CtEH’s Facilities Upgrade and Mechanization Improvement project: Modernizing breeding research stations in Africa for higher genetic gains
Impact
Genetic gains in Uganda maize breeding are strong – and heading for improvement
In the face of complex climate risks in Uganda, maize breeders are ensuring smallholder farmers have access to high-yielding and stress-tolerant maize varieties. Breeding programs from Uganda’s National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), and private companies have worked together to reach real progress – and have identified steps to advance even further.
Five strides forward for CGIAR crop breeding resources and services
IRRI overcomes barriers and bottlenecks towards a rice breeding revolution
Source: IRRI
Public breeding is undergoing a slow transformation as it adopts better, faster, more modern technologies and practices – all with the goal of ensuring farmers get the crop varieties they need.
A transformational breeding data management system goes online at CGIAR centers
Crop breeders in eastern Africa modernize to end regional hunger
Maize cobs are weighed at the KALRO research station in Kakamega. Credit: CIMMYT/ Peter Lowe.
Access to genetic analysis accelerates banana breeding in East Africa
Banana breeding programs in East Africa are starting to use genetic analysis to speed up varietal improvement, thanks to open data and access to low-cost services.
Computer simulations are helping CGIAR breeders develop better varieties faster
In the past, plant breeding has helped avert entire famines by changing a handful of genes in key crop varieties. But today's breeders must meet similar challenges with consistent excellence, making the right decisions each season to refine natural genetic diversity into a multitude of hard-working food crops.
African breeding programs leap forward by accessing new genotyping data
With newly accessible genotyping technologies, African crop breeding programs have partnered with EiB to start using genotyping resources to improve accuracy and efficiency.
As breeders strive for higher-yielding, climate-resilient and nutritious crops, genotyping is intensifying the speed and accuracy of achieving breeding goals. But new technologies have often been out-of-reach for national breeding programs in developing countries.
National breeding programs prepped to measure – and boost – genetic gains
By adopting best practices and established modern tools, NARS (national agricultural research systems) are making data-driven decisions to boost genetic improvement. And they are measuring this progress through tracking and setting goals around “genetic gain.”