This is perhaps why I felt so relieved when I read a while back about a new approach called “genome editing.” Finally, I thought to myself, the molecular biologists are speaking a language that for me makes complete sense.

Does this mean that crop improvement will soon be as simple as “cut and paste,” “insert table,” and “save as” in word processing? Or to use a more old-fashioned metaphor, will plant breeders’ job become as straightforward as red-penciling plants? My chance to find out came when Joe Tohme, director of CIAT’s Agrobiodiversity Research Area, announced recently that a CIAT research team has been experimenting since 2014 with genome editing in rice. I couldn’t wait to find out more from the team’s leader, Paul Chavarriaga.

At a meeting in his office, Chavarriaga first explained to me the basics of how genome editing works. The idea is to remove, “switch off,” or otherwise modify genetic material in organisms to achieve a desired change. This is made possible by a new technology called CRISPR – for clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeat. Found in the genomes of some bacteria, it generates nucleases, notably one referred to as Cas9, which is an enzyme (or type of protein) that chemically cuts the links between the subunits of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) – the molecule that carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, and reproduction of living things.

The cutting action catalyzed by CRISPR-Cas9 is guided by pieces of ribonucleic acid (RNA) – a molecule that decodes the instructions “written into” DNA for protein synthesis and regulates gene expression, among other functions. Tailoring the RNA to fit a particular genetic sequence, scientists can use the CRISPR-Cas9 system to cut DNA at specific sites recognized by the RNA. The DNA then repairs itself, incorporating some type of genetic change, such as gene mutation or insertion or the replacement or rearrangement of genetic sequences.

Many problems of plant and human health involve more than a single gene. Not to worry! The CRISPR-Cas9 system has proved capable of modifying several genes at a time.

Since 2011, when the technique was first developed, applications have proliferated, as reflected in the large number of publications (more than a thousand by 2015) now flooding the scientific literature. These articles document the use of Cas9 to modify cells in a wide variety of animals (e.g., mice, rabbits, frogs, and fruit flies) and plants (including rice, sorghum, tobacco, and wheat). In Brazil, for example, scientists have used the CRISPR/Cas9 system to show how mosquitoes can be rendered incapable of serving as carriers of malaria.

To demonstrate proof of concept in CIAT’s research, Chavarriaga’s team recently used the system to induce the “drooping leaf” effect in IR64, an elite rice line developed by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). Scientists in Japan had already performed the same feat with Japonica rice. IR64 has been incorporated into hundreds of improved rice varieties, which have been released in a dozen countries and are grown on millions of hectares. If genome editing for important agronomical traits could give more of an edge to this already superior rice, the benefits would reach many millions of people.

“The drooping leaf trait has only a minor effect on plant performance,” said Chavarriaga. “But it serves very well to show the effects of genome editing in a way you can easily see in rice plants.”

CIAT scientist Sandra Valdéz is preparing a note on this development, which will hopefully be CIAT’s first contribution to the growing scientific literature on genome editing. In this work, Valdéz is collaborating with Japan’s National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences (NIAS) and the University of Melbourne in Australia.

Another application of genome editing to which CIAT researchers are contributing involves eliminating the antibiotic used as a “marker” in transgenic rice possessing high levels of the vital micronutrients iron and zinc.

“The antibiotic is actually harmless,” said Chavarriaga, “but its presence in rice might arouse concern about the possibility of creating antibiotic resistance in humans. By using genome editing to eliminate the antibiotic gene, we hope to simplify the passage of this transgenic rice through the regulatory process, so that its nutritional advantage can be put to use more quickly.”

Further possibilities that Chavarriaga has in mind are using genome editing to enhance the presence in cassava of beta-carotene, the precursor of Vitamin A, or to create new mechanisms for resistance to bacterial and viral diseases of the root crop.

