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.

CIMMYT-Hyderabad welcomes a Limagrain delegation

Written by on . Posted in News.

A group of 14 Limagrain representatives visited the CIMMYT-Asia maize program in Hyderabad, India, on 18 July 2012. Limagrain is an international agricultural co-operative group specialized in field seeds, vegetable seeds and cereal products. Led by Daniel Cheron, CEO of Groupe Limagrain, the delegation included Georges Freyssinet (CEO of Genective), Valerie Mazza (corporate scientific director), Sophie Boulinguez (scientific project manager), Elisabeth Chanliaud (research coordinator), Christiane Duchene (seed regulation & IP manager), Mimia Ghania Taleb (biotechnology project manager), Frank Coutand (patent department manager), Jean-Paul Guinebretiere (research manager), Arnaud Messager (scientific director of Vegetable Seeds Division), Pascual PĂ©rez (head of Trait Discovery), Philippe Bertaux (research director of Limagrain Asia), Suhas Nimbalkar (head of R&D Support Services, Bisco Bio Sciences), and Vinod K. Yadav (breeding coordinator of Bisco Bio Sciences). The team was received by P.H. Zaidi, Senior Maize Physiologist of the CIMMYT-Asia Program, and CIMMYT maize program staff based in Hyderabad.

India-ZaidiAfter a formal introduction, Zaidi gave an overview of the research program and priorities of the CIMMYT-Asia maize program, and the ongoing collaborations with various public and private institutions in the region, including the International Maize Improvement Consortium (IMIC-Asia). He emphasized CIMMYT’s initiatives towards purposeful partnerships, which offer a big opportunity for pro-poor agricultural investment and innovations (such as IMIC-Asia and MAIZE), the global alliance for food security, and the livelihood of resource-poor in the developing world.

The Limagrain team discussed the ongoing research programs at CIMMYT-Hyderabad and expressed particular interest in research on abiotic stresses, especially on drought and heat stress, and major diseases, including foliar diseases and stalk rots. Cheron mentioned the existing collaboration with CIMMYT, including research on double haploids in Mexico and within IMIC-Asia. In the future, he hopes to further strengthen the partnership, especially in Asia, starting in India and China. The group also visited CIMMYT’s root phenotyping facility at the ICRISAT campus and appreciated its significance for precision phenotyping for molecular breeding projects. At the end of the visit, Cheron suggested that the Limagrain-India team further explore avenues of mutual interest to build an even stronger partnership with the CIMMYT-Asia maize program.

Principal supplier of barley to the Mexican beer industry joins MasAgro

Written by on . Posted in News.

On 12 July 2012, Impulsora AgrĂ­cola, a company dedicated to promoting and improving the cultivation of malt barley, signed a coordination agreement with CIMMYT to adopt MasAgro’s working model. This partnership shall take effect mainly within the BajĂ­o area (Guanajuato and QuerĂ©taro), in the highlands (Estado de MĂ©xico, Hidalgo, Puebla, and Tlaxcala) and Zacatecas, where most of the malt barley consumed by Mexico’s beer industry is produced.

During the ceremony, the Director General of Impulsora Agrícola, Carlos Pérez Castañeda, stated that thanks to this agreement, MasAgro shall have an effect on 20,000 producers who harvest around 600,000 tons of barley a year, covering an area of 300,000 hectares. Pérez Castañeda added that the total production is sold, under contract, to the Mexican beer industry for nearly 2.5 billion pesos (approximately 2 billion dollars).

Bram Govaerts, head of MasAgro’s component Take it to the Farmer explained that the aim of the partnership is to increase the number of “driving centers” or platforms operating under the leadership of the producers, with funding from Trust Funds for Rural Development (FIRA in Spanish) and Impulsora AgrĂ­cola, backed by MasAgro and state governments.

Govaerts also mentioned that 280 producers had received training through the MasAgro–Driving Center platforms, and that a total of 3,370 barley producers had assisted in demonstration days organized by the “driving centers” in Hidalgo, Tlaxcala and Guanajuato. As a result, the principles of agricultural conservation and precision agriculture techniques are now being adopted in 3,964 hectares dedicated to the production of malt barley.

The event was presided over by Mexican Minister for Agriculture, Francisco Mayorga Castañeda, who estimated that MasAgro would benefit from nearly 50,000 barley producers. The Minister of SAGARPA took the opportunity to refer to the acknowledgment that MasAgro received from the G20 Agriculture Group, who cited the project as a model to follow in developing research, innovation and transfer technology, as well as in coordinating public-private partnerships in the agri-food sector. Mayorga Castañeda confirmed that for this reason, MasAgro would be discussed at the next meeting of leading agricultural scientists, which is due to be organized by the current G20 Mexican Presidency next September.

