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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.

Lumpkin: CIMMYT should double in size in five years

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On 23 May 2009, CIMMYT DG Tom Lumpkin told staff that the center needs to double in size in five years to accomplish its mission and confront, among other challenges, a looming global food security crisis. “We’ve got to grow,” he said. “The food situation is getting frightening out there. We need to do a better job of meeting the world’s needs. Otherwise, we’ll become irrelevant and others will take our place.”

Lumpkin and Scott Ferguson, deputy director general for Support Services, spoke to international staff at El Batán and to staff in Nairobi via Skype, about a new business plan being developed for the center, and other issues of common concern in a general meeting.

International conference confronts Ug99

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A mixture of cultures and crop specialists poured into Ciudad Obregon, Sonora state, Mexico, this week for a four-day conference on a deadly pathogen that, if left unchecked, could threaten global food security. Nearly 300 scientists, agronomists, and agricultural leaders from over 40 countries attended the event, determined to prevent this from happening.

The Borlaug Global Rust Initiative (BGRI), created in 2005 to combat wheat rusts, led the 17-20 March meeting. The focus was on Ug99, a particularly dangerous disease that attacks the stem of wheat plants and causes massive yield loss. This pathogen has already been identified in six countries, and threatens dozens more due to its wily ability to mutate and migrate.

“It is a roll of the dice of when it will arrive,” said CIMMYT’s DG Tom Lumpkin during the opening ceremony, referring to the near inevitable spread of Ug99. The disease has overcome previous resistant wheat strands, prompting Lumpkin and others to advocate ready-for-release stockpiles of new varieties that experts believe might stump the disease.

“Our scientists are making incredibly rapid progress, but we should have no illusions: a global food crisis is still a distinct possibility if governments and international institutions fail to support this rescue mission,” said Norman Borlaug, BGRI chair, 1970 Nobel laureate, and father of the Green Revolution.

Throughout the week participants attended lectures, exchanged information, and created new multilateral relationships. “There has never been such an international coordinated effort against rust diseases before. People are working together,” said Harbans Bariana, principal research fellow and associate professor at the University of Sydney’s Cereal Rust Control Program. Participants also visited the Obregon station where they saw Ug99-resistant wheat lines and enjoyed a traditional carne asada.

Hans Braun, director of CIMMYT’s wheat program, took the opportunity to recognize Dave Hodson, former head of the center’s Geographic Information Systems Laboratory, for his vital work on RustMapper, an interactive program used to track and predict the spread of Ug99. Hodson leaves CIMMYT to continue his work with the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO). “If Dave and his family ever decide that tacos in Texcoco are better than pizza in Rome, they are more than welcome to come back,” Braun joked.

The BGRI consists of a powerful group of organizations including CIMMYT, the Syria-based International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Cornell University, the FAO, and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). The importance and international implications of this year’s meeting attracted widespread media attention. Over 100 media outlets printed individual or wire (AP, Reuters, AFP) stories about the event.

Maize seed stakeholders agree on policy actions in sub-Saharan Africa

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On July 28, 2008, more than 60 senior policy makers from agriculture ministries, private seed companies, seed trade associations, regional trade blocs from 13 sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries met in Nairobi, Kenya during the Regional Policy Workshop on Maize Seed Sector Development in Sub-Saharan Africa. Key participants included the Kenya Assistant Minister of Agriculture, Japheth Mbiuki; Kenya Agriculture Permanent Secretary Dr Romano Kiome; Tanzania Agriculture Permanent Secretary Peniel Lyimo; the Assistant Secretary General of Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), Ambassador Nagla El-Hussainy; the Secretary General of the African Seed Traders Association (AFSTA), Justin Rakotoarisaona; CEO’s of seed trade associations, and heads of agricultural research institutions and seed services. The meeting was organized jointly by CIMMYT and International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), through the Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) Project.

The experts discussed the challenges and opportunities for maize seed sector development in Africa, as identified in a 2007 maize seed sector survey – “An Assessment of the Institutional Bottlenecks Affecting the Production and Deployment of Maize Seed in Africa,” – conducted by Augustine Langyintuo, CIMMYT Economist and Diakalia Sanogo, IITA Economist.

In his remarks, the Kenya Assistant Minister of Agriculture, Japheth Mbiuki, lauded CIMMYT and IITA on conducting the maize seed sector report and organizing the stakeholder workshop to discuss its policy recommendations. He said, “The Kenya government is supporting the maize seed sector through initiatives such as increasing investments in agricultural research and extension; training of agrodealers and developing the National Seed Industry Policy.”

