Even though drought tolerant maize (DTM) varieties have proven yield stabilization benefits, the adoptions remains low. In this research, we explore the risk spectrum that male and female smallholder farmers face in agriculture and the gendered barriers and drivers to adoption of drought tolerant maize varieties. The study appraises how communities in four district in Uganda are responding to observed changes and managing agricultural risks.

Land degradation is a critical problem around the world. Intensive rain-fed and irrigated crop and livestock systems have contributed to the degradation of land and natural resources.

The programme “Linking agrobiodiversity value chains, climate adaptation and nutrition: Empowering the poor to manage risk” funded by IFAD and the European Union from 2015 to 2018 aims to strengthen the capacities of farmers to manage risks associated with climate change, poor nutrition status, and economic disempowerment through agrobiodiversity-based solutions. Enhancing productivity and promoting use of nutritious and climate-hardy underutilized species is the core of the initiative, which is focusing on minor millets and native vegetables in Madhya Pradesh.

This working paper was prepared under a development and conservation project – Societal Development and Ecosystems Conservation in Sahelian Wetlands (SAWEL) – focusing on improving food security and nutrition in the Sahel region by helping to safeguard wetlands through ecologically sustainable agricultural water management. SAWEL is supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

The Government of Uganda has implemented programs and policies to improve the agricultural sector’s recent underperformance. Uganda’s two main food security crops, bananas and cassava, have been critically affected by two diseases: Banana Xanthomonas Wilt (BXW) and Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD). The effectiveness of agronomic and cultural practices to control these diseases has been limited, requiring better alternatives. The Ugandan R&D sector in collaboration with international partners have developed genetically engineered innovations that can control both diseases.

Vegetation buffers local diurnal land surface temperatures, however, this effect has found limited applications for remote vegetation characterization. In this work, we parameterize diurnal temperature variations as the thermal decay rate derived by using satellite daytime and nighttime land surface temperatures and modeled using Newton’s law of cooling. The relationship between the thermal decay rate and vegetation depends on many factors including vegetation type, size, water content, location, and local conditions.

To complement an ongoing CCAFS project ‘Enhancing capacities for MRV of sustainable livestock action in East Africa (Kenya and Ethiopia)’, implemented by UNIQUE forestry and land use, ACIAR is supporting CCAFS to implement a Small Research Activity (SRA) entitled ‘Building capacities for an integrated livestock MRV system in Ethiopia’. The objective of the SRA is to support improvements in methods and procedures used to produce and manage the livestock activity data required for measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) of greenhouse gases (GHG) in Ethiopia.

The working paper presents a framework for assessing country-specific needs, opportunities and priorities for improving measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) of livestock greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and emission reductions. The framework consists of 13 guiding questions that are implemented in an eight-step assessment. The steps are:
Phase 1: Clarify the context
Step 1: Assess current and future expected trends in the livestock sector and their GHG emissions implications.
Step 2: Identify policies and measures that are expected to impact GHG emissions.