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.
What farmers want
Innovations
In demonstration plots in Kenya, smallholder farmers evaluate and rank maize varieties according to their preferred traits — a feedback that is crucial to CIMMYT’s maize breeding work.
More with less: Research for intensified food production with scarcer resources and heating climates
Climate adaptation and mitigation
How plant breeding helps to feed the world.
Top scientists from CGIAR to present latest research at International Wheat Congress in Canada
Innovations
More than 800 global experts will gather in Saskatoon to strategize on ways to meet projected nutritional needs of 60% more people by 2050.
Improved access to finance can boost seed business in Nepal
Innovations
The Nepal Seed and Fertilizer (NSAF) project is expanding its support to include finance, working with commercial banks to develop and expand access to innovative financial products for seed companies.
Groundwater, the unexpected villain in India’s air pollution crisis
Climate adaptation and mitigation
Source: The Telegraph (15 Jul 2019)
CIMMYT study reveals water conservation policies by the regional governments of Haryana and Punjab aggravate air pollution.
Breaking Ground: Munyaradzi Mutenje tailors innovations to farmers needs
Gender equality, youth and social inclusion
Mutenje opens dialogue with farmers to design new interventions that target farmers’ needs and achieve positive impact.
Cranking, a thing of the past
Innovations
In Bangladesh, a newly available device takes the hassle out of starting the engine of two-wheel tractors, particularly for women entrepreneurs.
Cobs & Spikes podcast: Women in wheat science
Gender equality, youth and social inclusion
Wheat physiologist Carolina Rivera shares what it is like to be a woman in agricultural science working on one of the world’s biggest problems — how to feed a growing planet.
Experimental stations in Mexico improve global agriculture
Capacity development
CIMMYT’s five agricultural research stations in Mexico are instrumental for researchers’ work to develop innovative crops and sustainable farming systems worldwide.
Women and youth find profitable business pathways through small-scale mechanization
Gender equality, youth and social inclusion
FACASI project explored ways to address access to appropriate mechanization solutions.
New publications: Shifting the mindset from “reaching many” to sustainable change
Innovations
Paper describes mindset and skills required to go from pilot project to sustainable systemic change at scale.
Call for Nominees for the 2019 Maize Youth Innovators Awards – Latin America
Gender equality, youth and social inclusion
Open to young women and men under 35 who are implementing innovations in Latin American maize-based agri-food systems.
Honoring the life and legacy of Fred Palmer
Capacity development
Palmer made key contributions in applied science to fight hunger and improve livelihoods in the 20th Century.
Bird’s-eye view
Innovations
Multispectral and thermal images taken by cameras on unmanned aerial vehicles are helping researchers to monitor the resistance of maize to tar spot complex and other foliar diseases.