Theme: Capacity development

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.

New extension agents to promote sustainable agriculture in northern Mexico

Written by on October 6, 2015. Posted in News.

Course participants receiving their certificates. Photo credit : Luz Paola López Amezcua/CIMMYT — Course participants receiving their certificates.
Photo credit : Luz Paola López Amezcua/CIMMYT

After finishing a course they started in April 2014 and obtaining their official certification, 39 extension agents from the states of Sonora and Sinaloa in Mexico’s northern Pacific region had their graduation ceremony and joined MasAgro’s innovation and extension network as certified technicians in sustainable agriculture. The ceremony took place on 9-10 September during the International Sustainable Agriculture Forum in Ciudad Obregón, an event that seeks to drive the region’s efforts and resources and which in 2015 is focusing on climate change and water management related issues.

To become a certified technician in sustainable agriculture, candidates must take an intensive one-year course that includes regular theoretical and practical instruction given by national and international experts. The goal is to develop the future technicians’ abilities and skills in preparation for their role as agents of change as part of MasAgro’s extension strategy, which includes delivering to farmers practices that increase their income, help improve their food security, and protect the environment.

The 39 extension agents in northern Mexico who were certified as technicians in sustainable agriculture. Photo credit : Luz Paola López Amezcua/CIMMYT

During the ceremony Bram Govaerts, Associate Director of CIMMYT’s Sustainable Intensification Program, said he was very proud of the technicians’ efforts and work, and highlighted the crucial role Mexico is playing in the development of a more sustainable agriculture. “If there is a country that is an example of the agricultural sector driving the economy, if there is a country that can incorporate the different actors into the production chain in order to foster sustainable production, it’s Mexico. And that’s because Mexico has the talent needed to achieve this.” The graduates were given their certificates by representatives of the Mexican Government who presided at the event.

The newly certified extension agents in Sonora and Sinaloa will become promoters of the hub participative model, which aims at establishing links with public and private actors, and will work in the affected areas of the northern Pacific region, which in 2014 totaled 1,821 ha.

Setting the stage for delivering high zinc wheat in South Asia

Written by on October 6, 2015. Posted in News.

Public and private sector partners in HarvestPlus’ biofortified wheat research and dissemination network in South Asia got together at ICRISAT, Hyderabad, on 10-11 September to discuss progress on breeding research, producing seed for target populations, and strategies for accelerating seed production and fast-tracking commercialization of biofortified zinc-rich wheat varieties.

Partners from India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan, as well as delegates from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), various state agricultural universities, NGOs, small and medium-size private seed companies, processors, millers, and progressive farmers discussed topics such as critical gaps and opportunities in outreach strategies, priority upscaling interventions, and policy incentives for fast-track adoption of improved high Zn wheat varieties.

ICAR Deputy Director General (Crop Science) J.S. Sandhu inaugurated the workshop with a formal presentation on India’s Consortia Research Platforms (CRP) for improving nutritional quality of major staples and emphasized the extraordinary nutritional challenges that country faces, e.g., some of the highest rates of childhood stunting and malnutrition in the world. Wolfgang Pfeiffer, HarvestPlus Director (Product Development and Deployment), highlighted the success of HarvestPlus partners in disseminating nutrient-dense wheat, reaching 50,000 farm households and providing biofortified wheat to a quarter of a million household members by 2015. Parminder Virk, Product Development Manager at HarvestPlus, urged participants to set up a fast-track commercialization pipeline to enable nutrient rich wheat varieties to reach smallholder farmers fast.

CIMMYT Wheat Breeder Velu Govindan discussed advances in the development of competitive high Zn wheat germplasm at CIMMYT, Mexico, to satisfy the needs of national program partners, while Arun Joshi, Senior Wheat Breeder, CIMMYT-South Asia, emphasized the crucial role of public and private sector partners in ensuring farmers have rapid and long-term access to nutrient rich wheat seed. Ravish Chatrath, IIWBR, summarized the results of a special biofortified wheat trial conducted across locations in India.

