Iron and zinc malnutrition is a global humanitarian concern that mostly affects newborns, children, and women in low- and middle-income countries where plant-based diets are regularly consumed. This kind of malnutrition has the potential to result in a number of immediate and long-term implications, including stunted growth, an elevated risk of infectious diseases, and poor development, all of which may ultimately cause children to not develop to the fullest extent possible.

Dairy farming activities play important roles in nutrition and health, livelihoods and employment, and culture, in Kenya and Senegal. Faced with various challenges such as climate change, increased populations, insecurity, and conflicts over (water, land, feed) resources, dairy production systems will have to undergo changes in the future that allow them to adapt.

A blog call on policymakers and research-for-development organizations to take action to mitigate the possible impacts of the current developing El Niño event on small-scale farmers and rural communities and to keep tracking seasonal climate fluctuations. Multiple climate prediction centers have concurred that this El Niño event will reach a “strong” category in the Northern Hemisphere by the winter of 2023-24.

Agroecology is a farming approach which embrace a set of ecological principles, practices, and local knowledge generation to boost the resilience and adaptation of sustainable food systems. However, a transition towards agroecology food system is also not an easy task and involves the piloting of a set of very complex practices, tools, arrangements, and policies combined with behavioral changes and sustainable financing business models.

The document “Technical manual: Rice straw management towards circular economy and low emission in the Mekong Delta” introduces readers to the characteristics of rice straw, the current status of its treatment, and the management process for using rice straw in a circular way to reduce GHG emissions in rice production. This manual will be a handbook for farmers, extension officers, cooperatives, and others who are interested in rice production that is associated with circular greenhouse gas emission reduction.

Food waste (FW) is a key challenge on the sustainable development agenda of countries worldwide. The lack of FW data and insights from its analysis about quantities, causes, and characteristics is a significant obstacle in implementing adequate reduction and prevention interventions for different sectors. The primary purpose of the case studies was to review FW prevention, reduction, and management initiatives. Lessons and best practices that enable and facilitate solutions were identified.

In recent years, northern Zambia has experienced climate change in the form of droughts and heavy rainfall, threatening the production and livelihoods of small-scale fish farmers. To help them anticipate and adapt their farming practices to changing weather patterns, local and international actors have been disseminating climate-smart information (CSI) mainly through physical trainings, radio broadcasts and roadshows.

Climate change and climate shocks are putting the most vulnerable people at risk, as extreme weather events are becoming more and more intense in many regions of the world. Extreme heat, drought, floods and unpredictable farming seasons are harming farmers and their production systems, threatening their livelihoods. In marginalized and vulnerable populations, aquaculture is a key means for sustaining livelihoods because of its contribution to food security and nutrition, but many fish farmers in Zambia endure unfavorable climates for sustainable fish farming.

Livestock production is a major economic activity in Africa, contributing significantly to food security, income generation, and employment. Extensive livestock systems support most of Africa’s livestock population, with 63%, 82%, and 70% of the continent’s cattle, sheep, and goats, respectively, raised in arid and semi-arid areas. Despite having one-third of the world’s
livestock population, the sector faces several challenges, including low productivity, disease, and poor marketing infrastructure, often exacerbated by climate variability and change.

The Gender Equality Initiative (HER+) conducts innovative gender and social science research to develop actionable solutions to enhance climate resilience and the empowerment of women in Africa and Asia. As there is no one-size-fits-all solution to these challenges, HER+ identifies and models diverse scenarios for co-creation of socio-technical innovations. According to Barret et al 2022, co-creation of bundled approaches is essential to enable new technologies and practices to emerge, adapt, and be upscaled within and across diverse contexts.