News Overview

By Gabriela Fretes and Jef L. Leroy April 3, 2025 What do children and teens see when they scroll through Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube? Beyond viral videos, livestreams, and influencer content, food and beverage marketing has become increasingly common on social media. Unlike traditional print or television advertisements, digital marketing is highly personalized, allowing brands to create interactive experiences that are especially

On March 7th the World Bank LSMS-ISA, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), Uganda’s National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO), and CGIAR Standing Panel on Impact Assessment (SPIA), launched its third country study report (following Ethiopia and Vietnam INSERT CROSS-LINKS). The report, SPIA Uganda study 2025: Agricultural Diversity Under Stress, features the whole range of agricultural innovations in Uganda. One unique feature is

Over the past four years, the Accelerate for Impact Platform has trained over 300 innovation teams through 19 global innovation challenges, either led or partnered. The 2024 Year in Review put the past 12 months into perspective, showcasing key activities, outcomes, and innovations that tested and scaled new ways to sustainably transform our food systems. The review highlights three In

In a significant step towards improving livestock feed availability and enhancing food security in Sierra Leone, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) presented high-yielding forage seeds and stem cuttings to His Excellency Julius Maada Bio, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone. This presentation, underscores ILRI’s commitment to supporting sustainable livestock systems and year-round feed availability in the country. The

The Accelerating Climate-Smart Horticulture in Ethiopia initiative (ACE) gathered stakeholders to support smallholder farmers facing climate risks. Through collaborative workshops, policymakers, financial institutions, researchers and private sector actors identified key solutions: financial inclusion, gender-responsive approaches, improved irrigation, diversified value chains and climate-informed insurance. Integrating climate data into lending models, ACE promotes innovative partnerships, strengthened market access and inclusive financial strategies.

In October 2024, scientists from the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) facilitated a training workshop in Accra, Ghana on the use of the Interface for Marek’s Disease Economic Impact and Trade-off (i-MaDE-IT) tool, a farm-level decision-support tool for managing Marek’s disease in poultry. The i-MaDE-IT tool was designed to provide extension officers with a platform to support farmers with their

Researchers from the J. Craig Venter Institute, the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) have developed a reverse genetics system for the African swine fever virus. This new system will aid researchers in developing vaccines and in studying the pathogenesis and biology of African swine fever, a highly contagious, deadly viral disease affecting domesticated and wild pigs, especially

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) is pleased to announce that Steven Were Omamo has been appointed IFPRI’s Director for Africa. Dr. Omamo will also continue to serve as IFPRI’s Director of the Development Strategies and Governance Unit (DSG). Based in IFPRI’s Nairobi, Kenya office, Omamo joined IFPRI in October 2024. “We are delighted that Were has been appointed to