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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.

Capacity development
News

CIMMYT-led event bringing private sector and government together is a success story of the power of collaboration.

Environmental health and biodiversity
News

Scientists and stakeholders in Africa are co-designing a network approach to improve and expand dryland crops value chains in the continent.

Capacity development
In the media

Source: Gwadar Pro (7 Mar 2023)

A joint lab for molecular breeding wheat research launches, with investment from China, Pakistan and CIMMYT.

Capacity development
News

The CGIAR Initiative on Market Intelligence releases two reports on a framework for informing crop breeding and future market segments for hybrid maize.

Nutrition, health and food security
In the media

Source: Ethiopian News Agency (21 Feb 2023)

The partnership between CIMMYT and Ethiopia is improving wheat productivity through improved germplasm and access to mechanization.

Nutrition, health and food security
News

Seed company visit highlights the role private sector can play in accelerating agricultural transformation in Nepal.

Nutrition, health and food security
News

CGIAR’s Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, in collaboration with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), organized an important roundtable discussion at the beginning of February on the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) report entitled Competing in Agribusiness: Corporate Strategies and Public Policies for the Challenges of the 21st Century.

Nutrition, health and food security
In the media

Source: Africa Briefing (13 Feb 2023)

Bram Govaerts emphasizes the potential for agricultural development in Africa using nutritious indigenous crops.

Capacity development
In the media

Source: Business Recorder (2 Feb 2023)

The development of hermetic storage technology can help farmers in Pakistan to protect their crops post-harvest and pass on financial savings to consumers.

Nutrition, health and food security
Features

A type of heat- and drought-tolerant maize is improving yields for Bhutanese farmers.

Nutrition, health and food security
In the media

Source: Big News Network (26 Jan 2023)

An article in the Big News Network examines opportunities for collaboration between China and Latin America and the Caribbean.

Nutrition, health and food security
News

One CGIAR’s Breeding Resource Initiative is moving forward on an array of shared services, capacity development programs and technical support.