So far, so good. But as Chavarriaga spoke, I began to get a sense of déjà vu. Despite the mild metaphor, his description of genome editing sounded to me a lot like transgenics (i.e., genetic transformation or engineering). The sensation was reinforced by the fact that Chavarriaga also manages CIAT’s genetic transformation platform. An important difference, though, is that genome editing has not yet been used to introduce genes from other organisms but only to modify genetic material within a given organism. Still, there’s nothing to prevent scientists from using genome editing to introduce foreign genes.

Surprisingly, though, this does not appear to be among the main concerns that have people worried, as documented by recent articles in The Economist, The New York Times, and The New Yorker. Their main fear is about the use of genome editing on human embryos. Some 6,000 human diseases are caused by genetic malfunctions, and genome editing shows enormous promise for solving them. But what if the technique has unexpected effects on humans, creating new problems even as it solves old ones?

Another fear is that genome editing could have unanticipated environmental impacts, particularly if genetic modifications in animals or plants are passed on from one generation to the next by means of a technique called “gene drive,” which is being used in the work on mosquitoes mentioned earlier.

Cognizant of these concerns, researchers have begun to address them by establishing clear ground rules for the application of genome editing. They must also engage right away in public dialogue about the technique’s promise and perils to avoid getting bogged down in the sort of trench warfare scenario that overtook the debate on transgenics. The potential benefits of genome editing are far too great to be squandered for lack of a shared understanding across society about how the technique can best be used to improve human well-being.

The post Genome Editing: As Easy, Useful, and Safe as it Sounds? appeared first on Agrobiodiversity.

Susan’s failed crops. Credit: C.Birnholz/CIAT

When we visited her in July, she showed us a bare field with a handful of sorghum plants not even a foot high. She tells us that this is all the sorghum that grew. She also planted pigeon pea, green grams and cowpeas planted earlier this year. But she has had nothing to harvest. With no cattle of her own, she relies on her extended family’s ox and plough for cultivation. She was the last one to be able to plough her fields and sow. In addition, the rainfall has been changing and less predictable. This season it was late, and still it was too late for her crops.

On the other hand, Michael is considered to be an “average” farmer in his community. He cultivates his 4 hectares of land, the average farm size for his area in the highlands of the Usambara Mountains (Lushoto, Tanzania) where rainfall can range from 600 to 1700 mm a year. He is from Yamba, 1561 m up.  His main crop is maize but he also grows a multitude of other crops such as cabbage, yams, banana, coffee, pigeon pea, and raises dairy cattle, pigs and chickens.

Michael. Credit: C.Birnholz/CIAT

To feed his three improved dairy cows, he has planted forages (Napier and Guatemala grass and Leucaena trees), which he cuts and carries to the stable where they are kept all day (zero-grazing system). Like many farmers in the area, most crop residues are also collected to feed the animals. He would like to continue to intensify his production. However, in the long term, he could face serious problems from soil erosion if he continues to leave his steep crop fields bare. Balancing livestock and crop production is a challenge.

In the current context of climate change, mixed smallholder farmers, like Susan and Michael, are under increasing pressure to adapt. But their circumstances are so vastly different that the same solution will not work for both of them. We need a myriad of solutions that can be adapted to meet different needs.

CIAT researchers are evaluating the potential impact of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) on mixed smallholders farms across three sites in East Africa: Lushoto (Tanzania), Rakai (Uganda) and Wote (Kenya). The four year project, “Participatory evaluation and application of portfolios of climate smart agriculture practices to enhance adaptation to climate change in mixed smallholder systems of East and Southern Africa” began in early 2015.

CSA is based on three pillars: productivity, adaptation and mitigation (reducing/removing greenhouse gases). A number of CSA practices exist ranging from using improved seed varieties, terracing to water harvesting technologies. CSA applies not only to crop production but also to livestock production, such as improved breeds and feeding strategies.

