Nutrition, health and food security

As staple foods, maize and wheat provide vital nutrients and health benefits, making up close to two-thirds of the world’s food energy intake, and contributing 55 to 70 percent of the total calories in the diets of people living in developing countries, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization. CIMMYT scientists tackle food insecurity through improved nutrient-rich, high-yielding varieties and sustainable agronomic practices, ensuring that those who most depend on agriculture have enough to make a living and feed their families. The U.N. projects that the global population will increase to more than 9 billion people by 2050, which means that the successes and failures of wheat and maize farmers will continue to have a crucial impact on food security. Findings by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which show heat waves could occur more often and mean global surface temperatures could rise by up to 5 degrees Celsius throughout the century, indicate that increasing yield alone will be insufficient to meet future demand for food.

Achieving widespread food and nutritional security for the world’s poorest people is more complex than simply boosting production. Biofortification of maize and wheat helps increase the vitamins and minerals in these key crops. CIMMYT helps families grow and eat provitamin A enriched maize, zinc-enhanced maize and wheat varieties, and quality protein maize. CIMMYT also works on improving food health and safety, by reducing mycotoxin levels in the global food chain. Mycotoxins are produced by fungi that colonize in food crops, and cause health problems or even death in humans or animals. Worldwide, CIMMYT helps train food processors to reduce fungal contamination in maize, and promotes affordable technologies and training to detect mycotoxins and reduce exposure.

Features

tag icon Climate adaptation and mitigation

Sustainable agri-food systems lead to better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life for all.

News

tag icon Innovations

CIMMYT is offering a new set of improved maize hybrids to partners, to scale up production for farmers in the region.

Features

tag icon Environmental health and biodiversity

Researchers point out the future of the disease, the ways to manage it and prevent it from spreading — within and across continents.

Features

tag icon Nutrition, health and food security

CIMMYT and CGIAR contributions to the SDGs highlighted in new campaign.

News

tag icon Capacity development

CIMMYT, USAID and partners announce the publication of a guide for integrated pest management of fall armyworm in Asia.

Press releases

tag icon Environmental health and biodiversity

The food and beverage company will source wheat produced sustainably from a milling company that buys grain from farmers in the Bajío region of Mexico who will participate in CIMMYT’s research and capacity building networks.

In the media

tag icon Nutrition, health and food security

Source: Krishi Jagran (15 Sep 2021)

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), together with CIMMYT and partners, organized a State Level Maize Day in the state of Haryana to discuss sustainable maize production systems for future generations.

News

tag icon Innovations

Researchers found that prediction performance was highest using a multi-trait model.

News

tag icon Innovations

Meeting highlights new varieties, production growth and strengthened collaboration through Accelerating Genetic Gains in Maize and Wheat (AGG) project.

Videos

tag icon Nutrition, health and food security

Every year, thousands of wheat lines are analyzed in detail in the CIMMYT Wheat Quality laboratory to determine the nutritional, processing and end-use quality of the grain.

Publications

tag icon Nutrition, health and food security

New study projects food demand in 2030 and considers the implications for meeting the Sustainable Development Goals.

News

tag icon Innovations

CIMMYT is offering a new set of improved maize hybrids to partners, to scale up production for farmers in these areas.

In the media

tag icon Nutrition, health and food security

Source: HelloGiggles (9 Aug 2021)

A list of women leaders in STEM features Evangelina Villegas—a plant chemist at CIMMYT during its early days whose ground-breaking work on quality protein maize helped combat malnutrition among developing communities.

Features

tag icon Climate adaptation and mitigation

New CIMMYT brochure highlights value of maize and wheat science to battle rising undernourishment.

Annual reports

tag icon Innovations

For nearly a decade, the CGIAR Research Program on Maize has contributed to resilient, equitable and socially inclusive maize agri-food systems. 2020 proved this work to be more necessary than ever.