International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center

Short description: International plant breeding organization

International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center
Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maíz y Trigo
(CIMMYT)

CIMMYT in El Batan, Mexico

Formation| 1943,[1] 1966 and officially established in 1971
Type| Non-profit research-for-development organization [1]
Purpose| To develop improved varieties and sustainable farming methods of wheat and maize for improving livelihoods of the world's poor [1]
Headquarters| El Batán, near Texcoco, State of Mexico, Mexico

Director General

| Bram Govaerts

Staff

| 1,600 staff members working throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America, and projects in over 40 countries [1]
Website| cimmyt.org

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (known - even in English - by its Spanish acronym CIMMYT for Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maíz y Trigo) is a non-profit research-for-development organization that develops improved varieties of wheat and maize with the aim of contributing to food security, and innovates agricultural practices to help boost production, prevent crop disease and improve smallholder farmers' livelihoods.[1][2][3][4] CIMMYT is one of the 15 CGIAR centers.[5] CIMMYT is known for hosting the world's largest maize and wheat genebank at its headquarters in Mexico.[6]

CIMMYT's ninth director general, Bram Govaerts,[7] replaced Martin Kropff in 2021.[8] Other notable scientists like Thomas Lumpkin have served as director general of CIMMYT.[9][10]

## Contents

* 1 Origins
* 2 Activities
* 3 Criticisms
* 4 Partners and funders
* 5 Notable scientists
* 6 See also
* 7 References
* 8 Further reading
* 9 External links

## Origins

CIMMYT emerged from cooperative efforts of the Mexican government and the Rockefeller Foundation that led in 1943 to the founding of the Office of Special Studies, an organization within the Mexican Secretariat of Agriculture. The goal of the office was to ensure food security in Mexico and abroad through selective plant breeding and crop improvement.

The project developed into a collaboration between Mexican and international researchers. It established global networks to test experimental crop varieties. One of its researchers, wheat breeder Norman Borlaug, developed dwarf wheat varieties that put more energy into grain production and responded better to fertilizer than older varieties. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 in recognition of his contributions to world peace through increasing food supply.[11] The program was renamed and morphed into CIMMYT in 1963, though it was still under the Secretariat of Agriculture's jurisdiction. As international demand grew and it became apparent CIMMYT required internal organization and increased funding, the center was reorganized and established as a non-profit scientific and educational institution in its own right in 1966.

In the early 1970s, a small cadre of development organizations, national sponsors, and private foundations organized CGIAR to further spread the impact of agricultural research to more nations. CIMMYT became one of the first international research centers to be supported through CGIAR. Today, CGIAR comprises 15 such centers, all dedicated to sustainable food security through scientific research.[1]

## Activities

CIMMYT scientists support national research systems and work through small- to medium-scale seed enterprises to offer affordable, improved seed and sustainable farming methods to smallholder farmers. Though its headquarters are in Mexico, the center operates through 12 regional offices (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Colombia, Ethiopia, India, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Nepal, Pakistan, Turkey, and Zimbabwe), as well as number of experimental stations.

CIMMYT's researchers promote the sustainable intensification of farming systems, for example, through the use of machinery that allows for resource-poor female farmers in Africa[12] and South Asia[13] to reduce labor costs and conservation agriculture practices such as no-till farming,[14] which allows direct planting without plowing or preparing the soil.

CIMMYT hosts the largest collection of maize and wheat in the world:[15] 28,000 unique kinds of maize and 140,000 types of wheat.[16] Materials are made available under the terms and conditions of the multilateral system of access and benefit sharing, using the Standard Material Transfer Agreement (SMTA[17]). A duplicate of these wheat varieties[18] is stored at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Svalbard, Norway. Through CIMMYT's global breeding system and partner network, this genetic diversity is used to develop maize and wheat varieties that have higher yields,[19] and can survive climate stress and diseases.

Last year, CIMMYT scientists have developed 70% of wheat varieties presently planted globally and about half of the world's corn, or maize, varieties.[20] By CIMMYT's own accounts, the pedigrees of about half of the maize and wheat varieties sown in low- and middle-income countries carry contributions from its breeding research.[21]

