Every harvest season in Africa, food is lost or wasted at staggering levels. Nigeria loses 45% of its 3.9 million tons of tomato harvest each year to postharvest losses and supply chain inefficiencies. Kenya loses up to 40% of the food it produces–around 9 million tons worth KES 72 billion (approximately US$578 million)–even as one in four citizens struggles daily to find enough to
A resilient mother-daughter duo transforms a family-run light engineering business through innovation, training, and inclusive entrepreneurship, setting a powerful example of women-led agribusiness in action ByKaniz TamannaandBharathi Parupalli Asma Akter and her daughter, Tasin Fahariya, have emerged as inspiring examples of resilient agriculture-based light engineering (ABLE) entrepreneurs in Bangladesh. Their journey began in the face of tragedy when Asma, at 38, lost her
Sonia Jannat is transforming farming in Bangladesh with innovation, grit, and a drive to empower others ByKaniz TamannaandJoseph Himaloy Mree In the male-dominated realm of agricultural machinery services, Sonia Jannat, a 28-year-old from Jhenaidah, Bangladesh, has inscribed her name as a successful Machinery Solution Provider (MSP). Her determination—and the transformative power of new technologies—has launched her on an extraordinary journey of empowerment and financial
As the world marks the 2025 International day of Rural Women and approaches the International Year of the Woman Farmer, we highlight a new study co-authored by ICARDA’s Senior Gender Scientist Dr. Dina Najjar and Dr. Daniel Amok at the Trent School of the Environment, Trent University, and funded by CGIAR, underscores the urgent need to place women at the heart
For the first time in its history, the International Greenhouse Gas and Animal Agriculture (GGAA) Conference was held on African soil, marking a pivotal moment for the global livestock sector. The 9th edition of the conference, GGAA 2025, took place in Nairobi, Kenya from 5-9 October 2025, ushering in a new era of inclusive, globally representative dialogue on mitigating livestock
When researchers from the gender team at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) met the team working on Maisha Makutano, an edutainment soap opera tackling challenging social themes from financial inclusion to reproductive health, there was plenty to talk about. As the production team was defining the social themes to highlight in the new series, ILRI researchers were trying to
By Libere Nkurunziza, Arlindo Matsinhe, and Myrtel Anne Valenzuela Mozambique’s irrigation systems hold great promise, but much of it remains untapped. Smallholder farmers often operate public irrigation schemes without the knowledge or resources to maintain them. Pumps fall into disrepair, canals become clogged, and rice productivity suffers. Weak administrative structures with limited financial transparency, and gaps in technical training make
By Bushra Humaira Sadaf Arsenic in rice has long been linked to contaminated irrigation water, especially in the dry-season Boro crop. But new research in Bangladesh which covers 943 sites shows that rainfed systems also play a role, and understanding this better can help shape safer, more sustainable rice production. The study recently done by IRRI and Cranfield University looked at three