Climate adaptation and mitigation
Climate change threatens to reduce global crop production, and poor people in tropical environments will be hit the hardest. More than 90% of CIMMYT’s work relates to climate change, helping farmers adapt to shocks while producing more food, and reduce emissions where possible. Innovations include new maize and wheat varieties that withstand drought, heat and pests; conservation agriculture; farming methods that save water and reduce the need for fertilizer; climate information services; and index-based insurance for farmers whose crops are damaged by bad weather. CIMMYT is an important contributor to the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security.
How bad will we let the food crises get?
Climate adaptation and mitigation
Dr Alison Bentley leads the Global Wheat Program at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and will be addressing the Crawford Fund’s international conference Celebrating Agriculture for Development – Outcomes, Impacts and the Way Ahead this week in Parliament House, Canberra.
Worsening food insecurity calls for stress-tolerant seeds
Climate adaptation and mitigation
Source: The Kathmandu Post (6 Aug 2022)
Climate-resilient seeds can help sustain Nepal’s agricultural productivity and crop development, experts say.
Understanding the role of organic material application in soil microbial community structures
Climate adaptation and mitigation
This metagenomics study examines how application of organic material alters soil microbial populations and functionality in soil from permanent beds with residue retention.
Exploring the potential for blended wheat flours in Kenya
Climate adaptation and mitigation
CIMMYT supports practical solutions to the ongoing global wheat crisis by understanding consumer acceptance of foods baked from blended wheat flour.
China calls on G20 to support CGIAR to boost global food security
Climate adaptation and mitigation
The G20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting held on July 7-8 in Bali saw Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, highlight support for CGIAR as part of a proposed cooperation initiative to boost global food security.
Cross-center learning between CIMMYT and WorldFish
Climate adaptation and mitigation
Collaboration between two CGIAR centers emphasizes opportunities for collaboration between agricultural researchers that could prove vital in the fight to establish food security.
China to build international agricultural breeding center in Hainan
Climate adaptation and mitigation
Source: Xinhua News (14 Jul 2022)
A letter of cooperation has been signed in China to signal the start of a new partnership aiming to meet the global challenge of climate change and ensure food security.
It is time to invest in the future of Afghanistan’s wheat system
Capacity development
Afghan farmers need varieties with improved traits such as heat and drought resilience, incorporating functional variation from existing landrace collections.
Managing seeds and agricultural losses in the wake of extreme climate events: Lessons from Nepal
Climate adaptation and mitigation
Assessment of floods in Nepal in October of 2021, which affected seed availability, give clues about actions to mitigate the impact of similar climate shocks on smallholder farmers.
Galvanized leaf storage proteins serve as a nutrient lifeline for maize under drought, recent study says
Climate adaptation and mitigation
A team of researchers activates vegetative storage proteins in maize leaves, to stockpile nitrogen reserves for release when plants are hit by drought.
Getting to win-win: Can people and nature flourish on an increasingly cultivated planet?
Climate adaptation and mitigation
Faced with dramatic biodiversity loss and a growing population, should farmers “share” or “spare” land? Agricultural scientists weigh in, yielding a new perspective.
The race against time to breed a wheat to survive the climate crisis
Climate adaptation and mitigation
Source: The Guardian (12 Jun 2022)
CIMMYT scientists are using the biodiversity of forgotten wheat varieties from across the world to find those with heat- and drought-tolerant traits.
Mining Useful Alleles for Climate Change Adaptation from CGIAR Genebanks
Climate adaptation and mitigation