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Theme: Environmental health and biodiversity

The world needs better management of water, soil, nutrients, and biodiversity in crop, livestock, and fisheries systems, coupled with higher-order landscape considerations as well as circular economy and agroecological approaches.

CIMMYT and CGIAR use modern digital tools to bring together state-of-the-art Earth system observation and big data analysis to inform co-design of global solutions and national policies.

Our maize and wheat genebanks preserve the legacy of biodiversity, while breeders and researchers look at ways to reduce the environmental footprint of agriculture.

Ultimately, our work helps stay within planetary boundaries and limit water use, nutrient use, pollution, undesirable land use change, and biodiversity loss.

Launch of a new Global Partnership for the Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils initiative

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in Press releases.

Traditional and nutrient-rich crops are vital for global food security. (Photo: CIMMYT)

Rome/Texcoco, Mexico – An initiative to build resilient agrifood systems grounded in diverse, nutritious, and climate-adapted crops grown in healthy soils, today marked another milestone through a new partnership between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and CIMMYT, a CGIAR Research Center.

FAO and CIMMYT signed a Memorandum of Understanding establishing a Partnership for the Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (VACS) initiative. The joint Partnership will play a pivotal role leading efforts to coordinate, grow, and strengthen the VACS movement across a wide range of public and private stakeholders.

“By joining forces with CGIAR and CIMMYT, we bring together our collective capacities to build a strong momentum and platform to advance the VACS,” said FAO’s Director-General QU Dongyu. “VACS effectively brings together the Four Betters set out in the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31: better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life – leaving no one behind.”

“Our 2030 Strategy focuses on strengthening agrifood systems to increase nutritional value and climate resilience,” said CIMMYT’s Director General, Bram Govaerts. “We are proud to stand united, through VACS, with FAO, whose excellent track record on policy work and networking with national governments will help equip farmers with resilient seed and climate-smart cropping systems that regenerate, rather than degrade, the soils on which their diets and livelihoods depend.”

Launched in 2023 by the U.S. Department of State in partnership with the African Union and FAO, the VACS movement aims to build sustainable and resilient agrifood systems by leveraging opportunity crops and building healthy soils to enhance agricultural resilience to climate change and improve diets. Nutrient-rich and traditional crops like sorghum, millet, cowpea, and mung bean are vital for food security and nutrition under climate change but have seen little attention so far. VACS recognizes the interdependence of crops and soils: Crops need good soil to be productive, and different crops can only be sustainably grown on some types of land.

FAO-CIMMYT partnership aims to boost farm productivity and nutrition

Since its launch the VACS initiative has supported many activities including the Quick Wins Seed Systems Project in Africa, which promotes the adoption of climate-resilient dryland grains and legumes and helps smallholders access seeds of local nutritious crops like pearl millet, finger millet, and mung bean, and connects them with markets and agri-services. Meanwhile, the VACS Fellows programme trains African breeding professionals, strengthening regional agrifood systems. In Central America, InnovaHubs partner with CGIAR, Mexico, and Norway to connect farmers with markets, technologies, and high-quality seeds. FAO, through its work, including as part of the International Network on Soil Fertility and Fertilizers (INSOILFER) and the Soil mapping for resilient agrifood systems (SoilFER) project, assists members with the implementation of sustainable and balanced soil fertility management for food security and to promote actions to enhance the link between nourished healthy soils and opportunity crops.

Leveraging on the expertise and mandates of both CIMMYT and FAO, the new joint VACS Partnership will support, coordinate and amplify the impact of all stakeholders of the VACS movement, public and private, through the following functions:

  • Strategy: The Partnership will develop and maintain a VACS strategy, including by defining its mission, objectives, and approach.
  • Resource Mobilization: The Partnership will work with public and private sector donors to increase investments in VACS-aligned work.
  • Donor and Implementer Coordination: The Partnership will coordinate work among major VACS donors and implementers, including by coordinating the VACS Implementers’ Group.
  • Stakeholder Engagement: The Partnership will strengthen ties across public and private stakeholders to catalyze action in support of VACS, including by coordinating the VACS Community of Practice and the VACS Champions program.
  • Shaping the Policy Environment: The Partnership will coordinate the development of a VACS policy agenda and work to advance it at the local, national, and multinational levels.
  • Communications: The Partnership will elevate the importance of diverse crops and healthy soils as a fundamental means of advancing a range of sustainable development goals.
  • Results Management: The Partnership will develop and maintain a results management framework to track progress in achieving VACS objectives.

About CIMMYT

CIMMYT is a cutting edge, non-profit, international organization dedicated to solving tomorrow’s problems today. It is entrusted with fostering improved quantity, quality, and dependability of production systems and basic cereals such as maize, wheat, triticale, sorghum, millets, and associated crops through applied agricultural science, particularly in the Global South, through building strong partnerships. This combination enhances the livelihood trajectories and resilience of millions of resource-poor farmers, while working towards a more productive, inclusive, and resilient agrifood system within planetary boundaries.

About FAO

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger.

Our goal is to achieve food security and nutrition for all by enabling all people to have regular access to enough locally appropriate high-quality nutritious food to prevent all forms of malnutrition and to lead active, healthy lives. With 195 members – 194 countries and the European Union, FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide.

For more information or interviews:

Jelle Boone
Interim Head of Communications, CIMMYT
j.boone@cgiar.org
Mobile/WhatsApp: +52 595 1247241

Peter Mayer
FAO News and Media
peter.mayer@fao.org

Transforming agriculture together: insights from the Ukama Ustawi Share Fair

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in Blogs.

The Zimbabwe Team of the Agroecology Initiative participated in the Share Fair event of the CGIAR initiative Ukama Ustawi (UU), which was held in Masvingo, Zimbabwe, and brought together farmers, the private sector, and researchers from seven countries (Zimbabwe, South Africa, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi, Kenya, and Ethiopia). The overarching goal for our participation was twofold: Glean insights from the UU initiative’s experiences and practices and, where possible, to adopt and adapt approaches and technologies relevant to the Agroecology Initiative. Equally significant was the aim to share our learnings and explore potential areas of collaboration. From the UU initiative perspective, the Share Fair engagement sought greater integration and knowledge exchange across its work packages, and countries where UU is being implemented, and other CGIAR initiatives. Farmers were at the center of the Share Fair, sharing and learning from each other, together with the experts.

The event aimed to foster collaboration and innovation in addressing key issues related to agriculture and sustainability in the region.

Insights from UU Share Fair activities

The Share Fair showcased an array of innovative technologies poised to transform agricultural practices in the region, among these new solar-powered borehole irrigation, chameleon soil moisture sensors for irrigation management, and conservation agriculture practices that included crop intercropping and rotation, cover cropping (mulching), and minimum tillage. Notably, mechanization options tailored for conservation agriculture, such as 2-wheel tractors and basin diggers, were demonstrated, with particular emphasis on gender-inclusive approaches for smallholder farmers. UU initiative prioritizes integrated crop and livestock systems, which are vital for small-scale farmers in terms of both dietary needs and income generation.

UU service providers and CIMMYT staff demonstrating the basin digger.
LERSHA, in collaboration with IWMI, demonstrates the chameleon soil moisture sensor.

We shared insights on the benefits of the adoption of mother-baby trials. Setting up such trials can help researchers and stakeholders identify potential risks, challenges, and limitations of the innovation without risking large-scale failure or negative impacts on the environment or communities. This helps in making informed decisions about whether or not to adopt an innovation.

In addition to technological innovations, we discussed various agribusiness tools aimed at supporting and empowering smallholder farmers. Different companies presented their agribusinesses and how they complement farming practices related to a spectrum of services, ranging from agroclimatic advice and improved access to financial services, mechanization, and digital technologies. Central to these endeavors was the objective of fostering business growth, promoting diversification, and nurturing stronger value chains within the agricultural sector.

Both initiatives (Agroecology and UU) acknowledge that farming enterprises must be matched with strong business models to guarantee long-term viability, and recognize the critical nexus between production and markets, underlining the importance of equipping farmers with financial literacy skills and encouraging diligent record-keeping practices.

