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.
Of the 1 billion food insecure people in the world, more than 30 percent are in South Asia. By 2030 it will be one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change-related food shortages, with maize, rice and wheat prices predicted to double in the next 20 years. Photo: M. DeFreese/CIMMYT
The Chief Minister of Bihar, India, Shri Jitan Ram Manjhi, affirmed his support for the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA) and its efforts to ensure food security, in a meeting with Thomas A. Lumpkin, director general of CIMMYT, and with government, BISA and CIMMYT representatives on 3 February. As part of this, Manjhi agreed to support development of model villages in every district of Bihar, one of the fastest-growing and developing states in India.
âEver-increasing energy prices, declining natural resources and variable climates have left farmers with diminishing returns,â Lumpkin said. âBihar farmers need technologies that increase their profits under changing climates and economies.â
Launched in 2011 as a collaborative effort between CIMMYT and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), BISA is a non- profit international research institute dedicated to food, nutrition, livelihood security and environmental rehabilitation in South Asia, a region that is home to more than 300 million undernourished people.
During the meeting, Lumpkin emphasized the need for the quick transfer to Bihar farmers of technologies such as direct-seeded rice and zero-tilled wheat, to reduce production costs and labor and energy use.
Direct seeding of rice eliminates the need for transplanting seedlings from bund nurseries, and sowing wheat with zero tillage allows earlier planting so the crop can mature and fill grain before pre- monsoon high temperatures.
Lumpkin highlighted BISAâs critical capacity-building role, to support farmers and extension workers who test and promote innovative agriculture technologies.
Government representatives from Bihar included Shri Amrit Lal Meena, principal secretary to the chief minister; Shri Tripurari Sharan, principal secretary of agriculture; Shri Dharmendra Singh, director of agriculture; and Shri Gopal Singh, officer on special duty to the chief minister. CIMMYT and BISA attendees included John Snape, CIMMYT board chair; Hari Shanker Gupta, BISA Director General; Nicolle Birrell, CIMMYT board member; Etienne Duveiller, CIMMYT director of research- South Asia; M.L. Jat and Raj Kumar Jat, CIMMYT cropping systems agronomists; and Kumar Ashwani Yadav, senior advisor for India country relations.
From left to right: Raj Kumar Jat, Hari Shanker Gupta, Nicolle Birrell, Shri Amrit Lal Meena, Shri Jitan Ram Manjhi, Thomas A. Lumpkin, Etienne Duveiller and M.L. Jat. Photo: Fabiola Meza/CIMMYT
The Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) has collaborated with Digital Green (DG), the Department of Agriculture (DOA), Government of Odisha, Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) and Orissa University of Agriculture & Technology (OUAT) for a pilot project integrating information and communication technology (ICT)-based video-led dissemination models in 20 villages of Puri district in Odisha, India.
Farmers watch a video on disease control at a community video screening in Puri district, Odisha. Photo credit: Ashok Rai/CIMMYT
How the pilot works: DG trains and builds the skills of state agents to shoot and create videos with farmers on improved farming practices and then holds screenings for small groups of farmers using small-sized, low-cost, battery-run pico projectors. CSISA provides its technical inputs in video topic selection, content planning and story boarding. During the video screening, state agents keep track of the questions asked and have follow-up meetings with the farmers to check on the adoption of farming practices.
This CSISAâDG initiative has resulted in the production of videos on 10 technical themes reflecting the needs of local farming communities. Topics included the demonstration of new paddy, post-harvest and livestock management technologies and relevant successes by local farmers. So far, six videos on CSISA- promoted technologies have been produced. Ninety-one group screenings were held, with nearly 500 farmers in Puri district attending at least one of the video screenings. âEach video requires good planning, a good script and technical understanding of the subject,â said Sudhir Yadav, IRRI Irrigated Systems Agronomist and the CSISA Odisha Hub Manager.
âWe aim at both increasing participation of the community and creating a two-way flow between research and extension,â said Rikin Gandhi, CEO of DG, during a presentation at the Borlaug 100 event organized by CIMMYT.
These videos inspire farmers to learn about and adopt new technologies and management practices. A video on the benefits of chopped straw as fodder in dairy management has helped farmers to enhance milk production, commented Suresh Parida, a farmer from one of the pilot villages. Farmers have also found it easier to identify pests and diseases in their crop after seeing a video of pest and disease management in paddies.
âAs the actors in the video are local farmers from the area, it generates trust among the viewers to adopt a demonstrated practice,â said Avinash Upadhaya, Regional Manager of DG for Odisha, at a recent participatory stakeholderâs workshop in Puri. Farmers, mediators from KVK and project coordinators from DOA, CSISA and DG met to discuss the changes that the ICT model has brought and challenges in integrating it with traditional training methods. Ashok Lakra, a village agricultural worker of a pilot village highlighted the advantages of DGâs approach, stating âAt a demonstration, we might miss some important information, but these videos deliver the entire package and cover all the points.â
âThe best language that the farmer understands is the language of other farmers. This works as a good communication model to help in creating awareness and dissemination of improved technologies,â said Yadav.
