Village irrigation systems (ViSs) are vital in rural livelihood, food, and water security. VISs include small (minor) tanks and diversions (anicuts). The hydrologically linked tanks with natural drainage patterns form cascades, and beyond food and water security, they play a significant role in mitigating flood and drought impacts on communities in river basins. With anthropogenic changes, many cascades are in depilated states now.

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.

System thinking is relevant to solve complex problems and deliver solutions for sustainable intensification of agricultural systems. Successful implementation of System Thinking in Sustainable Intensification of Agricultural Systems has faced conceptual hurdles that hinder its practical application. This methodological note addressed these challenges by emphasizing on the complexity and difficulty in conceptualizing STIBs and considering the absence of standardized approaches. These issues significantly impact the authentic integration of system thinking into agricultural systems.

This paper investigates the determinants that may influence upland rice cultivation in Casamance and eastern Senegal. The main objective is to understand the climatic, pedological and socio-economic factors that explain the motivation of farmers in this southern zone of Senegal to grow upland rice. Various types of data were mobilized to highlight this study.

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.