Farmers participating in the Share Fair were trained on the use of the business model canvas to manage their businesses. They were taken through a practical session of aligning their farming enterprises with the business model canvas. The importance of ensuring the balance of all elements of the business model canvas was stressed. Farmers were encouraged to adopt a market-based approach to farming as a business. Farmers were urged to develop a thorough grasp of market dynamics in addition to skillful financial management techniques, emphasizing a market-based approach. The activities of the session, although summarized, were similar to the training that the Agroecology Initiative team has been carrying out in the identified business models of sorghum contract farming and the SASSO brooding program.

Blessing from CIMMYT at one of UU’s mother trial plots explaining the importance and benefits of crop diversification, rotation, and mulching.

Conclusion: Similar approaches, same objectives

The Agroecology Initiative team of Zimbabwe and the UU Initiative share a common goal of strengthening the resilience of the food systems and improving farmer livelihoods through sustainable agriculture methods. Through the development of synergies and the utilization of complementary strengths, they are in a position to jointly map out a course toward a more fair and sustainable agricultural landscape that promises prosperity for future generations. By facilitating cross-learning initiatives and leveraging indigenous knowledge systems, both initiatives can empower farmers with the tools and resources necessary to combat agricultural pests and diseases sustainably. The shared commitment to agroecological principles underscores the potential for collaboration in building resilient production systems. By facilitating cross-learning among farmers, who often have limited resources, the initiatives can empower them to leverage local knowledge and resources to solve their problems.

One major difference between the initiatives is that the UU places farmers at the center of its intervention and stakeholders as enablers, while the Agroecology Initiative emphasizes full partnerships among researchers and food system actors in addressing challenges related to local food systems and the co-development of relevant innovations that can strengthen and support resilience.

A panel of stakeholders and farmers in agribusiness explaining their business models.

Building on UU’s successful interactions with agribusinesses like LERSHA and Farm Africa, which provide mechanization, inputs, and financial services and assist farmers in developing strong and sustainable business models, we can gain from establishing similar alliances to support sustainable business models in the agricultural sector. Given the severe drought in 2023/24, farmers engaged with the SASSO chicken business model will face challenges in obtaining feed for their livestock and poultry. Exploring alternative feed sources, such as the black soldier fly, could be a potential solution. Collaborating with Insectary (a company that was present at the fair) and other local programs focused on alternative feed options could provide valuable insights and support.

The UU initiative has not actively engaged with youth in their study, while we have developed tools to understand youth participation in agriculture. There is an opportunity for the two initiatives to collaborate on a study targeting youth engagement, combining their expertise and resources to gain a deeper understanding of this issue of demographic importance and develop strategies to involve them in sustainable agriculture practices.

The original piece was written by Craig E. Murazhi, Dorcas Matangi, and Vimbayi G. P. Chimonyo and published by CGIAR’s Initiative on Agroecology. 

Mukwemba Habeenzu

Written by mcallejas on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Mukwemba Habeenzu is an economist with over 10 years of experience in agricultural project management. He is currently the Chief of Party/Project Manager for the Mechanization and Extension Activity at CIMMYT in Zimbabwe.

In his previous and current roles, he has led initiatives that promote climate-smart agriculture, mechanization, and social inclusion through market-based approaches to improve productivity, increase incomes, and ensure sustainability for project beneficiaries.

Mukwemba has a diverse background, having worked extensively in Zambia and Zimbabwe. His experience includes working with the private and public sectors, as well as various local and international organizations, focusing on areas such as research and extension, rural development, enterprise development, academia and capacity building, social inclusion, etc.
Mukwemba believes that this comprehensive approach can contribute to sustainable development in the agricultural sector.

It’s time to scale: Emerging lessons from decades of Conservation Agriculture research in Southern Africa

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in Blogs.

CA in action at the farmer level. (Photo: Christian Thierfelder/CIMMYT)

For decades, smallholder farmers in Southern Africa have battled the whims of a changing climate—from withered crops to yield reductions and looming food insecurity concerns. And the outlook is not improving. Based on the latest available science, the sixth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reaffirms the projected negative impacts of climate change on livelihoods in Southern Africa.

Conservation Agriculture (CA) has been considered as an important step to make smallholder farming systems climate smart and resilient. The principles of CA are simple yet potent: minimal soil disturbance, crop cover, and diverse rotations, which tend to have lasting implications on rebuilding soil health, conserving moisture, and nurturing a thriving ecosystem. A strong evidence base from on-farm and on-station trials show that CA has the potential to build the adaptive capacity and resilience of smallholder farming systems to climate stress.

Yet, despite the positive results, significant scaling gaps remain. Key questions arise on what can be done to turn the tide, scale, and encourage uptake. What institutional, policy and economic incentives would enable scaling? Could mechanization be the missing link? The Understanding and Enhancing Adoption of Conservation Agriculture in Smallholder Farming Systems of Southern Africa (ACASA) project responds to these questions. With funding from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) and implemented by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), and CIMMYT, the ACASA project goes beyond the narrow focus on promotion and technology delivery of past and ongoing interventions on CA in Southern Africa.

ACASA was designed to help stakeholders gain deeper understanding of the interactions between the socio-economic, biophysical, and institutional constraints and opportunities for adoption of CA practices. To do this, the project has undertaken extensive surveys aimed at understanding incentives, drivers, and barriers of CA adoption across Zambia, Malawi, and Zimbabwe.

Dialogues for change

Participants from across the region during the reflective meeting. (Photo: CIMMYT)

In December 2023, CIMMYT collaborated with IITA and the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development of Zimbabwe to convene a highly engaging, reflective, and learning meeting, with the participation of government representatives, the private sector, and research institutes, among others. The primary objective was to share valuable insights accumulated over years of research and development on conservation agriculture in southern Africa. These insights are a result of collaborative efforts in social science, scaling, and mechanization work by CIMMYT, IITA, and extension and research partners in Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Conversations centered on tracing the historical pathway of CA, leveraging mechanization, and identifying key enablers to transform smallholder agriculture.

Tracing the pathway of conservation agriculture

For decades, CIMMYT has been a leading force in promoting Conservation Agriculture. From the early stages in the 1990s, CIMMYT introduced CA principles and practices through on-farm and on-station field days, to undertaking robust research on biophysical impacts and developing adapted technologies in collaboration with national and global partners. As this research progressed and matured, efforts were made to integrate and focus on understanding the social and economic factors influencing CA adoption, while recognizing the significance of enabling environments. To date, linkages with mechanization and other innovations promoting CA-friendly equipment have been strengthened, ensuring inclusivity and empowerment. Questions remain around policy and institutional innovations to nudge and sustain adoption. In a nutshell, there is scope to borrow tools and methods from behavioral and experimental economics to better study and facilitate behavioral change among smallholder farmers. This snapshot highlights global efforts, grounded in scientific evidence, farmer centric approaches, and collaborative partnerships.

Insights from the field

Described as a data and evidence driven process, a notable highlight was the detailed gathering and analytical efforts using a large multi-country household survey involving 305 villages and 4,374 households across Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The main thrust was not only to harvest data but listen to farmers and better understand their context while deciphering their decision-making processes concerning CA adoption, across the three countries. A compelling and hopeful story unfolds from the results. The adoption of CA practices such as crop residue retention, minimum tillage, crop rotation, and intercropping is much higher than previously thought, highlighting a crucial need for better targeted surveys. Key enablers to strengthen adoption include access to CA extension, hosting demonstrations, and access to credit. In addition, age, and extension in the case of Zambia were identified as important drivers of the speed and persistence of adoption. Demand for mechanization is rising, which is key to address drudgery associated with CA and to raise production efficiencies. Key recommendations centered on the need for investments in a dense network of farmer-centric learning centers that allow for experiential learning, facilitating equitable access to mechanization, promoting private sector participation, and developing integrated weed management options as weeds remain the Achilles Heel of CA adoption in the region. [1]

Emerging lessons

A deep dive on the findings reveals critical considerations for the widespread adoption of Conservation Agriculture (CA). Firstly, weed-related labor challenges pose a significant obstacle, with around 75% of farmers in three countries citing weeds as the most constraining issue during initial CA adoption. Addressing this weed management challenge is essential, emphasizing the need for environmentally safe, non-chemical solutions as a research priority. Secondly, there is a noticeable gap between scientific research on CA and farmer practices, primarily attributed to limited technical knowledge. Bridging this gap requires innovative approaches to translate scientific information into practical, farmer-centered products. Thirdly, incentivizing CA adoption through complementary input support programs, like payments for environmental services, may encourage farmers, especially when private returns are not immediate.