Aye Aye Win, Senior Researcher at Zaloke Research Farm in Mongwa, was the last CIMMYT GWP trainee from Myanmar in Mexico (2002) and is currently the only wheat breeder in the country. Photos: Fabiola Meza/CIMMYT
Given growing demand for maize and wheat in Myanmar and the increasing challenges to produce both crops, officials of the Myanmar Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigationâs (MOAI) Department of Agricultural Research (DAR) and CIMMYT representatives met at DAR headquarters at Yezin during 24-27 January, to strengthen collaboration, with a focus on increasing farm productivity and training a new generation of Myanmar scientists.
Maize area, output and demand are growing with increased use of the grain in poultry and livestock feeds. Nine-tenths of the 450,000-hectare (ha) national maize area is rain-fed and grown with few inputs. It suffers from erratic precipitation among other things. Nearly one-third is sown to hybrid seed imported from Thailand. Small- and medium-scale local seed producers need stimulation and support.
Wheat is important for subsistence farmers in the eastern hills but also to meet the rising demand of a growing population with more urban inhabitants. National consumption yearly exceeds 0.5 million tons, only 0.18 million of which is produced in Myanmar (the rest is imported from Australia). Yields are low due to lack of inputs or new seed varieties. Farmers particularly need heat tolerant, rust resistant wheat varieties and resource-conserving cropping technologies.
Drying maize in Myanmar.
CIMMYT germplasm and other support are crucial for both crops in the country, but interactions have grown less frequent. The last Myanmar maize researcher to participate in training courses in Mexico came in 1999; the last wheat trainee, in 2002.
Participating in discussions were Dr. Tin Htut, director general, MOAI Department of Agricultural Planning, and DAR senior staff including Dr. Ye Tint Tun, DAR director general and U. Thant Lwin Oo, director for Maize & Other Cereals, Oil Seeds and Legumes.
CIMMYT was represented by Thomas A. Lumpkin, director general; Etienne Duveiller, regional representative for Asia; and administrative assistant Fabiola Meza. In addition to taking part in high-level discussions, they visited Dr. Win Win New, Director of the Aung Ban Agricultural Research Farm and Maize Breeder who conducts maize and wheat trials in southern Shan State and accompanied the team for field tours.
Collaboration discussion with DAR officials in Yezin.
These interactions grew out of visits in 2014 to Myanmar by Duveiller and Dan Jeffers, a CIMMYT maize breeder based in Yunnan, China.
Opportunities to address Myanmarâs concerns include regional collaboration with CIMMYT maize research in Yunnan and Hyderabad and training at BISA farms in India, for conservation agriculture and small-scale mechanization. CIMMYT and DAR are developing an agreement to facilitate collaboration.
âWeâve got the germplasm and improved varieties, but what can we do to overcome the hurdle of farmer adoption of these technologies?â Jon Hellin, value chain and poverty specialist for CIMMYTâs Socioeconomics Program presented this challenge and how crop-index insurance may be part of the solution, at a high-level Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) webcast event Wednesday, 28 January in London. The event covered innovations in index insurance and how Nigeria can implement them, as part of a plan to safeguard its farmers from climate change effects.
âUnfortunately, threats like drought â the very reason for adopting climate-smart practices â also represent a huge risk that makes farmers reluctant to invest in new technologiesâ
â Jon Hellin
CIMMYTâs Socioeconomics Program
Benefits of Index Insurance
âUnfortunately, threats like drought â the very reason for adopting climate-smart practices â also represent a huge risk that makes farmers reluctant to invest in new technologies,â said Hellin. Traditional crop insurance gives payouts that are explicitly determined on measured loss for a specific client. Index insurance allows farmers to purchase coverage based on an index that is correlated with those losses, such as average yield losses over a larger area or a well-defined climate risk, e.g. erratic rainfall, that significantly influences crop yields.
This approach can address many of the problems that limit the application of traditional crop insurance, including lower transaction costs and eliminating the need for in-field assessments. In addition, because the insurance product is based on an objective index it can also be reinsured, allowing insurance companies to efficiently transfer part of their risk to international markets. This makes index insurance financially viable for private-sector insurers and affordable for small-scale farmers.
CIMMYT is involved in a CCAFS-supported crop index insurance project. One focus is to determine how crop index insurance can enhance adoption of drought tolerant maize varieties. CIMMYT, along with international partners and scientists, has been developing many such varieties under the Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) initiative. âWhen it comes to these varieties and exciting initiatives like crop index insurance, thatâs where we can come together and get great win-wins,â Hellin stated.
Challenges and Opportunities
Scientifically-validated crop-index insurance schemes need indices that are affordable and attractive to stakeholders, particularly farmers and the insurance industry and other refinements. However, as demonstrated by examples from Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda and Senegal, if implemented correctly index insurance can build resilience for smallholder farmers not only by ensuring a payout in the event of a climate shock, but also by giving farmers the freedom to invest in new technology and inputs, such as seed.
