The milpa system is the basis of traditional agriculture in Mesoamerica. It is based on a polyculture of maize (Zea mays L.), bean (Phaseolus spp.) and squash (Cucurbita spp.) and is associated with a great diversity of crops and wild species. The milpa has great cultural and historical importance but can also be highly productive and provide sufficient and healthy diets for smallholder farmers. The milpa system is practiced less and less however, mainly due to socioeconomic changes, but also due to a lack of agronomic knowledge adapted to current conditions.

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). This program, spanning from 2022 to 2024, aligned scientists with agribusinesses to bring CGIAR innovations to scale in 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 reflective meeting strived to comprehensively review and analyze the outcomes of the previous farming season, acknowledge achievements, and strategically outline a roadmap for the forthcoming agricultural season.

The main objective of this action was to co-identify technological and institutional innovations that can be implemented within the agroecology living landscapes (ALLs) to facilitate the agroecological transition with specific reference to pre-selected value chains. The action also aimed to co-develop the action to be implemented in the ALLs by the farmers. This co-development capacitated all stakeholders and built confidence to use local resources to solve local problems.

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. About 34% (9.5 million ha) of the total maize area in 2015 was cultivated with ’new’ CGIAR-related maize varieties released between 1995 and 2015. In the same year, an additional 13% of the maize area was cultivated with ’old’ CGIAR-related maize varieties released before 1995.

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. Kenya is a country where the regulatory environment permits the introduction of gene-edited seed products when derived from site directed nuclease 1 and 2 derived technologies.

Under the Latin American Regional initiative AgriLAC Resiliente, the establishment of Innovahubs in Guatemala and Honduras has been a pivotal focus. At year end, in each country intensive stakeholders' meetings were organized at the subnational level to foster participatory discussions and delineate key aspects on how to consolidate and mature the Innovahubs and its core activities. Rooted in a hub model approach, the Innovahubs aim to catalyze innovation by facilitating spaces for collaborative learning, adapting to local contexts, and promoting interactive knowledge acquisition.

Sub-Saharan Africa is grappling with surging food demand amid a growing population and challenges of climate change. Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) emerges as a holistic solution, aiming to counter these complexities and enhance livelihoods. However, the evidence remains thin and mixed. We used a meta-analysis with 18 studies to assess the impacts of climate smart agricultural practices on livelihood indicators in sub-Saharan Africa. We find that adoption of climate smart agriculture is positively correlated with crop and household income and food security in sub-Saharan Africa.

The adoption of sustainable agricultural mechanization (SAM) can sustainably increase productivity, and increase ecosystem resilience. Thirty (30) baby trials and One mother trial were established to expand access to smallholder farmers to SAM technologies and generate and share scientific evidence on the performance of SAM technologies, services and information in Ghana. The demonstration trials utilize participatory research and extension approaches by using existing partnerships.