News Overview

Insights from a Special Session at the 6th International Agronomy Congress during 24–26 November 2025 in New Delhi, India. The country, India has successfully moved to the status of a surplus food-producing nation, ensuring overall food availability and stability. However, agriculture now faces multiple and interconnected challenges, including climate change, water scarcity, soil degradation, pest pressure, and low farm incomes. To discuss integrated pathways, a Special Session on “Multifunctional Landscapes” was organized during the 6th International Agronomy Congress, focusing on how agriculture can simultaneously support food production, climate resilience, water security, biodiversity, and livelihoods.

The municipality of Cumbal, in southern Colombia, is witnessing a powerful community transformation centered on the safeguarding of native seeds, supported by researchers from the Alliance of Bioversity & CIAT.

ICRISAT, in collaboration with Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) through the All India Coordinated Research Project on Pearl Millet (AICRP) centre at the Rajasthan Agricultural Research Institute (RARI) has developed the multifunctional, world’s first three-way pearl millet hybrid, RHB 273.

In Ghana, the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT is working with national and international partners to build a digital agronomy and soil hub to replace blanket fertilizer advice with data-driven, location-specific recommendations for farmers.

Silage is vital for Kenya’s smallholder dairy farmers, yet poor quality limits productivity. A CGIAR / ILRI demand-driven study in Nandi and Bomet reveals implementation gaps beyond adoption, highlighting farmer-led learning and evidence-based interventions to improve silage quality, yields, and incomes.

Pastoralist communities in Ethiopia are redefining climate resilience through locally developed practices in animal health, grazing, and forage management. Recognizing and amplifying these local knowledge and solutions can help modify approaches towards pastoral resilience.

Banana production on Ukerewe Island collapsed after Banana Bunchy Top Disease infected more than 85% of plants, driven by infected planting material and aphid transmission. A coordinated response led by IITA and national partners combined eradication, fallow periods, and local production of certified BBTV-free planting material using macro-propagation. By 2025, clean plantlets were back in farmers’ fields, restoring yields and establishing a community-owned model for long-term disease control.