Skip to main content

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.

New facility opens in Agua FrĂ­a, Mexico

Written by on . Posted in News.

Nemesia Achacollo, Bolivia’s Minister of Land and Rural Development, and B.M. Prasanna (center left front with tan hat), director of the Global Maize Program, inaugurate a new facility. Photo: Guillermina Sosa Mendoza

By Guillermina Sosa Mendoza/CIMMYT

A new building at the Ernest W. Sprague Experimental Station in Agua Fría, Puebla, was inaugurated on 8 April during a visit from Nemesia Achacollo, Bolivia’s Minister of Land and Rural Development.

With the new facilities, CIMMYT scientists will be able to generate and evaluate maize germplasm as well as expand offerings in doubled haploid (DH) services, seed production and training courses. Ciro SĂĄnchez, the station superintendent, welcomed the group and explained how the station is managed. Achacollo cut the ribbon to inaugurate the building and start the tour.

Vijay Chaikam, CIMMYT DH specialist, explained the benefits of DH seed and the production-to-planting process. “The quality of the parents is most important and can ensure the type of seed that will be obtained,” he said. Achacollo toured the test plots to see the growth and performance of the DH program as well as work by the low tropics team and the hybrid seed production process. She was accompanied by B.M. Prasanna, director of the Global Maize Program, CIMMYT scientists and members of the Bolivian and Ecuadorian governments.

Representatives from Bolivia, Ecuador and CIMMYT’s Global Maize Program visit the Ernest W. Sprague station in Agua Fría, Mexico. Photo: Guillermina Sosa Mendoza

Visitors exchanged viewpoints on the struggles of farmers in their respective countries and how the technology could improve sustainable production in Latin America. Arturo Silva, leader of MasAgro-Maize, and Achacollo agreed on the importance of increasing collaboration for improving maize productivity.

Update: CIMMYT maize inbred lines and pre-commercial hybrids with potential resistance to maize lethal necrosis (MLN)

Written by on . Posted in News.

A promising pre-release CIMMYT hybrid versus an MLN-susceptible commercial check. Since 2011 MLN has become a disease of serious concern in the east African countries of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and possibly Rwanda. CIMMYT has been working in close collaboration with the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), private sector partners and virology experts from the USA to combat the disease through host-controlled resistance. A CIMMYT-KARI MLN Screening Facility was established at Naivasha in September 2013, and a large array of maize germplasm is presently being evaluated against the disease under artificial inoculation. Subsequent to the development of effective protocols, CIMMYT and KARI have been conducting MLN screening trials in Kenya since 2012, to identify promising inbred lines and pre-commercial maize hybrids with resistance to MLN.  This is the second update of the information on potential MLN-resistant or moderately resistant inbred lines and pre-commercial hybrids (in CIMMYT genetic backgrounds), following the first update that was shared with public and private sector partners in May 2013.

An evaluation of CIMMYT inbred lines and pre-commercial hybrids was done under artificial inoculation during 2013-2014 in two independent trials, at Narok and Naivasha sites in the Rift Valley, Kenya (Tables 1 and 2).  In each trial, the entries were grown in at least two replications, and MLN severity scores were recorded at different stages of crop growth (vegetative and reproductive stages) on a 1-5 scale (1 = no disease symptoms, 5 = extensive damage). The highest MLN severity score recorded across different trials on a particular entry, and the corresponding disease response rating, are presented here.

Table 1. Responses of selected CIMMYT maize inbred lines to artificial inoculation with MLN
at Narok and Naivasha, Kenya (2013-2014)

Inbred line

Kernel color

Heterotic Group

Max. MLN severity score

Disease response rating
CLRCY039

Y

B

2.0

R
CLYN261

Y

A

2.0

R
CLRCY034

Y

B

2.0

R
CKDHL120552

W

A

2.3

MR
CKDHL120161

W

B

2.4

MR
CKDHL120668

W

B

2.4

MR
CKDHL120664

W

B

2.4

MR
CML494

W

B

2.5

MR
TZMI730*

W

B

2.5

MR
CKDHL120918

W

B

2.5

MR
CML550

W

B

2.6

MR
CML543 (CKL05003)