The challenge is understanding which practices are the best options for the different farmers across the region.  Evaluating the potential impacts of CSA practices via research can help inform agricultural development. Development practitioners can be informed in targeting and prioritizing a combination of CSA practices in their implementation and outreach work to enhance adaptation to climate change in smallholder systems of East and Southern Africa.

Lushoto, Tanzania. Credit: C.Birnholz/CIAT

Understanding the agro-economic context of the different farming systems is the first step in addressing the farming system heterogeneity.

Evaluating the impact of CSA has to be done on multiple dimensions. Improving the environmental impact of smallholder agriculture has to go hand in hand with improving their livelihoods both for women and men. It is important to realize the economic or labor consequences that will incur from implementing practices that would improve soil health, crop and livestock production, especially for farmers who may face labor and financial constraints. CSA can affect gender differently as labor division and income control is not the same for women and men.

For example, the best options for farmers like Susan might be drought tolerant crop varieties and timely planting. During her interview, she said she would like to increase the number of chickens she has so she can run a hatchery business. In the future, this would allow her to afford her own cattle to plough her fields. Yet, Michael would benefit from terraces, which would reduce soil erosion, although this would mean high initial investment. He could also plant more trees (agro-forestry) and prolong his few field contours with more forages. This would help minimize soil loss while providing quality livestock feed.

To increase the relevance and applicability of modelling and impact assessment, typical farming systems across various agro-ecologies were identified. Sample data collected included farm walks, geo-referencing and farm characterization through surveys with the farmers. Data is gender disaggregated when it comes to labor on the farm and income control.

This data will be used to model the farms in their current state to benchmark their environmental and economic performances. This is being done with a whole farm model FarmDESIGN of Wageningen University (Groot et al., 2012). Environmental and economic performance indicators include soil carbon balance, nutrient cycling, livestock feed balance, labor balance, economic profitability, greenhouse gas emissions, and tradeoffs between these dimensions.

Later on the impact of a combination of farmer-preferred CSA practices will be estimated using the same modeling approach. These results will be compared with the benchmarked farm performance. Putting it all together will provide support for development implementers at local and regional levels: Extension services, government and NGOs (such as World Vision, Care, and SNV). Preliminary results will be available in late 2015.

The project is funded by, and part of, the CGIAR Research Program (CRP) Climate Change Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) and is closely linked with CRP Livestock and Fish. Since the start of the project, researchers have surveyed three CCAFS sites.

This research approach was previously used in a CIAT-led GIZ scoping study in Western Kenya to inform the GIZ Soil Protection and Rehabilitation for Food Security program of German One World No Hunger Initiative.

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Written by Celine Birnholz. Celine is a research consultant. She was brought in to work on the “Participatory evaluation and application of portfolios of climate smart agriculture practices to enhance adaptation to climate change in mixed smallholder systems of East and Southern Africa” project to focus on whole farm modelling, ex-ante impact assessment and farm greenhouse gas emission quantification.

The post Tailor-made CSA: adapting best-bet practices for East African smallholders appeared first on Agrobiodiversity.

This output resulted from several years of work aimed at achieving a better understanding of the physiological basis of improved drought resistance in common bean. A major lesson learned from this work is that no single morpho-physiological trait stands out for its unique and dominant contribution to drought resistance in common beans.

Grouping new bean lines as water savers or water spenders to facilitate targeting

Even though it sounds like banking jargon, after evaluating 36 advanced lines over two seasons, scientists of CIAT’s bean breeding program succeeded in classifying the genotypes into two groups: water savers and water spenders. The grouping is based on their morpho-physiological responses to drought stress in terms of water use and other key traits such as carbon isotope discrimination, rooting depth, and photosynthate remobilization.

The water saving genotypes are characterized by their ability to reduce stomatal opening and transpiration with smaller leaf size. But are efficient in remobilizing carbon from vegetative structures to grain production. These genotypes could be more suitable to bean farmers in semiarid to dry environments, dominated by terminal type of drought stress in Central America, Africa, northern Mexico and north-east Brazil. This group of genotypes include SER 16, ALB 60, ALB 6, BFS 10, and BFS 29, which are small red beans. In fact, SER 16 is a drought-resistant variety developed by CIAT and released in Rwanda, which soon will be released in Nicaragua as well.