Nutritionally-enhanced maize reaching Filipino farmers and families

Written by on . Posted in Features.

Agricultural extension agents are getting seed of quality protein maize to the mountainous areas in the Philippines and encouraging smallholder farmers in its use. Widespread use of this nutritionally-enhanced maize can potentially help reduce rice dependency, improve child nutrition, and supply grain for inner city school meal programs.

Maize is not the first crop that comes to mind when one thinks about the Philippines, where rice paddies dominate the landscape. But a traveler to the nation’s mountainous regions will increasingly find maize crops there. Through public sector maize breeders and extension officers, upland farmers are beginning to sow the seed of an improved quality protein maize (QPM) variety. QPM looks, grows, and tastes like normal maize but contains higher levels of two essential amino acids, lysine and tryptophan, for protein synthesis in humans and farm animals like pigs and poultry. Nutritional studies in Ethiopia have already demonstrated that QPM consumption can reduce or prevent stunted growth in young children whose diets are heavy in maize.

Where small is not always good, quality counts

geraldine-delphinoThe Philippine uplands are home to the poorest farmers and minority groups, for whom arable land is scarce and hunger a constant threat. The average family includes at least five children, and must survive on a farm homestead of only one hectare. Antonio Rodriguez is a 46-year-old farmer in Jose V. Dayao village outside of Naga City. He struggles to put food on the table for a family that includes
six children. “We own half a hectare of land and rent an additional two hectares,” he explains, “but it is not enough to support our family.” In a nearby village, farmer Geraldine Delphino and her husband must feed themselves and their five children from little more than half a hectare of land. “My husband and I are both farmers,” says Delphino. “He often works as a laborer on other farms. We sell whenever we have a surplus and buy white maize when we can.”

wilma-hurtadaWilma Hurtada, Food Science Professor at the University of the Philippines, Los Baños, has studied QPM and nutrition in children. “For families with limited land, limited resources, and a large family, the quality of the food they grow is very important,” she says.

Reaching farmers in the marginal areas
As in many developing countries, in the Philippines yellow-grained maize is grown mostly by large-scale commercial farmers for animal feed and non-food uses. White-grained maize is produced by smallholders and used for human foods, particularly in maize-dependent upland areas, according to Art Salazar, Principal Maize Breeder at the Institute for Plant Breeding (IPB), Los Baños. “It’s difficult to reach farmers with improved white maize cultivars,” says Salazar. “They live in the marginal areas, on the outskirts of economic activity.”

The IPB took QPM seed from CIMMYT, where this specialty maize was developed, and over four years adapted it to local conditions. A QPM variety was finally released by the National Seed Industry Council in 2008. “Now we have a variety which is high in lysine and tryptophan and which suits the climate of the Philippines and Filipino taste preferences,” says Salazar. “This was all done through conventional breeding and research collaboration with CIMMYT.”

efren-magulamaTo test and promote the white QPM with farmers and distribute seed, Salazar relies on the extension support of experts from diverse Philippine institutions. One is Efren E. Magulama, a maize breeder at the University of Southern Mindanao. “We work with about 20 farmers in Region XII Province of North Cotabato, Magpet Municipality, to introduce QPM into communities—mostly in the mountainous regions, which are difficult to reach,” says Magulama.

Farmer Marevic Fraile in Magpet Municipality, North Cotabato grows rubber, banana, coffee, and cocoa to sell, but grows maize for food. “We eat maize three times a day with every meal, mostly as grits,” Fraile explains. “We used to grow Tiniguib [a white maize variety popular in the Philippines], but when we switched to QPMour yields improved.”

Studies have shown that on average the QPM developed by the Filipino breeders yields 10% more than traditional white maize varieties. This is particularly important for its adoption by maize-dependent farmers, who are interested first and foremost in higher yields.

Homing in on nutrition
The nutritional advantages of QPM create opportunities to foster demand at some novel points in the food value chain, raising its interest for the farmers and seed producers. Salazar is working with Filipino health officials (in the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Health) and partners like Hurtada to introduce QPM grits into school meal programs in the poorest districts of Metropolitan Manila. “The national average of stunting in children in the Philippines is 29%; also 30% are energy deficient,” says Hurtada. “That’s just the national profile. When you go to the areas we’re targeting, you see a much higher incidence.”

The project aims to work with families whose parents have daily incomes under USD 1.20. “The children receive only about 980 calories a day,” says Hurtada. “They go to school without breakfast. When we ask how often they eat, they tell us one or two times a day.” The goal of the feeding program is to reach 1 million children, starting with 150 schools in Quezon City. “If we can do that, then we can really make a big impact on reducing malnutrition among children and general food security in the Philippines.”

