Wheat science without borders: African breeders strengthen collaboration for better wheat

Wheat breeders from Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi and Zimbabwe gathered in Addis Ababa for CIMMYT’s second Global Wheat Program Community of Practice (CoP), strengthening regional collaboration and building capacity to use modern breeding tools to address shared challenges. For Dr. Shitaye Home, Plant Breeder and Senior Researcher from EIAR-Ethiopia, and Masawi Jairos, Wheat Breeder at Zimbabwe’s Crop Breeding Institute, challenges such as climate change, drought, erratic rainfall and emerging diseases underline why wheat breeding programs cannot work in isolation. That shared challenge was at the heart of CIMMYT’s 2nd CoP workshop, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Over five days (10-14 August 2026), wheat scientists and breeders from Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi and Zimbabwe exchanged experiences, strengthened technical skills and explored how modern breeding approaches can help national programs become more efficient and responsive to farmers’ needs. Moving toward more efficient, data-driven breeding A major focus of the CoP was strengthening breeding pipelines through genomic, digital and data-driven approaches. Participants explored the Enterprise Breeding System (EBS) and tools including Bioflow and Field Book, covering different stages of the breeding process—from parent selection and crossing to generation advancement, trial management, digital data collection, analysis and data-driven selection. For Shitaye, the value goes beyond adopting new technology. It is about strengthening the entire breeding process and building the capacity needed to use these tools effectively. “These challenges cannot be addressed by individual breeding programs alone. The CoP provides an important platform for sharing knowledge and responsibilities and working collectively to address these challenges,” Shitaye said. She also emphasized the importance of continued coaching and technical support for researchers at federal and regional research centers as they integrate digital tools into their breeding programs. For Masawi, the hands-on exposure to EBS was particularly valuable. Because the system is still relatively new to many participating breeders, he said continued training and CIMMYT support will be important as national programs begin integrating it into their work. “We cannot address these challenges in isolation. We need to exchange knowledge, share experiences, participate in further training, and integrate EBS and other modern tools into our breeding systems,” Masawi said. He highlighted disease-resistance breeding and climate adaptation as areas where stronger regional collaboration is particularly important. More erratic rainfall, frequent droughts and emerging disease threats are creating challenges shared by wheat breeders across countries. Building people, institutions and partnerships Opening the workshop, Prof. Niguse Dechasa, Director General of the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR), reflected on the long-standing partnership between EIAR and CIMMYT and its contributions to germplasm exchange, wheat breeding and pathology research, capacity strengthening, advanced research methodologies and connections to global scientific networks. “This partnership has not simply been about research outputs; it has been about building people, strengthening institutions, sharing knowledge, and creating lasting scientific capacity.” Dr. Flavio Breseghello, Director of CIMMYT’s Global Wheat Program, shared perspectives on emerging global trends in wheat research, including advances in hybrid wheat, and discussed how innovation, modern breeding approaches and stronger collaboration can accelerate genetic gain and help address future wheat production challenges. Extending collaboration beyond the workshop The CoP was complemented by engagement with key Ethiopian partners. On the sidelines of the workshop, a CIMMYT delegation led by Breseghello held discussions with H.E. Mr. Desalegn Teshale, State Minister at Ethiopia’s Ministry of Agriculture; Prof. Niguse Dechasa, Director General of EIAR; Dr. Karta Kaske, Director General of the Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute; and Dr. Wondale Habtamu, Deputy Director General for Plant Regulatory Agricultural Authority of Ethiopia. The discussions recognized the long-standing CIMMYT–Ethiopia partnership and decades of collaboration in wheat research and innovation. Partners reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the partnership and building on its achievements to support more productive, resilient and sustainable cereal production systems. Connecting regional dialogue with research in the field The CIMMYT team also visited collaborative wheat research at Kulumsa and Bishoftu Agricultural Research Centers, engaging with scientists and connecting the technical and regional discussions of the CoP with research underway in the field. For participants such as Shitaye and Masawi, however, the real measure of the CoP will come after the workshop: how effectively the knowledge, tools and regional connections are integrated into breeding programs. The reflections from both breeders point to a common priority for the next phase—continued capacity strengthening, technical support and collaboration among national, regional and international research organizations. By combining modern breeding tools with stronger regional networks, the Community of Practice provides a platform for breeders to share knowledge and responsibilities, improve breeding efficiency and work collectively toward wheat varieties that are better able to respond to drought, erratic rainfall, disease and the evolving needs of farmers. The challenges facing wheat cross national borders. Through the Community of Practice, so do the knowledge, tools and partnerships being mobilized to address them.