News Overview

Community Fish Refuges (CFRs) like Boeng Ream are being integrated into Cambodia’s broader governance architecture for food security, nutrition, and climate resilience.

The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Kenya’s Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, marking a significant step forward in strengthening collaboration to advance sustainable development, climate action, and resilient landscapes across the country.

Across the world’s rangelands, climate change is already reshaping how pastoral systems function. Droughts are becoming more frequent and severe, leading to reduced pasture, declining water availability, and increased livestock losses.

In Djimassar, in Senegal’s Sédhiou region, Fatou Diatta’s story begins in a micro-garden, between rows of carrots and peppers watered by hand. At twenty-eight, a mother of two, she belongs to a generation of rural youth searching for their place between tradition and modernity. Agriculture, long seen as exhausting and unrewarding, has become for her a space of empowerment and leadership. Through the AVENIR project, implemented by MEDA with scientific support from the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT and funded by Global Affairs Canada, Fatou discovered new farming practices, strengthened her skills, and transformed her plot into a local model. Her journey tells more than an individual success story. It reflects a changing perspective on youth, land, and the future of food systems in Senegal.

Between what works in pilot settings and what transforms territories, there is a gap. Scaling helps understand how to adapt, connect, and sustain innovations to bridge it.

The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT have formalized a strategic collaboration with Bayer’s Crop Science division under the Modern Breeding Project to accelerate the development of improved crop varieties, strengthen resilient seed systems, and expand the reach of innovation to smallholder farmers across regions and crops.

Over three days in Nakuru, Nairobi, and Kiambu, partners and funders of the BRAINS project observed how research, markets, and finance are aligning to improve livelihoods, strengthen value chains, and build climate resilience for farmers and enterprises.

When we think about economic crises in developing countries, we tend to picture droughts, floods, or pest outbreaks devastating local agriculture and driving up poverty and undernourishment. While that scenario is accurate for some countries, it tells only part of the story.