Focusing on gender, this study describes mixed farming systems using data collected for monitoring, evaluation, learning, and impact assessment (MELIA) from 1268 household heads, 838 spouses, and 2731 plots in Malawi; and 1317 household heads, 1302 spouses, and 4017 plots in Ghana. The study also includes the perception of selected gender norms among household heads and spouses in Ghana.

This learning module shows how gender equity and social inclusion (GESI) considerations can be identified and integrated in programmes and initiatives in the Water-Energy-Food Environment (WEFE) Nexus. Intentionally focusing on gender and social inclusion in designing, implementing and monitoring Water-Energy-Food Environment initiatives is critical to ensure that these initiatives benefit and do not harm women and other marginalised groups and communities.

This brief reviews recent initiatives to establish community seedbanks in Somaliland, South Sudan and Sudan, located in the Horn of Africa, which have paid special attention to the insecure and instable social, economic and political circumstances that affect seed and food security. Effectively functioning community seedbanks can contribute to seed security, even in a protracted crisis situation, but careful consideration should be given to community seedbank site selection, membership and decision-making, and infrastructure and equipment.

Policymakers in Nigeria and other countries in Africa south of the Sahara (SSA) are relying on agriculture to generate employment for the growing youth population. However, there is concern that youth engagement in agricultural production is declining in favor of other economic activities. “Rural-urban-rural” migra tion occurs mainly during intercrop intervals, as the cyclical nature of crop-related activities prompts African youth to seek more economic stability from nonagricultural employment during the off season (Yeboah and Jayne 2018).

A major challenge in natural resource management in developing countries is to pursue conservation objectives while avoiding negative impacts on local livelihoods. Inland capture fisheries provide opportunities to demonstrate an integration of conservation and livelihood objectives when managed as a social-ecological system. While numerous marine no-take reserves have been found effective for the recovery of fisheries, few well-documented examples exist in the freshwater realm.

CIAT’s financial mandate includes maintaining accountability and transparency in its finances, and to evaluate and communicate direct impact from our work to our donors, partners and the wider research and development community.

Much has been written about energy poverty, but there is relatively limited evidence of what determines the gender gap in energy poverty and how it can be overcome in rural areas. This study used Focus Group Discussions, in-depth interviews with farmers and Key Informant Interviews to analyze gendered information, access, adoption and use of rural energy technologies in the domestic and productive spheres. We find striking differences in how men and women adopt and use energy technologies in both spheres.

Sustainable agrifood systems have the potential to significantly impact the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Cameroon. However, there is a gender disparity in the adoption of these technologies due to various sociocultural norms and gender dynamics. In 2020, 351 southern and eastern Cameroonian farming households were surveyed. Gender roles, decision-making, and sustainable agrifood systems were studied using a multistage random sample.

The Zimbabwean economy depends on agriculture, which is at a crossroads with the environment, particularly under conventional agriculture practices. Transitioning to agroecology approaches has been identified as a means to transform food systems and address the challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, environmental degradation, social inequities, and rising demand for food. While policies can support or hinder agroecological transitions, it appears that there is a dearth of knowledge on the extent to which the national policies contribute in Zimbabwe.