## Criticisms

Despite its noble goals of sustainability and self-sufficiency, one of the organization's founders and researchers, Norman Borlaug, has faced criticism. Borlaug's obituarist, Christopher Reed argued in an interview with The Guardian from 2014 that although his Green Revolution and high-yielding agricultural techniques averted poverty in the short term, in the long time they might have added to it.[22] Critics of CIMMYT argue that it is important to consider the social and ecological changes that the Green Revolution, and subsequently CIMMYT, create for local farmers. According to critics, dependency on expensive 'high-yielding' seeds that demand expensive fertilizers has pushed local farmers who cannot afford them out of the market, causing further social inequalities and, in some cases, cropping intensification has degraded soils and depleted aquifers.[22] At the time Norman Borlaug began the Green Revolution, the US agricultural science establishment and agribusiness industries supported him because it allowed their industries to grow around the world as dependency on their patented seeds and herbicides increased.[22] Nonetheless, in contrast to the preceding observations, which are sourced from the popular press, a widely-cited 2003 article in the peer-reviewed journal Science notes that "...it is unclear what alternative scenario would have allowed developing countries to meet, with lower environmental impact, the human needs posed by the massive population expansion of the 20th century."[23] Today, CIMMYT still works closely with both public and private partners, including seed companies, to foster farmers' access to seed of improved varieties and agro-chemicals of their choice. One example is "StrigAway," a herbicide-coated maize seed variety that combats Striga, a parasitic weed that infests up to 50 million hectares of Sub-Saharan African land.[24] Much of the wheat seed in the South is produced by the public sector; in the case of maize, seed companies play a key role in seed production and marketing. CIMMYT maize and wheat breeding are available free of charge to public and private partners, as international public goods.[25]

## Partners and funders

Main funders include Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,[26][27][28][29][30][31] CGIAR, Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR), OCP Group and the national governments of Australia , United Kingdom , Canada ,[32][33][34][35] China, Germany ,[36][37][38] Mexico,[39][40][41] Norway and the United States .[42][43][44][45][46][47]

Historically, CIMMYT received funding from the European Commission and the Rockefeller Foundation.[48][49][50]

## Notable scientists

* Norman Borlaug (1914-2009) – Wheat breeder. Recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970.[51] Established the World Food Prize in 1986.[52]
* Sanjaya Rajaram (1943-2021) – Recipient of the World Food Prize in 2014.[53]
* Surinder Vasal (born 1938) – Recipient of the World Food Prize in 2000.[54]
* Evangelina Villegas (1924-2017) – Biochemist whose work with maize led to the development of quality protein maize (QPM). Recipient of the World Food Prize in 2000.[54]