HarvestPlus Wheat Biofortification meeting held at ICRISAT, in Patancheru. Photo credit : HarvestPlus.

V.K. Mishra, Banaras Hindu University, reported that farmer-participatory varietal selection trials have enabled the identification and release of competitive high Zn wheat varieties for fast-track commercialization in the eastern Gangetic Plains (EGP) of India. The new varieties are not only nutritionally superior, but also drought tolerant and resistant to rusts and other foliar diseases. They are being commercialized in India as truthfully-labeled seed under different names by private companies and farmers’ seed production networks.

Reflections of a wheat trainee: Zaki Afshar, Afghanistan

Written by on October 5, 2015. Posted in Features. 1 Comment on Reflections of a wheat trainee: Zaki Afshar, Afghanistan

Zaki Afshar grew up in the small city of Puli Khumri in northern Afghanistan, and visited his father’s seven-hectare farm every weekend. In this farming locality where the staple crops are wheat and rice, Afshar saw the impact agriculture could have on a community.

“A big part of why I chose agriculture was because I saw how hard the farmers worked and still suffered,” said Afshar. “I wanted to know how I could help them. Why were they not using the advanced technologies I saw available in other parts of the world?”

According to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), 60% of Afghan citizens rely on agriculture for their livelihoods. Wheat is the chief crop in Afghanistan, covering 2.5 million ha and providing about 60% of the daily calorie intake of an average Afghan. “We have a very basic agricultural system,” explained Afshar. “You will only see machinery used for plowing and threshing, not for sowing or even harvesting.”

Afshar attended Balkh University in Mazari Sharif and received a degree in Agricultural Plant Science. He currently works at the CIMMYT-Afghanistan office as a project associate in the wheat improvement program. The CIMMYT-ARIA (Agricultural Research Institute of Afghanistan) joint wheat breeding program is relatively small and new. Afshar’s dream upon starting at CIMMYT was eventually to join the wheat breeding team. Last March, Afshar was able to make this dream a reality, by participating in CIMMYT’s 2015 Basic Wheat Improvement Course (BWIC). This three-month intensive course at the Norman E. Borlaug Experiment Station in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, Mexico, targets young and mid-career scientists and focuses on applying breeding techniques in the field.

“On my first field visit after returning home, I realized how different things were in Kabul than in Obregón,” said Afshar. “Because our program is very new, we have fewer breeders and need more training. I am excited to share with them everything I learned in Mexico.”

In Obregón, Afshar was able to meet scientists from all over the world and learn about breeding methods used in various regions worldwide. For Afshar it was extremely important to come to Mexico to receive his training. At the end of the BWIC, Afshar was honored with the most improved wheat breeder award.

“Through this course I learned how to be a breeder, how different breeders work and new information in wheat breeding,” said Afshar. “The most exciting moment was when I joined my team back in Afghanistan. It was easy for me to score and differentiate between different types of rust, and I realized that everyone in the field was paying attention to what I had to say.”

Towards total quality: workshop on maize seed quality analysis-based on ISTA protocols

Written by on October 5, 2015. Posted in News.

Seed company representatives assess the physical purity of maize seed samples. Photo: Alberto Chassaigne/CIMMYT

During the training courses for MasAgro Network seed producers given in 2014, surveys were conducted to determine their training needs in 2015. CIMMYT seed systems experts who visited seed production facilities and fields also identified gaps in the capacities of small, medium and large seed producers in Mexico.

They found that the genetic and physical quality of the seed produced by the different seed companies varies, even among seed of the same hybrid. Some companies do not conduct quality analyses before marketing the seed, while others have quality laboratories but lack adequately trained staff.

To help bridge this gap among seed companies and standardize the methods used for analyzing maize seed quality, a Maize Seed Quality Analysis Workshop based on the protocols of the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) was held at CIMMYT Headquarters from 22-24 July. Organized by CIMMYT in collaboration with Mexico’s Seed Inspection and Certification Service (SNICS), the workshop was led by staff from the Central Reference Laboratory, which is certified by ISTA.

