International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, known by its Spanish acronym, CIMMYT, is a non-profit research and training organization with more than 400 partners in over 100 countries.

Mission
The mission of CIMMYT is to sustainably increase the productivity of maize and wheat systems and thus ensure global food security and reduce poverty.

Maize and Wheat
To improve maize and wheat, CIMMYT applies the best of biotechnology, traditional agronomy and breeding, socioeconomics, agricultural extension, and capacity building to create sustainable solutions with lasting impacts and a strong focus on climate change, hunger, rural community development, and the environment. CIMMYT applies the best science to develop and freely share:

• High-yielding, stress tolerant maize and wheat varieties.
• Large, unique collections of maize and wheat genetic resources.
• Productivity-enhancing, resource-conserving farming practices.
• Training and information relating to the above.

History

The history of CIMMYT predates the CGIAR itself. The successes of the new crop varieties, along with improved management practices like the use of fertilizer, sparked the widespread adoption of improved varieties and farming techniques in the developing world—a phenomenon that came to be called the “Green Revolution.” The social and economic benefits of this movement were recognized worldwide when the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Norman Borlaug in 1970.

Information from CIMMYT