Today’s agrifood systems no longer simply feed people. They must also provide nutrition, promote livelihoods, protect the environment, and tackle climate change – often all at once. Financing and unlocking innovations are needed to address these challenges together. If our food, land and water systems are ever able to achieve society’s mounting demands, we must ensure our priorities are in
In 1957, Karl Wittfogel hypothesized that the emergence of human civilization is linked partially, but importantly, to the management of water to grow food. In this hypothesis, the development of irrigation infrastructure, and the institutions needed to manage that infrastructure, were critical to the development of complex, organized societies in the Middle East and elsewhere. Today, building large dams, and other
Laos’ upland agriculture system, manifesting in different forms of land contestations among local communities and government agencies. Land conflicts in the upland is not a new phenomenon. Since 1975, the Government of Laos has pursued a resettlement policy of moving upland communities from remote mountainous areas to lowland areas. The policy officially intended to bring villagers closer to public infrastructure
The 2021 World Food Prize Laureate shares her vision for locally-led opportunities for women and children in rural areas, urging the transformation of food systems from “feeding” to “nourishing” nations with small nutritious fish and aquatic foods. Read more
The health impacts of climate change are getting worse, exposing communities around the world to greater risks of food and water insecurity, heatwaves and the spread of infectious diseases, according to a new report by the Lancet Countdown. The Lancet Countdown is an international, multidisciplinary collaboration of leading researchers from 43 academic institutions and United Nations agencies that independently monitors
Building on the July CWANA consultations, CGIAR led by Mr. Aly Abousabaa – Regional Director of Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA) and ICARDA Director General, Martin Kropff – Global Director of the Resilient Agrifood Systems Science Group, and Michel Afram – Board of Trustees Chair for ICARDA and LARI Director General, is now carrying out a series
Around the world, especially in dry areas, agricultural practices are affected by climate change and water availability. The shift in rainfall patterns, growing seasons, and extreme temperatures, sometimes occurring altogether, significantly impacts farming and yield production, with brutal consequences on human health resulting from food insecurity and lower income for rural communities. To strengthen the resilience of farmers affected by climate change, ICARDA studies the patterns and trends of these climatic changes. Recent research
The Acting British High Commissioner, Her Excellency, Ms Gill Atkinson, and her team visited IITA headquarters to familiarize themselves with the Institute’s activities. Hilde Koper, IITA Deputy Director General, Corporate Services, welcomed the team during the 27 August visit and introduced IITA activities, including its hub and youth programs. The group visited the Germplasm Health, Virology and Diagnostics Unit and Genetic Resources Center,