“Instead of food aid, this initiative is developing a market for white maize farmers, improving nutrition for both farmers and school children, and contributing to the growth of the Filipino economy,” explained Salazar.

For more information: Michelle Defreese (m.defreese@cgiar.org)

Art Salazar Interview

art_salazar
Dr. Artemio Salazar is the Principal Maize Breeder at the Institute of Plant Breeding (IPB) in Los Baños, Philippines. He has been working on maize for the past 30 years, developing lines adapted to conditions in the Philippines from the germplasm sourced from indigenous farmers, local partners, and international organizations such as CIMMYT. He is the Deputy Director of the University of the Philippines’ Crop Science cluster in Los Baños.

In a rice-dependent country like the Philippines, how did you decide to become involved with maize breeding?
I completed my BSc in Agricultural Chemistry but soon became fed up of being around chemicals, so I shifted to agronomy. I really enjoyed working outdoors, being in the fresh air. I was approached by the first director of IPB in 1975 to be a part of the first technical staff of the Institute. I completed my PhD at Iowa State University in 1985. Now I realize I made the right choice because maize can and will help address nutritional needs and food insecurity issues in the Philippines.

How do you see maize playing a role in food security in the Philippines?
The Philippines should not be importing rice. 10% of rice importations could easily be filled by maize. If you could convince the equivalent of Filipinos to eat maize or a rice/maize blend, we would not have to import rice. We could eventually become a net exporter of rice. Importing rice does not make a lot of sense when there are maize substitutes. It aggravates social problems. If maize famers are poor, they will flock to the cities or become rebels. That has tremendous social costs. Investing in maize is a way to stem patterns of rural to urban migration.

What role do you see QPM varieties having in the Philippines?
Maize has been here all along for the past five hundred years or so. QPM can be a rally point for people to become interested in maize because it has a more balanced protein quality. If you can stimulate an increased interest in maize through QPM, half the problem would be solved.

You’ve also been involved in developing mills to produce maize grits and maize flour. What role do you see these playing in improving food security?
Crops are grown in the rural areas and they have to be milled. So they bring them down do the lowland areas to process them and bring them back up to the mountainous areas. The mills have to be cheap, efficient, and mobile. These mills (cost) only USD 1,500 and can be used with gasoline instead of electricity. 25 billion pesos of wheat flour are imported every year; that’s USD 500 million. If you substituted 20% of that with corn flour, you could recover the cost of USD 100 million. If you transmitted that to rural farmers, imagine what kind of impact that would have. Plus, the maize still retains its QPM properties, even when milled.

What is the role CIMMYT is playing in this initiative?
One thing is for certain, this project is not relying on foreign funds or institutions. This is a Filipino initiative. The germplasm which CIMMYT has been providing is already a big help. Collaboration of this kind can really help host countries. Funds should be sourced from government resources because it is sustainable. Funds should also come from the private sector. Then, it continues on and on. That is sustainable funding.

Creating an impact does not have to be an expensive proposition. If you can develop a technology and the host country can make full use of it, you can have a tremendous impact. When we started this, there was no foreign funding – only local funds in addition to CIMMYT germplasm and collaboration. A little research collaboration like the interaction between CIMMYT and IPB can go a long way.

Boosting adoption and utilization of orange maize in Zambia

Written by on . Posted in News.

In Zambia, 54 percent of children are Vitamin A-deficient; a condition resulting in poor eyesight, low immunity, and high rates of mortality. The HarvestPlus Challenge Program is hoping to rectify this situation through the development and widespread adoption of orange maize varieties containing provitamin A carotenoids that the body converts to Vitamin A. The orange maize not only provides vital nutrients, it is also tasty and especially appealing to children because of its distinctive color.

However, consumers need reassurance that orange maize contains the quantities of carotenoids claimed by producers. “Zambia does not currently have the capacity to undertake carotenoid testing in its laboratories. Samples of orange maize were always sent to Mexico for provitamin A carotenoid analysis,” stated Eliab Simpugwe, HarvestPlus Zambia country manager. “Though this is now set to change with the support from CIMMYT Mexico laboratories,” he added.

Two Zambians have been trained in Mexico and follow-up training in Zambia was conducted with ten other participants from the Tropical Disease Research Centre (TDRC), Ndola, and the Zambia Agriculture Research Institute (ZARI), Lusaka. Octavio Custodio (who was in Zambia from 11-16 June 2012), a research assistant in the CIMMYT maize quality lab enjoyed sharing technical details of the process with his Zambian colleagues, and said he “remains optimistic on their capacity to fine-tune these methods in their labs.”

