CGIAR Breeding for Tomorrow

Webinar alert! Exploring Enterprise Breeding System's tools that support the preparation of materials before creating experiments: Germplasm Search, Inventory Search, Trait Search. Batch 1: March 24 9:00am CST Batch 2: March 25 10:30am EAT Register: on.cgiar.org/4rPJQZQ

Want to master time series data in the Enterprise Breeding System (EBS), our breeding data tool? Join us for a deep dive into collecting & managing time series data including those from drone-based image analysis provided by @hiphen_plant 🛰️ Register ⤵️ …meseriesdatamgtwithebs.splashthat.com

Over 2 billion people depend on smallholder farming, yet many remain digitally underserved. Last week in Abu Dhabi, we presented AgriLLM at the AI for Agriculture Ecosystem launch alongside @thisisbillgate, @WorldBank, @CGIAR, @embrapa, and partners from the UAE Presidential Court. AgriLLM delivers localized, actionable agricultural guidance using domain-built LLMs, agents, and retrieval systems designed for real constraints. We are open-sourcing parts of the stack and hiring at ai71. AI that works, where it matters. 🌱 #ai71 #hiring #aijobs #AgriLLM

AgriLLM is live: open source AI building blocks for agriculture, grounded in curated agricultural science. Big credit to Mehdi Ghissassi, Mamoun Alaoui, Kate Kamarchuk, and the team. Built with CGIAR, Embrapa, The World Bank, Gates Foundation, and FAO, with support from the International Affairs Office at the UAE Presidential Court. Smallholder farmers produce about 1/3 of the world’s food. We’re building audio first, multimodal AI that has to be right. Learn more at: ai71.ai/AgriLLM

🌾 40+ years old rice varieties weren’t bred for today’s climate Through #CropstoEndHunger funded by @giz_gmbh, we upgraded research stations in 🇰🇪🇵🇭🇮🇳 into direct-seeded rice demonstration sites, leading to a variety withstanding climate change ⤵ on.cgiar.org/4aTasUy

Through the @InstituteEiar – @CIMMYT partnership, we helped Ethiopian breeders align their wheat program with the country's market needs🌾 Together, we’re modernizing Ethiopia’s wheat breeding for a market-driven future! 🚀 Read the full story here: on.cgiar.org/4rRbiah

Small-scale farmers grow 1/3 of the world’s food, yet they're often the last to benefit from AI ⚠️ Join AGX AI at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 to discuss responsible AI advisory systems for small-scale farmers 📅 16 Feb 📍 New Delhi, India 🔗 impact.indiaai.gov.in

Why do farmers stick with old seeds when better ones exist? 🌾 It’s not just a technical gap, it’s often behavioral. New #MarketIntelligence podcast explores how social networks, safe experimentation, and de-risking can speed up adoption Listen here ⤵️ youtu.be/N5PC16V9pSY

Roots, tubers & bananas provide ~40% of calories in sub-Saharan Africa 🍌 With populations set to double, boosting RTB productivity is key A new facility will help deliver clean, disease-free planting material, faster, safer & at scale 🔬 @giz_gmbh youtu.be/ZhE-7B6H884?si…

Listen to our latest #MarketIntelligence podcast on new research on rice milling in Uganda 🇺🇬, which shows how the right rice varieties can boost milling efficiency 🌾 Using data from local millers, the study explores which varieties stand out and why ⤵️ on.cgiar.org/4qepwkb

Breeding stations are often in remote areas, far from cities 🧑‍🌾 With support from #CropstoEndHunger @giz_gmbh we upgraded @CIMMYT research stations with breastfeeding rooms & field-area washrooms in Kenya 🇰🇪 & Zimbabwe 🇿🇼, attracting more women ⤵️ on.cgiar.org/4qch7h9

#CropstoEndHunger is coming to an end! With @giz_gmbh support, the program had a tremendous impact at @CGIAR-partner breeding stations: ✅ Upgraded breeding facilities ✅ Enhanced staff capacity ✅ More resources to improve crops More impact in 🇰🇪⤵️ youtu.be/0Gr8N9nFLZc?si…

🦻🎧LOUD ‼️We are happily composting our speed breeding soil!! A step for #sustainability ⁦@CGIARbreeding⁩ ⁦@ICARDA⁩

Fairgrounds, @CGIAR_Data AI-enabled platform, connects @CGIAR breeders & researchers with global datasets & models, accelerating discovery, innovation & impact 🤖 Breeders can access computing power & models in the cloud, share their discoveries with others, & more! ⤵️

Plant breeding is a critical tool in the fight against climate change 🌱 In this op-ed, @irri Research Director for Rice Breeding Innovations explains this relationship & uses rice examples to show how breeding can deliver climate solutions at scale ⤵️ cgiar.org/news-events/ne…

In #Peru, ~30% of women & 40% of children under 5 face anemia 🇵🇪 Iron-biofortified #potato varieties by @Cipotato help tackle this through everyday diets 🥔 Higher iron & vitamin C, low phytates & strong partnerships with farmers & local NGOs turn nutrition science into impact!

🇳🇵Nepal is showing how digital innovation can transform seed systems 🌱 With 80% smartphone penetration, the Digitally Enabled Seed Information System (DESIS) by the Seed Quality Control Center & @CIMMYT helps manage seed demand & supply in real time ⤵️ cimmyt.org/news/deliverin…

AI can boost farmers’ access to ag advice but only if it speaks the same languages! #LONGA project uses 14,500+ hours of @farmradio in 132 languages to build speech recognition for African languages, helping researchers truly hear farmers’ voices. More ⤵️ farmradio.org/the-promise-of…

A new paper examines seed policies in 6 African countries, assessing if they enable or block effective emergency seed assistance Join the upcoming webinar unpacking the finding with our #InclusiveDelivery Lead: 🗓️Wed, Jan 21 🕗4:00 PM EAT 🔗 Register: issdafrica.org/2026/01/05/web…

📊 Our Repeatability Explorer helps optimize multi-environment trial designs by showing how locations, replications & years affect repeatability The tool supports smarter, data-driven decisions 🌱 🔗Access it freely at: cwerner.shinyapps.io/h2exp/