Theme: Innovations

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.

Remote sensing prepares for liftoff

Written by on January 31, 2014. Posted in News.

By Sam Storr/CIMMYT

Remote sensing experts, breeders, agronomists and policymakers discussed turning their research and experiences into tools to benefit farmers and increase food production while safeguarding the environment during CIMMYT’s workshop “Remote Sensing: Beyond Images” from 14-15 December 2013.

The "Sky Walker” advances phenotyping in Zimbabwe. Photo: J.L. Araus, University of Barcelona/CIMMYT — The “Sky Walker” advances phenotyping in Zimbabwe. Photo: J.L. Araus, University of Barcelona/CIMMYT

The event was sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), the Mexican Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA) and the Sustainable Modernization of Traditional Agriculture (MasAgro) as well as the CGIAR Research Program on Maize and the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA).

Remote sensing devices make it possible to observe the dynamics of anything from single plants up to entire landscapes and continents as they change over time by capturing radiation from across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. For example, images taken by cameras in the thermal-to-visible end of the spectrum can reveal a broad range of plant characteristics, such as biomass, water use and photosynthesis efficiency, disease spread and nutrient content. Radar or light radar (LiDAR) imaging can be used to create detailed imaging of plant physical structure from the canopy down to the roots. When mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), these sensors can rapidly survey much greater areas of land than is possible from the ground, particularly in inaccessible areas. It is hoped that such research will complement highthroughput phenotyping, opening the way for plant breeders to design larger and more efficient crop improvement experiments.

For agronomy research, remote sensing can provide new information about weather, crop performance, resource use and the improved genetic traits sought by crop breeders. It may also help global agriculture meet the challenge of achieving more with fewer resources and include more farmers in innovation. If methods can be found to share and connect this data, farmers will also benefit from greater transparency and more informed policymaking.

Opening the workshop, Thomas Lumpkin, CIMMYT director general, reminded participants of the urgency of meeting the growing demand for staple crops while overcoming crop diseases, resource scarcity and climate change-induced stresses. The advance of technologies and data processing tools allows researchers to see the potential contribution of remote sensing. “For thirty years, the remote sensing community has been on the cusp of doing something wonderful, and now we believe it can,” said Stanley Wood, senior program officer for BMGF. “What excites us is the amount of energy and enthusiasm and the knowledge that their work is important.” Several presentations showcased how remote sensing can be used to benefit smallholder farmers. For example, the Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) project is looking at using rainfall data to target its interventions for the greatest impact.

Bruno Gérard, director of CIMMYT’s Conservation Agriculture Program, spoke about the challenges of CIMMYT’s work in helping smallholder farmers to practice “more precise agriculture.” The spread of mobile phones and information and communications technologies (ICTs) in the developing world shows the potential for CIMMYT to bring recommendations derived from remote sensing to farmers and allows them to provide their own input. The workshop ended with a panel discussion on how to develop remote sensing services that will be adopted by intended users. Participants expect the workshop and similar activities will provide the strategic direction to drive a new generation of remote sensing applications that can bring real benefits to farmers.

For more information on the program, abstracts, participants and presentations, visit the MAIZE website.

CIMMYT strengthens ties with Mexico’s Science Council

Written by on January 22, 2014. Posted in News.

Research center directors from throughout Mexico met to identify possible collaborations on 25 November at CIMMYT-El Batán. Visitors, all from National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT) centers, included Lorenzo Felipe Sanchez Teyer, director general of the Yucatán Scientific Research Center A.C. (CICY); Pablo Wong-González, director general of the Center for Food Research and Development A.C. (CIAD); Mayra de la Torre, who is in charge of strategic programs for CIAD; and Martín Aluja Schuneman Hofer, director general of the Ecology Institute A.C. (INECOL).

Aluja received the 2013 National Award for Science and Arts in the technology, innovation and design category. This important award recognizes his invaluable contribution to promoting agriculture and strengthening the marketing of Mexican avocados, among other work to improve science and technology in Mexico. Congratulations Dr. Aluja! During the visit and meetings with CIMMYT researchers, attendees identified potential areas of collaboration with each CONACYT research center. They agreed on possible areas of focus, including impact modeling on long-term agricultural practices, social inclusion research, technological innovation, value chain and market research, nutritional quality and climate change.

Other CONACYT research centers participated in the first analysis and planning meeting for a national postgraduate program in plant genetic resources, held at CIMMYT on 13-14 November. The initiative is led by MasAgro- Biodiversity. Participation at the workshop included 21 national universities and research centers as well as the Northwest Center for Biological Research (CIBNOR), El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR) and INECOL.

