News Overview

Can Tho City, Vietnam (April 9, 2025) – The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE) held a conference to review the initial outcomes of the One-Million-Hectare High-Quality and Low-Emission Rice Program (1mHa Program). Early findings indicate lower production costs, higher yields, and increased farmer income, signaling a step forward for sustainable rice farming in the Mekong River Delta (MRD). According

HYDERABAD, India (01 May 2025) – To accelerate the adoption of newly released, high-performing rice varieties in India, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) convened a national-level gathering of the country’s key rice seed system stakeholders at the Seed Accelerator Meet 2025 in Hyderabad. The event aimed to strengthen India’s rice seed delivery ecosystem by enhancing coordination between research institutions

Can Tho, Vietnam (April 8, 2025) — The Mekong River Delta, Vietnam’s leading rice-producing region, generates over 24 million tons of rice straw annually. Despite its potential as a valuable agricultural biomass, about 70% is either burned or returned to the soil, resulting in resource loss and higher greenhouse gas emissions. Such challenges were addressed at a recent forum in

From 4-6 March 2025, evaluation specialists and practitioners from across the globe gathered for 2025 joint evaluation conference: International Development Evaluation Association (IDEAS)/New Development Bank (NDB) Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) Conference, at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome, Italy. Through 36 selected panels and roundtables, nine professional development workshops, and contributions

By Sara Gustafson and Rob Vos May 27, 2025 As the Israel-Hamas conflict rages on in the Gaza Strip, the territory’s entire population of more than 2 million remains under threat of severe food crisis. The latest alert from the IPC Integrated Phase Classification for Acute Food Insecurity reports that one in five people in the Gaza Strip—upwards of 500,000—are on the

Breeding Resources Narrative Report_2022-2024 Editorial, by Sharifah Syed Alwee, CGIAR Senior Director, Breeding Resources Initiative Dear readers, At Breeding Resources, our vision is clear. We support CGIAR breeding modernization by providing high-quality services and cutting-edge tools and technologies to crop breeding programs. Without these, breeding remains a very expensive, time-consuming, and complex science. Operating in silos – where CGIAR Centers

As told by Amare Haileslasie, Principal Researcher What happens when farmers, financiers, innovators, and policymakers are brought together in one room? A recent multi-stakeholder dialogue held in Hawassa, Ethiopia on scaling solar-powered irrigation offered an answer. Anchored in scientific evidence, including findings published in Sustainability, the dialogue explored a critical question: how can access to finance for solar-powered irrigation be

A new three-year project has been launched to reduce mastitis cases in dairy cattle and curb antibiotic use in smallholder dairy farms in Nyeri County, Kenya. Funded by International Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance Solutions, the project is led by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), in collaboration with the Kenya Directorate of Veterinary Services, the Kenya Women Veterinary Association, Strathmore University