Most maize production across the globe is rain-fed, and production is set to be negatively impacted as duration and occurrence of droughts increases due to climate change. Development of water-deficit tolerant maize germplasm has been a major focus for most breeding programmes. Here, we sought to assess the genetic gain for grain yield in two maize populations developed for drought tolerance at CIMMYT by evaluating their cycle progeny through hybrid performance.

This workshop provided a platform for indigenous peoples’ representatives to outline their priority needs to input into Third National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAP, 2023-27) that is led by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry through the Climate Change Directorate. An accelerated programme of the finalisation has targeted the government launch of the NCCAP 2023-2027 at the Africa Climate Summit, in Kenya, in September 2023.

There is ample data and literature that shows how women’s experiences in low-paid, short-term migration vary from those of men, and that experiences are linked to women’s empowerment – captured by the interrelated dimensions of resources, agency, and achievements. While considerable attention is paid to understanding the generalized notion of women’s empowerment, it is also key to distinguish empowerment in specific realms, including economic empowerment, agriculture, health and nutrition, and migration.

Colfer and Prabhu build on concerns highlighted in the Glasgow Leaders Declaration on Forests and Land Use, recognizing the ‘wickedness’ of climate change and other problems bedeviling the Earth and its peoples. This chapter, in response, argues for the use of collaborative, bottom-up approaches where learning and adaptation are central features. These authors build on the longitudinal experience – some of two decades or more – of multiple teams of researchers who have worked at the community level using the ACM approach and highlighting their many enduring accomplishments.

Labor migration is a complex phenomenon, yet while much attention has been paid to understanding the drivers of migration, there is a huge knowledge and policy gap regarding the effects of migration on people and communities left behind. We sought to explore the impacts of rural outmigration on migrant-sending communities in Ethiopia. This remains an understudied topic when it comes to research on migration in Ethiopia. Our investigation is based on a critical review of the migration literature pertaining to Ethiopia and, more broadly.

This open access book compiles a series of chapters written by internationally recognized experts known for their in-depth but critical views on questions of resilience and food security. The book assesses rigorously and critically the contribution of the concept of resilience in advancing our understanding and ability to design and implement development interventions in relation to food security and humanitarian crises.

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) as a staple crop is closely interwoven into the development of modern society. Its influence on culture and economic development is global. Recent instability in wheat markets has demonstrated its importance in guaranteeing food security across national borders. Climate change threatens food security as it interacts with a multitude of factors impacting wheat production. The challenge needs to be addressed with a multidisciplinary perspective delivered across research, private, and government sectors.

Understanding the phenotypic variation and designing a mini-core collection is an efficient method to accelerate the genetic gain of bambara groundnut. A collection of 300 bambara groundnut landraces from 25 different countries of origin sourced from gene banks were used to analyze phenotypic variability among the landraces and develop a mini-core collection for future breeding. The landraces were evaluated in alpha lattice design with two replications for 2 years (2019 and 2020).

Ricinodendron heudelotii (Baill.) Heckel is an important nutraceutical reservoir. Its Sustainable exploitation requires information on its potential distribution in the current context of rapid population growth and climate change threats. This study aimed to map the suitable areas for its domestication and conservation under current and future climate conditions in Benin. Occurrence data were recorded and combined with the environmental layers of two climatic scenarios (optimistic RCP 4.5 and pessimistic RCP 8.5) following the biodiversity modelling approach (biomod2).

Mitigadaptation, tree-based synergy between the global climate change mitigation and adaptation agendas, has been slowly emerging in the 30 years of climate science–policy interaction with its various ups and downs, false starts and ever-increasing urgency of bending the climate curve. The potential contribution of agroforestry to the climate change mitigation and adaptation agenda has been slow to be recognized and effectively supported, as agroforestry existed on farm and in landscapes, but not yet in the world of policy documents, government statistics and sectoral lobby groups.

Unpredictable weather vagaries in the Asian tropics often increase the risk of a series of abiotic stresses in maize-growing areas, hindering the efforts to reach the projected demands. Breeding climate-resilient maize hybrids with a cross-tolerance to drought and waterlogging is necessary yet challenging because of the presence of genotype-by-environment interaction (GEI) and the lack of an efficient multi-trait-based selection technique.

Access to sufficient and clean freshwater is essential for all life. Water is also essential for the functioning of food systems: as a key input into food production, but also in processing and preparation, and as a food itself. Water scarcity and pollution are growing, affecting poorer populations most, and particularly food producers. Malnutrition levels are also on the rise, and this is closely linked to water scarcity. The achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2 and 6 are co-dependent.