CIMMYT-Kenya: biennial report 1999-2000

Abstract

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT, by the abbreviation of its Spanish name) is an international, non-profit, agricultural research and training center with its headquarters in Mexico. Its mission is to help alleviate poverty by increasing the productivity, profitability, and sustainability of maize and wheat farming systems. To accomplish this, CIMMYT conducts the following activities: Develop and disseminate new maize and wheat varieties with built-in resistance. Develop and promote better and more sustainable crop production systems. Elucidate the natural resource dynamics of maize-and wheat-based cropping systems. Based on economic analysis and impact studies, formulate policy recommendations and research priorities. In Africa, CIMMYT has regional offices in Nairobi (Kenya), Harare (Zimbabwe), and Addis Ababa (Ethiopia). Research and development activities typically involve interdisciplinary teams consisting of breeders, agronomists and economists. Most of the activities are joint projects with NARS of the region. CIMMYT has worked in Kenya, one of our most important regional offices, for the past quarter century. Some of the achievements: CIMMYT and Kenyan researchers have developed numerous superior varieties of maize and wheat, including the first maize hybrid variety in 1964. Maize and wheat agronomy research with Kenyan counterparts--especially research on soil fertility and weed control has bolstered productivity at the farm level. Kenya and CIMMYT have a long history of innovation in research with farmers. Some of CIMMYT's first forays into onfarm research took place in Kenya. The crop management research training (CMRT) curriculum at Egerton University, originally developed with CIMMYT, has made Kenya the regional focus for handson, analytical training in field agronomy. The Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) and CIMMYT led a pioneering effort to use geographic information systems (GIS) for maize research nationwide. Kenya and CIMMYT participated in a highly successful regional network that broadened the skills of socioeconomists, especially in policy analysis, resource economics, and gender studies.