KAUST, CIMMYT to Advance Development of Climate-Resilient Crops

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), one of the world's leading research centers specializing in sustainable agriculture and staple crop development, to enhance scientific cooperation on improving climate-resilient crops in the Kingdom.

 The cooperation aligns with national efforts to strengthen food security amid growing challenges to global food systems, including climate change, the spread of pests and diseases, and rising food demand.

 It also supports the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 and the National Agriculture Strategy, which focus on improving sector efficiency and developing innovative solutions to ensure sustainable food supplies, particularly in arid and high-temperature environments.

 The MoU aims to combine CIMMYT's expertise in developing maize and wheat varieties with KAUST’s advanced research capabilities in genomics, bioinformatics, and computational agriculture to accelerate the development of high-yield, climate-adapted varieties capable of withstanding harsh conditions.