In Tanzania, nearly half of banana farmers in Kagera have adopted improved varieties introduced through a partnership led by ENABEL and KU Leuven, with CGIAR playing a crucial role in their selection and dissemination, helping secure food and livelihoods for over 125,000 people in the region.
Fighting climate change requires a comprehensive strategy that spans energy, transport, and, crucially, food and agriculture. Halting deforestation and adopting sustainable practices in irrigation, biodiversity management, and land use, are imperative. Plant breeding can help.
IITA–CGIAR in Kenya recently hosted a delegation from Madagascar for a learning visit aimed at deepening collaboration and sharing practical experiences across key areas of crop improvement. The visit brought together partners across the agricultural research ecosystem, with stops at IITA-supported facilities and collaborating institutions.
A meeting was held recently held in Nairobi to advance the design and integration of on-farm verification trials (OFVT) as a core component of breeding pipelines going forward.
Improving crops has never been more relevant but funding is tighter while expectations are rising. How did CGIAR crop improvement Science Program, Breeding for Tomorrow, respond to this reality in 2025?
The Evidence Briefer & Transfer Portal, at proof-of-concept stage, consolidate and synthesize market intelligence evidence into accessible formats such as short briefers at crop and country level using AI and an online evidence submission platform.
Breeding for Tomorrow transdisciplinary teams synthesized learnings from over 130 national stakeholder consultations and defined a Product Design Standard for breeding that follows best practices and is aligned with CGIAR 5 impact areas.