Zimbabwe
For more information, contact CIMMYT’s Zimbabwe office.
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.
The Skywalker Project: soaring to new heights
Capacity development
Though its name implies science fiction, Skywalker’s results have been incredibly real. A small, unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with remote sensing devices, Skywalker flies over maize fields collecting images and data. It is able to measure several hundred plots in one take. Spectral reflectance and thermal imagery cameras on its wings allow scientists to conduct non-destructive screening of plant physiological properties such as crop growth and water use, at enough resolution to obtain information at plot level.
Conservation agriculture in Africa: where does it fit?
Innovations
The controversial debate among researchers about the suitability of conservation agriculture for smallholder farmers in Africa continues while millions face food insecurity and degrading resources.
Canadian foodgrains bank highlights CIMMYT’s Christian Thierfelder’s work in conservation agriculture
Innovations
Christian Thierfelder, CIMMYT senior agronomist stationed at Harare, Zimbabwe, was recently profiled by the Canadian Foodgrains Bank for his work promoting conservation agriculture techniques for smallholder farmers in Africa. Conservation agriculture systems are not only better for soils but help make agriculture more ‘climate-smart’, argues Thierfelder. “The conventional system can only make use of the water that is in the ridge and not further down in the soil,” he said. “In conservation agriculture systems, there is access to deeper layers and a lot of water has infiltrated. The maize can actually access the water much better because of an improved root system.”
Presidential award in recognition of critical breakthrough in maize breeding in Zimbabwe
Climate adaptation and mitigation
The Zimbabwe Maize Breeding Programme was honored on 13 February 2015, as the 2014/2015 Presidential Award winners in agricultural research during a ceremony attended by more than 1,500 people at the Research Council of Zimbabwe’s 10th International Research Symposium held in Harare.
Improved maize to boost yields in nitrogen-starved African soils
Climate adaptation and mitigation
Sub-Saharan African farmers typically apply less than 20 kilograms of fertilizer per hectare of cropland — far less than their peers in any other region of the world. In 2014, partners in the Improved Maize for African Soils (IMAS) project developed 41 Africa-adapted maize varieties that respond better to low amounts of nitrogen fertilizer and are up for release in nine African countries through 24 seed companies.
CIMMYT prepares to launch second phase of SIMLESA in Kenya and Tanzania
Innovations
Representatives from the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), Queensland Alliance for Agricultural and Food Innovation (QAAFI), the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), the national agricultural research systems (NARS) of Kenya and Tanzania, and CIMMYT scientists from Ethiopia, Kenya and Zimbabwe met between 14-17 October in Arusha, Tanzania, to finalize activities to meet the objectives of the second phase of CIMMYT’s Sustainable Intensification of Maize-Legume Cropping Systems for Food Security in Eastern and Southern Africa (SIMLESA) project.
Scale-appropriate mechanization: the intercontinental connection
Capacity development
CIMMYT aims to improve the livelihoods of poor farmers in the developing world by providing practical solutions for more efficient and sustainable farming. Among the options to improve efficiency, scale-appropriate and precise planting machinery is a crucial yet rarely satisfied need
CIMMYT-CCAFS scientists identify maize varieties that can withstand drought and high temperatures in Zimbabwe
Climate adaptation and mitigation
