Working with smallholders to understand their needs and build on their knowledge, CIMMYT brings the right seeds and inputs to local markets, raises awareness of more productive cropping practices, and works to bring local mechanization and irrigation services based on conservation agriculture practices. CIMMYT helps scale up farmers’ own innovations, and embraces remote sensing, mobile phones and other information technology. These interventions are gender-inclusive, to ensure equitable impacts for all.
Representatives from various sectors in Tanzania met to discuss the challenges and opportunities in the country’s groundnut value chain, with the aim of establishing a platform for dialogue among stakeholders involved in groundnut production and distribution.
Participants attentively listen to a presentation at the groundnut value chain stakeholders’ meeting in Tanzania. (Photo: CIMMYT)
The meeting was organized by TEMNAR Co. Ltd., and brought together key stakeholders including farmers, government officials, research institutes, NGOs, and partners such as Ruvuma Commercialization and Diversification of Agriculture (RUCODIA), SWISSAID, and Vodacom. All participants affirmed the meeting’s overall impact and significance, acknowledging that the event would help lay a strong foundation for the growth of groundnut farming, particularly in Mtwara and Lindi regions.
The meeting featured presentations from scientists at the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) — who addressed topics such as groundnut agronomy and seed technology — and representatives from TEMNAR, who outlined strategies to facilitate effective collaboration among stakeholders and achieve mutually beneficial outcomes. Discussions centered on topics such as groundnut varieties, market demands, and the importance of quality and cleanliness throughout the production process. Trust in business relationships was identified as a key factor for success.
Participants at the meeting shared innovative ideas and identified opportunities for strengthening the sector. They highlighted, for example, the need for aggregators to specify their groundnut volume requirements and the application of simple technologies — such as hand push planters and threshing machines — to increase production efficiency. They also emphasized the importance of planting new TARI-bred groundnut varieties to meet market demand, and the establishment of additional seed multiplication farms to increase seed availability.
: A participant examines displayed groundnuts at the groundnut value chain stakeholders’ meeting in Tanzania (Photo: CIMMYT).
Another key component of the meeting was assessing the challenges faced by local groundnut farmers. These include the shortage of good groundnut seed, limited agronomical knowledge, and the labor-intensive nature of planting, harvesting, and picking the crop. To address these challenges, participants suggested making agricultural inputs and tools more accessible to farmers, conducting technology demonstrations, and establishing seed multiplication farms across different districts.
Both farmers and aggregators expressed their commitment to making changes in their farming practices; aggregators are now able to access groundnuts easily through phone calls, while farmers enjoy improved access to markets and better prices. A number of follow-up actions have also been planned as a result of the meeting, such as product buyback initiatives during the harvest season and the establishment of field days to help reach more farmers and aggregators at the local level.
As the effects of climate change intensify, rain dependent crop production is becoming more challenging for smallholder farmers in Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia. Farmers often experience either too little or too much rain to effectively grow their crops, which means growing crops under irrigation is becoming key to building resilience to climate shocks. However, smallholder farmers often lack the access to equipment and skills to implement low-cost irrigation technologies.
The Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative (AID-I) implemented by the International Center for Maize and Wheat Improvement (CIMMYT) with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has partnered with Total LandCare (TLC) Malawi and Zambia to promote Sustainable Intensification practices in eastern and central Malawi. TLC conducted a training session on using treadle pumps for irrigation plot layout in Mumbi Village, Petauke District, Zambia.
Farmers setting up an irrigation plot as a live demonstration. (Photo : TLC)
Letting gravity do the work
The irrigation system operates on the principle of pumping water manually from a low point to a high point from which the water then flows by gravity through a system of channels to irrigate crops.
Properly managed, treadle pump irrigation can improve household food security, income, nutrition, and health sustainably without detrimental effects to the environment.
The training educated 12 farmers in establishing an irrigation layout using gravity-fed basins, with water pumped from a stream downhill using a treadle pump. Participants learned how to erect channels that directed water into basins.
During practical irrigation training in Muya village of Mondolo camp, Petauke district, one of the farmers, Magret Tembo said, “This method of irrigation will negate the burden associated with use of watering cans, a practice which has been giving us backaches. Through this technology, we will experience increased production through better water management and increased area coverage.”
Following the setup demonstration, participants received practical guidance on various aspects of irrigation and crop management, covering such topics as planting techniques and effective fertilizer use, and application of pesticides and fungicides.
