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.
Breaking Ground: Mainassara Zaman-Allah uses remote sensing to expedite phenotyping
Mainassara Zaman-Allah uses new technologies to speed up the collection of plant information for breeding.
New sustainable agriculture initiative targets India’s second most populous state
A new project is bringing sustainable technologies and practices to one-thousand villages in Maharashtra, India.
New Publications: Climate change adaptation practices decrease poverty, boost food security
Farmers in Pakistan that practice climate change adaptation strategies have higher food security levels and are less likely to live in poverty than those that don’t.
Sustainable agriculture for healthy forests
Agriculture is the second largest emitter of global greenhouse gas emissions and largest driver of deforestation, making the sector one of the top contributors to climate change and biodiversity loss.
Maize breeding on track for climate change in Africa, scientist urges bigger investments
With appropriate funding, maize yields can continue to increase in extreme heat and drought conditions, scientists say.
Breaking Ground: David Guerena transfers world-class science to smallholder farmers
David Guerena recently joined CIMMYT as soil scientist-systems agronomist, he leads soils/nutrient management activities in Nepal.
CIMMYT doctoral student wins award for outstanding thesis
CIMMYT doctoral student and ETH Zürich graduate Stephanie Cheesman has won the 2017 Hans Vontobel-Preis.
Breakthroughs in agriculture for action on climate change
Climate change presents a formidable challenge as one of the biggest constraints to improving food systems, food security and poverty alleviation around the world, especially for the world’s most vulnerable people.
New Publications: Study shows benefits and trade-offs of conservation agriculture in southern Africa
CIMMYT with other partners combined empirical data and results from a cropping system model to quantify benefits and trade-offs of CA in southern Africa.
CIMMYT scientist takes lead role in American Agronomy Society’s sustainable intensification community
Timothy Krupnik, systems agronomist at CIMMYT, leads the Sustainable Intensification community of the American Society for Agronomy’s Environmental Quality section.
Study reveals diversity “blueprint” to help maize crops adapt to changing climates
Scientists unlock evolutionary secrets of landraces through a study of allelic diversity, revealing more about the genetic basis of flowering time and how maize adapts to variable environments.
New Publications: How to maintain food security under climate change
An internationally coordinated approach is key to breed and deploy crops resilient to climate change effects.
Water-saving maize holds potential to boost farmer resilience to climate change in Pakistan
New varieties of white maize in Pakistan have the potential to both quadruple savings of irrigation water and double crop yields for farmers.
New Publications: Africa’s future cereal production
Cereal yields in sub-Saharan Africa must increase to 80 percent of their potential by 2050 to meet the enormous increase in demand for food.
Crop and bio-economic modeling for an uncertain climate
The potential impact of climate change on agriculture and the complexity of possible adaptation responses require the application of new research methods and tools to develop adequate strategies, writes Gideon Kruseman.