- Paula Kantor, a senior gender and development specialist at CIMMYT, died in May 2015 in a Taliban attack in Kabul, Afghanistan. She was committed to improving lives and empowering men and women in Afghanistan. - CIMMYT is holding a Science Week in June 2015 where nearly 300 employees will discuss CIMMYT's work, structure, and future strategies. Dr. Martin Kropff, the new Director General, hopes to get input to address challenges. - A workshop in Nepal selected communities to feature in CIMMYT's global gender study on norms and capacities. The study aims to understand how gender norms affect development outcomes in agriculture.

1. No. 1938 • 08-12 June 2015
International Maize and Wheat Improvement CenterInternational Maize and Wheat Improvement Center
In Fond Memory of
Paula Kantor
(1969-2015)
As you all know, Paula Kantor died tragically on May 13, in the
aftermath of a Taliban attack on the hotel where she was staying in Kabul,
Afghanistan. We are all very sorry for her loss and are gathered here today
to pay homage to a caring, committed, energetic and talented colleague.
Paula joined CIMMYT as a senior gender and development specialist
in February 2015 to lead an ambitious research project focused on
understanding the role of gender in major wheat-growing areas of
Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Pakistan.
She was not a stranger to Afghanistan, having worked in Kabul from
2008 to 2010 as director and manager of the gender and livelihoods
research portfolios at the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit, an
independent research agency. She had a love for the Afghani people and
was committed to improving their lives.
I never met Paula, but having spoken to colleagues who knew her, she
had an exceptionally sharp, analytical mind and a deep understanding of
how change can empower men and women to give them a better chance to
influence their own lives and choose their own path.
By planting this tree, we want to remember Paula for her strong passion in
ensuring that her work made a difference and it is now upon us to move
forward and make that difference she strived for.
Dr. Martin Kropff, CIMMYT Director General
Photo: C. Beaver /CIMMYT
Photo: C. Beaver /CIMMYT
Photo: C. Beaver /CIMMYT

2. InformaCIMMYT2
In Fond Memory of Paula Kantor
Photo:C.Beaver/CIMMYT
Photo:C.Beaver/CIMMYT
Photo:C.Beaver/CIMMYT
Photo:C.Beaver/CIMMYT
Photo: C. Beaver /CIMMYT

3. InformaCIMMYT3
CIMMYT Science Week 2015
Katelyn Roett
CIMMYT Headquarters is celebrating Science Week
in El Batán, Mexico, 15-18 June, 2015. Nearly 300
employees from around the world will gather to discuss
CIMMYT’s work, structure and future.
“Science Week is an extremely important event to me
as we will discuss the future strategy of CIMMYT,”
said Martin Kropff, CIMMYT’s newly appointed
Director General. “We need a clear strategy in line
with that of the CGIAR, in order to take on the many
challenges presented to us. I hope to get good input
from all participants. Next to that, it is very important
to me to meet as many CIMMYT colleagues as possible
from around the world. We need to operate together
to ensure CIMMYT can fulfill its mission to ensure
food and nutrition security in those parts of the world
where people rely on maize- and wheat-based agri-food
production systems,” declared Kropff.
More information about Science Week program and events is available
here on InsideCIMMYT.
B.M. Prasanna Appointed as
MAIZE CRP Director
The CGIAR Research Program on MAIZE, CIMMYT and IITA are pleased
to announce that effective 1 June 2015, MAIZE will be led by a dedicated
CRP Director, who is spearheading the international maize research agenda
of CGIAR. The CIMMYT Board, upon endorsement of the MAIZE
Stakeholder Advisory Committee (StAC), has agreed to the CIMMYT
Director General appointing Dr. B.M. Prasanna as MAIZE CRP Director.
As a CIMMYT staff member, the Director reports to the Director General of
CIMMYT. As leader of MAIZE, the Director chairs the MAIZE Management
Committee and reports to the MAIZE-StAC, as well as to both the CIMMYT
and IITA Boards of Trustees.
The CRP Director will be supported by a team of five, including the MAIZE Program
Manager and a Senior Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Specialist working for both
MAIZE and WHEAT. Cross-cutting Communications, Knowledge Management (including
Open Access), Gender and Intellectual Asset Management support is provided by the relevant
CIMMYT/IITA departments and funded by the CRP management budget.
This new appointment will help CIMMYT and IITA set up a single global maize research and
development program for both centers.
Newly appointed MAIZE CRP Director,
B.M Prasanna.
Photo:XochiquetzalFonseca/CIMMYT

