As staple foods, maize and wheat provide vital nutrients and health benefits, making up close to two-thirds of the worldâs food energy intake, and contributing 55 to 70 percent of the total calories in the diets of people living in developing countries, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization. CIMMYT scientists tackle food insecurity through improved nutrient-rich, high-yielding varieties and sustainable agronomic practices, ensuring that those who most depend on agriculture have enough to make a living and feed their families. The U.N. projects that the global population will increase to more than 9 billion people by 2050, which means that the successes and failures of wheat and maize farmers will continue to have a crucial impact on food security. Findings by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which show heat waves could occur more often and mean global surface temperatures could rise by up to 5 degrees Celsius throughout the century, indicate that increasing yield alone will be insufficient to meet future demand for food.
Achieving widespread food and nutritional security for the worldâs poorest people is more complex than simply boosting production. Biofortification of maize and wheat helps increase the vitamins and minerals in these key crops. CIMMYT helps families grow and eat provitamin A enriched maize, zinc-enhanced maize and wheat varieties, and quality protein maize. CIMMYT also works on improving food health and safety, by reducing mycotoxin levels in the global food chain. Mycotoxins are produced by fungi that colonize in food crops, and cause health problems or even death in humans or animals. Worldwide, CIMMYT helps train food processors to reduce fungal contamination in maize, and promotes affordable technologies and training to detect mycotoxins and reduce exposure.
The seed health laboratory, part of CIMMYTâs Seed Inspection and Distribution Unit (SIDU), has just begun the process of obtaining ISO9000 accreditation with the International Standards Organization. Seed health certification is a major bottleneck that can delay the rapid, timely, and efficient international distribution of CIMMYT seed. That means that CIMMYT must have approved processes in place to ensure that any seed we distribute is disease and pest free.
Since 1998 CIMMYT has worked under the authority of the Mexican Phytosanitary Direction General (DGSV). Now that department also requires CIMMYT to obtain the ISO9000 certification. The accreditation process started on May 31 with a workshop given by CENCADE, a company hired to lead seed health personnel through the process of accreditation. The workshop was attended by 19 staff from SIDU, HR, ICT and Purchasing, as all of these groups will have to contribute to the process. The accreditation process will take approximately 6-7 months.
In an effort to promote quality protein maize (QPM), CIMMYT, in collaboration with the Agricultural Research and Extension Service (AREX) in Zimbabwe, recently held a workshop on QPM awareness. QPM contains enhanced levels of the amino acids lysine and tryptophan, which together with other amino acids in maize are essential for the production of protein in the human body. Protein malnutrition is a serious health problem in southern Africa.
In addition to promoting general awareness, the workshop concentrated on sensitizing and educating participants about the usefulness of QPM in both human and animal nutrition. It also stimulated discussion that organizers hoped would get people thinking about how to promote quality protein maize in Zimbabwe.
The workshop was attended by participants from the University of Zimbabwe, University of Midlands, poultry and livestock industry, departments of extension, researchers and NGOs. Presentations covered the development, utilization, and seed production of QPM. During the discussion it was clear that the participants saw the potential of QPM in mitigating malnutrition in Zimbabwe.
At present only one QPM openpollinated variety has been released in the country and there is a need to release more varieties. In the recent past the variety release committee has insisted on presentation of data from animal feeding trials for a variety to be released as a QPM variety.
However, during the course of the workshop (which was attended by several members of the variety release committee) it was agreed that a QPM variety could be released on the strength of its agronomic performance and high values of lysine and tryptophan from lab tests. High lysine and tryptophan in a QPM variety were seen as valueadded traits. It was agreed that feeding trials are no longer necessary as long as there is lab data to show that a candidate variety contains a high level of lysine and tryphtophan compared to non-QPM variety. At present QPM varieties have been released in Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, Mozambique, and Zambia.
Technical staff of the Njoro Agricultural Research station of KARI in Kenya have completed planting a large stem rust screening trial. Ten thousand different wheat samples from more than 30 countries were planted as part of the Global Rust Initiative.
CIMMYT, ICARDA, and national partners are testing the samples to assess the worldâs wheat germplasm for vulnerability to Ug99, the new and virulent form of stem rust that is now in eastern Africa. In addition, the team hopes to identify sources of potential resistance that could be used in breeding programs to produce new varieties resistant to the disease.
Past outbreaks of stem rust have destroyed up to 40% of wheat production in affected countries. The Njoro station is in the middle of Kenyaâs wheat growing area near Nakuru. This region is a known hot-spot for rust diseases like Ug99, where local wheat is already infected by the fungus, and so makes a perfect test ground.
Rick Ward, co-facilitator of the Global Rust Initiative, went to Njoro to monitor the planting. The actual screening for susceptibility will take place in late August or September, when the wheat plants mature.
Experts from around the world met at headquarters this week to begin hammering out a strategy to ensure the long-term conservation of the genetic diversity of maize, a central pillar of humanityâs food security. Pivotal to this issue is the well-being of gene banks. Both national and international gene banks have not fared well, as investment in public sector agricultural research has steadily declined and fierce competition for dwindling resources in the agricultural sciences has risen.
The meeting, sponsored by the Global Crop Diversity Trust, the World Bank, and CIMMYT, was called to initiate a global response to this growing crisis, with nothing less at stake than the survival of the genetic heritage of this essential crop. At a time when molecular genetics opens new opportunities daily to exploit genetic resources carrying resistance to combat plant diseases, insect pests, and threats such as drought, soil salinity, and heat stress, collecting and preserving the basic sources of resistance traits takes on added importance.
Given the global distribution and subsequent evolution of maize, the job is too large for a single institution or nationâthus the need for a broad-based solution, says maize genetics expert and meeting co-organizer Major Goodman of North Carolina State University.
âWith the experience and expertise at this meeting,â says Suketoshi Taba, director of the CIMMYT maize gene bank, âwe are posed to discuss and make recommendations, based on ground-level reality, to address the threats to conserving the genetic treasures of maize and to focus our efforts and resources.â
It has been a trying two weeks for staff in the CIMMYT South Asia Regional Office in Kathmandu, Nepal. During the time of large daily demonstrations, often met with military force, the government ordered daytime curfews. This made operating the office difficult.
âWe in the CIMMYT office have been working whenever the curfews permit, says Memo Ortiz Ferrara, the CIMMYT regional coordinator in Nepal. âIf the curfews start late in the day, we come to the office to do some urgent work. When the curfews are declared for the whole day, we of course stay at home.â
Late last week, some international organizations and embassies were preparing to evacuate their international staff as the crisis worsened but on Monday, when the King of Nepal agreed to many of the opposition demands, the situation in Nepal stabilized. Demonstrations have stopped and the daytime curfews have been lifted. All CIMMYT staff in the regional office are safe and the office is working normally.
Memo Ortiz Ferrara wants to thank Director General Masa Iwanaga and members of the Management Committee for their moral support during the crisis.