News Overview

A recent study from the International Potato Center explores the impact and outcomes of the Participatory Market Chain Approach (PMCA) in stimulating market innovation and development of diverse value chains around the world. Originally used in the Andes in the 2000s, PMCA triggered innovation processes in Peru that led to impressive product development and market sales for several native potato

Food vs fuel: Ukraine war sharpens debate on use of crops for energy (Financial Times)  Financial Times published an article stating that soaring food prices caused by the war in Ukraine have increased the risk of famine, raising pressure on producers of low-carbon fuels derived from crops and sparking a “food versus biofuel” debate. Before Russia’s invasion, global biofuel production was at a

Global food prices are soaring. Rice could be next (CNBC New)  CNBC News published an article stating that food prices have been on the rise in the past few months. And rice, a staple food in much of Asia, could be next to see higher prices, industry watchers said. The prices of many foods, ranging from wheat and other grains to meat and

Ticks are a major cause of economic losses in the livestock sector in the tropics and sub-tropics. Ticks transmit the pathogens that cause livestock diseases such as East Coast fever, babesiosis and anaplasmosis which are responsible for the deaths of millions of cattle every year. In many African countries, tick control has recently been the responsibility of resource-poor livestock keepers

Livelihood diversification is often touted as an all-encompassing solution to sustainable development. However, despite large-scale promotion and investment in this strategy, evidence of impacts from diversification processes remains scarce. To better guide future policies and interventions, evidence must be gathered and assessed on current livelihood diversification projects and their realized impacts.  Read more.

June 15, 2022, New Delhi, India – Participants at a high-level meeting in New Delhi agreed on strengthened collaboration on research and development and enhanced support to Indian institutions, to respond to escalating threats to food, water, and energy ecosystems. The CGIAR Research Initiative Introduction and Stakeholder Dialogue held on June 14 also saw the inception of a concrete research

Vietnam has undergone a structural transformation of its economy in the past few decades, with agriculture’s share of GDP falling from around 40% in 1990 to 16.3% in 2016. This pattern is consistent with Vietnam’s rise as a middle-income country, with the country’s GDP per capita increasing by a factor of 3.6 in the twenty years between 2002 and 2021.

In the Somali region of Ethiopia, host to several refugee camps, less than 8% of residents report having access to financial systems, according to the most recent Ethiopia Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS) data. Expanding financial access has the potential to reduce poverty and is important to food security—and in refugee hosting areas, improving financial systems can help local markets grow and function