News Overview

On 27 January 2025 in Cairo, in collaboration with Egypt’s Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and the Innovators Support Fund (ISF) we hosted the Consultation Workshop on the Digitalization of Egypt’s Food Crop Value Chains. As part of the Digitalization of Egypt’s Food Crop Value Chains: Advancing Digital Integration in Egypt’s

For decades, Latur has struggled with erratic rainfall, groundwater depletion, and soil degradation. Smallholder farmers with fragmented landholdings of just 1–2 hectares found it increasingly difficult to sustain productivity. Determined to change the situation, a science-led project launched in 2023 by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), in partnership with the Groundwater Survey and Development Agency

By Abdullah Mamun and Joseph Glauber February 26, 2025 Global agricultural markets have been in a constant state of uproar over the past five years. Trade wars between major trading nations such as China, the United States, and Australia, supply chain disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s war in Ukraine, crisis in the Middle East, and export restrictions in many countries have

Why do some agricultural innovations thrive while others fail to take root? Even though agricultural innovation is crucial for food security and sustainable development, not all technologies succeed equally. Some technologies are not widely adopted by farmers due to various constraints while others may not have the intended effects or may come with undesirable side-effects. Hence, understanding which types of technical

The region of Behara, located in the district of Amboasary Sud, faces considerable challenges due to inconsistent rainfall. The Grand South region of Madagascar, is experiencing one of the worst droughts in the last 40 years, leading to a severe humanitarian crisis. Crop failures have left about 75% of the population of Amboasary Atsimo – a town of almost 50.000 people

Women can reduce post-harvest losses, but are not responsible for all post-harvest processes Post-harvest food losses put food systems at risk, especially in low- and middle-income countries. They limit the availability of food and nutritional diets, while increasing food prices. They also add to the environmental burdens, contributing to climate change. In recent years, several case studies have shown reducing

By Dr. Shalabh Dixit, Xenina Ibabao, Myrtel Valenzuela Aerial view of IRRI’s direct-seeded rice phenotyping facility at its headquarters in Los Baños, Philippines. IRRI has revolutionized rice breeding for direct-seeded rice (DSR) systems by establishing state-of-the-art phenotyping facilities in Kenya, India, and the Philippines. These hubs promote sustainability and climate resilience for smallholder farmers in Asia and Africa while speeding

According to the latest estimates, 45 million children under the age of five suffer from severe malnutrition, leaving lasting impacts on their health. However, school feeding programs offer hope, as existing initiatives show clear benefits for children’s nutrition, while also providing valuable environmental, social, economic and even cultural benefits. Here we take case studies from school meal programs in Rwanda,