Improved bean lines: SER 16, ALB 60, BFS 10, and SMC 141

The water spending genotypes are characterized by their deep rooting ability, which maximizes their water extraction capacity to facilitate crop growth, pod development and grain filling under drought stress conditions. They are suitable for cultivation in areas exposed to intermittent drought in Central America, South America, and Africa, particularly in regions where rainfall is intermittent during the season and soils have good water storage capacity. This group of genotypes include NCB 280, NCB 226, SEN 56, SCR 2, SCR 16, SMC 141, RCB 593, and BFS 67. An untrained consumer may identify these as small black or small red beans.

Improved bean lines: NCB 280, NCB 226, and SEN 56

But that is not it. Those 13 bean lines improved by CIAT – remarkably drought resistant – showed a grain yield that doubles the yield under drought stress of three leading commercial cultivars in Latin America: DOR 390, Perola, and Tío Canela.

The success in responding to the challenge posed by drought – main abiotic limiting factor for bean production – seems to be largely due to a strategic combination of morpho-physiological traits from contrasting sources of bean germplasm. These new genotypes not only minimize crop failure in smallholder systems but also contribute to yield stability and resilience to confront drought stress.

The post New common bean genotypes to confront drought appeared first on Agrobiodiversity.

Credit: SMalyon/CIAT

Farmers could increase their yields and simultaneously build richer soil in a sustainable way by adopting intensive farming practices. But, knowledge about which farming practices are the most effective is not well documented by researchers. To get a good understanding of which practice to use requires years of scientific study through trial and error and is both labor intensive and time consuming.

In more developed regions, these questions have been answered by computer models, which take far less physical effort and substantially less time to produce answers. Ideally these models could answer the same questions for farmers in East Africa. But unfortunately, most of them were developed for monoculture and conventional farming systems that do not represent the type of subsistence farming that occurs in East Africa.

To accommodate complex farming practices in East Africa, a team of CIAT-led computer modelers enhanced CropSyst, a sophisticated agricultural model, to simulate the simultaneous growth of two species and their competition for light, water, and nutrients.

While developing the model, the modelers focused on intercropping – the growth of two or more crops together at the same time – a farming practice that better reflects farming systems in East Africa.

A Tanzanian farmer tending his intercropped field. Photo credit: Cyril Lissu. Cyril is an MSc student at Sokoine University in Tanzania, sponsored and attached to CIAT

In terms of overall yield and soil quality, intercropping offers numerous advantages and few disadvantages. Some advantages are fairly straight-forward, such as better per-area resource use (more leaf area means more light interception; more roots means more water uptake – both essential for crop growth). Other advantages are fairly subtle, such as one plant attracting beneficial insects that may help the second plant produce seeds or reduce its pest population.

Intercropping also helps sustainability by building up soil organic matter, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by providing more groundcover, and reducing nitrogen leaching and soil runoff.

On the downside, the introduction of additional crops in a finite area forces the plants to compete for light, water, and nutrients. Crop management practices can alleviate competition but some detrimental effects may remain. The yield, for example, of a crop forced to compete for resources in an intercropping system may be less than if it were grown alone.

Understanding the advantages and disadvantages of intercropping makes evident the complexity of the interactions among the crops. These types of interactions are largely lacking in many agricultural computer models making it difficult to provide farmers with best-bet crop management techniques. This is what we are attempting to address through CropSyst.

Computer models are useful because they can provide an unlimited number of “what-if” scenarios far faster and cheaper than if they were actually tested in the field. A computer model can simulate thirty years of crop growth in seconds without having to plant anything.