W

B

2.7

MR
CKDHL120671

W

B

2.7

MR
CLA106

Y

B

2.7

MR
CKSBL10205

W

AB

2.7

MR
CKSBL10194

W

AB

2.8

MR
CML535 (CLA105)

Y

B

2.8

MR
CKSBL10060

W

A

2.9

MR
CKDHL121310

W

B

3.0

MR
DTPYC9-F46-1-2-1-2-B

Y

A

3.0

MR
CKDHL0500

W

B

3.0

MR

*IITA Inbred Line

Abbreviations
Y: Yellow; W: White
Disease Response Rating
R: Resistant (max. MLN severity score ≀2.0)
MR: Moderately resistant (max. MLN severity
score ≄2.0 but ≀3.0)
S: Susceptible (max. MLN severity score >3.0)		 MLN Severity Scoring (1-5 Scale)
1 = No MLN symptoms
2 = Fine chlorotic streaks on lower leaves
3 = Chlorotic mottling throughout plant
4 = Excessive chlorotic mottling and dead heart
5 = Complete plant necrosis

 

Table 2. Responses of selected CIMMYT pre-commercial hybrids under artificial inoculation
against MLN at Narok and Naivasha, Kenya (2013-2014)

Hybrid Pedigree

Max. MLN severity score

Disease response rating
CKH12613 Under NPT in Tanzania

2.25

MR
CKH12622 CML444/CML445//CLWN234

2.33

MR
CKH12603 Under NPT in Uganda

2.37

MR
CKH12623 CML539/CML442//CLWN234

2.38

MR
CKH12624 CML539/CML442//CML373

2.45

MR
CKIR12014 CML312/CML442// CKSBL10028

2.49

MR
CKH12625 CML444/CML445//CML373

2.50

MR
CKIR12007 CML78/P100C6-200-1-1-B-B-B-B-B// CKSBL10014

2.50

MR
CKDHH0970 CKDHL0089/CKDHL0323//CKDHL0221

2.50

MR
CKIR11024 CML78/P300C5S1B-2-3-2-#-#-1-2-B-B-#// CKSBL10060

2.51

MR
CKH12607 Under NPT in Tanzania

2.51

MR
CKH10085 Under NPT in Kenya

2.62

MR
CKH12600 Under NPT in Uganda and Tanzania

2.66

MR
CKH12627 CLRCW106//CML444/CML395

2.70

MR
CKDHH0943 CKDHL0159/CKDHL0282//CKDHL0214

2.75

MR
CKDHH0945 CKDHL0089/CML395//CKDHL0214

2.75

MR
CKH12626 CML395/CML488//CML373

2.77

MR

Note: The responses of the promising hybrids mentioned above are being validated through
experiments at the MLN Screening Facility in Naivasha

MLN Severity Scoring (1-5 Scale)
1 = No MLN symptoms
2 = Fine chlorotic streaks on lower leaves
3 = Chlorotic mottling throughout plant
4 = Excessive chlorotic mottling and dead heart
5 = Complete plant necrosis		 Disease Response Rating
R: Resistant (max. MLN severity score ≀2.0)
MR: Moderately resistant (max. MLN severity
score ≄2.0 but ≀3.0)

 

 For further information on:

  • MLN research-for-development efforts undertaken by CIMMYT, please contact:
    Dr. B.M. Prasanna, Director, Global Maize Program, CIMMYT, Nairobi, Kenya;
    Email: b.m.prasanna@cgiar.org
  • Availability of seed material of the promising lines and pre-commercial hybrids, please contact:
    Dr. Mosisa Regasa (m.regasa@cgiar.org) if your institution is based in eastern Africa, or Dr. James Gethi (j.gethi@cgiar.org) if your institution is based in southern Africa or outside eastern and southern Africa.

CIMMYT-Pakistan: modernizing national wheat breeding programs

Written by on . Posted in News.

