Innovations
Working with smallholders to understand their needs and build on their knowledge, CIMMYT brings the right seeds and inputs to local markets, raises awareness of more productive cropping practices, and works to bring local mechanization and irrigation services based on conservation agriculture practices. CIMMYT helps scale up farmers’ own innovations, and embraces remote sensing, mobile phones and other information technology. These interventions are gender-inclusive, to ensure equitable impacts for all.
Call for interest: Development trait prioritization as part of a sub-Saharan African crop variety replacement strategy
Innovations
The CGIAR Excellence in Breeding Platform (EiB) is looking to provide matching funding for two projects.
Call for nominees for the 2019 Maize Youth Innovators Awards – Africa
Capacity development
Open to young women and men below 35 years of age who are implementing innovations in African maize-based agri-food systems.
New publications: Role of Modelling in International Crop Research
Innovations
Resource-poor farmers worldwide stand to gain from developments in the field of crop modelling.
Seeds go digital
Innovations
Faster and better-quality certification, a game-changer for African farmers?
Breaking Ground: Breeder Marcela C. Andrade bolsters maize with hardiness from ancestral races
Innovations
Traits sought include better resilience under high temperatures, drought conditions or the attacks of rapidly-evolving crop diseases.
The itsy bitsy spider can make a big impact in agriculture
Environmental health and biodiversity
A new study explores how conservation agriculture in southern Africa supports spider populations and diversity, which could help mitigate pest damage.
Reducing high yield gaps with decision-support apps
Innovations
Trials of the Nutrient Expert app showed improved yields, fertilizer-use efficiency and increased profits for farmers.
International Maize Improvement Consortium for Africa ramps up seed innovations
Capacity development
CIMMYT launched the consortiumin May 2018, to better engage with a committed set of partners and to achieve enhanced maize yields in Africa.
Finding the story behind weeds
Innovations
Researchers use the Photovoice methodology to better understand weed management practices.
Cobs & Spikes podcast: Hello Tractor and agricultural innovation
Innovations
Dubbed the “Uber for the farm”, Hello Tractor’s app easily allows tractor owners to rent their machinery to farmers and to improve business and operations.
Experts identify policy gaps in fertilizer application in India
Innovations
A dialogue in New Delhi facilitated discussion on innovations for promoting balanced application of macro and micro nutrient fertilizers in Indian agriculture.
Best of 2018: Editors’ picks
Capacity development
In 2018, we published more than 200 stories related to maize and wheat science around the world. Here are some of our favorites.
The saving grace of a hefty investment
Innovations
Young farmer’s investment in a reaper saves him time, money and dignity, while helping others in the community.
Farmers cite climate change as biggest challenge, says World Farmers Organization at COP24 talks
Climate adaptation and mitigation
Climate is the most important challenge farmers face, because “they’re just influenced by it and there is little that they can do,” explains Luisa Volpe of the World Farmers Organization.
