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output of hybrid seed in such emerging companies is typically less than 100–300 tons per year, with high
failure rates in both their seed multiplication activities and as businesses. Applied technical knowledge
and business management skills need to be strengthened to increase scale‐up and success rates.
Likewise, training and partnerships with small‐ and medium‐sized agricultural machinery manufacturers
can stimulate local development and marketing of suitable and affordable conservation agriculture
implements.
Multiple partners from both public and private sectors will need to collaborate to realize the goals of
strengthening agriculture‐related research, also crop and seed production capacity, in Africa, Asia, and
Latin and South America. Resource‐poor farmers, especially women, require training in partnership with
local institutions and organizations, to unleash the full potential of new varieties and knowledgeintensive
crop management practices on their homesteads. Strengthening the capacity of partners in
development (international centers, national research and extension systems, seed companies, NGOs
and CBOs, and farmers associations) to facilitate researcher‐farmer and farmer‐to‐farmer information
flows is a crucial prerequisite to strengthening crop and seed production capacity in much of the
developing world.
Beyond enabling a new generation of scientists and other professionals to work in partnership with the
CGIAR, the private sector, policy makers and other stakeholders, and to make optimal use of
international research products, knowledge, data sets, extension and learning materials resulting from
implementing the strategic initiatives, MAIZE must also be available to the public in client‐oriented open
access arrangements (primarily through internet based applications).
Why international agricultural research?
International centers like CIMMYT and IITA have established strong strategic partnerships with national
research systems, other international centers, the private sector, universities, advanced research
institutes, and NGOs. Their long regional histories, support of a multi‐disciplinary research approach,
and solid reputation of providing high quality and practical training to maize scientists and technicians—
many of whom now teach in regional universities or hold leadership positions in the national research
systems—all testify to the importance of continued international center involvement in capacity building
within developing countries. Many MAIZE research products are highly specialized and knowledgeintensive,
and can only be transmitted through interactive partnerships that include significant training
components. As an example, efficient data management and analysis in crop management and breeding
research increasingly require training‐intensive IT tools that store, integrate, analyze, display and permit
the utilization of complex data sets—including pedigree information, trait and molecular data, GIS and
spatial data, as well as biometric and simulation tools. The international centers play a key role in
making available the tools themselves and the training to utilize them effectively.
Outputs
1. At least three training modules developed every year and made accessible (e.g. as e‐learning) to the
maize scientific community in sub‐Saharan Africa, South Asia and Latin America in areas such as:
Maize value chains, policy, and market analysis; technology targeting, upscaling, and impact
analysis (SIs 1, 2, 7, 8).
Principles and practice of conservation agriculture in maize‐based farming systems; integrated
disease and insect‐pest management; integrated nutrient management (SI 3).
Conventional and molecular breeding and pathology (including markers and transgenics, highthroughput
phenotyping, trial and nursery management) (SIs 4, 5, 6, 7, 8).
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