This Info Note documents AICCRA engagement and technical assistance to 12 countries in West Africa and the Sahel on how to leverage on existing policies to foster investments for scaling CSA technologies. At least one national policy document on climate change exists in each of the countries. Leveraging on the visions and strategic orientations of these climate policies, relevant CSA technologies and innovations were prioritized. Subsequently, need quantification was made.

In India, the CGIAR Initiative on Nature-Positive Solutions works in remote parts of Western India’s Maharashtra State. NATURE+ and its partners selected several sites (called clusters) for their high potential for implementing nature-positive activities to improve nutrition, climate resilience, food security and to conserve nature. People in these tribal areas also have rich traditional knowledge that is key to natural solutions.

Mango is one of the most important and popular fruit crops in Kenya. It is ranked second after bananas in monetary value (E4C, 2020) and is the third-leading horticultural crop in Kenya, with a total value of 8.6% (HCD, 2020). Since 2010, Kenya has been producing an average of 650,000 metric tons of mangoes annually, which generates an average of USD 84.4 million in gross production value. Recent statistics show that production has increased rapidly since the mid-2000s, growing at a rate of 9.2% per annum, correlating with the increases in mango exports.

This brief reviews recent initiatives to establish community seedbanks in Somaliland, South Sudan and Sudan, located in the Horn of Africa, which have paid special attention to the insecure and instable social, economic and political circumstances that affect seed and food security. Effectively functioning community seedbanks can contribute to seed security, even in a protracted crisis situation, but careful consideration should be given to community seedbank site selection, membership and decision-making, and infrastructure and equipment.

Policymakers in Nigeria and other countries in Africa south of the Sahara (SSA) are relying on agriculture to generate employment for the growing youth population. However, there is concern that youth engagement in agricultural production is declining in favor of other economic activities. “Rural-urban-rural” migra tion occurs mainly during intercrop intervals, as the cyclical nature of crop-related activities prompts African youth to seek more economic stability from nonagricultural employment during the off season (Yeboah and Jayne 2018).

A major challenge in natural resource management in developing countries is to pursue conservation objectives while avoiding negative impacts on local livelihoods. Inland capture fisheries provide opportunities to demonstrate an integration of conservation and livelihood objectives when managed as a social-ecological system. While numerous marine no-take reserves have been found effective for the recovery of fisheries, few well-documented examples exist in the freshwater realm.

CIAT’s financial mandate includes maintaining accountability and transparency in its finances, and to evaluate and communicate direct impact from our work to our donors, partners and the wider research and development community.

Much has been written about energy poverty, but there is relatively limited evidence of what determines the gender gap in energy poverty and how it can be overcome in rural areas. This study used Focus Group Discussions, in-depth interviews with farmers and Key Informant Interviews to analyze gendered information, access, adoption and use of rural energy technologies in the domestic and productive spheres. We find striking differences in how men and women adopt and use energy technologies in both spheres.

Community Forest Management in the Maya Biosphere Reserve (MBR; Petén, Guatemala) has been recognized internationally for yielding forest conservation and socioeconomic benefits. However, the effect of current timber harvesting practices on the genetic diversity of timber species populations has not previously been documented. This study assessed the effects of timber harvesting on the genetic diversity and viability of regeneration of the most commercially important timber species in the MBR: big-leaf mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla King).

The African Union Commission (AUC) launched the inaugural strategic Climate Action Innovation Hub (the Innovation Hub) at the Africa Climate Summit (ACS). The Innovation Hub, hosted at the African Union House between the 4th – 6th September, was a unique event to profile Africa’s young people and women engaged in climate action through innovation.