4. InformaCIMMYT4
Azerbaijan and Georgia Showcase Progress in
Wheat Breeding during IWWIP Traveling Seminar
Alexei Morgounov and Katelyn Roett
The International Winter Wheat Improvement Program
(IWWIP) held its 2015 International Winter Wheat Traveling
Seminar in Azerbaijan and Georgia on 24 May. More than
40 participants from 18 countries attended the seminar,
which covered more than 1,000 kilometers in four days.
Winter wheat is a major food crop in Central and West
Asia, where it covers 14 million hectares. IWWIP, a
cooperative program between CIMMYT, Turkey’s Food,
Agriculture and Livestock Ministry and the International
Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA),
develops germplasm for Central and West Asia and serves
as a mechanism for global winter wheat germplasm and
knowledge exchange.
Every two years, IWWIP conducts international traveling
seminars to assess progress in the development, adoption
and impact of new varieties and gather feedback from
partners. Previous seminars have been conducted in
Turkey, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Bulgaria and Romania. This
year’s seminar was funded by Turkey’s Food, Agriculture
and Livestock Ministry and by FAO’s Central Asia Office,
which also provided technical support and supported three
participants.
IWWIP winter wheat varieties and spring wheat varieties
from international centers occupy more than 70% of
Azerbaijan’s total wheat area and contribute substantially
to food security through their high yields and resistance to
stripe rust, a disease prevalent in the region.
Participants gathered in Baku then went on to visit Azeri
Research Institute of Farming, the Genetic Resources
Institute, and Gobustan and Terter Experiment Stations.
“Participants were very impressed by the experimental and
breeding work at all sites visited,” said Alexey Morgounov,
Head of IWWIP. “There is an established system of wheat
germplasm screening, selection of superior germplasm,
official testing and release, multiplication and promotion.”
IWWIP Traveling Seminar participants from Turkey evaluate
wheat germplasm at the Azeri Research Institute of Farming.
Photo:H.Mammadova,AzeriResearchInstituteofFarming
Photo:H.Mammadova,AzeriResearchInstituteofFarming
Beyhan Akin, CIMMYT Wheat Breeder, and Mustafa Kan, IWWIP
Turkey Coordinator, taste bread baked from new varieties during
the welcome ceremony.
Alexei Morgounov, CIMMYT Wheat Breeder, discusses
germplasm performance with scientists from Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
Photo:H.Mammadova,AzeriResearchInstituteofFarming
In Georgia, the group participated in a field day at
Lomtagora Farm, where new winter wheat varieties were
identified and promoted. The group also visited the
Georgian National Research Center experiment station
and reviewed the crop research being conducted there.
Lomtagora Farm hosted a summary meeting featuring
several key presentations on food security, application of
new genomic tools and fast multiplication and promotion of
new varieties. Recommendations for future IWWIP activities
discussed at the meeting included expanding and improving
current breeding and germplasm exchange activities and
focusing on training young wheat breeders in Turkey.
“An important outcome of the seminar was the
establishment of personal connections between
participants, as well as building formal ties,” said
Morgounov. “The group was highly impressed by the new
generation of young, intelligent and driven wheat breeders
and researchers in Azerbaijan and Georgia, and we look
forward to a successful seminar in 2017.”

