Rice is not only crucial to the food security of a majority of the world’s population, but it also has an important role in regulating water scarcity and has a huge potential in mitigating the effects of climate change. Despite this, the potential of rice production systems to bring sustainable outcomes is abated by its increasing vulnerability to extreme weather events and high-emission practices.

This report contributes to Output 2.1. Baseline – current conditions of agricultural systems of smallholder farmers in each Agroecological Living Landscape (ALL) and provides context to their current state. Therefore, the document is a Context Assessment report developed and maintained to ensure a thorough understanding of the operational context and the stakeholders and communities. This document is a living document and will continuously evolve. For Zimbabwe, the ALLs are at the district level, with two sub-ALLs at the ward level.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) provides the reference for national greenhouse gas emission (GHG) inventories towards standardized, accurate, measurable, and comparable National Inventory Reports (NIR). For compliance with the 1.5⁰C commitments under the Paris Agreement, most countries have made efforts to improve their inventory methods to tier 2 or 3.

The Accelerating Impact of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) project activities in Kenya are focused on improving the quality of Climate Smart Agricultural (CSA) practices and information services in the Arid and Semi-Arid Land (ASAL) areas of Kenya. The project seeks to increase awareness and uptake of selected climate-smart agricultural (CSA) practices and improve access to Climate Information Services (CIS), especially by women and the youth.

Weather Risk Management Services Pvt Ltd (WRMS) is collaborating with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) as part of the CGIAR Initiative on Climate Resilience (ClimBeR) to develop financial solutions for post-extreme climatic events. The focus is on creating parametric insurance solutions to aid vulnerable populations in managing and mitigating loss and damage caused by natural disasters, with a primary emphasis on floods.

Certification of sustainability standards is an important governance strategy aimed at enhancing the human well-being outcomes of agri-food value chains. While the impacts of certification on well-being are positive for some farmers under certain conditions, they are insignificant or adverse for others. Many barriers can impede positive impacts of certification on well-being. Alternative or complementary strategies such as inclusive business and solidarity economy may challenge these barriers.

The Accelerating Impact of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) project activities in Kenya are focused on improving the quality of Climate Smart Agricultural (CSA) practices and information services in the Arid and Semi-Arid Land (ASAL) areas of Kenya. The project seeks to increase awareness and uptake of selected climate-smart agricultural (CSA) practices and improve access to Climate Information Services (CIS), especially by women and the youth.

Cambodia’s rain-fed and flooded rice fields are important and productive sources of inland fish and other aquatic animals, including frogs and snails. These aquatic resources are important to millions
of Cambodians, particularly those in rural areas. They make important contributions to rural
livelihoods, to food security, climate change, nutrition and income generation. Through their roles
in protecting wild fish during dry periods and providing good habitats for fish to breed, spawn and

In the Colombian Amazon, there has been long-term and sustained loss of primary forest threatening biodiversity and climate change mitigation. Silvopastoral practices that integrate trees into livestock production could help address both local economic and wider environmental challenges. We aimed to assess the effects of silvopastoral practices on invertebrate communities on smallholder farms in Caquetá, Colombia. Using sweep nets and malaise trapping, invertebrate communities were compared between traditional pasture, silvopasture and forest edge habitats.

A baseline survey for Zambia was undertaken November 2022. A total of 705 households were interviewed in this survey from 7th to 19th November, in 8 camps within 5 districts in Southern and Eastern provinces. These sites are earmarked for intervention by the UU initiative. The questionnaire focused on the October 2021-May 2022 rainy season targeting 5 main crops. The baseline report summarizes the main descriptive findings of the analysis of this baseline data.

The Vietnamese Mekong Delta is responsible for half of the country’s rice production. This is possible due to abundant freshwater resources available for agriculture. This report provides a general overview of water resources in the region, presents unique water-related challenges using earth observation data, and description of measures to address them. Structurally, section one provides a general introduction followed by description of surface water resources, its uses and dynamics. Section three contains information on water infrastructure in the region.