âThe Nigerian governmentâs interest in crop insurance will allow us to test different approaches for bundling insurance with technologies, making it attractive to farmers and private sector actors,â Hellin proposed.
A Pakistani farmer carries seed of a new wheat variety for on-farm testing. Photo: Anju Joshi/CIMMYT
Lack of good seed of appropriate varieties is holding back harvests of smallholder wheat farmers in rugged, rain-fed areas of Punjab, Pakistan, said a group of farmers to some 50 representatives of seed companies, input dealers, and research, extension and development organizations, at a workshop in Chakwal, Punjab, on 18 September 2014.
âNinety-five percent of farmers in Pothwar, a semi-arid region of bare and broken terrain, use farm-saved seed of obsolete varieties, invariably with limited use of modern agricultural technologies and inputs, resulting in poor crop establishment and low yields,â said Krishna Dev Joshi, CIMMYT wheat improvement specialist based in Pakistan. âTheir yields average only 0.6 tons per hectare, whereas progressive farmers in irrigated areas get ten times that much.â
Joshi said only three varieties cover 83 percent of the regionâs wheat area and the same cultivars have been used for an average of 24 years. âOne of these, C591, is a variety that was recommended in 1934 and is still grown on about 14 percent of the regionâs nearly 0.6 million hectares of wheat area.â
According to Akhlaq Hussain, ex-Director General, Pakistan Department of Federal Seed Certification and Registration, one problem is that, despite their low yields, the older varieties have many traits that the farmers like. For example, they give stable yields under low inputs and harsh growing conditions and provide the preferred flavor and long-lasting good texture in chapattis.
Muhammad Tariq, Director of the Barani Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Chakwal, Punjab, said there are few producers or suppliers of suitable, quality seed, fertilizer or other farm inputs for such marginal areas. They may be considered unattractive markets, but more than 70 percent of Pakistani wheat farmers are smallholders, cultivating between one and five hectares of land, according to Tariq.
Such farmers harvest on average only 1.5 tons per hectare and urgently need better seed and technology to raise their yields, said Joshi. âFarmers at the workshop complained they could not get access to high-yielding varieties of their choice,â he explained. âThey also criticized the long time â typically three years â required to obtain seed of new varieties, once the varieties are officially released.â
Given this need and the lack of legitimate suppliers, fraudulent seed dealers and middlemen often market inferior or false products. âLast year I bought a bag of seed labelled âGalaxy,â a new, high-yielding variety,â said Haji Muhammad Aslam Ochallee, a farmer from Khushab District, âbut the seed inside was of an entirely different variety.â
Some seed dealers may mix seed or sell grain in bags labelled âcertified seedâ at low prices to lure smallholders, and big landlords may sell cheap seed illegally to neighbors, said Qaiser Rasheed, Managing Director of the company Robert Cotton Association. âAll these practices cheat farmers, distort markets and erode farmersâ trust in the formal seed sector,â Rasheed observed.
Pothwarâs problems reflect Pakistanâs overall food security challenge, according to Joshi. âA 2014 bulletin by the World Food Program shows that more than 27 million people in Pakistan are highly-to-severely food insecure,â he said. âThe big concern is that most smallholders and vulnerable people live in districts that will need special attention to improve food security.â
Activating the Wheat Seed Value Chain
As a part of the Agricultural Innovation Program (AIP) for Pakistan, a project funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), CIMMYT is working with the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), BARI in Punjab, seed companies and farmers to close gaps in the wheat seed value chain for rain-fed Punjab.
Workshop participants cited the need for better communication and coordination of research and extension agencies with commercial input suppliers sector and, especially, better marketing of new wheat varieties to farmers. âIf stakeholders donât integrate and coordinate, small-scale farmers will remain deprived of modern technologies and innovations, such as wheat varieties that resist new and virulent disease strains,â said Joshi.
“If stakeholders donât integrate and coordinate, small-scale farmers will remain deprived of modern technologies and innovations, such as wheat varieties that resist new and virulent disease strains”
â Krishna Dev Joshi
CIMMYT Wheat Improvement Specialist
Farmers recommended establishing village committees to choose and access seed of new varieties and help foster truth in labeling. They particularly called for strict punishment for those selling fake seed.
For their part, seed companies said the lack of reliable irrigation or storage facilities hinders seed production in Pothwar. âBecause of this, seed must be transported over long distances, raising costs, which in turn discourages buyers and cuts profits,â said one company representative.
The workshop forged an agreement to allow private seed companies to produce pre-basic and basic seed, supervised by concerned breeders and with support from Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department, to speed the marketing of new varieties. One result was that Robert Cotton Association has received pre-basic and basic seeds of two wheat varieties, Chakwal50 and Dharabi11, originally developed and released by BARI, which will provide technical backstopping.