Left to right: Carlos Moisés Hernández, Denise Costich, Lorenzo Felipe Sanchez Teyer, Kevin Pixley, Mayra de la Torre, Martín Aluja Schuneman Hofer, Pablo Wong-González, Natalia Palacios, Sara Hearne, Isabel Peña, Carolina Saint-Pierre, Francelino Rodrigues, Carlos Guzmán and Gilberto Salinas. Photo: Xochiquezatl Fonseca/CIMMYT — Left to right: Carlos Moisés Hernández, Denise Costich, Lorenzo Felipe Sanchez Teyer, Kevin Pixley, Mayra de la Torre, Martín Aluja Schuneman Hofer, Pablo Wong-González, Natalia Palacios, Sara Hearne, Isabel Peña, Carolina Saint-Pierre,
Francelino Rodrigues, Carlos Guzmán and Gilberto Salinas. Photo: Xochiquezatl Fonseca/CIMMYT

The CONACYT system includes 27 research institutes that focus on science and technology. Research areas and objectives include natural sciences, social sciences and the humanities, technological development and innovation and financial support for postgraduate studies. Inocencio Higuera, deputy director general of CONACYT’s public centers who visited CIMMYT in August 2013, said CONACYT is extremely important to Mexico. CIMMYT has signed academic and scientific collaboration agreements with CONACYT centers including ECOSUR, CIAD, INECOL, CICY and the Social Anthropology Research and Study Center (CIESAS). These five-year agreements establish collaboration and cooperation terms and conditions for the development and implementation of specific research projects as well as academic exchange and training.

CIMMYT recognizes the importance of exchanging scientific knowledge and strengthening research with institutes that have solid infrastructure and expertise in anthropology and social impact, biotechnology, ecological management, nanotechnology, nutrition and high-quality human resources development.

Agronomists learn precision-conservation agriculture

Written by on January 14, 2014. Posted in News.

By M.L. Jat and Tripti Agarwal /CIMMYT

Wheat agronomists in India learned about precision-conservation agriculture and received the tools to continue their education at a workshop in November.

Nearly 40 participants attended “Precision-Conservation Agriculture for Improving Wheat Productivity in South Asia,” which was organized by CIMMYT, the Directorate of Wheat Research (DWR) and the International Plant Nutrition Institute – South Asia Program (IPNI), with support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The workshop was held 26 to 27 November at the DWR in Karnal, India.

Agronomists receive GreenSeeker training at a DWR field. Photo: RK Sharma, DWR

Attendees represented nine of the All India Coordinated Research Centres on Wheat and Barley Improvement (AICRCW&BI) located in different state agricultural universities as well as CIMMYT, IPNI, three Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) institutes, the State Department of Agriculture in Karnal and the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK). The goal of the workshop was to train scientists in blending precision and conservation agriculture, an important strategic initiative of the CGIAR Research Program on Wheat (WHEAT), said M.L. Jat, senior cropping systems agronomist for CIMMYT.

The event aimed to raise awareness about Nutrient Expert, a software tool that helps determine fertilizer requirements, and GreenSeeker, an optical sensor that measures Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), an indicator of crop development and health. In 2009, IPNI and CIMMYT started working with the Nutrient Expert Decision support tool in close collaboration with national agricultural research and extension systems. The tool gained wide acceptance after private organization and corporations began providing it to farmers.

Targeting widespread adoption of both technologies, each coordinated research center received a GreenSeeker tool and Nutrient Expert software. Participants were engaged and motivated to learn about and implement the tools in farmers’ fields. Kaushik Majumdar, director of IPNI in South Asia, applauded the workshop collaboration and continuous efforts on implementing site-specific nutrient management. Etienne Duveiller, director of research for CIMMYT-South Asia, urged a multidisciplinary approach to address yield potential in germplasm and agronomy.

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Partners should expand their innovation and training efforts and construct an action plan to reach farmers, said DWR Project Director Indu Sharma. She also proposed discussion of technology adoption and said training scientists is one way to move forward on agricultural issues. She cited a report on farmers who said they obtained 7 to 9 ton per hectare grain yield with higher nutrient applications.

In addition, she mentioned the need to bridge the production gaps of 15 to 20 percent in high productive zones and up to 35 percent in low productive zones through best-bet agronomic management practices. Regarding training, she emphasized the dissemination of knowledge. “Learning from the best farmers who are harvesting with higher productivity is required to ensure sustainable development,” she said. Participants said they appreciated the knowledge they gained during the workshop. CIMMYT, DWR and IPNI extended their support to participating institutes for future precision conservation agriculture endeavors.

Australian ambassador visits program in Ethiopia

Written by on December 10, 2013. Posted in News.

By Dagne Wegary/CIMMYT

The Australian Ambassador to Ethiopia paid her first visit to a CIMMYT program this month and commended efforts to improve livelihoods in resource-poor rural households.