Through CropSyst we can provide information such as estimated yields of each crop, soil carbon and nitrogen levels, greenhouse gas emissions, and much more. By running different scenarios and comparing their results we can make better recommendations on how farmers can increase crop yields in a sustainable way.

The amount of information that comes out of the model is immense, but so is the amount of information that we need to provide for it to function properly.

To obtain the information that goes into the model, we first need to measure how crops act under certain soil and weather conditions. This is where a CIAT-led project titled “Sustainable Intensification of crop-livestock systems through improved forages” comes into play.

Part of the project involves field trials in Lushoto, Tanzania, where intercropping is widely used among farmers. Two MSc students (from Nairobi University and Sokoine University respectively) are managing Napier grass-Desmodium trials under varying levels of fertilizer.

A field-trial of intercropped Desmodium (center) with Napier grass (edges) in Lushoto, Tanzania. Photo by Bryan Carlson.

These particular trials are interesting because they demonstrate the complex interactions and possible benefits of intercropping. Both Napier grass and Desmodium are important forage crops in the region, but Desmodium is also a nitrogen fixer. This means Desmodium converts atmospheric nitrogen into a form that makes it available in the soil. In this way, growing Desmodium as an intercrop can actually increase availability of nitrogen to the Napier grass and increase soil nitrogen in general.

The specifics of this relationship are not fully understood and the benefits may vary based on management practices. To make the interaction clear, the two MSc students are collecting a staggering amount of growth, soil, and weather data, which are being used to calibrate the intercropping model and ensure that the predictions are realistic.

Once the modelers are satisfied with the outputs of the intercropping model, they can start running “what-if” scenarios. They could, for example, adjust the time that Desmodium is planted and determine the optimum planting date relative to Napier. Or they could adjust the amount of fertilizer or tillage frequency, or other management practices in attempts to save farmers’ time and money.

In time, the model may provide farmers and policymakers with important information to help tackle the problems of food scarcity and malnutrition in East Africa.

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Credit: Rolf Sommer/CIAT

Written by Bryan Carlson (pictured left with a Tanzanian farmer). Bryan is a Biophyiscal Modeler for Washington State University and an independent consultant.

More information about research related to intercropping with forages

The CIAT-led project is part of the Livestock and Fish CGIAR Research Program and is supported by USAID as part of the CGIAR-Unites States University Linkages Program designed to support collaborative research between US universities or USDA and CGIAR.

The post Model practice – enhancing crop models to reduce food insecurity in East Africa appeared first on Agrobiodiversity.

“The ultimate goal of this project is to provide smallholder farmers with new market opportunities,” emphasized Clair Hershey, leader of CIAT’s cassava program, after the project launch workshop, which took place in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on 15–17 April 2015.

The workshop was attended by a total of 26 participants who represented agencies that are already project partners, such as Catholic Relief Services and Haiti’s Ministry of Agriculture, as well as other agencies interested in participating in the project’s implementation, such as Laval University and an initiative called Enhancing and Building Capacity for Increased Food Security in Haiti (AKOSAA)

The project launch workshop, funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), focused on three objectives:

• Identify and contact key partners in Haiti
• Present the project to those key partners and work with them on identifying research and training needs
• Identify key activities in beans, cassava, and soils in order to carry out the proposed interventions in Haiti, and at the same time, fill strategy and knowledge gaps

During the workshop, there was ample discussion of basic topics such as the challenges and opportunities that arise when attempting to support seed systems for Haitian food crops and the needs of farmers and crop production systems in Haiti’s Southern Department (state), among others.

During the first year of its implementation, the project will focus on activities such as: (1) farmer participatory evaluations to determine the status of the technologies and varieties in use today; (2) training for researchers, extension agents, and farmers to strengthen their research and extension capacities; (3) a preliminary assessment of value chains; (4) introduction of high-yielding cassava and bean varieties with high nutritional value; and (5) collecting and organizing soil profiles.

