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Protein quality in grain legumes grown in the lowland humid tropics, with special reference to West Africa
No full textThe grain legumes are important sources of dietary protein in the lowland humid tropics. To attain their yield potential and hence possible protein productivity, legumes grown in the lowland humid tropics (except on newly cleared land) require fertilizer Nand P. Observations in West Africa have indicated that seed yield and protein content have been raised in soybean by added Nand P. Rhizobial inoculation without fertilizer N increased seed protein from 31 to 36%. In terms of protein yield, inoculation is equivalent to 65 kg/ha of fertilizer N when used with 30 kg/ha'starter'N. Cowpea yield respon: ed to added Nand P but seed protein content was unaffected. Seed yield and seed S content of cowpea increased as the level of added soil solution S increased from near zero to about 2 ppm and then tended to remain nearly constant at higher soil S concentrations. Seed protein content was relatively unchanged. Protein content in groundnuts was not influenced by N, P or K fertilizer. The effect of K fertilization on seed yield and protein quality of grain legumes needs further investigation. Micronutrients, particularly B, Mo and Zn, may limit legume yield, but low yielding cultivars and low N PK fertilizer rates have tended to conceal this Iimitation
Climate change and the Kenyan dairy industry
No full textA regional knowledge management workshop for the dairy sector was held on the 14th January 2025 by the Eastern Africa Farmers Federation (EAFF) in Naivasha, Kenya. The session brought together stakeholders to exchange experiences, strengthen farmer organisation networks, and discuss policy priorities. This presentation, delivered by Dr Laura Cramer, begins with an overview of climate change impacts and implications for the dairy industry in East Africa, highlighting adaptation options (e.g. cooling techniques, resilient breeds and water and feed storage techniques) to build resilience. It then focuses on greenhouse gas emissions mitigation in Kenyan dairy systems, outlining key interventions (e.g. improved feeding, reducing milk loss and waste, biogas digesters, energy efficiency) and emphasising the critical role of animal health in reducing emissions
Preferential feeding and damage to cultivars of Nigerian cassava by the variegated grasshopper (Zonocerus variegatus)
No full textLarge populations of Zonocerus variegatus invaded a cassava crop established during the dry season. The resultant damage was severe, certain cultivars being totally destroyed. The grasshoppers exhibited a statistically significant preference for certain cultivars the defoliation of which shifted attacks to less preferred ones. On a particular variety (Isunikankiyan), populations increased and persisted even after defoliation, probably due to acceptability of the bark by the grasshoppe
The state of the agri-, food-, and climate-tech innovation ecosystem in Morocco: Country report
No full textMorocco boasts a rich agricultural heritage, with around 68 percent of its land dedicated to agriculture. The sector contributes around 10.1 percent to the country's GDP, and 35 percent of its population lives in rural areas. In 2008, the agricultural sector underwent a transformation with the launch of the Green Morocco Plan, aimed
at boosting productivity, competitiveness, and resilience to climate change. Building on this foundation, the Generation Green 2020-2030 strategy presents a new vision for further development.
Over the past decade, a local startup ecosystem has evolved in Morocco, with innovation spanning various sectors and a strong focus on digitalization. The objective of this report is to guide Moroccan agricultural research and policy to capitalize on innovation-led growth, emerging from recent reforms for sustainable development in Morocco. It also aims to optimize the scope, guide the direction, and identify the priority areas of Morocco’s call for agri-, food-, and climate-tech innovations.
‘The State of the Agri-, Food-, and Climate-tech Innovation Ecosystem in Morocco’ is part of a broader series of country reports created by CGIAR Accelerate for Impact Platform (A4IP) in collaboration with national and international stakeholders. This series aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the agri-, food-, and climate-
tech ecosystems in emerging markets across the globe. Each report in the series elaborates on key market trends and identifies major players operating within the given country
Women’s economic empowerment and leadership: Examining an intervention for smallholder farmers delivered via farmer producer organizations in Guatemala using qualitative methods
No full textWomen work across multiple nodes in agricultural value chains, though their participation in value chains varies within and across contexts and their contributions are often underrecognized (Malapit et al., 2020; Quisumbing et al., 2021). Addressing issues such as weak economic growth, climate change, and hunger will require strengthening agricultural value chains, though doing so without a gender-sensitive lens may exacerbate existing gender inequalities within them (Rubin & Manfre, 2014). Development practitioners seeking to strengthen agricultural value chains are increasingly interested in programs that use group-based approaches, as they may reach many people efficiently using such a strategy. However, there is not much evidence on how to increase women’s economic opportunities in agricultural value chains and bolster women’s leadership within the context of group-based interventions.
