News Overview

By Mainassara Zaman-Allah, Christian Werner, Jill Cairns – CIMMYT Over 80% of the world’s 570 million farms are smallholder farms under 2 hectares, supporting rural livelihoods in impoverished regions. Smallholder farmers, who form a significant portion of the 690 million people experiencing hunger, need improved crop varieties to thrive under challenging conditions like low inputs, climate change stresses, and pests. 

Breeding Resources Initiative, through its Business Process Management unit, developed 13 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for trialling and nursery (T&N) operations as part of a multi-year Process Management effort that began two years ago. These SOPs standardize T&N processes across CGIAR Centers, promoting consistent quality and making it easier to compare data across trials and crops. We have interviewed Marcela

Workers check the quality of potato chips at a factory in Kenya. (Photo by Potatoworld) by Diego Naziri, André Devaux, Pieter Wauters, Guy Hareau, Agnes Mbugua Gitonga Potato is a major staple crop in many Eastern African households, but its role is expanding beyond the dinner table. Across Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, the potato processing industry is experiencing rapid growth,

Sweet sorghum breeding trial at ICRISAT, India. (Photo by ICRISAT) by Swamikannu Nedumaran, Ephrem Habyarimana, Judy Thomas As fuel prices climb and climate goals intensify, the world needs fresh solutions. The latest contender is sweet sorghum, a resilient, high-sugar-content crop poised to power up the biofuel industry without draining food supplies. With its unique ability to grow on degraded soils,

Participants visit the World Vegetable Center gene bank in Arusha, Tanzania, 23 October, 2024. by Mwasilwa Ambali, Herbaud Zohoungbogbo, Mathieu Ayenan, Rachidi Francisco The World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg), in collaboration with the CGIAR Initiative on Market Intelligence, hosted a pivotal workshop on tomato and pepper market segmentation for Central and Southern Africa on 23–24 October in Arusha, Tanzania. The event

Example of the sorting exercise by a male participant selecting 20, 10, and the final 5 traits. (Photo by Melanie Connor) by Melanie Connor and Sugandha Munshi Direct-seeded rice (DSR) is gaining popularity in India, particularly in the Eastern Gangetic Plain, to enhance resource use efficiency, especially water use efficiency, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Unlike traditional methods, DSR eliminates

Multistage rice mill, Mwea, Kenya. by Melanie Connor, Arelene Malabayabas, Arielle Rafanomesantzoa, Lucy Muthoni, Ruvicyn Bayot The rice milling industry in Kenya has seen significant advancements, playing a crucial role in the country’s rice value chain and bridging the gap between rice farmers and consumers. Recent advancements in this sector highlight the importance of quality traits in rice, such as

by Bert Lenaerts, Dino Badayos, Neale Paguirigan, Valerien Pede Crop scientists and social scientists at CGIAR are working together to create advanced studies that aim to reduce poverty, improve food and nutrition security, and safeguard natural resources. However, with many new studies being published, it can be tough to keep track of all the important findings. To tackle this, researchers