CIMMYT Global Maize Program Director, Marianne Bänziger emphasized the need to increase improved maize seed supplies beyond the current 28% levels: “Droughts and national production fluctuations are realities. Effective trade between countries and risk insurance strategies that better buffer seed supply within countries are at the core of stabilizing and increasing maize production.”

The meeting identified cumbersome seed policies, inadequate access to credit, a weak producer base, slow access to the best germplasm, and uncompetitive prices in local grain markets as the main issues hindering a more rapid development of the maize sector. “60% of seed companies’ investments go into seed production. They therefore need affordable credit over the mid to long term for them to produce enough seed to meet farmers’ needs,” said DTMA Project Leader, Wilfred Mwangi.

“Specific actions and commitments by national governments include committing increased funds (at least 10% of their national budgets) for agricultural development and harmonization of regional seed regulations which will improve rates of variety release, lower costs in dealing with regulatory authorities, increase trade in seed of improved varieties and ultimately (their) adoption by famers” said Ambassador Nagla El-Hussainy, COMESA Assistant Secretary General. Obongo Nyachae, CEO of STAK said “The national seed policies in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda are at various levels of development and we are pushing for harmonization.”

Seed production course at El Batán

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As part of a project conducted by CIMMYT, the USDA and Mexico’s Agriculture Ministry, SAGARPA, 40 researchers, extension agents, and maize specialists participated in a training course on seed production technologies at El Batán. Among the participants were researchers from Mexican federal, state, and local research institutions, and from ARIs such as ICAMEX, INIFAP, CP, among others, as well as from small local seed companies and farmer groups.

The course was coordinated by Silverio García, Hugo Córdova and Gary Atlin from CIMMYT’s Global Maize Program.

“The high costs of maize seed and complex end-uses of maize are two factors that hinder the adoption of improved varieties in Mexico’s central highlands,” said Atlin. “Therefore, it is important that participants in this production chain, particularly farmer groups and small businesses, become familiar with methods that lower costs without sacrificing quality.” Other course subjects included agronomic and storage practices, pest management, seed production site selection, and participative production.

Atlin said that, as a follow-up to this training course, farmer visits are being planned to trials on improved varieties and landraces with special traits at 30 locations, in collaboration with INIFAP, SEDAGRO, ICAMEX, CP, small businesses, and farmer groups. These activities will allow researchers to become familiar with farmers’ preferences and, at the same time, gather data on agronomic performance and grain quality, compare the advantages of improved varieties versus landraces, and select landraces for large-scale production.

Training course in Colombia: application of ecophysiology to crop improvement

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From July 21 to 25, 18 crop researchers attended Colombia’s Agricultural and Livestock Research Corporation (CORPOICA) for a 40-hour training course on the application of ecophysiology to crop improvement under stress conditions at the facilities in Villavicencia, Meta Province, Colombia.

The course was coordinated by Luis Narro and Alba Lucía Arcos, CIMMYT researchers based in Colombia, and José Luis Araus, CIMMYT researcher based in Mexico, in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Barcelona (Spain), CORPOICA, and the National University of Colombia. In addition to staff from the organizing institutions, participants from other Colombian organizations, such as Federation of Cereal and Legume Producers (FENALCE) and Federation of Coffee Growers (FEDERECAFE), also attended.

The science of ecophysiology focuses on the physiological processes that take place during interactions between organisms at the community and ecosystem levels, as well as the interrelationships between live and inert systems (for example, the study of bio-geochemical cycles and biospheric-atmospheric exchanges), Therefore, the course focused on demonstrating, from a theoretical and practical standpoint, how physiology can contribute to crop improvement under stress conditions, with special emphasis on maize production in acid or low fertility soils and drought.

Meta Province is located within Colombia’s eastern Plains, a region where the farming sector has a bright future, but where problems such as acid soils, aluminum toxicity, and poor fertility have constrained productivity of maize and other crops. For this reason, the course was divided into the theoretical and practical aspects, and discussion; as an example, during field work using portable equipment, the participants learned to assess parameters that are important to crop development (for example, biomass, chlorophyll content, and plant moisture status).

The course was a great success thanks to the coordinators’ logistical efficiency, the participants’ enthusiasm, and the diversity of subjects covered. The course also gave us the opportunity to make contact with people who could help us establish agricultural research partnerships/networks in the future.