5. CIMMYT to Host International
Conservation Agriculture Workshop
during China Science Week
Jack McHugh
A
n international
conservation agriculture
(CA) workshop to
be held during China Science
Week (30 June–4 July 2015) will
bring CIMMYT CA researchers,
colleagues and national researchers
together with the objective of
building agro-ecological capacity
among researchers in western
China. At the workshop, hosted
by CIMMYT-China, participants
will discuss subjects such as CA
successes and the science and
practical agronomy underpinning
CA, and will view field displays of
CA benefits.
The workshop will advance
international exchange and future
collaboration through CIMMYT-
China’s Global Conservation
Agriculture Program (GCAP).
China, a vital component of GCAP,
plays an ever-increasing role in
agricultural development across
Asia and Africa. For example,
GCAP-China collaborator
Zhang Anping from the Nanjing
Research Institute of Agricultural
Mechanization recently returned
from a 12-month machinery
development program in Zimbabwe
sponsored by the Chinese
Government. Zhang will be hosting
CIMMYT-GCAP on an agricultural
machinery tour in Shandong
Province following China Science
Week.
Internationally renowned experts
will be joined by CIMMYT’s GCAP
team who will provide training and
present CA research, development
and extension practices, and share
their expertise on CA issues that
arise across Africa, Latin America
and South Asia. Danny Decombel,
Crop Nutritionist who has lived
and worked in China for 27 years,
will provide insights on nutrient
and plant management and
monitoring systems. Carl Timler
of Wageningen University will
provide hands-on training on the
use of Farm DESIGN computer
models and other farming system
analytical tools. Farm DESIGN
is a product of Wageningen
University’s Farming Systems
Ecology group.
National scientists will discuss
new technologies, scientific
advances and scholarly
publications in China.
Representatives from Gansu
Agricultural University, The
Grassland Institute of Lanzhou
University, Gansu Academy
of Agricultural Sciences and
local agronomy consultants, in
partnership with GCAP-China,
will also be organizing the event.
In addition to the workshop, a
participatory learning field day
will be held at Dingxi Research
Station in Gansu Province.
During the field day, participants
will learn about challenges to
CA adoption, and will view
demonstrations of conventional
vs. CA treatment of water-holding
capacity, infiltration, runoff, soil
strength, plant nutrition levels
and crop water use.
Postgraduates discussing and preparing the CA runoff demonstration with Professors Li Lingling
and Zhang at Dingxi Research Station in preparation for the workshop.
Photo: Jack McHugh/CIMMYT
InformaCIMMYT5

6. Common farming practices on the Loess Plateau
near Dingxi to be visited during the workshop.
CIMMYT representatives attending
will include Bruno Gerard, GCAP
Director; M.L. Jat, Senior Cropping
System Agronomist; Frederic
Baudron, Farm Mechanization
and Conservation Agriculture
for Sustainable Intensification
(FACASI) Project Leader; Santiago
Lopez Ridaura, GCAP Systems
Agronomist; and Tim Krupnik,
Systems Agronomist.
Also in attendance will be professors
John Bennett (University of
Southern Queensland Australia),
Enamel Haque (Murdoch
University Perth Australia) and
Jeremy Whish (CSIRO Australia).
National representatives include
Yang Changrong, expert in agro-
ecology; Lan Yubin, leading expert
in precision agriculture at South
China Agricultural University; Pan
Genxing, expert in soil biology
and amendments at Nanjing
Agricultural University; and
Wang Yingkuan, Editor-in-Chief
of the International Journal
of Agricultural & Biological
Engineering and Vice Secretary
General of Chinese Society of
Agricultural Engineering.
Female doctoral researcher Li Yushan demonstrating CO2
emissions
capture and measurement in preparation for Science Week.
Photo: Jack McHugh/CIMMYT
Photo: Jack McHugh/CIMMYT
InformaCIMMYT6

