Women farmers in Walana village, Pakistan, are turning farm waste into a valuable resource thanks to a compost-making training organized under the ICARDA–U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Fertilize Right (FR) project. This practical training equipped women with innovative techniques to reduce chemical fertilizing, improve soil health, and create a new source of income. From 3–4 September 2025, in partnership with
At the Transformations Community Navigating Sustainability Transformations Towards Justice and Equity Conference (TC/ESG25) in Johannesburg (19-21 August, 2025) one session confronted a growing problem in sustainability debates and within the CGIAR: the tyranny of the “co’s.” Terms like co-production, co-creation, co-innovate and co-design are now used almost as slogans, repeated in policy papers, funding calls, and project proposals. Yet too
The CGIAR Multifunctional Landscapes (MFL) Science Program signifies an innovative step in global research for sustainable development. MFL envisions vibrant, diverse, and resilient landscapes that are managed holistically to deliver eco-agrifood systems, healthy diets and climate resilience, all while staying within planetary boundaries (CGIAR, 2025–2030 Research Portfolio). This vision takes shape through co-creation, where scientists, farmers, policymakers, civil society, and
By Steven Were Omamo October 2, 2025 This post first appeared on the Africa Food Systems Forum website. Over 60% of Africa’s people are under 25. By 2035, more young Africans will join the workforce each year than in the rest of the world combined, underscoring the urgency of the 2025 African Food Systems Forum (AFS Forum) theme: “Africa’s Youth: Leading Collaboration, Innovation,
The world’s premier institute for dryland agriculture and a globally acclaimed research center, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), has brought its frontier science to Jamaica through a landmark partnership with the CARICOM Private Sector Organisation (CPSO) and SEPROD, the region’s largest food and FMCG distributor. Backed by ICRISAT’s global expertise, the project will fast-track the
Teachers in eastern DRC are being trained to use beans as tools for better nutrition, resilience, and women’s empowerment, bringing nutrition education, demo plots, and community change to schools through the B4WE project. The skies of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have witnessed decades of conflict and hardship that have taken a heavy toll, but amidst such struggles,
In eastern DRC, women are reclaiming land through the B4WE project, using biofortified beans to fight malnutrition, gain economic independence, and foster peace. Farming is now a path to healing, empowerment and lasting community transformation. Once marked by displacement and silence, the fields of Masisi are now alive with purpose. In this post-conflict corner of the eastern Democratic Republic
In Machinga, Malawi, Mphatso Kapito went from a failed poultry start to leading Destiny Lay Farms, thanks to training and a grant from the Business Acceleration for Youth project. Mphatso Kapito still remembers the smell. Dead chickens rotting in makeshift coops, his farming dreams literally rotting in the heat of Machinga. He had lost everything, his savings, his confidence, and