Nairobi, Kenya – The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and CIMMYT, with funding support from the Novo Nordisk Foundation, have launched a landmark research initiative to dramatically shorten the time required to develop climate-resilient and market-preferred crop varieties for farmers in the drylands of Eastern Africa and India.
The five-year initiative, Applying Modern Tools to Enhance Precision and Speed of Dryland Crops Breeding, will initially focus on sorghum and groundnut as proof-of-concept crops while establishing a scalable framework for dryland crop improvement across Africa and South Asia.
The partnership brings together the complementary strengths of CGIAR centers, ICRISAT, and CIMMYT, alongside national agricultural research systems in Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and India, as well as the University of Queensland, a global leader in predictive breeding science.
Novo Nordisk Foundation Senior Scientific Lead, Dr de Bang, said accelerating crop improvement in dryland systems demands collaboration that goes beyond business-as-usual.
“This project exemplifies the value of sharing data, infrastructure, genetic resources, and know-how across institutional boundaries to deliver meaningful solutions for farmers.
“We are convinced that converging cutting-edge breeding science, modern data platforms and enabling technologies with local expertise will bring real impact in farmers’ fields,” said Dr de Bang.
Novo Nordisk Foundation Senior Scientific Lead, Dr. de Bang, at the launch of the landmark initiative on 13 May, which will accelerate faster and more precise climate-resilient crop breeding for dryland farming communities.
As climate change intensifies droughts, heat stress, erratic rainfall, and crop diseases across dryland regions, accelerating the development of resilient crop varieties is critical to protecting food security and rural livelihoods for millions of vulnerable communities.
The initiative combines artificial intelligence (AI)-driven predictive breeding, genomic selection, speed breeding, and advanced data integration to modernize breeding systems, double genetic gain rates, and reduce breeding cycle times by at least two years, helping ensure improved varieties reach farmers faster than ever before.
The landmark initiative will fast-track the development of climate-resilient crop varieties to help millions of smallholder farmers across Africa and India’s drylands build more secure livelihoods, strengthen food security, and better withstand the growing impacts of climate change.
Applauding the collaboration, Director-General of ICRISAT, Dr Himanshu Pathak, said the initiative demonstrates the growing importance of strategic scientific partnerships in responding to the global climate crisis and strengthening food system resilience.
“Through frontier science, AI, and deep expertise in dryland agriculture, we are building a new generation of breeding systems capable of delivering faster, smarter, and more climate-resilient solutions for farmers in some of the world’s most vulnerable regions.
“This initiative also reflects the immense power of collaboration across the CGIAR system and with national and global partners.
“I sincerely thank the Novo Nordisk Foundation, CIMMYT, the University of Queensland, and all participating partners for their collaboration in this transformative effort,” said Dr Pathak.
Director General of CIMMYT, Dr. Bram Govaerts, said the partnership highlights the importance of collective scientific leadership in addressing increasingly complex agricultural and climate challenges.
“No single institution can solve the interconnected food security and climate challenges facing dryland regions alone.
“This collaboration between CIMMYT, ICRISAT, national partners, and the broader CGIAR network demonstrates how shared innovation, shared infrastructure, and shared ambition can accelerate impact at scale for millions of smallholder farmers and help build more resilient food systems for the future,” said Dr Govaerts.
Dryland agriculture supports more than two billion people worldwide but is facing growing challenges from climate change, poor soils, unpredictable rainfall, and uneven investment in agricultural research and innovation.
The initiative will harness frontier science to deliver faster, climate-resilient crops for millions of smallholder farmers across Africa and India’s drylands.
The initiative aims to position Africa and South Asia as global leaders in predictive breeding for resilience while strengthening long-term food and nutrition security through science-driven innovation.
Dr Alice Murage, Deputy Director General – Crops Research at the Kenya Agricultural Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO), added that the initiative presents a valuable opportunity to deepen collaboration between CGIAR centres, national research institutions, universities, donors, and farming communities in co-developing technologies and innovations that are scientifically robust, locally relevant, and responsive to farmers’ needs.
“This partnership reflects the power of collective action in building resilient food systems, improving livelihoods, creating opportunities for young people and women in agriculture, and delivering lasting impact to farming communities across Africa” said Dr Murage.
The Novo Nordisk Foundation-funded initiative represents a major investment in future-ready agricultural innovation and reinforces CGIAR’s commitment to harnessing frontier science and strategic partnerships to help secure food systems for the most vulnerable in a changing climate.