Our recent stories

By Wangari Ndirangu (11th Nov 2022): Scientists from the East and South African region have mooted a collaborative approach to contain the challenges posed by pests and diseases in food production. The experts who are working on an Integrated Pest and Disease Management packages to address the recent invasion of Fall Army Worms (FAW) menace

On 23 September, Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), and the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) network, hosted their annual meeting for 2022. The meeting cum workshop organized at NAAS complex, in New Delhi, was attended by officials representing over sixty-six KVKs, eleven ATARIs, ten ICAR, and associated organizations from across the […]

Achievements and next steps discussed at the review meeting in Nairobi, Kenya. October 4, 2022 By Susan Otieno: The Accelerating Genetic Gains in Maize and Wheat (AGG) Project, which is halfway through its implementation, continues to register impressive achievements. At a meeting focusing on the project’s Maize component, held in Nairobi […]

By Dr. Sures,L.M.:  The maize lethal necrosis (MLN) artificial inoculation screening site in Naivasha, Kenya will begin its next phenotyping (screening/ indexing) cycle 2022 at the beginning of October 2022, interested organizations from both the private and public sectors are invited to send maize germplasm for screening. In 2013, […]

A Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop for CSISA team members on LDS deployment was conducted by master trainers of CSISA. The new pool of CSISA’s master trainers will support forthcoming LDS by KVKs in the future. Madhulika Singh, Wasim Iftikar, Pardeep Sagwal, Umesh Yadav, and Nima Chodon participated in the training held on 28-30 August

Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia project has initiated a capacity development program for final year students of B.Sc. (Agriculture) of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University (CCSHAU). The vision for this initiative is to establish crop diagnostic surveys under Rural Agricultural Work Experience (RAWE) as part of the course […]

Weeds are pernicious and, if left uncontrolled, can lead to significant yield loss and reduce the quality of farm output. In paddy cultivation, weeds are widespread, and a variety of them are found in the fields. These weeds can be controlled by manual weeding by hand or using mechanical implements, or spraying herbicides. While manual

The IRRI-GoO-DSR-Odisha project titled “Precision Direct-Seeded Rice-based Diversification Systems for Transforming Labour Requirement, Yields and Profitability of Smallholder Farmers in Odisha” aims to expand the practice of DSR to improve and optimize rice production practices in the state. Under this project, the IRRI-CSISA team works […]

A five-day “Interstate Exposure Visit of Lead Farmers & Potential Service Providers (SPs) from Odisha” was organized from 3-7 August 2022 under the IRRI-GoO-DSR-Odisha Project. This Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) project by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI-CSISA) with support from the Govt. of Odisha and implemented in close […]

A one-day meeting cum workshop was held at ICAR-IIPR (Indian Institute Pulses Research), Kanpur, on 24th June to understand the implementation of the pulse crops diagnostics survey to support their adoption in rice-based cropping system. The CSISA-KVK network led the workshop as part of its constant endeavor to introduce the concepts of […]

A renewed three-and-a-half-year commitment in India to strengthen gains made in mainstreaming innovations and agri-extension research in national systems, with emphasis on institutionalizing research delivery systems and cross-learning opportunities. To sustainably enhance cereal crop productivity and improve smallholder farmers’ livelihoods in […]

In Odisha (Bargarh, Ganjam, Kalahandi, Mayurbhanj, and Puri), CSISA-IRRI, in collaboration with the Govt. of Odisha, is working on the “DSR-Odisha project.” The project aims to increase Agri-productivity, ensure socio-economic and environmental sustainability, and improve the state’s smallholder farmers’ profitability from rice-based […]

JEEVIKA and CSISA work closely in Bihar to ensure inclusive agri-research and food systems, particularly for women farmers. On May 26th, a state-level planning meeting with JEEViKA was organized by CSISA in  Patna to discuss Kharif preparations.  Ms. Sugandha Munshi, Gender Lead CSISA, and Shri Anil Kumar, Program Manager JEEViKA, set the agenda […]

By Dr. Suresh,L.M. (2nd,March, 2022):  The maize lethal necrosis (MLN) artificial inoculation screening site in Naivasha, Kenya will begin its phenotyping (screening/ indexing) cycle of 2022 at the beginning of April 2022 and in other four intervals, interested organizations from both the private and public sectors are invited to send maize […]

By Dr. Suresh, L.M.: The maize lethal necrosis (MLN) artificial inoculation screening site in Naivasha, Kenya will begin its phenotyping (screening/ indexing) cycle of 2022 at the beginning of January 2022 and in other four intervals, interested organizations from both the private and public sectors are invited to send maize germplasm for […]

a). County extension officers and lead farmers visit the regional MLN screening unit at Naivasha: Fourty county extension officers and lead farmers from Uasin Gishu county and Tana River county and 5 KALRO facilitators visited the MLN screening unit at Naivasha on 27th October 2021. They were taken round by Mr. Wilson Njenga and Mr.

Dr. Suresh,L.M. (November, 2021): For a decade, scientists at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) have been at the forefront of a multidisciplinary and multi-institutional effort to contain and effectively manage maize lethal necrosis (MLN) disease in Africa. When the disease was first reported in Kenya 2011 it spread […]

By Dr. Suresh, L.M. (September, 2021) :  The maize lethal necrosis (MLN) artificial inoculation screening site in Naivasha, Kenya will begin the third interval of its phenotyping (screening/ indexing) cycle of 2021 at the beginning of October 2021. Interested organizations from both the private and public sectors are invited to send maize […]

CGIAR webinar examined the technological, sustainability and social implications of integrated approaches.   By Madeline Dahm March 25, 2021   In our hyper-connected world, it should come as no surprise that recent years have shown a major uptick in the spread of transboundary pests and diseases. Integrated approaches have been effective in […]

By Dr. Suresh, L.M.:  The maize lethal necrosis (MLN) artificial inoculation screening site in Naivasha, Kenya will begin the second interval of its phenotyping (screening/ indexing) cycle of 2021 at the beginning of April 2021. Interested organizations from both the private and public sectors are invited to send maize germplasm for screening. […]

Read the latest news from the just concluded Stress Tolerant Maize for Africa (STMA) initiative. This issue highlights the impact the project has had on farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, how it has helped build resilience of Africa’s smallholder farmers and how the improved maize varieties will enable partners to reach farmers on time to plant

Amondo, E., Simtowe, F., Rahut, D.B., Erenstein, O., 2019. Productivity and production risk effects of adopting drought-tolerant maize varieties in Zambia. International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management 11, 570-591. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCCSM-03-2018-0024 Awata, L. A. O., Ifie, B. E., Tongoona, P., Danquah, E., Jumbo, M. B., […]

Joshua Masinde Over 400 farmers from Manyatta in Embu County were on February 7, 2020, invited to a demonstration farm to witness the performance of various high yielding, early to medium maturing, drought tolerant maize varieties. Such occasions aim to encourage them to adopt varieties whose traits they preferred the most. They were invited by

Read the latest news from the Stress Tolerant Maize for Africa (STMA) initiative. This issue highlights stories on how stress tolerant maize is improving the lives of smallholder farmers in northern Uganda, after a two-decade civil war; why stress tolerant maize varieties are good for Africa and how CIMMYT and its partners are making systems

The Stress Tolerant Maize in Africa (STMA) project team in Nigeria used street theater to drum up messages on how to mitigate stresses affecting maize production in the country. The messages targeted mainly the youth, informing them that with the right stress-resilient seed varieties and the application of recommended agronomic practices, they can […]