Other action points agreed on at the workshop included the following:
On-farm trials and demonstrations that allow farmers to learn about and choose from new, high-yielding wheat varieties. To address this, AIP-wheat has already launched participatory varietal selection trials in which farmers and researchers jointly evaluate 14 new, high-yielding, disease resistant wheat varieties of diverse genetic backgrounds on the farms of 65 smallholders across Pothwar. In addition, to help farmers assess and improve crop management practices, the project is conducting 20 on-farm, participatory experiments on fertilizer use and 107 trials on pre-soaking seed, a practice that improves germination and crop establishment.
Community-based seed production linked with private companies and supported by proper equipment and training in quality seed production. Achievements to date include seed of 9 new varieties being multiplied directly with 52 Pothwar farmers on more than 42 hectares.
World Food Prize Borlaug-Ruan Intern Describes Experience with CIMMYT in Turkey
The prestigious Borlaug-Ruan International Internship provides high school students an all-expenses-paid, eight-week hands-on experience, working with world-renowned scientists and policymakers at leading international research centers.
Adam Willman, a Borlaug-Ruan International Intern from Iowa, USA, spent last summer working for CIMMYTâs Soil Borne Pathogens (SBP) Division in EskiĆehir, Turkey, working and studying root lesion nematodes under Dr. Abdelfattah âAmerâ Dababat and Dr. GĂŒl Erginbas Orakcı.
Willman said âEveryone I worked with had something different and interesting to teach me. I experienced a wide variety of the work that is ongoing at CIMMYT-Turkey. These experiments focused on the overall goals of reducing food loss from disease and pests that can plague farm fields across the globe.â
Willmanâs work also included assisting Elfinesh Shikur Gebremariam from Ankara University with Fusarium fungus, Fateh Toumi from Ghent University and Jiang Kuan Cui from Chinaâs Ministry of Agriculture with cereal cyst nematodes. âI was exposed to both the threat that plant diseases pose to food security and the cutting-edge research to combat thisâ he added.
Willman also commented on the unique opportunity to experience Turkeyâs people and culture, saying âI witnessed the amazing kindness, generosity and hospitality of everyone from the director of the research institute, to CIMMYT researchers and workers, to everyday strangers. I am very thankful for my time and experience at CIMMYT-Turkey.â
In a final message he thanked Dr. Dababat, Dr. Erginbas and all of the workers and researchers at SBP.
âWorking with SBP for eight weeks truly changed my life and gave me the perspective on my education that I am still utilizing today. I hope to in the future become a plant pathologist and continue researching the many diseases and pests that affect the crops that we, as a planet, depend on. Global food security is within reach, and the scientists and workers at SBP are helping us obtain this goal,â Willman concluded.
Adam Willman (5th from the left) with the SBP pathogens division, students, visitors and Global Wheat Program Director Dr. Hans Braun during a field day in EskiĆehir. This photo was taken in the field of the Transitional Zone Agriculture Research Institute (TZARI) in Eskisehir, Turkey.
In their seventh annual letter Bill & Melinda Gates look 15 years into the future to predict the steps needed to improve the lives of poor people faster than in any other time in history. Technology advancements in agriculture, education and global health are key to this vision, with particular reference to the importance of new vaccines, mobile phone technology and online education. âPoverty has been halved because of innovation,â Bill Gates emphasized at the Davos World Economic Forum last week. âEconomic miracles start with agriculture, education and then [countries] can participate in the world economy.â
The Gates Foundation has placed their agricultural bets on Africa being able to feed itself in 15 years. This will be achieved through training in crop rotation, no-till farming, fertilizer use and planting techniques. âInvesting in extensionâŠis the only way to reap the full benefit of innovation,â Bill and Melinda Gates emphasized. It is predicted this will lead to a 50 percent yield increase across Africa, reducing famines through more nutritious crops and a reduced dependence on imports. Mobile phones will also be a game-changer, giving farmers access to information on improved seed and fertilizer, proper techniques, daily weather reports and market prices.
The notion that scientists should work closely with farmers is central to CIMMYTâs approach. There is a great deal of information out there today and farmers have choices to make. Selecting the right seed varieties and technologies alone is not enough. It is also crucial to combine this knowledge with an understanding of how to develop an integrative agronomic system that connects farmers to a working value chain. In this respect agricultural extension can help farmers achieve their agricultural goals.
Nonetheless, agricultural extension alone will not be sufficient to help African farmers increase agricultural productivity. Extension must go hand in hand with developing new varieties – why use an Altair Basic if you can get a Surface Pro 3? Tanzanian farmer Joyce Sandiyaâs success with new drought tolerant maize seed is featured in the annual letter. âThat seed made the difference between hunger and prosperity,â she said, eloquently reflecting on the importance of a single seed.
