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.
From the eye in the sky to the cell phone in the field: technologies for all
Climate adaptation and mitigation
For many farmers in the developing world, cell phones are the most accessible form of technology, but are only one of many technologies changing agriculture.
Modern conservation agriculture systems presented in CIMMYT-China Science Week
Capacity development
CIMMYT sponsored a workshop in China with international experts presenting the latest innovations in farming systems research.
Livestock key to breaking Zambia’s poverty trap
Innovations
Malende has been a focus of CIMMYT’s major research programs since 2005, where cropping systems based on the practices of conservation agriculture have been introduced.
The gola: storing maize to improve livelihoods in Chuadanga, Bangladesh
Innovations
Farmers in Chuadanga District of Bangladesh have been using a unique local method to store their maize: the gola.
AIP-CIMMYT holds national meeting on conservation agriculture in Pakistan
Innovations
“Cereal system productivity cannot be improved without improving agronomic practices,” declared Shahid Masood, Member of the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) at a two-day AIP-Agronomy national meeting on conservation agriculture held in Islamabad, Pakistan, on 26-27 May 2015. He lauded CIMMYT’s efforts to strengthen conservation agriculture (CA) research and disseminate CA to Pakistan’s farming community and mentioned the importance of public and private partnerships for promoting CA technologies. The meeting was jointly organized by CIMMYT and PARC under USAID’s Agricultural Innovation Program (AIP) for Pakistan.
Creative solutions for Latin American agriculture
Capacity development
Nele Verhulst, Strategic Research Coordinator of the Global Conservation Agriculture Program (GCAP), led CIMMYT’s 21st International Training Course on Conservation Agriculture from 25 May-26 June. A total of 132 people have taken the course since its inception. This year, participating researchers from Guatemala, Peru, Ecuador and Mexico were trained in sustainable technologies and conservation agriculture (CA).
Looking towards the future: Govaerts examines food security and nutrition in a changing world
Innovations
Bram Govaerts, associate director of the Global Conservation Agriculture Program (GCAP) and leader of the Sustainable Modernization of Traditional Agriculture (MasAgro) program, made a presentation on the future prognosis of food security and the actions that must be taken to achieve it at the Prospectiva del Mundo (World Prospective) Mexico 2015 conference on 25 June. The conference, organized by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and the Mexican chapter of the World Future Society, brought together national and international experts in fields such as development, education, finance and agriculture.
Mexican leader expresses support for innovation and sustainable development
Innovations
As part of his plan for working with Mexico, CIMMYT’s host country, on 24 June Director General Martin Kropff held an introductory meeting with Senator Manuel Cota, leader of Mexico’s National Peasant Confederation (Confederación Nacional Campesina/CNC), an organization comprising more than five million smallholder farmers. Sustainable development and scientific innovation were some of the key issues discussed.
The race to feed the world by 2050: implications for international agricultural research
Innovations
Which competing trend will win out in the end?
CIMMYT to host international conservation agriculture workshop during China Science Week
Capacity development
An international conservation agriculture (CA) workshop to be held during China Science Week (30 June–4 July 2015) will bring CIMMYT CA researchers, colleagues and national researchers together with the objective of building agro-ecological capacity among researchers in western China. At the workshop, hosted by CIMMYT-China, participants will discuss subjects such as CA successes and the science and practical agronomy underpinning CA, and will view field displays of CA benefits.