By Yahya Rauf and Imtiaz Muhammad/CIMMYT

In collaboration with the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), CIMMYT organized a ceremony at the National Agricultural Research Center (NARC), Islamabad, to present wheat planters to various research institutions and universities under the Wheat Productivity Enhancement Project (WPEP).

CIMMYT Country Representative Imtiaz Muhammad highlighted the importance of these newly imported small-plot planters, which will replace the traditional hand-sowing crop systems and antiquated machinery currently used by many of the Pakistan national programs. The planters will bring precision and efficiency to research trials.

Planters will be used in the coming wheat season by all WPEP partner institutes and will be tested at small farms for wheat cultivation. The technology will be transferred to farmers to improve crop productivity once it is successful.

Imtiaz Muhammad, CIMMYT country representative, explains the wheat planter to MNFS&R, PARC and USDA officials. Photos: Awais Yaqub

Clay Hamilton, USDA agriculture counselor in Pakistan, said the machinery handover ceremony was an example of the successful scientific collaboration between the United States and Pakistan and institutes like CIMMYT, which is critical in order to achieve better results in agriculture production. This year, CIMMYT, PARC and USDA are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Dr. Norman Borlaug beginning his work in Pakistan to improve wheat productivity.

Seerat Asghar, the secretary of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFS&R), acknowledged the ongoing technology transfer to Pakistan from the U.S. and CIMMYT. PARC Chairman Iftikhar Ahmad said WPEP achieved its goal of increased productivity by introducing disease-resistant wheat varieties, building research capacity, improving disease surveillance systems, developing seed distribution systems and modernizing national crop development programs through upgrading infrastructure and equipment. Moreover, Pakistan is now prepared to cope with the challenges of Ug99 while also developing new wheat varieties to help meet increasing food demand.

Maize-free window to curb spread of disease in Kenya

Written by on . Posted in News.

By Wandera Ojanji/CIMMYT

Buoyed by the success of a campaign to curb the spread of maize lethal necrosis (MLN), the farming community around the Kiboko Crops Research Station in Makueni County, Kenya, agreed to create a maize-free window during August and September and to plant within two weeks of the onset of long rains in April.
The decisions follow an effective campaign by CIMMYT, the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) and the Makueni County Ministry of Agriculture last year to create a maize-free window in March and April 2014, which required farmers to stop planting maize between the end of October 2013 and the end of February this year. The maize-free windows are critical in interrupting the disease cycle, thus reducing the population of vectors.

A community leader shares his perspectives on MLN and its control in Kiboko. Photo: Wandera Ojanj

A meeting was organized on 1 April by Stephen Mugo, principal scientist and maize breeder for CIMMYT’s Global Maize Program, in partnership with KARI and the Makueni County Ministry of Agriculture at the Kiboko Crops Research Station. More than 25 people attended, including county administration, local community leaders, religious leaders, Makueni County agricultural staff, Kiboko farmers and CIMMYT and KARI scientists.

“Farmers did, to a very large extent, respect and adhere to our resolution to have a maize-free window, which was enough to reduce vector density and consequently transmission,” Mugo said. According to Lucas Ngulu, Makindu District agricultural officer, more than 95 percent of farmers within a 5-kilometer radius of the Kiboko Crops Research Station followed the resolution passed at the first MLN stakeholders meeting on 1 October 2013. They did not plant maize and instead planted cowpeas and pigeonpeas during the period. Joel Mbithi, farm manager for the CIMMYT Kiboko Crops Research Station, attributed the success to the aggressive awareness campaigns that partners conducted in the area.

However, most of the farmers who grow maize under irrigation did not adhere to the call for a maize-free window. Their decision is attributed partly to a lack of understanding about the importance of the campaign and partly driven by the need to earn a living, as most of them depend on the sale of irrigated maize for their livelihoods.

Isaac Kariuki, the Makindu District deputy agricultural officer, noted that the few farmers who did not adhere to the advice lacked proper and accurate information on the disease. He called on the team to provide accurate information in a timely manner and to do everything possible to bring the remaining farmers on board. Some farmers wrongly believed that the disease is controlled by heavy rains. “As fate would have it, those farmers who still went ahead and planted maize lost their crop to drought that hit the region after the initial heavy and consistent rains,” Kariuki said.