TechnoServe, with funding support from the Walmart Foundation, began implementing the Smallholder Market Access (SMA) program in Guatemala and Nicaragua in 2019. The goal of this program was to work with farmer producer organizations (FPOs) and affiliated smallholder farmers in fresh produce agricultural value chains (AVCs) to increase the productivity, profits, and the market share of FPOs among smallholder farmers. The program also sought to strengthen women’s inclusion in AVCs, leadership, and empowerment by offering both gender-responsive and gender-transformative program components, particularly though agronomy trainings and gender equality trainings for women and men, as well as women’s leadership trainings for women only.
This qualitative study focuses on SMA in Guatemala. We investigated gender dynamics in FPOs, women’s empowerment, women’s leadership, and how SMA may influence these themes. Ultimately, the goal of this study was to gain insights on the strengths of SMA programming with regard to women smallholder farmers’ economic and leadership opportunities, as well as to identify opportunities to strengthen the program. We collected data from in-depth interviews with eight SMA staff, nine FPO lead ers, and 18 FPO members. We also conducted six single-sex focus group discussions with FPO members, which included 15 women and 13 men total. The FPOs sampled did not receive the full SMA treatment prior to data collection; as such, the results presented in this study reflect perceptions of different components of SMA that had been only partially implemented prior to data collection
One-on-one meeting with the winners of the Zambia accelerator program: report
No full textThe AICCRA (Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa) project promotes climate-smart agriculture in Africa by leveraging cutting-edge research from CGIAR, the world’s largest publicly funded research network for food security. The initiative enhances access to climate information services (CIS) and climate-smart agriculture (CSA) technologies to build a resilient agrifood sector. On June 21, 2024, AICCRA Zambia launched the second cohort of its Agribusiness Accelerator Program in Lusaka, Zambia, aimed at supporting SMEs in the agribusiness sector. Following an extensive screening process, three agribusinesses were chosen as winners on January 27, 2025. To further assist these accelerator winners, the CGIAR ILRI Digital Innovation (DI) initiative conducted virtual one-on-one meetings on February 5th & 6th, 2025, offering digital services and innovations tailored to their businesses. By integrating digital solutions, these agribusiness SMEs can scale their impact, enhance profitability, and strengthen their role in food security and climate resilience
Kenya’s County Climate Change Fund enables communities to invest both in climate-change adaptation and peace
No full textKenya’s County Climate Change Fund (CCCF) enables communities to prioritize, design, and secure funding for locally led climate-adaptation projects. It is operationalized by the Adaptation Consortium (ADA). In contributing to the CGIAR Research Initiative on Climate Resilience (ClimBeR), researchers from the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT partnered with ADA to assess how the CCCF can also address climate-related conflicts and promote peace. Based on ClimBeR’s recommendations, ADA is planning to integrate conflict prevention and resolution as an additional goal of the CCCF
Strengthening CIS Capacity: Survey Insights to Inform the Development of AGNES Leadership and Advanced Courses
No full textThis report summarizes the findings of a needs assessment survey conducted in April 2025 to inform the development of Climate Information Services (CIS) learning content. The survey aimed to support the design of two training initiatives: a CIS module for the 7-week online Leadership Course, and a standalone 5-week Advanced CIS Course. A total of 281 professionals from diverse sectors participated in the assessment, offering insights into their familiarity with CIS, challenges in using climate information, and preferred learning topics. Key challenges included technical complexity, limited access to data, and sectoral relevance. Participants expressed strong interest in foundational CIS concepts, interpreting climate information, service design, and policy integration. These findings directly inform the pedagogical approach and thematic content of both the leadership and advanced-level CIS offerings
Conceptual framework of women’s food environments and determinants of food acquisition and dietary intakes in low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review
No full textWomen in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) are disproportionately affected by malnutrition in all its forms. Diets link human health and environmental sustainability; however, existing food environment frameworks rarely consider the unique needs of women that can differ due to sociocultural norms and lower social status, potentially reducing the effectiveness of nutrition initiatives. We conducted a systematic scoping review of peer-reviewed literature published in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French to identify determinants of food acquisition and dietary intake of women in LMICs. By synthesising evidence from 518 studies across 125 countries, we identified 143 eco-social, structural, and individual-level determinants to develop an empirically grounded food environment conceptual framework for women. Women’s agency—encompassing decision making and financial autonomy, bargaining power, control over time, and freedom of movement—emerged as a prominent mediator of food acquisition practices and dietary intakes across diverse regions and the rural–urban continuum. Our findings highlight the importance of addressing legislative, structural, and sociocultural determinants mediating women’s agency, alongside other key external and individual-level food environment determinants influencing procurement and consumption of nutritious diets. This empirically grounded conceptual framework can guide research priorities and analytical approaches and identify intervention points for policies and programmes to optimise women’s nutrition