Mexico is a laboratory where solutions are generated for the challenges of global food. Leaders from other latitudes and continents visit the national territory to learn about the methodology of the technological innovation hubs or nodes developed by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT).
“This country that gave us corn now also gives the world solutions that will have a great impact on global food security,” said Mandla Nkomo, director of the CGIAR Excellence in Agronomy initiative, during his visit to Mexico.
The specialist from Zimbabwe came to learn about the methodology of technological innovation hubs or nodes, this is spaces for meeting and exchanging knowledge and how it facilitates the results of scientific research to reach farmers.
“We know what CIMMYT does in Mexico in the hubs. We try to understand how this methodology works, what happens in the research platforms and in the plots in relation to these spaces, the technological menus and how it is delivered to farmers.”
This was expressed in turn by Emmanuel Ekom, from Nigeria, from the Ernst and Young team, an organization that within the framework of Excellence in Agronomy, a CGIAR initiative, studies how to scale innovation in agriculture.
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“We understand that in Mexico, CIMMYT created an innovation approach that prioritizes the farmer. I came from Nigeria with my team and we delved into that approach to understand how it works and how to replicate these brilliant ideas in various countries in the global south around the world,” he said.
For his part, Mandla Nkomo, Director of Growth of the Excellence in Agronomy (EiA) initiative, which brings together more than 10 CGIAR Centers, that is, the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, whose task is to create solutions to the problems faced by farmers around the world, commented:
“I am here because I wanted to learn a little more about the hubs and projects based on this methodology that CIMMYT and its collaborators developed in national territory. “One of the things we consider at EiA is how we transition individual use cases to solutions within a network of partners.”
During their visit to the Santo Domingo Yanhuitlán Research Platform and to innovation modules, extension areas, seed houses, post-harvest modules and machinery points in different municipalities in that area of Oaxaca, Mandla Nkomo and other EiA visitors had the opportunity to learn about the operation of CIMMYT’s South Pacific Hub.
Furthermore, they witnessed how this innovation management methodology is socially and culturally relevant for each of the most diverse regions of the country.
“Mexico is a diverse country, with different agroecologies. This approach can be transferred to any other location in the world. That’s why I’m very excited about what we’ve seen.”
And because the country that gave us corn, now also gives the world solutions that will have a great impact on global food security.
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After visiting many hubs throughout Mexico, Emmanuel Ekom of Nigeria said that one of the mayors was trained at CIMMYT, which made him understand “conservation agriculture and helped spread that knowledge to all the people.”
Likewise, the inclusion of public, private and academic institutions in the operation of the hubs stood out.
“I could see the faces of the farmers, especially the women, when they talked about how much time they saved by using technologies developed by CIMMYT and its collaborators,” he said.
“This methodology not only drives the increase in women’s income but also helps them make their lives easier and save more time to dedicate to other situations they have to face.”
“I was able to see how the gender approach works in what CIMMYT does. And I found that very, very shocking,” she expressed.
“Firsthand, I was able to see how the work the hubs do directly impacts farmers. And where it’s really interesting is that the managers have very good relationships with the farmers.”
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Every time we went to a plot, we initially planned only for one farmer, but sometimes we find like ten or fifteen and the hub manager has such a great relationship with them, he said.
“I think that’s really amazing,” said the Nigerian researcher.
2024-04-15 17:29:16
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