Inexpensive and durable
“Treadle pump irrigation offers tremendous opportunities to dramatically increase agricultural production while enriching the livelihoods of many resource-poor farmers,” said Zwide Jere, Co-founder/Managing Director of TLC.
Treadle pumps are inexpensive, so individuals can afford to purchase one and they are durable and easy to maintain, so one pump will work for years for individual households.
“The pumps are also designed to work in many environments,” said Paul Malambo, Country Manager for TLC Zambia. “So, over the years, TLC has been able to distribute the pumps in Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia.”
A farmer demonstrating how to use the pump (top left and right) in Kasenengwa, Zambia (Photo: TLC)
“Providing access to technical knowledge and support for under-utilized land, water and labor resources is an important part of the AID-I project, said Kevin Kabunda, CIMMYT lead for the AID-I. “As is collaboration with local partners like TLC who facilitate the dissemination of expertise.”
TLC is a registered non-governmental organization based in Malawi and active in Zambia. Its mission is to empower self-reliance and prosperity for rural households in the Southern Africa region.
CIMMYT is happy to announce five new, improved tropical and subtropical maize hybrids that are now available for uptake by public and private sector partners, especially those interested in marketing or disseminating hybrid maize seed across Latin America and similar agro-ecologies in other regions. NARES and seed companies are hereby invited to apply for licenses to pursue national release, scale-up seed production, and deliver these maize hybrids to farming communities.
How does CIMMYT’s improved maize get to the farmer?
Intermediate-maturing, yellow, high-yielding, resistant to GLS, and Ear rots.
The newly available CIMMYT maize hybrids were identified through rigorous, years-long trialing and a stage-gate advancement process which culminated in the 03-22LTHTWM4M, 04-22LTHTYM4M, 01-22MASTCHSTW and 02-22MASTCHSTY Stage 5 Trials. The products were found to meet the stringent performance and farmer acceptance criteria for CIMMYT’s breeding pipelines that are designed to generate products tailored in particular for smallholder farmers in stress-prone agroecologies of Latin America.
The deadline to submit applications to be considered during the first round of allocations is December 1st, 2023. Applications received after that deadline will be considered during subsequent rounds of product allocations.
In a strategic move to improve food security and promote agricultural development, Syngenta Foundation Nigeria, one of the key partners in the Dryland Crops Program (DCP), has introduced a new initiative known as the AVISA Farmers’ Hub. The initiative was launched at an event in the Murya Community of Obi Local Government Area in the Nasarawa State of North Central Nigeria. The Farmers’ Hub aims to support and empower farmers in the region, contributing to the overall objectives of the DCP.
The introduction of the Farmers’ Hub comes at a time when smallholder farmers in the region are grappling with limited access to essential resources such as knowledge, high-quality inputs, modern technology, and reliable markets, all of which are critical for achieving high-quality agricultural productivity.
A farmers’ hub (FH) is an all-inclusive commercial platform that provides diverse inputs such as seeds, seedlings, fertilizers, and crop protection products, as well as price and weather information. In addition, it provides farmers with value-added services such as aggregation, cleaning, sorting and grading of produce, bulk sales, training, equipment leasing and rental, financing, and trade credit. Smallholder farmers can now take advantage of the opportunities provided by the Farmers’ Hub by transitioning from subsistence agriculture to a commercially oriented system.
Inside the farmer’s hub. The hub is all-inclusive platform offering a wide range of inputs including seeds, seedlings, fertilizers and more (Syngenta Foundation Nigeria).
During the event, the Country Program Manager of Syngenta Foundation Nigeria, Isaiah Gabriel, emphasized the foundation’s dedication to commercializing AVISA crops: “The foundation is working to facilitate the commercialization of cowpea, sorghum, groundnuts, and pear millet.” Gabriel also emphasized the importance of raising awareness among farmers and establishing a platform that provides smallholder farmers with improved seeds, seedlings, fertilizers, mechanization, and other value-added services. He urged farmers in the state to maximize their utilization of the Farmers’ Hub and its services, which are intended to facilitate improved seed production and service delivery.
The Farmers’ Hub was established with the goal of resolving access issues, optimizing yields, aggregating grains, and overcoming market challenges. Finally, the hub hopes to improve food security and increase the income of smallholder farmers.
Prof. Mary Yeye, the National Coordinator of AVISA, commended the initiative and emphasized the importance to farmers of taking advantage of the project and making prudent use of its resources as she addressed the participants.