CIMMYT projects in Africa that are funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation show how to develop and deploy new seed varieties. In eastern and southern Africa, up to 2 million farming households have benefited from improved drought tolerant maize seed emerging from joint work by CIMMYT scientists and seed companies, government exten-sion programs and national research organizations.
Research alone is academic, unless it is informed by awareness of problems on-farm and supported by extension. Agricultural research is essential to develop new seed varieties, technologies and innovations, while extension is crucial to ensure that farmers can use these technologies.
Wheat provides about 20 percent of the worldâs food calories. Growing wheat to maturity can be complicated by fast-spreading virulent diseases, which threaten production and land-shortage pressures.
Two among many wheat scientists in the wheat breeding program with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) near Mexico City, work to develop and fine-tune high-yielding, disease-resistant wheat varieties.
Ravi Singh head of CIMMYTâs Global Spring Wheat Improvement Program and Julio Huerta, a rust pathologist, select the most desirable traits suitable for about 60 percent of the developing worldâs wheat growing area across various climates, environments and at risk of threats from diseases and pests.
Their understanding of the selection process evolved from nearly four decades of research, which began as they worked under the mentorship of Sanjaya Rajaram, the winner of the 2014 World Food Prize, at CIMMYT research stations in El Batan, Obregon and Toluca.
âAs a teacher, Dr. Rajaram led us through the Socratic method of questioning to help young scientists observe, articulate and learn from what they saw in the wheat fields,â Huerta said.
Inspired by what he refers to as the âfreedom to flourish,â through the process of asking and receiving answers to questions which inspired him, Huerta developed an eye for wheat selection and judicial elimination in wheat breeding ultimately becoming one of the top wheat curators in the world.
Over the years, as their skills developed, Huerta and Singh tested the theoretical basis for wheat improvement to help form an applied regime approach whereby the âlawsâ of science are evaluated in practice â in fields across the globe. This work led to their capacity to produce germplasm â or wheat material â which is ultimately distributed to government-run National Agriculture Research Systems (NARS).
âWe develop a set of germplasm that is distributed globally,â Singh said. âHowever, as we make distribution decisions, we evaluate the locations where these seeds will be grown prior to selecting appropriate traits suitable for specific contexts such as high-heat or early frost.â
After receiving germplasm from CIMMYT, NARS work with local seed nurseries to consider which varieties would be best to grow, adapting recommended varieties to their local environment.
Scientists Singh and Huerta offer vital contributions to the ability of farmers to generate profits while strengthening food security by improving wheat productivity. A key part of this work involves replacing varieties susceptible to disease with durable resistant varieties that mitigate losses.
Over many years, CIMMYT has worked with hundreds of partner organizations and thousands of individuals; seed from CIMMYTâs International Wheat Improvement Network has been delivered to 121 countries.
Hans Braun, director of the Global Wheat Program at CIMMYT examines wheat with nutritionist Julie Miller Jones in a greenhouse at CIMMYT headquarters near Mexico City. Jones presented a talk on nutrition and wheat at CIMMYT. Photo: Xochiquetzal Fonseca/CIMMYT
EL BATAN, Mexico (CIMMYT) — Eliminating wheat consumption to avoid ingesting gluten is at best unnecessary for most people and at worst means that diets could lack cereal fiber and other valuable health benefits provided by grains, according to a top nutritionist.
Complete removal of wheat from the human diet would further cripple global efforts to feed the current global population of 7.2 billion, said Julie Miller Jones during a presentation delivered to scientists at CIMMYT on Tuesday.
Despite providing 20 percent of calories consumed globally, wheat and its protein complex, gluten, are often criticized in books and news stories as the cause of many human ailments. However, wheat and grain-based staples provide an array of nutritional and health benefits.
The claim that such non-cereal fibers as those found in fruit, vegetables and legumes can replace cereal fibers has been shown to be untrue, said Miller Jones, who is professor emeritus of nutrition at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Eating fibers from a variety of sources plays a role in maintaining healthy cholesterol and blood sugar levels, she said, adding that they also reduce the risk of gut disorders, help maintain healthy gut bacteria and keep unhealthy bacteria at bay.
Abandoning wheat consumption altogether could lead to a reliance on more costly foods, in short supply or impossible to produce on a global scale to meet the dietary needs of a population expected to increase to more than 9 billion by 2050, said Miller Jones.
âEven if we did decide to abandon wheat as a dietary staple, we donât have the turnaround time, the availability or the quantity of foods that have been recommended as alternatives in anti-gluten fad diets,â she said.
The popularity of gluten-and wheat-free diets has grown largely due to claims published in such books as âWheat Bellyâ by William Davis, âGrain Brainâ by David Perlmutter and in the news media, asserting that wheat products are the cause of most health problems. Such claims counter current medical and nutritional advice in international dietary guidelines established in conjunction with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Javier Peña, wheat quality specialist CIMMYT examines bread with nutritionist Julie Miller Jones in the wheat quality laboratory at CIMMYT. Jones presented a talk on nutrition and wheat at the Center. Photo: CIMMYT
âGluten-freeâ is a burgeoning industry. Sales have risen 63 percent since 2012, with almost 4,600 products introduced last year, according to âConsumer Reportsâ magazine.
