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.

Soil health is the inherent ability of soil to function for agroecosystems productivity and environmental sustainability. With the limitations of nutrients, degradation, water conservation, extreme conditions due to climate change and mounting pressure to produce food, soil health is critical for human existence and thus gaining global debates. Developing and implementing the strategies and action plans to ensure soil health and fertility is also the strategic priority by framework for action biodiversity for food and agriculture.

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.

This research note explains the results of social experiment designed with three primary objectives. These include (1) to mitigate the digital divide concerning the accessibility of forecasted weather information and crop advisories for women farmers in Bangladesh and (2) to assess the potential impact of a digital climate advisory tool on the agricultural practices of women farmers.

The granular gender and climate change vulnerability hotspot mapping for decision support study in Uganda reveals sub-national level gendered climate vulnerabilities that require policy intervention to build community resilience to the impacts of climate change in the three sectors of agriculture, water and energy.

Nature positive agriculture initiative offers sustainable food production system that meet the demands of growing population as well as facilitating the necessity of environmental restoration, biodiversity conservation thereby improving soil, land and water by scientifically supported solutions. Nature positive implement and equitably support food and livelihoods on the ground through a transformative change, initiating at farm and community-level, mainstreaming the research pathways and solutions in the smallholder agricultural systems.

Cocoa production is a major export crop in West African countries such as Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, and Nigeria. These countries collectively contribute to 70% of global cocoa production. Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia, and Togo are leading economies and significant hubs for cocoa production. Cocoa cultivation in West Africa primarily relies on rainfall, with approximately six million hectares of land dedicated to cocoa production.

South Asia’s rice-wheat system is a regionally unique and crucially important cropping system contributing to staple food production. Over a 16-year period, a comprehensive experimental study on the rice-wheat cropping system indicated that, while wheat yields demonstrated a gradual increase over time, rice yields largely reached a stable level across various management approaches.

The increasing population and changes in the climate in Africa demand a more sustainable approach to water usage for improved food and water security in the region. One of the key users of water, agriculture serves as the primary livelihood in Ghana, with a growing focus on cocoa production. To effectively implement sustainable water management strategies, it becomes imperative to conduct hydrological studies, including water balance components and water quality at sub-national and watershed scales. This would assist decision-makers in the proper planning and interventions for agriculture.