Fourthly, strengthening extension systems is crucial to facilitate farmer learning and bridge the awareness-to-know-how gap. Lastly, investing in improved machinery value chains can alleviate high labor costs and drudgery associated with CA practices, with economic estimates suggesting farmers’ willingness to pay for machinery hire services. These insights collectively highlight the multifaceted nature of challenges and opportunities for scaling up CA adoption.

Moving forward

ACASA’s research findings are not just numbers — they are seeds of hope. They point towards a future where CA adoption among smallholder farmers can transform the breadbasket of the three African countries, and beyond. CIMMYT and its partners remain committed to continuous learning, refining their approaches, and working hand-in-hand with farmers to nurture the CA revolution.

It will not be a pipe dream to transform agriculture in Southern Africa through CA by cultivating seeds of resilience, one at a time. This is because the experience from the region suggests that with the right political will, it is possible to mainstream CA as a critical adjunct to climate-smart agriculture strategies and resilience building. This broader institutional and political buy-in is important since CA programming cannot succeed without sector-wide approaches to removing systemic constraints to technology adoption.  A classic example is the Government-backed Pfumvudza program in Zimbabwe, which has seen adoption of planting basins conditioned on receipt of input subsidies soar to more than 90%.

[1] CIMMYT/IITA Scientists explore the weed issue in detail in a paper just accepted and forthcoming in Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems – Unanswered questions and unquestioned answers: The challenges of crop residue retention and weed control in Conservation Agriculture systems of southern Africa.

New innovative crops could significantly reduce agriculture’s climate change impact and environmental footprint

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in Press releases.

As the global population approaches the 10 billion mark, the reliance on fertilisers to boost agricultural production has become an essential, yet environmentally challenging, practice. A Century-long dependence on these additives has allowed food production to keep pace with the growth in human population. However, the use of fertilisers across various farming systems is now causing severe ecological stress. The leaching of nitrogen into natural ecosystems, coupled with the release of greenhouse gases, is pushing the Earth’s environmental limits to a critical threshold.

To address this, an ambitious new research initiative aims to shrink the nitrogen footprint of agriculture by developing a breakthrough technology based on nature’s own solutions: a natural process called biological nitrification inhibition (BNI). The Novo Nordisk Foundation has awarded CIMMYT a grant of up to USD 21.1 million to lead an innovation research initiative called CropSustaiN that is designed to reduce the nitrogen footprint of wheat cultivation.

“Success in this initiative could lead to a major shift in agricultural practices globally, benefiting both the planet and farmers’ livelihoods. In addition to using less fertiliser, cost for the farmer will be minimal because all the components are already in the seed. This initiative could, potentially, be extended from wheat cultivation to include other staple crops like maize and rice,” says Claus Felby, Senior Vice President, Biotech, Novo Nordisk Foundation.

“BNI could be a part of how we revolutionise nitrogen management in agriculture. It represents a genetic mitigation strategy that not only complement existing methods but also has the potential to decrease the need for synthetic fertilisers substantially. The mitigation potential of better nitrogen fertiliser management could be as impactful for the Global South as the Green Revolution,” explains Bram Govaerts, Director General, CIMMYT.

Revolutionary mitigation approach

Rooted in a seed-based genetic strategy, BNI leverages a plant’s innate ability to suppress soil nitrification through the release of natural compounds. This approach potentially promises to curb the use and leaching of synthetic nitrogen fertilisers—a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and water pollution—without compromising wheat yield or soil vitality. The BNI-method contrasts with synthetic nitrification inhibitors and could offer a more scalable and cost-effective solution, potentially reducing nitrogen fertiliser usage by 20%, depending on regional farming conditions.

By harnessing the power of genetics in plant seeds, CropSustaiN leverages the natural process of BNI to develop new wheat varieties that require significantly less nitrogen fertiliser. Using conventional breeding, genes from wild crop relatives like wild rye, which have inherently better nitrogen use efficiency, are incorporated. CIMMYT makes such breeding products available to its global network of partners for the international public good.

The agenda for CropSustaiN includes validating BNI efficacy across diverse climates and integrating the technology into mainstream agricultural protocols. While the venture carries success risks, the potential rewards—ranging from widespread BNI adoption to valuable insights into nitrogen management—position it as a pioneering initiative. By ensuring that the seeds developed through this program are accessible to all farmers without exclusive patent rights, the Novo Nordisk Foundation is leading an inclusive approach to agricultural innovation.

CropSustaiN builds on the joint research by the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) and CIMMYT that started in 2015. The initiative has already yielded BNI wheat lines tested over three farming seasons. These innovative crops are now poised for further development and for scaling worldwide, indicating a potential paradigm shift in agricultural practices.

The Novo Nordisk Foundation has already laid the groundwork for CropSustaiN by funding related BNI research at CIMMYT, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Aarhus University, the University of Aberdeen, and the University of Copenhagen -thus fostering an ecosystem for research innovation.

About the Novo Nordisk Foundation

Established in Denmark in 1924, the Novo Nordisk Foundation is an enterprise foundation with philanthropic objectives. The vision of the Foundation is to improve people’s health and the sustainability of society and the planet. The Foundation’s mission is to progress research and innovation in the prevention and treatment of cardiometabolic and infectious diseases as well as to advance knowledge and solutions to support a green transformation of society.

www.novonordiskfonden.dk/en

About CIMMYT

CIMMYT is a cutting edge, non-profit, international organization dedicated to solving tomorrow’s problems today. It is entrusted with fostering improved quantity, quality, and dependability of production systems and basic cereals such as maize, wheat, triticale, sorghum, millets, and associated crops through applied agricultural science, particularly in the Global South, through building strong partnerships. This combination enhances the livelihood trajectories and resilience of millions of resource-poor farmers, while working towards a more productive, inclusive, and resilient agrifood system within planetary boundaries. CIMMYT is a core CGIAR Research Center, a global research partnership for a food-secure future, dedicated to reducing poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security, and improving natural resources. For more information, visit staging.cimmyt.org.

Further information 

Jakob Stein, Communications Specialist, jse@novo.dk

CIMMYT and China join forces to tackle wheat disease in Africa

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in News.

While wheat acreage has been increasing across the whole of Africa, the sub-Saharan countries account for a significant proportion of the total growth and yield, equaling an area of approximately 3.1 million hectares and a production of more than 9 million tons. However, in recent years, Fusarium head blight (FHB) or head scab has become a major disease in the region, causing significant reductions in yield and quality due to the lack of resistant varieties and management tools.

In China, a successful wheat shuttle breeding program by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) and CIMMYT for improving FHB has existed since the 1980s. Additionally, CIMMYT and the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences (JAAS) have provided an FHB screening station in Nanjing since 2019. With a wealth of experience in confronting the disease, this ongoing partnership can help to solve the challenges currently faced by farmers in Africa.

To this end, CAAS, JAAS, and CIMMYT organized a training workshop on FHB management for Africa, which took place with financial support from China Aid in Beijing and Nanjing, China, between 10 and 23 April 2024. Twenty participants, 45% of which were women, attended the workshop, with specialists in wheat breeding, pathology, seed quarantine, and other related fields at public institutions in Ethiopia, Zambia, and Lesotho.

