Blogs
The International Maize Improvement Consortium for Asia (IMIC-Asia): partnership for targeted impacts
The perilous life of aphids fascinates South Asian crop scientists
Among the world’s most destructive and hated crop pests, the sap-sucking insects known as aphids are engaged in dramatic evolutionary battles with predators that include wasps whose larvae hatch and pupate in aphid bodies, devouring them from inside.
‘Gluten-free’ diets put food security, human health at risk – nutritionist
Complete removal of wheat from the human diet would further cripple global efforts to feed the current global population of 7.2 billion, said Julie Miller Jones, a leading nutritionist.
MasAgro offers tortillas made of maize hybrids in highlands workshop
On 11 November 2014, representatives of Mexico’s highland maize value chain attended a workshop at CIMMYT headquarters in El Batán, Mexico. MasAgro- Maize Network partners, a representative from the milling industry and members of the MasAgro-Farmer team tested hybrid grains from the CIMMYT highlands maize genetic improvement program.
Dr. Sanjaya Rajaram presented with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman 2015 Award, the highest honor conferred on overseas Indians
On 9 January 2015, Dr. Sanjaya Rajaram, the India-born plant scientist who led wheat breeding research at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) based in Mexico for more than three decades, received the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman award in Gandhinagar, India.
Pakistan marks Borlaug’s 100th birthday with commemorative stamp
Pakistan’s National Philatelic Bureau issued a commemorative postage stamp to honor the 100th birthday, last 25 March, of late wheat scientist and Nobel Peace Laureate, Dr. Norman E. Borlaug.
Central American Agriculture and Livestock Council signs agreement with CIMMYT
The two institutions will collaborate to strengthen the seed sector, promote improved crop varieties and relevant mechanization in the region.
Tottori University students visit CIMMYT
A group of 16 undergraduate students and three professors from the University of Tottori, Japan, visited CIMMYT on 26 November.
Securing our daily bread: boosting Africa’s wheat production
Africa’s demand for wheat is being driven by population growth, urbanization, as well as from a growing female work force who prefer fast and easy to make wheat products, like bread or pasta.
Anti-wheat fad diets undermine global food security efforts
A discussion paper aims to highlight unsubstantiated nutritional claims about wheat and gluten, while shining a spotlight on the important role of wheat and fiber in human diets.
Pakistan: maize needed for marginal areas
Farmers in the farthest reaches of Pakistan need access to white- grained maize, according to Dr. Iftikhar Ahmad, chairman of the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC). “There is a good progress in the productivity of yellow maize varieties in the areas of Punjab and KPK provinces,” Ahmad said, “but we need white maize varieties to reach farmers in the marginal areas of KPK, Sindh, Balochistan and Gilgit Baltistan provinces.”