The Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa Initiative

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More than 2 million farmers in sub-Saharan Africa are growing the new varieties for more food and income.

EL BATAN, Mexico, 12 March 2012.
The United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) has won Best Technological Breakthrough at the UK Climate Week Awards for its support to a project to develop drought-tolerant maize in Africa. The prize was announced at the Climate Week Awards, held in London today to celebrate the UK’s most effective and ambitious organizations, communities, and individuals and their efforts to combat climate change.

[For more information please contact: Anne Wamalwa This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and Chris Cutter This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ]

Climate-ready maize gets a boost: Phase III of the drought tolerant maize in Africa project to reach more farmers

EMBARGOED UNTIL 23 FEBRUARY 2012 12.00 PM NAIROBI TIME

NAIROBI --Over the past five years, more than 34 new drought tolerant maize varieties have been developed and deployed to over 2 million smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, empowering them to cope with climate change impacts on their livelihoods and food security. These efforts recently received a funding boost of US$ 33 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for the next four years.

Coordinating these efforts is the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, known by its Spanish acronym, CIMMYT, in partnership with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and national partners from 13 African countries. Known as the Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa project, it builds upon previous work by more than 50 partners over several decades.