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Theme: Nutrition, health and food security

As staple foods, maize and wheat provide vital nutrients and health benefits, making up close to two-thirds of the world’s 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 world’s 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.

Angola: shifting from landraces to improved maize varieties

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By Florence Sipalla/CIMMYT

CIMMYT, in partnership with the Instituto de Investigação Agronómica (IIA), the Angolan national agricultural research institute, is helping the country shift from using maize landraces to locally adapted materials.

Angola is rebuilding its infrastructure after a prolonged civil war that slowed down agricultural production. During the war, farmers could not access improved maize seed and relied on landraces. “After the war, they started shifting from the landraces to open-pollinated varieties (OPVs),” explained Peter Setimela, CIMMYT seed systems specialist. “Five years ago, there were no improved maize seeds in Angola. Now, we have some good OPVs and hybrids.”

Pivot irrigation at a seed production farm in Angola. Both Kambondo and Matogrosso farms use pivot irrigation; this frees the farms from dependence on rain for seed production.
Pivot irrigation at a seed production farm in Angola. Both Kambondo and Matogrosso farms use pivot irrigation; this frees the farms from dependence on rain for seed production.

The country has been importing improved maize varieties from Brazil and France, though not without problems. “They discovered that some of these varieties were hampered by diseases such as gray leaf spot, maize streak virus and northern leaf blight,” said CIMMYT breeder Cosmos Magorokosho. Working in partnership with IIA breeders, CIMMYT scientists have been testing materials that are locally adapted, some of which are now being produced by local seed companies. Last month, a multidisciplinary team from CIMMYT and IIA, led by the Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) Project Leader Tsedeke Abate, went on a field tour in Angola.

The team visited seed production farms in Kwanza Sul, demonstrations and on-farm and on-station trials at the IIA Chianga experimental station in Huambo to evaluate drought-tolerant maize varieties being grown and tested in the country. The team, including CIMMYT and IIA breeding, communications, seed systems and socioeconomics staff, visited a community seed production farm managed by Cooperativa Faca Tudo Pelo Tempo (“do everything on time” in Portuguese). The farmer’s cooperative produces rain-fed basic seed for the OPV maize varieties ZM309, ZM521 and ZM523, with technical support from IIA breeder Dibanzilua Nginamau. The cooperative is an umbrella body for 30 farmer groups with 1,250 members, including 600 women, according to Nginamau.

Participants stand in front of 50 hectares of the CIMMYT hybrid CZH03030 and a rainbow at Kambondo farm in Kwanza Sul, Angola.

The team visited smallholder farmer Dominga Ngueve, who planted varieties for demonstration on her farm near the Chianga station. “I prefer ZM309 because it matures early and I am able to get [maize for] food earlier,” Ngueve said. “When improved seed is unavailable, I buy local varieties from other farmers.” The smallholder farmer practices the crop rotation of planting maize during the long season and beans during the low season. She also grows cassava and potatoes. “Our food crop is maize; if you sell it, you create hunger,” said Ngueve, explaining the importance of maize in her community.

CIMMYT is helping Angola improve this important crop. “Angola has great potential for advancing agriculture,” Abate said, citing the country’s arable land and water resources. CIMMYT is using its germplasm resources to help public and private sector partners, such as SEDIAC, Matogrosso and Kambondo farms, that have recently ventured into seed production in Angola. CIMMYT is also contributing to capacity building by training breeders and technicians from the national program and seed companies.

Visitors at the DTMA stand during the SEDIAC field day in Kwanza Sul, Angola.

Angola is producing ZM523 on 560 hectares at Kambondo and Matogrosso farms with technical support from DTMA. An expected 2,400 tons of certified seed will be available for use by local farmers in the coming season. These two companies are well-positioned to produce certified seed through irrigation, as they each have six units of pivot irrigation that enable them to continue production even when the rains are erratic.

Kambondo farm has already produced nine tons of CZH03030 and has planted 50 hectares of the same variety for grain production. Abate commended SEDIAC for hosting the field day. “It is an opportunity for researchers from the national agriculture research system to network with all the agricultural stakeholders in Angola,” he said. The field day was also attended by three traditional leaders from the local community.

Through the collaborative work of IIA, CIMMYT, seed companies and cooperatives to strengthen seed systems in Angola, “farmers can increase their food security and livelihoods by taking up droughttolerant varieties,” said CIMMYT socioeconomist Rodney Lunduka.

CIMMYT featured on ‘Shamba Shape Up’

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By Katharine MacMahon/ Media Manager, Shamba Shape Up

As the new season of Shamba Shape Up, Kenya’s hit TV series, gets under way, CIMMYT and the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) have been meeting farmers across the region to discuss exciting new developments to grow higher-yielding, disease-resistant maize.