“This project is the result of a visit to CIAT by Haiti’s Minister of Agriculture in 2013, which re-opened the door for substantially and positively impacting the lives of Haitian smallholder farmers,” said Hershey.

The post Cassava, beans and soils, core components of a new project in Haiti appeared first on Agrobiodiversity.

The drones, also referred to as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), with a multispectral camera attached, are one of the main components of the phenotyping platform that CIAT is building on its headquarters campus near Cali, Colombia, through the Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS) project, which is funded by the Government of Japan and conducted in close collaboration with the University of Tokyo, for the purpose of accelerating rice breeding.

In practical terms, having the drones  available will allow researchers to quickly capture images of large field plots for monitoring crop performance (on the basis of pigment indices and green biomass) instead of sampling the plants manually, as is done in conventional plant breeding. Data collected in this way will help select the best performing plants at various abiotic stress levels, while also reducing the effects of temporal variation.

“UAVs are definitely a boon to CIAT’s phenotyping platform,” said Gómez Selvaraj. “This technology could drastically reduce the amount of time crop physiologists spend in the field evaluating crop performance on the basis of traits that were previously measured plant by plant,” he said. “

“Our high-throughput phenotyping platform opens the way for innovative approaches to developing new varieties of rice and cassava that can thrive under stress environments”, said Joe Tohme, director of the Agrobiodiversity Research Area.

CIAT is operating the drones under the regulations of Colombia’s civil aviation authorities.

The post Drones that target crops for improvement appeared first on Agrobiodiversity.

“This is a great story of collaboration, joint analysis with partners, and delivery of information to public databases, for the benefit of the rice community,” says Jorge Duitama, leader of CIAT’s Bioinformatics team, while he explains how important it is for the Center to have worked in a team with researchers from the entities that participated in the RiceCAP project, including Louisiana State University (LSU), the Genomics and Bioinformatics Research Unit of USDA-ARS, and the National Center for Genome Resources (NCGR) of the United States.

This research, which was started independently by the RiceCAP project and CIAT, focused on carrying out the complete sequencing of the genomes of 54 varieties, including two advanced lines from the Instituto Rio Grandense de Arroz [Rio Grande Rice Institute] (IRGA); two from Uruguay’s Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria [National Institute of Agricultural Research] (INIA); three from the Colombia’s Federación de Productores de Arroz [Association of Rice Producers] (Fedearroz), and one from Venezuela’s Asociación de Productores Rurales del Estado Portuguesa [Association of Rural Producers of the Portuguesa State] (Asoportuguesa). This was also a chance to take advantage of the availability in the public databases of 50 additional varieties, corresponding to the main subspecies of rice.

Supported by state-of-the-art specialized tools, such as Next Generation Sequencing Eclipse Plugin (NGSEP), open source software developed at CIAT, with nearly 2,000 downloads since its launch in April 2014, and always keeping in mind the pressing need to use genomic tools to achieve a significant improvement in food production and hunger relief in the face of a rapidly increasing population, it was possible to generate a source of detailed information in terms of alleles and simple nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which are useful for the development of future improved varieties through marker-assisted selection.

The scientists of this multi-institutional effort started with an initial approach to assess the potential of this database for rice improvement. From there, the variation observed within the GBSSI gene was investigated. This gene, located on chromosome 6, is known to be related to amylose content, which is one of the agricultural traits of greatest interest, both in Latin America and in the United States. This study made it possible to identify new SNPs that can be used in marker-assisted selection to develop improved varieties with high grain quality.

“Our hope is that both the analytical methods and the genomic information described in this study can be useful for the rice research community and for other groups that are carrying out similar sequencing efforts on other crops,” concludes Duitama.

The post From genomics to the field: Getting to know the genome of rice planted in America, to develop better varieties appeared first on Agrobiodiversity.

This good news is the result of many years of scientific work, itself inspired by figures such as 70% of the nitrogen present in applied fertilizers end up in the environment. Such losses are costing, annually, about US$90 billion. These figures indicate the complexity of critical situations such as the diminishing efficacy of nitrogen fertilizer applications for cereal production.

