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.
Wheat scientists urge funding boost after UK-U.S. food security report
Climate adaptation and mitigation
Food shortages will escalate due to climate-change related production shocks and the international community must prepare to respond to price increases and social unrest.
Government of Zimbabwe and CIMMYT to establish maize lethal necrosis (MLN) quarantine facility at Mazowe
Capacity development
A modern quarantine facility will be established this year to safely import maize breeding materials and proactively breed for MLN resistance and tolerance.
Zimbabwe and CIMMYT to establish maize lethal necrosis quarantine facility
Nutrition, health and food security
Government of Zimbabwe and CIMMYT to establish maize lethal necrosis quarantine facility at Mazowe
Nutrition, health and food security
A modern quarantine facility will be set up in Zimbabwe to safely import materials and proactively breed for resistance against MLN.
Climate change, maize production and food security in sub-Saharan Africa
Climate adaptation and mitigation
Although climate change is a global phenomenon, its impacts vary depending on region and season. To formulate appropriate adaptation options and ensure timely responses, we first need to better understand the potential impacts of climate change on maize yield and production, on different spatial and temporal scales.
CIMMYT-SARO steps up efforts in war against malnutrition
Nutrition, health and food security
CIMMYT is stepping up efforts to combat malnutrition through agricultural research and the release of orange maize varieties.
Seed improvement to prevent rust disease key to boosting wheat productivity
Capacity development
A new project in Ethiopia aims to improve the livelihoods of wheat farmers by encouraging the development and multiplication of high-yielding, rust-resistant bread and durum wheat varieties.
“Our daily bread:” Maize farmers’ unwavering resolve despite poor harvests
Capacity development
“WE RELY ON MAIZE SO MUCH SO THAT EVEN WHEN THE HARVEST FAILS COMPLETELY, WE WILL STILL PLANT IT IN THE NEXT SEASON.”
MasAgro impacts: four years harvesting sustainability in Mexico’s farmlands
Nutrition, health and food security
CIMMYT advances in fight against MLN
Nutrition, health and food security
Scientists have made progress in identifying maize varieties that could combat maize lethal necrosis (MLN) disease, reported SciDev.Net Sub-Saharan Africa last month in the article “Experts on track to create maize varieties to tame virus” by Robin Hammond.
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.