Courtesy of Shamba Shape Up

Shamba Shape Up, the popular farming TV show, is aired twice weekly in both English and Swahili to over 10 million viewers across the eastern Africa. The show covers a wide range of topics from rainwater harvesting to certified seeds 
 and anything in between! On 14 April, the Shamba Shape Up team, along with a host of experts, visited famers Robert and Grace on their shamba (Swahili for “farm”) in Siaya County.

Robert and Grace were having problems with their maize crop, as the field was being plagued by striga problems. Striga, otherwise known as Kiongo or Witch Weed, can cause devastation to a maize crop by attaching itself to the crop’s roots and feeding off it for water and nutrients until the crop dies. In western Kenya, over 300,000 hectares of maize are poisoned by striga weed. Gospel Omanga from AATF discussed the importance of stopping the striga weed in its tracks before it kills his whole crop with Robert. Gospel suggested planting IR maize in Robert’s fields as a way of ending his striga weed problems.

Photo courtesy of Shamba Shape Up

IR maize is a new type of seed that is immune to striga and kills off the pest at the same time. The IR maize seeds are covered in herbicide which kills both the striga that tries to attach the plant and other striga seeds (one striga plant can deposit over 50,000 seeds at once) in the nearby soil. IR maize and its herbicides are so effective that after eight seasons of use, striga can be banished from a field. Gospel tells the farmers that using IR maize is the most effective solution to the striga weed; more so than pulling them out as Robert had been doing in the past.

To learn more about striga weed and IR maize, please watch the episode, and all the other Shamba Shape Up episodes online at www.shambashapeup.com. To get an informational leaflet from the episode, please SMS your name, address & CIMMYT, MAIZE, IR MAIZE, STRIGA to 30606 (Kenya only) and Shamba Shape Up will post it to you for free!

To learn more about striga and IR maize from CIMMYT, check out the AATF FAQ’s page: http://www.aatf-africa.org/userfiles/Striga-FAQ.pdf

President Obama honors Norman Borlaug’s work and vision

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Julie Borlaug, associate director for external relations for the Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture, and granddaughter of the late Dr. Borlaug, has shared with CIMMYT this letter from U.S. President Barack Obama honoring Borlaug’s life and work and endorsing the pursuit of training and advanced technology to help farmers face critical challenges such as climate change. Read more about the letter in this article from Agri-Pulse.

 

India maize summit focuses on partnerships

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By Christian Böeber and Subash S.P./CIMMYT

A recent summit in India provided a platform for various stakeholders along the maize value chain to discuss maize trade, technological gaps, industrial utilization, post-harvest management, risk management, marketing and scaling up of maize value chains through public-private partnerships (PPP).

“Road Map for Sustainable Growth and Developing Value Chain” was the title of the India Maize 2014 Summit held on 20-21 March in New Delhi. The summit was organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX). Participants included representatives from private input companies, millers, the poultry industry, the starch industry, service providers, national and international research institutions, policy makers, embassies and farmers from across India. A. Didar Singh, secretary general of FICCI, said there has been a “quiet revolution” happening in Indian agriculture with the emergence of the export market and an evolving private sector, particularly in maize, during the last several years.

The diversification of cropping patterns in Punjab and Haryana to promote maize in these states was reviewed by Ashok Gulati, chair professor for agriculture at the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations, during his keynote address. He said the maize sector in India currently depends on the poultry and export sector and is therefore vulnerable if demand from those sectors weakens. He emphasized policy should support quality protein maize (QPM) as an ingredient for poultry feed but also for human consumption. Adel Yusupov, regional director for the U.S. Grain Council in South and Southeast Asia, highlighted Southeast Asia’s prospects for becoming a major importer of maize. India’s advantage in targeting those emerging markets due to its proximity and lower pricing was highlighted by Rajiv Yadav, vice president of the Nobel Group. He noted nonetheless that Indian maize exports are constrained by unreliable production, lack of quality produce, high levels of moisture and aflatoxins, logistics and warehousing facilities.

Christian Böeber presents at the India Maize Summit 2014. Photo: Subash S.P./CIMMYT

Maize production and productivity are stagnant because farmers have been slow to adopt new technologies such as hybrids, said Sain Dass, president of the Indian Maize Development Association, adding that the main hurdle in the adoption of hybrids is the lack of seed. Christian Böeber, CIMMYT agricultural and market economist, presented information about CIMMYT’s maize research activities in India, including the Abiotic Stress Tolerant Maize for Asia project (ATMA) and the Heat Stress Tolerant Maize for Asia project (HTMA). He also reflected on the diverse uses of maize and the challenges faced by maize production systems in the country, including the commercial seed supply gap. Success stories in India involving PPPs were discussed.

O.P. Yadav, director of the Directorate of Maize Research of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, highlighted the need to improve maize productivity in India through PPPs and by working through the proper national channels for seed development and deployment. Shipla Divekar Nirula, director of corporate affairs and strategy for Monsanto, presented her perspective on scaling up maize value chains through PPPs and referred to the Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) project as an example for successful PPPs in developing and deploying improved maize varieties. She emphasized that for a partnership to be effective, it is important to clearly define the purpose, platforms and principles of working together. A viable platform should include crop diversification, infrastructure provision, knowledge sharing, a viable extension network and growth policies.