Experts in attendance, that included Prof. Lucky Omoigui, a seed system specialist from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Prof. SG Gaya, a groundnut breeder from Bayero University Kano (BUK), and Prof, Alhassan Lalihu from the Federal University Lafia, discussed several of the obstacles to high agricultural productivity. These factors include restricted access to improved seeds, expensive fertilizers, and security concerns. The experts lauded the Farmers’ Hub as the final step in delivering resources to smallholder farmers. In addition, they urged all levels of government to intensify efforts to subsidize input costs and improve farmers’ security.
The program manager of the Nasarawa State Agricultural Development Program, Emmanuel Alanama, responded by thanking Syngenta Foundation for selecting Nasarawa State for this significant project. He acknowledged that 75 to 80 percent of the state’s population are farmers and expressed the willingness of the state government to collaborate and support any agricultural initiatives.
Farmers participating in a training session at the farmers hub. (Syngenta Foundation Nigeria)
Rowland Alaku, manager of the Farmers’ Hub, assured farmers that they would have guaranteed access to quality seeds. The farmers in attendance expressed their gratitude for the initiative and promised to utilize the hub fully in order to benefit their own farming endeavors.
Other dignitaries in attendance included Prof. Johnson Onyibe from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria; Dr. Teryima Iorlamen from the University of Agriculture, Makurdi; and several village heads. More than 150 farmers, stakeholders, and government officials attended the event, highlighting its importance.
CIMMYT scientist, Kindie Tesfaye, emphasizes the importance of user-centered climate information services and agricultural extension. These tools enable farmers to make informed decisions, manage risks, and increase productivity, contributing to food security.
During his recent visit to Beijing, CIMMYT Director General, Bram Govaerts highlighted China’s remarkable investment in science and technology for food security, highlighting the positive impact on crop production and resilience to supply chain disruptions.
Local farmer showcases her indigenous seed during the seed and livestock fair in Mbire. (Photo: CIMMYT)
Farmers, stakeholders, and partners, including seed companies, Hamara Chicks, PHI Commodities, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), BioHUB Trust (BHT), Kurima Machinery and Technology, and Zimplow Limited, participated in the Seed and Livestock Fair in the Mbire and Murewa districts of Zimbabwe, which showcased indigenous and improved seed varieties and different technologies to strengthen crop and livestock value chain systems.
Initiated by CIMMYT in 2022, as the CGIAR Initiative on Agroecology, these series of fairs have become instrumental in bringing agrodealers closer to farmers and showcasing sustainable technologies and innovations that have the potential to strengthen production systems. It was also an opportunity for the agroecology initiative team to provide feedback to farmers and stakeholders on ongoing activities and technologies that were being tested since the initiative’s inception in Zimbabwe. By adopting a multi-partner approach, these fairs bring local food systems actors together to ensure food and nutrition security and improved income for farmers.
“The agroecology initiative has been collaborating with an array of organizations and institutes that can support our mission towards promoting agroecology and improving farming production, including other CGAIR entities like IWMI and ILRI, Hamara Group, Ecolyfe, and PHI Commodities,” said Dorcas Matangi, research associate at CIMMYT.
This year’s edition of the seed and livestock fair “Fostering Synergies: Diverse Crops, Livestock and Inclusive Communities” advocated for enhancing synergies within the farm to foster sustainable agroecology transitions for resilient food and nutrition outcomes. With over 800 farmers and stakeholders participating, the event provided a vibrant platform for knowledge sharing, exploration of indigenous and improved seed varieties, and sensitization of innovative technologies.
“The seed and livestock fairs hosted by the agroecology initiative bring together farmers and food system actors from all walks of life to foster learning around agroecology, which includes the importance of diversity (crop and livestock) while also appreciating local innovations in the respective area,” said Jesca Mapfinya, a Murewa farmer.
The right seed, assures a good harvest
Various seed companies participated in the fair to showcase different seeds which are well adapted in Murewa and Mbire districts. Each agroecological region in Zimbabwe is unique, with adaptable seed varieties that are either landrace or improved. Local landraces and many underutilized crop species are adapted to weather and climate variability, climate change, and extreme weather such as drought and heat stress. Farmers indicated that their motivations for growing landraces are related to sustainable farming systems suitable for social, cultural, nutritional, and agronomic traits. Their place in rural communities remains important, providing much-needed functional diversity and social capital. Including improved varieties within the basket of options can further intensify production systems in these communities.