This is an alarming trend for such nutritionists as Miller Jones, who was also at CIMMYT to discuss the outline for a series of research papers on the various aspects of grain carbohydrates, gluten and health.
ââGluten-freeâ is actually just another low-carb diet with a hook â any diet that suggests abandoning an entire food group is unhealthy,â said Miller Jones who recommends the DASH diet, which is rich in fruits, vegetables, low fat or non-fat dairy products, whole grains, lean meats, fish, poultry, nuts and beans.
On 11 November 2014, representatives of Mexicoâs highland maize value chain attended a workshop at CIMMYT headquarters in El BatĂĄn, Mexico. MasAgro-Maize Network partners, a representative from the milling industry and members of the MasAgro-Farmer team tested hybrid grains from the CIMMYT highlands maize genetic improvement program. Participants also analyzed parent lines of hybrids and measured the grain quality of two CIMMYT hybrids for dough and tortillas.
Natalia Palacios (green hat, right), maize nutrition quality specialist, explained the process for defining grain quality and outlined dough and tortilla industry requirements.
The workshop was organized by Arturo Silva, leader of the MasAgro-Maize component, and Alberto Chassaigne, responsible for CIMMYT seed systems.
Ubaldo Marcos, CIMMYT maize seed production manager, presented seed production technology for six hybrids, as well as the differences between ear size and female parental seed, which are grown at densities of 65,000 and 75,000 plants per hectare.
Afterwards, there was a demonstration of artisanal nixtamalization to obtain dough from two CIMMYT hybrids. Natalia Palacios, maize nutrition quality specialist, explained grain quality and outlined dough and tortilla industry requirements. Tortillas were then made from the nixtamalized dough. A positive opinion from the representative of the dough industry was much appreciated.
The participants also estimated yields of the white and yellow hybrids evaluated as part of the MasAgro Highlands Network under low nitrogen, rain-fed and irrigated systems and the estimates were compared to real yield values. At the end, workshop participants concluded that MasAgro-Maize takes advantage of the cropâs genetic potential to boost maize yields in the highlands.
Dr. Sanjaya Rajaram is pictured on the far right, with Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi in the center of photo.
On 9 January 2015, Dr. Sanjaya Rajaram, the India-born plant scientist who led wheat breeding research at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) based in Mexico for more than three decades, received the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman award in Gandhinagar, India. The award, presented by Honorable H.E. Hamid Ansari, Vice President of India, is the highest honor conferred on overseas Indians.
Indiaâs Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi, praised the diaspora for putting India on the global map. âThe whole world admires the Indian community not due to the money but the values they live with,â he said.
The event marks the 100th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhiâs return to India from South Africa. Only one other Mexican citizen of Indian ancestry received the award in the past decade: Dr. Rasik Vihari Joshi, who received the award for his contributions to literature in 2013.
The Union Home Minister Mr. Rajnath Singh attended the event. He praised the contributions of the Indian diaspora at the award celebration, saying India is proud of them and they are an example of Indiaâs indomitable spirit.
Last year, Dr. Rajaram received the World Food Prize for his contribution in increasing global wheat production by more than 200 million tons in the years following the Green Revolution. His improved varieties increased the yield potential of wheat by 20 to 25 percent. Today, Rajaramâs wheats are grown on some 58 million hectares worldwide.
Dr. Rajaram is renowned for his generosity in sharing his expertise to support research and the development of technologies that have improved food security in India and globally. His accomplishments include training or mentoring more than 700 scientists from dozens of developing countries. This enabled Indian farmers to grow improved wheat varieties on some 8 million hectares, including Indiaâs most popular wheat variety, PBW 343. He also led CIMMYT efforts to apply the concept of durable resistance to rustâthe most damaging wheat disease worldwide
Edward Mabaya is a Research Associate in the Department of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University and a development practicioner. All views expressed are his own.
Se necesita maĂz de grano blanco en las zonas marginadas de PaquistĂĄn
There are many crops that conjure up an image of the African continent – maize, sorghum, millet, turf, matoke and cassava. These staples form the basis of Africanâs daily diet and have been established over many years through close interaction between culture and agro-ecological conditions.
Yet there is one less talked about food that you will find in every African urban area. Bread.
In 2013, African countries spent about $12 billion dollars to import 40 million metric tons of wheat, equating to about a third of the continentâs food imports. This arises as a result of the fact that only 44% of Africaâs wheat demand is met by local production. The only country on the continent with a significant production base is South Africa with over 2 million metric tons per year.
