News Overview

ECREA partners in East Africa help convert climate forecasts into farm advisories so farmers can plan better amid weather variability.

Across Sub-Saharan Africa, feed is the single largest cost in fish production, often accounting for up to 70 percent of operating expenses.

In Madagascar today, the stakes for agricultural transformation could not be higher. Agriculture is the primary livelihood for most Malagasy households, employing about 78% of the workforce, with roughly 80% of the population relying on agriculture (FAO/World Bank data). Climate shocks—cyclones, droughts, and increasingly erratic rainfall—regularly disrupt planting seasons and destroy harvests. In many communities, the agricultural calendar that farmers once relied upon has become increasingly unpredictable.

The ECREA project is transforming how climate services operate in East Africa by shifting the system from isolated, technical forecasting to a coordinated public service model where meteorological agencies and agricultural institutions jointly produce and deliver climate information that farmers can understand, trust, and use to improve their seasonal decisions.

The Plateau State Government has taken a strategic step toward vitalizing its agricultural sector with a two-day working visit to IITA–CGIAR on 2–3 March. The seven-member delegation, led by the Technical Adviser to the State Government, Dr Haggai Gutap, explored cutting-edge agricultural innovations to boost productivity across the stat

Agriculture is increasingly recognized as the cornerstone of sustainable development across Africa, where it is significantly reshaping livelihoods, economies, and food systems. Across the continent, governments, development institutions, and research partners are aligning efforts to ensure food and nutritional self-sufficiency, reduce dependence on costly imports, and position African nations more competitively in global trade. What was once a long-term aspiration is now unfolding as a coordinated movement – with key actors drawn from research, academia, and governments, driven by innovation, policy reform, and investment, quietly transforming the lives of millions.

The CGIAR has launched the Policy Innovation hub in Lilongwe, highlighting the pivotal role researchers play in informing policymakers through evidence-based research. The country policy hub is expected to articulate future research needs to support Malawi’s food systems transformation to 2030 and to raise awareness of how existing evidence can inform national decision-making. The launch attracted the attendance of academicians, researchers, communication experts, government officials, and farmers, among other stakeholders.

The Quezon City Vendors Business School Ordinance has been recognized as one of the Official Gold Awardees in the inaugural Gawad Galing Lokal na Batas (GGLB)