Maize remains one of the most important cereal crops grown in small-holder farming systems in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)(Cairns et al., 2013). Its cultivation is generally characterized by limited input use and low yields. The low yields are often associated with low soil fertility, pest, and diseases, weeds, low and inappropriate use of inputs such as fertilizers (Sanchez, 2002).

The Building a Sustainable, Integrated Seed System for Cassava in Nigeria (BASICS) was a five-year
(2016-2020) project, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that worked to strengthen all
components of the cassava seed value chain. The project was led and implemented by the CGIAR
program on Roots, Tubers and Bananas in partnership with International Institute of Tropical
Agriculture (IITA), National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC), National Root Crops Research Institute

This book chapter tackles the management and economics of east coast fever. At about the time of ILRAD's establishment in 1973, a vaccination procedure was being developed at the East African Veterinary Research Organization (EAVRO) at Muguga, Kenya. The infection-and-treatment method (ITM) is an immunization procedure against ECF. It involves inoculation of live sporozoites of T. parva, usually in the form of a semi-purified homogenate of T. parva-infected ticks, combined with simultaneous treatment with a dose of a long-acting formulation of the antibiotic oxytetracycline.

The report gives a summary of a policy workshop that was held in December 2019 to discuss the complex issues related to access to and use of genetic resources for climate change adaptation. In particular, the workshop focussed on policies to support the further use in research and breeding, or possible ‘direct use in cultivation’ of materials that performed well in participatory trials supported by these projects.

In many African countries south of the Sahara, farmers depend on the cultivation of vegetatively propagated crops (VPCs) for both consumption and commercial purposes. Yet yields for these crops remain at low levels due, in part, to seed market imperfections that constrain farmers' access to improved varieties and high-quality planting material.

Genebanks play an essential role in a world where agricultural biodiversity has been lost from farming habitats, malnutrition
persists as global population continues to rise, and farm productivity is vulnerable to climate change. We demonstrate the

This book chapter focuses on zoonoses that are not transmitted primarily through food. Establishing systematic data collection is the first step to manage zoonoses. Management is complicated by heterogeneity: zoonoses may have a significant and debilitating effect on some communities but not on others. Understanding the spatial distribution of the burden of zoonoses is important to better focus control efforts. A significant constraint is the lack of collaboration between medical and veterinary authorities: institutionally speaking, zoonoses typically find themselves homeless and ignored.

Increased adoption of improved agricultural technologies is considered an essential step to address global poverty and hunger, and agronomic trials suggest intensification in developing countries could result in large yield gains. Yet the promise of new technologies does not always carry over from trials to real-life conditions, and diffusion of many technologies remains limited.

Smallholder agriculture in the Global South is characterised by high degree of risk, which disincentivises investment in productivity gains and limits rural development. Index Insurance aims to overcome the limitations of traditional insurance to insurance farmers against exposure to climatic extremes. Based on two study sites in India, Haryana and Odisha, this study

The degradation of tropical pastures sown with introduced grasses (e.g., Urochloa spp.) has
dramatic environmental and economic consequences in Latin America. Nitrogen (N) limitation to
plant growth contributes to pasture degradation. The introduction of legumes in association with
grasses has been proposed as a strategy to improve N supply via symbiotic N2 fixation, but the fixed
N input and N benefits for associated grasses have hardly been determined in farmers’ pastures.

In 2020 the CGIAR CAS Secretariat is conducting independent reviews of the 12 CGIAR Research Programs (CRPs), including this one of RTB. The reviews will provide information on quality of science and effectiveness in each CRP. This review covers the Phase II years of 2017 through 2019, with a view to identifying lessons for future research modalities.

Black soldier fly frass fertilizer (BSFFF) is increasingly gaining momentum worldwide as organic fertilizer. However, research on its performance on crop production remains largely unknown. Here, we evaluate the comparative performance of BSFFF and commercial organic fertilizer (SAFI) on maize (H513) production. Both fertilizers were applied at the rates of 0, 2.5, 5, and 7.5 t ha-1, and 0, 30, 60, and 100 kg nitrogen (N) ha-1. Mineral fertilizer (urea) was also applied at 0, 30, 60 and 100 kg N ha-1 to establish the N fertilizer equivalence (NFE) of the organic fertilizers.