7. Farmers in India Embrace High-zinc Wheat for Its
Nutritional Benefits
Velu Govindan
Undernourishment affects some 795 million people
worldwide. According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO), more than one out of every nine people
do not eat enough to lead healthy, active lives. Almost 780
million undernourished people live in developing countries,
with about 94% in Asia and Africa, FAO reports.
But these statistics tell only part of the story. Two billion
people around the world also suffer from micronutrient
deficiency, according to the World Health Organization
(WHO). Also known as “hidden hunger,” micronutrient
deficiency occurs when the food consumed by people does
not provide enough vitamins and minerals. People in South
Asia and sub-Saharan Africa are hardest hit by hidden
hunger, which is characterized by iron-deficiency anemia,
and vitamin A and zinc deficiency.
Zinc is important for cellular growth, cellular differentiation
and metabolism. Zinc deficiency, which affects about one-
third of the global population, limits childhood growth and
decreases resistance to infection. According to WHO, zinc
supplements may help to improve linear growth of children
under five years of age.
Tackling hidden hunger is the major focus of the
HarvestPlus-led wheat biofortification breeding program
at CIMMYT and its national program partners in South
Asia. The main objective of the program is to develop and
disseminate competitive wheat varieties with high grain zinc
content and other essential agronomic features.
The biofortification breeding program introduces high zinc
levels derived from the best sources (wild species and
landraces) into adapted wheat backgrounds. The result is
widely adapted, high yielding, high zinc varieties with durable
disease resistance. These new varieties are 20-40% superior
in grain zinc concentration and are agronomically on a par
or superior to other wheat cultivars popular in South Asia.
Research is also underway to transfer genomic regions
into adapted backgrounds in a more precise and targeted
manner, thus accelerating breeding efficiency, as well as to
identify biofortified varieties for specific growing conditions
in target countries.
Competitive high zinc wheat varieties have already been
distributed to national program partners in South Asia
to reach resource-poor smallholder farmers. In 2012,
HarvestPlus devised a strategy with Banaras Hindu
University and CIMMYT to reach thousands of wheat
farmers with zinc-biofortified, disease resistant wheat in
eastern Uttar Pradesh, India. Wheat productivity in this
region is low compared to other parts of the country, which
is why it was chosen to serve as a platform for testing and
promoting high zinc wheat varieties.
After various demonstrations in 18 villages, many of the
farmers became interested in adopting high zinc wheat.
In 2013, seed mini-kits were distributed to farmers in
the region and by 2014, more than 10,000 farmers had
adopted high zinc wheat.
Public-private partnerships are contributing to fast-track
commercialization. As a result, more than 50,000 farmers
adopted zinc-biofortified wheat varieties during the 2015-
2016 crop cycle. Farmers are happy with the “Zinc Shakthi”
variety for its good performance, including a yield advantage
of about 5-10% under both full and limited irrigation, as
well as its grain size, cooking quality, grain color and overall
appearance.
Biohappiness: A happy farmer grows ZincShakti wheat on his farm in
Uttar Pradesh, India.
Women farmers involved in seed production and dissemination of high
zinc varieties, along with Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and CIMMYT
researchers.
Photo:NirmalSeeds,India
Photo:NirmalSeeds,India
InformaCIMMYT7

8. InformaCIMMYT8
“A Grain a Day” is an opportunity
to shed light on the important
role maize and wheat play in
global nutrition and to celebrate
the dietary value of these food
staples. Measures to ensure
an adequate supply of vital
micronutrients include: diet
diversification, nutritional
education, supplementation and
biofortification. Scientists at the
International Maize and Wheat
Improvement Center (CIMMYT)
are using biofortification to
boost pro-vitamin A and zinc
levels in maize and iron and zinc
concentrations in wheat.
You can join in the campaign by
sending us your favorite wheat or
maize-based recipe. All original
recipes will be featured here and
in our “A Grain a Day” cookbook
to be published this summer.
Visit the “A Grain a Day”
webpage, use #grainaday and
like/retweet our posts on social
media.
NUTRITION CAMPAIGN

