The food systems are not only central to our daily lives but also act as a major driver of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; it generates more than a third of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. As the world aims to achieve the goal of holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels, there is a need to identify, prioritize and scale innovations that can contribute to food systems transformation and generate SDG co-benefits.

The AICCRA project, led by IITA recently introduced some climate smart Agricultural Innovations and Climate information services to help improve upon the farming activities and livelihoods of farmers in some selected communities in Ghana. Innovations such as the use of improved seeds, proper soil and nutrient management practices and integration of climatic data into decision making were introduced to farmers in five agro-ecological zones cutting across six regions in Ghana.

Rice yield forecasting is a crucial task for management and planning. A rice yield estimation system (RIICE) was developed based on the crop growth model ORYZA and SAR derived key information such as start of season (SOS) and leaf area growth rate. Results from study sites in Sikasso and Segou regions suggest that incorporating remote sensing data, specifically Synthetic aperture radar (SAR), into a process-based crop model improves the spatial distribution of yield estimates.

Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) has degraded soils, epitomized by decades of loss of valuable topsoil caused by continuous cultivation, monocropping, excessive run-off, and the absence of effective conservation-based farming practices. Conservation Agriculture (CA) offers several opportunities to restore land and arrest soil degradation in smallholder farming systems of SSA. This study assessed labor productivity and farm returns associated with CA in Malawi and Zambia using household survey data collected from 500 and 616 farmers in Zambia and Malawi, respectively.

The guidance note unpacks the key impact of land degradation across Africa's cultivated land and impacts on food production and unpacks linkages and the impact climate change is having on increasing across Africa's agricultural landscapes. Consequently improving soil health is critical and has both adaptation and mitigation co-benefits. The guidance note summarises key practices and approaches like climate-smart agriculture for scaling up health soil practices. It also concludes with key recommendations for scaling up action on soil health across the continent.

There is an urgent need to rethink our global food systems. The world is facing a nutrition crisis, and the way we produce and consume food is altering the equilibrium of our planet, causing environmental damage and biodiversity loss, and climate change which further compromises food security. Children are disproportionately affected, and school meals are being increasingly recognized as a key investment for governments to tackle these challenges. Through national school meals programs, around 418 million children currently receive a meal at school every day.

A detailed guide to the gender smart agriculture framework, including design, implementation, and assessment. A Gender-Smart Agriculture (GSA) approach takes into account women’s priorities and access to technology, resources, and information to facilitate climate resilience through equality and agency.

The Ghana Cluster of the Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) project, led by the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and its partners are working on an Early Warning and Rapid Response System for Pests and Diseases (EWRRS-PD) to enhance communication, data sharing, and preparedness against new risks. Following several preparatory meetings, a workshop was held to validate a partnership agreement between eleven public and private sector institutions whose core mandate relates to the subject.

Growing attention to food environment policies has been observed to address the multiple aspects of malnutrition (Kumar et al. 2023). In India, interventions promoting sustainable agriculture, small-scale farming, and equitable access to markets have been initiated to address the food and nutrition security of economically vulnerable groups. However, transformative interventions require deeper understanding specific contexts and a deep knowledge of the food environment.

This report present progress and achievement of the seed multiplication activities under the Ukama Ustawi (UU) regional initiative in Malawi. International potato Center and its key research partner, Department of Agriculture and Research services (DARS) has been carrying out sweetpotato early generation seed (EGS) multiplication at Bvumbwe research stations.