STMA in the News
Media and Stories
Latest STMA Bulletin is outDate: May 14, 2020
Read the latest news from the just concluded Stress Tolerant Maize for Africa (STMA) initiative. This issue highlights the impact the project has had on farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, how it has helped build resilience of Africa’s smallholder farmers and how the improved maize varieties will enable partners to ...
Seeing is believing: demo farms accelerate adoption of stress tolerant maizeDate: February 19, 2020
Joshua Masinde Over 400 farmers from Manyatta in Embu County were on February 7, 2020, invited to a demonstration farm to witness the performance of various high yielding, early to medium maturing, drought tolerant maize varieties. Such occasions aim to encourage them to adopt varieties whose traits they preferred the most. Some ...
Latest STMA Bulletin is outDate: January 16, 2020
Read the latest news from the Stress Tolerant Maize for Africa (STMA) initiative. This issue highlights stories on how stress tolerant maize is improving the lives of smallholder farmers in northern Uganda, after a two-decade civil war; why stress tolerant maize varieties are good for Africa and how CIMMYT and ...
Street theater amplifies need for stress tolerant maize varietiesDate: January 7, 2020
The Stress Tolerant Maize in Africa (STMA) project team in Nigeria used street theater to drum up messages on how to mitigate stresses affecting maize production in the country. The messages targeted mainly the youth, informing them that with the right stress-resilient seed varieties and the application of recommended agronomic ...
How to build gender-sensitive seed systems, share your experience on Nov. 21Date: November 14, 2019
Young woman displaying freshly harvested high-yielding maize in Western Kenya-credit CIMMYT-Joshua Masinde ''Improved maize seed is essential for African farming systems because of its relatively higher yield potential, better adaptation to common biotic and abiotic stresses such as diseases, pests, drought and low nutrients, and more efficient use of water. However, ...
Delivering good and stable yields for small scale farmers: Western Seed’s growing success in Eastern and Southern AfricaDate: November 3, 2019
“Introducing a new maize variety needs a great deal of investment. You need to build a convincing business case for varietal turnover. Some new varieties may do well for certain traits, but there are other factors other than yield to consider, for instance, producibility, cost of seed production and farmers preferences.” says Saleem Esmail, CEO ...
Seeds of prosperity: Equator Seeds, Northern UgandaDate: November 3, 2019
“80 percent of farmers in northern Uganda still use the farm-saved or recycled seed, which we consider as our biggest competitor.” Dorine Akoth, a demo-farmer in Gulu northern Uganda, admiring a maize plant on her demo plot. Photo: Joshua Masinde/CIMMYT. “ Through demonstrations and our local seed marketing network, farmers ...
Latest STMA Bulletin is outDate: October 17, 2019
Discover the latest from the Stress Tolerant Maize for Africa (STMA) initiative. This issue talks about product profiling, costing of maize breeding, highlights of CIMMYT's Kenya Annual Partner Days and portraits of Kenyan farmers who have adopted stress-tolerant maize varieties. READ HERE
Farmers adopting drought tolerant Maize in Makueni county, KenyaDate: October 14, 2019
Swedish journalists Eric Abel and Anna Liljemalm who are writing a book on climate change and seed visited the Stress Tolerant Maize for Africa project in Kenya from Sept. 9-11, 2019. Journalists from Sweden in action to understand how maize breeding can help Kenyan farmers adapt to climate change. ...
Scoring new drought tolerant CIMMYT lines in Kiboko 5 Sept 2019Date: September 12, 2019
CIMMYT breeders selecting new CIMMYT line candidates in stage 4, scoring hybrid entries according to their drought tolerance in Kiboko research station - 5 September 2019 CIMMYT breeders scoring DT maize in Kiboko 5 September 2019 CIMMYT breeder scoring DT maize in Kiboko Suresh and Aparna ranking DT maize entries in Kiboko 5 ...
Bill Gates talks about drought-tolerant maize developed by CIMMYTDate: July 15, 2019
In 2018, Bill Gates launched a campaign about climate change, because he worried not enough people understood the dimensions of the problem. In a blog post, he reminded readers that not only the energy sector is concerned, but also “the other 75%” — in particular agriculture and food systems. We need innovations to reduce our ...