Partners recognize achievements in insect-resistant maize delivery

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By Wandera Ojanji/CIMMYT

The Insect Resistant Maize for Africa (IRMA) project received praise for significant progress on field and post-harvest insect pest research at its conclusion last month.

“Several new maize hybrids and open pollinated varieties with substantial insect resistance have been produced that will greatly benefit maize growers in eastern and southern Africa,” said Mike Robinson, program officer for the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture (SFSA) at the IRMA End-of-Project Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, from 24-26 February. Robinson congratulated CIMMYT and project partners and wished the participating organizations continued success. The purpose of the conference was to share experiences, achievements and lessons from IRMA III and discuss future prospects in the release, dissemination and use of insect-resistant maize in eastern and southern Africa.

It drew more than 80 participants from CIMMYT, national agricultural research systems, national universities, donors and the seed industry. The Developing Maize Resistant to Stem Borer and Storage Insect Pests for Eastern and Southern Africa project, known as IRMA III Conventional Project 2009-2013, was managed by CIMMYT and funded by SFSA. Building on progress and breakthroughs of IRMA I and II, IRMA III contributed to food security by developing and availing field and post-harvest insect-resistant maize varieties in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

(Photo: Wandera Ojanji)

Collectively, these countries produce about 26 million tons and consume 32 million tons of maize annually. Relatively low maize productivity in the countries – about 1.3 tons per hectare (t/ha) compared to 4.9 t/ha worldwide – can be attributed in part to stem borers, according to Stephen Mugo, CIMMYT principal scientist and IRMA project leader. Stem borers destroy as much as 15 percent of maize crops, while maize weevils and the larger grain borer destroy 20 to 30 percent of harvested maize. Hugo De Groote, CIMMYT economist, estimated the losses from stem borers at 13.5 percent, or 4 million tons, and those from storage pests at 11.2 percent, or 3.5 million tons, with the total value of these losses estimated at just over US$1 billion in the region. “Addressing the challenges that farmers face in producing and storing maize is vital to the future food security of the region,” Robinson said. “Minimizing such losses in an economically sustainable way will significantly contribute to nutrition and food security.”

IRMA III addressed these challenges through identification and commercial release of major insect-resistant maize cultivars; identification of new germplasm sources of resistance to stem borer and post-harvest insect pests among landraces, open pollinated varieties (OPVs) and CIMMYT lines (CMLs); and development of new insect-resistant germplasm. Kenya released 13 stem borer-resistant (SBR) conventional maize varieties (three OPVs and 10 hybrids) and four storage pest-resistant (SPR) hybrids. Kenya has also nominated nearly 10 stem borer- and four postharvest- resistant hybrids to national performance trials.

Three insect-resistant varieties —two hybrids (KH 414-1 SBR and KH 414-4 SBR) and one OPV (Pamuka) – were commercialized in Kenya by Monsanto, Wakala Seeds and the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute Seed Unit. De Groote estimated the annual value of project benefits at between US$ 19 million and US$ 388 million. He put the benefit-cost ratio at 94 in the optimistic scenario, meaning that for each dollar the project spent, farmers would gain 95, indicating very good returns.

“These results justify the important role that breeding for resistance could play in reducing maize losses, and the high potential returns to such programs in the future,” De Groote stated. Looking to the future, Mugo emphasized the need to ensure farmers have access to the insect-resistant varieties. “We must, from now on, engage in variety dissemination and commercialization of the new SBR and SPR varieties,” Mugo said. “We need a more targeted breeding program that incorporates drought, nitrogen use efficiency and maize lethal necrotic disease tolerance.”

Government of Zimbabwe promises to support Grain Storage Project

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By Wandera Ojanji/CIMMYT

Ringson Chitsiko, Zimbabwe’s permanent secretary for Agriculture, Mechanization and Irrigation Development, has reiterated his government’s commitment to support the Effective Grain Storage for Sustainable Livelihoods of African Farmers Project (EGSP-II). The project is improving food security and reducing the vulnerability of resource-poor farmers in eastern and southern Africa through the dissemination of metal silos and super grain bags.

Tirivangani Koza (right), deputy director, Department of Agricultural Mechanization, Ministry of Agriculture, demonstrates the proper use and handling of the metal silo.

“The Government of Zimbabwe fully appreciates the fact that complementary policy and institutional innovations that enhance development, deployment and adoption of effective post-harvest management practices at various points in the maize value chain is not only an effective strategy for fighting hunger and food insecurity, but also essential for enhancing the incomes of smallholder farmers,” said Chitsiko when he officially opened a training workshop for extension staff and agro-dealers. “The government is, therefore, committed to make this project a success by developing both the institutional innovations and enabling policies that can ensure adoption of effective post-harvest management practices and bring the benefits to producers, agro-dealers and farmers,” he added. “Accessibility and affordability are the key driving factors in the adoption of metal silos and hermetic bags technology.”

