Agrobiodiversity
Could “magic beans” help ease Malawi’s maize woes?
Maize production in Malawi has been crippled by the worst drought in 30 years – but new drought resilient “magic beans” survived the tough times.
Low-income communities need more affordable and nutritious food
A research project tackling malnutrition among vulnerable populations in Kenya and Uganda is launched in Nairobi today.
Over 70% of essential crop wild relative species in urgent need of collection, says new research
First of its kind global mapping project reveals gaps in wild crop genetic diversity for agriculture to adapt to future climate change.
Climate-triggered pest and disease invaders threaten US$5 billion cassava industry in Asia
A new study published in Pest Management Science warns of devastating threats to cassava – a top starch-producing crop – creeping through Southeast Asia and heading for Indonesia, where cassava is a prime food.
New Climate-Smart Village in Vietnam tackling climate change in agriculture
On Wednesday, February 24th, a project will be launched in Ma village, in Vietnam’s northern Yen Bai District, as part of a region-wide initiative to tackle climate change in agriculture. The Climate-Smart Village of Ma is one of two climate-smart villages in Vietnam, chosen due to its vulnerability to specific climate challenges in the region including drought, cold snaps and declining soil fertility.
Kick-starting food resilience in Philippines
Treading carefully through a brown field in the mid-day heat, a smallholder farmer in the Philippines points to a recent batch of cassava. Although the weather has not been favorable for some crops, his cassava harvest allowed him to pay for school fees and provide...
CIAT research leader receives honor from North American scientific society
Joe Tohme, director of CIAT’s Agrobiodiversity Research Area, has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society.
Climate change to strike at the heart of Central America’s bean lands
Already facing the prospect of climate change affecting its high-value coffee plants, Central America now has to contend with a threat to one of its most important food crops – beans.
New perspectives for more nutritious crop development in 2016
In partnership with HarvestPlus and CIAT, the recently-re-vamped NQL has invested in new equipment, which is helping the team analyze iron, zinc and carotenoids in crops in a matter of minutes. This previously took a full day.
Honor for major food security contributions in Southeast Asia
Two scientists with a long history of collaboration with CIAT have been honored for contributions towards the world’s most widely grown cassava variety – now grown by 60 to 75 percent of all cassava farmers in Thailand and Vietnam – and a key food security crop and source of income throughout Southeast Asia.
About agrobiodiversity research at CIAT
CIAT develops more resilient and productive varieties of cassava and common bean, together with tropical forages for livestock. We also help improve rice production in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The superior crop varieties that result from our collaborative work offer many valuable traits, such as high yield and stress tolerance, which are vital for guaranteeing global food supplies in the face of rapidly rising demand, shifting disease and insect pressures, rampant environmental degradation, and the looming threat of climate change.
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This CIAT Blog was launched in January 2016. For articles related to agrobiodiversity prior to this date, visit our former blog. Please note the old AgBio blog is no longer updated.