Improvement of crop varieties can be a powerful strategy for addressing food, nutrition, and climate challenges in the Global South if it is guided by market intelligence. We conducted a systematic literature review of stakeholder preference studies that aim at guiding crop improvement in rice, the Global South's most important staple food. We review behavioral indicators such as purchase intention, willingness to pay, acceptance, probability of adoption, and preference.

Ethiopian agriculture generates about 36% of GDP and 66% of employment. It is deeply affected by climate change, uncertainty, and extremes, all of which significantly reduce GDP. Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) can reduce the risks and impacts of climate change. The CSA concept calls for meeting three key objectives or pillars: i) sustainably increasing food security through productivity increases (productivity, P); ii) building resilience and adapting to climate change (adaptation, A), and iii) reducing greenhouse gas emissions (mitigation, M)

Biofortified beans are being promoted in Burundi to solve malnutrition issues among rural households. The study was conducted in Muyinga and Gasorwe communes, where biofortified bean varieties were disseminated. This study aims to understand gender roles and practices in households and farms and how these roles and practices influence participation and uptake of biofortified beans. Lastly, it looks at the role of extension in increasing the uptake of agricultural technologies like biofortified bean varieties.

“Groundwater is the hidden water resource,” says Dr Andrew Ross, an honorary research fellow at the Australian National University’s Fenner School of Environment and Society. “It accounts for more than 99 percent of liquid freshwater on Earth, half of all drinking water and a quarter of the water used for irrigation, serving 38 percent of the world’s irrigated land.”

Climate change can manifest in various ways, including altered precipitation patterns, increased temperatures, and more frequent extreme weather events. These factors can adversely affect crop yields, jeopardizing food security and the livelihoods of the majority of the population dependent on agriculture. Agriculture in Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) is a major contributor to the national economy and is estimated to contribute about 17% of SADC’s gross domestic product (GDP). Smallholder farmers in Southern Africa contribute up to 90% of food production.

This policy brief examines consequences of the Russia-Ukraine war on India’s agrifood systems, focusing on impacts on staple foods and agricultural inputs, as well as the Government of India’s policy responses to the war. The methodology is based on content analysis of articles, published papers, reports, and official announcements, in addition to analyzing data from a variety of international and Government of India sources. India plays a critical role in global agricultural production.

The link between climate change and conflict has been widely studied in the past decade. Despite empirical evidence leading to ambiguous, sometimes contradictory, conclusions, it is generally accepted that climate-related security risks are manifested through a non-linear and complex interplay between climate threats, sources of vulnerability, and drivers of conflict. The effects of this “vicious circle” are underlined by socioeconomic and political factors acting as drivers of insecurity.

This report presents results from a survey conducted to understand the extent to which HEIs in Zambia have integrated CSA-CIS in the curricula and identify the needs & possible approaches for integrating the CSA and CIS in the HEI programmes. Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) is an approach for transforming and reorienting agricultural systems to support food security under the new realities of climate change.

The impacts of climate change in Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA), are already well known to farmers. Over 2 million people in Kenya face threat of food insecurity due to climate change. Maize production is particularly vulnerable to climate change. It is projected to face not only 15% climate-related declines in yield without adaptation but also challenges from diminished cropland suitability and poor agronomic inputs and management; degraded environmental bases with declining soil fertility and degraded water systems are already apparent.

This policy brief examines the consequences of the Russia-Ukraine war on fertilizer and food commodities in Nigeria and the actions policymakers took in the agriculture sector in response to the war. This brief examines data from publicly available sources and policy responses from government documents and online newspapers. The results show that the Russia-Ukraine war has led to shortages in fertilizer availability, leading to high prices of fertilizer. Likewise, prices of major food commodities, such as maize, rice, wheat and cooking oils, have been on the rise.