“Primarily, we sell seed varieties and build farmer capacity around appropriate agronomic practices. The seed fairs are a good platform to match seeds and systems and allows a farmer to provide feedback about our seed varieties and how they are performing in the respective areas,” said Onesmous Satenga, SeedCo.
Farmers interact and purchase seed from a local company. (Photo: CIMMYT)
Building crop and livestock synergies
For the first time since the inception of the fairs, livestock such as cattle, sheep, goats, chicken and rabbits were displayed. Partners, including ILRI and the Hamara Chicks, who are into sasso chicken and feed production, reiterated the importance of crop diversity for improved livestock nutrition. ILRI and the Grasslands Research Institute exhibited various local feedstocks and alternative livestock feed grasses and also presented several feed formulations. Farmers also provided feedback on the feeding strategies employed for different livestock.
“We feed cattle with poultry litter, maize grain, maize stover, and groundnut shells in various proportions depending on the availability of these feed sources. Forage legumes such as velvet bean (mucuna pruriens) and lablab (lablab purpureus) have been introduced, and we have started to grow these for feed,” said Samson Tashaya, Murewa farmer.
Local goat breeds showcased by farmers during the seed and livestock fair. (Photo: CIMMYT)
Of keen interest to farmers and stakeholders was the sasso breed of chickens that the Hamara Group was promoting.
“We have recently joined as partners with CIMMYT and are promoting hybrid chicken production, especially sasso, here in Murewa ward 27 and 4. This is our first time coming to this seed fair, and it was a learning opportunity. The interactions with farmers were really good,” said Alan Norton, team leader at Hamara Chicks.
Modernizing smallholder production systems
Mechanization experts from Kurima Machinery and Zimplow shared their recommendations at the fair. They acknowledged that farmers rely heavily on scarcely available labor and production activities that are backbreaking. They advocated for modern production systems to produce more food and support economic transformation. Experts from Kurima Machinery and Zimplow demonstrated several machines that could aid farmers in various on-farm activities.
“This fair has come at the right time as I begin land preparation for my pfumvudza (conservation agriculture plots). I have seen how the basin digger works, and I am keen to purchase an instrument to make my work much easier,” said Chief Chisunga, Mbire.
“This crop season’s outlook is still unclear, but weather experts have warned of an intense El Nino event likely to happen in the second half of the season. Technologies such as conservation agriculture can ensure good moisture retention in crop fields, and it needs to be paired with good agronomic practices,” said Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi, climate and food systems expert.
Live demonstration by Kurima of machinery equipment to local farmers (Photo: CIMMYT)
CIMMYT Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in November 2023 with the Addis Ababa-based private food processing company Alvima Foods Complex Plc, in an effort to encourage durum wheat production among smallholder farmers and create market linkage in selected woredas of Oromia and Amhara regional states.
The MoU, which is part of CIMMYT Ethiopia’s overall durum wheat project aiming to reinvigorate durum wheat production in the country, was signed by Workneh Rikita, Alvima general manager, and Kindie Tesfaye, CIMMYT Ethiopia’s senior scientist.
CIMMYT Ethiopia signing a memorandum of understanding.
The MoU aims primarily to create market linkage between farmers and manufacturers, in a context of a sharp decrease of durum wheat production. “Prior to the 1980s, 80% of the wheat produced in Ethiopia was durum, but in 2016 our nationwide research on wheat showed that the durum wheat coverage was 5%, which stands in contrast to the country’s effort to industrialize the economy and substitute import goods with local produce”, said Kindie Tesfaye, CIMMYT durum wheat project leader. “We, as CIMMYT, want to encourage farmers to produce good quality durum wheat in quantity, and teach them about contract farming by creating market linkage with produce receivers like Alvima.”
“Cooperation, not business venture”
Established in 2011, Alvima Foods Complex initially centered its operations around importing and exporting agro-food products. In 2017, the company set up a pasta and flour processing factory and contracted 800 farmers to produce durum wheat. “At first, our objective was to produce premium quality pasta, unlike most processing companies in the country which produce pasta from hard wheat or mixed wheat,” said Workneh Rikita, Alvima’s general manager. In the absence of binding rules, the project failed and Alvima resigned to import durum wheat. “The law on contract farming was constituted recently and the difficulties to access foreign currency (therefore to import goods), which led us to turn our attention back to our initial project”, said Workneh Rikita.