“This is the first time China has worked with an international organization to conduct an agricultural training workshop for sub-Saharan Africa,” said Zhonghu He, CIMMYT distinguished scientist and country liaison officer in China.

A hands-on demonstration at the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences (JAAS) and CIMMYT Fusarium head blight (FHB) precision phenotyping platform helps scientists in Africa to better understand and fight the wheat disease. (Photo: Liu Xiyan/CAAS)

Practical tools to target FHB

Experts from China and CIMMYT shared their successful experiences of FHB management, including breeding resistant varieties. The trainees benefitted from hands-on experience of FHB identification, disease screening (including inoculum preparation, inoculation, and scoring), mycotoxin quantification techniques, and wheat breeding.

At the end of the workshop, the participants were extremely pleased to observe the impressive progress made in China on wheat FHB both on breeding and disease control, and they expressed strong willingness to contribute to collaboration between Africa, China, and CIMMYT on more wheat breeding and research. Netsanet Bacha Hei from the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) was impressed with the scientific and technical expertise provided in the training and mentioned that sub-Saharan Africa needs similar practical trainings to mitigate the threat of FHB. Similar opinions were echoed by Doreen Malekano Chomba from the Zambian Plant Quarantine and Phytosanitary Service (PQPS), who discussed the need to have an effective in-country surveillance and monitoring to assess and manage FHB in the region.

Participants gather for the opening ceremony of the workshop at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) in Beijing. (Photo: Li Simin/CAAS)

Xu Zhang, who heads the FHB research program at JAAS, is very appreciative of the collaborative work that has been going on for several decades between CIMMYT and China, highlighting that the workshop represents another step in understanding and managing FHB in sub-Saharan Africa and beyond, Zhang said, JAAS and CIMMYT has grown together through strong partnership.

“This training lays firm groundwork for future China-Africa-CIMMYT collaboration on mitigating the threat of FHB and improving wheat production and food security in sub-Saharan African countries,” said He.

Indian scientists visit Türkiye for soil and root health training program

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in News.

Soil is the foundation of agriculture, and healthy soil is critical to the entire ecosystem. However, soil health is under threat today as many factors make soil unhealthy, leading to significant losses in farming. CIMMYT in India has been addressing these issues in partnership with national and international institutions, while CIMMYT’s SBP program in Türkiye aims to deliver high-yielding wheat germplasm that is resistant to SBP and supports the International Soil-Borne Pathogens Research & Development Center (ISBPRDC) of Türkiye. It also facilitates knowledge exchange and technology transfer to support joint research and development activities to improve soil health.

On arrival, the group of scientists and professors from Bihar was welcomed by Metin Türker, director general of Agricultural Research and Policies (TAGEM). Talking about the intricate nexus of agriculture, climate, and technology, Türker emphasized varietal developments to irrigation advancements and engaged in lively discussions with the group, fueled by a shared vision for agricultural sustainability.

Led by Abdelfattah A. Dababat, CIMMYT country representative in Türkiye and the leader of the SBD program, the scientists and professors from India ventured into the heart of research institutions, immersing themselves in the latest innovations in wheat improvement and plant pathology. Their journey took them from Ankara to Eskisehir and ended at the Abant Izzet Baysal University, Bolu, where they were greeted by passionate experts eager to share their knowledge. Bonds were forged amid lectures and laboratory demonstrations, and ideas ignited, paving the way for future collaborations.

Visit to Ankara Province

The participants visited the Field Crops Central Research Institute and were introduced to the TAGEM Seed Gene Bank and Herbarium. Participants were acquainted with seed processing and preservation methods with live demonstrations. Following that, participants visited the Plant Protection Central Research Institute in Ankara, where its Director Ayse Ozdem gave an overview of the institute’s mandates and research work. Participants had the opportunity to explore the plant pathology laboratory and learn about major crop diseases in Türkiye and their control measures.

Participants later visited winter wheat trial sites at the research station in Haymana, a district of Ankara province. The group then interacted with Mesut Keser, ICARDA’s wheat breeder who specializes in winter and facultative wheat while working on the International Winter Wheat Improvement Program (IWWIP). This was followed by a visit to the pathology field experiments, a breeder seed production area, and an experimental trial for evaluating Syngenta TYMIRIUM® technology at the research station.

Visit to TZARI in Eskisehir

Scientists also had a chance to visit the Transitional Zone Agricultural Research Institute located in the Central Anatolian Plateau of Türkiye. The institute’s director Sabri Cakir welcomed the participants and briefed them about the ongoing research activities of the institute and its relevance to agriculture in Türkiye. Savas Belen gave a general overview of the institute and the breeding program, while Abdullah Tane Kilinc presented a glimpse of the activities of the Department of Plant Pathology. Professor Halil Toktay gave an overview of plant parasitic nematodes in wheat and potato, followed by Gül Erginbas Orakci who discussed the importance of managing soil-borne pathogens.

Beyhan Akin, wheat breeder at CIMMYT, gave a presentation on CIMMYT’s breeding activities in Türkiye, and Oğuz Önder presented fertilizer application on the quality of Bread Wheat and the importance of foliar fertilization in crops.

Thereafter, participants visited the plant pathology laboratory where Abdelfattah A. Dababat and Gül Erginbas-Orakci gave an overview of laboratory methods to study Cereal Cyst Nematodes and Root-Lesion Nematodes with live demonstrations. Innovative approaches to tackle the Plant-Parasitic Nematodes in agriculture were also discussed. In the agronomy laboratory, Oğuz Önder gave a live demonstration for estimating plant grain and biomass yield by optical sensor-based technologies. Participants also had the opportunity to explore the soil science laboratory and become familiar with state-of-the-art equipment used for soil nutrient analysis.

Visit to Bolu

The participants visited Abant Izzet Baysal University, in Bolu, where the Rector Professor. Mustafa Alişarlı welcomed them. This was followed by presentations and discussions on burning issues in agriculture. Professor Senol Yildiz gave a presentation on soil health assessment and management. Professor Halil Kütük of the Department of Plant Protection gave a brief overview of the latest research advancement in biological control of major crop diseases. In continuation, Abdelfattah A. Dababat gave an overview of the cereal cyst nematode and their management. The discussion led to a brainstorming session on soil health management, soil-borne diseases, soil microbiome, and the challenges of using microorganisms for soil health improvements. The major challenges and opportunities for agriculture development under changing climate scenarios in India and Türkiye were also discussed.

The training course exposed participants to the latest research and technologies for soil and root health management to increase agricultural productivity and profitability immediately and into the future. During the entire visit, participants working in different fields (soil science, agronomy, plant breeding, and microbiology) interacted with Türkiye’s expert counterparts to discuss their work and share valuable research insights. Several topics and technologies relevant to global agriculture, like zero tillage, climate-resilient agriculture, precision input management, hidden hunger, and digital agriculture, were discussed. Participants also explored future opportunities for bilateral research collaborations between India and Türkiye.

Participants expressed their deepest gratitude to the CIMMYT team at Türkiye, led by Abdelfattah A. Dababat, for arranging an effective training program and for the support provided at every step. “Your careful planning and thoughtful execution have created an environment where learning flourishes and connections are made. Thank you for your invaluable contribution to our learning journey,” said the participants. Participants also expressed their sincere thanks to the Ministry of Agriculture, Türkiye, and the BISA team for coordinating this training and making the entire experience seamless and impactful for all involved. Special thanks were offered to the Government of Bihar for supporting the travel of scientists from India for this training program under the climate-resilient agriculture project in the state.

Roots of resilience: my journey as a Conservation Agriculture champion

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in Features.

I am Grace Malaicha, a proud native of the Zidyana Extension Planning Areas in Central Malawi, where my journey with Conservation Agriculture (CA) began. In 2005, I observed neighboring farmers practicing CA techniques on their land. Intrigued and inspired, I decided to embark on this path myself, joining the CA program initiated by CIMMYT and Total LandCare in 2006. I started practicing it on my demonstration plot and observed that yields were getting higher from the second year onwards.

