The CGIAR Research Program on Maize (MAIZE) is proud to release its 2019 Annual Report.
Around the world, the COVID-19 crisis has emphasized the need to strengthen food systems while improving the food security and livelihoods for the most vulnerable, especially the resource-constrained smallholder farmers.
In 2019 MAIZE and its partners made great advances in the development of improved stress-tolerant maize varieties, continued their battle against fall armyworm in both Africa and Asia, and maintained their focus on sustainable intensification of maize-based cropping systems in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Latin America where maize plays a critical role in food and nutritional security, income and livelihoods of millions of resource-constrained smallholders and consumers. We look forward to continued productive collaborations as we transition with our partners into an integrated, inclusive One CGIAR designed to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Led by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) as its main CGIAR Consortium partner, MAIZE focuses on increasing maize production for the 900 million poor consumers for whom maize is a staple food in Africa, South Asia and Latin America.