The workshop was organized by EGSP II in collaboration with Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Agriculture. The project is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). The training was organized to impart information and skills to extension staff and agrodealers on the management of metal silos and hermetic grain bags, said Tadele Tefera, CIMMYT entomologist and coordinator of EGSP II.

Ringson Chitsiko, the permanent secretary for Agriculture, Mechanization and Irrigation Development, Zimbabwe, addresses the participants. (Photos: Wandera Ojanji)

Other reasons for the training included creating awareness of the importance of grain post-harvest management, helping extension workers and agro-dealers gain insights into different factors affecting post-harvest management and explaining traditional and improved post-harvest technologies and their use in grain loss reduction. It was also meant to create investment opportunities for agro-dealers, and also link artisans, extension staff and agro-dealers for a common purpose. Since EGSP II was launched in 2012, 250 metal silos have been distributed to households in the pilot districts of Shamva and Makoni for research, demonstration and training. Chitsiko lamented that while maize is Zimbabwe’s staple food, its production is severely affected by frequent droughts and the effects of climate change, leading to crop failure, hunger and poverty.

Between 20 and 30 percent of harvested grain is lost annually to insects, rodents and damages from poor post-harvest handling. Zimbabwe loses US$ 56.7 million worth of maize annually during storage. “Surely, you can agree with me that this level of loss is unacceptable if we want to be food secure,” Chitsiko said. “I have no doubt that the metal silo technology will go a long away in providing solutions aimed at mitigating the effects of grain post-harvest losses considering its effectiveness against the major storage pests, particularly the larger grain borer that can cause losses up to 100 percent.”

More than 50 participants attended the training, representing government extension officers, agrodealers, artisans and civil society organizations from the Shamva and Makoni districts. Facilitators of the training included Tadele Tefera; Addis Tishome, CIMMYT entomologist; Jones Govereh, CIMMYT policy economist; Tirivangani Koza, deputy director, Department of Agricultural Mechanization, Ministry of Agriculture; and Rabson Gumbo, EGSP national coordinator and director, Department of Agricultural Mechanisation, Ministry of Agriculture.

Capacity to analyze quality protein maize enhanced in Ethiopia

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By Adefris Teklewold/CIMMYT

The Nutritious Maize for Ethiopia (NuME) project recently donated key laboratory equipment to the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) to help analyze new quality protein maize varieties. Institutional capacity building is a cross-cutting feature of NuME, which aims to disseminate quality protein maize (QPM) varieties in Ethiopia to improve nutrition.

In addition to promoting QPM varieties already released, NuME has set targets to develop more productive QPM germplasm that are resilient to biotic and abiotic stresses and adapted to the project area and beyond. Identifying QPM varieties easily adopted by farmers is a demanding task for breeders. The long-term QPM breeding program run by CIMMYT and EIAR fosters the cheap, fast and reliable screening technique of germplasm for quality protein traits. To help with these efforts, NuME donated a near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) sample transport reflectance only (TR-3752-C) 6500 system, accessories and supporting equipment, valued at US$ 103,000 to EIAR, CIMMYT’s major partner in executing the project. The machine can be used to determine the quality of different agricultural products, including ground and coarse samples, with a wavelength range of 400 to 2,500 nanometers.

The NIRS machine is installed and ready to operate at EIAR’s laboratory in Addis Ababa. (Photo: EIAR staff)

Specifically, the machine will enable EIAR to undertake timely analysis of tryptophan, lysine and protein content for breeders, seed companies and the food and feed industry. The EIAR laboratory will serve as a national focal point to ensure that QPM seed and grain meets established definitions and standards for QPM. EIAR provides NIRS analysis on a cost recovery basis to ensure the sustainability of services for non-EIAR service users involved in QPM production, certification and trade. About 2,000 to 3,000 maize samples will be analyzed each year when the machine becomes fully operational. Experts installed the machine and led a hands-on training on 6-7 March given to 10 trainees drawn from public and private institutions and CGIAR centers. The training focused on installation and operation of NIRs and developing calibration equation.

Two researchers who are assigned by EIAR to work on the machine will be sent to Mexico for a two-week training on how to operate and develop calibration equations of tryptophan, lysine, protein and other QPM quality traits. During the presentation of the machine, Solomon Abate, EIAR director for quality control, said that CIMMYT has taken significant steps to enhance the capacity of the Ethiopian national agricultural research system to undertake QPM analysis within the country, which has largely been executed at CIMMYT headquarters in Mexico. In a letter to CIMMYT-Ethiopia, Fentahun Mengistu, director general of EIAR, wrote the NIRS machine is essential not only for use with QPM but for determining the quality of other crops and will enhance EIAR’s technology endeavors, which enable smallholder farmers to produce competitive products that can fetch better market prices. He underscored EIAR’s commitment to strengthening its partnership with CIMMYT for enhanced maize research and development in the country.

