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.
Planting the seed of agricultural innovation in Africa
Innovations
We have seen an increased use of improved seed, appropriate technologies and agricultural machinery, all adapted to the specific needs of African farmers. It’s time to take this progress even further.
Suitcase-sized lab speeds up wheat rust diagnosis
Innovations
MARPLE (Mobile And Real-time PLant disEase) is a portable testing lab which could help speed-up the identification of devastating wheat rust diseases in Africa.
New publications: Toxin-producing fungal strains can now be detected in maize field soils with a new technique
Environmental health and biodiversity
African youth find entrepreneurial opportunity in agricultural mechanization
Capacity development
An increasing number of youth across eastern and southern Africa are creating a stable living as entrepreneurs in agricultural mechanization service provision.
Training manual greases the wheels for mechanization entrepreneurs
Capacity development
The manual gives practical guidance for service providers in rural areas, where family farmers commonly lack capital to invest in farm power.
Breaking Ground: Tom Hagen brings IT expertise to crop breeding
Innovations
Tom Hagen is combining his expertise in crop breeding and IT to help researchers and farmers be more successful.
CIMMYT helps national programs to enhance maize breeding efficiency in Pakistan
Innovations
Maize is Pakistan’s third important cereal following wheat and rice. However, Pakistan still imports more than 80 percent of the hybrid seeds, costing the country over $50 million annually and making retail price of hybrid seeds expensive.