On her 7 November visit, Ambassador Lisa Filipetto learned about activities under the Sustainable Intensification of Maize-Legume Systems for Food Security in Eastern and Southern Africa (SIMLESA) program, which have been implemented in different parts of Ethiopia since 2010. She visited SIMLESA sites in northwest Ethiopia, where work is conducted by the Amhara Regional Agricultural Research Institute (ARARI). Maize-based farming in the region is characterized by unsustainable production systems, including monocropping, repeated tillage and residue removal. SIMLESA promotes new crop varieties and production practices such as intercropping, maize-legume rotations, reduced tillage and year-round residue coverage. Farmers who have traditionally monocropped maize appreciate the new practices, which help them increase harvests while replenishing soil fertility.

Australian-Ambassador-to-Ethiopia-briefed-on-the-peformances-of-SIMLESA-activties

Filipetto was accompanied by scientists from CIMMYT-Ethiopia and the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR), SIMLESA partners. Dr. Biru Yitaferu, director general of ARARI, and Likawent Yeheyis, director of livestock research for ARARI, welcomed the visiting team. Yitaferu highlighted ARARI’s managerial structure, mandates, missions and resource capacities while Yiheyis presented an overview of SIMLESA work in the region.

Presentations showcased the program’s extensive research and development activities including conservation agriculture-based exploratory trials; farmer participatory variety selection (PVS) for maize, grain legumes and forage and fodder varieties; and technology implementation in South Achefer and Jabitenan districts, which is aided by ARARI researchers and district agricultural offices.
Ambassador-Lisa-Filipetto-and-SIMLESA

Filipetto visited a SIMLESA site hub in South Achefer and saw activities of the Abchikli Farmers’ Training Center on conservation agriculture-based intercropping, as well as PVS trials with hybrid and open-pollinated maize and varieties of sweet lupine – a multi-purpose legume crop traditional in Ethiopia. Four of the sweet lupine varieties in the trials are under the final stage of evaluation for future commercial release. Yeheyis said Amhara’s agriculture bureau will include conservation agriculture, maize-legume intercropping and maize-fodder/forage relay cropping in its regular extension program. This will contribute significantly to adoption of the technologies by a wider range of farming communities in the region, according to Yeheyis.

At the end of her visit, Filipetto expressed great interest in partnering with CIMMYT to improve livelihoods in the region. SIMLESA in Ethiopia is funded by Australian Center for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID).

China: farmers benefit from knowledge transfer

Written by on December 9, 2013. Posted in News.

By Jack McHugh /CIMMYT

Jack McHugh, CIMMYT, and Yuan Hanmin, NAAFS, introduce participants to conservation agriculture in Litong district. The presentation was organized and supported by Bei Bing (in foreground) from the Agricultural Technology Promotions Centre in Wuzhong City.

A conservation agriculture demonstration site and informal farmer field school opened recently in northern China, raising awareness about useful new technology among farmers and other stakeholders. Organizations in Wuzhong City, Ningxia, – including CIMMYT, the Ningxia Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Ningxia Bei Li Feng Zhongye Seed Company, the Wuzhong City and Litong District Agricultural Technology Promotion Centre, the Qingdao Peanut Machinery Manufacturing Company and the villagers of Litong District – are working together to build an innovation platform (IP). The IP will aim to transfer knowledge and technology to improve agronomic practices of the farmers in the district and beyond. “We hope to develop champion farmers who will share their knowledge with others and thus provide valuable feedback to the community of practice associated with the platform,” said Jack McHugh, a CIMMYT cropping systems agronomist based in China.

The 20-hectare conservation agriculture demonstration site and field school are particularly useful for female farmers in Litong District, where many men participate in long-term, off-farm work. The training gives women access to the knowledge, skills and capacity to operate farms more profitably while using less labor. “Our purpose is to introduce affordable technology that makes conservation agriculture possible,” McHugh said. “We have great expectations for its future development because we are developing a community of practice.”

A demonstration site during winter irrigation shows a conservation agriculture (CA) field (left) and conventionally (CK) planted field (right). The CA field was planted on 14 October while the CK field was planted at the end of September.