Conservation agriculture course at El Batán

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Between 26 May and 27 June 2008 CIMMYT El Batán hosted a five-week course in conservation agriculture (CA) for visiting scientists, entitled “Laying the ground for sustainable and productive cropping systems.” The eight participants came from China, Ethiopia, and Romania for intensive training in CA and resource conserving technologies in irrigated and rainfed wheat and maize production systems, including reduced tillage and crop residue management strategies.

Many CIMMYT specialists contributed to the course: “It was a very holistic approach, with diverse content from a number of disciplines—from breeders, soil specialists, agronomists, crop protection people, and so on,” said Tesfay Araya, from Ethiopia. He will be the first conservation agriculture specialist in northern Ethiopia, and is keen to introduce this interdisciplinary way of working. “I saw people here working together with good communication,” he said. “That’s the most important thing, and it’s very unique. It’s one lesson I learned.”

Another important element of the course was hands-on learning: the trainees participated in the ongoing activities of CIMMYT’s Cropping Systems Management team at El Batán and at the Toluca research station, and in nearby farmers’ fields, developing the skills for trial planning, management, and monitoring. Each participant also had to define a clear research objective and draft a paper during the course, and the results will be combined in a special publication. “We learned skills in publishing, writing, reviewing data…we didn’t miss anything,” said Tesfay Araya.

For Zhang Bin, from China, seeing the way CIMMYT researchers communicated with farmers was food for thought: “maybe we can do more to transfer conservation agriculture,” he said. “When I go back I will do research on conservation agriculture, and if I have good results I will demonstrate it to farmers and try to transfer the technology to them.”Between 1996 and 2008 over 30 visiting scientists and 86 trainees from 26 countries participated in long-term courses and research on zero-tillage and bed planting conducted at CIMMYT’s El Batán and Obregón research stations in Mexico.

(Source: Training Office databases.)

CIMMYT and IITA train economists in Stata

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During 07–12 April 2008, CIMMYT and IITA gave a training course for 25 collaborators from 13 countries in eastern, western, and southern Africa on “Modeling Agricultural Technologies Using Stata,” in Johannesburg, South Africa. The course was intended to contribute to harmonization of survey data collection, management, analysis, and econometric modeling using Stata by CIMMYT-IITA and its collaborators.

The course coordinators, CIMMYT–Zimbabwe economist Augustine Langyintuo and IITA economist Diakalia Sanogo, used a practical, hands-on approach and took participants through aspects of technology adoption modeling—rationale for adoption studies, adoption determinants, and technology adoption models. Langyintuo introduced Stata–econometric software and highlighted its potential for use in data analysis and modeling adoption of agricultural technologies.

The participants also had a go at working with the software, which was installed in their computers.

Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) project leader, Wilfred Mwangi, underlined the expected roles of socioeconomists in his presentation on the DTMA project. He also acknowledged the support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as well as from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. Mwangi urged course participants to use the knowledge gained to determine the impact of drought at household and national levels and thus inform the design of technologies, institutions, and policies.

Additionally, CIMMYT’s impact specialist Roberto La Rovere demonstrated, step-bystep, how to use the Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) in streamlining data collection during surveys.

“I generate a lot of data and I am looking forward to using my new skills in Stata data management to prepare reports of my work with CIMMYT. I am confident that this process will now be much easier!” said Shamiso Chikobvu, principal agricultural economist with Zimbabwe’s Department of Agriculture and Extension. “The hands-on approach of the course made it more interesting and interactive and I look forward to sharing with my students what I have learnt about the use of Stata in modeling adoption,” said Simeon Bamire, Assistant Dean, Faculty of Agriculture at Obafemi Awolowo University and an IITA collaborator.

The course also represented collaboration between two CIMMYT projects—the DTMA and the New Seed Initiative for Maize in Southern Africa (NSIMA).

Conservation agriculture course in Toluca

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About 30 people attended an intensive course in conservation agriculture (CA) during 08-10 April 2008 at the CIMMYT experiment station in Toluca. The course, which was the first in recent years by CIMMYT in Mexico focusing on researchers and extensionists rather than farmers, was coordinated by cropping systems management specialist, Bram Govaerts, and the station superintendent, Fernando Delgado.