Alvima Foods Complex general manager added that his company didn’t sign the agreement as a business venture but as an advantageous cooperation to learn from. He thanked CIMMYT for agreeing to work with his company and expressed his hopes for its success.
The current durum wheat market in Ethiopia is unpredictable as prices are set by the brokers, which heavily disadvantages the growers. The objective of the memorandum of understanding is to address such market challenges faced by farmers, affording them guaranteed market opportunities at a fair price.
As part of the agreement between Alvima Foods Complex and the durum wheat growers in target districts of the Amhara and Oromia regional states, CIMMYT will leverage on its expertise to help the farmers produce more and in good quality. Alvima will access the produce from farmers’ cooperatives directly, without the intervention of middlemen, to guarantee better incomes to producers. Moreover, CIMMYT is training farmers on use of climate information, accessing climate advisories, video-based production trainings, and crop disease management.
“If the farmers get the premium price for their produce, they will be encouraged to continue producing better wheat,” said Kindie Tesfaye. “We want the cooperation to be sustainable and to create direct links between farmers and local food processors (such as AVLIMA). The MoU will also benefit Ethiopia by decreasing imports of processed food items.”
A multilayered challenge to durum wheat production
Supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, CIMMYT and Digital Green (an organization creating digital tools to assist farmers) have been conducting durum wheat improved varieties were insufficiently promoted; the seed was not made adequately accessible to farmers; productivity was perceived by farmers as being low; and market linkage was poor. These multilayered challenges led farmers to prioritize bread wheat varieties, according to Kindie Tesfaye.
In response, CIMMYT structured its support around three main pillars: the organization helps farmers access seeds together with Oromia’s Seed Enterprise, provides farmers with digital advisory services to improve their productivity, and works with the private and public sectors to upgrade market linkages, as with the memorandum of understanding signed with Alvima Foods Complex Plc.
On the evening of 31 October 2023, CIMMYT held a partnership and alumni event with partners in China. Over 100 people from all over China joined the event in Beijing, which was chaired by He Zhonghu, distinguished scientist and CIMMYT country representative for China.
The event centered around the promotion and celebration of mutual collaboration in scientific research. In his opening speech, CIMMYT Director General Bram Govaerts celebrated the progress of the China-CIMMYT partnership, and highlighted what can further be achieved for global food security through continued partnership. His sentiments were echoed by the Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Sun Tan, who expressed his high expectations and strong support for future collaboration between Chinese institutions and CIMMYT.
Bram Govaerts presents on China’s and CIMMYT’s partnership. (Photo: Lu Yan/CIMMYT)
The event saw four Chinese institutions sign agreements with CIMMYT to promote mutual partnership: the Institute of Crop Sciences at CAAS, Huazhong Agricultural University, Henan Agricultural University, and Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Additionally, a ceremony was held in which 28 alumni and four partner institutions received awards for their contributions to scientific collaboration.
A fruitful partnership
China and CIMMYT have had a fruitful partnership over the past 45 years in areas including shuttle breeding, genomic research, sustainable crop systems and trainings that have greatly contributed to strengthening China’s food security with positive spillover effects to neighboring countries in the region.
The successful CIMMYT-China collaboration in shuttle breeding from the 1980s laid the foundations for the establishment of CIMMYT’s office in China in 1997. Bilateral cooperation then expanded to set up a Joint Lab between CIMMYT and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MOARA), in which more than 20 Chinese agricultural research institutes also participated. More recently in 2019, CIMMYT and the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences jointly opened a new screening facility for the deadly and fast-spreading fungal wheat disease, fusarium head blight.
Bram Govaerts and Fan Shenggen receive an award from former visiting scientists. (Photo: Lu Yan/CIMMYT)
CIMMYT has transferred approximately 26,000 wheat seed samples to more than 25 institutions in China, which are now using these materials in their breeding or crop improvement programs. As a result of these efforts, 300 wheat cultivars derived from CIMMYT germplasm have been released and are currently grown on 10% of China’s wheat production area. This collaboration between CIMMYT and China has yielded 10.7 million tons of wheat grain with an estimated value of $3.4 billion.
Additionally, CIMMYT-derived maize varieties have been planted on more than one million hectares across China, and 3,000 new inbred maize lines have been introduced through CIMMYT to broaden the genetic base of Chinese breeding efforts in southwestern provinces.
In a visit to 5 model sites for maize marketing in midwestern Nepal, 30 federal, provincial and local agricultural authorities were impressed with the coordination and capacity development among market actors, improved supply chain management and leveraging of government support, all of which are benefiting farmers and grain buyers.