This month, CIMMYT agronomists saw the benefits of the Chinese zero-tillage turbo seeder introduced by the Qingdao Peanut Machinery Manufacturing Company. The seeder allows seed to be sown and fertilizer applied directly into unplowed soil. The winter wheat crop was planted late with some concern, but the seeder “did a great job,” McHugh said. The 50-horsepower tractor seeder and 20-horsepower tractor mini-turbo seeder will be refined to enhance crop flexibility, field setup and ease of operation. At the informal field school held last month at the innovation platform demonstration site, McHugh and Professor Yuan Hanmin from the agricultural academy in Ningxia gave a presentation on the basics of conservation agriculture. Participants included 32 farmers – 40 percent female – who raised questions about fertilization with the turbo seeder and the impacts of residue on rice transplanting. “We were able to show – through Professors Yuan’s pictures of his work over the last decade in Ningxia – that these and other concerns held by the farmers are readily addressed,” McHugh said. “We emphasized that this presentation was a generic introduction to conservation agriculture and that the innovation platform would work closely with farmers to address specific issues they may have when introducing the technology into their farming operations.” The projects are receiving attention throughout the region. Recent events have been documented by the Wuzhong daily newspaper and with interviews by local television stations from Yinchuan and Wuzhong cities.

Improved maize varieties demonstrated in Mexico

Written by on December 4, 2013. Posted in News.

By Guillermina Sosa Mendoza/CIMMYT

Members of the collaborative network to test and share CIMMYT experimental maize lines and varieties for Mexico’s highlands learned about the latest improved materials on 7 November in El Batán. The maize varieties and hybrids improved as part of the Sustainable Modernization of Traditional Agriculture (MasAgro) initiative are a key product. MasAgro aims to increase the productivity and sustainability of small- and mediumscale farm production in Mexico.

During a tour of field plots to view the plants and assess their performance, CIMMYT maize breeder José Luis Torres explained MasAgro’s maize improvement programs in Hidalgo, Mexico, Puebla and Tlaxcala states to researchers and seed producers, inviting them to score white and yellow maize varieties under low-nitrogen and conservation agriculture conditions. The group then compared their scores with actual data taken by Torres and his team.

Improved-maize-varieties-demonstrated-in-Mexico

Ubaldo Marcos, CIMMYT seed production specialist, shared the results from test plots using MasAgro materials. He explained the best sowing season for each of the hybrids, optimal sowing densities the background of the inbred line parents and the main qualities that affect seed production. Additionally, he explained which conditions give the best yield and highlighted spring and summer cycle production.

“Maize should not only be resistant to biotic and abiotic stresses but also feature the desired grain qualities for consumers and industry,” said Natalia Palacios, CIMMYT maize nutrition quality specialist, who attended the event. Alberto Chassaigne, CIMMYT maize seed systems specialist for Latin America, highlighted the importance of collaboration with the seed sector and affirmed MasAgro’s commitment to improving farm productivity in Mexico.

SIMLESA-supported innovation platforms inspire Kenya’s farmers

Written by on November 29, 2013. Posted in News.

By Michael Arunga/CIMMYT

Farmers in Siaya and Bungoma counties of western Kenya, a region with low agricultural productivity, are embracing good agricultural practices and increasing their harvests through innovation platforms established as part of the Sustainable Intensification of Maize-Legume Systems for Food Security in Eastern and Southern Africa (SIMLESA) project, in collaboration with the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI).

Members of Boro Farmers Innovation Platform attend a SIMLESA meeting.

This was evident during 7-8 October when a team of scientists from CIMMYT, KARI, SIMLESA and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) visited farmers in both counties who are members of the Boro and Bungoma South farmer innovation platforms. During the visit, farmers described how they had adopted conservation agriculture and intercropping and switched to using herbicides to control weeds.
Ferdinand Makhanu, one of several farmers visited in the Bumula region, said that information from SIMLESA’s innovation platforms has helped him improve his seed and farming technologies. “I initially harvested 10 bags of maize, which increased to 15,” he said. “I attribute this yield increase to utilizing the rich information I got during innovation platform meetings.” Makhanu’s farm is only about half a hectare, so the yield increase he describes — 450 kilograms (each bag of maize weighs about 90 kilograms) — is significant. He stated he now has better harvests, a greater variety of food crops on his farm and healthier cattle, enabling him to provide for the basic needs of his seven children.

About 200 kilometers away, in Siaya County, Julius Ong’ayi from the Ng’ombe Sifa Self Help Group also praised the innovation platforms. “I learned about conservation agriculture, which has improved my soil’s fertility,” he said. Ong’ayi said the greatest challenge faced by area farmers is adapting to new farming methods. “Many farmers stubbornly stick to traditional seeds, when innovation platforms provide modern solutions that improve yields,” he told the visiting SIMLESA team.

Julius Ong’ayi of Boro Farmers Innovation Platform in Siaya county, Kenya, tends to legumes on his farm. Photos: Michael Arunga

An Operational Field Guide for Developing and Managing Local Agricultural Innovation Platforms, produced by KARI with funding from AusAID through the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), which also funds SIMLESA, defines an innovation platform as a forum to foster interaction among a group of relevant stakeholders around a shared interest. Innovation platforms offer opportunities or practical solutions at the local level, linking farmers to markets and other stakeholders, and provide evidence for realistic policies and policy areas at the regional and national levels, according to Mulugetta Mekuria, CIMMYT socioeconomist and SIMLESA coordinator.