Workshop participants evaluate seed germination tests.
Photo: Alberto Chassaigne/CIMMYT

During the workshop, 48 Mexican seed company representatives and CIMMYT technicians updated their knowledge of the methods used for sampling maize seed plots, analyzing physical purity, and conducting germination and biochemical (tetrazolium) viability tests. The acquired hands-on experience will allow seed companies that conduct seed analyses to refine their methods, and those that don’t, to incorporate them into the production process.

CIMMYT helps the Seed Entrepreneurs’ Association of Nepal devise its organizational strategy

Written by on October 5, 2015. Posted in News.

In response to the interest expressed by the Seed Entrepreneurs’ Association of Nepal (SEAN), CIMMYT-Nepal organized a meeting with SEAN and the Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC) on 29 July 2015 at NARC’s Agriculture Botany Division, Khumaltar, as an activity of the CIMMYT-led Cereal System Initiative for South Asia-Nepal (CSISA-NP).

Following its interaction with the National Seed Association of India (NSAI) and Indian seed businesses during an event organized by CSISA-NP in the first and second week of June, SEAN decided to devise a strategic roadmap and upgrade its organizational strategy. The specific purpose of the July meeting, which was attended by 19 participants from SEAN, 3 from NARC and 4 from CIMMYT-Nepal, was to study SEAN’s vision, mission and goal, and how they could be updated in the current era of globalization, technological innovation and deregulation.

Increasing farmers’ access to quality seed is important for enhancing Nepal’s food security. To this end, CSISA-NP has been helping small and medium seed enterprises accelerate their growth in an integrated manner. To facilitate their growth, the current situation of seed enterprises, the challenges they face and their potential for growth were recently documented, and the outcomes will be presented at the National Seed Summit on 14-15 September 2015. In addition, representatives of 15 Nepali seed enterprises visited Indian seed companies in May 2015 to learn from their experience, and a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between NSAI and SEAN to foster partnership between them.

Speaking on behalf of SEAN, its president, Laxmi Kanta Dhakal, said that to catalyze the implementation of the MoU between their organization and NSAI, SEAN needs to develop appropriate strategies to address its internal issues as well as reshape partnership modes with potential national and international stakeholders.

Initiated in 1989, SEAN was registered in Nepal in 1991 as a non-profit organization and now comprises 500 members, including seed entrepreneurs engaged in producing, processing and marketing seeds and other agricultural inputs. SEAN’s main purpose has been to organize individual entrepreneurs and private companies to foster capacity building, lobbying and advocating on behalf of seed entrepreneurs, thereby strengthening the national seed industry.

At the meeting, Gurbinder Singh Gill gave a lecture on how to develop the strategic roadmap and facilitated the session where SEAN started working on its mission, vision and goal statements. Gill also shared case studies from different countries and organizations to encourage SEAN’s leadership team to start working at the organizational level. Once these themes are discussed and detailed by SEAN at the organizational level, CSISA-NP will hold a workshop to decide on the way forward. This should lead to an implementable strategic plan for the next five or ten years.

NARC, SEAN and CIMMYT colleagues engaged in establishing a strategic road map for seed enterprises in Nepal.

Towards the end of the meeting, NARC Director (Crops and Horticulture) Shanbhu Prasad Khatiwada said that strong linkage and coordination between the national research program, SEAN, seed enterprises and the CIMMYT team are needed to achieve comprehensive progress towards solving Nepal’s food security issues. He said that this was the first meeting of its kind in Nepal where SEAN, NARC and CIMMYT came together to reshape the organizational strategy of the only seed association of Nepal.
The event was opened by Arun Joshi, Country Representative of CIMMYT-Nepal, facilitated by CIMMYT consultants Narayan Khanal and Gurbinder Singh, and by K.C. Dilli, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, CIMMYT-Nepal.

RISING Voices interviews Frédéric Baudron

Written by on October 5, 2015. Posted in Features.

Frédéric Baudron in northern Rwanda. Photo courtesy of Frédéric Baudron

Frédéric Baudron, systems agronomist at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Ethiopia, introduces himself and his work. This is one of a series of portraits of key people in Africa RISING.

