Weather and climate information services (WCIS) are recognized as a powerful tool to support the management of climate risk in the context of climate variability. However, the picture of its value for agriculture is not yet well evaluated. This study used the Average Treatment Effect (ATE) framework to assess the impact of WCIS use on yield, income and technical efficiency of

Africa is on the brink of a significant demographic shift, with its population projected to double by 2050. This demographic change poses a tremendous challenge in terms of ensuring food security and sustainability for future generations. The vulnerabilities in Africa's food systems, including climate change, population growth, limited resource access, and inadequate infrastructure, underscore the need for resilient food systems. Resilient food systems are designed to withstand shocks and stresses, ensuring stable food production, distribution, and access.

Climate change is causing serious challenges for smallholder farm households, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. The overarching objectives of this study are as follows: (i) to estimate household resilience and vulnerability indices, (ii) identify factors that explain these indices and (iii) to examine the impact of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) on households’ resilience and vulnerability, and (iv) to identify which CSA package performs better in enhancing resilience and reducing vulnerability.

Adapting food systems to climate change is a global priority, including for the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in East Africa. Food systems are impacted by climate change, and also contribute to climate change. In the East Africa region, climate change (particularly severe drought) is negatively impacting agricultural production (crops and livestock) and disrupting supply chains, putting pressure on livelihoods and threatening to significantly increase hunger and malnutrition. There is therefore a critical need for enhancing climate change adaptation efforts.

Irrigation is an important mechanism to mitigate risks associated with the variability in rainfall for the smallholder subsistence farming system. This study analyzed how practicing small-scale irrigation (SSI) impacts the key livelihood assets on farm households’ human, physical, natural, financial, and social capitals in Ethiopia’s upper Awash sub-basin. The household-level survey data, collected from the 396 sample households, was used to carry out the current study. A Propensity Score Matching (PSM) analytical model was applied to match the SSI user and nonuser groups.

Background
Digital technologies are promoted as transformational for smallholders in Africa through the potential to enhance access to knowledge, increase productivity and food security. Despite the anticipations for agricultural digitalization in Africa, smallholders' engagement with digitalization is empirically underexplored. Hence, we surveyed 1565 rural farmers in Northern Ghana to explore how farmers interact with digital tools and services, and the variations in their engagements.
Results

Since 2000, many African countries have introduced programs aimed at providing smallholder farmers with low-cost certificates for land held un-der customary tenure. Yet there are many contending views and debates on the impact of these land policies and this book reveals how tenure security, agricultural productivity, and social inclusion were affected by the interven-tions.

AICCRA-Mali scaling vision is to ensure that by 2030, 1,000,000 farmers, including 35% women use the CSA and CIS interventions developed, validated, or scaled by the project to enhance the security of income, employment and food including nutrition in the face of climate change. The short-term objective is to enhance the yield income, food, and nutrition security of 250,000 farmers including 35% women in the face of climate variability and climate change by December 2023 by adopting innovative partnerships and inclusive business models to ensure sustainability.

On March 14th in Siramana and March 19th in Selingue, two workshops were held to enhance women's skills in climate smart agriculture technologies. The workshops focused on Smart-Valleys approach for water control in inland valleys, alternate wetting and drying for producing rice with less water and greenhouse gas emissions in irrigated systems, and improved access to input, information, and markets using multiple stakeholders' platforms.

The CGIAR Initiative on Gender Equality (HER+: Harnessing Gender and Social Equality for Resilience in Agri-food systems) aims to achieve climate resilience by strengthening gender equality and social inclusion across food systems in the Global South. Together with partners, the initiative supports women to increase their agency and to acquire and gain control over resources. The initiative facilitates women’s pathways to empowerment and helps them adapt to future climate-related shocks and stresses.

The demand for chicken meat and eggs exceeds what can be produced in Tanzania, largely due to low productivity of the sector. Feed quantity and quality are the major factors determining the potential production and productivity of chickens. The present study explored the yield gap in chicken production in Tanzania and analyses the potential of increased chicken production as a result of closing the feed gaps. The study focused on feed aspects limiting dual-purpose chicken production in semi-intensive and intensive systems.

Context
Maize production in western Kenya is limited by the spread of parasitic weed Striga hermonthica and depletion of soil nutrient stocks. Nitrogen (N) fertilizer and imidazolinone resistant (IR) maize are key elements in the agronomic toolbox to control infestations and enhance yields
Research question