The art of seeding hope

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MarĂ­a ConcepciĂłn Castro

Photo: Xochiquetzal Fonseca

In March, CIMMYT celebrated International Women’s Day and lauded the efforts of many. At CIMMYT, we are lucky to work with outstanding female colleagues. Perla Chávez Dulanto, associate scientist for the Global Wheat Program’s (GWP) physiology team, which is led by Matthew Reynolds, is one of those colleagues.

Chávez came to CIMMYT in 2012, inspired by the legacy of Dr. Norman Borlaug, who she describes as “a man who devoted his life and his science to help the poorest but was guided by his heart —a characteristic feature of great scientists and true human beings.” She was also motivated by the opportunity to be part of an interdisciplinary group working to improve food security and livelihoods. After earning a BSc in agricultural engineering at La Molina National Agricultural University in Lima, Peru, she worked for large-scale farm export enterprises and agribusiness, nongovernmental organizations and education-extension institutions. Yet Chávez, who is inspired by the landscapes she admired during her childhood, wanted to develop good crops for poor farmers.

“Though I was raised in Lima, my mother was from Chancay, a coastal city nearby and the largest provider of field crop commodities to Lima. From Chancay, you could see endless maize and potato crop fields with long rows almost reaching the beaches, listen to birds tweet and see whales or sea lions jumping into the water far beyond,” Chávez said. She knew she needed to learn about soil, physics, ecology, pathology and animal life. Chávez has had enough contact with farmers, both wealthy and poor, to realize there are large differences between their livelihoods. Peru produces wheat, barley and sorghum in mountainous areas. Wheat is important to smallholder and subsistence farmers but yields are only 2 to 3 tons per hectare due to the lack of improved materials and the prevalence of pests, disease damage and abiotic stresses like drought. Chávez said Peru and the Andean region could benefit from research, motivating her to continue with science.

She earned a master’s degree in entomology with complementary studies in integrated pest management and horticulture at La Molina and the Wageningen Agricultural University (WAU), The Netherlands. She earned a Ph.D. from the University of the Balearic Islands, Spain, and conducted research for the International Potato Center (CIP) in Peru on a project using remote sensing to detect biotic and abiotic stresses in potatoes. Chávez worked at CIP for eight years, where she had the opportunity to travel across Peru.

ChĂĄvez brings this expertise to the wheat physiology group and she says she is lucky for the support of her GWP colleagues. During her tenure at CIMMYT she has organized two courses on plant physiology for national staff at Ciudad ObregĂłn, and edited and coordinated the English-Spanish translation of the manuals Fitomejoramiento FisiolĂłgico volumen I y volumen II. She has also supported Amor Yahyaoui and Pawan Singh during field days in Toluca and coordinated visits by students and children at Ciudad ObregĂłn.

“I am happy to do collaborative research within GWP and CIMMYT as a whole, which involves breeders, pathologists, physiologists, conservation agriculture experts and more,” Chávez said. “If we all work together we can move faster to discover and select genotypes with a very good combination of characteristics. Those genotypes — after several steps — can be released for farmers. We can make an impact on people’s lives.” Chávez will soon start a new stage in her life when she becomes a mother in May. She looks forward to sharing some of her other talents, such as drawing, painting and sculpture, with her baby boy.

CIMMYT strengthens partnerships in South America

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By Sam Storr/CIMMYT

Representatives from the national agricultural systems in Bolivia and Ecuador visited CIMMYT at El BatĂĄn, Mexico, from 7-9 April to lay the framework for future collaboration to improve maize production.

The meeting was preceded by a visit from Colombian officials and will be followed by a visit of officials from Peru at the end of April, completing initial talks between CIMMYT and the four South American countries. “We are determining how CIMMYT can work more quickly and concretely to help feed populations in alliance with these countries. Bolivia is self-sufficient in maize, but it could become an exporter,” said Luis Narro, plant breeder for CIMMYT in Colombia. “Ecuador is importing more, but the government has decided to achieve self-sufficiency in two years. So they want to know how CIMMYT can be more involved in solving the problem of production in these countries, and we hope to improve the lives of producers.” Visitors included Nemesia Achacollo, Bolivian minister for land and rural development; Gabriel Hoyos, executive director general of the National Institute of Agrarian and Forestry Innovation (INIAF, Bolivia); and JosĂ© Luis Zambrano, director of research at Ecuador’s Autonomous National Institute of Agrarian Research (INIAP).