Resilience and livelihoods improved for 3.5 million African farmers now planting stress tolerant maize varietiesDate: May 24, 2019
The Stress Tolerant Maize for Africa (STMA) project held its annual meeting May 7-9, 2019 in Lusaka, Zambia to discuss the achievements of the past year and priorities going forward. Farmer participatory evaluation of STMA hybrids compared to popular varietis STMA Project Leader Cosmos Magoroksho recalled what STMA project launched in 2016 is aiming at ...
Meet Hajia, a Nigerian maize woman farmer enthusiast about her collaboration with STMADate: May 5, 2019
“I am Hajia Asibi, a community women leader, civil servant and a proud farmer. But my story and venture in agriculture is not a conventional one. I have not always been a farmer. In fact, I never dreamt of one day becoming a farmer. In my youthful years, I ...
Participatory varietal selection to decipher what maize smallholder farmers wantDate: April 9, 2019
Tabitha Kamau inspecting her drought-tolerant maize variety in Katheini location, Kenya - Photo credit:Joshua Masinde Tabitha Kamau, 29, is scrutinizing a maize demonstration plot on which 12 different varieties were planted in November 2018. “What I am looking for is a maize variety that produces a lot, even when there is scarce rainfall,” says ...
Solving the ‘’last mile’’ challenge of maize seedsDate: March 15, 2019
Agrodealers play a pivotal role in delivering the gains of the green revolution to millions of smallholders in Africa, providing access to key inputs like improved maize varieties. So far, seed systems research has mainly focused on the factors influencing farmers’ adoption of new varieties, and, to a lesser extent, why seed companies will invest ...
Digital imaging tools make maize breeding much more efficientDate: March 14, 2019
Recent innovations in digital imagery and sensors, packaged in what plant scientists call high-throughput phenotyping platforms, save money and time by replacing lengthy paper-based visual observations of crop trials with real-time big data collection and management.
Drought-tolerant hybrid seed offers farmers reprieve from hungerDate: March 13, 2019
MACHAKOS, Kenya (CIMMYT) – The scorching heat from the sun does not stop Mary Munini, a middle-aged smallholder farmer in Vyulya, Machakos County, from inspecting her distressed maize crop. Traces of worry cloud her face. “I will not harvest anything this season,” she says, visibly downcast. Like many other smallholder farmers spread across the water-stressed counties ...
Access to Stress Tolerant Maize enables Kamano Seeds in Zambia to provide varieties that buffer smallholder farmers in recurrent droughtDate: November 22, 2018
CIMMYT’s Stress Tolerant Maize for Africa (STMA) and Drought Tolerant Maize Seed Scaling (DTMASS) projects have supported family owned seed companies to be part of sustainable long-term solutions to buffer African smallholder farmers against recurrent droughts via access to improved seeds. This is in line with CIMMYT mission strengthen local ...
NASECO’s steady success to deliver stress tolerant, high yielding maize seeds to Ugandan farmersDate: November 22, 2018
The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) has been supporting Uganda-based Nalweyo Seed Company (NASECO), in collaboration with Uganda’s National Agriculture Research Organization (NARO), to develop and produce high-yielding, stress tolerant maize seed varieties, which have increased farmers’ harvests and improved their livelihoods. Stress Tolerant Maize for Africa (STMA) ...
Researchers team up with farmers to tackle maize stressesDate: October 29, 2017
ETV - Communal farmers in the drought prone Gokwe Nembudziya winning war against Climate Change. Read More.
Gokwe villagers hail drought and stress tolerant maize varietiesDate: October 29, 2017
ZBC TV - Farmers from Gokwe, Zimbabwe share their experience with new stress tolerant maize varieties developed to help farmers mitigate impact of various stresses that are common in sub-Saharan Africa. Read More.
Researchers Work on Drought-tolerant Maize for AfricaDate: October 29, 2017
VOA - In Zimbabwe, researchers say they are breeding maize that is drought and heat resistant as part of efforts to fight hunger across Africa, where maize is a staple food. Read More.