Tell us about your background

I trained as a tropical agronomist, but specialized as a livestock scientist and started my career working for various development programs targeting the interface between people (mainly farmers) and wildlife. I then did a Ph.D. in plant production systems. My research interests include farming system research, sustainable intensification, the impact of agriculture on biodiversity, and participatory innovation development.

Pakistani stakeholders evaluate the performance of CIMMYT maize germplasm across Punjab

Written by on October 5, 2015. Posted in News.

Participants visit CIMMYT maize trials during the traveling seminar. Photo: M. Waheed Anwar/CIMMYT-Pakistan

Pakistan’s maize sector is heavily dependent on imported hybrid seed, which accounts for 85-90% of the annual seed supply. Such huge imports not only cost the country about US$ 50 million every year, but also mean that Pakistani maize farmers have to pay US$ 6-8 per kg for hybrid seed, depending on the variety and the availability of seed on the market. Availability and affordability of quality seed of widely adapted maize varieties are the key to unlocking the production and productivity potential of maize, Pakistan’s third most important cereal crop.

To address this issue, which is a priority of the government of Pakistan, CIMMYT is conducting maize intervention activities under the Agricultural Innovation Program for Pakistan (AIP), a USAID-funded project. Under the AIP program, CIMMYT has introduced more than 700 diverse maize lines from its regional breeding hubs in Colombia, Mexico and Zimbabwe, and has evaluated them under Pakistan’s diverse ecologies since early 2014.

The germplasm consists of hybrids and open-pollinated varieties with enhanced nutrient content (quality protein maize and varieties enriched with pro-vitamin A) and wide adaptation that have consistently performed well over the past three seasons.

Discussion on CIMMYT maize germplasm at a private seed company research station. Photo: M. Waheed Anwar/CIMMYT-Pakistan

Based on the performance of the materials, CIMMYT, in partnership with Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), organized a traveling seminar to give stakeholders the chance to evaluate the performance of CIMMYT maize germplasm in Punjab Province. The evaluation focused mainly on spring maize and took place on 15-17 June 2015. Experts from 12 public and private institutions (including seed companies, agricultural universities and public research institutions) evaluated the performance of the materials at different sites across the province.

The event also gave stakeholders the opportunity to share their trial management and field data recording experience. Participants thanked CIMMYT and PARC for creating such a unique platform where stakeholders showcased their activities and discussed and shared information on how CIMMYT materials perform across the different sites. According to AbduRahman Beshir, CIMMYT-Pakistan maize improvement and seed systems specialist, “When we first introduced the range of CIMMYT maize hybrids and OPVs in early 2014, we were not sure how they would perform, particularly in harsh environments where the temperature often exceeds 40 ⁰C.” He added that after such an aggressive intervention, CIMMYT is now at the product allocation phase based on partners’ selection and requests. Today it is clear that CIMMYT has much to offer its Pakistani partners not only in their efforts to produce hybrid seed locally and achieve self-sufficiency, but also to enhance local maize breeding programs through enriched gene pools.

Message from Borlaug-Ruan international intern Sweta Sudhir, Turkey, summer 2015

Written by on October 5, 2015. Posted in Blogs.

Sweta in the field in Konya, peeling wheat stems to score for crown rot symptoms. Photo: Gul Erginbas Orakci

As a small-town Iowa girl, I have grown up around farms my whole life but never quite grasped the complexity of the issue of food insecurity. Two years ago, my understanding of food insecurity could be summed up in an image of a barren desert in sub-Saharan Africa. Yet that January I embarked on a journey that would take me from my hometown in Iowa, to the state capital and, finally, to Eskişehir, Turkey.

This past summer I spent eight weeks in Turkey as part of the Borlaug-Ruan International Internship of the World Food Prize Organization. My deep thanks to Mr. Brad Horton, Lisa Fleming, and Ambassador Quinn for this opportunity. Working in the soilborne pathogen lab of CIMMYT-Turkey, I was introduced to the devastating impact of nematodes and fusarium on wheat yield. Reading journal articles before I came to Turkey, I simply saw numbers on a sheet of paper, but as I visited the field sites in Eskişehir, Yozgat, and Konya and as I conversed with my mentors Dr. Abdelfattah A. Dababat and Dr. Gül Erginbas-Orakci, I was able to see the devastation these pathogens cause on yield and the livelihood of farmers.