9. InformaCIMMYT9
CIMMYT Identifies Nepalese Communities to
Feature in Global Gender Study
Kanchan Lama and Arun Joshi
A workshop to select case studies in
Nepal for the Global Study on Gender
Norms and Capacities for Agricultural
Innovation was hosted by CIMMYT
on 3 June 2015. This was the first
meeting held by CIMMYT-Nepal since
the devastating earthquake that hit
the country in April, reaffirming staff
commitment to continuing research
despite the challenges and losses
being faced across the country.
The workshop aimed to identify
villages in Nepal that could become
part of the Study’s South Asia case
selections on gender norms and
agency in agriculture and natural
resource management in South
Asia. It was organized by the CGIAR
in collaboration with CIMMYT and
Tahseen Jafry, Professor at Glasgow
Caledonian University. Sixteen
workshop participants representing
the Nepal Agricultural Research
Council (NARC), non-governmental
organizations, Biodiversity
International and CIMMYT gave their
input and suggestions as to which
communities to target.
Thousands of young Nepalese men
—1,500 a day, by some estimates—
migrate every week to work as
laborers in the Persian Gulf, India
or Malaysia, leaving women to head
households and manage smallholder
farms in remote areas. According to a
World Bank study, this has a negative
impact on the level of labor market
participation by women from those
households. Women make up 62% of
the agricultural work force in Nepal,
but only around 8% of female laborers
receive equal pay for their work.
Strain on infrastructure due to the
earthquake is putting even more
pressure on vulnerable communities,
especially in the countryside. This
makes the Global Study even more
important to better understand the
gender dynamics in rural Nepalese
communities and identify what the
CGIAR can do to improve livelihoods.
A framework that provides guidance
for considering both economic and
gender dimensions was used in the
case selection process, followed
by a discussion to set criteria for
identifying sites when looking at
gender in wheat and maize in Nepal.
Participants adopted three criteria for
analyzing potential districts, including
identifying: (1) potential wheat and
maize producing districts in Nepal;
(2) districts falling under the Study’s
economic and gender dimensions;
and (3) one district each for the four
maize and wheat segments used to
determine a location’s dimensions in
terms of economic status vs gender
gap. After successfully identifying
potential districts in Nepal for the
Global Study, participants suggested
that the study team contact district
officials to arrange detailed selection
and field visits with farmers’ groups.
The event was opened and closed by
Arun Joshi, CIMMYT-Nepal Senior
Wheat Breeder, and facilitated by
Kanchan Lama, Gender Specialist
with Women Organizing for Change
in Agriculture and Natural Resource
Management (WOCAN), and Suman
Dhakal, Assistant Lecturer, Institute
of Agriculture in Rampur, Nepal, and
resource person for the Nepal Global
Study team. Also participating in the
workshop was K.C. Dilli, CIMMYT-
Nepal Monitoring Officer.
Participants in the workshop hosted by CIMMYT-Nepal. Workshop participants in discussion at CIMMYT-Nepal.
Photo:SunilShakya
Photo:SunilShakya
Kanchan explaining the 2x2 dimensional
matrix being adopted for selecting sites for
the study.
Photo:SunilShakya

