Cobs & Spikes

This episode defines and explores how conservation agriculture can increase resilience to climate change, protect biodiversity and sustainably use natural resources.

Juan Gonzalo Jaramillo Mejia, Project Manager and Researcher on Inclusion Innovation and Social Protection, discusses taking a social inclusion lens to social protection and the role of men in gender equality

Carolina Rivera, CIMMYT wheat physiologist, shares what it is like to be a woman in agricultural science working on one of the world's biggest problems — how to feed a growing planet.

Natalia Palacios, head of the maize quality lab at CIMMYT, shares how her research is supporting better nutritional security around the world.

Arturo Silva Hinojosa, Seed Systems Lead for Africa and Latin America at CIMMYT, shares how CIMMYT is helping jumpstart Haiti's maize seed sector.

For small-scale farmers, mechanization and other appropriate technologies have a big impact in agricultural production and yield. However, they might lack the resources to buy these tools. Hello Tractor is trying to improve this. Dubbed the “Uber for the farm”, the company’s app easily allows tractor owners to rent their machinery to farmers and includes features that can help enhance a tractor owner’s business and operations. In this episode, we’re talking to Martha Haile, Chief Operations Officer at Hello Tractor, about the company’s success and social innovation in agriculture.

This episode explores why nitrogen is essential for life, how we get it into our bodies, and what synthetic fertilizer has to do with the Green Revolution.

Growing interest in authentic Mexican food and the potential health benefits of blue maize could open new markets for farmers and boost incomes.

Matthew Rouse is the 2018 recipient of the Norman Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application. He is being recognized for his work developing new breeds of wheat that are resistant to Ug99, a devastating type of stem rust.

Cobs & Spikes is a new podcast from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT). Find out what to expect in coming episodes and how to subscribe.