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Sustainability assessment of vegetable farms in Northern Tanzania: Multi-stakeholder workshop report
No full textAfter conducting fieldwork to assess the sustainability of vegetable agri-food systems in Northern Tanzania between October 2023 and September 2024, we realized the importance of providing feedback on survey results to the stakeholders in the study area and enhancing their awareness and engagement in the FRESH initiative. Therefore, a multi-stakeholder workshop was convened at the New Safari Hotel in Arusha city from 24th to 25th October 2024, followed by a field visit. The participatory workshop was organized to enhance feedback and document the perspective of the farmers and key actors (central and local government actors, private sectors, technicians, and non-governmental organizations) on the sustainability of vegetable production in Arusha and Kilimanjaro regions in Northern Tanzania and propose strategies that could help in improving it. The workshop contributes to the CGIAR’s Strategic Framework, which seeks to support the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular, Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 on zero hunger and SDG 13 climate action, through a transformation to more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agrifood systems through stakeholder engagement in enhancing national climate actions in fruits and vegetable farming systems in Tanzania for better production and nutrition, a better environment, and decent life, leaving no one behind. The workshop was attended by various partners in the agriculture sector across the Northern highland regions, i.e., smallholder vegetable farmers, vegetable traders, ward extension officers, district and regional agricultural officers, regional trade officers, development partners and research institutes, and the FRESH project team from the CIMMYT and the World Vegetable Centre. Following the introduction and the background of the project and feedback on the accomplished surveys in the study area, the stakeholder was involved in the qualitative assessment of the sustainability of farms, i.e., definition, dimensions, characteristics and challenges, and known strategies for a sustainable farming system (ecological, economic, and social sustainability) during the breakout session facilitated by the FRESH team representatives. In the afternoon session, the project team working on package four (post-harvest …) provided feedback and progress of the project activities i.e. previous pilots on low-cost cooling and the use of packaging solutions. The team introduced the pilot experiment for plastic crate packaging technology in the next session, followed by a breakout group session for further discussion. During the second day, the workshop participants were asked to provide the key takeaways from day one, followed by an overview of the second-day sessions. During the first breakout session, the facilitators led the stakeholders in providing a list of earlier trainings received on sustainable vegetable farming systems in the regions. In the next step, the facilitators led the workshop participants in listing important stakeholders for out scaling the plastic crate packaging technologies and identified the opportunities and constraints for scaling the technology. During the afternoon, the workshop concluded with a field visit to vegetable production demonstration plots in the Meru district.18 page
Digital Innovation Initiative: Outcome Case Study Report (2022-2024)
No full textThe CGIAR Digital Innovation Initiative (2022–2024) is a transformative effort to leverage digital technologies in addressing critical challenges in global agrifood systems. By emphasizing inclusivity, sustainability, and scalability, the initiative has made significant strides across five key outcomes: strengthened ecosystems, improved digital skills, equitable resource allocation, gender-responsive services, and robust information systems. This report synthesizes evidence from case studies, documentation reviews, and stakeholder interviews, showcasing innovations such as Digital Twins, AI-powered advisory platforms, and gender-inclusive digital services. Findings demonstrate substantial impacts, such as empowering women and youth through gender-inclusive digital services, improving digital literacy, and enabling equitable resource management in climate vulnerable regions through advanced tools. However, embedding digital innovations effectively and efficiently in land, water, and food systems remains a complex and context-specific challenge. The results highlight the need for ongoing research, testing, and validation to address the particularities of agri-food systems, such as data integration, socio-cultural barriers, and stakeholder diversity. Recommendations emphasize building on existing successes, expanding digital ecosystems, and fostering partnerships to secure long-term impact and sustainability.41 page
CultivateNext: Sowing innovation, harvesting impact
No full textCultivateNext is a Seedstars, TechnoServe and CGIAR-Digital Innovation initiative designed to accelerate agrifoodtech innovations in Latin America, focusing on sustainable practices and technological advancements. The initiative aims to accelerate agrifoodtech innovations in Latin America by addressing key gaps in digital innovation within agriculture. These include providing sufficient funding, technical assistance, and research-based evidence to prevent pitfalls such as widening digital and gender divides, promoting unsustainable agricultural practices at the landscape level, and developing digital solutions without considering the needs and context of end-users. The program will deploy a targeted one-year pilot to support high-potential, early-stage enterprises, culminating in investment for scalable solutions. The pilot will be followed by a four-year program aiming at expanding the initiative globally. Through expert mentoring, rigorous impact measurement and financing opportunities, CultivateNext aims to enhance regional agricultural efficiency and drive significant socio-environmental benefits across three impact areas: poverty reduction, gender equality and climate adaptation.2 page