Mekuria urged farmers to try new maize varieties, including drought-tolerant ones developed in collaboration with CIMMYT and released by KARI. “We know farmers want to use the varieties they know and have used for many years,” Mekuria said. “However, we have farm-level evidence that the new varieties grown under conservation agriculture-based sustainable intensification practices contribute to increased yield, reduce production costs and improve soil fertility over time.”

Demonstration sites showcase conservation agriculture in Ethiopia

Written by on November 28, 2013. Posted in News.

By Moti Jaleta/CIMMYT

Farmers discuss their experiences with conservation agriculture technologies. Photo: Moti Jaleta

Farmers showcased the benefits of conservation agriculture in retaining soil moisture, reducing erosion and improving organic matter during field demonstrations in Ethiopia last week. The demonstrations were hosted by the Conservation Agriculture and Smallholder Farmers in Eastern and Southern Africa (CASFESA) project in Jabitehnan and South Achefer Districts.

The project, which is funded by the European Union International Fund for Agricultural Development, aims in part to show that conservation agriculture is sustainable and profitable, through demonstrations in randomly-selected villages in several African countries. Each conservation agriculture demonstration plot in 28 villages was visited by neighboring farmers in the last two months, raising awareness about the technology. The farmers’ field day and endof- season field evaluation were held during 9-10 November for farmers hosting conservation agriculture demonstrations, as well as extension and development agents in the demonstration villages and researchers from CIMMYT and the Amhara Regional Agricultural Research Institute. Other attending included delegates from the Amhara Region Bureau of Agriculture, Amhara Seed Enterprise, Merkeb Multipurpose Marketing Cooperative Union, the Jabitehnan and South Achefer District Office of Agriculture and the West Gojjam Zone Administration and Agriculture Office.

Participants visit and evaluate conservation agriculture demonstration plots at Ato Hunegnaw’s farm in the Care-Gurach village of the South Achefer District, Ethiopia. Photo: Moti Jaleta

Farmers hosting demonstration plots said they saw conservation agriculture as a productivity-enhancing, labor-saving technology. Maize planted on conservation agriculture plots germinated three-to-four days earlier than that planted on conventional tillage plots. It was better anchored to the soil and resisted the wind without lodging. Intercropping cowpea with maize as a forage crop was introduced this season to reduce the pressure on the use of maize residue as livestock feed. Apart from its feed value, cowpea and maize intercropping suppressed weed germination and growth both on conventional and conservation agriculture plots.

Maize plants on both types of plots with cowpea intercropping were less dry than those on plots with only maize. Though farmers pledged to expand conservation agriculture technologies on their farms during the coming production season, they voiced concerns about the challenges of crop residue retention due to the local practice of free communal grazing on stubble after harvest. District and zonal administrators asked farmers to put community-based bylaws and enforcement mechanisms in place that restrict free grazing and livestock movements in farm plots after harvest. Participants brainstormed other solutions to facilitate the use of conservation agriculture in the region.

Conservation agriculture machines brought to Afghanistan

Written by on November 19, 2013. Posted in News.

CIMMYT is taking the next step in bringing Afghanistan a much-needed intervention to improve wheat research and production, an official for the country said at a meeting last month. With support from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), CIMMYT-Afghanistan held the “Conservation Agriculture: Concept and Application” training event in Kabul from 28 to 29 October.

Thirty-five participants from the Afghanistan Agricultural Extension Project (AAEP), the Agricultural Research Institute of Afghanistan (ARIA), CIMMYT, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Kabul University and other stakeholder organizations attended the program. Wheat accounts for 60 percent of an average Afghan’s caloric intake, but domestic wheat production falls short of the country’s needs. This happens in part because more than half of Afghanistan’s wheat is rainfed, but rainfall is often scarce and irregular in those areas. Moreover, wheat is often the sole crop for those farmers, making them food-insecure and economically vulnerable.

“Conservation agriculture is a set of practices that includes reducing or eliminating traditional tillage, keeping crop residues on the soil and using intercropping or crop rotations,” said Rajiv Sharma, senior scientist and country liaison officer for CIMMYT-Afghanistan. “Its benefits include saving resources like time, labor and fuel, as well as reducing farmers’ risk, promoting diversified cropping and more effectively capturing and retaining rainfall in the soil.”