Empowering women in agriculture through SIMLESA

Written by on September 23, 2015. Posted in News.

CIMMYT’s project on Sustainable Intensification of Maize-Legume-based Cropping Systems for Eastern and Southern Africa (SIMLESA) and the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) of South Africa hosted a five-day gender training workshop on 24-29 August in Pretoria, South Africa.

Called “Situating Gender in SIMLESA”, the workshop aimed at increasing awareness of gender issues in agricultural research and development, and identifying practical solutions to integrate gender into SIMLESA. It brought together a core team comprised of SIMLESA’s project leader, project manager, gender focal points, monitoring and evaluation specialist, communications specialist, and country coordinators. In his opening remarks, Litha Magingxa, ARC Group Chief Executive (Agri-Economics and Capacity Development), commended SIMLESA for the gender training.

Working closely with the ARC, CIMMYT gender specialist Vongai Kandiwa provided technical training to 14 participants on gender analysis tools, leadership skills, and competencies. Given the coordination role that SIMLESA gender focal points play within countries, it is essential that they have solid interpersonal and leadership skills, in addition to their gender expertise.

“This is a particularly exciting workshop because it demonstrates a strong commitment by CIMMYT and SIMLESA to actively invest in building skills and finding practical ways of integrating gender into ongoing activities,” said Mulugetta Mekuria, SIMLESA Project Leader. “The workshop has highlighted some of the gender-based constraints that women and men face when they try to adopt, adapt, and benefit from sustainable intensification options. This is a critical first step to improving gender awareness and equality in the rural smallholder agriculture sector where SIMLESA operates.”

Of the poor who depend on maize for their livelihoods and food security in East and Southern Africa, more than half are women and girls. Although women play a crucial role in farming and food production, they often face greater constraints in agricultural production than men. Rural women in East and Southern Africa are also less likely than men to own land or livestock, adopt new technologies, access credit and financial services, and receive education or extension advice, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Participants discussed challenges and opportunities to embed gender within the relevant SIMLESA work sub-objectives. They collectively identified gender entry points, specified monitoring and evaluation indicators, and agreed on an effective accountability framework. They also agreed on what should be done across all SIMLESA countries in diverse areas such as socioeconomic research, strategic gender research, participatory selection of alternative sustainable intensification options, and seed systems.

As Kandiwa told the participants, “Careful integration of a gender perspective into the research process ensures that maize and legume research for development leads to positive and substantive outcomes.”

The participants were expected to return to their respective workplaces and apply the knowledge and skills they gained at the workshop. Almost immediately, country coordinators will work closely with objective coordinators and gender focal points to ensure gender relevant activities are budgeted for during SIMLESA’s annual planning meetings, effectively implemented, and accurately reported. The ARC undertook to develop a gender capacity building strategy for SIMLESA.

In SIMLESA II (2014-2018), the aim of gender integration is to consolidate the gains made during SIMLESA I (2010-2014). Through the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Southern Africa (ASARECA), SIMLESA I strengthened the capacity of more than 1000 individuals by providing gender-sensitive training at times and places that were convenient for both men and women, to ensure equal access to the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in agriculture.

Additionally, ASARECA documented in-depth case studies to improve SIMLESA’s understanding of the best practices for gender analysis and development. SIMLESA II is poised to build on this foundation and integrate gender effectively.

Videos sharpen Bangladeshi farmers’ interest in farm mechanization

Written by on September 21, 2015. Posted in Features.

