A blog call on policymakers and research-for-development organizations to take action to mitigate the possible impacts of the current developing El Niño event on small-scale farmers and rural communities and to keep tracking seasonal climate fluctuations. Multiple climate prediction centers have concurred that this El Niño event will reach a “strong” category in the Northern Hemisphere by the winter of 2023-24.

The link between climate change and conflict has been widely studied in the past decade. Despite empirical evidence leading to ambiguous, sometimes contradictory, conclusions, it is generally accepted that climate-related security risks are manifested through a non-linear and complex interplay between climate threats, sources of vulnerability, and drivers of conflict. The effects of this “vicious circle” are underlined by socioeconomic and political factors acting as drivers of insecurity.

Agroecology is a farming approach which embrace a set of ecological principles, practices, and local knowledge generation to boost the resilience and adaptation of sustainable food systems. However, a transition towards agroecology food system is also not an easy task and involves the piloting of a set of very complex practices, tools, arrangements, and policies combined with behavioral changes and sustainable financing business models.

A critical question is whether agroecology can promote climate change mitigation and adaptation outcomes without compromising food security. We assessed the outcomes of smallholder agricultural systems and practices in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) against 35 mitigation, adaptation, and yield indicators by reviewing 50 articles with 77 cases of agroecological treatments relative to a baseline of conventional practices. Crop yields were higher for 63% of cases reporting yields.

Many questions and debates are being undertaken in the literature about the “context-specific transition pathways of agroecological transformations and their related conceptual, political, institutional, social, and other challenges and opportunities. Pilot projects for Agricultural Research for Development (AR4D) are key areas where these questions and related assumptions can be tested, piloted, and reported for better lessons and future conceptualization.

Citizen Science (CS) is increasingly being integrated into advanced scientific approaches to address complex problems and produce real-time evidence-based information for decision-making. The CS approach has also been used as a tool to foster community-based monitoring and learning, particularly on the sustainability of productive landscapes/watersheds.

The International Potato Center (CIP) participated in the 6th Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA) Annual Regional Conference held at Pwani University, Kilifi County from 21st to 23rd June. The conference brought together policy experts, stakeholders, youth, academia, policymakers, researchers, and development partners to discuss policy reforms, sustainable agriculture, infrastructure development, natural resource management, and digital innovation for unlocking the potential of Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs).

The UNDP & Life Peace Institute (LPI) report on mapping climate security adaptations highlights that the link between climate and conflict depends on the interplay of exposure to climate hazards, vulnerability, and coping capacity of states and communities. Therefore, due increasing impacts of Climate Change (CC), it is crucial for the Kenyan governments to identify and mitigate climate security1 risks both at national and county levels. The National Climate Action Plan (NCCAP) outlines the Kenyan government’s strategy on mitigation and adaptation to climate change and its effects.

SAARC Agriculture Centre (SAC) and International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) organized a four-day training program for SAARC member countries representatives on Climate Smart Agriculture in South Asia: Technologies, Policies, and Digital Innovation. 28 senior government officials and high-ranking country representatives from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka participated in this training program. The details of the participants are presented in Annexure 4.

G20 policymakers should strengthen the enabling environment for innovation in agriculture and food systems to unlock public funds to support researchers in developing their innovations. One way to implement this is through increased public funding for innovative agricultural research and development (R&D) efforts such as the Centre of Excellence in Science, Technology, and Innovation (CoE-STI) of the African Union Development Agency – New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD) and CGIAR Accelerate for Impact Platform (A4IP).

Bird- and bat-mediated biocontrol benefits the productivity of tropicalcommodity crops such as cacao, but the ecological interactions drivingthese ecosystem services remain poorly understood. Whereas birds and batsprey on herbivorous arthropods, they may also prey on arthropodmesopredators such as ants, with poorly understood consequences for pestbiocontrol.

On September 21st, 2022, scientists from various African countries specializing in plant breeding for cassava, yam, cowpea, maize, soybean, and plantain were welcomed to the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Ibadan for a three-day training on Gender Responsive Breeding. The primary goal of this training was to highlight the significance of gender and social inclusion in plant breeding research. The training provided an introduction on the definition and the application of gender- and social inclusion concepts to the breeding pipeline's design and implementation.