In his inaugural speech, Mir Aminullah Haidari, deputy minister for technical affairs for Afghanistan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL), congratulated CIMMYT for its work in support of the country’s wheat research and production. Mohammad Qasem Obaidi, director of ARIA, welcomed the participants and thanked CIMMYT for organizing the training. Sharma said he hoped ARIACIMMYT would use the 2013-14 season to experiment with conservation agriculture interventions throughout Afghanistan.

Harminder Singh Sidhu, senior research engineer for CIMMYT, introduced the participants to different types of conservation machines available and used globally, which were imported by CIMMYT for the event. Attendees watched field demonstrations of two- and four-wheel zero tillage seed drills, raised bed planters and two-wheel tractors. H.S. Jat, CIMMYT agronomist, introduced conservation agriculture concepts, principles and procedures. He later helped wheat agronomists from six ARIA stations plan conservation agriculture experiments relevant to their local conditions. Participants expressed satisfaction and were excited to try new machines and new ways of conserving resources at their experiment stations and in farmers’ fields.

Soil works as ecosystem service provider

Written by on November 14, 2013. Posted in News.

By Jack McHugh/CIMMYT

Soil’s role in the ecosystem is the basis of food security and sustainable farming, scientists learned at a conference in China last month. More than 40 researchers from the Ningxia Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences Research Institutes of Desertification Control, Agricultural Resources and Environment and Crop Research were trained on mechanization and soil health in northwest China.

The two-day course was developed and presented by Jack McHugh, cropping system agronomist for CIMMYT’s Global Conservation Agriculture Program based in China. The training provided participants with the theory behind conservation agriculture, controlled traffic farming and soil as a forgotten provider of ecosystem services. McHugh – with language support from research scientists Ma Fan and Wie Jinyin – spoke about fostering healthy soils in modern mechanized farming systems. The course was aimed to facilitate and develop a culture of conservation agriculture at the academy and raise awareness about the importance of soil for food security.
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The presentations on salinity and sodicity raised the most interest among researchers because the issues are widespread in the desert farming conditions in Ningxia. The training highlighted salinity and sodicity management approaches that could be used in conjunction with current solutions common in the region. “

Thank you for giving us a wonderful training class on soil health science,” said course participant Zhao Ying, soil research scientist for the Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment. “It’s very useful for improving my theoretical knowledge of soil science, and I look forward to soil improvement methods next time.”

Conservation agriculture demonstration plot opens in Ethiopia

Written by on November 11, 2013. Posted in News.

The GCAP-Ethiopia team stands in the demonstration plot. From left to right: Yodit Kebede, Ph.D. candidate; Michael Misiko, innovation scientist; Tesfaye Shiferaw, Ph.D. candidate; Dereje Tirfessa, research assistant; Frédéric Baudron, system agronomist; Hae Koo Kim, crop physiologist; and Elias Berta, project manager. Photo: Antenane Abeiy Ejigayehu — The GCAP-Ethiopia team stands in the demonstration plot. From left to right: Yodit Kebede, Ph.D. candidate; Michael Misiko, innovation scientist; Tesfaye Shiferaw, Ph.D. candidate; Dereje Tirfessa, research assistant; Frédéric Baudron, system agronomist; Hae Koo Kim, crop physiologist;
and Elias Berta, project manager.
Photo: Antenane Abeiy Ejigayehu

By Frédéric Baudron/CIMMYT

Next time you are on the International Livestock Research Institute’s Addis Ababa campus, which hosts CIMMYT-Ethiopia, you can see the demonstration plot set up by the local Global Conservation Agriculture Program (GCAP) team.

The plot has four treatments for wheat and maize: conventional tillage and flat planting, conventional tillage and bed planting, conservation agriculture and flat planting and conservation agriculture and bed planting. A two-wheel tractor was used for tillage, bed shaping and planting. The plot will serve as a demonstration and training site for CIMMYT partners and visitors. The plot is the first demonstration site at the office since it was opened in 1987.

Visitors interested in seeing CIMMYT-promoted conservation agriculture technology in Ethiopia previously had to drive from Addis Ababa to the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) research stations at Ambo(120 km), Melkassa (106 km) or Debre Zeit (48 km).

Silo project celebrates successful first year, calls for policy reforms

Written by on November 8, 2013. Posted in News.

By Wandera Ojanji/CIMMYT

The wide adoption of metal silos for grain storage by smallholder farmers in eastern and southern Africa requires the identification of policy gaps, incentives and disincentives and institutional partnerships, according to CIMMYT policy economist Jones Govereh.