Quality video can be an effective way of enhancing training messages and sharing complex agronomic information with a large audience. The USAID-funded Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia-Mechanisation and Irrigation (CSISA-MI) and the EU-supported Agriculture, Nutrition and Extension Project (ANEP) in Bangladesh recently produced five new farmer-focused videos on efficient irrigation technologies, machine-aided line sowing, strip tillage, bed planting and mechanized harvesters. The videos contain comical but educational dramas with farmers as actors; they focus on practical messages on how to calibrate, use and maintain the machines, which are drawn by two-wheeled tractors, and describe how machinery service providers can make money by selling machine planting and harvesting services to farmers at a low cost.

“Our research shows that machinery training videos can be an effective way of generating farmer interest in experimenting with and purchasing appropriate machinery,” explained CIMMYT agronomist Tim Krupnik. “CIMMYT’s private sector partners also agree, buying-in and paying cable television companies to screen the videos for advertising purposes, adding value to our efforts.” Most recently, The Metal Ltd., a private sector machinery manufacturer and CSISA-MI partner, aired the “Reaper” video on television in Bangladesh to an audience of over 75,000 people during 11 days. Technical support was provided by CSISA-MI’s NGO partner iDE, which arranged to show the video during the July vacation, when farmers tend to be at home watching television with their extended families.

Beyond advertising, the videos are crucial for training farmers on how to use complex machinery. According to CIMMYT training specialist Kamrun Naher, the videos are high quality and well produced. In each technical training course, they serve both as the ice-breaker and the primary lesson. “After watching the videos, service providers and farmers understand the machines’ usefulness,” she said.

“Farmers need to visualize and learn how technologies work in order to show interest in experimenting with and adopting them. Videos can help open that door,” commented Tim Krupnik. Mohammad Rafiqul, a farmer in southern Bangladesh who recently bought a wheat harvester through CSISA-MI’s private sector partners, agrees. “I should thank the video you showed me. I was inspired by it and bought the machine, though at first my family was against the investment.” In his opinion, the video should be screened more widely to increase the use of machines on Bangladeshi farms.

“The videos were prepared primarily as training materials and to influence farmers positively towards the machines,” explained Rezaul Karim, who directed the videos. Usually farmers are not well disposed towards a new idea or machine. “Our target was to remove their fear about the machines and make them feel that these machines are going to make real changes in their lives, and we succeeded.”

For more information on the use of videos in training programs, see:

Bentley, J., Van Mele, P., Harun-ar-Rashid, Md. and T.J. Krupnik. 2015. Distributing and Showing Farmer Learning Videos in Bangladesh. Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension. DOI: 10.1080/1389224X.2015.1026365.

View more CSISA-ANEP training videos below.
•Axial Flow Pumps
•Bed Planter
•Strip Tillage
•Power Tiller Operated-Seeder
•Reaper Machine

Statistical support for the Turkish wheat community

Written by on September 21, 2015. Posted in News.

The soilborne pathogens (SBP) program at CIMMYT-Turkey, a Grain Research Development Corporation (GRDC) funded project, hosted two biometricians from the GRDC project Statistics for the Australian Grains Industry (SAGI): Beverley Gogel, a senior biometrician at the University of Adelaide, and Chong You, a biometrician at the University of Wollongong. Their visit, spanning from 31 August to 4 September, was sponsored under the umbrella of the CIMMYT Australia ICARDA Germplasm Evaluation (CAIGE) project.

The main objective of the visit was to advise on how to improve the program’s experimental design and data analysis under the framework of the GRDC-SBP, CIMMYT project. Gogel and You visited experimental locations in the different environments where the SBP group is testing/screening wheat materials against SBPs. They gave very valuable suggestions and recommendations on how to increase efficiency and improve estimates associated with the targeted research questions. The outcome of this statistical support will ultimately improve trial design and analysis and, hence, the results of the full trial process.

At the same time, Abdelfattah A. Dababat, in collaboration with the Transitional Zone Agriculture Research Institute, organized a two-day workshop titled “Understanding linear mixed models from the ground up: Statistical tools for the Turkish National Breeding Programs” to a group of 13 participants, including breeders, pre-breeders, physiologists and pathologists from Turkey, CIMMYT, and ICARDA. Gogel introduced the experimental trial designs used in Australia and described how to analyze both single trials and trials in multiple sites using the ASReml software. Chong You gave a presentation on QTL analysis and described improvements over the current methodologies used by Turkish national breeding programs.

