News Overview

At the recent GLF Africa: Restoring Africa’s Drylands Conference, thousands of restoration practitioners, scientists, activists, policymakers and others discussed ideas to provide evidence and guidance for restoring the drylands as a precursor to the launch of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021 to 2030). Africa’s drylands, which form almost 50% of the continent, are home to over 525 million

A number of readily-available farming methods could allow Bangladesh’s agriculture sector to decrease its greenhouse gas emissions while increasing productivity, according to a new study by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and partners. The study, published in Science of the Total Environment, measured the country’s emissions due to agriculture, and identified and analyzed potential mitigation measures in

A systematic literature review of studies from 14 low and middle income countries in Asia and Africa has suggested that aspirations of rural poor are strongly associated with agricultural development and can be viable predictors of rural household trajectories. Agriculture continues to play an important role in developing economies, yet with increasing rural-urban migration, ageing farm population and waning interest

Global ecosystem restoration efforts are often measured by billions of trees planted or square kilometers of land restored. But there is a critical void in the agenda: The social and political dimensions that make restoration a success. With the start of the United Nations’ Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, which runs through 2030, a tremendous amount of money and effort will

Plant breeders thought they were on the right track when they released a new hybrid variety of matooke, a variety of plantain which is an important food crop in Uganda. But they missed something … The men and women of the region didn’t like the new release, but for different reasons. Men were concerned about traits, like the taste, that

One of the key requirements for healthy livestock is the availability of a protein diet. However, protein for livestock is often in limited supply, as it is in high demand by humans. Hence, many youth-led livestock enterprises often do not rely on a single means to get protein for their animals. One innovative solution provided by the ENABLE-TAAT program to

Farmers in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, received a boost as the IITA-Abuja team donated 330 kg of improved, disease- and drought-tolerant seedlings to the Federal Capital Territory Authority (FCTA). The Head IITA-Abuja Station, Gbassey Tarawali, presented elite planting materials comprising maize, cowpea, and soybean to the FCTA Management at the ministry’s head office in Abuja. In his address to the Management of FCTA

Malnutrition in young children and pregnant women is known to have adverse consequences on their survival and long-term well-being. It also has far-reaching effects on human capital, economic productivity, and national development; changes in diet can help improve mental health, prevent or control many health problems, including diabetes, obesity, and certain risk factors for cancer and heart diseases. The Federal