In combination with political, cultural, and economic factors, issues related to environmental resources and the management of land have played a crucial role in driving conflict in Mindanao. Climatic stressors and shocks are altering food, land, and water systems, and driving important socioeconomic challenges for food security and the stability of rural livelihoods across the Philippines.

There is increasing recognition of the role of Indigenous and local knowledge systems in sustainable land use and conservation practices. However, the evidence base remains fragmented, while local knowledge remains marginalised in many national biodiversity strategies and development plans. This applies to the Tonga people of Zambia and Zimbabwe.

For over a decade, rural Lao households have been undergoing a transformation from subsistence-oriented production systems to agricultural commercialization, facilitated by a series of Lao government policies opening the economy to international markets coupled with improved connectivity. The extent and depth of this process is accelerating, particularly in upland (non-paddy) farming systems that were formerly part of a swidden landscape.

Enhanced women's empowerment has been linked to improvements in various areas of women's lives, such as in creased access to resources, decision-making power, and a manageable workload. It can also have positive effects on child health out comes, including nutritional status and early childhood development. However, there can also be trade-offs for women, such as their own nutritional outcomes.

In irrigated rice fields, plant-mediated transfer of CH4 from submerged soils to the atmosphere
raise the possibility of genotypic differences in CH4 emissions. Previous research has been
contradictory, and varietal differences in rice CH4 emissions in Latin America have not been
examined. A field experiment in Colombia tested whether irrigated rice emissions might be
reduced using a breeding line, an inbred variety, and two rice hybrids. Data was collected on
CH4 emissions, phenotypic, root, and grain yield parameters. Variations observed in CH4

The energy landscape for irrigation in South Asia, has been rapidly changing with the installation of electric pumps. However, there is limited information on the changing energy irrigation nexus in Bangladesh. Using data from a primary census survey of 60 villages (7,500 households) in Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions in northwest Bangladesh conducted in 2023, this research note provides some preliminary evidence on the patterns of electrification of irrigation in these divisions and the evolving behavior and interaction of electric pump owners vis-à-vis diesel pump owners.

Potato sector has a substantial role in Kenya's agriculture, contributing to food security, nutrition, and the national economy. While underscoring the sector's vast potential, this Technical Brief identifies the existing gap between current yields and achievable targets, highlighting the necessity for strategic improvements in farming practices. It accentuates the transformative impact of digital tools in the agricultural landscape, notably accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and facilitated by the widespread use of mobile technology and internet access in the country.

Over the past seven years (2015-2021), the Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA) and the Institut des Sciences Agronomiques du Burundi (ISABU), supported by the Swiss Agency for Cooperation and Development (SDC) and Global Affairs Canda (GAC), have empowered women to become entrepreneurs in Burundi's bean seed industry. Today, half of Burundi's decentralized bean seed producers are women, resulting in increased food and nutrition security, more bean-based products, and profitable markets for both men and women. Overall, bean production experienced a fivefold increase.

Objectives:

Collaboration with Bangladesh Rice Research Institute to conduct rice-based cropping systems intensification and diversification research.
Scaling of diversified and intensified cropping systems.
Testing climate-smart and resource-conserving rice production technology.

The Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA) through the Improving Bean Productivity and Markets in Africa (IBPMA) Project funded by the Global Affairs Canada engaged on the project to reduce poverty amongst smallholder bean farmers, especially women, by reducing food insecurity, increasing incomes, and strengthening climate-smart agriculture (CSA). This mid-term evaluation report has brought up some key findings about the progress the project made over the four-year implementation period.

Objectives:
To provide the progress and achievement of BARI-IRRI collaborative research and scaling activities from the SI-MFS initiative in 2023.

Agriculture is the main activity employing up to 70% of the working population in Benin. It contributes an average of 32.5% to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 75% to export earnings, and 15% to government revenue (PSRSA, 2016). Benin's agriculture comprises a set of crops, among which vegetable crops constitute one of the strategic sectors and an important agricultural industry that employs thousands of people across urban, peri-urban, and rural areas (ACED, 2020). Vegetable production is crucial to the region's food security and poverty alleviation.