CIMMYT launches “Save the Pasta!” to safeguard the future of durum wheat
ROME, October 15, 2026 — CIMMYT has launched “Save the Pasta!”, a global initiative seeking to mobilize US$200 million over ten years to safeguard the future of durum wheat, strengthen farmers’ livelihoods of farmers, and secure the supply of the grain essential to pasta, couscous and other staple foods consumed around the world.
The initiative responds to mounting pressures on durum wheat production, including rising temperatures, drought, water scarcity and evolving crop diseases. Through coordinated investments in agricultural research, innovation and stronger value chains, it aims to help countries and farming communities build more resilient and sustainable production systems.
Presented to prospective investors on 15 October at the Hand-in-Hand Initiative Investment Forum during the World Food Forum in Rome, at the invitation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Save the Pasta! calls on governments, industry and development partners to invest collectively in the scientific capabilities, programs and partnerships tailored to national and regional needs.
“The future of food security depends on viable farms and strong food industries. Durum wheat sustains millions of livelihoods and supports food industries across the world, yet the science that underpins its future is increasingly vulnerable. Save the Pasta! is a call to governments, investors, the private sector and research partners to sustain the shared science, national production capacity, and innovations that benefit farmers and consumers,” said Bram Govaerts, Director General and CEO of CIMMYT.
When farmers step in to protect the future of science
The initiative builds on a powerful example from Sonora, Mexico, where farmers facing drought and financial pressures contributed their own resources to sustain critical durum wheat research in 2026.
For more than five decades, CIMMYT’s durum wheat research has supported breeding programs worldwide, with more than 60 percent of durum wheat varieties released globally containing contributions from CIMMYT genetics. However, mounting funding pressures threatened the continuity of this globally important scientific capacity, including the suspension of international distribution of breeding materials in 2025 and plans to place the program on hold in 2026.
Recognizing the importance of this research to their livelihoods and the wider agricultural sector, farmers in Sonora mobilized resources to help sustain core research activities.
“We recognized how important it was for this research to continue, so we did what we could to help maintain it, even while our farmers were facing a severe crisis,” said Jesús Larraguibel Artola, president of PIEAES and a farmer.
PIEAES, the Patronato para la Investigación y Experimentación Agrícola de Sonora, is a farmers’ association that mobilizes producer contributions to support agricultural research.
The local experience in Sonora helped frame the case for a broader global initiative: sustaining the scientific foundation of durum production requires participation from the countries and industries that benefit from it.
A global challenge requiring shared investment
Global durum wheat use is estimated at approximately 37 million metric tons in 2025/26, with the Mediterranean region accounting for around half of global production and cultivated area. This geographical concentration makes the resilience of the region’s farms important to both local food security and international supply chains.
Rising temperatures, increasingly frequent drought, irrigation water scarcity and emerging diseases threaten both yields and grain quality, increasing risks to farmers’ incomes, industrial supplies and food affordability. At the same time, gaps in research funding, national scientific capacity and seed delivery systems limit the ability of countries to respond effectively.
Save the Pasta! seeks to address these interconnected challenges through shared investment by strengthening the scientific foundation of durum wheat production while accelerating the delivery of practical innovations to farmers.
The initiative is built around three outcomes: protect and enhance harvests, strengthen farmers, and secure markets.
To achieve these outcomes, it will mobilize investment across five priorities:
- Better varieties and stronger national capacity. Support breeding programs with improved genetic materials, data, modern tools and technical expertise to develop locally adapted varieties that meet farmers’ and industry needs.
- Broader genetic diversity. Harness traditional varieties and wild relatives to improve tolerance to heat and drought, strengthen disease resistance and enhance grain quality.
- Disease surveillance and early warning. Connect national partners with international monitoring and testing networks to detect emerging threats and support timely responses.
- Regional research partnerships. Expand collaborative testing, training and technical knowledge exchange with national programs to accelerate the development, adaptation to local conditions and adoption of innovations.
- Sustainable farming and stronger supply chains. Promote resource-efficient agricultural practices, that use water and inputs efficiently, and strengthen connections among researchers, seed providers, farmers and food processors.
Together, these investments aim to improve productivity and resilience, strengthen national research systems and create more reliable supplies for domestic and international markets.
Building partnerships from research to markets
Speaking at the Investment forum, Laura Elena Carrillo Cubillas, Mexico’s Permanent Representative to the UN Agencies in Rome, highlighted the important role of farmers and producers in shaping research priorities, testing innovations and investing in agricultural science.
“Farmers are not merely beneficiaries of innovation. They are investors and strategic partners in its success. That is a model that deserves to be scaled up,” said Carrillo Cubillas.
Samuel Ayenew Yeshaneh, Ethiopia’s Minister and Alternate Permanent Representative to FAO, WFP and IFAD, emphasized opportunities to strengthen connections between locally adapted durum varieties and the country’s pasta and food-processing industries. He called for investment in quality seed, agronomic support and stronger links between smallholder farmers and processors to improve domestic supply and reduce reliance on imports.
These perspectives reinforce the initiative’s central proposition: securing the future of durum wheat requires coordinated action across agricultural research, farming, industry and public policy.
Investing today to secure tomorrow’s food supplies
Save the Pasta! draws on more than five decades of international durum wheat research and cooperation. It will prioritize vulnerable production systems, particularly across the Mediterranean Basin and other durum-producing regions, strengthening the shared scientific capabilities that underpin national breeding programs and help innovations reach farmers.
Governments, private-sector organizations, research institutions and development partners can support the initiative as a whole or invest in individual components aligned with their priorities.
CIMMYT will work with national stakeholders to develop tailored country and regional investment packages with defined objectives, delivery milestones and costed implementation plans.
Building on the commitment already demonstrated by farmers in Sonora, the Save the Pasta! initiative offers an opportunity for countries and industries that depend on durum wheat to share responsibility for safeguarding its future.
For Partnership and investment inquiries:
Karim Ammar
Principal Scientist and Durum Wheat Lead, CIMMYT
[email protected]
Melinda Limlengco
Resource Specialist, CIMMYT
[email protected]