10. Agro-machinery Professionals’ Jamboree
Held in Bangladesh
Abdul Momin and M. Shahidul Haque Khan
Twenty-two scientists, engineers, technicians and local
manufacturers of agricultural machinery working in
and with CIMMYT participated in an Agro-machinery
Professionals’ Jamboree held in Jhenaidah District,
Bangladesh, 27-30 April 2015. The objective of the
Jamboree was to acquaint participants with agro-
machinery such as seeders and reapers and develop
their troubleshooting and operating skills. Participants
shared their experiences and the challenges they face in
the field, and brainstormed solutions together.
During the Jamboree, mock challenges similar to
complications commonly found in the field were
presented so participants could try to solve them.
They learned the necessary theory and facts through
demonstrations, question-and-answer sessions and
multimedia presentations. Participants also described
difficulties they commonly face in the field and
found the best possible solutions through interactive
discussions.
“It was a wonderful workshop
where we shared our real-life
experiences to help farmers
achieve common goals,” said
Jamboree participant Mohammad
Hasanuzzaman.
Facilitators Arshadul Haque, Senior Scientific Officer,
and Rezaul Karim, Scientific Officer, both from the
Engineering Division of Bangladesh Agricultural
Research Institute, called upon the participants to
become change leaders in Bangladesh’s agricultural
machinery revolution. Team leader Abdul Momin,
CSISA-CIMMYT Cropping System Agronomist, emphasized
the need to hold this type of event at least once before every
cropping season to continue to build staff capacity.
Hands of the participants in the Machinery Jamboree at Chuadanga,
Bangladesh.
Participants working on a machine part.
Photo:AbdulMabud,CIMMYTPhoto:AbdulMabud,CIMMYT
Editors: AlmaMcNab,KatelynRoett
TranslatorandEditor:MaríaConcepciónCastro-Aragón • GraphicDesigner:EliotSánchezP.
InformaCIMMYT10

11. InformaCIMMYT11
Though its name implies science fiction, Skywalker’s
results have been incredibly real. A small, unmanned
aerial vehicle equipped with remote sensing devices,
Skywalker flies over maize fields collecting images and
data. It is able to measure several hundred plots in one
take. Spectral reflectance and thermal imagery cameras
on its wings allow scientists to conduct non-destructive
screening of plant physiological properties such as crop
growth and water use, at enough resolution to obtain
information at plot level.
Under a competitive grant from the MAIZE CRP, the
‘Affordable Field Based HTPP’ or Skywalker project
seeks to make state-of-the-art, but affordable, aerial
phenotyping platforms available to National Agricultural
Research Systems (NARS) to develop new varieties
that are tolerant to drought, heat and low nitrogen. It is
being developed in collaboration by researchers from the
University of Barcelona, Spain; Crop Breeding Institute
(CBI), Zimbabwe; Instituto Nacional de Innovación
Agraria, Peru; AirElectronics; and Sustainable Agricultural
Institute of the High Research Council, Spain.
Charles Mutimaamba, Chief Research Officer and Maize
Breeder at CBI and Collaborating Scientist with the
Skywalker project, as well as Jill Cairns and Mainassara
Zaman-Allah, CIMMYT maize physiologists, recently took
the time to provide updates on the project’s challenges and
successes thus far.
Q: Why was the Skywalker project initially developed?
Jill: The project was developed to bridge the gap between
expensive phenotyping platforms being developed at
agricultural research institutes and plant breeding institutes
in regions of the world where increasing yields is critical for
food security.
Q: What, in your opinion, are the project’s main
achievements so far?
Mainassara: The development of an affordable phenotyping
platform that is able to deliver spatial field variability and
secondary trait data that can be used to increase breeding
gains and enhance NARS awareness of the technological
innovation opportunities for research and capacity building
that can be gained by partnering with organizations such as
CIMMYT.
The Skywalker Project: Soaring to New Heights
Jennifer Johnson
Charles Mutimaamba, Chief Research Officer and Maize Breeder
at the CBI, pauses for a photo with the Skywalker in a field.
Photo: Thokozile Ndhlela

