News Overview

Crop insurance can help smallholder farmers in Africa and elsewhere manage climate risk and stabilize livelihoods in the face of droughts and extreme weather. · Although insurance has ​evolved to become more affordable, further innovation is needed to ensure high-quality products that cover farmers’ needs. · Scaling coverage requires better product design, farmer education, and links to credit and inputs and in some cases smart subsidies.

In Uganda’s bean-growing districts, the ECREA project is strengthening climate services by connecting meteorologists, researchers, extension agents and media to deliver localized advisories that help farmers make informed decisions.

This work demonstrates how mechanized rice straw composting and the 4R nutrient management principles can transform agricultural byproducts into high-value assets, significantly boosting farmer incomes while providing safe, organic produce for local school feeding programs in Vietnam.

Driven by passion, Rwandan entrepreneur Emma Uwera has grown her high-iron bean business in Eastern Province and beyond, with Sall Foundation and Global Affairs Canada support, improving farmer access, nutrition, and incomes through better seeds and irrigation.

Cairo, 9 March 2026 – In the presence of H.E. Prof. Alaa Farouk, Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT and the Agricultural Research Centre (ARC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the Ministry’s headquarters in Egypt’s New Administrative Capital in Cairo.

Cairo, 9 March 2026 — The AgriTech4Egypt: Technological Innovation in the Agri-Food Sector in Egypt is a flagship Egypt–Italy initiative designed to accelerate the translation of research products into market-ready agritech solutions across Egypt’s agricultural and food sector.

To mark of International Women’s Day, the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT highlights the work of women crop breeders and agronomists who lead and advance agricultural research and development. Their work is essential to addressing current food security challenges and advancing toward more resilient and sustainable production systems.

Since 2016, Afriseed, led by Grace Mhango in Malawi, has built a regional bean seed system with the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT through PABRA, empowering women and youth farmers while supplying high-quality seed to southern African markets.