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.
Field trial design workshop for smallholder farmers who grow maize landraces
Nutrition, health and food securityAs part of the efforts of the Sustainable Modernization of Traditional Agriculture program aimed at improving food security based on maize landraces in marginal areas of the state of Oaxaca, Mexico
Global grain research and food industry experts meet to address rising malnutrition
Nutrition, health and food securityMalnutrition is rising again and becoming more complex, according to the director-general of the world’s leading public maize and wheat research center.
First zinc maize variety launched to reduce malnutrition in Colombia
Nutrition, health and food securityA new zinc-enriched maize variety developed by CIMMYT was released in Colombia to help combat malnutrition in South America.
Helping farming families thrive while fighting climate change in Mexico
Climate adaptation and mitigationWomen and youth help lead efforts to adopt climate-friendly farming and safeguard indigenous maize yields.
Climate insurance for farmers: a shield that boosts innovation
Climate adaptation and mitigationNew insurance products geared towards smallholder farmers can help them recover their losses, and even encourage investment in climate-resilient innovations.
Borlaug Dialogue delegates widen net to curb threat from fall armyworm
Nutrition, health and food securityWorld Food Prize laureates have joined forces with an international alliance battling the fall armyworm, an aggressive pest indigenous to the Americas with a voracious appetite, and now widespread throughout Africa.
Smallholder farmers to gain from targeted CRISPR-Cas9 crop breeding
InnovationsGene editing technology could revolutionize the way scientists breed high-yielding drought, disease and pest resistant, high quality plant seeds, greatly reducing the time it currently takes to develop new varieties
New book highlights sustainable agriculture success story in Mexico
InnovationsA new book from Columbia University Press offers social sector organizations a how-to guide on applying new and creative methods to solve complex problems.
How a seed bank in Mexico produces data to help alleviate poverty
InnovationsScientist Kevin Pixley leads a project to catalogue 178,000 corn and wheat seeds at the CIMMYT seed bank near Mexico City.
Asian scientists join cross-continental training to restrain wheat blast disease
Capacity developmentNine South Asia wheat researchers recently visited the Americas for training on measures to control a deadly and mysterious wheat blast disease.
Message from International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center after 7.1 Mexico earthquake
Although the full impact of the earthquake is unknown at this time, CIMMYT would like to express condolences to all those affected throughout the country.
Leading nutritionist cites whole grains as critical for better nutrition and health
Nutrition, health and food securityPeople who eat whole grain foods have a lower risk of almost all chronic diseases and are less likely to gain weight as they age, according to nutritionist Julie Miller Jones.
Breaking Ground: Francelino Rodrigues on high-tech farming
InnovationsFrancelino Rodrigues’ expertise in precision agriculture brings a high-tech element to CIMMYT’s field trials.
CIMMYT sends largest ever seed shipment to revitalize agriculture in Haiti
Nutrition, health and food securityCIMMYT will send 150 tons of renewed, improved maize seed to Haiti, the largest seed shipment to any country in the organization’s history.