYT
Climate change is affecting all sectors, especially climate-sensitive sectors such as agriculture. Africa in particular is warming faster than the rest of the world, and by the end of this century, growing season temperatures are predicted to exceed the most extreme seasonal temperatures recorded in the past century. In some African countries, yields from rainfed agriculture could be reduced by up to 50% by 2020.
Predicting the impact climate change will have on Africa’s agriculture is vital to implementing effective adaptation and mitigation plans aimed at maintaining food security and nutrition. Ensuring decision makers and researchers are trained in the best modeling tools available will play a key role in making this happen, which is why CIMMYT held its second training workshop on “Crop Modeling under Uncertain Climate,” from 7-11 December 2015 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The workshop exposed 15 participants to the challenges of climate change and variability in Africa and trained them to apply models that quantify the biophysical and socioeconomic impacts of climate change and variability on crop production. Trainees also assessed different adaptation options.
“The training was extremely important because these tools are very useful to understand the risks associated with agriculture in Africa,” said Ibrahima Diédhiou of Université de Thiès, Senegal.
Trainees collaborating in group work during training. Photo: Kindie Tesfaye/CIMMYT
“It is clear to me how and where I can use the tools in my work. Now the challenge is to bring in more crop varieties, particularly wheat, into the models,” stated Brian Isabirye, Leader of the Sustainable Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition Theme at the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA), Uganda.
Gideon Kruseman and Kindie Tesfaye Fantaye award course completion certificates to participants. Photo: CIMMYT
The workshop was held as part of CIMMYT’s collaboration with the CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions and Markets (PIM) and the Global Futures and Strategic Foresight (GFSF) project, both led by the International Food Policy Research Institute. Participants came from ASARECA, the West and Central Africa Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF) and national research institutes and universities from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Uganda.
To introduce modern agricultural machines to farmers of Jhenaidah, Bangladesh, a farmers’ field day (FFD) was held on 17 November 2015 at the M.K. High School, Kulfadanga, Maharajpur, Jhenaidah. The FFD was jointly organized by CIMMYT and IRRI under the USAID funded projects Cereal System Initiative for South AsiaMechanization and Irrigation (CSISA-MI) and Rice Value Chain (RVC).
Sk. Nazim Uddin, Mechanization Project Director at Bangladesh’s Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), said that farmers need modern agricultural machinery and proper training, which is being provided by CIMMYT.
While addressing farmers, chief guest Hamidur Rahman, DAE Director General, pointed out that USAID funded agricultural projects are playing a vital role in introducing agricultural mechanization in Bangladesh and said, “Our population is increasing, whereas the cultivable land is decreasing day by day; we need to adopt complete mechanized systems in agriculture to meet the challenge of producing more food from less land. In this context, CIMMYT and IRRI are doing a great job that everybody should know about.” He also expressed his satisfaction with the public-private partnership initiated by CIMMYT’s CSISA-MI project. William J. Collis, CSISA-MI Senior Project Leader, expressed his hope that mechanization will push forward the agriculture of Bangladesh within the next 10 years and thanked the private sector for its continuous support of the country’s agricultural machinery sector.
At the field day, participating farmers learned about modern agro-machinery and mechanized cropping systems that help reduce tillage to conserve soil health, while saving time, labor, and expenses, and maximizing profit. Detailed discussions were held on how to make tillage options accessible at a lower price, and increase the use of machines through local service providers (LSP). A significant number of farmers expressed their willingness to become LSPs and earn extra income. They also requested subsidies for purchasing the agro-machines and starting their own business.
Farmers and guests later visited field plots where they witnessed demonstrations of several machines, such as a rice transplanter and reaper, a new planter called the hand crank spreader, and the power tiller operated seeder. These demonstrations were presented by private sector companies RFL, Metal, ACI, and Janata Engineering as part of their agro-machinery promoting activities. Afterward, a feedback session was conducted where farmers and LSPs expressed their opinions of the machines, their use and profitability.
Other special guests at the field day were Muhammad Nuruzzaman, Project Management-Coordinator, Economic Growth, USAID Bangladesh; Md. Sirajul Islam, Chief Scientific Officer, RARS, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Jessore; Subrata Kumar Chakrabarty, Project Manager, CSISA-MI, CIMMYT; and Kevin Robbins, Deputy Project Manager, CSISA-MI, iDE-Bangladesh. The program was chaired by Khairul Abrar, Additional Director, DAE, Jessore. Also present were Deputy Directors of DAE from Jessore, Magura, Jhenaidah, Chuadanga, Meherpur and Kushtia districts; the Chairman and members of Kulfadanga Union Parishad, local elites, school teachers, and large numbers of farmers.
A service provider in Lemo, Ethiopia. Photo: Frédéric Baudron
Agronomic practices that can close the wheat yield gap in the Ethiopian highlands are well known: row planting, precise fertilizer application, timely planting, etc. But their implementation generally increases the demand for human labor and animal draft power. And the availability of farm power in the Ethiopian highlands is stagnating, or even declining. The cost of maintaining a pair of oxen is becoming prohibitive for most farmers. Also, the rural population is aging as a result of young people migrating to the fast-growing cities of Ethiopia in search of more rewarding livelihood opportunities than farming.
