News Overview

BAKU, Azerbaijan (21 November 2024) – In the face of mounting challenges from climate change, biodiversity loss, and global food insecurity, experts at COP 29 emphasized the critical need for transforming food systems and how a multisectoral approach to climate action can help countries achieve Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs), and advance the global

by Bushra Humaira Sadaf, Md Abdul Haque, Abu Abdullah Miajy, Sharif Ahmed, Humnath Bhandari This article highlights how homestead agricultural mechanization empowers women in Bangladesh under the MFS project. In northern Bangladesh, where agriculture has long been a way of life, women are emerging as entrepreneurs, transforming their livelihoods and the dynamics of their communities. With support from the CGIAR

13 November 2024 – The ASEAN-CGIAR Innovate for Food and Nutrition Security Regional Program recently visited the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia, contributing efforts to strengthen CGIAR-ASEAN collaboration. During the visit, the program’s delegations met with H.E. Satvinder Singh, Deputy Secretary-General of the ASEAN Economic Community, and Dr. Pham Quang Minh, Assistant Director of the Food, Agriculture and Forestry Division.

The conference emphasized the need to align rice production with the Paris Agreement, UN SDGs, and other pledges, as well as its critical role in sustainable food systems and climate action. The discussions ranged from sustainable practices for smallholder farmers to advancements in MRV systems for tracking and reducing rice emissions. The event explored climate financing and carbon markets to

MANILA, Philippines – November 28, 2024 – The Philippines, one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations, faces increasing threats to its agricultural systems, as extreme weather events and shifting climate patterns continue to intensify. With food security, livelihoods, and economic stability at stake, strengthening agricultural resilience has become a critical priority. In a recent policy discussion, the CGIAR Initiative on

Socio-technical innovation bundles (STIBs) are social, technical, and technological solutions partnered with institutional and policy instruments that recognize and address context-specific challenges. Barrett (2021) explains that “Technological and institutional innovations in agri-food systems (AFS) over the past century have brought dramatic advances in human well-being worldwide.” However, they also recognize that these solutions are severely unsustainable because they damage the

From November 12–14, 2024, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) hosted the CGIAR Breeding and Research Services (BRS) Shared Services Workshop for Asia at its headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines. Organized by the CGIAR Breeding Resources Initiative (BRI) and IRRI Rice Breeding Innovations (RBI) Department through the IRRI Genotyping Services Laboratory (GSL), the workshop brought together experts, stakeholders, and

LOS BANOS, Philippines, October 14-17, 2024 —Plant pathology experts from Asia, Africa, Europe, and America convened at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) headquarters to address the threat of Rice False Smut (RFS) disease. Participants from 30 international organizations expressed their commitment to this cause by joining the newly formed International Rice False Smut Consortium (IRFSC). The event, supported by