Metal silos are effective long-term storage facilities, protecting grain from pests such as grain borers and maize weevils. While lauding the decision of some governments to reduce the corporate tax on farming from 30 percent to 25 percent in 2010, Govereh called on them to include galvanized metal sheets imported solely for grain storage silos under the tax exemptions in place for other agricultural imports. “Farmers are not going to realize the benefits of storage investments without proper policies in place,” Govereh said. “Governments in the region need marketing and storage policies that support a liberalized marketing environment and avoid a maize marketing monopoly, which distorts investments in storage technologies. We also need policies that facilitate better coordination of public-private operations to avoid overlaps and conflicts.”

Govereh spoke during the regional annual review and planning meeting of the Effective Grain Storage for Sustainable Livelihoods of African Farmers (EGSP) Phase-II Project held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 20-21 August. Building on the successes of the previous phase (2008-2011), EGSP-II (2012-2016) is improving food security and reducing the vulnerability of resourcepoor farmers – particularly women farmers – in eastern and southern Africa through the dissemination of metal silos. The project is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). The annual review had three main objectives: to evaluate progress, achievements and challenges; to exchange ideas, information and research outputs among CIMMYT, SDC and other key partners; and to plan for the future.

The meeting was attended by implementing partners in Kenya, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, CIMMYT project staff and SDC representatives. The meeting allowed participants to share ideas and information on implementation, raise awareness on promotion and dissemination of effective grain storage technologies and consult stakeholders on effective post-harvest technologies, policy environment and market issues. The project also held exchange visits to Kenya and Malawi for key partners. Participants shared experiences on project implementation, learned about the project’s impact on smallholder farmers’ livelihoods and discussed challenges. Tadele Tefera, CIMMYT entomologist and project coordinator, praised national teams and partners for achieving research and dissemination targets for the year.

Hugo De Groote, CIMMYT economist, said metal silos have a major impact on farmers’ livelihoods. Those who have not adopted the technology sell most of their maize at harvest (when prices are at their lowest because the supply is at its peak) while adopters sell much of their grain in the fifth month at higher prices, he said. Adopters stored their maize for two months longer than non-adopters and were food secure for one month longer. Vongai Kandiwa, CIMMYT gender and development specialist, noted the importance of mainstreaming gender in the project to minimize the risk of creating, maintaining or exacerbating gender gaps.

Stakeholders also reported several challenges, including an inadequate number of skilled and competent artisans with entrepreneurship skills; lack of fabrication materials; expensive materials; low awareness and knowledge of the technology; and inadequate extension services.To overcome these challenges, stakeholders agreed to boost awareness through promotional events, engage in capacity building of collaborators and strengthen the artisan network. Olaf Erenstein, director of CIMMYT’s Socioeconomics Program, thanked the implementing partners and other stakeholders for their dedication and commitment and SDC for its continued support.

Scientists identify sustainable agriculture research themes in India

Written by on November 5, 2013. Posted in News.

Scientists need to capture and refine farmers’ conservation agriculture innovations. This recommendation came from the National Travelling Seminar on Conservation Agriculture held at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) from 16 to 25 September. The event was jointly organized by the Natural Resource Management division of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), CIMMYT and the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA).

The seminar evaluated existing conservation agriculture research in India to link different institutions, identify research gaps and decide on future priorities of conservation agriculture research for development. “Since the conservation agriculture principles are sitespecific, this travelling seminar gave the opportunity to various scientists from multiple disciplines and institutes to come together to discuss them onsite and harmonize the results,” said M.L. Jat, CIMMYT senior cropping systems agronomist and coordinator of the seminar. An ICAR grant for conservation agriculture research supported the event.

M. Dadlani, joint director of research for IARI, talked about the crucial role IARI —India’s premier agricultural research institute— played in starting conservation agriculture practices. They began experimenting with conservation agriculture in 2005, and, in 2010, “conservation agriculture trials were started at its research farms under a challenge program involving many multidisciplinary scientists,” Dadlani said. H.S. Gupta, director of IARI, highlighted the need for a common, neutral platform for policy makers, researchers, private sector representatives, non-governmental organizations, CGIAR institutions and farmers to assess local and regional needs, exchange information, and define priorities for the implementation of conservation agriculture, especially for resource-poor smallholder farmers. “Mining nutrients from the soil is a major concern,” he said. “At Pusa, there has been an increase in system productivity and the length of the cropping season due to conservation agriculture adoption. These factors prompt the idea of making conservation agriculture a flagship program at IARI.”

More than 25 senior researchers from 11 ICAR institutions, state agricultural universities and CIMMYT visited conservation agriculture research platforms in different cropping systems and ecologies (irrigated, mixed and rain-fed systems) at New Delhi, Karnal, Ludhiana, Jabalpur and Patna. The scientists and farmers participated in interactive discussions. Farmers should receive a clear message from all institutions, participants said, and therefore need the convergence of investments and research. Farm innovations also need to be aligned with the latest scientific developments. “The breeders have to come out with new materials for a specific challenge,” said Alok K. Sikka, ICAR deputy director general. “Conservation agriculture goes far beyond zero-tilling and resource conservation technologies. Conservation agriculture is a package that has to be followed in a systems approach.”

