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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Regional Experts Explore Climate-Smart Rice–Potato Production in Vietnam
A regional field exchange at Nam Cuong Cooperative in Vietnam brought together Asian research partners to explore low-emission rice production,...
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How Smart Valleys plans water control with valley users
Smart Valleys combines local knowledge with technical planning to improve water control in West African inland valleys. A new twelve-step framework...
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Delta Talks Explores Care and Resilience in the Mekong Delta
The 19th installment of the Delta Talks explored how approaches to the delta have evolved from colonial and management practices toward caretaking,...
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What do fishing communities need to adapt to climate change? Fishers in Mongla set out their priorities
Fishing communities in Mongla, Bangladesh, are already adapting to intensifying climate risks, from cyclones and flooding to heat and salinity....
Publications
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Perceived need and measured wellbeing How well do subjective rankings capture relative poverty
Subjective well-being rankings are widely used to target social protection programs, yet their ability to capture relative welfare and wealth remains...
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When scale matters Drivers of faunal diversity in cacao production landscapes in the Peruvian Amazon
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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