September 29, 2025. ROME – “The signing of this agreement will allow us and the CIMMYT colleagues, respectively heirs of the great legacies of Strampelli and Borlaug, to join forces to make cereals – crops that constitute the basis of the human diet – more productive and resilient to climate change, taking advantage of the opportunities presented by technological innovations and the advancement of knowledge.”
These were the words of Andrea Rocchi, President of CREA, during the celebration of the Memorandum of Understanding with CIMMYT, based in Mexico, whose objective is to obtain new wheat cultivars that are better adapted to new environmental and weather conditions, and to reinforce and protect the wheat value chains in our respective countries.
“This partnership represents an extraordinary opportunity to merge CIMMYT’s global expertise in the development of wheat varieties that are resilient to dry and warm environments with CREA’s long-time tradition of addressing wheat issues in Mediterranean conditions, as well as the high-quality standards of the Italian pasta industry,” declared Karim Ammar, Head of the durum wheat breeding program at CIMMYT.
CIMMYT is the world leader in research on maize and wheat. Part of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), it is also the heir to the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Norman Borlaug, father of the “Green Revolution,” who saved millions of human beings from famine. CIMMYT’s germplasm bank is the most important on the planet, and its mission, focusing on the Global South, includes the free sharing of advanced breeding materials, including with countries like Italy. Many of the durum wheat varieties grown in Italy are derived, either directly or indirectly, from CIMMYT genetics developed in Mexico.
CREA, with its Center for Cereal and Industrial Crops Cultivation, represents today the fulcrum of Italian research on the durum wheat value chain and relies on centuries of tradition in Italian genetic improvement, which began with the genius of Nazareno Strampelli. The variety “Senatore Cappelli,” created in Foggia, revolutionized Italian agriculture in the 1900s, and its DNA can be found in 80% of the durum wheat grown around the world.
The agreement includes four strategic pillars: development of new varieties; technological and methodological exchanges; sharing of information and resources; and capacity building and scientist exchanges.
The genetic material of excellence from CIMMYT, adapted to dry and warm climates, will be joined with CREA’s experience in the selection of varieties adapted to the Mediterranean and satisfying the quality requirements of the Italian pasta industry. It will include access to the most innovative protocols for marker-assisted selection, genomic selection, and sustainable agronomic techniques, such as conservation agriculture and water and nutrient management. The already existing, but informal, exchange of promising genetic lines will be enhanced. This will allow Italian researchers to have at their disposal a much wider range of genetic diversity for their breeding programs. Finally, a permanent “bridge” between Italy and Mexico will be established for researchers, doctoral candidates, and technicians to ensure constant updating of competencies and the training of a new generation of Italian geneticists with an international profile.
Capacity development 