News Overview

In Senegal, water from the rainy season doesn’t fully disappear—it seeps into the clay-sandy soils of the lowlands in Sédhiou and Tambacounda, creating a hidden reservoir still largely untapped. As part of the AVENIR project, researchers from the Alliance Bioversity International & CIAT—led by Dr. Issa Ouédraogo, with Wilson Nguru, Wuletawu Abera, Christine Chege, Babacar Kane, Katiana Bougouma and Caroline Mwongera—analyzed nine

Photo credit: Investigación para Entorno Alimentario y Comportamiento del Consumidor. CIAT/Juan Pablo Marin García On May 22, 2025, CGIAR celebrates the International Day for Biological Diversity, reaffirming our global commitment to protecting and promoting agrobiodiversity as a foundation for resilient food systems, environmental health, and sustainable development.  The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) issued this year’s theme, “Harmony with nature

Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative (GLI) aims to reverse land degradation, expand green cover and restore biodiversity. Though criticized in favor of a few exotic species (Grevillea robusta, Vachellia deccurens, Pinus patula, and Cupressus lusitanica), our findings suggest that these plantations effectively support the regeneration of native species in GLI sites. This underscores GLI’s potential in biodiversity restoration, climate resilience, environmental

by Christian Dohrmann Plant health is vital for both environmental and human well-being, as plants supply oxygen and food. However, rice crops face increasing threats from climate-induced stressors, pests, and diseases, all of which undermine sustainable agriculture and food security. Rice, a staple for over half the world’s population, is highly sensitive to its environment. Climate change has intensified extreme

In a world increasingly threatened by climate change and biodiversity loss, CGIAR has emerged as a global steward of Genebank system innovation. During the recently held Science and Partnership event in Nairobi, Kenya, CGIAR highlighted over five decades of work conserving agricultural biodiversity.

For the first time ever, the Kapiti Research Station and Wildlife Conservancy hosted the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) board of trustees which convened on 13–15 April 2025 for its 66th meeting during which Professor Martyn Jeggo, who completed his term on the board, handed over the position of board chair to the new appointee Professor Andrew Peters. Outgoing chair Martyn Jeggo has served

By Musa Tukur Yakasai, Bello Yakasai, Yohanna Moses, Bedru Balana, Elizabeth Bryan, Augustine Iraoya, and Claudia Ringler May 12, 2025 Climate change impacts—including increasing temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns, and intensifying extreme weather events—have hit Nigeria hard, reducing agricultural productivity, driving up food prices, and limiting access to nutritious food. Climate-related damage to roads, irrigation, education, and health care infrastructure has also undermined

The Germplasm Health Units are CGIAR’s first line of defence against the cross-border spread of pests and diseases through germplasm. On International Plant Health Day, we highlight their vital work and explore their ambitious plans as part of the 2025-2030 Genebanks Accelerator. Food systems are heavily interconnected. On average, nearly 70% of crops consumed or produced in a country originate