Special thanks to the GRDC for funding this statistics workshop and to the Turkish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock for hosting and facilitating the workshop, especially the Transitional Zone Agriculture Research Institute, Eskisehir.

Improved sowing for a quality harvest: certified maize seed production training in Celaya

Written by on September 21, 2015. Posted in News. 1 Comment on Improved sowing for a quality harvest: certified maize seed production training in Celaya

Representatives of Mexican maize seed companies attended a training course on certified maize seed production in Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico, from 17-20 August 2015.

Based on seed companies’ training requests in 2015, the MasAgro Seed Systems Unit decided to provide training in certified seed production. The training agenda included the following subjects: maize hybrid development, production planning, production and contract areas, maintenance of parental lines, isolation, sowing for production, roguing, detasseling, pollen control, harvesting, drying and seed health. These subjects were addressed by CIMMYT experts and experienced national seed producers.

Experts from Mexico’s National Seed Inspection and Certification Service (SNICS) explained the certification process and rules, as well as its cost, and then gave practical examples of how to classify the genetic quality of maize in seed production plots.

A certification inspection exercise was conducted in one of Monsanto’s seed production plots. Monsanto representatives gave detailed explanations of the agronomic management of their production plots and the technical and scientific support provided for precision agriculture. Later, SNICS trainers gave step-by-step instructions on how to conduct inspections of seed production plots for certification purposes.

For this exercise, teams of participants toured the 6-hectare plot and were given a manual (especially developed for the exercise) on developing maize varieties and characterizing male and female plants; they also learned the criteria used for sampling and selecting the variables to be assessed. The teams shared their results and standardized plot inspection and evaluation criteria.

According to the participants, the course exceeded their expectations, and they vowed to immediately start applying their new knowledge to improve their seed production and quality control processes.

CIMMYT goes to college

Written by on September 21, 2015. Posted in News.

For the past two years, Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, has been using two CIMMYT manuals as a resource in its Agrilife Research Department undergraduate program. Students in Crop Stress Management 402, a senior level course for undergraduates working towards a degree in Plant and Environmental Soil Science, gain knowledge from “Physiological Breeding I: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Improve Crop Adaptation” and “Physiological Breeding II: A Field Guide to Wheat Phenotyping.”

According to Dirk Hays, professor and chair of the Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences Department at the University, the manuals are used during a course in which genotypic responses to crop stress are measured in the greenhouse and field, and crop stress monitoring is part of the crop management strategy. “This is one of the best stress phenotyping and measurement manuals currently available,” said Hays.

In addition to visits from students and scientists, and the sharing of knowledge and research, CIMMYT and Texas A&M have had a long partnership. Among other things, a strong bond between the two organizations was forged with the 1980s appointment of Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former CIMMYT wheat scientist Norman Borlaug as professor and researcher at the University.

Smart mechanization is a continuous improvement process: the case of a conservation agriculture machinery manufacturer

Written by on September 21, 2015. Posted in Features.

Martín Sánchez develops machines for conservation agriculture based on CIMMYT prototypes.

The building of local capacities is one of the objectives MasAgro pursues to achieve the adoption of conservation agriculture in Mexico. As part of this vision, MasAgro helps develop local machine manufacturers with the capacity to supply and service the implements farmers across the country need to implement conservation agriculture systems.

Martín Sánchez Gómez welcomed us to Sembradoras TIMS, the shop where he manufactures farm machinery, located in San Joaquín Coapango, Texcoco, State of Mexico. When we arrived, Sánchez and his family were in the middle of checking the details in preparation for an event to show the implements they have developed for conservation agriculture systems. They set up tents, chairs and a demonstration plot. This is the first demonstration Sánchez and his family have organized to show the machines they manufacture, and they invited several partners, such as CIMMYT, to attend.

Sembradoras TIMS is a family business that used to be a car repair shop before transitioning into the manufacture of farm implements five years ago, when the family started working with CIMMYT and learned about farm machine prototypes.

