The phenomenon of feral crops, that is, free-living populations that have established outside cultivation, is understudied. Some researchers focus on the negative consequences of domestication, whereas others assert that feral populations may serve as useful pools of genetic diversity for future crop improvement. Although research on feral crops and the process of feralization has advanced rapidly in the last two decades, generalizable insights have been limited by a lack of comparative research across crop species and other factors.

In this document we present a general characterization of the food systems in the department of Caquetá, Colombia, based on a review of the literature, with a particular emphasis on livestock and cocoa.

The AICCRA East and Southern Africa cluster stakeholder consultation meeting was held on September 8th, 2023, at the Eka Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya. The half-day consultation meeting brought together various partners and stakeholders from ESA.
The partner consultation is a critical component of the project development and aimed to:

Where and which countries should receive higher priority for improving inorganic fertilizer use in rice fields in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)? This study addressed this question by assessing the spatial variation in fertilizer use and its association with rice yield and yield gap in 24 SSA countries through a systematic literature review of peer-reviewed papers, theses, and grey literature published between 1995 and 2021.

Climate impacts in Sub-Saharan Africa are severe and will increase. Agriculture is a cornerstone of the economies of most countries and yet is dominated by climate-vulnerable rainfed systems. Meeting the food demands of the growing African population will require significant adjustments in food production systems and unfortunately, current adaptation efforts across the continent are insufficient to meet the climate challenge.

This paper reports on a randomized experiment conducted among Malawian agricultural households to study nonclassical measurement error (NCME) in self-reported plot area, and farmers' responses to new information — the objective plot area measure — subsequently provided to them. Farmers' pre-treatment self-reported plot areas exhibit considerable NCME. Most of the measurement error follows a regression-to-mean pattern with respect to plot area, and another 18 percent arises from asymmetric rounding to half acre increments.

This document summarizes the EAFF report on 'African climate processes, actors and institutions: What this means for farmers.'

Integrated landscape approaches (ILA) aim to reconcile multiple, often competing, interests across agriculture, nature conservation, and other land uses. Recognized ILA design principles provide guidance for implementation, yet application remains challenging, and a strong performance evidence-base is yet to be formed. Through a critical literature review and focus group discussions with practitioners, we identified considerable diversity of ILA in actors, temporal, and spatial scales, inter alia.

Scientists have declared that the earth is now “well outside the safe operating space for humanity” as a result of our destruction of the natural world. A recent report was the first to assess all nine planetary boundaries and found that six have been transgressed.

The first edition of HER Voice, the official newsletter of the CGIAR gender equality research initiative (HER+) highlights the significant strides made by HER+. Our achievements include the development of a gendered social norms index, a pioneering framework for women-led climate-smart socio-technical innovation bundles, a comprehensive review of gendered resilience through social protection design, and the unveiling of the Women’s Empowerment in Agrifood System Governance Assessment Tool (WEAGov).

Sustainable land-use systems (SLUS), such as agroforestry with cocoa, implemented with organic fertiliser, with prescribed post-harvest practices and rainwater irrigation, can potentially increase farm productivity, while reducing pressure on natural resources by decreasing deforestation and providing legitimate incomes for rural households. SLUS also contribute to peacebuilding by providing sustainable income sources and enhancing social cohesion. Despite evidence of their potential and global efforts to promote their use, SLUS adoption rates remain low.