How can we measure the health of soil simply and cheaply?

by José Luis Urrea | Mar 16, 2018

Authors: Ashly Arévalo, José Luis Urrea, Jacobo Arango and Juan A. Cardoso from CIAT Tropical Forages Program; Claire Horrocks and Jennifer Dungait from Rothamsted Research. Soil is more than just a  base to grow plants in: it is a living system where minerals,...

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...

Opinion: We can do better to achieve zero deforestation and low-carbon development | Devex

by Augusto Castro | Mar 9, 2018

An aerial view of the Amazon rainforest. Photo by: Neil Palmer / CIAT This is an excerpt from an op-ed published on Devex and co-authored by Marcela Quintero, Matthias Jäger and Mark Lundy.  Recently, Unilever made an announcement that can be considered unprecedented....

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...

Opinion: Without open data, there’s no big data for smallholder agriculture | Medium

by Leroy Mwanzia | Mar 1, 2018

A cow on grazing land in Huila, in the Colombian Andes. Photo by: Neil Palmer / CIAT The op-ed was originally posted on Medium. Afew weeks ago, I spoke at a big data and open data event in Ethiopia. On the first day, William Wu, CEO of QED, gave an inspiring talk...

Opinion: Everyone’s looking for a data unicorn. There’s no such thing. | Medium

by Daniel Jimenez | Feb 28, 2018

This op-ed was originally posted on Medium. At a recent gathering in Houston, I spoke with a guy who told me his company is looking for a data unicorn. The term encapsulates what an ideal data scientist is: a coder, a statistician, a communicator, a fundraiser, a...

Farmers in Quang Binh province learn everything there is to know about sweetpotato

by Madelline Romero | Feb 27, 2018

Farmers in Cao Quang and Quang Thach communes in Vietnam’s Quang Binh province participated in a 3-part training activity on sweetpotato, held over a total of seven days in September, November, and December 2017. Facilitated by a group consisting of a senior...

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...

CIAT joins the seed party at the North Pole

by Adriana Varón | Feb 23, 2018

It looks like any other day. The 18 workers of this CIAT laboratory are wearing their white coats and are very concentrated on their work: some count seeds, others, assisted by a giant magnifying glass, remove the seeds that are punctured or broken, and others pack...

Howdy Bouis becomes Interim HarvestPlus CEO

by CIAT Comunicaciones | Feb 22, 2018

Cross-posted from HarvestPlus Howdy Bouis, founder and director of HarvestPlus for many years, has agreed to serve as Interim HarvestPlus CEO starting February 14, 2018. The process to recruit a permanent CEO will commence soon. He won the 2016 World Food Prize,...