Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is a staple and nutritious leguminous food crop for all income categories in Africa. Efforts to improve its yield performance and nutritional components, especially Iron and zinc have resulted in the release of several varieties in the sub-Saharan African region. The objective of this study was to assess genetic progress in varieties released in 12 African countries through the Pan African Bean Research Alliance (PABRA) from 1973 to 2017, to inform current breeding decisions.

In arid and semi-arid areas, a shortage of soil moisture limits rainfed crop growth and consequently reduces crop yield. By adding a small amount of water, supplemental irrigation can boost crop yields dramatically. The objective of this study was to identify suitable land for supplemental irrigation in a moisture deficit area in the semi-arid Ethiopian highlands using GIS-based multi-criteria evaluation. Land suitability and water availability factors were used for the analysis.

The communication strategy aims to engage stakeholders by showcasing the results and achievements made in the AgriLAC Resiliente regional initiative and, in particular, on advances related to the establishment of the Innovahubs across the region. This report details the overall strategy and includes an overview of all the communication and outreach materials developed over 2023.

Qingshan Village is located in the northeast of Huanghu Town, Yuhang District, in Hangzhou City, Zhejiang province, China. Coordinated through its Living Labs for People, in collaboration with China Academy of Rural Development of Zhejiang University, School of Economics of Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, and Government of Yuhang District, the CGIAR Research Initiative on Low-Emission Food Systems (Mitigate+) started developing a research-for-impact partnership with the Qingshan Village in 2023.

The year 2023 marked another significant milestone in the ongoing effort of the Resilient AgriLAC initiative to establish and strengthen the Innovahubs in Central America. Following the exercises held in 2022 to map and understand the geomorphology and viability of crops in the areas of intervention in Guatemala and Honduras, this year the work intensified with a more thematic characterization of the Innovahubs' zones of influence.

Increasing formal employment for youth and women is a key goal of the Forsa pilot graduation intervention and Egyptian government policy in general. As detailed in Forsa evaluation reports, matching Takaful beneficiaries with jobs in the private sector is a major challenge from the perspective of households. In this policy note, we examine the challenges from the perspective of potential employers. We review literature of the market failures that may contribute to difficulties with job matching in rural Egypt and present results from a small telephone survey of Forsa employers.

A presentation from a workshop on developing pastoral system resilience indicators, held in Addis Ababa on 14-15th December 2023.

This working paper was developed based on a policy and literature review to take stock of the latest information on forest-food linkages in Kenya. Our review shows Kenya’s forests play important roles in providing food directly to local communities, as well as requisite conditions for sustainable food production systems in the country. Food-forest linkages are widely articulated in different policies issued by the Government of Kenya that draw on the principle of producing food without destroying forests.

This report was developed based on a literature review of existing laws and policies, and reports on forestry stakeholders, forestry-based mitigation options and their linkages to food systems in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. The report shows that despite forests playing a vital role in providing food security, this is often overlooked by policymakers and current national and provincial policies. Only a limited number of studies have explored this linkage across the 13 provinces of the Mekong Delta region.