Americas
CIMMYT has several offices in the Americas, including global headquarters in Mexico and a regional office in Colombia. Activities are supported by an additional 140 hectares of stations in diverse agro-ecological zones of Mexico. CIMMYT’s genebank in Mexico stores 27,000 maize and 170,000 wheat seed collections – key to preserving the crop genetic diversity of the region. CIMMYT projects range from developing nutritionally enhanced maize to mapping regional climate change hot spots in Central America. The comprehensive MasAgro project aims to increase wheat production in Mexico by 9 million tons and maize production by 350,000 tons by 2030. CIMMYT promotes regional collaboration and facilitates capacity building for scientists, researchers and technicians.
Breaking Ground: Tom Hagen brings IT expertise to crop breeding
Innovations
Tom Hagen is combining his expertise in crop breeding and IT to help researchers and farmers be more successful.
Tar Spot Complex a potential big black spot on US maize economy
Nutrition, health and food security
A new study shows that nearly 12 million hectares of the maize-growing USA, approximately 33 percent of the entire maize-growing area of the country, might be vulnerable to a disease called Tar Spot Complex (TSC).
Preserving native maize and culture in Mexico
Climate adaptation and mitigation
Indigenous farmers in Oaxaca are custodians of maize biodiversity, growing seeds passed down over generations.
First zinc-enriched maize in Guatemala to combat malnutrition
Nutrition, health and food security
Farmers expressed interest in the varieties due to their high yield quality protein content, high zinc levels, early maturity and large kernel size.
Breaking Ground: Lorena Gonzalez fast-forwards action on hunger using technology
Innovations
Intrigued by the unique relationship food crops have to their geographical environment, Lorena Gonzalez dedicated her passion for geomatic technology to collect site-specific farm data that is revolutionizing the way researchers tackle hunger.
CIMMYT Board of Trustees: Out of the boardroom and into the field
Nutrition, health and food security
Mexico and CIMMYT share a common vision for sustainable food production
Capacity development
Mexico’s Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA) is committed to provide Mexican farmers with the best possible seed and technical support, according to Baltazar Hinojosa Ochoa, Mexico’s secretary of agriculture, during his first visit to the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) on May 6.
Q+A with Iván OrtĂz-Monasterio on nitrogen application and consequences
Climate adaptation and mitigation
In this interview, Iván OrtĂz-Monasterio, expert on sustainable intensification and wheat crop management, discusses the overuse of nitrogen fertilizer and related consequences, his experience with farmers, and his outlook for the future.
Breaking Ground: Terry Molnar uses native maize varieties to find novel traits for breeding
Terry Molnar is helping farmers face these challenges by using the natural diversity of plants to unlock desirable genetic traits inside food crops.
Bekele Geleta Abeyo
New Publications: Precision agriculture for smallholder farmers
A new study tests a stepping-stone for small-scale precision agriculture fertilizer application.
