Identification of hybrids for commercialization is crucial for sustainable maize production in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). One hundred and ninety test crosses, 10 tester × tester crosses + 10 hybrid checks were evaluated across 11 environments, 2017 to 2019. Inheritance of grain yield under Striga infestation, optimal and across environments was influenced by additive genetic action, but there was greater influence of nonadditive gene action under drought stress conditions.

A survey was conducted among 52 representatives of the African Group of Negotiators Experts Support. From this survey, the members voted that the UNFCCC online portal on climate action in food security and agriculture should have the following objectives (in the order of the highest number of respondents saying it is an objective) - information sharing, raising awareness of climate action in agriculture, and aiding fundraising.

This toolkit covers topics such as: the impact of climate change on African agriculture and food systems; how we can transform African agriculture and food systems for a more sustainable and climate resilient future; the important national, regional, continental, and global initiatives to promote climate-smart agriculture, in Africa and worldwide; how to investigate and report key developments to target specific stakeholders, decision makers, networks towards desired behavior change; how to engage and report upcoming policy events (e.g., COP28); and how to engage with AICCRA partners on h

A large proportion of farm households in developing countries face a host of market and production risks that undermine their food security, make their income volatile, and make them hesitant to adopt new technologies or undertake new investments that might increase their long-term productivity and household welfare. Climate-related risks such as floods and droughts remain some of the most pervasive forms of production challenges.

Estimating genetic gains is vital to optimize breeding programs for increased efficiency. Genetic gains should translate into productivity gains if returns to investments in breeding and impact are to be realized. The objective of this study was to estimate genetic gain for grain yield and key agronomic traits in pre-commercial and commercial maize varieties from public and private breeding programs tested in (i) national performance trials (NPT), (ii) era trial and, (iii) compare the trends with the national average.

One of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is reducing food loss and waste (FLW) across all stages of food value chains, including the on-farm production, the off-farm postharvest, processing, and distribution, and the household consumption stages. We employ general equilibrium models for Bangladesh, Kenya, and Nigeria to assess the economywide implications of reducing FLW at different stages of value chains. Halving FLW results in GDP increases of between 1.1 and 2 percent, with up to 13 million people lifted out of poverty across the three countries.

Cocoa is an important commodity crop and source of income for millions of small-holder farmers. Nonetheless, questions on cocoa tree functioning, best management practices and climate change responses remain. Modelling is a powerful tool to address these questions, complementing experimental work that is expensive and time consuming due to the long productive cycle of the cocoa system. However, compared to other crops, cocoa modelling has not received as much attention.

This submission is made in accordance with paragraph 18 of decision 3/CP.27 on operationalization of the online portal referred to in paragraph 16 of the above decision for consideration by the Subsidiary Bodies at their fifty-eighth sessions (June 2023).

This submission is made in accordance with paragraph 17 of decision 3/CP.27 on elements of the joint work referred to in paragraphs 14–15 of the above decision for consideration by the Subsidiary Bodies at their fifty-eighth sessions (June 2023).

Voluntary Sustainability Systems (VSS) can play an important role in reducing persistent gender inequalities and supporting women’s empowerment to achieve more just and resilient agri-food systems. However, research indicates that gender equality impacts have been minimal given few VSS have taken a strategic approach to addressing gender equality and there has been a failure to address the structural causes of gender equality in global supply chains.

The potential of big data capabilities to transform and understand global agricultural and biological systems often relies on data from different sources that must be considered together or aggregated to provide insights. The value of data is however not only in its collection and storage, but largely in its re-use.

Purpose: This study examines the adoption drivers of scale-appropriate mechanization in Nepal's maize-based farming systems. The authors also assess the contribution of scale-appropriate mechanization to the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of zero hunger (SDG2) and no poverty (SDG1). Design/methodology/approach: Propensity score matching (PSM) and doubly robust inverse probability-weighted regression adjusted (IPWRA) methods were applied to estimate the effects of mini-tiller adoption.