As if the current deficit was not bad enough, the demand for wheat in Africa is growing at a faster rate than for any other crop. By 2050, wheat imports are anticipated to increase by a further 23.1 million metric tons. In the last 20 years wheat imports have increased fourfold from about $3 billion in 1989 and doubled from a rate of $5 billion in 2005 (see table below). This demand is being driven by population growth, urbanization, as well as from a growing female work force who prefer wheat products, like bread or pasta, because they are faster and easier to prepare than traditional foods.
What can African countries do to reduce their wheat imports?
A short-term measure is to mandate or promote the use of composite flours that mix wheat with locally abundant starches such as cassava and starchy bananas (matoke). This practice is already in place in some countries. Nigeria, for example, mandates flour millers to include five percent cassava flour in wheat flour. Tooke flour, developed by Ugandaâs Presidential initiative on Banana Industrial Development (PIBID) shows some promise. However, composite flours are only a Band-Aid solution to the growing demand for wheat based products especially given the fact that you can only substitute up to 5% before quality diminishes significantly. The only viable long-term solution is for African countries to meet a large portion of domestic demand through local production.
Like most of my African colleagues, I have always unquestioningly assumed an agronomic basis for Africaâs wheat import, that wheat is a northern hemisphere crop that does not grow well in Africa. A 2012 joint study by CIMMYT and IFPRI exploring âThe Potential for Wheat Production in Africaâ was an eye opener for me. Based on an integrated biological and economic simulation-based model for 12 countries, the study concluded that Africa has great potential to produce wheat in an economically viable way. The limiting factors, it turns out, are more to do with policy, institutional and social-cultural environments than agro-ecological ones. One example of which is that the heavy subsidies on wheat imports by most African governments have crowded out potential investment in domestic wheat production.
The good news is that enabling policy and institutional environments are cheaper to fix and more environmentally sustainable than making agro-ecological adaptations. The not so good news is that decades of history will be difficult to change – importing wheat is a lucrative business with strong political ties. Boosting Africaâs wheat production will require a coordinated approach with a range of partners to build the requisite enabling environment. This will need more investment in research and development, improved research infrastructure, better agricultural extensions, effective farmer associations and farmer training, better storage and improved access to affordable high quality agro-inputs (seed, fertilizers, chemicals, and machinery).
This enabling environment for wheat production in Africa will not be achieved overnight. It will take years of coordinated strategic investments and policy transformation. Key policy makers on the continent are making the first steps. In 2012, the Joint African Ministers of Agriculture and Trade âendorsed wheat as one of Africaâs strategic commodities for achieving food and nutrition securityâ at a meeting held in Addis Ababa. A high level Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) meeting held in Accra in July 2013 developed a strategy for promoting African wheat production. It is especially encouraging that African governments have chosen a regional approach and multi-stakeholder approach to lower the continentâs wheat imports.
As the old African saying goes: âIf you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.â
A recent review paper released by Britainâs University of Warwick (Lillywhite and Sarrouy 2014) addresses two fundamental questions regarding wheat: âAre whole grain products good for health?â; and âWhat is behind the rise in popularity of gluten and wheat-free diets?â
The paper was commissioned by cereal-maker Weetabix to address reports in the news media that wheat products are the cause of health problems, resulting in an increasing number of consumers switching to low-carbohydrate grain- and wheat- free diets. For many health professionals this is a worrying trend because wheat not only supplies 20 percent of the worldâs food calories and protein, but has important benefits beyond nutrition, the authors state.
The Warwick paper provides a scientific assessment of the benefits of whole grain consumption, information that the authors note seems to have been lost in media headlines and the reporting of âpseudo-science.â
The paper concludes that whole grain products are good for human health, apart from the 1 percent of the population who suffer from celiac disease and another 1 percent who suffer from sensitivity to wheat (Lillywhite and Sarrouy 2014). Eating wholegrain wheat products is positive, improves health and can help maintain a healthy body weight, the authors report.
Scientific evidence regarding wheat- and carbohydrate-free diets is thin and selectively used, they state, and a low cereal and carbohydrate diet âmay cost more but deliver less.â
Additionally, an economically viable industry has developed around so-called âfree-fromâ diets and may be persuading consumers to switch from staple foods to specialist foods created especially for those who need to avoid gluten, a protein found in wheat and other grains, they add.
This Wheat Discussion Paper serves as a foundation upon which the authors hope further discussion will develop. It aims to highlight unsubstantiated nutritional claims about wheat and shine a spotlight on the important role of wheat and fiber in human diets. It also seeks to encourage conversation about how non-scientific claims about wheat could affect poor consumers and global food security.
The Nutritious Maize for Ethiopia (NuME) project recently organized a three-day training workshop on quality protein maize (QPM) seed production and quality control, as part of the projectâs activities to enhance QPM seed production. There were 26 participants, including 2 women, from seed companies, farmer cooperative unions, the Ministry of Agriculture, seed laboratories, research institutes and universities. The workshop was facilitated by CIMMYT experts working in eastern Africa.
Opening the event, Dr. Dagnachew Beyene, advisor to the State Minister of Agriculture, said the workshop was very timely. âThe expansion of the Ethiopian seed system is constrained by a shortage of skilled professionals,â he said.
