News Overview

The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT is partnering with micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) across Kenya to improve access to safe, nutritious, and affordable food through innovations in markets, processing and waste management, fostering healthier urban diets. The 2025 World Food Day theme – “Hand in Hand for Better Food and a Better Future” – resonates strongly

by  Afrin Zainab Bi 1, Samira Choudhury 2, A.N.M. Faijul Kabir 2, and Prakashan Chellattan Veettil 1 The Challenge of Low Dietary Diversity in Rural South Asia Malnutrition, in its various forms including undernutrition, overnutrition, and micronutrient deficiencies is a significant challenge in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), despite significant advancement in food production and supply. Poor quality diets contribute

By Katrina Kosec October 14, 2025 The International Day of Rural Women (October 15) highlights the essential roles that rural women play in sustaining households, managing natural resources, and contributing to rural economies. Yet even as they participate extensively in agriculture and local organizations, women’s ability to influence the policies and institutions that shape their lives often remains limited. To design more equitable

By Danica Louise C. Sembrano  In Nepal, where agriculture supports more than half of the population, having sustainable access to quality and well-adapted seeds before the cropping season begins can make a difference. Research shows that quality seeds alone can lead to a 20-30% increase in yields (Devkota and Shrestha, 2020). Yet for maize and wheat farming households in the

From September 29 to October 3, the Bioversity International-CIAT Alliance campus hosted the Korea-Latin America Food and Agriculture Cooperation Initiative (KoLFACI), a multilateral initiative that promotes innovation and technological collaboration between Korea, Latin America, and the Caribbean. KoLFACI’s mission is to transfer advanced agricultural technology from CIAT (Palmira) to Latin American countries, with financial support from the Korean government, promoting

A platform for drought preparedness  View original article .wysiwyg a::after {margin-left: 10px;top: -1px;}

Africa’s agrifood systems emit nearly 2.9 billion tons of CO₂ equivalent every year—more than a quarter of global agricultural emissions. An international study compares Africa’s trajectory with China’s and proposes concrete solutions—from water management in rice paddies to modernizing logistics chains—to produce more food without damaging the climate. These analyses were conducted by researchers Xia Li, Yumei Zhang, Shenggen

IBADAN, NIGERIA — A devastating virus is crippling banana production in Nigeria, and a new study reveals that gender inequality is one of the key drivers of its spread, leaving female farmers with disproportionately catastrophic losses. Researchers from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) presented these findings at the 14th Gender and Plant Health Webinar of the CGIAR Sustainable Farming Program on September 23,