News Overview

Mechanizing crop breeding stations is critical for optimizing the trialling and nursery processes in sub-Saharan Africa and ultimately speeding up the delivery of improved crop varieties. Any operations can be mechanized, from field preparation, to planting, harvesting, and seed processing. Equally important is equipping operational staff with the skills to efficiently operate machinery and conduct high-quality trials that yield reliable

A high-level meeting of leaders from African National Agricultural Research and Extension Systems (NARES), regional and Sub-Regional Organizations (SROs), Universities, development partners and CGIAR Genetic Innovation, took place on 28-29 October 2024 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It was the Third Leadership Consultation Meeting hosted by Genetic Innovation focused on sub-Saharan African.    The meeting reviewed progress made between 2022 and

Lead researcher Marie Claire Custodio discusses the auction mechanics to participants. (Photo by Jhoanne Ynion) Scientists explore market intelligence insights to understand consumers’ acceptability and willingness to pay for low GI rice. by Jhoanne Ynion, Marie Claire Custodio, Glenn Vincent Ong, Reuben James Buenafe, Nese Sreenivasulu, Hans De Steur, and Matty Demont Manila, Philippines—To deepen understanding of consumers’ perspectives on

Five ways crop breeding can benefit rural women Updated version. Originally published in 2021 on Excellence in Breeding website. Agricultural progress is often hindered by innovations designed primarily by and for men. But what if women were fully involved in the design and development process? In crop breeding, empowering women can be transformative. By developing crops that are more climate-

(photo) PDT members during field evaluation in Katumani, Kenya by Pieter Rutsaert, Agnes Gitonga, Mark Nas Tamerlane, Ganga Rao Nadigatla, Rachael Kisilu, Biswanath Das, Harish Gandhi Across crop breeding programs, considerable effort has been invested in setting up product design teams (PDTs) per crop per country. These are multidisciplinary teams made up of representatives from across the commodity value chain

by Susan Kairu, Agnes Gitonga, Ganga Rao Nadigatla, Rael Karimi, Harish Gandhi Pigeon pea is one of Kenya’s key grain legume crops for food security, particularly in arid and semi-arid areas due to its drought tolerance. Kenya currently produces about 107,117 t of pigeon pea, based on the mean of the past three years (FAOSTAT 2024), against a much higher

Using GloMIP in proposal writing is crucial for identifying the geographies and even the populations who would benefit most from technologies and innovations. GloMIP allows us to align our efforts with donor priorities, ensuring that we target the groups that both need our support the most and meet the strategic goals of our donors. (Jamaica Deriquito, Portfolio Development and Management

(Photo)A session during International Conference of Agricultural Economists (ICAE)- New Delhi, India. by Matty Demont, Ruvicyn Bayot, Mary Joy Grefaldo The CGIAR Initiative on Market Intelligence (MI) teamed up with global problem solvers to address pressing agricultural challenges and present key MI findings at the triennial International Conference of Agricultural Economists (ICAE), held on 2–7 August, 2024, in New Delhi,