My dedication to CA has changed not only myself but also influenced other members of my farming community. As a mother trial host farmer under the CGIAR Initiative: Diversification for resilient agribusiness ecosystems in East and Southern Africa today, I have been implementing different treatments, which include maize doubled-up legume system and improved drought-tolerant maize varieties planted under CA on flat land and comparing it to the traditional ridge tillage system that involves substantial soil movement.

But what does CA mean to me? It is more than just a set of principles that I apply like minimum soil disturbance, mulching, and crop rotation. CA reduces drudgery, secures yields, and maintains productivity in times of climate change. CA has changed my approach to farming, transforming my once conventional maize monocrop into a diverse maize-legume system. By intercropping with two crops, I have spread the risk of unanticipated crop failure, while incorporating groundnut, cowpeas, and pigeon pea into the mix, which are more drought tolerant. I increased the land area under CA and tried it on many other crops including different legumes as rotation or intercrops, birds-eye chili, vegetables, and cassava.

Over the years, I have witnessed firsthand the harsh realities of a changing climate in central Malawi, from intense heat to prolonged droughts and erratic rainfall patterns. This year, 2024, has even been worse due to the prolonged dry spells between January and February, and the erratic rainfall during this time. Despite these challenges, our CA plots have continued to thrive, showcasing the resilience and adaptability of climate-smart farming practices.

Grace trains farmers on Conservation Agriculture. (Photo: Christian Thierfelder/CIMMYT)

Recognizing the power of knowledge sharing and from the encouragement by CIMMYT and Total LandCare, I started to train fellow farmers, both locally and across borders. At first, I worked with women groups around my homestead and trained about 100 female farmers on the principles of CA. I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to train other farmers in other districts of Malawi. Since 2008, I have also trained farmers in eastern Zambia and from Mozambique where all farmers speak my language Chichewa. Farmers believe other farmers more and are now realizing the benefits of implementing CA in their own fields.

I enrolled to be a local trainer in CA within my community in 2016. My passion for teaching and catalyzing change has led to the adoption of CA by numerous farmers. I embrace my commitment to ongoing learning through carefully implementing these CA trials and playing an active role during awareness meetings.

My life had changed so much. I was speaking on the radio and television. In 2012, the Minister of Agriculture visited my plot, and I was asked to speak in front of a Parliamentary Committee about my experiences as a smallholder woman farmer in Malawi. I spoke about what women can do in agriculture and what changes I made on my land. From representing my country at high level meetings, each step has shaped me into a resilient and empowered woman.

However, my journey has not been without obstacles, including hardships in my personal relationship. In 2012, I made the decision to join my husband in South Africa where I took up menial jobs to earn a living, abandoning my plot back home. But my true passion lay in farming, and I decided to make the bold decision to come back home, leaving my husband and continue with farming. Through perseverance and determination, I have overcome these challenges, and I am now much stronger.

Grace Malaicha stands in her field. (Photo: Christian Thierfelder/CIMMYT)

Today, I stand with pride in front of my CA plot, not only sustaining my family but also sending all my children to school. I now converted all my land to conservation agriculture, 3ha are under maize and 2ha under groundnuts. Beyond farming, I have investments in housing, claiming rentals in the nearby town of Salima to sustain my financial income and expand in farming.

I will continue on this path as I learned so much over the years and believe that CA may be the only climate-smart agriculture response in reach of smallholder farmers that everybody can apply, and I will continue to support others as a champion of CA.

With agricultural diversification, more is better

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in Publications.

Over the last seventy years, intensively managed monocultures, focused on maximizing calorie production, have become a dominant approach to global food production. This trend toward simplification in agricultural systems has supported productivity gains but has very troubling consequences for the environment including nutrient pollution and biodiversity loss at a massive scale. Restoring diversity is essential to regaining ecological balance.

Monocultures are generally all the same, turning biologically-rich systems into chemical-intensive engineered ones nearly devoid of life forms other than those yielding a genetically identical commodity crop. Their guiding principle is producing food ingredients as cheaply as possible. Biologically diversified agricultural systems can take many forms. Their guiding principle is recapturing resilience and resource use efficiency while supplying balanced diets and viable livelihoods.

In recent years, there have been many efforts to biologically diversify farming systems. Increasing the number of species and the genetic diversity is associated with improved resilience and resource use efficiency.

A new paper published in Science consolidates evidence from across a wide range of diversification strategies, applied on five continents, to understand how they affect environmental and social outcomes. These strategies encompass many different interventions ranging from crop rotations and cover crops to livestock inclusion to use of compost, hedgerows, and contour farming.

Farmers hold groundnuts as a preferred crop. (Photo: Sieglinde Snapp/CIMMYT)

The study shows that the likelihood of environmental and social benefits goes up when a greater number of diversification strategies are combined. Importantly, the environmental benefits of diversification were found to be greatest in very simplified landscapes with less than 20% in non-crop area.

It also found that applying multiple diversification strategies in tandem reduces tradeoffs. In other words, the path to agricultural win-wins leads to diversified working landscapes, not just diversification strategies on individual farms.

The push toward commodity monocultures has been baked into many agricultural policies, such as subsidies and trade deals, and into land tenure systems. The monoculture bias is also reinforced through pricing, payment, and other supply chain arrangements. Even research agendas have encouraged monoculture with the long-term emphasis on yield-focused breeding.

It’s time to dismantle the structural barriers that leave so many farmers just getting by “against the odds” and at the expense of functioning ecosystems.

Unanswered questions and unquestioned answers

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in Publications.

Over the past few decades, Conservation Agriculture (CA) has moved from theory to practice for many farmers in southern Africa. CA is a system that involves minimum soil disturbance, crop residue retention, and crop diversification among other complimentary agricultural practices. One reason for its increasing popularity is its potential to mitigate threats from climate change while increasing yields.

However, there are limits to the adaptation of CA, especially for smallholder farmers. Challenges are both agronomic (e.g. lack of sufficient crop residues as mulch, weed control, pest and disease carryover through crop residues), socio-economic, and political (both locally and regionally).

A recent paper, Unanswered questions and unquestioned answers: the challenges of crop residue retention and weed control in Conservation Agriculture systems of southern Africa, published in the journal Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems in February 2024, led by CIMMYT and CGIAR scientists examines two specific challenges to more widespread CA adaptation: how to deal with trade-offs in using crop residue and finding alternatives to herbicides for weed control.

For crop residue, the two most prevalent actions are using leftover crop residue for soil cover or feeding it to livestock. Currently, many farmers allow livestock to graze on crop residue in the field, leading to overgrazing and insufficient ground cover. This tradeoff is further challenged by other multiple household uses of residues such as fuel and building material. The most common way to control weeds is the application of herbicides. However, inefficient and injudicious herbicide use poses a threat to human health and the environment, so the research team set out to identify potential alternatives to chemical weed control as the sole practices in CA systems.

“The answer to the question ‘how should farmers control weeds?’ has always been herbicides,” said lead author Christian Thierfelder, CIMMYT principal cropping systems agronomist. “But herbicides have many negative side effects, so we wanted to question that answer and examine other potential weed control methods.”

What to do with crop residue

Previous research from the region found that ungrazed areas had long-term positive effects on soil fertility and crop yields. However, it is common practice for many farmers in Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe to allow open grazing after the harvest in their communities. Livestock are free to graze wherever they wander, which results in overgrazing.

“Open grazing systems help keep costs down but are very inefficient in terms of use of resources. It leads to bare fields with poor soil,” said Thierfelder.

Maize on residues. (Photo: CIMMYT)

While it is easy to suggest that regulations should be enacted to limit open grazing, it is difficult to implement and enforce such rules in practice. The authors found that enforcement is lacking in smaller villages because community members are often related, which makes punishment difficult, and there is an inherent conflict of interest among those responsible for enforcement.

Controlling weeds

Weeding challenges in CA systems have been addressed worldwide by simply using herbicides. However, chemical weeding is often not affordable and, sometimes, inaccessible to the smallholder farmers and environmentally unfriendly.

