Published on CIMMYT’s homepage and CIMMYT’s blog, this summary of a recent New York Times article highlights the media attention CIMMYT’s work attracts, as well as guides people to the full article, broadening their understanding of the world’s current situation.
NYT reports from Cuidad Obregón In a recent New York Times article, journalist Justin Gillis reports on the planet’s looming threats, agriculture’s monumental challenge, and how CIMMYT is working diligently to mitigate these global hurdles. The article, which appeared in the 05 June 2011 print edition, reports from CIMMYT’s Cuidad Obregón station where wheat variety testing takes priority. As one of the four staple crops that constitute most human calories consumed, wheat production is crucial to ensuring global food security; a task that is becoming more difficult amid growing populations, a changing climate, and the depletion of natural resources, according to Gillis. “There is just such a tremendous disconnect, with the people not understanding the highly dangerous situation we are in,” CIMMYT’s deputy chief Marianne Banzinger told Gillis. Furthermore, food shortages do not just affect the population going to bed hungry. Gillis states that food shortages can and do lead to political unrest, citing past turmoil in Haiti and the recent political destabilization in Arab countries. But not all hope is lost, as many agricultural scientists and experts believe that sustainably increasing global agricultural production is feasible. “It may be possible to make more productive and resilient in the face of climate change,” Gillis reports. “But how?” you might be wondering – through the introduction of new agronomical techniques and new varieties resistant to climate strains, such as heat and water stress, and new pests. Read the entire article available on nytimes.com A similar summary written about a March NYT article…
Breadless bellies lead to international unrest Food insecurity has been consistently linked to the political unrest currently taking place in Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria, among other Middle Eastern and North African nations. As wheat is the world’s most important food crop, and Egypt is the world’s largest importer of wheat, it seems inevitable that the recent constraints put on global wheat production would hit the people of Egypt with particular strength. Although the solution to this problem, to produce more wheat, may be obvious, the ability to actually increase wheat production is getting more precarious every day. According to a recent article in the New York Times, “Population growth is projected to rise up to 9 billion by 2050. In that same period, temperatures are predicted to rise 2 to 4 degrees Celsius and radically affect growing patterns.” The NYT article also acknowledges the less “sexy” appeal of wheat when compared to other crops such as corn, because of wheat’s inability to serve as bio-fuel or fodder.
However all is not lost. With an insurgence of public-private partnerships and government initiatives to encourage domestic wheat production, steps are being taken to fight the battle against wheat insecurity. Read the entire article available on nytimes.com A similar summary highlighting CIMMYT’s success in The Economist…
The Economist hat-trick The Economist, a chief international source of world affairs and political news, has recently published a series entitled “A Special Report on Feeding the World” wherein it discusses CIMMYT’s role in feeding the ever-increasing global population. The report, which appears in The Economist’s print and online editions, mentions CIMMYT in three separate articles that all focus on the series’ themes of agricultural production and food security. The articles commend the successes of Borlaug’s Green Revolution and CIMMYT’s current work to genetically modify more efficient wheat and maize. The articles feature contributions from CIMMYT Director General Thomas A Lumpkin as well as Hans-Joachim Braun, head of the Global Wheat Program; Patrick Wall, Global Conservation Agriculture Program director; and Gary Atlin, associate director of CIMMYT’s Global Maize Program. Though CIMMYT’s mentions are gratifying, the larger success is that today’s food crisis is taking centerstage. The articles, which reach an immense audience, stress the importance of raising global food productivity, emphasizing technology’s ability to assist this effort. Thanks to these articles, people worldwide are realizing the dire importance of food insecurity and how CIMMYT is using technology to help secure food throughout the world. Read the full series available on The Economist.com