A delegation from Bolivia and Ecuador visited CIMMYT on 7-9 April to discuss possible collaboration. (Photos: Xochiquezal Fonseca)

Presentations on advanced maize research at CIMMYT, including an introduction to MasAgro work in sustainable intensification were conducted for the delegation. After learning more about the extent of work undertaken by CIMMYT, Achacollo was impressed by the challenges facing Bolivia in establishing its own international quinoa center. The delegation members also visited the Agua Fría Experimental Station in Puebla, where Achacollo announced that the Bolivian government would create policies for young Bolivian researchers to train in similar facilities. “We must invest in future generations so that they can provide the foundation of agricultural knowledge,” she said. “We cannot be left behind.”

Snapshot: Borlaug celebrated

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Malwinder Malhi/Syngenta

 

More than 80 farmers in Punjab, India, celebrated the 100th anniversary of Dr. Norman Borlaug’s birth on 25-26 March by reflecting on his achievements and legacy.

 

Appreciation ceremony recognizes Ciudad ObregĂłn

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By Jenny Nelson/CIMMYT

Hans Braun (fourth from left), director of the CIMMYT Global Wheat Program, and Antonio GĂĄndara (fifth from left), president of Patronato, present Borlaug statues and plaques in appreciation of those who helped with the Borlaug Summit on Wheat for Food Security. (Photo: Courtesy of the Tribuna del Yaqui newspaper)

Patronato, an organization representing farmers in Sonora, Mexico, held its Annual Day of the Farmer (Día del Agricultor) on 8 April and awarded plaques of appreciation to the many organizations and agencies in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, that participated in securing the safety and enjoyment of all participants at the Borlaug Summit on Wheat for Food Security, held in the city on 25-28 March. Hans Braun, Global Wheat Program director, attended the event. He expressed his gratitude to Patronato for facilitating the extensive support provided by the police, medical services, fire department and the airport that created the environment for a successful event. Braun also presented a Borlaug statue to Rogelio Diaz Brown, presidente municipal of Ciudad Obregón, as well as to the rector of the Universidad de La Salle Noreste (ULSA), in recognition of their assistance and the warm hospitality of the Ciudad Obregón and the students, staff and faculty of ULSA. Officials who attended the event included Fernando Isaac Apodaca Lauterio, secretary of municipal public security; José Alejandro Cervantes Flores, transit chief; Orlando Velderrain Paredes, official with the prevention police; Manuel Alejandro Velasco Villanueva, infantry colonel chief of staff of Mexican Defense; and Adolfo Díaz Herrera, chief inspector and head of the police.

Kabul workshop addresses maize constraints

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By Rajiv Sharma/CIMMYT

Constraints to raising the productivity of maize in Afghanistan – the country’s fourth most important cereal – were the focus of a workshop in Kabul on 10 March. Afghanistan grows maize on about 142,000 hectares, making it the most important cereal in the country after wheat, barley and rice.

The country produced about 310,000 tons of maize during 2013 with average productivity of 2.2 tons per hectare. Joint efforts by CIMMYT and the Agricultural Research Institute of Afghanistan (ARIA) have led to the release of four open-pollinated varieties (OPVs) during the last few years. Current efforts aim to identify suitable hybrids and more OPVs to enhance and sustain maize productivity.

More than 30 participants from the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), CIMMYT, Kabul University, the World Bank and ARIA research stations in Baghlan, Helmand, Kabul, Kunduz, Jalalabad and Takhar attended the third annual ARIA-CIMMYT maize workshop. The workshop was opened by Mohammad Qasem Obaidi, director of ARIA.

Participants attend a maize workshop in Kabul. Photo: Masood Sultan

Rajiv Sharma, CIMMYT country liaison officer for Afghanistan, welcomed participants and emphasized conducting experiments precisely to draw valid conclusions across environments. The workshop began with the status of maize production and constraints by Abdul Rahman Manan from ICARDA. Manan indicated huge potential for increasing maize production in eastern and southern Afghanistan.

Discipline-specific presentations from different research stations followed. B.B. Singh, seeds advisor to the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation & Livestock’s Agriculture Input Project, supported by the World Bank, advised fine tuning fertilizer recommendations. Finally, ARIA discipline leaders for agronomy, breeding and pathology presented overall results and conclusions for the 2013 crop season.

Mohammad Hashim Azmatyar, head of breeding, identified three new hybrids suitable for release in the country. He said he hoped CIMMYT’s maize program could provide the basic seed from the parental lines of these hybrids and that hybrid seed production training could be organized to assist ARIA researchers and private seed companies. T.S. Pakbin, ARIA technical advisor, congratulated ARIA and for meaningful, collaborative work benefitting maize farmers.

Government official says CIMMYT project could improve nutrition in Ethiopia

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By Seifu Mahifere/CIMMYT

A senior official with the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR), which plays a leading role in influencing agricultural technology development in the country, said CIMMYT’S Nutritious Maize for Ethiopia (NuME) project could have a profound impact in reducing under-nutrition in Ethiopia.