Using herbicides, though effective when properly applied, also requires a degree of specialized knowledge, and without basic training, this may be an unviable option as they may pose a risk to the health of the farmers. Thus, alternatives need to be identified to overcome this challenge.

Some alternatives include mechanical methods, involving the use of handheld tools or more sophisticated tools pulled by animals or engines. While this can be effective, there is the possibility of high initial investments, and intercropping (a tenet of CA) forces farmers to maneuver carefully between rows to avoid unintended damage of the intercrop.

Increasing crop competition is another potential weed control system. By increasing plant density, reducing crop row spacing, and integrating other crops through intercropping, the crop competes more successfully with the weeds for resources such as light, moisture, and nutrients. When the crop seed rate is increased, the density of the crops increases, providing more cover to intercept light, and reducing the amount of light reaching the weeds thereby controlling their proliferation.

A holistic approach

“What we learned is that many of the crop residue and weed challenges are part of broader complications that cannot be resolved without understanding the interactions among the current scientific recommendations, private incentives, social norms, institutions, and government policy,” said Thierfelder.

Continuing research into CA should aim to examine the social and institutional innovations needed to mainstream CA as well as strengthen and expand the research on weed control alternatives and focus on the science of communal grazing land management to enhance their productivity.

Sustaining Conservation Agriculture initiatives: lessons from Malawi

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in Blogs, Publications.

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has experienced the worst impacts of climate change on agriculture over the past decades and projections show such effects are going to intensify in the coming years. Diminished agricultural production has been the primary impact channel given the high reliance on rainfed agriculture in the region. Combined with a growing population, food security for millions of people is threatened.

Conservation Agriculture (CA) is a sustainable cropping system that can help reverse soil degradation, augment soil health, increase crop yields, and reduce labor requirements while helping smallholder farmers adapt to climate change. It is built on three core principles of minimum soil disturbance, crop residue retention, and crop diversification.

CA was introduced in southern Africa in the 1990s, but its adoption has been patchy and often associated with commercial farming. A group of researchers, led by Christian Thierfelder, principal cropping systems agronomist at CIMMYT, set out to understand the reasons why smallholder farmers adopt CA, or why they might not or indeed dis-adopt. Their results were published in Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems on March 12, 2024.

Conservation Agriculture plot. (Photo: CIMMYT)

“Conservation Agriculture can cushion farmers from the effects of climate change through its capacity to retain more soil water in response to high water infiltration and increased soil organic carbon. It is therefore a viable option to deal with increased heat and drought stress,” said Thierfelder. However, even with these benefits, adoption of CA has not been as widespread in countries like Malawi.

“There are regions within Malawi where CA has been promoted for a long time, also known as sentinel sites,” said Thierfelder. “In such places, adoption is rising, indicating that farmers are realizing the benefits of CA over time. Examining adoption dynamics in sentinel sites can provide valuable lessons on scaling CA and why some regions experience large rates of non- or dis-adoption.”

Thierfelder and his co-authors, Innocent Pangapanga-Phiri of the Center for Agricultural Research and Development (CARD) of the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR), and Hambulo Ngoma, scientist and agricultural economist at CIMMYT, examined the Nkhotakota district in central Malawi, one of the most promising examples of widespread CA adoption.

Total LandCare (TLC), a regional NGO working in Malawi has been consistently promoting CA in tandem with CIMMYT in the Nkhotakota district since 2005.

Results from both individual farmer interviews and focused group discussions revealed that farmers that implement CA saw higher yields per hectare than those who practiced conventional tillage practices. In addition, farmers using CA indicated greater resilience in times of drought, improved soil fertility, and reduced pest infestation.

Why adopt CA?

The primary factors enhancing CA adoption in the Nkhotakota district were the availability of training, extension and advisory services, and demonstration plots by the host farmers. Host farmers are farmers that have been trained by a TLC extension officer and have their own plot of land to demonstrate CA methods. In addition, host farmers train other farmers and share knowledge and skills through farmer field days and other local agricultural exhibitions.

“Social networks among the farmers serve a vital role in CA adoption,” said Ngoma. “Seeing tangible success carries significant weight for non-adopter farmers or temporal dis-adopters which can persuade them to adopt.”

Maize demonstration plot. (Photo: CIMMYT)

During focus group discussions facilitated by the authors, farmers indicated that demonstration plots also removed fear for the unknown and debunked some myths regarding CA systems, for example, that practitioners show ‘laziness’ if they do not conventionally till their land.

“This suggests that CA uptake could be enhanced with increased, targeted, and long-term promotion efforts that include demonstration plots,” said Ngoma.

Similarly, the longer duration of CA exposure positively influenced farmers’ decisions to adopt CA methods as longer exposure might allow farmers to better understand the benefits of CA practices.

Why not adopt CA?

Farmers reported socioeconomic, financial, and technical constraints to adopt CA. An example is that farmers might not have the labor and time available for weed control, a necessary step in the first few years after the transition to CA.

“Weed control is an important challenge during the early years of CA adoption and can be seen as the ‘Achilles heel’ of CA adoption,” said Thierfelder. CIMMYT scientists therefore focused a lot of research in recent years to find alternative weed control strategies based on integrated weed management (IWM) using chemical, biological, and mechanical control options.

Examining the stover in a maize plot. (Photo: CIMMYT)

In most cases, the benefits of CA adoption are seen only after 2 to 5 years. Having such a long-term view is not always possible for smallholder farmers, who often must make decisions based on current conditions and have immediate family obligations to meet.

As a contrast to adopters of CA, non-adopters reported a lack of knowledge about CA as a whole and a lack of specific technical knowledge needed to transition from more traditional methods to CA.

This scarcity of technical support is often due to the lack of strong agriculture extension support systems. Since CA adoption can be complex, capacity building of both farmers and extension agents can therefore foster adoption and implementation of CA. This reinforces that farmer-to-farmer approaches through host farmers could complement other sources of extension to foster adoption.

Next steps

The authors identified three policy recommendations to accelerate CA adoption. First, there is a need to continue promoting CA using farmer-centric approaches more consistently, e.g., the host farmer approach. Using a farmer-centered approach facilitates experiential learning and can serve as a motivation for peer-to-peer exchange and learning and can reduce misinformation. The host farmer approach can be augmented by mega-demonstrations to showcase CA implementation at scale. In addition, rapid and mass extension delivery can be enhanced by using digital technologies.

Second, CA promotion should allow farmers the time to experiment with different CA options before adoption. What remains unclear at the policy level is the types of incentives and support that can be given to farmers to encourage experimentation without creating economic dependence. NGOs and extension workers could help farmers deal with the weed pressure soon after converting from full to minimum tillage by providing herbicides and training.

Third, there is a need to build and strengthen farmer groups to facilitate easier access to training, to serve as conduits for incentive schemes such as payments for environmental services, and conditional input subsidies for CA farmers. Such market-smart incentives are key to induce initial adoption in the short term and to facilitate sustained adoption.

Digging in the Dirt: Detailed soil maps guide decision-making, from the field to the policy room

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in Blogs.

When a non-farmer looks upon a field, they might just see it as an expanse of dirt and give no more thought to it. But to a farmer, that dirt is soil, the lifeblood of agriculture. Among other things, soil delivers necessary nutrients to crops, allowing them to grow and flourish.

About 95% of the food consumed around the world grows from soil, which is rapidly deteriorating because of unsustainable human activity. Around 33% of all soils around the world are degraded, meaning they can no longer sustain the same level of agricultural activity. This leads to lower crop yields, which potentially leads farmers to increase their use of fertilizer to overcome the damaged soil. But increased nitrogen fertilizer use has profound climate change effects, as poor fertilizer management, including overuse, can lead to nitrous oxide (a greenhouse gas) leaking into the air and nitrates into groundwater, rivers, and other water systems.