Following visits to commercial maize fields and hearing stakeholders’ perceptions of progress and key lessons, the authorities proposed additional funding for irrigation, machinery, grain grading and crop insurance, among other support, and promised to help expand activities of the model sites, which were established as part of the Nepal Seed and Fertilizer (NSAF) project.
Led by CIMMYT with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and in its second-last year of operation, the project is working to raise crop productivity, incomes and household food and nutrition security across 20 districts of Nepal, including 5 that were severely affected by the catastrophic 2015 earthquake and aftershocks which killed nearly 9,000 and left hundreds of thousands homeless.
Participants at Sarswoti Khadya Trader, Kohalpur, Banke. (Photo: CIMMYT)
The visitors included officials and experts from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MoALD); the Department of Agriculture (DoA); the Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives (MoLMAC); the Agriculture Development Directorates (ADD) for Lumbini and Sudurpaschim provinces; the Agriculture Knowledge Centres (AKC) of Banke, Kailali, Kanchanpur, Dang, and Kapilvastu districts; the Prime Minister Agriculture Modernization Project (PMAMP) offices of Dang and Bardiya; and the National Maize Research Program; the Department of Livestock Services; along with NSAF project team members.
The participants interacted with farmers, cooperative leaders, traders, rural municipality officials and elected representatives, and feed mill representatives. Sharing their experiences of behavioral change in maize production, farmers emphasized the benefits of their strengthened relationships with grain buyers and their dreams to expand spring maize cultivation.
Shanta Karki, deputy director the General of Department of the DoA lauded CIMMYT efforts for agriculture growth, improved soil fertility and sustainable agriculture development through NSAF.
Madan Singh Dhami, secretary, MoLMAC in Sudurpaschim Province, emphasized the importance of irrigation, building farmers’ capacities and interactions with buyers, and applying digital innovations to catalyze extension.
CIMMYT scientists have been based in CIMMYT’s office in Nepal and worked with Nepali colleagues for more than three decades to boost the productivity, profitability and ecological efficiency of maize- and wheat-based cropping systems and thus improve rural communities’ food security and livelihoods.
At the online meeting, Prasanna shared CIMMYT’s research and development on FAW management in maize, including breeding for insect-pest resistance, screening maize germplasm against FAW under artificial infestation, and collaborative approaches on integrated pest management of FAW.
Key points from the discussion:
Collaborative efforts are important in managing FAW, and international R&D collaboration is as important as country-level research efforts.
CIMMYT has made significant progress in breeding FAW-tolerant maize hybrids (with native genetic resistance); three such hybrids have been released by national partners in Kenya, Zambia, Malawi, South Sudan, and Ghana, and several more countries in Africa are in the pipeline for release and deployment of these hybrids.
Insect resistance management is critical wherever Bt maize varieties have been already released or in the process of release.
Both conventionally derived and Bt-based resistant maize varieties have their own importance in FAW management.
Need to intensify breeding activities for developing elite maize germplasm with FAW resistance together with other important traits, and fast-track deployment of FAW-tolerant elite maize hybrids.
Possible to achieve synergies between host plant resistance and other IPM approaches for sustainable management of FAW.
Researchers interested in accessing germplasm from CIMMYT’s breeding program can source through a standard material transfer agreement.
Dr Prasanna responded to several queries from the participants of the meeting. Australian researchers and CIMMYT showed interest in further research collaboration. Dr Ramesh Raj Puri, DAF Extension Officer, facilitated the meeting.
Smallholder mechanization out scaling depends upon the availability of skilled mechanics who are fully oriented with machinery operation. However, this crucial skillset is often identified as a missing link. In many instances, lack of care or regular checks and the absence of readily available mechanics has led to the failure of mechanization projects in sub-Saharan Africa, with frequent machine breakdowns and equipment left sitting idle long after a project intervention. Across smallholder farming communities, this phenomenon can be seen through the presence of obsolete and abandoned machinery often serving as breeding grounds for birds.
The Feed the Future Zimbabwe Mechanization and Extension Activity, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), aims to break this vicious cycle by improving the skillset of local mechanics and helping them stay in tune with evolving innovations in farm machinery. Implemented by CIMMYT, this activity targets existing mechanics across ten districts in Zimbabwe, offering specialized maintenance services to providers who own machinery. Through investing in their training, local capacity to troubleshoot, service and repair machinery will increase.