The commendation came during NuME’s annual project performance and review (APPR) meeting on 24 March in Addis Ababa. Endale Gebre, deputy crops research director of EIAR, noted that maize production in Ethiopia has been steadily increasing in the last two decades with a four-fold increase in total production and a 2.5-fold increase in area.

Attendees at the NuME annual project performance and review meeting discussed the project’s future. Photos: Seifu Mahifere

As the importance of maize in the diets of the poor grows, more people will be put at risk of protein deficiency because maize is deficient in essential amino acids, he said. NuME is implemented by CIMMYT in Ethiopia and funded by Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development. It is designed to help improve the food and nutritional security of Ethiopia’s rural population, especially women and children, through the adoption of quality protein maize (QPM) varieties and crop management practices that increase farm productivity. Lysine and tryptophan deficiency are of concern, especially in areas like the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR), where maize constitutes more than 60 percent of dietary protein and people have low access to other protein sources.

NuME is bringing QPM to rural maize producers in the Ethiopian maize belt and beyond. “As a multifaceted project with components that include the widespread promotion and adoption of QPM technologies and QPM seed production, it is strategically important that NuME address this nutritional gap,” Endale said, adding NuME could have a “profound impact” in improving nutritional status in the project area and beyond. Endale also noted that NuME performance is improving from year to year and its partners should work even harder to enable the project to influence the whole maize value chain in the country.

The APPR is a routine exercise that compares outputs and results registered by the project against annual work plan targets developed at the outset. It includes an analysis of major activities against targets proposed, major challenges faced, lessons learned and recommendations for future improvement. The forum serves as a platform to bring partner institutions together to develop work plans for the coming year in a participatory approach to be approved by the project steering committee.

NuME partner institution representatives and NuME staff reported on key project outputs like QPM field food demonstrations and field days undertaken by partners like Sasakawa Global 2000 and regional agricultural research centers. The meeting also included deliberations on breeding and agronomy research, QPM seed production, QPM media material development and radio broadcasting activities and the status of the NuME gender action plan. Thematic working groups examined QPM dissemination, utilization and nutritional impact, as well as breeding and seed production and distribution and agronomy. Detailed action plans were consolidated into thse 2014/15 NuME annual work plan, which was evaluated by the NuME project implementation committee and forwarded to the project steering committee for final approval.

Dr. Borlaug recognized by CIMMYT-India

Written by on . Posted in News.

By Meenakshi Chandiramani, Vibha Dhawan, Raj Gupta, Pankaj Singh and Parvinder Singh/CIMMYT

CIMMYT staff members leave flowers at the statue of Dr. Norman Borlaug in New Delhi. Photo: Meenakshi Chandiramani/CIMMYT

Dr. Norman Borlaug’s birthday was celebrated by CIMMYT staff throughout India in March.
CIMMYT staff from the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA) joined 200 farmers, farm workers and government officials at the BISA Research Farm in Ladhowal for prayer and a shared meal called langar (food for all) to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Dr. Borlaug. The event recognized Dr. Borlaug’s role in reducing hunger and poverty across the globe and how his legacy is continued through BISA’s objectives.

P.S. Pangli, office bearer of the Punjab Agricultural University farmers’ club, and Hardev Singh Ghanour also remembered Dr. Borlaug for his contributions to the farming community and his special attention to Punjabi farmers. Participants proposed that a progressive farmers’ association be formed in Dr. Borlaug’s name, the details of which will be decided in consultation with BISA management. They also suggested organizing a farmer fair to celebrate this anniversary in the future.

A shared meal commemorates the legacy of Dr. Norman Borlaug. Photo: CIMMYT

The event was run with help from the entire BISA team and left the audience committed to follow in Dr. Borlaug’s footsteps. The anniversary was also recognized in the National Agricultural Science Complex, Pusa, New Delhi. CIMMYT-India and BISA staff participated in the event and paid tribute to the Nobel Laureate for his tireless efforts against hunger around the world and particularly in South Asia. Vibha Dhawan and Ashwani Yadav garlanded Dr. Borlaug’s statue, which was unveiled by Shri Sharad Pawar, India’s Minister of Agriculture, in August 2013. The statue is located in front of the office block in the CGIAR-NAAS complex.

Dr. Borlaug was remembered for his services to humanity. CIMMYT and BISA staff members are continuing his efforts by using agricultural research for development to benefit South Asian farmers.

Borlaug Centennial celebrated with international summit

Written by Mike Listman on . Posted in Features.

By Brenna Goth/CIMMYT

More than 700 people from nearly 70 countries joined with some of the greatest minds in agriculture and food security during 25-28 March to recognize the legacy of Dr. Norman E. Borlaug and the future of wheat in Ciudad ObregĂłn, Sonora, Mexico.

CIMMYT organized the Borlaug Summit on Wheat for Food Security with the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative and the Patronato farmers’ association to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Dr. Borlaug’s birth. Dr. Borlaug, known as the father of the Green Revolution, was awarded the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize for his work developing high-yielding wheat varieties now used around the world. He began this research in Ciudad Obregón working for CIMMYT’s predecessor organization.

