Experts lay the ground for a global system to protect the world’s most important crops

by Maria Eliza Villarino | Mar 16, 2018

Symptoms of cassava disease. Photo by: Georgina Smith / CIAT A global surveillance system will consolidate best practices in preventing crop diseases. Experts from different regions and disciplines are proposing a global approach that will respond to existing and...

Empowered women empowering others

by Maria Eliza Villarino | Mar 8, 2018

Immaculée Nyirahabimana is a farmer from Cyuve district. The area is one of Rwanda’s most productive agricultural regions. Photo by: Stefanie Neno / CIAT Today marks an international celebration to remind us about the achievements of women around the globe in all...

Daniel Debouck receives Crop Trust award for crop diversity ‘gatekeepers’

by Maria Eliza Villarino | Feb 26, 2018

Daniel Debouck, of CIAT’s Genetic Resources Unit, receives the inaugural Crop Trust Legacy Award. Photo by: Neil Palmer / Crop Trust   The Crop Trust has named Daniel Debouck, who for many years led the CIAT Genetic Resources Program, as one of the...

In Bellagio, experts devise a global system to stop crop diseases in their tracks

by Maria Eliza Villarino | Feb 5, 2018

Checking cassava plantations for signs of pests and diseases, near Khorat, eastern Thailand. Photo by: Neil Palmer / CIAT Crop diseases can be devastating not only to farmers but also to the society as a whole. Back in the mid-19th century, for instance, a massive...

‘Preemptive’ breeding: More than a step ahead of crop disease outbreaks

by Maria Eliza Villarino | Dec 13, 2017

 Bush bean trials at CIAT’s headquarters in Colombia. Photo by: Neil Palmer / CIAT Back in 2000, Francisco Morales, then virologist and now emeritus at CIAT, led a survey of plant viruses present in Colombia. He and his team discovered geminiviruses, or...