News Overview

Bundling technical innovations with gender equality is transforming smallholder farming in Kenya’s semi-arid regions, boosting yields by 80% while empowering women farmers. In the drought-prone landscapes of Makueni County, Kenya, farming communities are not just approaching farming with better seeds or climate-smart techniques but also addressing social inequalities alongside agronomic challenges. For decades, agricultural development programs have focused on single-technology

Bridging science, policy, and practice to accelerate climate-resilient solutions in Central Asia By Maha Al-Zu’bi (IWMI & CGIAR Scaling for Impact Program AoW2 Focal Point) How can integrated approaches to water, energy, food, and ecosystems (WEFE) help transform agrifood systems and enhance regional cooperation? This was the central question explored during the regional webinar “Scaling for Impact: Integrating WEFE Nexus

Aflatoxin contamination threatens public health, trade, and food security across Africa. Produced by the fungus Aspergillus flavus, these potent toxins cannot be destroyed by cooking and are linked to liver cancer, immune suppression, stunted growth, and export losses. This article outlines an Integrated Aflatoxin Management (IAM) strategy centered around Aflasafe, a biocontrol agent made from native, non-aflatoxin-producing fungal strains, which reduces

Week 1 of COP30 in Belém, Brazil – set against the backdrop of the Amazon – was eventful and at times fraught. As negotiators grappled with complex issues, CGIAR’s delegation closely followed eight key tracks vital to food systems and climate action. These span from gender equity and adaptation metrics to agricultural transformation and climate finance. Below we summarize the

Rome, 2–4 October 2025 — The Sustainable Beef Investment Roundtable brought together over 50 participants representing investors, producers, researchers, NGOs, and policymakers from across Latin America, Africa, Europe, and Oceania. Convened under the STELARR Project (Sustainable Investments for Large-Scale Rangeland Restoration) funded by the Global Environment Facility, with technical support from the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB) the event marked a turning

Image creditAfrica rice farming by majimazuri21, Pixabay Licence By Jamie Males (republished from the original PLOS Blog article) In this blog post, Leanne Zeppenfeldt, Dhanush Dinesh, Ana Maria Loboguerrero, Jon Hellin, and Phil Thornton discuss the key messages in their new co-authored PLOS Climate Essay, “Towards a green plant nutrition transition in East and Southern Africa”. This Essay was in turn the result of a

For Sintayehu Alemayehu, the challenges of climate change are not abstract statistics; they are the lived realities he witnessed growing up in Ethiopia, where a single drought could unravel entire communities.

COP30 Delegates at the Embrapa/Gates Foundation Innovation Showcase The United Kingdom, Belgium, Denmark, and Canada reaffirm their commitment to sustainable, resilient food systems amid a global agricultural crisis. COP30, Brazil, November: CGIAR is thrilled to receive over USD 142 million in pledges from its generous funders, aimed at advancing agricultural research and innovation for a climate-resilient future. During the Agricultural