The Summit built on Borlaug’s history in Sonora’s Yaqui Valley to recognize his scientific contributions, remember his spirit and work ethic and ask what interventions are available today to help feed a growing population in the face of climate change and other challenges. Wheat was the focus of these discussions, with topics including precision agriculture, market outlook, the history of wheat and its importance in various parts of the world.

Norman Borlaug’s Legacy

“Without fail, if you met Norman Borlaug, you remember him,” said CIMMYT Director General Thomas Lumpkin. Summit sessions included personal memories of Dr. Borlaug. Letters and reports from students at the Norman E. Borlaug Primary School, near Mexico City, were displayed at the CIMMYT research station.

CIMMYT Director General Thomas Lumpkin opens
the Borlaug Summit on Wheat for Food Security. Photo: Mike Listman/CIMMYT

Jeanie Borlaug-Laube, Dr. Borlaug’s daughter, left a video message for the Summit reflecting on his life and work. Julie Borlaug, Dr. Borlaug’s granddaughter, arrived to present CIMMYT with the World Food Prize Foundation’s Norman E. Borlaug Medallion. CIMMYT is the Foundation’s fifth recipient of the medal, which recognizes organizations and heads of state  who are not eligible for the World Food Prize but have made outstanding contributions to improving food security and nutrition.

Participants also witnessed CIMMYT’s continuation of Dr. Borlaug’s research with a visit to the Norman E. Borlaug Experimental Station (CENEB) during the Summit field day. Buses took participants to sites throughout the research station to learn about CIMMYT breeding program efforts, wheat improvement strategies and efforts to breed for rust resistance. The wheat physiology group demonstrated tools, including blimps and helicopters, used to measure wheat photosynthesis and other traits. The day recognized Dr. Borlaug’s fondness for Mexico by including a traditional barbeque and mariachi music.

The State of Wheat Today

Speaker sessions held at the Universidad La Salle Noroeste focused on the successes and shortcomings of the Green Revolution and current challenges in producing enough food. Wheat has socially evolved from the grain of “civilized people” to a crop for everyone, said food historian Rachel Laudan. Mechanized milling eliminated the need to devote significant time and back-breaking labor grinding wheat and led to consumption of the grain worldwide.

Speakers agreed that increasing wheat yield to meet worldwide demand is a challenge. “We live in a world of chronic crises,” said Sir Gordon Conway, professor at Imperial College London, during his talk on lessons learned from the Green Revolution, adding that, oftentimes, when one crisis is solved, another arises.

Summit attendees learn about CIMMYT research. Photo: Mike Listman/CIMMYT

Not all of the poor benefitted from the Green Revolution; it passed by much of Africa and it led to increased reliance on synthetic fertilizers, Conway said. At the same time, rising food prices, a need to increase food production, rising meat consumption and stressors such as climate change challenge food security today. Sustainable intensification – through ecological and genetic approaches – can help, Conway said, as well as making sure people get the inputs they need. “We’ve got to intensify production,” he said. “We’ve got to get yields up.”

Philanthropist Howard Buffett also stressed sustainability with his call for a “Brown Revolution,” or a focus on saving soil and the world’s ecosystem. Much of his philanthropic work focuses on farming and agriculture. Farming is the most important profession in the world, Buffett said, yet he has met farmers who cannot feed their families. “I said ‘This is wrong,’” Buffett commented. “We have to figure out how to do this better.”

Looking Forward

Increasing demand for wheat combined with climate change and declining water availability could present challenges to food security. “The time for wheat is arriving,” said Tray Thomas, founding partner of The Context Network, while addressing the wheat market outlook. “We have the technology; we have the people; we have the demand for it.”

New agronomy and tools, untapped wheat genetic diversity, non-conventional breeding and intensification on all fronts could lift yields, stated Tony Fischer, honorary research fellow for the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization in Australia. Conventional breeding is also helping, he added. “Even in the toughest environments, science can make progress.”

Changing how to breed and select crops and deciding where they are grown are all ways forward, added Robb Fraley, executive vice president and chief technology officer for Monsanto. Multi-faceted solutions to address ever-evolving problems are key. Computer-modeled and statistically based data science, for instance, can optimize farm management practices to improve productivity.

CIMMYT Director General Thomas Lumpkin sits with Mexican officials at the opening of the Borlaug Summit
on Wheat for Food Security. Photo: Mike Listman/CIMMYT

Advice can be distributed to farmers in most countries using cell phones. Biotechnology is also changing the way people think about breeding crops, Fraley said. About 17 million farmers in nearly 30 countries are using biotech crops. The Summit ended with the official launch of the International Wheat Yield Partnership, which aims to increase wheat yield potential by up to 50 percent in 20 years through collaboration between the public and private sectors.