For most mechanics, the training workshop presents a first-hand experience of handling small machinery. (Photo: Shiela Chikulo/CIMMYT)
Gaining practical experience
The program approaches training through full immersion and a deep dive into the individual components of key equipment. Workstations are set up to include a diesel engine—which forms the core of most of the machinery—a two-wheel tractor and post-harvest machines such as the multi-crop thresher, feed-chopper grinder and peanut butter machine. For most of the participants, the workshop presents them with first-hand experience of handling such machinery.
Andy Chagudhuma and Tendai Machonesa—from Bikita and Chiredzi, respectively—were among the first ten mechanics to participate in the five-day training. “I learned about all the machines here,” says Chagudhuma, “breaking them apart and fixing them. We worked through different scenarios while perfecting our knowledge on the operation of all the machinery.” With new skills gained, they eagerly await the opportunity to offer their expertise to service providers in their local areas, and a newfound confidence fuels their commitment to providing support through repair and maintenance work.
However, one remaining challenge is the notable absence of female participants in the training. While the field of mechanics is often male-dominated, the Mechanization Activity seeks to promote a gender-inclusive environment for local mechanics and service providers through awareness meetings and skills training. In the future, more machinery and technical trainings will be targeted specifically towards women as a way to redress this imbalance.
Overall, the benefits of the training echo far beyond the workshop itself. Through the skills acquired, opportunities for additional income generation increase, and the participation of rural youths in mechanization-oriented businesses and a thriving local economy are possible. By empowering local mechanics, the Mechanization Activity not only breathes life into their communities and the machinery sector but also paves the way for one of the project’s key objectives—the establishment of successful and entrepreneurial service providers.
CIMMYT Director General, Bram Govaerts, shed some light on the role that SOILS-S2P plays in regenerative approaches to the food system and improved soil health.
The Gwanda Provincial Veterinary Laboratory, now renovated as part of the Livestock Production Systems in Zimbabwe (LIPS-ZIM) project, will help detect and control livestock diseases. CIMMYT is working with ILRI and other partners to improve livestock productivity and support smallholder farmers.
This article uses research into the organic food market in France to show that biological factors can play an important part in influencing the structure and organization of markets. The authors use this to point out that while many studies of market agencing discuss in detail the role played by social and material agents, biological agents should be an equally important part of such research.
Over the last four decades, there has been considerable research into Actor-Network Theory (ANT), which looks at the effect of various agents on markets. However, in the majority of cases, the agents discussed have been material (for example, shopping trolleys) or social (human habits or economic motives). The research which forms the basis of this article was originally carried out as a study of how French organic-produce collectives tried to influence markets to suit their needs and ideals. On reviewing the data, it appeared to the authors that there were additional agents affecting their marketing, which derived from biological factors. Unlike the material and social agents, farmers were only able to control these biological factors with great difficulty, if at all. For example, the inability to use chemical inputs on crops meant that crop rotation over a multi-year period was essential; however, wholesalers’ traditional structures expected a farmer to supply the same produce in the same quantity year after year. In cases such as this, altered supply chain arrangements needed to be negotiated between the suppliers and the wholesalers.
The authors made four sets of observations showing the market-shaping effect of biological agents.
Measures taken by established organic farmers to avoid price competition from new market entrants — the well-established farmers had chosen to start growing crops which required more expertise, time or equipment (such as Belgian endives or onions), rather than less complex standard crops such as potatoes.
Biological processes which necessitate altering the traditional market production and supply structures — for example, the need for crop rotation as mentioned above.
Natural agents will affect crop yields and introduce variability in quality and quantity, which the market needs to allow for. The authors give examples of pests, viral infections and weather as agents that affect all farming, but in the case of organic farming are particularly troublesome.
After harvest, produce will naturally experience ripening/aging, and then degradation in quality. Standard industrial ways of controlling these biological processes utilize methods and agents that are unacceptable or even harmful when dealing with organic produce, for instance, spraying with chemicals.
Following these observations, the authors make a series of propositions and suggest research questions which could result from them, for instance:
How does the action of biological entities affect the establishment of market norms/the way prices are set?
How do representations of the market take account of biological processes?
In conclusion, the authors demonstrate how the effect of biological agents on markets is already inextricably intertwined with the effects of material and social agents. Future research, to be truly comprehensive, needs to look in equal depth at all other possible influences on the market.
