News Overview

By Katrina Kosec December 3, 2025 Across fragile and conflict-affected settings (FCAS), mounting evidence shows that gender profoundly shapes both the experience and the trajectory of fragility. Women are more likely to face food insecurity, lose access to income, shoulder unpaid care responsibilities, and encounter elevated risks of violence during shocks—all while being systematically excluded from the decisions that determine

At the 33rd ESAP Annual Conference, ILRI presented a system of community rangeland health workers (CRHWs), offering practical and meaningful solutions for on-the-ground strengthening of pastoralist’s resilience to drought and other crises.

The HEAL project selected twelve Community Rangeland Health Workers (CRHWs) from Somali and Oromia, and trained and integrated them into existing OHUs, in order to provide coordinated services at the community level.

Two pilot District Technical Working Groups (DTWGs) were established to resolve water-related challenges impacting the resources serving districts in Prey Veng Province, addressing competition for water between rice farmers, fishers and other users.

The Government of Senegal and the Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles (ISRA), together with CIMMYT and CGIAR, have inaugurated a new state-of-the-art phytopathology and crop improvement greenhouse at ISRA–CNRA Bambey.

Across Africa, financial institutions are learning that accessing climate finance is not just about securing funds, but readiness, innovation, and inclusion. Through science-based tools and partnerships, the Alliance pf Bioversity and CIAT is helping financial institutions and development actors integrate climate intelligence into real-world decisions that reach farmers and strengthen food systems.

IWMI and CGIAR’s DTA hosted a consultation workshop in Colombo, Sri Lanka, bringing together the AI Champions from 11 CGIAR centers to take the next steps in integrating AI responsibly and effectively across food, land and water systems.

On this UN World Soil Day, we are reminded by Dr Himanshu Pathak, Director General of ICRISAT, that healthy soils are not only the foundation of life in rural drylands, but are equally essential to the health and resilience of our cities.