MTP 2006-2008 CIMMYT building on strength. International Crop Improvement: our contribution to reduce hunger and poverty

Abstract

In 2003 CIMMYT began a process of renewal and revitalization. It was designed to keep CIMMYT’s crucial maize and wheat improvement work relevant to the needs of the poorest and those in fragile environments, where the options and opportunities for a better life are still very limited. This process of change has refocused CIMMYT, bringing it back to its original roots: international crop improvement for the alleviation of hunger and poverty. CIMMYT’s core strength and its roots: International crop improvement In 1970, accepting the only Nobel Peace Prize ever given for work in agriculture, Dr Norman Borlaug referred to his “army of hunger fighters.” He didn’t talk about breeders. He didn’t talk about process. He focused on the outcomes that his good science had produced—not yield potential, varieties released or hectares planted—but the reduction of global hunger. Wheat and maize improvement meant something only if it led directly to food security improvement and with that a reduction in poverty. Years later, r Borlaug still held that basic tenet of development, saying, “For more than half a century I have worked with the production of more and better wheat for feeding the hungry people, but wheat is merely a catalyst, a part of the picture. I am interested in the total development of human beings.” To fulfill this vision of improving the livelihoods of the poor and hungry, Dr Borlaug established the centralized breeding, seed production and international distribution system which was the delivery mechanism for the improved varieties of the Green Revolution. The improved germplasm and knowledge in relation to the germplasm and cultivation practices (typical examples of global public goods) were shared world-wide through the participation of many national and regional organizations. CIMMYT played a pivotal role in the global effort to improve staple crops. While we take the process for granted to day, at the time it was revolutionary. Most importantly it had huge impact on the lives of people, especially those in t he areas of the world where intensive farming on irrigated land with access to inputs was possible.