## See also

* CGIAR
* Green Revolution

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "About us". CIMMYT. https://www.cimmyt.org/about/.
2. ↑ "Norman Borlaug - Nobel Lecture: The Green Revolution, Peace, and Humanity". https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1970/borlaug-lecture.html.
3. ↑ "Bread Wheat - Improvement and Production". http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/Y4011E/y4011e00.htm.
4. ↑ "FAO - News Article: FAO and partners ramp up efforts to track and prevent spread of damaging wheat rusts". http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/410236/icode/.
5. ↑ "Research Centers". CGIAR. http://www.cgiar.org/centers/index.html.
6. ↑ Estevez, Dolia. "Bill Gates And Carlos Slim To Partner On Reducing Hunger" (in en). https://www.forbes.com/sites/doliaestevez/2013/02/13/bill-gates-and-carlos-slim-to-partner-on-reducing-hunger/.
7. ↑ "Director General CIMMYT". https://www.cimmyt.org/about/governance/director-general/.
8. ↑ "Martin Kropff / CGIAR / About Us / Our Governance / Center Directors General". http://www.cgiar.org/about-us/our-governance/center-director-generals/profile/kropff-martin/.
9. ↑ "Dr. Thomas Lumpkin Receives the 2014 Outstanding Alumnus Award from the University of Hawaii". http://wsm.wsu.edu/mystory/?p=4235.
10. ↑ "Thomas Lumpkin of AVRDC new CIMMYT DG | CIMMYT. International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center". http://www.cimmyt.org/thomas-lumpkin-of-avrdc-new-cimmyt-df/.
11. ↑ "Norman Borlaug - Facts". https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1970/borlaug-facts.html.
12. ↑ "Two wheel tractors assist Zimbabwe and Ethiopia farmers grow yields and income". The Zimbabwe Mail. July 2020. https://www.thezimbabwemail.com/farming-enviroment/two-wheel-tractors-assist-zimbabwe-and-ethiopia-farmers-grow-yields-and-income/.
13. ↑ "Innovative approaches to including gender within agricultural mechanization". Feed the Future USAID. 5 November 2019. https://www.agrilinks.org/post/innovative-approaches-including-gender-within-agricultural-mechanization.
14. ↑ "Alternatives to burning can increase Indian farmers' profits and cut pollution". EurekAlert. https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-08/imaw-atb080719.php.
15. ↑ "Inside the world's largest wheat and maize bank" (in en-AU). 2014-04-14. https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2014-04-15/largest-wheat-and-seed-collection-in-world/5384518.
16. ↑ "Pandemics aren't limited to people: How the world's most famous seed vault defends plants against their next big outbreak" (in en-US). 2020-05-21. https://thecounter.org/international-biodiversity-day-idb-svalbard-plant-pandemics/.
17. ↑ Noriega, Isabel López; Halewood, Michael; Abberton, Michael; Amri, Ahmed; Angarawai, Ijantiku Ignatius; Anglin, Noelle; Blümmel, Michael; Bouman, Bas et al. (2019). "CGIAR Operations under the Plant Treaty Framework" (in en). Crop Science 59 (3): 819–832. doi:10.2135/cropsci2018.08.0526. ISSN 1435-0653. https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.2135/cropsci2018.08.0526.
18. ↑ "Pandemics aren't limited to people: How the world's most famous seed vault defends plants against their next big outbreak" (in en-US). 2020-05-21. https://thecounter.org/international-biodiversity-day-idb-svalbard-plant-pandemics/.
19. ↑ Staff Reporter (2020-07-01). "Two wheel tractors assist Zimbabwe and Ethiopia farmers grow yields and income" (in en-GB). https://www.thezimbabwemail.com/farming-enviroment/two-wheel-tractors-assist-zimbabwe-and-ethiopia-farmers-grow-yields-and-income/.
20. ↑ "New zinc-fortified wheat set for global expansion to combat malnutrition" (in en-US). 2021-04-15. https://nypost.com/2021/04/15/new-zinc-fortified-wheat-set-for-global-expansion-to-combat-malnutrition/.
21. ↑ "About us" (in en-US). https://www.cimmyt.org/about/.
22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Vidal, John (2014-04-01). "Norman Borlaug: humanitarian hero or menace to society? | John Vidal" (in en-GB). The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2014/apr/01/norman-borlaug-humanitarian-hero-menace-society.
23. ↑ Evenson, R. E.; Gollin, D. (2003-05-02). "Assessing the Impact of the Green Revolution, 1960 to 2000" (in en). Science 300 (5620): 758–762. doi:10.1126/science.1078710. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 12730592. Bibcode: 2003Sci...300..758E. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1078710.
24. ↑ "A New Twist on Seed Technology" (in en). 2015-01-28. https://www.feedthefuture.gov/article/a-new-twist-on-seed-technology/.
25. ↑ See "CIMMYT germplasm policy," https://www.cimmyt.org/content/uploads/2019/10/CIMMYT-Germplasm-policy-2019-10.pdf
26. ↑ "Search - Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation". 18 October 2005. http://gatesfoundation.org/search.
27. ↑ "OPP1134248". http://www.gatesfoundation.org/How-We-Work/Quick-Links/Grants-Database/Grants/2016/03/OPP1134248.
28. ↑ "Helping Poor Farmers, Changes Needed to Feed 1 Billion Hungry - Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation". http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Media-Center/Press-Releases/2012/02/Helping-Poor-Farmers-Changes-Needed-to-Feed-1-Billion-Hungry.
29. ↑ Administrator. "Climate-ready maize gets a boost: Phase III of the drought tolerant maize in Africa project to reach more farmers". http://dtma.cimmyt.org/index.php/component/content/article/113-news-release/154-climate-ready-maize-gets-a-boost-phase-iii-of-the-drought-tolerant-maize-in-africa-project-to-reach-more-farmers.
30. ↑ jb755 (25 January 2017). "Cornell receives UK support to aid scientists fighting threats to global wheat supply". http://www.globalrust.org/blog/cornell-receives-uk-support-aid-scientists-fighting-threats-global-wheat-supply.