The capacity building will continue in 2013 with an inter-laboratory proficiency test in which both TDRC and ZARI will participate to have their laboratories certified. “There is great interest from other crop-projects in Zambia to have carotenoid analysis performed in laboratories in-country instead of shipping samples to other countries for analysis,” said Fabiana DeMoura, HarvestPlus nutrition coordinator.

The provitamin A maize breeding program in Zambia will also benefit as their pipeline material will be analyzed in house. “The challenge remains to prove and sustain this service in order to be part of a solution to nutrition and agricultural productivity of the region,” said Tembo Howard, lab manager at ZARI and one of the trainees.

Howard G. Buffett: in support of conservation agriculture for smallholder farmers

Written by on . Posted in News.

Howard G. Buffett recently published a great article about his view of conservation agriculture and its importance for the future (see the whole article at http://bit.ly/NzFZvV) in which he is addressing ten common myths of conservation agriculture when applied to smallholder farmers:

  1. Minimum or no-till cultivation practices require more labor, do not sequester enough carbon, and in some cases can be harmful to soil structure.
  2. Retention of high levels of crop residue for ground cover mulch is not realistic for smallholder farmers because they are not able to produce suf-ïŹ cient biomass or must use biomass to feed higher value livestock.
  3. Smallholder farmers in the developing world cannot access or aff ord the herbicides they need to combat weeds without signiïŹ cant additional labor.
  4. In much of the developing world, there is limited availability of seeds and too high a need for subsistence food crops to justify investment in productive cover crop plant varieties.
  5. Small farm plot areas, limited dietary demand and long time horizons to realize beneïŹ ts limit adoption of crop rotation and intercropping practices.
  6. Benefits are highly sensitive to a wide variety of local environmental, climatic and socioeconomic conditions, making adoption of conservation agriculture a more complex and riskier approach.
  7. The time and training required for adoption of conservation agriculture is impractical for solving the immediate and future need.
  8. Synthetic fertilizers will solve productivity problems for smallholder farmers, therefore there is no need for conservation agriculture.
  9. In cases where smallholders begin to adopt conservation agriculture, as soon as external funding and technical support is discontinued, many farmers revert to previous conventional farming methods.
  10. The challenge of changing the ‘mindset’ of millions of poor farmers requires an enormous eff ort to redeïŹ ne the culture of agriculture.

About the Howard G. Buff ett Foundation

Established in 1999, the Howard G. Buff ett Foundation’s primary mission is to improve the standard of living and quality of life for the world’s most impoverished and marginalized populations. The Foundation’s focus is on international programs that operate in challenging environments, including conflict and post-conflict countries. The Foundation has supported more than 100 agricultural projects in over 40 countries and more than 35 nutrition projects in over 20 countries. The Foundation believes achieving global food security requires all countries—including the United States—to adapt its agricultural practices and policies to meet long-term agricultural needs and successfully address hunger and malnutrition.  For more information visit: www.thehowardgbuffettfoundation.org

G20 agriculture report praises a Mexican program geared at raising maize and wheat production

Written by on . Posted in News.

A report by the G20 Agriculture Group recognized that the Sustainable Modernization of Traditional Agriculture program (MasAgro) is a Mexican initiative that could serve as a model for coordinating research and development, innovation, technology transfer, as well as public-private partnerships in the agri-food sector.

At a meeting where a specialized group of the B20 (Business 20, which includes the private sector) and representatives of the World Economic Forum (WEF) focused on Mexico, Mexico’s Secretary of Agriculture, Francisco Mayorga Castañeda, explained that the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA) has supported including food security as a priority while Mexico is chair of the G20. He  also pointed out that the MasAgro program is aimed at raising productivity based on small farms and emphasizing small-scale maize and wheat producers. He indicated that, as a first step, this model, which was initiated in Mexico in 2011 under a collaborative agreement with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), will be discussed at a meeting of eminent agricultural scientists to be held in September 2012, while Mexico is chairing the G20.

As recommended by the B20 task force on food security, the G20 should promote public and private investment to achieve a 50% increase in agricultural production and productivity by the year 2030. At a meeting chaired by Daniel Servtije, CEO of Grupo Bimbo and the person in charge of the G20 food security task force, Mayorga emphasized the benefits of publicprivate partnerships in the agrifood sector. He said that Mexico supports the Mexican Agribusiness Association for Sustainable Growth, in collaboration with the WEF, whose general objective is to improve the productivity, competitiveness, and sustainability of the agri-food sector.