Sampling points in the state of Celaya, Guanajuato Mexico. (Photo: CIMMYT)

An important implement in the effort to preserve soil fertility is the practice of soil mapping, a process which produces detailed physical and chemical soil properties within a region. Things like the amount of nutrients, acidity, water conductivity, and bulk density, help guide decision making from individual farmers all the way to regional and national stakeholders.

The Sustainable Productivity Growth Coalition, a United Nations initiative which aims to accelerate the transition to more sustainable food systems through a holistic approach to productivity growth to optimize agricultural sustainability, featured soil mapping as an innovative, evidence-based approach for accelerating sustainable productivity growth in its 2023 report.

A global soil mapping initiative is underway led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Global Soil Partnership with important contributions from CIMMYT scientist working in Mexico.

“Soil mapping of an agricultural region for chemical and physical soil properties offers a range of benefits that can significantly improve agricultural practices, land management, and overall productivity,” said Ivan Ortiz Monasterio, CIMMYT principal scientist.

Map for Phosphorus Bray 1. (Photo: CIMMYT)

Soil maps = blueprints

Using up-to-date soil information at the national scale can help to plan agricultural and land planning interventions and policies, by excluding areas with higher carbon content or fertility from urbanization plans, or by planning the implementation of irrigation schemes with high-quality water in salt-affected areas.

For farmers, there are many benefits, including the creation of nutrient management plans, which are perhaps the most important. These plans guide decisions about application rates and timing of inputs like fertilizers, help avoid over-application, and reduce the risk of runoff and pollution. This supports sustainable agriculture while reducing costs and minimizing nutrient pollution.

Map for zinc. (Photo: CIMMYT)

“There are many other benefits,” said Ortiz Monasterio. “From improved irrigation management, to informed crop decisions, to things like climate resilience because more fertile soils are better able to cope with the challenges of climate variation.”

Sow, grow, and thrive: a pathway to improve cassava farming in Zambia

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in Blogs.

For decades, women farmers like Maureen Bwalya from the Musa camp in Kasama district of northern Zambia, have upheld the tradition of cultivating cassava on ridges. These small piles of soil created by hand hoes, 30-50 cm tall and 50 cm wide are intended to reduce water logging and facilitate cassava growth. But forming row after row takes a significant amount of physical labor. Establishing ridges follows a traditional practice known as chitemene, a Bemba word which means “place where branches have been cut for a garden.”

Chitemene, a slash and burn technique once common in Zambia, involves cutting down standing trees in the Miombo woodlands, stacking the logs, and then burning them to create a thick layer of ash believed to enhance soil fertility. The ashen fields are initially cultivated with pearl millet and followed by crops like cassava. As years progressed, this method has been associated with adverse environmental impacts disrupting the ecosystem balance due to increasingly shortened fallow and recovery periods. However, with the ever-changing climate, Bwalya and other farmers recognize the need for sustainable practices that require less labor.

Alternatives to the traditional methods

Since childhood, Maureen Bwalya, a mother of seven from Musa Camp in the Kasama District of northern Zambia, has dedicated her life to cassava farming. Thriving under very low fertility and acidic soils, cassava has offered a lifeline amid the challenges of rural agriculture. When the Sustainable Intensification of Smallholder Farming Systems in Zambia (SIFAZ) project was introduced in the northern province, where cassava is a strategic crop, Bwalya saw a valuable opportunity for change to cultivate better practices that not only improve cassava yields but also replenish soil fertility in her fields.

“When I started these trials, it was a tough transition,” said Bwalya, reflecting on her journey. “Shifting from ridge planting to flat land cultivation posed its challenges as this practice was new to me. But with time, I have learned the advantages of intercropping: increased yields, less labor, and enhanced productivity, all of which enrich my farming practices.”

Maureen Bwalya gazes through her plot. (Photo: CIMMYT)

Implemented over the last five years by CIMMYT, in collaboration with FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture, SIFAZ aims to advance the intensification of farming practices and catalyze widespread adoption among farmers in Zambia. In the Musa camp, key partners took on the challenge of advancing better farming techniques with cassava. Their collective objective was clear: to identify methods that minimized labor intensity while maximizing yields. Through rigorous trials, including comparing flat land planting against traditional ridge systems and experimenting with intercropping cassava with common beans and groundnuts, promising results have been seen.

The outcomes yielded thus far have been nothing short of inspiring across farmers. It has become clear to farmers and researchers that cassava planted on flat land, particularly within a Conservation Agriculture (CA) framework, was not only feasible in high rainfall areas but also yielded significantly higher returns. Despite observing fewer root structures, the roots themselves proved to be robust and weighty, ultimately translating to increased productivity for smallholder farmers. Furthermore, farmers have confirmed that cassava from the CA plots tastes better than the one from the ridged portions.

“As a cassava trial implementer,” Bwalya said, “I undertook various trials exploring intercropping cassava with beans and groundnuts, across both flat and ridge systems.”

Thriving and innovating

Her six-hectare plot has become a hub of experimentation, with 0.3 hectares dedicated to the ongoing trials. Encouraged by the successes and promising yields witnessed on flat land, Maureen extended these sustainable practices to the remaining expanse, intercropping maize with cassava. Her results have been noticed, drawing the interest of over fifty neighboring farmers, inspired by her flourishing plot.

As the harvesting season approaches, Bwalya faces no shortage of opportunities to market her produce. From cassava cuttings to nutrient-rich leaves and tubers, she never runs short of eager buyers in local markets, ensuring a steady income for her family.

Navigating through the different trials across the Kasama district, pockets of adoption in some farmers’ fields are noticeable. Through collaborative partnerships and community engagement, SIFAZ strives to empower farmers with the knowledge and tools stemming from the trials to become more food secure in the face of evolving climatic challenges.

Successful surveillance results in early first detection of Ug99 in South Asia

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in News.

Successful global wheat disease surveillance and monitoring has resulted in early detection of wheat stem rust Ug99 in Nepal. A combination of vigilant field surveys and sampling by Nepal’s National Plant Pathology Research Centre (NPPRC) and National Wheat Research Program (NWRP), supported by rigorous and accurate disease diagnostics at the Global Rust Reference Center (GRRC), Denmark, resulted in confirmed detection of the Ug99 strain named TTKTT. The long running and sustained surveillance efforts undertaken by NPPRC and NWRP, including off-season surveys, proved vital in the detection of Ug99 in Nepal. Confirmed results were obtained from two field samples collected in early November 2023 from off-season summer wheat crops in Dolakha district, Nepal. Repeated experiments and high quality pathotyping and genotyping at GRRC confirmed the results.

“The combination of molecular genotyping of incoming samples, without prior recovery in our laboratory and independent diagnostic assays of recovered stem rust isolates, confirmed the presence of Ug99 and a highly virulent race variant termed TTKTT,” says professor Mogens Hovmøller, leader of the GRRC at Aarhus University in Denmark.

Suraj Baidya (NPPRC) and Roshan Basnet (National Wheat Research Program) undertake field surveys at Dandunghe, Dolakha, Nepal. (Photo: CIMMYT)

Ug99 was first detected in East Africa in 1998/99, and its unique virulence sparked fears that a large proportion of wheat cultivars globally would be at risk from this potentially devastating disease. The international wheat community came together through the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative (BGRI) to address the threats posed by Ug99. The BGRI partners have successfully monitored the evolution and spread of Ug99 and bred hundreds of resistant wheat varieties that are now being grown at scale in priority wheat growing regions. Migration of Ug99 from Africa to other regions, including South Asia, was always seen as likely due to the transboundary nature of the disease and long-distance dispersal of rust spores by wind.

Detection of a Ug99 race in Nepal is not therefore a surprise, but it highlights the effectiveness of the wheat rust surveillance and monitoring systems that have been developed. The disease was present at extremely low levels in the fields in Nepal, and early detection is one of the main factors in preventing disease spread. Other factors also contribute to reduced risk. The wheat on which the Ug99 race TTKTT was detected were fodder crops and cut soon after the surveys were completed, which prevented further buildup of disease. In addition, no wheat is grown in the main season in these areas, with farmers shifting to cultivation of potato (a non-host crop for stem rust).

