CGIAR’s Science Team for the Excellence in Agronomy (EiA) Initiative in Central, West Asia, and North Africa (CWANA) recently held a kickoff meeting to introduce the Initiative to critical stakeholders in the region.
Smallholder farming represents over 80% of the world’s farms, mostly located in the Global South, and supplies 50% of global food. Yet such farmers typically achieve low and variable yields and income, due to a combination of challenges related to climate change, population growth and ill-planned land use. In CWANA, water scarcity, declining soil health, and land degradation are the prime reasons for low yields, resulting in food and nutrition insecurity, inequitable livelihoods and a spiraling soil infertility.