In responding to this challenge, JIRCAS, CIAT, ICRISAT and CIMMYT joined efforts to determine the implications from nitrification and denitrification processes affecting productivity in agricultural systems. The scientists hypothesized that BNI is a mechanism that markedly reduces the conversion of nitrogen (as applied to soil as fertilizer) to nitrous oxide.

Nitrification is the biological oxidation of ammonia or ammonium into nitrites, followed by oxidation of these nitrites into nitrates. These processes form an important stage in the soil nitrogen cycle. In contrast, denitrification is the biological reduction of nitrates into gaseous nitrogen oxides and ultimately into gaseous nitrogen, which then passes into the atmosphere.

Because controlling nitrification is key to making BNI a reality, the researchers focused on detecting and quantifying biological nitrification inhibitors. In 2009, they identified the most effective inhibitor as being brachialactone. This substance is found in roots of the grass Brachiaria humidicola at levels that made a significant difference in the plants’ capacity to protect soil-nitrogen from losses and improve its recovery for pasture productivity.

Likewise, researchers at JIRCAS and CIMMYT found that wild wheat has a high BNI capacity. The next question to resolve now is whether this capacity can be transferred to cultivated wheat. Similar advances have also been made in sorghum by scientists at JIRCAS and ICRISAT.

Field experiments will be conducted throughout 2015 to determine if a high BNI capacity will reduce emission of nitrous oxide from cropping systems. The most effective answer may lie in the association or rotation of pastures and maize.

“The message to take home is that the goal continues to be double pronged: to ensure that nitrogen remains in the soil, thus reducing the need for large-scale use of fertilizers and helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and to make it clearly obvious that BNI does not generate additional costs for farmers; nor will it negatively affect the environment,” concludes Dr. Subbarao.

The post Advances in research on biological nitrification inhibition appeared first on Agrobiodiversity.

An Integrated Pest Management extension campaign was launched in Phu Yen province, Vietnam, on March 12th.

Phu Yen province in Vietnam launched an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) extension campaign for cassava on March 12^th, leading the campaign in Vietnam. The event was held at the Phu Yen Department of Agricultural and Rural Development (DARD) together with Phu Yen Plant Protection Sub-Department (PPSD).

The event was attended by representatives from the Plant Protection Department (PPD), Vice-Head of the People’s Committee of province, the Farmer’s Union, Women’s Union, heads of the plant protection stations of all nine districts, the director of two of the biggest cassava factories in the province, representatives from CIAT and over 20 lead cassava growers coming from nine districts. Journalists from local VTV and newspaper were also invited to report on the event.

The Leader of the Department of Agricultural and Rural Development, Mr. Nguyen Van Phuong, opened the meeting. In his opening speech, he underlined the importance of cassava as a prominent cash-crop for the province, and noted the importance of strong collaboration between all relevant departments, sub-departments, private sector and farmers to successfully promote the campaign.

Mr. Dang Van Manh, Vice-Head of Phu Yen PPSD, reported on mealybug invasion in the province. According to the monitoring, 60 hectares of cassava was damaged by mealybug with incidence levels of up to 80 percent. Measures to prevent the spread of mealybug, such as burning infested plants, were listed, and the importance of training courses to help farmers recognize and report mealybug to PPSD officers and cassava growers, and local newspapers were highlighted.

A farmer-to-farmer video was shown during the campaign.

A farmer-to-farmer video on mealybug management was shown during the launch event, attracting the attention of all participants, and the plan for its wider roll-out was presented and discussed. According to the plan, the video will be distributed to cassava factories, plant protection stations of 11 districts and 20 lead farmers. It will also be shown in the waiting room of cassava factories, and venues such as communal houses, markets and agricultural input agencies, where cassava traders, farmers and the public will be able to view it. The plan was strongly agreed and supported by representatives of all sectors.

