NATURE+ ENGAGE: Policy and community engagement for nature-positive solutions. Work package highlights 2022-2024

CGIAR’s NATURE+ Initiative’s work package ENGAGE made significant progress in policy and community engagement to promote nature-positive solutions. Operating in five countries—Burkina Faso, Colombia, India, Kenya, and Vietnam— ENGAGE combines research on food systems, gender dynamics, and community governance to support sustainable development and agrobiodiversity conservation.

Among several highlights, a ENGAGE research revealed the hidden social and environmental costs of food in Kenya and Vietnam, highlighting the need for policy interventions. ENGAGE also investigated gender-specific adoption of nature-positive practices across research sites, uncovering barriers and opportunities to empower women in agriculture. Additionally, innovative games-based research in Kenya enabled farmers to explore virtual strategies for land aggregation, building trust and coordination for collective farming.

Looking forward, NATURE+ ENGAGE will scale these successes under CGIAR’s 2025-2030 Research Portfolio, emphasizing inclusive governance and effective policies to foster resilient landscapes, enhance food security, and conserve biodiversity in the face of global challenges.

Please read our ENGAGE work package report here: NATURE+ ENGAGE 2022-2024