The meeting where the B20 made recommendations to the G20 was also attended by Greg Page, from Cargill, who spoke on markets and trade; Eduardo Elsztain, from IRSA, on investments; Stefan Lippe, from Swiss Re, on risk management; Eduardo Tricio Haro, from Grupo Lala, on land rights; Jim Collins, from Dupont, on research and development; Shenggen Fan, from IFPRI, on public policy and capacities; BĂĄrbara Stocking, from Oxfam, on small-scale farmer development; JosĂ© Manuel Madero, from Monsanto, on sustainability and technology use; and Pedro Padierna, from PepsiCo, on Mexico’s experience with public/private partnerships.

Later, Secretary Mayorga, Daniel Servitje, and Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever, took part in discussions between CEOs and government leaders on food security. Also participating were Yayi Boni, the President of Benin oand current representative of the African Union, and JosĂ© Graziano da Silva, Director General of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Angola to strengthen DTMA collaboration

Written by on . Posted in News.

During the week of 18-22 June 2012, the Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) project leader Tsedeke Abate, accompanied by CIMMYT maize breeder Cosmos Magorokosho and socioeconomist Girma Tesfahun visited Angola, where they received a warm welcome from the government. Dibanzilua Nginamau, from DTMA in Angola, accompanied them on their visit. The trip provided the DTMA team an opportunity to dialogue with government officials and seed company representatives.

The DTMA team met with the permanent secretary for the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MOARDF), José Rodrígues Prata Junior, on 19 June 2012. Prata Junior expressed his enthusiasm about working with CIMMYT and said that he is keenly following DTMA work with the Instituto de Investigaçao Agronómica (IIA). Maize is crucial to the Angolan economy; last year, the country imported 700,000 metric tons of maize grain. In 2011, DTMA facilitated the purchase of 14 tons of basic seed of the drought tolerant open pollinated variety ZM 523 (a CIMMYT-derived variety) from Agri Seed, a Zimbabwean company.

The team also attended the Angola National Coordinating Unit meeting at IIA-Huambo, opened by the institute’s director general Mpanzo Domingos and which brought together DTMA national partners. The team met with Antonio Faceira, the proprietor of Mundo Verde, a private company that works with DTMA in Angola.

Last year, Faceira supplied 600 tons of ZM 523 to the government at no cost for distribution to smallholder farmers. Next year, he hopes to expand this to 2,000 tons. The DTMA team visited the Mundo Verde farm which has an average yield for maize of 8 t/ha (the current national yield is about 0.7 t/ha).

IMG_016ANGOLAThe CIMMYT team, accompanied by Nginamau and Faceira, had a second meeting with Prata Junior on 22 June 2012. Thanking him for the warm welcome and willingness to support DTMA work in Angola, Abate pointed out the need for favorable policies on variety release and the involvement of the private sector in developing a sustainable seed production and delivery system. Discussions during the meeting also emphasized the need for the agriculture ministry to set targets for increasing the maize yield within the next five years. Abate reiterated CIMMYT’s willingness to offer technical support towards achieving the government’s goal of accelerated maize production. Prata Junior welcomed the suggestions and asked for immediate support in capacity building. He also emphasized the need for the capacity to produce basic seed within Angola and pointed out that the country is importing an additional 20,000 tons seed for the coming season. Prata Junior said the introduction of early-maturing hybrids would be highly appreciated in light of recurrent droughts in the country. He also pledged to follow up with the MOARDF for the large-scale dissemination of DTMA varieties.

ATMA annual review and planning meeting

Written by on . Posted in News.

The ‘Abiotic stress tolerant maize for Asia’ (ATMA) project aims to increase incomes and food security for the poor of South and southeast Asia, with the assistance of Deutsche Gesellschaft fĂŒr Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). The second phase was launched in May 2011, and on 11 June 2012, the first annual progress review and planning session took place at the University of Hohenheim (UH), Stuttgart, Germany.

India12

All the collaborating institutions were represented, including: the Directorate of Maize Research (DMR), Maharana Pratap University of Agricultural Science & Technology, India, Acharya NG Ranga Agriculture University, India, the National Maize Research Institute (NMRI), Vietnam, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, the Institute of Plant Breeding, Philippines, UH, Germany, and CIMMYT.

The meeting began with a warm welcome from Albrecht E. Melchinger (UH), who highlighted the partnerships between UH and various institutions of the CGIAR, but in particular the partnership between UH and CIMMYT, which has existed for more than 20 years. In the opening session, Raman Babu, maize molecular breeder, CIMMYT, discussed recent advances in genomic selection and the genome-wide association mapping approach, focusing on its potential use in maize breeding, particularly for complex traits such as drought and water-logging.

