Health and nutrition

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.

Food security
Features

CIMMYT puts forward integrated systems, healthy diets and One CGIAR agronomic innovation at first-ever virtual edition of the African Green Revolution Forum.

Health and nutrition
Features

Strong partnerships key to making healthy diets affordable and meeting global nutrition challenges, says CIMMYT researcher Natalia Palacios at 2020 African Green Revolution Forum.

Food security
Annual reports

In its seventh year, WHEAT helped farmers grow nutritious, resilient and high-yielding wheat, through cutting-edge research and 50 new CGIAR-derived varieties.

Innovation and technology
Features

Scientists assess the use of blockchain to track the impact of biofortified seeds.

Innovation and technology
Projects

Health and nutrition
In the media

Source: Des Moines Register (17 Jul 2020)

Self-Help International is fighting malnutrition with biofortified crops in Nicaragua.

Food security
In the media

Source: Fana Television (3 Jun 2020)

CIMMYT joins EIAR and Ministry of Agriculture on panel discussing strategy to prevent food insecurity in Ethiopia during COVID-19 pandemic.

Food security
In the media

Source: Donne del Food (31 May 2020)

B.M. Prasanna, director of CIMMYT’s Global Maize Program and the CGIAR Research Program on Maize, discusses the viral disease maize lethal necrosis.

Food security
In the media

Source: SciDev.net (25 May 2020)

As COVID-19 pandemic threatens smallholder farmers, it could be an opportunity to shift priorities and increase support to agriculture.

Health and nutrition
Features

CIMMYT scientist helps breeders meet complex and stringent market demands for high-quality wheat.

Health and nutrition
In the media

Source: Devex (4 May 2020)

Leaders from CIMMYT, Harvest Plus and Clinton Development Initiative discuss need for smallholder farmers to be resilient against shocks — pandemics, droughts or crop infestations.

Health and nutrition
Features

Researchers in Kenya and Uganda are incorporating sensory preferences like taste, smell or texture into maize breeding.

Food security
In the media

Source: The Nation (27 Apr 2020)

CIMMYT, Clinton Development Initiative and Harvest Plus work together to make drought-tolerant and vitamin A biofortified maize available to farmers in Malawi.

Health and nutrition
In the media

Source: Fortune (18 Apr 2020)

Biodiversity loss poses dangers for the robustness of the environment, the safety of our food supply chain and potential exposure to pandemics.

Food security
In the media

Source: The Wire (14 Apr 2020)

Biodiversity loss creates new opportunities for pathogens to move from one species to another.