This report reviews trends and availability of sex-disaggregated data on various aspects of gender and CSA, including agricultural innovation, decision-making, time use and access to resources. It uses data collected by the CGIAR and other organizations to analyse gender trends at global, regional and national levels.

This summary presentation gives context on the current state of CSA in Africa, providing relevant cases and highlighting key action areas for transitioning toward climate-resilient, inclusive and productive agricultural systems.

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.

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.

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.