31. ↑ "$24M grant aims to combat global wheat crop threats - Cornell Chronicle". http://news.cornell.edu/stories/2016/03/24m-grant-aims-combat-global-wheat-crop-threats.
32. ↑ Canada, Employment and Social Development (2014-06-10). "International agreement to focus on improved durum wheat disease resistance - Canada.ca". https://www.canada.ca/en/news/archive/2014/06/international-agreement-focus-improved-durum-wheat-disease-resistance.html?=undefined&wbdisable=true&_ga=1.82435283.455391987.1488664329.
33. ↑ Canada, Research Branch;Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada;Government of. "Scientific Cooperation with International Organizations". http://www.agr.gc.ca/eng/science-and-innovation/international-engagement/scientific-cooperation-with-international-organizations/?id=1180131840314.
34. ↑ Government, Open. "Government Grants and Contributions". http://open.canada.ca/search/grants/reference/c24dbf0f500fcf4940af1db3baf868a5.
35. ↑ Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada;Government of. "The Making of Wheat Warriors: Canadian Wheat Stands Out". http://www.agr.gc.ca/eng/about-us/publications/discover-agriculture/the-making-of-wheat-warriors-canadian-wheat-stands-out/?id=1412083175501.
36. ↑ GmbH, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). "Project data". https://www.giz.de/projektdaten/projects.action?request_locale=en_EN&pn=201401561.
37. ↑ GmbH, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). "Project data". https://www.giz.de/projektdaten/projects.action?request_locale=en_EN&pn=201409713.
38. ↑ GmbH, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). "Expertise. Projects". https://www.giz.de/expertise/html/5842.html.
39. ↑ "Sustainable Modernization of Traditional Agriculture, MasAgro". http://masagro.mx/index.php/en/.
40. ↑ "CIMMYT: 50 años de impulsar el maíz y el trigo". http://www.gob.mx/sagarpa/articulos/cimmyt-50-anos-de-impulsar-el-maiz-y-el-trigo.
41. ↑ "50 Aniversario del CIMMYT". http://www.gob.mx/sagarpa/galerias/50-aniversario-del-cimmyt.
42. ↑ "USAID-OFDA Agriculture and Food Security Sector Update, Fiscal Year 2016". 12 October 2016. http://reliefweb.int/report/world/usaid-ofda-agriculture-and-food-security-sector-update-fiscal-year-2016.
43. ↑ "International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) 50 Year Celebration - Opening Remarks by USAID Kenya and East Africa Mission Director Karen Freeman - Speeches & Testimony - Kenya - U.S. Agency for International Development". https://www.usaid.gov/kenya/speeches/international-maize-and-wheat-improvement-center-cimmyt-50-year.
44. ↑ "U.S. Launches 'Agricultural Innovation Program'". https://www.usaid.gov/pakistan/press-releases/us-launches-agricultural-innovation-program.
45. ↑ "Seeds of Change: Growing Hill Maize Sustainably in Nepal". 2015-03-11. https://www.usaid.gov/global-waters/march-2015/seeds-of-change.
46. ↑ "Ethiopia Complex Emergency Fact Sheet #5 - March 3, 2016 - U.S. Agency for International Development". 2016-08-19. https://www.usaid.gov/crisis/ethiopia/fy16/fs05.
47. ↑ "Center Analysis" (in en-US). https://www.cgiar.org/impact/finance-reports/dashboard/center-analysis/.
48. ↑ "100 Years: The Rockefeller Foundation - International maize and wheat improvement center (CIMMYT)". 29 September 2013. http://rockefeller100.org/items/show/2752/.
49. ↑ "Our History - A Powerful Legacy :: The Rockefeller Foundation". 1 January 2013. http://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/about-us/our-history.
50. ↑ https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20150423201716/http://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/app/uploads/Annual-Report-1966.pdf [bare URL PDF]
51. ↑ "Norman Borlaug - Biographical". https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1970/borlaug-bio.html.
52. ↑ "Dr. Borlaug & The World Food Prize - The World Food Prize - Improving the Quality, Quantity and Availability of Food in the World". The World Food Prize. https://www.worldfoodprize.org/en/dr_norman_e_borlaug/dr_borlaug__the_world_food_prize/.
53. ↑ "2014 - Rajaram - The World Food Prize - Improving the Quality, Quantity and Availability of Food in the World". The World Food Prize. https://www.worldfoodprize.org/en/laureates/2010__2015_laureates/2014__rajaram/.
54. ↑ 54.0 54.1 "2000: Vasal and Villegas - The World Food Prize - Improving the Quality, Quantity and Availability of Food in the World". The World Food Prize. https://www.worldfoodprize.org/index.cfm?nodeID=87467&audienceID=1. [yes|permanent dead link|dead link}}]

## Further reading

* Byerlee, Derek; Edmeades, Greg O. (2021-08-31). Fifty Years of Maize Research in the CGIAR: Diversity, Change, and Ultimate Success. CDMX: CIMMYT (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center).

## External links

* v
* t
* e

CGIAR

* Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice)
* Bioversity International
* International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)
* Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR)
* International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)
* International Potato Center (CIP)
* International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA)
* International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF)
* International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)
* International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
* International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)
* International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)
* International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)
* International Water Management Institute (IWMI)
* WorldFish

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