News Overview

By Ruth Meinzen-Dick and Bryan Bruns December 11, 2024 Groundwater is a vital common pool resource that supplies nearly half of all water for domestic use, one-quarter of irrigation water, and one-third of industrial water supply globally. Groundwater reserves can buffer against variable rainfall, drought, and mounting climate change impacts. However, many groundwater systems are threatened by problems including depletion, contamination, and waterlogging. Existing institutions

By Emily Myers, Katrina Kosec, Jordan Kyle, Agnes Quisumbing, Teresa Gonzales, Ana Madero, Caitlin Mittrick, and Amica Rapadas December 12, 2024 As the planet warms, climate-driven disasters are becoming more frequent and severe worldwide. These events pose increased risks to vulnerable communities and groups, particularly women and girls, who face disproportionate challenges in their aftermath. Disasters often exacerbate existing gender inequalities—limiting women’s access to food and essential

By James Allen IV December 16, 2024 The annual school and agricultural calendars exercise near-universal influence on life in the developing world, yet until recently there was little research on the interaction between the two. In the United States, it’s a widely held belief that the typical school calendar developed around the already existing farming calendar. While some debate this

By James Allen IV, Daniel Gilligan, Sikandra Kurdi, and Basma Yassa December 18, 2024 In 186 countries worldwide, cash transfer programs are the cornerstone of social protection, outnumbering social security or pension plans. These offer critical financial lifelines to vulnerable households, aiming to alleviate poverty by providing steady cash support. However, these programs can become long-term fiscal burdens for governments due to limited

By Berber Kramer, Carly Trachtman, and Witold Więcek December 19, 2024 Low adoption and usage of new agricultural technologies remain a challenge in many low-income countries. This is why a significant portion of CGIAR’s research portfolio involves testing inventions that help smallholder farmers overcome barriers to adopting such technologies. However, these studies tend to have limited scope, with researchers working on

The problem of food loss and waste (FLW) undermines global food and nutrition security and makes a significant contribution to climate change, primarily through greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Reducing or minimizing FLW requires coordinated action to align stakeholders, promote responsible investments, and incentivize sustainable agricultural practices. This was the theme of an October 22, 2024, World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogue virtual side event organized

By Naureen Karachiwalla, Daniel Gilligan, and Sikandra Kurdi December 26, 2024 In many low- and middle-income countries, social protection programs such as cash transfers are seen as essential tools for alleviating poverty. Egypt’s Takaful program, launched in 2015, is a flagship example, targeting poor households with monthly cash transfers to improve their well-being. While cash transfers are increasingly popular and being scaled

Despite rapidly increasing impacts of climate change, the adoption of irrigation technologies in Uganda remains limited, with no more than 2% of Ugandan farms irrigating any of their plots. To accelerate commercialization of agriculture and enhance the climate resilience of the country’s agri-food systems, the government of Uganda—through the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries, and with assistance from