Deep in the Colombian Amazon, a palm species is part of the solutions for biodiversity conservation, carbon sequestration, and women empowerment—yet it faces growing threats. Its name is Canangucha (Mauritia flexuosa), and it’s also known as moriche, aguaje, or morete, in other parts of the big Amazon biome. Is a palm species native to the Amazon that forms swamp ecosystems
Rwanda’s agriculture sector—responsible for roughly 25 % of national GDP and employing about 65 % of the population—faces mounting climate pressures. Erratic rainfall, soil degradation, and limited financial services threaten the livelihoods of smallholder farmers who make up more than 90 % of the country’s agricultural households. The AgriTech4Rwanda Innovation Challenge was created to help turn those risks into opportunities. View
HarvestPlus recently hosted a learning event at Kamaget Secondary School in Bomet County, Kenya bringing together farmers, government officials, scientists, and development partners to celebrate the achievements of the Nutritious Home-Grown School Meals project in Kenya. H.E. Governor Prof. Hillary Barchok of Bomet County was the guest of honor, joined by HarvestPlus CEO Arun Baral. READ MORE
By Rhowell Tiozon and Glenn Concepcion For the nearly 9,000 years since its domestication, rice has been selectively bred to feed a growing global population, becoming a staple food source that provides essential calories for billions. However, this long history of artificial selection has come at a cost. In prioritizing traits like higher yield and easier processing, humans have inadvertently
The Crop Trust and the Alliance have launched the Power of diversity funding facility in Nigeria, Zambia, and Kenya to boost opportunity crops, improve nutrition, and build climate resilience. The Power of Diversity Funding Facility (PDFF) has been officially launched in Africa, ushering in a bold initiative to conserve, grow, and elevate neglected “opportunity crops” with high promise. With workshops
More than 90 million refugees and forcibly displaced people are currently exposed to high or extremely high levels of climate-related hazards, according to analysis carried out by the CGIAR Research Initiative on Fragility, Conflict, and Migration (FCM). Researchers from the Alliance of Bioversity International & CIAT, as part of the FCM initiative, provided key evidence for underpinning UNHCR’s groundbreaking report on conflict, climate,
PABRA empowered 92 Rwandan schools with 3.15 tons of high-iron bean seeds, combining agriculture, nutrition, and climate-smart training to improve student health, school meals, and community resilience through the Sustainable School Feeding Initiative. What if the key to better school performance, stronger communities, and healthier futures could start with a single bean seed? In Rwanda, that idea is becoming
At the 2025 Africa Food Systems Forum in Senegal, ImpactSF brought together policymakers, fund managers, investors, and development partners to discuss how catalytic capital can empower agricultural entrepreneurs. Speakers and panelists explored ways to mobilize investment, de-risk agricultural finance, and support the next generation of agribusiness leaders. The session highlighted the partnerships behind the Financing for Agri-SMEs in Africa (FASA)