The ATMA project country leaders, including Melchinger, R. Sai Kumar (DMR), Le Quy Kha (NMRI), and Bhagya Rani Banik, then presented the project’s progress over the past year. During this time, socio-economic studies were carried out, and these were jointly presented by T.R. Prabhakarna (CIMMYT-Delhi) and V.K. Yadav (DMR). After summarizing CIMMYT-Asia’s overall progress, CIMMYT’s senior maize physiologist and ATMA project coordinator, P.H. Zaidi, went on to outline areas that need special attention over the coming year in order to meet the project’s
milestones and commitments.

Led by MT Vinayan, post-doctoral fellow at CIMMYT-Hyderabad, the afternoon session focused on creating a detailed work-plan, assigning tasks among partners, and discussing activities for the next year. Zaidi mentioned that to date, all the multi-location trials have been conducted in India due to issues in exporting of trials to partners in other countries. However, since the export permit is now available, the ATMA trials will now be shipped to partners from Bangladesh, Philippines, and Vietnam for evaluation at their sites.

Delegates at the meeting also discussed how the ATMA project will provide opportunities for further research and learning. Among these, ATMA partners will have the opportunity to attend a capacity building workshop on “Double Haploid in Maize Breeding” to be held at UH. Details of the research project that ATMA Ph.D. scholar Do Van Dung (NMRI) will be conducting were also discussed and finalized, while two interns, one each from Bangladesh and Vietnam, have been invited to work at CIMMYT-Hyderabad. Their six-week placements will provide them with hands-on experience on key aspects of breeding for enhancing water-logging and drought tolerance in maize.

Celebrating Africa Day

Written by on . Posted in News.

Africa is not just a food security problem, it is a critical part of the solution. Agriculture will be key to the future of Africa—and Africa, with its enormous potential, will play a decisive role in the future of agriculture and global food security.

This Africa Day, 25 May 2012, we celebrate CIMMYT’s work in Africa and the critical role and vision of African scientists, policymakers, and farmers.  Check out our new CIMMYT in Africa webpage, packed with stories, images, videos, events, publications and more, at: http://staging.cimmyt.org/en/cimmyt-in-africa.

Congratulations and happy Africa Day to all our African colleagues and friends!

21st anniversary of NARC celebrated in Nepal

Written by on . Posted in News.

On 07 May 2012, the Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC) celebrated its 21st Anniversary in Kathmandu. Chief Guest, Barsha Man Pun, Ministerdesignate and representative of the Honorable Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, inaugurated the opening ceremony. Other Government authorities such as Dipendra Bahadur Kshetry, Vice Chairman of the National Planning Commission, Nathu Prasad Chaudhary, Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MoAC), and Dil Bahadur Gurung, NARC Executive Director, were also among the high level officials attending the celebration. CIMMYT-Nepal was represented by G. Ortiz-Ferrara, Country Liaison Officer, Arun K. Joshi, Head of Administration, and Nirmal Gadal, Agronomist.

NEPAL55The gathering brought together more than 275 scientists and development workers. “The Nepal Government is planning to raise the budget for agriculture significantly in the upcoming national budget plan” said Pun. “There is also a need to adopt enhanced technology to double agricultural production and to attract youth to the sector,” he added. Pun also mentioned that “the Prime Minister and his Government are committed to giving top priority to farming as it is the only way to alleviate poverty and ensure employment for a larger section of society”.

Kshetry stated that “in the next Governmental fiscal year, NARC and MoAC have plans to deploy large numbers of agricultural scientists and technicians in all 75 districts of the country to address farming and farmers’ problems.” Whilst Gurung highlighted that “the low seed replacement rate is one of the major factors affecting farm productivity and output. Similarly, around 70% of the farmland in the country is not irrigated and they depend on the mercy of the sky”.

On behalf of CIMMYT’s Director General, the Management, and of the CIMMYT colleagues who have worked in Nepal over the past 27 years, Ortiz-Ferrara congratulated NARC on its anniversary and thanked the Government of Nepal for their strong partnership and for hosting the South Asia regional office. He took the opportunity to brief the audience about the Nepal Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA) concept discussed with the management of NARC by Director General Thomas Lumpkin, during his recent visit to Nepal. “The strategic objective of BISA in Nepal is to enable NARC, CIMMYT, and its partners to deliver greater impact toward food security and livelihoods in the country,” said Ortiz-Ferrara. He also highlighted the strong endorsement given to the BISA India by the Honorable Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh and the Government of India.

