Climate adaptation & mitigation
Improving small-scale producers’ resilience and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from food systems.
Objectives
Through research and innovation, CGIAR aims to address these challenges and contribute to collective global targets for Climate Adaptation and Mitigation:
- Implement all National Adaptation Plans and Nationally Determined Contributions to the Paris Agreement.
- Equip 500 million small-scale producers to be more resilient to climate shocks, with climate adaptation solutions available through national innovation systems.
- Turn agriculture and forest systems into a net sink for carbon by 2050, with emissions from agriculture decreasing by 1 Gt per year by 2030 and reaching a floor of 5 Gt per year by 2050.
Activities
To contribute to these collective global targets, CGIAR will:
- Provide scientific evidence and climate-smart solutions and unlock innovative finance that feed into local, national, regional, and global processes governing land use, land restoration, forest conservation, and resilience to floods and droughts, contributing to climate action, peace, and security.
- Co-develop production systems and portfolios of practices, adapted to the local needs of small-scale producers to enhance their adaptive capacity while reducing emissions, and provide affordable and accessible climate-informed services, particularly using digital tools.
- Focus on adaptation to a changing climate through adapted breeds and varieties, for example heat tolerant livestock breeds, strains and crosses, drought-tolerant maize, and heat-tolerant beans; and on inclusion of long-term accessions in genebanks to provide solutions for future climates.
Platform
Each CGIAR Impact Area is supported by a dedicated Platform. To enable CGIAR to achieve maximum impact, this Platform:
- Guides and amplifies CGIAR research, ensuring meaningful and lasting contributions to the global targets above.
- Strengthens the performance of gender and social science research within and beyond CGIAR by identifying the highest standards and setting strategic direction.
- Conducts independent research across the CGIAR portfolio, to synthesize evidence and fill gaps.
- Engages a wide range of partners, builds capacity and informs global policy discussions.
To learn more about the work of the Platform, visit the Platform webpage or check out the brochure.
News
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Scaling science in Africa: Alliance launches 2026–2030 strategy with new partners
At the Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF) 2026 in Kigali, the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT launched the African chapter of its...
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From science to scale: What the Alliance brought to the Africa Food Systems Forum
From PABRA's 30-year record to climate finance, school meals, regenerative agriculture and youth-led innovation, the Alliance of Bioversity...
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From dialogue to delivery: What COP17 means for CGIAR's Multifunctional Landscapes science
At UNCCD COP17, CGIAR-led discussions highlighted the need to move beyond commitments toward implementation. This article explores key COP17 outcomes...
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Mechanized Direct Seeded Rice & Fertilizer Deep Placement for Vietnam’s Low-Emission Rice
By integrating precision direct-seeding machinery with supportive national policy and cooperative training, IRRI and Vietnamese partners scaled a...
Publications
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Postharvest grain system in Ecuador and smallscale farmers perceptions of gender roles and postharvest loss
Smallholder farmers in Ecuador are the main producers of staple grains, yet postharvest losses remain one of the major constraints they face. This...
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Livestock and Climate Solutions Hub Annual technical report 2025
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Progress Report Ethiopias Partnership for Accelerating Agricultural Solutions Scaling PAASS
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SW Ethiopia land use management decision tool user manual
This tool supports land use planning and management decisions in Southwest Ethiopia. It allows you to explore key raster indices, generate...