Public sector participants included representatives from the state of Mexico agricultural research organization, ICAMEX; from SEDAGRO, the secretariat of agricultural development for the state; from the Mexico’s national agricultural research institute, INIFAP; university professors and students; and a farmer. The private seed companies Monsanto, Aspros, and Tropico Seeds also sent representatives, in response to the course invitation. The event drew experts from key agricultural states of the country, including Durango, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Jalisco, and Mexico.

“We’ve worked with farmers, but this is a different level and a diverse group from many different parts of the Republic,” said Govaerts. “We want to train researchers and machinery manufacturers, and then pass on to them the work of disseminating conservation agriculture, once things get rolling.”

The course focused on both the theoretical aspects and practical applications of CA, including its use in experiment stations and in other parts of the world, its impact on soil-plant systems, pest and weed control, zerotillage and sowing maize on permanent beds, and prototypes of machinery that can be used for direct seeding. On the second day, there was a demonstration of direct seeding of maize into residues on Toluca’s rock-hard soils, and participants interacted with local farmers to learn from their experiences applying CA principles.

Striga control at OFAB meeting in Kenya

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About 50 participants at a meeting of the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB) held discussions around CIMMYT agronomist Fred Kanampiu’s presentation on “Herbicide Seed Coating: Taming the Striga Witchweed,” on 29 March 2008, in Nairobi, Kenya.

Launched in Kenya in 2006, OFAB brings together stakeholders in agricultural biotechnology and enables interactions between scientists, journalists, civil society, industrialists, lawmakers, and policy makers. Kanampiu’s presentation focused on the economic significance of Striga in sub-Saharan Africa and the potential of the new herbicide seed coating technology for maize farmers there. The practice was jointly developed by CIMMYT, the Weizmann Institute, and the chemical company, BASF. Among other things, Kanapiu addressed concerns regarding possible environmental impacts of the technology, emphasizing that there are no residual effects at the levels being used.

Science Week 2008

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CIMMYT research staff, colleagues from IRRI, GCP, and other special guests, as well as a few members of the Board of Trustees and DG designate, Thomas A. Lumpkin, gathered in El Batán from Monday 03 to Friday 07 March 2008 for the latest edition of CIMMYT Science Week.

Science Week is a forum for exchanges among staff on progress, key issues, and new opportunities related to the Center’s role in science and development for maize and wheat systems. Staff also assess progress in ongoing projects, the delivery of flagship products and adjust the Medium-Term Plan.

Masa welcomed everyone on the first day and spoke of the challenges facing agriculture, including rising food prices, climate change and variability, food (and feed) demands and supply chains, the degradation of soils, and the lack of water. He also stressed that CIMMYT’s core business is science, and that its impacts are based on solid science performed by dedicated and committed staff at all levels. Addressing CIMMYT staff and special guests, Thomas A. Lumpkin spoke of his longtime admiration of the Center’s work, his excitement about leading CIMMYT, and the importance of team work and future partnerships.

Presentations covered the material being prepared for the publications “Maize and Wheat Facts and Futures,” as well as all Projects and flagship products. Questions after the presentations and a panel discussion gave participants a chance to share their views on the Center’s role in work with NARS, NGOs, and the private sector, as well as on many other issues.

Tom Payne touched on his trip to Svalbard, Norway, during his presentation and caused amusment when he said he’d felt warmer inside the -20ºC seed vault than outside it! In between all the presentations and discussions, participants assembled for dinner on Monday and Friday evening and tasted some typical Mexican food before heading home.

Many thanks to all those who organized and participated in Science Week and made it a success.

Cereal Knowledge Bank launch

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January 2008 marked the launch of the Cereal Knowledge Bank (CKB) (http://www.knowledgebank. irri.org), an online repository of learning materials related to cereals and cereal production. The CKB was created through the collaboration of CIMMYT and IRRI (the International Rice Research Institute).

The CKB was developed as a tool for enabling the fast and effective transfer of technologies from the researcher to the farmer’s field, a long-time challenge for those working in agricultural development. It provides a number of different extension materials related to the production of maize, rice, and wheat, together with materials on other aspects of cropping systems. Through an easy-to-navigate website, users can access extension resources in a variety of formats: fact sheets, field diagnosis and management tools, reference manuals, training materials, and eLearning courses.

An essential feature of the CKB is the development of country knowledge banks, which contain comprehensive country-specific materials collected from local research. Though they are based upon the same principles of knowledge sharing as the CKB, the country knowledge banks are directed and managed by the countries themselves, though the IRRI-CIMMYT alliance can provide guidance and technical assistance.