In their closing remarks, Pun and Kshetry expressed the Government of Nepal’s strong interest and unconditional support for a BISA-Nepal. “Nepal is a poor country, but we have a good heart, we fully support this initiative” said Gurung. NARC and CIMMYT-Nepal scientists are currently having strategic meetings to develop a proposal and plan of action to make BISA-Nepal a reality.

Looking to the future with CAAS and China

Written by on . Posted in News.

the-chinese-academy1Whilst Director General Thomas Lumpkin is in China meeting with the ex- and current Presidents of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) in Beijing, a delegation of six CAAS representatives took the opportunity to come to El BatĂĄn to discuss collaborations between CIMMYT and China and opportunities for future projects. Li Jinxiang, Vice President, Ye Zhihua, Director General of the Institute of Quality Standard and Testing Technology for Agro-Products, Chen Wanquan, Director Generation of the Institute of Plant Protection, Li Sijing, Vice President of the Graduate School, Niu Liping, Deputy Director General of the Logistic Service Center, and Wang Jing, Project Officer of the Department of International Cooperation of CAAS visited CIMMYT while in Mexico for the G20 meetings.

Director of Research and Partnerships, Marianne BĂ€nziger, presented on behalf of Lumpkin, highlighting that CIMMYT “benefits from a very strong contribution from China, not only in terms of partnerships, but also from Chinese students”. Seven students from China completing their PhD research at CIMMYT were also on hand to welcome the visitors and discuss their work.

In recent years, China’s largest crop has switched from rice to maize. Last year, 192 million tons of maize was harvested, but despite this record yield, China still needed to import 2 million tons of maize from the US alone. This deficit is partially due to increasing levels of meat consumption in China; per capita consumption of pork is expected to reach 38kg this year and a bad harvest could result in food shortages and price hikes worldwide. For this reason maize yields are a high priority for CIMMYT and maize breeder FĂ©lix San Vicente presented CIMMYT’s Global Maize Program to the visitors.

China is also the world’s largest producer of wheat (producing 17% of total yield), though the 2011 harvest was heavily affected by drought. Etienne Duveiller, Associate Director of the Global Wheat Program, presented CIMMYT’s recent developments and discussed a particular area of interest, the Wheat Yield Consortium, with the delegation. Marianne BĂ€nziger reiterated “I think the WYC is one of the most incredible examples of international cooperation with 32 institutions working together to develop a strategy to raise wheat yields and meet the challenges ahead. We want to put wheat yields on track in order to sustain future generations”.

Globally, three countries produced half of the world’s grain last year –China, India, and the US. With 75 percent of the world’s spring wheat varieties and 50 percent of the developing world’s maize varieties coming from CIMMYT, partnerships with these key grain producing countries are a high priority. As stated by Marianne Banziger, “CIMMYT would like to strengthen our partnership with China and be prepared to address the future. No group can do it alone.”

CIMMYT’s Corporate Annual Report for 2010-11 is now available

Written by on . Posted in News.

Entitled Acute awareness, bold action to energize agriculture, the report provides compelling highlights of the center’s work to sustainably increase the productivity of maize and wheat systems, thereby ensuring global food security and reducing poverty. There is also good mention of expanded support and partnerships through initiatives like BISA, and the CGIAR research programs MAIZE and WHEAT.

Please share the link above with your partners, stakeholders, or anyone else who might be interested. Print copies are being distributed to all CIMMYT offices, and more are available on request or at the publications window in El BatĂĄn, Mexico. Staff are encouraged to continue to send to Corporate Communications reports and presentations in all forms regarding the work you do, the people you work with, and shared accomplishments.

CIMMYT participates in EU Day exhibition in Nairobi

Written by on . Posted in News.

EU-exhibitionAs part of European Union Day celebrations in Kenya, an exhibition to showcase research and development activities supported by the EU or its member states took place on 09 May 2012 at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) in Nairobi. CIMMYT was among 12 exhibitors participating and featured the projects Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA), Insect Resistant Maize for Africa (IRMA), Effective Grain Storage (EGS), Improved Maize for African Soils (IMAS), and Sustainable Intensification of Maize-Legume Cropping System for Food Security in Eastern and Southern Africa (SIMLESA). On display were cobs of CIMMYT and commercial maize hybrids harvested from drought stressed plots alongside cobs of the same hybrids from fully irrigated plots. Several CIMMYT publications were available for visitors.

Maize is a staple food in Kenya, so visitors to the stand were keen to know which varieties would thrive in their locales. Visitors also included people working in other agricultural research and development organizations, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) country director Erna Kerst. A component of the DTMA project focusing on heat stress is funded by USAID. CIMMYT was represented by Dan Makumbi, Titus Kosgei, and Florence Sipalla.

