Silage is vital for Kenya’s smallholder dairy farmers, yet poor quality limits productivity. A CGIAR / ILRI demand-driven study in Nandi and Bomet reveals implementation gaps beyond adoption, highlighting farmer-led learning and evidence-based interventions to improve silage quality, yields, and incomes.
Pastoralist communities in Ethiopia are redefining climate resilience through locally developed practices in animal health, grazing, and forage management. Recognizing and amplifying these local knowledge and solutions can help modify approaches towards pastoral resilience.
Banana production on Ukerewe Island collapsed after Banana Bunchy Top Disease infected more than 85% of plants, driven by infected planting material and aphid transmission. A coordinated response led by IITA and national partners combined eradication, fallow periods, and local production of certified BBTV-free planting material using macro-propagation. By 2025, clean plantlets were back in farmers’ fields, restoring yields and establishing a community-owned model for long-term disease control.
Fighting climate change requires a comprehensive strategy that spans energy, transport, and, crucially, food and agriculture. Halting deforestation and adopting sustainable practices in irrigation, biodiversity management, and land use, are imperative. Plant breeding can help.
In northern Kenya, KAZNET - a CGIAR digital platform - is empowering herders to collect, share, and act on real-time data about rangelands, markets, and livestock, blending traditional knowledge with technology for stronger, climate-smart livelihoods.