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.

Blogs News

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Seed companies and research institutions are lining up to commercialize CIMMYT’s climate-resilient maize, as more farmers seek solutions for food security and farm stability

News Press releases

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CIMMYT and CREA unite to develop innovative, climate-resilient wheat varieties that strengthen global food security and empower sustainable agriculture from Mexico to the Mediterranean

News Press releases

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CIMMYT opens Washington, D.C. office at IFPRI

In the media News

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Source: CNBC Africa ()

CIMMYT DG Bram Govaerts shares how Africa’s youth and women use climate-smart seeds, innovation, and investment to drive resilient, job-creating food systems

In the media News

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CIMMYT launches the Agricultural Resilience for Conflict Prevention Initiative (ARC) to harness agriculture for peace, resilience, and global food security

In the media News

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Source: Business Standard ()

CIMMYT’s DG Bram Govaerts says India can drive a second Green Revolution by investing in agricultural research and global partnerships as the farm sector faces new challenges

News Press releases

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CIMMYT welcomed a high-level delegation from Embrapa (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation), led by Dr. Silvia Maria Fonseca Silveira Massruha, President of Embrapa, alongside representatives from the Brazilian Embassy in Mexico

News

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At DialogueNEXT India, CIMMYT emphasized that the future of food security begins with farmers, whose voices and innovations are driving the creation of resilient and sustainable food systems across the Global South

In the media

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Source: Associated Press of Pakistan ()

Pakistan’s Minister for National Food Security and Research met with CIMMYT to strengthen collaboration on improved wheat varieties and innovative practices

In the media News

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Source: UC Davis ()

Ardeshir Damania’s rescue of the world’s wheat seeds, now preserved at CIMMYT, safeguards biodiversity and strengthens global food security

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Discover how CIMMYT’s second generation tropically adapted haploid inducers are transforming hybrid maize breeding by cutting timelines and boosting efficiency

Blogs

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The Sustain Sudan Project unites global partners to revive farming, support smallholder farmers, and build sustainable agrifood systems for lasting food security

Blogs

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Across Mexico, Indigenous farmers are blending ancestral wisdom with modern innovations to boost food security, protect soils, and achieve food sovereignty — supported by CIMMYT’s expertise

In the media

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Source: Nature ()

CIMMYT germplasm combined with Qinghai Plateau wheat revealed 99 genetic loci for yield, stress tolerance, and stripe rust resistance, paving the way for marker-assisted breeding of resilient, high-altitude wheat

News

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CIMMYT hosted a field day at its Sanjaya Rajaram Experimental Station in Toluca, showcasing innovations in wheat disease resistance, climate resilience, and sustainable cereal production through strategic alliances in Mexico and worldwide