The Sustainable Development Goals – a set of 17 globally agreed-upon targets for the year 2030 – are clearly listed and appear to be easy to subscribe to. However, development planning and the implementation of development projects are never straightforward. Trade-offs between the 17 goals have to be considered. The pursuit of one goal may negatively affect the achievement of another. For
BY HAGAR ELDIDI AND RUTH MEINZEN-DICK The commons (natural resources held and used collectively) support food systems through direct production and provision of water, food, fuel, fodder, pollination, and other key ecosystem services, and are also important sources of resilience for communities. They thus contribute to nature-positive solutions and advance equitable livelihoods. Yet the commons are under pressure from encroachment
The course and effects of COVID-19 have exposed new vulnerabilities in our global food system. The movement restrictions imposed by the pandemic have intensified economic and health challenges among the world’s poorer population, prompting a response from the scientific community, and especially among those researchers with CGIAR and its many partners. In a July 6… The post COVID-19, food systems,
According to the OECD’s recently released 2021 Agricultural Policy Monitoring and Evaluation Report, the governments of at least 54 countries provided transfers to agriculture of around $720 billion per year during 2018-2020. The report notes that “Overall, most current support policies are not serving the wider needs of food systems.” That spending could be redirected to finance food systems transformation—helping
IITA continually partners with government and private organizations, including universities, to advance agricultural activities and promote digitalization in Africa. BOWEN University has been a partner of IITA for many years, especially agricultural and capacity development programs. On a recent visit, Professor Joshua Ogunwole, Vice Chancellor, BOWEN University, accompanied by the University’s principal officers, sought to strengthen existing partnerships and identify new areas of
Welcome to the second 2021 issue of the CGIAR GENDER Platform newsletter. In this issue, we share with you the latest news from the CGIAR GENDER Platform as well as updates on gender research from CGIAR Centers, Research Programs and Platforms. We are making progress on gender equality in food systems, but tough new questions on potential trade-offs and backlashes
The World Food Forum has called for the massive involvement of youth in developing sustainable solutions to the world’s food and hunger problems. The call came during the recent Youth Transformative Challenge webinar. FAO’s Chief Economist and Scientist, Máximo Torero Cullen, told the global audience that youth have a critical role in bringing “out-of-the-box” ideas to create lasting solutions to
Africa is a major producer of several kinds of cereals like sorghum, millet, wheat, maize, and rice, yet there is a wide gap between actual and potential yields for these cereals. Total production is not keeping up with the increase in population, leading to intensifying production with more commercial inputs. However, the environmental concerns from intensified agriculture have led to