Assessing the impact of rice-wheat-maize residue decomposition rate and nutrient dynamics of residue and soil using different placement method in the IGP of India
No full textThe rice-wheat cropping system (RWCS) provides the world's population with staple foods, and it is crucial to maintain global food demand and security. Food systems are a complex ecosystem and sustain many feedback mechanisms. Crop residue management is one of those feedback mechanisms that was assessed under conservation agriculture, and a decomposition study was analyzed for the rice-wheat cropping system using rice, wheat, and maize crop residue for decomposition rate and nutrients release under agricultural practices (zero till, raised beds). Different zero tillage techniques in Samastipur demonstrated an accelerated decomposition trend, which was especially noticeable in the straw from wheat and rice. At the same time, permanent bed systems showed a relatively larger residue mass, especially in the case of wheat and maize straw. Permanent bed systems (wheat-maize system), particularly those using wheat straw, held the largest amounts of residue mass when the total residue mass throughout the sites was taken into account. Samastipur showed higher nutrient release for all the rice residue in wheat, rice residue in maize, and wheat residue in rice except maize residue in rice as compared to the Karnal sites. Decomposition kinetics, modeled via a first-order exponential decay function, showed high correlations (R2: 0.941 to 0.996) across treatment methods. The research underscores the significant effect of agroecological factors on residue decomposition and nutrient release, irrespective of residue type, highlighting the importance of tailored residue management practices for enhanced nutrient cycling and sustainability. These findings contribute to the optimization of residue management strategies in RWCS, promoting sustainable agriculture practices in the face of climate change and increasing food security demands
Hydrologic variability governs GHG emissions in rice-based cropping systems of Eastern India
No full textReducing methane (CH 4 ) emissions is increasingly recognized as an urgent greenhouse gas mitigation priority for avoiding ecosystem 'tipping points ' that will accelerate global warming. Agricultural systems, namely ruminant livestock and rice cultivation are dominant sources of CH 4 emissions. Efforts to reduce methane from rice typically focus on water management strategies that implicitly assume that irrigated rice systems are consistently flooded and that farmers exert a high level of control over the field water balance. In India most rice is cultivated during the monsoon season and hydrologic variability is common, particularly in the Eastern Gangetic Plains (EGP) where high but variable rainfall, shallow groundwater, and subtle differences in topography interact to create complex mosaics of field water conditions. Here, we characterize the hydrologic variability of monsoon season rice fields ( n = 207) in the Indian EGP ('Eastern India ') across two contrasting climate years (2021, 2022) and use the D e n itrification D e c omposition (DNDC) model to estimate GHG emissions for the observed hydrologic conditions. Five distinct clusters of field hydrology patterns were evident in each year, but cluster characteristics were not stable across years. In 2021, average GHG emissions (8.14 mt CO 2-eq ha-1 ) were twice as high as in 2022 (3.81 mt CO 2-eq ha-1 ). Importantly, intra-annual variability between fields was also high, underlining the need to characterize representative emission distributions across the landscape and across seasons to appropriately target GHG mitigation strategies and generate accurate baseline values. Simulation results were also analyzed to identify main drivers of emissions, with readily identified factors such as flooding period and hydrologic interactions with crop residues and nitrogen management practices emerging as important. These insights provide a foundation for understanding landscape variability in GHG emissions from rice in Eastern India and suggest priorities for mitigation that honor the hydrologic complexity of the region
Evaluating the Scale-Readiness and Efficiency-gains of Small Farmers Large Field (SFLF) in Potato-based cropping systems: A Case Study from Nalanda, Bihar
No full textThis study evaluates the scale-readiness and efficiency gains of the Small Farmer Large Field (SFLF) model implemented in potato-based cropping systems in Nalanda district, Bihar, during 2022-24. The research, based on focus group discussions (n=23) and key informant interviews (n=61), assessed the model's operational efficiency, implementation effectiveness, and scaling potential. Results indicate yield improvements of 30-35% and input cost reductions of 10-15% among participating farmers. The model achieved an innovation-readiness score of 6 (semi-controlled testing) but a use-score of 1 (single-institution implementation), highlighting reliance on a single organization for implementation. While the program effectively engaged diverse economic groups (57.4% Below Poverty Line participants), it achieved limited success in gender inclusion (3.3% female participation) and market integration (34.4% success in price negotiations). Key challenges included capacity-building limitations (26%) program structure issues (33%), and market access constraints. The study suggests strengthening community leadership, gender-sensitive programming, and market integration to improve sustainability and support successful scaling.18 page