Multiuse-multicrop machine, the first model developed by Sembradoras TIMS. Photo: Luz Paola López Amezcua/CIMMYT

It all began when CIMMYT staff in charge of El Batán Experiment Station asked them to replace a harvester’s four-cylinder engine with a six-cylinder one.

“I have always liked the idea of building things, but I didn’t know how these machines work,” says Sánchez. The first seeder they developed was the multiuse-multicrop seeder. During the process, “we would go to CIMMYT, make changes in the shop, test the machines, make new changes and then tried to find ways of improving them. If we were told ‘this doesn’t work,’ we would change it. Later, CIMMYT started to give technicians our contact information and we started to get calls from other states of Mexico,” says Sánchez. Due to these requests, they had more work at the shop, so Sánchez asked the whole family to join in. That’s when they decided to make a complete change and focus on manufacturing machinery.

Members of the Sánchez-Gómez family, Sembradoras TIMS. Photo: Luz Paola López Amezcua

After the “big” seeders, TIMS began manufacturing manual and animal-drawn machines.

“I can’t say we’ve done everything ourselves, because we learned a lot from CIMMYT staff like Gabriel Martínez, Jesús López, Javier Vargas, Jelle Van Loon, and Dr. Bram Govaerts, who never lost faith in us, and that counts for a lot.”

That’s how the Sánchez-Gómez family started a business where innovation and continuous improvements have allowed them to market different types of seeders. Just recently they started manufacturing hermetic metal silos for post-harvest management.

Boosting nutrition for Ethiopian children

Written by on August 24, 2015. Posted in News.

During 26-28 March 2012, CIMMYT scientists, partners, and collaborators met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for the Inception Planning Workshop of the NuME project. NuME (Nutritious Maize for Ethiopia) is a new five-year USD 13 million project that aims to significantly reduce malnutrition, especially among young children, and increase food security and household income of resource-poor smallholder farmers in Ethiopia through the widespread adoption, production, and utilization of quality protein maize (QPM). QPM contains more than twice as much lysine and tryptophan as conventional maize, giving its protein a nutritive value that is roughly 90% that of milk.

The project, led by CIMMYT and supported by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), is being implemented in collaboration with the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR), the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), the Ministry of Health, the Ethiopian Health and Nutrition Research Institute (EHNRI), Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA), Sasakawa Global 2000 (SG2000), other NGOs, universities, and public and private seed companies. The purpose of the meeting was to present the approved project to partners; review, organize, and agree on the project’s management structure; review and agree on partner roles and responsibilities; and develop detailed work plans and budgets.

Project coordinator S. Twumasi-Afriyie gave an overview of the status of QPM in Ethiopia and pointed out that NuME was building on the achievements of the previous and largely successful CIDA-funded QPMD project that was implemented in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda during 2003-2010.

Underscoring NuME’s importance, Twumasi said that diets in eastern and central Africa are largely based on maize, for it provides up to 80% of the calories consumed and is a primary weaning food for children. However, it is poor in two essential amino acids, lysine and tryptophan, putting infants who consume maize without protein supplements at risk for malnutrition and stunted growth and development. The problem is more acute in Ethiopia, where 47% of children are stunted, 38% are underweight, and 11% suffer from wasting.

Consequently, the project has targeted areas with high maize production and consumption, areas where farmers grow BH660 or other conventional maize varieties that now have QPM versions, and most importantly, areas with high malnutrition, according to Hugo De Groote, CIMMYT socio-economist.

Andreas Oswald, SAA director of crop productivity enhancement, outlined the strategies planned for demonstrating new QPM technologies, improved crop management practices, and post-harvest handling and processing to farmers, and for improving their knowledge and skills. Increasing the participation of women in NuME activities and identifying ways to ensure that they benefit substantively from QPM technologies are key goals of the project.

The project will also partner with Farm Radio International (FRI), which will work with Ethiopian radio stations to develop a gender sensitive campaign to help women and men farmers gain a better understanding of nutrition and protein, and to raise awareness of QPM and other strategies for improving the nutrition and health of families, especially children.