January 13, 2022
Farmers around the world can follow prescribed agronomic practices to a tee, but when they are up against nature, sometimes they need a step up from technology. The USAID Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Sorghum and Millet, SMIL, has discovered how to help Ethiopian farmers increase sorghum viability and yields.
January 18, 2022
SMIL Assistant Director, Nat Bascom, joined Eric Atkinson, host of K-State Research and Extension's Agriculture Today. Check out his interview.
January 25, 2022
Dr. Tesfaye Mengiste makes the news with both Purdue University and Kansas State University for his latest accomplishments with his SMIL research project. Check out the articles.
February 24, 2022
A research team supported by the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Sorghum and Millet (SMIL) helped rescue the cereal crop sorghum with fifty years of global research and new technology.
March 1, 2022
Dr. Issoufou Kapran was recently appointed as chair of the Board of Directors for the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique du Niger (INRAN). SMIL has enjoyed a collaborative partnership with INRAN for nearly a decade and congratulates Dr. Kapran on this new appointment.
March 8, 2022
International Women’s Day is a day set aside to celebrate the achievements of women all around the world. These can be historical, cultural, political or scientific achievements. The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Sorghum and Millet (SMIL) is working toward a more equitable future for everyone, and women are an integral part of that process.
March 31, 2022
The Sahel region of Africa is one of the harshest cropping environments in the world. Sahelian farmers have limited resources, income and access to inputs such as fertilizer and water. This makes the region ideal to introduce new technology advancements to help smallholder farmers with planting techniques to increase the pearl millet crop yield rate. The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Sorghum and Millet (SMIL) at Kansas State University began a research project in 2013 to do just that. The project, Seed Balls - Enhancing the Yield Effect in Pearl Millet and Sorghum and Disseminating the Technology in West Africa, has developed seed ball technology to increase yield by up to 40%, provide opportunities for entrepreneurs (especially women) and increase income for smallholder farmers.
April 27, 2022
Many West African staple dishes depend on sorghum and millet as crucial ingredients. However, the methods to prepare these dishes are laborious and preparation-heavy. The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Sorghum and Millet (SMIL) at Kansas State University, began a research project in 2013 to develop new products that are ready-to-prepare and fortified, easing the familial burden of meal preparation, which often falls to women.
May 26, 2022
Many West African staple dishes depend on sorghum and millet as crucial ingredients. However, the methods to prepare these dishes are laborious and preparation-heavy. The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Sorghum and Millet (SMIL) at Kansas State University, began a research project in 2013 to develop new products that are ready-to-prepare and fortified, easing the familial burden of meal preparation, which often falls to women.