The CGIAR Research Program on Roots, Tubers, and Bananas (RTB) has been one of the leading CGIAR
research programs in designing, developing, and using complexity-sensitive tools and practices that
inform innovation management decisions in CGIAR. In addition to Scaling Readiness1
, which has been
adopted by One CGIAR2
, several CGIAR centers3
, and CGIAR research programs4
, RTB has developed
Scaling Fund5 as an instrument to nurture the innovations that have a significant potential for Scaling.

Agriculture has remained central to the livelihoods of millions of Africans. Yet, far too many agriculture-dependent Africans remain food insecure and malnourished. Agriculture is vulnerable to climate shocks. The number of undernourished people rose from 195 million in 2006 to 256 million in 2018. By the end of 2018, more than 65 million people across 33 African countries faced "crisis" levels of acute food insecurity or worse. The COVID-19 crisis is expected to worsen food insecurity in the region further, making resilience-building an even more urgent task.

Community-based forestry (CBF) has been promoted as a potential win-win solution for improving forest conservation and livelihood outcomes. Incorporating location-specific factors from participants’ perspectives in the design and implementation of CBF has been noted as an important prerequisite for ensuring positive outcomes. This study investigates benefits and challenges of CBF perceived by participating farmers in two Community Forests (HKM – Hutan Kemasyarakatan) in Lampung, Indonesia. Two sites were chosen systematically based on their distinct biophysical characteristics.

Climate change and land use conversion are two major global environmental issues. A claim is made that climate change has brought new challenges for global land use, while land use conversion is hardly realized as a major driver for climate change. Using mapping techniques, this study aims to investigate the relationship between climate change and agricultural land conversion (ALC), by which land is converted from agricultural to other uses (e.g., urban areas, national and natural parks, roads, industrial areas, and afforestation projects).

Yen Bai province inherits representative biophysical, socio-economic, smaller-holder farming characteristics to economic marginalization and climatic risks and impacts to agricultural production and local livelihoods of Vietnam’s northern mountain region (NMR). The CCAFS project deployed to Ma Climate-Smart Village (CSV) in Yen Bai in 2015 with bilateral funding support from two other research projects aimed at setting up a demonstration-for-scaling example of a rural community equipped with capacities for enhanced climate adaptation and resilience.

There is renewed interest in the engagement of smallholder farmers in carbon markets. This follows in the wake of commitments by governments and companies to reduce or avoid the release of greenhouse gases. It is well known that soil can store large amounts of carbon, and soil stewardship offers a means to harness this potential. However, issues around permanence and scaling in smallholder farmer systems must be addressed if progress is to be made in this area.

In most Latin American countries, payment for ecosystem services (PES) can be a useful strategy for restoration and conservation of the environment, increasing productivity and promoting sustainable development in rural areas. Despite these plausible benefits, PES implementation can be challenging due to the contextual framework in which it takes place (e.g. institutional weakness in the implementation and monitoring stages, limited connectivity among stakeholders, low levels of agricultural technification, etc.).

The International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) undertook participatory action research in Myanmar to establish climate-smart villages (CSVs) in four unique agro-ecologies. This research was funded by CGIAR-CCAFS and the International Development Research Center in Canada (IDRC). Sakta Village is one of these four CSVs operated by IIRR and its local partner, Karuna Mission Social Solidarity (KMSS). It is located at Hakha Township in the north-east of Chin State situated 1,800 meters (6,000 feet) above sea level.

The role of gender in institutions and governance affecting rural areas is complex and multifaceted; the tools and methods to analyze and explore their interactions must address this complexity. Researchers, practitioners and policymakers from various disciplinary backgrounds have used a wide range of tools. This paper provides them with guidance on the tools that are available, and points to gaps where methodological development is needed.

Gender mainstreaming is seen, at international level, as critical to achieving national development goals and addressing key global challenges such as climate change and food and nutrition insecurity in the agriculture sector. Our study examined the barriers leading to poor gender mainstreaming and potential solutions in policies applying to gender, agriculture, climate change, food security and nutrition, in both Guatemala and Honduras. We used a case study approach to analyze the barriers to gender integration in these governments’ policies.

To complement an ongoing CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) project ‘Enhancing capacities for MRV of sustainable livestock action in East Africa (Kenya and Ethiopia),’ which is implemented by UNIQUE forestry and land use and CCAFS, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) supported CCAFS to implement a Small Research Activity (SRA) entitled ‘Building capacities for an integrated livestock MRV system in Ethiopia’.