CIMMYT Seeks Support for Research

The article discusses the current challenges faced by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), particularly in relation to the ongoing financial strain due to the reduction of support from significant funding sources like the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which ceased operations as of July 1 due to the Trump administration's policies. This funding gap threatens agricultural research and development (R&D) efforts, especially in wheat and maize, which are crucial for food security.

Key points of the article include:

• Historical Context: Norman Borlaug, a prominent agricultural scientist, introduced high-yielding wheat varieties that sparked India’s Green Revolution over sixty years ago. Notable varieties included Lerma Rojo 64A, Sonora 63, and Mayo 64.

• Funding Crisis: USAID contributed roughly $83 million to CIMMYT's total grant revenue of $211 million for 2024, making it the largest funding agency for CIMMYT. The cessation of its funding is expected to lead to significant impacts starting from 2026.

• CIMMYT's Contributions: CIMMYT's breeding lines forms the genetic backbone of wheat cultivated on over 60 million hectares globally. CIMMYT's partnership with Indian institutions has led to the development of varieties such as DBW 303, which has a yield exceeding 8 tonnes per hectare.

• Breeding Initiatives: Half of the wheat cultivated in India comes from varieties developed post-2019, with collaboration between CIMMYT and local research institutions such as the Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research.

• Research Facilities: CIMMYT operates the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA) and a doubled haploid facility for maize in India, contributing to the genetic research necessary for breeding resilient strains of crops.

• Global Workforce: Currently, CIMMYT employs 19 international and 144 national staff in India, with Indian professionals significantly represented in its global workforce.

• India's Potential Role: India’s contribution to CIMMYT's budget was only $0.8 million in 2024. Given the reduced dependency on USAID, India has an opportunity to increase its funding and influence in CIMMYT's operations.

• Future Focus of Research: CIMMYT's ongoing research targets enhancing crop yields through traits that improve heat tolerance, disease resistance, and biological nitrification inhibition (BNI), which can enhance nitrogen retention in soil, thereby potentially reducing fertilizer usage.

• Impact of Climate Change: Wheat crops are becoming increasingly vulnerable to heat stress, with each one-degree Celsius rise in night temperatures correlated with a yield decrease of approximately 6%. Efforts are underway to identify and incorporate traits for better heat tolerance.

In summary, CIMMYT is calling for increased support from India and other nations to sustain its agricultural R&D efforts at a time when food security remains a crucial concern globally. The implications of climate change on crop production and the need for innovative agricultural solutions are critical challenges being addressed through ongoing research and collaboration with local institutions.