From the private sector side, Director of Dong Xuan cassava factory – the biggest factory in Phu Yen province – Mr. Dong, committed to provide financial as well as infrastructure support to facilitate the campaign. He emphasized that raising awareness to cassava growers on IPM is a win-win situation since the more farmers are aware about good cassava cultivation practices, companies can also profit. A farmer representative from Song Hinh district, which has the biggest cassava growing area in the province, explained plans for IPM information delivery to all other farmers in the area.

The launch was competed with a workshop for staff of plant protection stations at district level and 20 lead farmers. Mealybug recognition and prevention was, once again, presented, followed by the video presentation. Video-based extension approaches were discussed by people who are directly responsible for showing the video, with suggestions including integrating the video into union meetings and training. In some remote areas, the lack of infrastructure  like TV and DVD players, or difficulty in gathering people due to long distances, were some constraints which need to be considered. At the end of training, participants determined to work together to reach as many cassava growers as possible.

The launch was completed with a workshop for staff of plant protection stations at district level.

Dong Xuan cassava company is considered the biggest starch factory in Phu Yen province, producing 40,000 tons of cassava starch per year with revenues of up to 183 billion VND.  The company collects and buys cassava from almost all districts in the province. Every day, it is estimated that around 100 trucks of cassava supply the company. Dong Xuan cassava factory was one of pilots in this IPM extension campaign, and was the first to show the video on the day after the launch event.

In peak seasons, such as during cassava harvest time, the number of cassava trucks supplying the company can reach 300 per day. Due to the large number of traders present, Mr. Dong, director of Dong Xuan cassava factory, decided to show at the video in the waiting room during this time, attracting large attention from traders. In addition, leaflets provided detailed information. Results of the initial campaign are yet to be collected but positive signs were observed. For example, traders seemed to watch video with attention, and discussions were informally raised between them. Some traders also requested for more flyers and leaflets to distribute to others.

Read more about the video or Download in English, Khmer, Burmese, Indonesian, Lao, Thai and Vietnamese.

Written by Le Ngoc Lan, cassava research assistant, CIAT Asia

Photo credit: Le Ngoc Lan / CIAT

This post was edited on March 30th. 

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From the moment Dr Gerardine Mukeshima, Rwanda’s Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, opened the joint Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA) network steering committee meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, 2 to 7 February 2015, to the closing remarks, partnership and collaboration were at the heart of every discussion.

Without partnership, those PABRA member countries without breeding programmes, such as Cameroon and Burundi, would not have been able to test and release new bean varieties; beans would not be part of Madagascar’s school feeding programme, which will help reduce malnutrition levels among children and support local farmers; and the private sector would not be engaged in bean markets in Kenya or Zimbabwe, helping to improve seed systems and lift farmer incomes…

PABRA members from 28 countries gathered in Kigali, Rwanda, for the PABRA network meeting in February 2015

Examples of bean research achievements from the last five years are abound. Many were shared by the 60 participants that attended the meeting, which was the first to bring together bean programme leaders from 28 of PABRA’s 30 member countries, including Botswana, PABRAs newest member. The first two days of the meeting were also attended by representatives from UN agencies and donors.

The aim of the meeting, jointly organised and hosted by the Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB) and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), which facilitates PABRA, was to share bean research and development outcome  highlights from the last five years; enable future opportunities for collaboration to find solutions to on-going and new challenges; and develop research activities for the coming year.

But most of all, it was a space for learning.

Lessons learned

While every country has differing agro ecological zones, agricultural policies, culture and markets, each faces similar challenges when it comes to developing sustainable and nutrition sensitive bean value chains.

“It’s good to learn what others are doing across the network – to hear about their experiences and see if their solutions to challenges could be applied in your own country”, said David Karanja, bean programme leader at the Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO)….

This story first appeared on the PABRA blog on 23 February 2015 where you can read the full story. 

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