According to Suraj Baidya, senior scientist and chief of NPPRC, “Extensive follow up surveys in the Dolakha detection area by NPPRC in the 2023/24 main season resulted in no wheat being observed and no detection of stem rust.” Similarly, extensive surveys by NPPRC throughout other wheat growing areas of Nepal in the 2023/24 main season have resulted in no reports of stem rust in the country. To date, extensive surveys in other countries in South Asia (Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan) have not detected stem rust in 2023/24.

Although the current risk of stem rust outbreaks is considered to be low, detection of the Ug99 race TTKTT in Nepal is a clear reminder of the threat posed to wheat production in South Asia by the incursion of virulent stem rust races or other plant diseases of concern. “The spread and risk from transboundary diseases like stem rust is increasing,” says Dave Hodson, leader of the Wheat Disease Early Warning Advisory Systems (DEWAS) project at CIMMYT. “Sustained and increased surveillance efforts are needed across the region and expanded to include other important emerging diseases.” Successful deployment of Ug99 resistant cultivars through the BGRI partners, including CIMMYT, ICARDA and NARS, has decreased vulnerability, but it is important to note that the race TTKTT is a recently evolved variant of Ug99 with additional virulence compared to the original strains. As a result, not all cultivars in South Asia may have effective resistance today. Screening of germplasm and major cultivars from South Asia against TTKTT at the Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO)/CIMMYT international stem rust screening nursery in Kenya is extremely important to get an accurate picture of current vulnerability.

The details of the diagnostic confirmation of Ug99 in Nepal are available at the GRRC website (see GRRC lab report)

Work on wheat disease surveillance and monitoring, plus breeding of resistant varieties is being supported by the DEWAS and AGG projects funded by BMGF and FCDO, UK.

Key partners –

National Plant Pathology Research Centre (NPPRC), Nepal. Contact: Suraj Baidya (suraj_baidya222@yahoo.co.in)

National Wheat Research Program (NWRP), Nepal. Contact: Roshan Basnet

Global Rust Reference Center (GRRC), Aarhus University, Denmark. Contact: Mogens Hovmøller (mogens.hovmoller@agro.au.dk)

Cornell University. Contact: Maricelis Acevedo (ma934@cornell.edu)

CIMMYT. Contact: David Hodson (d.hodson@cgiar.org)

A tale of two worlds: contrasting realities in southern and northern Zambia during El Niño

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in Blogs.

From the densely lush landscape of Zambia’s northern province to the arid terrain of the south, a stark reality unfolds, intensified by El Niño. Zambia’s agriculture faces contrasting realities yet potential lies in adaptive strategies, a diversified crop basket, and collaborative initiatives which prioritize farmers. Despite persistent challenges with climate variability and uneven resource distribution, the country navigates unpredictable weather patterns, emphasizing the intricate interplay between environmental factors and adaptation strategies.

A healthy maize and groundnut stand in the northern Province (left) and a wilting maize crop in the southern Province (right). These photos were taken two days apart. (Photo: Blessing Mhlanga/CIMMYT)

Unpacking El Niño’s impact in Zambia

El Niño presents a common challenge to both southern and northern Zambia, albeit with varying degrees of intensity and duration. The 2022/2023 season had above normal rainfall amounts, with extreme weather events, from episodes of flash floods and flooding to prolonged dry spells, especially over areas in the south. In the 2023/2024 season, the southern region has already experienced irregular weather patterns, including prolonged droughts and extreme temperatures, leading to water scarcity, crop failures, and significant agricultural losses. Although the growing season is nearing its end, the region has only received less than one-third of the annual average rainfall (just about 250 mm). Dry spells of more than 30 days have been experienced and, in most cases, coincide with the critical growth stages of flowering and grain-filling. A glance at farmers’ fields paints a gloomy picture of the anticipated yield, but all hope is not lost.

In contrast, the northern province stands out receiving above-average rainfalls beyond 2,000 mm, providing a different set of challenges for crop production. In this region, incidences of waterlogging are prominent although the effects are not as detrimental as the drought in the southern province. In general, crops in the northern province promise a considerable harvest as compared to the ones in the southern province.

Maize stover and its competing use

The scarcity of resources in southern Zambia extends beyond water availability, with the competition for maize stover, a valuable byproduct used for animal feed which can also be retained on the soil surface for fertility improvement and soil moisture conservation. With limited access to alternative fodder sources, farmers face challenges in meeting the nutritional needs of their livestock while maintaining soil fertility and conserving moisture. The struggle to balance the competing demands for maize stover underscores the complex dynamics of resource management in the region. This is further worsened by the low maize stover yield expected due to the dry conditions.

Implementing fodder trials, which include cultivating fodder crops like mucuna and lablab, intercropped or rotated with maize, offers a lifeline to farmers. While maize crops may wilt under the stress of El Niño-induced droughts, leguminous crops such as mucuna, lablab, cowpea, and groundnuts exhibit resilience, thriving in adverse conditions and providing a crucial source of food, feed, soil cover, and income for farmers. The ability of legumes to withstand environmental stressors highlights the importance of crop diversification in building resilience to climate change and ensuring food security in vulnerable regions.

Conversely, in northern Zambia, the abundance of agricultural resources allows for a more sustainable utilization of maize stover. Farmers have greater access to fodder alternatives and can implement integrated farming practices to optimize the use of crop residues. This enables them to mitigate the adverse effects of soil degradation and enhance livestock productivity, contributing to the resilience of their agricultural systems.

Use of more climate-smart crops

Drought-tolerant cassava grown in the northern province. (Photo: CIMMYT)

In southern Zambia, maize stands as the main crop, often supplemented with the integration of some leguminous crops integrated to some extent, to diversify the agricultural landscape. However, the relentless and longevity grip of El Niño has taken a negative toll on maize production, despite efforts to cultivate drought-tolerant varieties. As the dry spell persists, maize plants at the critical tasseling and silking stage face an uphill battle, as the dry and hot air has adversely impacted pollen and silk development.

The dissimilarity with the northern province, where cassava thrives from abundant water, is striking. This resilient crop, known for its drought tolerance, presents a promising alternative for farmers in the southern province grappling with erratic rainfall patterns. As climate change continues to challenge traditional agricultural practices, exploring resilient crops like cassava may offer a lifeline for communities striving to adapt and thrive amidst adversity.

In response to these radically different realities, the Sustainable Intensification of Farming Systems (SIFAZ) project, a collaborative effort of CIMMYT with FAO, the Ministry of Agriculture in Zambia, and the CGIAR Initiative on Diversification in East and Southern Africa, also known as Ukama Ustawi, have jointly promoted sustainable intensification practices to enhance the resilience of smallholder farmers.

The SIFAZ project is designed around the idea that strip crops and intercrops can add nutritional and economic value to Conservation Agriculture (CA) systems for smallholder farmers in Zambia. While traditional yield metrics provide some insight across the several intercropping treatments being tested on-farm, the true benefits of these cropping systems extend beyond mere output. SIFAZ recognizes the diversification synergy, emphasizing that “two crops are better than one.”

However, the outcomes of the SIFAZ project and the CGIAR Initiative on Diversification in East and Southern Africa have varied over the years between the two regions, reflecting the discrepancy in their agricultural landscapes.

Notably, regional differences in the adoption and success of these cropping systems have become apparent. In the northern province, crop-centric approaches prevail, leading to a higher concentration of successful crop farmers. Meanwhile, in the southern province, mixed systems that incorporate mixed crop-livestock systems achieve desirable effects. These findings highlight the importance of tailoring agricultural interventions to suit the specific needs and conditions of diverse farming communities.

Navigating the complex challenges of climate change requires a multifaceted approach that acknowledges the unique realities of different regions. By embracing adaptive strategies, harnessing indigenous knowledge, and fostering collaborative partnerships, Zambia can forge a path towards a more resilient and sustainable agricultural future, where farmers thrive despite the uncertainties of a changing climate.