Planting Better Seeds a Key for Mexico’s Food Security

Increasing the productivity of staple crops like maize and wheat in Mexico remains a key development priority. Mexican smallholder farmers play a major role in food production but face increasing pressure to grow enough volumes of nutritious and affordable foods to feed their families and improve their livelihoods. This pressure comes as climate change, conflict, COVID and the cost-of-living crises, or the 4Cs, increase the burdens of drought, floods, and evolving crop pests and diseases that regularly hinder agricultural productivity. 

Mexico is confronted with a substantial productivity gap of yellow maize. Mexican farmers produce roughly 27 million tons of maize that meet the national demand for white grain used mainly for human consumption. By contrast, the country imports approximately 18 million tons of yellow maize from the US to satisfy the local industry demand for grain used as fodder and raw material for all sorts of consumer products. Mexico relies on grain imports to cover approximately 73 percent of its annual consumption of yellow maize. It is, therefore, necessary to raise annual maize output by increasing smallholder farmers’ productivity in areas where Mexico still has substantial yield gaps. 

Conservation agriculture-based sustainable farming practices raise yields by increasing water use efficiency and soil nutrition. Optimal fertilization and integrated pest control management also help to increase profits by cutting expenses on costly farm inputs that greatly contribute to greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural activities. Improved high-yielding and climate resilient seeds is the remaining key element needed to close yield gaps sustainably. However, improved seeds bred for commercial farming do not necessarily perform well in small-scale farming conditions or may not respond to the needs of smallholder households. For that reason, it is necessary to develop inclusive seed systems that address the specific needs of smallholder farmers who grow crops on small, rain-fed plots and with limited access to agricultural inputs. 

Inclusive and Competitive Seed Systems 

Seed systems are formed by the various actors, processes, and relationships that allow for the production, conservation, exchange and use of propagation materials of different crops. These systems are complex and specific to each crop, country, agroecological environment and market structure. The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) specializes in researching the different facets and engaging with the actors involved in cereal seed systems. CIMMYT does not actually release seed to farmers but develops improved maize and wheat breeding lines and populations that are used by public and private sector partners for breeding, testing, multiplying, marketing and promoting improved seed. The Center also works to promote competitive and efficient markets, enlightened policies, and small- and intermediate-scale seed producers to increase farmers’ access to affordable and high-quality seed. The inclusive seed systems that CIMMYT has helped build in Mexico have a key role to play in closing the yield gaps of yellow maize production in regions of untapped potential. With that purpose, CIMMYT recently announced a new partnership with Mexico’s Industrialized Maize Chamber (CANAMI) to implement R&D and capacity-building projects aimed at sustainably increasing yellow maize production in the south and southeast states of Mexico, where average yields remain low at 2.1 tons per hectare. 

T CIMMYT’s Seed Systems Strategy

The traits targeted by CIMMYT breeders are determined by farmers and consumer markets. In addition to higher grain yields, traits include more and larger grains, resistance to pests and diseases, tolerance to environmental pressures (drought, poor soils), better nutritional quality or flavor, ease of processing, and many other characteristics. To foster smallholder farmers’ access to seed of improved varieties that feature such traits, CIMMYT implements a seed systems strategy divided in three main interconnected and ongoing phases: 

(1) In the product development phase, breeders advance through CIMMYT’s breeding funnel (pipeline) the most promising materials from one improvement stage to the next. The best candidates are tested in field trials first at research stations and then in farmers’ fields. Afterward, CIMMYT organizes field days to showcase the best performing materials to public and private sector partners. 

(2) In the product allocation phase, local partners request new CIMMYT products and may sign licensing agreements that protect the new seed from private ownership claims and help accelerate marketing and distribution in target regions at affordable prices.

(3) In the release and commercialization phase, farmers can obtain and benefit from seed of improved maize and wheat, once national authorities register and release varieties that excel in national performance trials and public and private sector partners begin seed production and marketing or distribution.  

CIMMYT’s socio economics and market experts work with agro dealers to develop retail strategies, such as targeted marketing, in-store seed assessment support and price incentives, to help both female and male farmers obtain the seed that works best for their specific needs. This ongoing model gives CIMMYT feedback from farmers and public and private sector partners, which informs subsequent breeding research.

CIMMYT is also exploring mechanisms to help seed companies adapt their products to women’s preferences. Research shows that beyond yield potential, women seek different characteristics in seeds than men. For example, women are more inclined to favor a variety with a longer grain shelf life. Similarly, when women engage in participatory variety selections, they tend to make more objective evaluations of varieties than men.

In sum, effective seed systems achieve the widespread adoption of varieties that capture the gains from crop improvement and connect actors along the value chain so that all can benefit from more productive and resilient crops.

Bram Govaerts is Director General a.i. and CEO at CIMMYT. He is an international authority in maize and wheat cropping systems who works for a successful transition to sustainable intensification of small-scale farming in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Govaerts advises public, private and social organizations worldwide and is an active member of research groups and programs including the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, the Knowledge Systems for Sustainability platform, the A. D. White Professor-at-Large program at Cornell University, and the American Society of Agronomy.