Cassava is a perennial crop that can adapt to periods of drought at different times in a growing season, which permits scheduling planting and harvest to develop production systems supplying roots continuously. However, farmers plant and harvest cassava at the onset of rains which creates glut and results in unattractive root prices.

CONTEXT
Cocoa agroforestry systems differ in the diversity of shade tree species composition. Though cocoa benefits from shade, there is a lack of species-specific information on shade trees that enhance soil fertility and yield.
OBJECTIVE
We examined how soil characteristics and cocoa yield were affected by eight commonly retained forest tree species, compared with unshaded control plots over a 3-year period.
METHODS

Rohu Labeo rohita (Hamilton) is an economically and culturally significant aquaculture
species in Bangladesh. However, until recently, genetically improved rohu strains have not
been available to Bangladeshi farmers. In 2020, a multiplier population comprised of
highly-ranked families from the third selected generation of the WorldFish Rohu Genetic
Improvement Program (the ‘G3 multiplier’) was released to commercial hatcheries as
spawn. This spawn was subsequently developed into broodstock by these hatcheries and

The complexity of agri-food systems demands increasing cross-institutional coordination and collaboration to strengthen science-based decision-making and agricultural planning. Reaching impact at scale requires not only scientific and technical innovations, but a better integration of political, social, economic, health, and environmental considerations through institutional innovations.

This report presents one of three case studies undertaken as part of a broader study to explore and develop models for the emergence of enhanced and resilient seed systems in fragile state contexts. Such contexts provide a particular challenge for seed system development. Existing formal seed sector development models are not viable in fragile states due to a severe lack of capacity, insecurity, and ongoing political and economic instability. The formal seed sector is either weak or non-existent in fragile states, and farmers necessarily rely on the informal seed sector.

Improved food security and nutrition remain a notable global challenge. Yet, food security and nutrition are areas of strategic importance regarding the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. The increasingly weakening global food production systems pose a threat to sustainable improved food security and nutrition. Consequently, a significant population remains chronically hungry and severely malnourished. As a remedy, farm production diversity (FPD) remains a viable pathway through which household nutrition can be improved.

The kick off workshop of the CGIAR Initiative on Sustainable Animal Productivity for Livelihoods, Nutrition and Gender inclusion (SAPLING)—took place on 20-21 April in Son La Province, Vietnam. The workshop was co-hosted by the Sub-department of Animal Health and Livestock Production and Fisheries, Son La Province (Sub-DAH), the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the Alliance for Bioversity International and CIAT (ABC).

Soybean production is limited by poor soil fertility and unstable rainfall due to climate variability in the Nigeria savannas. There is a decline in the amount and duration of rainfall as one moves from the south to north of the savanna zones. The use of adapted soybean varieties and optimum sowing windows are avenues to increase productivity in the face of climate variability. Crop simulation models can be used as tools for the evaluation of alternative management options for a particular location, including fertilizer application rates, plant density, sowing dates and land use.

To improve the quality of data and reporting for the fourth cycle of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Biennial Review (BR),1 the African Union (AU) conducted a critical analysis of the process, data, and reporting associated with the third BR.

While goats are an important pillar of livestock and agriculture sectors in East and Horn of Africa,
little research is being published and access to unpublished data is very difficult. This working
paper attempts to review the male and female reproductive characteristics of goats in 11 countries
of East and Horn of Africa (Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Somalia,
Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda), and to summarize studies that have looked at the improvement

Farmers in developing countries routinely misperceive or misreport input quality for various reasons, which introduces substantial measurement error in farm survey data. In this paper, we motivate and illustrate, both analytically and empirically, the inferential and behavioral implications of misperception and misreporting using a unique crop variety identification data from Nigeria. Using a non-parametric framework for testing the presence of measurement error, we show that crop variety misclassification in our data is mostly driven by misperception.

Providing farmers with essential agricultural information and training in the era of COVID-19 has been a challenge that has prompted a renewed interest in digital extension services. There is a distinct gender gap, however, between men’s and women’s access to, use of, and ability to benefit from information and communication technologies (ICTs).