Areas identified for in-depth strategic research include the study of water-nutrient and crop-livestock interactions under conservation agriculture, design and development of conservation agriculture machinery suited to different farming systems and a better understanding of weed, disease and pests in conservation agriculture conditions to hasten the development of integrated pest management strategies.

Female-friendly seeder to boost conservation agriculture in Africa

Written by on October 31, 2013. Posted in News.

By Frédéric Baudron/CIMMYT

A lightweight seeder designed for conservation agriculture could help households headed by women in eastern and southern Africa to adopt the technology. CIMMYT’s Farm Mechanization and Conservation Agriculture for Sustainable Intensification (FACASI) project is addressing declining farm power by delivering small mechanization to farmers. Femalerun households are particularly labor-constrained. They often don’t own or are not permitted to use draft animals and are among the last to access land preparation services, which severely affects yield.

FACASI imported several female-friendly seeders designed by John Morrison, a consultant and adjunct professor at the University of Tennessee. Unlike other commercially available machines, which are bulky, heavy and challenging for women to use, Morrison’s development is a light, singlerow seeder specially designed for operation in non-plowed fields. The seeder is equipped with a residue rake to clear crop residue from the path, a rolling coulter blade to cut any remaining residues in the path, a furrow-opener shank to open a soil slot for seeds and fertilizer and a pressing wheel to help the operator press the soil slot closed.

The seeder performed well during its pre-test last month in Njoro, Kenya, by women, FACASI scientists and John Morisson himself, and later at a demonstration to the CIMMYT Board of Trustees. Thorough field testing will take place next November in Kenya and Tanzania. A business model will also be developed to guarantee access to the technology for women farmers. The proportion of women-headed households is particularly high in eastern and southern Africa (23 percent in Ethiopia, 32 percent in Kenya and 38 percent in Zimbabwe), according to the World Bank. Increasing the power available to these households – through small mechanization and promoting power-saving technology such as conservation agriculture – is one way to close the gender gap.

Jharkhand tribal farmers adopt maize and conservation agriculture to battle drought

Written by on October 11, 2013. Posted in News.

Jharkhand By S.P. Poonia/CIMMYT

A CIMMYT project working in the rural districts of Jharkhand, India, is encouraging farmers to grow maize and use conservation agriculture practices to adapt to decreased rainfall and a changing climate. CIMMYT’s Sustainable Intensification of Smallholder Maize-Livestock Farming Systems in Hill Areas of South Asia project is funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development.

The project is working with scientists from Krishi Vigyan Kendras research and extension centers (KVKs), Birsa Agricultural University, the state agricultural department and farmers to promote maize as a viable alternative to rice in stress-prone and rain-dependent districts of Jharkhand. The rural farming population is vulnerable to rainfall fluctuations and drought is recurrent in Jharkhand. Almost 90 percent of the cultivated area is monocropped (mostly with rice), and only 9 percent of the cropped area is irrigated.

The local non-governmental organization Vikash Bharti Farm Science Centre and CIMMYT organized Maize Day on 29 August in Gumla district. The event brought together 400 farmers, state agricultural department scientists, district officials and extension agents to highlight the benefits of cultivating maize, using conservation agriculture to enhance productivity. They also discussed the need for better policies. “Quality protein maize (QPM) is nutritionally superior to normal maize and provides additional dietary benefits to the tribal farmers who consume maize. It’s also a nutritious feed for poultry,” said A.K. Singh, KVKs zonal director for the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.

In Basuwa village in Gumla district, farmers cultivated more than 80 hectares of the QPM hybrid HQPM 1 for the first time this year and have committed to increase maize cultivation to 323 hectares next year. “Earlier, farmers in my village were interested in growing only rain-fed rice because it’s their staple food,” said Joni Uraon, head of the Basuwa village council. “But now they are very happy with maize because it is giving them higher profits.” Farmers also asked for stronger market linkages to ensure competitive prices for their produce. Panai Uraon, the Gumla district government collector, welcomed the efforts of scientists and farmers to promote maize cultivation and announced additional funds will be allocated to the Basuwa village council for agricultural development activities and to supplement local irrigation systems. Ken Sayre, who has extensive knowledge of Turkey and the region, conducted the course. He also travelled to three key research institutes in Ankara, Eskisehir and Konya prior to the workshop to see the experimental fields and discuss how to reduce variability in the fields and enhance the precision of experiments.