Director General visits Nepal

Written by on . Posted in News.

LumpkinNepal-NARI-KHUMALTAR1CIMMYT director general Thomas Lumpkin visited Nepal during 01-03 May 2012. One of the main objectives of his visit was to discuss the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA) launched last year in India, and the potential for Nepal to follow a similar model, with Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC) and CIMMYT scientists.

Lumpkin also had fruitful technical and administrative discussions with international and national CIMMYT staff based in Kathmandu. Together with several NARC directors—including Tek Bahadur Gurung (director of administration and interim executive director), B.N. Mahto (director of planning and coordination), and Neeranjan Adhikari (director of crops and horticulture)—he visited three potential sites at NARC’s Khumaltar research station, on the outskirts of Kathmandu, where the main Nepal BISA administrative building and research and training facilities could be located. From CIMMYT, the group also included Guillermo Ortiz Ferrara, country liaison officer (CLO) for Nepal, Nirmal Gadal and Dilli Bahadur K.C. of the Hill Maize Research Project (HMRP), and CIMMYT-Nepal office manager Surath Pradhan.

“CIMMYT is interested in expanding the crop improvement and crop management systems research and development activities being conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, NARC, and all the other partners who have been associated with CIMMYT in Nepal for more than 40 years,” said Lumpkin. “We look forward to a Nepal BISA that can enable CIMMYT and its partners to deliver greater impact toward the food security in the country.” On behalf of NARC, Tek Bahadur Gurung expressed NARC’s interest and unconditional support to make the Nepal BISA a reality. NARC management, the CIMMYT CLO, and other senior CIMMYT staff based in Nepal will soon meet to develop a strategy and start the process of designing and implementing BISA Nepal.

On the second day of his visit, Lumpkin was invited to deliver a lecture at the Nepal Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) on “Food security in South Asia: Opportunities and challenges for agro-eco-scientists”. More than 50 scientists from NARC and NARI attended the lecture, which generated a lot of interest and a lively discussion. Lumpkin was also asked to inaugurate a sports event at Khumaltar organized by NARC, making the first serve in a volleyball tournament. Colleagues observed: “Not a bad serve for a person who travels more than 200 days a year!”

Bangladesh seed summit

Written by on . Posted in News.

IMG_2549Food security is highlighted as one of the main priorities for Bangladesh in the country’s Investment Plan, and a sustainable seed supply constitutes a pivotal component of food security. With this in mind, a maize and wheat “seed summit” was jointly organized by the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) and CIMMYT at the Hotel Lake Castle in Dhaka on 26 April 2012.

The event was chaired by Anwar Faruque, additional secretary for the MoA, and Shirazul Islam, research director of the Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI). There were about 30 participants representing the MoA, the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC), the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC), several seed companies, CIMMYT, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Aimed at developing a strategic roadmap for sustainable seed production, the meeting provided an opportunity for specialists from across the region to share their knowledge and experiences. Naseer Uddin Ahmed, chief seed technologist at MoA, and Md Nuruzzaman, director of seed and horticulture at BADC, talked about opportunities and challenges for sustainable seed production and dissemination in Bangladesh. CIMMYT consultant Stephen Waddington shared findings from the Seed Sector Scoping Study for South Asia.

Anwar Faruque stressed the need for the private sector and government to work jointly to ensure the availability of affordable, quality seed for resource-poor and marginal farmers. CIMMYT maize breeder Bindiganavile Vivek described that very approach being pursued under the International Maize Improvement Consortium (IMIC)-Asia, saying it was gaining popularity across Asia.

Participants expressed considerable interest, particularly at the possibility of accessing finished hybrids.

On behalf of the Bangladesh Rehabilitation Assistance Committee (BRAC), Sudhir Chandra Nath spoke alongside M.A. Razzaque, executive director of Lal Teer Seed Company, and B.I Siddidue of Siddiquis Seeds, on private seed production challenges and opportunities in Bangladesh and associated expectations from the public sector.

A “Roundtable Discussion for Roadmap Development” was led by CIMMYT agricultural economist Frederick Rossi, where many issues and follow-ups were identified, including ways to encourage private sector involvement. Much discussion was generated on how to increase the relevance of maize hybrids from BARI and therefore reduce dependency on importing hybrid seeds from elsewhere. Private company representatives expressed their interest in improving the diversity, efficiency, and sustainability of wheat and maize seed systems. The CIMMYT Bangladesh office will help to organize a series of follow-up meetings to reach a consensus on the fundamental features of a sustainable and functional seed system for Bangladesh.