Public breeding is undergoing a slow transformation as it adopts better, faster, more modern technologies and practices – all with the goal of ensuring farmers get the crop varieties they need. With an improvement plan that focuses on centralized and modernized breeding, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is setting the pace for CGIAR. IRRI has been making big advances, including designing
Bibliometrics is the use of statistical methods to analyze books, articles, and other publications, especially regarding peer-reviewed research publications. Toward monitoring and evaluating research programs, bibliometric methods offer quantitative insights on research that are scalable and transparent. CAS/Evaluation and Science-Metrix recently co-designed a technical note on Bibliometric Analysis in CGIAR; the note makes recommendations for enhanced use of bibliometrics as one of the
The Hill published an article stating that soaring food prices both in the U.S. and abroad have prompted countries to ban exports of core agricultural commodities, pushing up domestic food prices and leading agronomists to wonder what additional crops could face supply constraints on their way to grocery stores. India’s partial ban on wheat exports compounded a crunch on the
KATV published an article on how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is harming the global food supply so severely it may lead to a worldwide shortage. Ukraine’s wheat exports have been dramatically cut since Russia invaded in February. The prices of food and fertilizers were up before Russia’s invasion due to disruptions in the global supply chain and coronavirus pandemic-induced problems
Danny Pelletier, Key Program Officer for Cuso International, visited IITA headquarters, with James Odey, Business Development Manager, on 4 May. They visited the Institute to discuss further areas of collaboration to address climate change issues. Cuso is a Canadian Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) working with other partners to tackle poverty and inequality. With an existing relationship with some of IITA’s hubs in Africa, the
STIHL, a company specializing in agricultural equipment production for smallholder farmers, is working on bringing affordable farming mechanization closer to the end-users in Africa. Hence, in partnership with C.WOERMANN and IITA, STIHL organized a hands-on training program on agricultural equipment usage and maintenance. The training, which took place at the IITA headquarters on 11 May, assembled farmers and agro-input dealers from various parts
Wheat leaves showing symptoms of heat stress. (Photo: CIMMYT) Across South Asia, including major wheat-producing regions of India and Pakistan, temperature extremes are threatening wheat production. Heatwaves have been reported throughout the region, with a century record for early onset of extreme heat. Monthly average temperatures across India for March and April 2022 exceeded those recorded over the past 100
Devex published an article stating that CGIAR has launched a new initiative that seeks to improve food security and resilience by supporting partner countries in developing coherent policies on food, land, and water. The National Policies and Strategies for Food, Land and Water Systems Transformation Initiative, or NPS — which was inaugurated Tuesday in Kenya — is expected to support