The uptake of conservation agriculture and farm mechanization in Southern Africa has been slow and low. As a result, most smallholder farmers continue to grow crops under degraded soils using conventional tools and human powered farm operations. This leads to low productivity.
The Enhancing the Science-Policy-Investment Linkages and Decision Support for Climate-Smart Agriculture Planning learning materials highlights and expands upon key methods, tools, and actions to actively strengthen decision contexts in scaling climate-smart agriculture in Africa.
Achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment in food systems can result in greater food security and better nutrition, as well as more just, resilient and sustainable food systems for all. This chapter uses a scoping review to assess the current evidence on pathways between gender equality, women’s empowerment and food systems.
Livestock are a critically important component of the food system, although the sector needs a profound transformation to ensure that it contributes to a rapid transition towards sustainable food systems.
Anthropogenic activities profoundly impact soil organic carbon (SOC), affecting its contribution to ecosystem services such as climate regulation. Here, we conducted a thorough review of the impacts of land-use change, land management, and climate change on SOC. Using second-order meta-analysis, we synthesized findings from 230 first-order meta-analyses comprising over 25,000 primary studies.
This report is part of a study series offering insights into the potential of Excellence in Agronomy (EiA) Use Cases to adjust the
agronomic solutions offered through the Minimum Viable Products (MVP) to better Reach, Benefit, and Empower women and
youth, and to Transform gender and generational norms. The analysis covers the study area of two Use Cases in Ethiopia: Digital
Inoculation of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] with rhizobia strains is a low-cost investment which can increase yields of smallholder farmers in Mozambique. The performance of four Bradyrhizobium strains was evaluated to identify the best strain to inoculate soybean grown in different agro-ecologies.
This report presents the consolidated outputs of the CGIAR researchers involved in the first cohort of the CGIAR Food Systems Accelerator. The Food Systems Accelerator was established to bolster Ukama Ustawi, a CGIAR initiative focused on transforming agri-food systems in East and Southern Africa (ESA).
CIMMYT, the lead for work package one under the Ukama Ustawi: Diversification in East and Southern Africa (UU), successfully convened a highly engaging, 2-day planning and evaluation meeting at Radisson Blue in Lusaka, Zambia from 21st to 22nd September 2023.
This study reports on the adoption and impacts of CGIAR-related maize varieties in 18 major maize-producing countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) during 1995–2015. Of the 1345 maize varieties released during this timeframe, approximately 60% had a known CGIAR parentage.
The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and partners are working to apply CRISPR technology to achieve a step-change in pearl millet seed product design: altering fatty acid metabolism to achieve the non-rancidity trait to create grain that when milled into flour has extended shelf life.