CGIAR’s Research Initiative on Sustainable Animal Productivity (also known as SAPLING – sustainable animal productivity for livelihoods, income, nutrition, and gender inclusion) has adopted an integrated approach to contribute to the transformation of the dairy sector in Nepal to make dairy production with buffaloes more productive, resilient, equitable and sustainable.

Women in agrifood systems in low- and middle-income countries are more likely than men to be adversely affected by climate change. They also have more limited climate-adaptive capacities due to socioeconomic and cultural factors, such as restricted access to resources, information and technology, discriminatory gender norms, and limited decision-making power.

To advance the use of gender-transformative approaches in climate-resilient agriculture (CRA), a review of practical resources that could support researchers and practitioners in applying gender and CRA was undertaken. The review consolidates and assesses diverse, practical resources—including research tools, methods and broader guidance—that aim to address gender inequalities/inequities, climate and agriculture, albeit to varying degrees.

Developed following the Women Empowerment in livestock Index (WELI) and aligned to the Pro-WEAI for value chains by researchers from the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), the WELBI module is a new standardised tool that measures the empowerment of women involved in the livestock-related businesses. This guide offers step-by-step instructions on how to implement the WELBI survey.

Agriculture remains crucial to Ghana’s economy, livelihoods and food security, contributing 20.3% of GDP in 2015. However, climate change creates mounting pressures on agricultural productivity and sustainability nationwide. Ghana has experienced rising temperatures, increased variability in rainfall, and more extreme weather events over the past decades. Climate shocks undermine crop and livestock yields, raise production risks and costs, lower incomes, and exacerbate hunger and poverty levels for smallholder farmers.

Under Sustainable Animal Productivity, one of the CGIAR initiatives, use of improved forages is key towards increased ruminant productivity. Given the diverse ecologies, matching species/cultivars with suitable agroecological zone is better done through multilocational trials. In addition to increasing productivity, forages confer additional co-benefits including ecosystem services e.g. soil erosion control, sequestering carbon and providing business opportunities along the forages and livestock value chains.

The dynamic digitalization of agri-food systems has generated a call for a Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) approach, emphasizing ethical and sustainable technology adoption. Existing RRI frameworks prioritize fair benefits distribution, data privacy, and stakeholder engagement, aiming for transparent governance and proactive risk management. Despite these efforts, challenges persist in responsible digital innovation, including an excessive focus on technology design, inadequate stakeholder engagement, and difficulties in comprehending digital transformation processes.

The Sustainable Intensification of Mixed Farming Systems (SIMFS) is a CGIAR initiative. This initiative ‘aims to provide equitable, transformative pathways for improved livelihoods of actors in mixed farming systems through sustainable intensification within target agroecological and socioeconomic settings. To achieve this, different methodologies, innovations, and practices have been implemented to understand and improve the agroecological/productive conditions to assess a benefit on nutrition, food security and welfare.