Finance for climate action can be an important means of bolstering the resilience of communities exposed to climate hazards, addressing developmental challenges, and redistributing wealth toward the Global South. However, investments in contexts where climate and conflict risks overlap must recognize linkages between the two and be careful not to cause or worsen violence. More aspirationally, they should leverage food, land, and water systems to build peace by fostering positive social conditions.

"Key Messages

The fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources is one of the three objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD); while under the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and agriculture (ITPGRFA) Article 9.2b addresses the right to equitably participate in sharing benefits arising from the utilization of PGRFA. Benefits may include monetary and non-monetary benefits, including but not limited to those listed in the Annex of
the Nagoya Protocol.

Do electoral considerations play a role in the targeting of humanitarian transfers? We analyze the targeting of direct cash and food transfers distributed in Malawi in response to an exceptionally poor harvest following a late and erratic rainy season of 2015-16. Combining household survey data on transfers with a remotely sensed measure of drought and with the results of the 2014 and 2019 parliamentary elections, we show that transfers were disproportionately targeted at marginal constituencies.

As the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration begins, there remains insufficient emphasis on the human and social dimensions of restoration. The potential that restoration holds for achieving both ecological and social goals can only be met through a shift toward people-centered restoration strategies. Toward this end, this paper synthesizes critical insights from a special issue on “Restoration for whom, by whom” to propose actionable ways to center humans and social dimensions in ecosystem restoration, with the aim of generating fair and sustainable initiatives.

The Government of India has committed to a national target to increase fish production to 22 million metric

This study assessed the precipitation recycling and moisture sources in the Colombian Pacific region between 1980–2017, based on the monitoring of moisture in the atmosphere through the

Ghana is one of the world’s leading cocoa producers. Between 1994 and 2018, the area under cocoa production has nearly ripled. This has increased income, but it has also imposed costs. As rainforests have been converted into land for cocoa farming, habitat for species has decreased and become increasingly fragmented in one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. Rainforest loss also has huge implications for the ability of land to capture carbon and mitigate climate change globally. Expansion of cocoa farming is expected to aggravate these issues further.

Globally, nearly half of all workers in rural areas work in agriculture (International Labour Organization 2020). Women are heavily involved in agricultural production, but often get assigned different roles and responsibilities compared to men (Doss 2018). In many contexts, women have less decision-making power than men regarding their households’ agricultural production or on how to spend agricultural income (FAO 2011).

Climate change is a growing threat to agricultural production in sub-Saharan Africa, leading to rising poverty and malnutrition. Implementing climate smart agricultural practices at scale will require substantial investments from private and public actors. To understand the impacts of recent investments, challenges and perspectives, this study analyzes agricultural value chain investments in four African countries in the Sahel region: Senegal, Mali, Ethiopia, and Sudan.

Maintaining staple grains throughout the year and managing liquidity are two major challenges that smallholder farmers face at harvest. We implemented a randomized controlled trial in Tanzania that was designed to address these post-harvest constraints. First, we offered treated farmers two hermetic (airtight) storage bags, which helped preserve grain quantity and quality. Second, we offered other treated farmers a loan at harvest, which reduced the liquidity constraints they faced. Repayment was due with interest six months from harvest when maize prices were traditionally higher.