Innovations
Working with smallholders to understand their needs and build on their knowledge, CIMMYT brings the right seeds and inputs to local markets, raises awareness of more productive cropping practices, and works to bring local mechanization and irrigation services based on conservation agriculture practices. CIMMYT helps scale up farmers’ own innovations, and embraces remote sensing, mobile phones and other information technology. These interventions are gender-inclusive, to ensure equitable impacts for all.
2019 World Food Prize recognizes the impact of bringing improved seeds to Africa, Asia and Latin America
Innovations
The work of laureate Simon N. Groot has helped smallholder farmers to enhance vegetable production and has improved the diets of millions.
Genetics to feed the world
Innovations
Source: Science Daily (15 Oct 2019)
Study demonstrates the effectiveness of genomic selection in a wheat improvement program.
A fresh look at the genes behind grain weight in spring bread wheat
Innovations
New study provides an extensive field-test validation of existing genetic markers for thousand grain weight; finds both surprises and promising results.
Winners of 2019 MAIZE Youth Innovators Awards – Latin America announced
Capacity development
Seven young farmers, researchers and activists are advancing change, innovation and research in their communities.
Microsatellite data can help double impact of agricultural interventions
Climate adaptation and mitigation
Researchers argue data from small satellites can help target agricultural interventions to locations where impact will be greatest.
October is World Food Prize month at William Penn University
Climate adaptation and mitigation
Source: Oskaloosa Herald (30 Sep 2019)
This year’s speaker is Bram Govaerts, the global Director Innovative Business Strategies at CIMMYT.
Scientists propose a low-cost, reliable system to measure soil organic carbon
Climate adaptation and mitigation
Using existing sources of information, quantifying soil organic carbon would be a first step to increasing it, a crucial way to support climate change mitigation and agricultural resilience.
UN-sponsored report acknowledges CIMMYT’s use of data and technologies to promote sustainable farming in Latin America
Innovations
CIMMYT’s work featured on the Counting on the World to Act report, produced by SDSN and TReNDS.
Researchers are hunting for the “climate gene” that can save food plants
Innovations
Source: Aftenposten (24 Sep 2019)
CIMMYT’s plant breeding contributes to climate resilience of crops around the world.
Toolkits to deal with Asian droughts
Climate adaptation and mitigation
Source: The Third Pole (23 Sep 2019)
CIMMYT, ICIMOD and partners launched a Regional Drought Monitoring and Outlook System for South Asia.
Large-scale genomics will improve the yield, climate-resilience, and quality of bread wheat, new study shows
Innovations
Scientists identified significant new chromosomal regions for wheat yield and disease resistance, which will speed up global breeding efforts.
Ethiopian policymakers consider wider use of DNA fingerprinting
Innovations
This tool allows to identify varieties used by farmers and to track the adoption and impact of improved crops.
Digitalizing African agriculture: paving the way to Africa’s progress through transforming the agriculture sector
Innovations
AGRF 2019 discussed digital transformation as key driver of sustainable food systems in Africa.
Study proposes alternative to conventional technology adoption research in smallholder agriculture
Gender equality, youth and social inclusion
An alternative conceptual framework uses a process-oriented approach to understand technological change that focuses more on the agency of different social actors in the agricultural system.
Bottlenecks between basic and applied plant science jeopardize life-saving crop improvements
Innovations
Bottlenecks between basic and applied plant science jeopardize life-saving crop improvements.