Further plans for CKB development include bringing the concept of country knowledge banks to Africa, diversifying formats of content (mp3, video, online user interaction), applying content management systems, and extensive impact assessment. For more information on the CKB, please contact Petr Kosina (p.kosina@cgiar.org), Knowledge Sharing and Capacity Building Coordinator.

Workshop on Mexico-USDA project: boosting farm productivity in the State of Mexico

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Farmers in the State of Mexico, which borders the country’s capital, Mexico City—a potential market of nearly 20 million inhabitants— have struggled to make a profit growing maize. The state accounts for 10% of the national maize production, but improved varieties occupy no more than 10-15% of its maize area. Nearly all (97%) of the maize they produce is white grained and of varieties ideal for local foods but that don’t meet quality requirements for largescale, commercial tortilla production nor fit demand for feed or industrial uses.

As part of a project launched in 2007 between the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Mexican Agriculture Secretariat (Secretaria de Agricultura, Ganadería, Desarrollo Rural, Pesca y Alimentación, or SAGARPA), CIMMYT is working with counterparts in the State of Mexico to increase the productivity and profitability of maize farming. The focus is on value-added white and colored maize for food, but partly in response to rising interest from farmers since the biofuels boom, participants are developing, testing, and promoting yellow grain maize suited for feed and industrial markets. To plan those and other activities, to assemble a database of maize varieties—both improved and landrace—grown in the State, and to build the team, 11 maize scientists gathered for a workshop at El Batán during 19-21 February 2008.

Participants came from the Mexican National Institute of Forestry, Agriculture, and Livestock Research (INIFAP), Mexico State’s Institute of Agriculture, Livestock, Water, and Forestry Research and Training (ICAMEX), the Colegio de Postgraduados (a graduate-level agricultural research and learning institution), and CIMMYT. They were introduced to CROPSTAT, a software package for analyzing multi-location trial data, by CIMMYT maize breeder and project leader Gary Atlin, and discussed ways to foster farmer participation in trials.

“We’ll be doing three types of trials in 2008,” says Silverio García, CIMMYT maize researcher working on the project. “One involves experimental varieties that are crosses between improved and local materials, another is an evaluation of pre-commercial varieties in 20 or more environments in the State, and the last comprise on-farm demonstrations of commercially available white and yellow hybrids, to get farmers’ feedback.” Former CIMMYT maize breeder and distinguished scientist, Hugo Cordova, is serving as a consultant to the project.

Course for safe handling of hazardous materials

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On 06 and 07 of February 2008, Julio Flores and Samuel Frías of APER gave a course at El Batán on “Proper management of dangerous materials,” to staff from the laboratories, greenhouses, ICT, and germplasm bank. The course was given as part of the preparations for an evacuation drill that will shortly take place in these areas. A total of 29 staff participated in the simulation. During the course, the group learned about the necessary protective equipment for emergencies in areas where dangerous materials are stored, and how to use protective equipment, especially when handling hazardous materials. There was a simulation where two people had to be “helped” after coming into contact with toxic products. The group applied the skills learned during the session, and used protective overalls, boots, helmets, masks, and oxygen equipment.

Mini-course on the analysis of maize diversity

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As part of on-going efforts to facilitate the use of DNA markers in maize breeding and diversity studies, during 01-06 February 2008 CIMMYT El Batán held a workshop on “The analysis of molecular data generated from genetic bulked heterogenous populations.” Coordinated by CIMMYT molecular biologist Marilyn Warburton and visiting biometrician Jorge Franco, of the Universidad de la República, Uruguay, the course drew six participants from six different countries, in addition to CIMMYT participants. According to Warburton, the workshop turned out to be of great interest to CIMMYT scientists. “We had three people signed up from outside when we started, and gave certificates to another ten or twelve CIMMYT people in the end,” she says. Participants included Allen Oppong (Ghana), Tunde Golinar (Hungary), Niclas Freitag (Switzerland), Yusuf Mansir (Nigeria), Marlen Huebner (Germany), Guy Davenport (CIMMYT), Trushar Shah (CIMMYT), Miguel Anducho (CIMMYT), Eduardo Hernández (CIMMYT), Jianbing Yan (CIMMYT), Shibin Gao (CIMMYT), Maria Zaharieva (CIMMYT), Claudia Bedoya (CIMMYT), and Aida Zewdu Kebede (Ethiopia).