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Developed over two decades of meticulous breeding from the late 1970s to the early 1990s, QPM contains enhanced levels of amino acids used for protein synthesis in humans and farm animals such as pigs and poultry. Nutritional studies have shown that it can improve the nutrition of people whose diets are highly- dependent on maize, especially young children. Major topics covered included maize variety development, maize seed research and field management for QPM seed production, maintenance of QPM inbred parent lines and open-pollinated varieties, as well post-harvest handling techniques for QPM.
The training also dealt at length with creating communication links between seed companies, customers and farmers and planning and developing seed production, marketing and financial strategies to promote of QPM seeds.
Addressing the participants at the conclusion of the training, the Crops Research Director of the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR), Dr. Asnake Fikre, stated that efforts need to be made to sustain QPM production in Ethiopia, because maize is the most produced cereal and a critical crop for food security in the country.
Asnake also noted that âin the transition to food security in the country, nutritional security is a critical concern and the crop sector in Ethiopia should work hard to sustain the QPM value chain by advocating its nutritional and agronomic benefits and creating demand for the production and use of QPM.â The added that NuMEâs important work on QPM needs to be effectively backed up by multi-sectorial engagement and cooperation.
In their feedback, participants said the workshop had been timely, well-organized and valuable. They suggested that future such events include practical sessions and interaction with farmers. Typical remarks included statements that âstrengthening of QPM and advocacy issues need to be consistent in promoting QPM until it reaches cutting-edge stage.â
NuME is implemented by CIMMYT in Ethiopia and funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development of Canada (DFATD). It is designed to help improve the food and nutritional security of Ethiopiaâs rural population, especially women and children, through the adoption of QPM varieties and crop management practices that increase farm productivity.
CIMMYT entered an important new partnership with Pakistanâs National Rural Support Program (NRSP) on 7 November 2014 for wheat varietal evaluation, promotion and deployment, as well as on-farm agronomic interventions and community-based seed production enterprises.
A not-for-profit development organization established in 1991 that fosters a countrywide network of more than 200,000 grassroots organizations across 56 districts, NRSP enables rural communities to plan, implement and manage development programs for employment, poverty alleviation and improved quality of life. Through direct linkages with some 400,000 smallholder farming families, the organization will help extend the reach of the CIMMYT- led Agricultural Innovation Program for Pakistan (AIP),  according to Dr. Rashid Bajwa, chief executive officer of NRSP. âWe can now jointly scale out to a vast number of smallholders with average daily earnings of less than  two dollars a day,â Bajwa said, mentioning the organizationâs activities like microfinance enterprise development.
The work of Pakistanâs National Rural Support Program benefits millions of small-scale farmers and landless families. Photo: Mike Listman/CIMMYT.
Aiming to benefit the disadvantaged
The partnership paves the way for a new and different kind of innovation platform focusing on smallholders, tenants and the landless, female-headed households and vulnerable groups such as flood victims, said Muhammad Imtiaz, CIMMYT liaison officer for Pakistan and AIP Chief of Party: âThis will contribute directly to the Centerâs mission of improving the food security and resilience of those most at risk, not to mention opening avenues for other AIP partners to join hands in testing and promoting appropriate agricultural innovations.â
Taking advantage of NRSPâs gender-responsive approach, the partnership will work directly with and seek to empower women farmers, identifying wheat varieties and technologies that help increase their food security and incomes. Work will identify, test and deploy high-yielding and rust resistant wheat varieties across 23 districts and include improved farming practices for diverse settings from rain-fed to fully-irrigated.
A major focus will be to develop community-based seed enterprises linked with NRSP, small seed companies, farmer associations and seed regulatory bodies, serving remote villages that have heretofore lacked access to improved varieties.
âThis will contribute directly to the Centerâs mission of improving the food security and resilience of those most at riskâ âMuhammad Imtiaz CIMMYT liaison officer for Pakistan and AIP Chief of Party
A group photo was taken at the NRSP inception meeting and staff training. Photo: Raja Zulfiqar Ali.
Getting Off on the Right Foot
A partnership inception meeting and staff training for NRSP were organized on 10 November in Islamabad, with 32 participants from NRSP and 11 from CIMMYT, including senior management from both the organizations, and with Malik Fateh Khan, NRSP Regional Manager, providing a welcome address.
Imtiaz Hussain, CIMMYT cropping systems agronomist, highlighted conservation agriculture technologies and their relevance for the partnership. Krishna Dev Joshi, CIMMYT wheat improvement specialist, discussed various types of varietal testing, including participatory varietal selection, mother-baby trials and on-farm demonstrations, to creating awareness and demand for improved seed among farmers. Three CIMMYT colleagues who also spoke at the event were: Shamim Akhter, AIP project manager; Amina Nasim Khan, communications specialist; and Ghazi Kamal, monitoring and evaluation specialist.
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