Reverend Reuben Mulwa called on participants to be ambassadors and reach out to fellow farmers to respect and adhere to the maize-free windows. “Lead by example by being the first to adhere to the resolution,” Mulwa said. “But take due diligence when talking to other farmers about respecting and adhering to these resolutions.”

Field days in Malawi and Zambia promote metal silos

Written by on . Posted in News.

By Wandera Ojanji/CIMMYT

The Effective Grain Storage for Sustainable Livelihoods of African Farmers Project (EGSP) Phase-II held a series of field days in Malawi and Zambia to raise awareness and demonstrate the efficacy of metal silos in protecting stored grains against weevils and larger grain borers – the two most destructive storage insect pests of maize. The project is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

Farmers feel properly stored grain from a metal silo during the field day at Banda Jessy’s farm in Chimtende Camp, Katete District, Zambia. Photos: Wandera Ojanji

During the events, farmers compared the good-quality grain stored in a silo to the damaged grain stored in traditional structures and gunny bags. Artisans and extension officers also demonstrated the proper use and handling of a metal silo. The first field day was held on 8 April at Banda Jessy’s farm in Chimtende Camp, Katete District, Eastern Province, Zambia. More than 160 farmers, metal silo artisans, agricultural officers and local leaders attended the event.

Metal silos have many benefits, said Dolan Mulumbu, Chimtende camp officer. They have the ability to store grain for many years without damage, don’t require insecticides, are portable and are insect- and rodent-proof. They also give farmers flexibility on when to sell their grain and allow them to store grain for their families. Greyson Phiri, Sambira Village headman, thanked CIMMYT for bringing the metal silo technology to farmers.

The second field day in Zambia was held on 9 April at Peter Mwanza’s homestead in the Kamlaza Agricultural Camp, Chipata District, Eastern Province. The field day was attended by more than 270 farmers from the camp. Most farmers in the area sell their grain immediately after harvest for fear of it being destroyed by post-harvest pests.

Moffat Khosa, of the Zambian Ministry of Agriculture’s Department of Mechanization, urged farmers to adopt the technology to help them avoid selling their grain immediately after harvest – when the prices average US$ 10 per 50 kilogram bag – and sell at a higher price later in the season. He challenged farmers to invest in post-harvest technologies as much as they are investing in other farm inputs, such as seed and fertilizer.

Chilese Mabengwa and Zidana Mbewe, district extension officers for Katete and Chipata, respectively, demonstrate proper use and handing of metal silos during the field day at Banda Jessy’s farm in Chimtende Camp, Katete District, Zambia.

More than 240 farmers attended the third field day on 11 April at Frank Renadi’s farm in Kapsala Village, Chigonti Extension Planning Area, Lilongwe District, Malawi. It was attended by Wilfred Lipita, controller of Agriculture Extension and Technical Services; Godfrey Ching’oma, director of Crop Development; his deputy, Bartholomew Ngauma; Penjani Theu, program manager, Lilongwe Agricultural Development Division; district development officers from Lilongwe and Mchinji; and local leaders from Chigothi. Lipita urged farmers to take advantage of the 50-50 cost-sharing offer from the project to acquire metal silos, adding that those who cannot afford to pay 50 percent can opt for cheaper super grain bags.

The project intends to distribute 7,500 super grain bags to smallholder farmers in the Lilongwe and Mchinji districts for demonstration. “The crop in the field needs to be protected from maize weevils and larger grain borers, rodents and ambient moisture fluctuations,” Lipita said. “Where the crop has done well, there is need for farmers to jealously guard the crop so that there are no post-harvest losses.”

Angola: shifting from landraces to improved maize varieties

Written by on . Posted in News.

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’

Written by on . Posted in News.

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

Written by on . Posted in News.

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

Written by on . Posted in News.

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

Written by on . Posted in News.

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

Written by on . Posted in News.

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

Written by on . Posted in News.

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

Written by on . Posted in Features.

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

Written by on . Posted in News.

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

Written by on . Posted in News.

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.