12. InformaCIMMYT12
Q: What has been the greatest challenge?
Charles: The multi-stakeholder involvement in the project
has been a little challenging in terms of the geographical
distances involved, but one benefit is that you get people
with diverse skills involved.
Q: The CBI in Zimbabwe recently received the
prestigious Robert Gabriel Mugabe Award for
Outstanding Research. Did the Skywalker project
contribute to this award?
Charles: Yes, it did. When we submitted our award
nomination, one key activity that we mentioned was
embracing and making use of the latest technologies
available, specifically the Skywalker, to make our research
more precise. The organizers took serious note of that.
Q: The project started out as a small pilot grant of
the CRP, yet in just a few years, breeders’ interest in
the project has greatly increased. What do you think
caused this?
Mainassara: Several programs such as the Global
Conservation Agriculture Program, visiting NARS from
Zambia, private companies from South Africa and
colleagues from India have expressed interest in the
platform. Breeders are primarily focused on yields; they run
many plots across multiple locations and require fast data
turnaround for planning the next season. Therefore, they
will only take up a new tool if it can reduce their workload
and increase gains, and that is what Skywalker does.
Q: As a NARS, what do you believe has been the
biggest benefit of partnering with the MAIZE CRP and
with CIMMYT on the Skywalker project?
Charles: One big benefit has been the provision of
resources, which for NARS can sometimes be a big
challenge and serious problem. Then there are benefits
from the CRP such as the opportunity to network with
institutions such as the University of Barcelona and
QuantaLab in Spain. Our view is that it has opened doors
for us as an institution, which will allow us to strengthen
our skills and expertise so that in the long run the project is
sustainable.
Q: What do you see as the future of remote sensing
technology such as the Skywalker in agriculture?
Jill: This technology has great potential to be used to curb
the spread of maize lethal necrosis (MLN). Screening for
MLN currently involves visual ratings of disease severity,
which is time consuming and subjective. In addition, these
measurements have to be taken many times in many fields
over a short period of time. Based on the success of the
Skywalker project, it was decided that remote sensing
could be used to rapidly and quantitatively measure the
severity of MLN symptoms in individual plots. The MAIZE
CRP recognized phenotyping for MLN as a research gap
and there is now a new MAIZE strategic grant to apply
this technology in the development of MLN tolerant maize
germplasm with the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock
Research Organization and the University of Barcelona.
Please click here for more information on the Skywalker
and other aerial remote sensing devices.
“From Strength to Strength”
DINNER INVITATION
CIMMYT DG’s Office
cordially invites all CIMMYT staff to celebrate
Thomas Lumpkin's tenure and welcome Martin Kropff
next Friday, June 12th, from 5:30 to 9 pm
Place: Soccer field
Informa Updates
Dear readers:
There will be no Informa published
next Friday, 19 June, 2015. We will
be publishing a special double issue of
Informa on 26 June featuring Science
Week 2015 highlights.
Thank you for reading and keep
contributing your stories!
Sincerely,
CIMMYT Informa Team

13. InformaCIMMYT13
Informa is published by CIMMYT Communications Department. We welcome your input, preferably in both English and Spanish. The deadline for submissions is 9 a.m. on the
Wednesday before publication. We reserve the right to edit all contributions. Please send proposed material CIMMYT-International-Communications-Department@cgiar.org
/cimmyt /cimmyt /cimmyt /cimmyt /cimmyt /cimmyt
Top Post
Social Media
Corner
Keep up with CIMMYT’s online presence at the Social Media Corner.
Each week, we will select and feature the top posts, mentions and
followers from CIMMYT’s social media platforms. Be sure to follow
us on our accounts, listed below:
CIMMYT 56Followers
this week
+
11,939 Followers
Top Tweet
11,602 Followers
63Followers
this week
+
According to the 2015 State of Food Insecurity in the World,
the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
(FAO) states that the world hunger rate has now dropped
below 800 million for the first time in 25 years.
http://bit.ly/1AOt9DZ
This week, CIMMYT’s Facebook followers most
enjoyed an article published by Science Alert, which
stated that according to the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the world
hunger rate had dropped below 800 million for the
first time in 25 years. The post received 37 likes and
13 shares, and was viewed by 1,693 people.
On Twitter, CIMMYT’s followers enjoyed the
announcement of Martin Kropff’s inaugural speech.
The tweet received 9 favorites and 15 retweets. For
more information on the new Director General’s
inauguration, see last week’s Informa article
“Impact in Farmers’ Fields is the Driving Force of
Science and Innovation in Agriculture, says New
CIMMYT DG Martin Kropff.”
New DG @KropffMartin makes his
inaugural speech @CIMMYT
pic.twitter.com/vePrrcFGOI