Can drought-resilient maize take pressure off African farmers?Date: June 2, 2017
Is maize an answer to pressure on African farmers through climate change? The Center for Development Research (ZEF) organised a panel of experts to address this topic in Bonn, Germany. Read More
Food Friday: Drought tolerant crops could hold answers for unending droughtDate: April 3, 2017
NTV: Food Friday feature looks at why drought tolerant crop varieties could the answer to the pressing food insecurity issues facing Kenya that has been marred with reports of drought, which has caused starvation with reports of deaths of both livestock and people. Read More
New maize variety growing in MakueniDate: March 22, 2017
Woni TV - The new KDV4 Maize variety is doing really fine in the dry areas with less rainfall. Farmers from Makueni are harvesting high even with the less rainfall experienced in the area. View Video (Vernacular Kamba language)
Makueni farmers adopt drought-tolerant maize seeds to boost yieldsDate: March 22, 2017
Business Daily - Farmers in Ukambani region are adopting new maize seed varieties that are tolerant to drought, making the area that has been synonymous with hunger over the years food secure. Read More
Hope for semi-arid farmers as drought bitesDate: March 22, 2017
KNA - Ruth Malika, a small scale farmer in Makueni County has dutifully planted traditional maize varieties for years, expecting bounty harvests, but would always end up disappointed. Read More
Makueni farmers to receive bumper harvest from drought resistant maize strainDate: February 28, 2017
KBC - Farmers in Makueni County are expecting a bumper harvest from a new variety of maize developed by the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre. View Video
Feature: Drought tolerant maize varieties shield Kenyan smallholders from hunger pangsDate: February 22, 2017
Zhinua - Joyce Matheka's one acre farm located in Makueni County in lower-eastern Kenya was a spectacle to behold on Friday thanks to a lush green foliage that announced a bumper harvest in the near future. Read more
Drought proof seeds offer farmers hopeDate: November 23, 2016
Deutsche Welle - Scientists in Zimbabwe have developed drought tolerant crops to combat food insecurity in drought-stricken Africa. The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) says the new seed varieties could play a major role in safeguarding food security in Zimbabwe and across Africa. Listen to Audio broadcast
As temperatures soar, Zimbabwe's farmers test maize that can copeDate: November 19, 2016
Thomson Reuters Foundation - Aplonia Marutsvaka looks triumphant as she shows off one of her three bags of gleaming white maize. She harvested the grain in the midst of a drought and sapping heat that charred many other types of crop. Read More
Zimbabwean scientists unveil maize seeds resistant to heat, droughtDate: November 19, 2016
VOA — Scientists in Zimbabwe say they have developed new heat and drought tolerant varieties of maize that may be ready for sale ahead of the next planting season. Read More
African smallholders to get stress-tolerant maizeDate: October 20, 2016
SCIDEV - A new project that aims to provide farmers in Sub-Saharan Africawith stress-tolerant maize varieties has been launched to help the region boost food security. Read More
New project helps African farmers address multiple stresses in maize farmingDate: October 20, 2016
The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and its partners have unveiled a new project – Stress Tolerant Maize for Africa (STMA) – to diminish devastating environmental effects in maize production that occur simultaneously across many regions in sub-Saharan Africa. Read More
New project promises hardy maizeDate: October 20, 2016
SCIDEV - A Mexican-African project to develop better and more climate-tolerant maize varieties using traditional breeding techniques has been launched. The partners involved in the Stress-Tolerant Maize for Africa (STMA)project aim to develop varieties that are more tolerant to heat, drought, diseases and low soil fertility than existing types. Read ...
New variety to double maize yields in AfricaDate: October 19, 2016
The East African - Saharan Africa will soon receive a new stress-tolerant seed variety that is expected to increase yields by 30-50 per cent. Scientists at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre said the improved variety is tolerant to drought, low soil fertility, heat and diseases such as lethal ...
Project to improve maize productivity in Africa launchedDate: October 19, 2016
Xinhua -- A global maize and wheat research organization said Tuesday it has a new project aimed at improving maize productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The International Maize and Wheat Improvement center (CIMMYT) and its partners launched Stress Tolerant Maize for Africa (STMA) to diminish devastating environmental effects in ...
