Efficient water resources management is essential for the sustainable development of nations, and large dams are an important tool for achieving this endeavor. Here, we present an integrated approach to simulating the impacts of large dams, integrating river systems infrastructure, hydrodynamic, and economywide models. We apply the framework to examine the biophysical, GDP, and distributional impacts of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on Sudan.

In Ethiopia’s Tana-Beles region, water, energy, food and ecosystems (WEFE) are tightly interconnected, making a nexus approach highly relevant. Through the CGIAR Initiative on NEXUS Gains, researchers from the Alliance of Bioversity-CIAT and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) have been working on nexus tools, including the FABLE calculator and scenario tool at the national level, and the integrated water storage diagnostic in the Tana-Beles, a sub-basin of the Blue Nile River Basin.

Silvopastoral systems, integrating tree cultivation with livestock grazing, offer sustainable agricultural practices with environmental benefits. This study explores the vital role of Ziziphus species in Tunisian silvopastoral systems, emphasizing their ecological, economic, and cultural significance. The genus, comprising Ziziphus lotus, Ziziphus spina-christi, and Ziziphus mauritaniana, contributes to soil conservation, water retention, and biodiversity enhancement. Economic benefits include nutritional fruits, medicinal resources, and income generation.

This policy brief seeks to assess the current ‘state of play’ of Guatemala’s national policy discourse with regards to the intersection of climate change, migration, food and nutritional insecurity, and peace and security. It does so through the deployment of a policy coherence and awareness analysis (PCAA) methodology.

The CGIAR Initiative on Aquatic Foods partnered with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research’s Water Research Institute (CSIR-WRI), the Fisheries Commission, and collaborated with local government departments and local communities to implement fish cage culture in selected small reservoirs in Ghana. This brief highlights the technical and institutional principles that were applied in these sites for inclusive and sustainable aquatic food production in the year 2023.

The Power Walk is a group role-playing exercise designed to prompt reflection on power dynamics, privilege, and social inequalities, adapted for the water sector context. The activity simulates a society where individuals have an equal starting point but depending on their social identities end up in different positions. The game is meant to convey gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) concepts in the water sector.

The livestock sector plays a major role in the Kenyan food system, contributing about 12 percent of the country’s overall GDP and 40 percent of agricultural GDP, and employing about half of the agricultural labor force (Kenya Markets Trust 2019a). The livestock sector also contributes 22 percent of food system GDP.

The highlands of North Shoa in Amhara region are dominated by cereals (wheat, barley and tef) followed by food legumes. The productivity of cereals and food legumes is low due to biotic and abiotic stresses as well as insufficient input supplies like certified seeds, planting materials, inoculants, and other inputs. Because of diseases and insect pests, acidity and water logging problems, farmers are reducing areas of food legumes and growing more cereals leading to low crop diversity that can reduce soil fertility and health, incomes, food diversity and increase disease threats.

Polders in the floodplains of the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta in Bangladesh play a critical role in supporting intensive agricultural production and the livelihoods of around eight million people. Polderization is promoted to reduce environmental vulnerabilities against flood inundation, coastal erosion, and salinity intrusion. These land areas are low-lying islands consisting mainly of alluvial sediment deposits, and almost half (~1.2 million ha) of the coastal zone in the region is polderized.

In many low- and middle-income countries, sewage sludge generated from wastewater treatment systems has potential environmental and health hazards. To tackle this challenge, there is a need for innovative options given the increasing concerns and policies restricting sewage sludge dumping in landfills and elsewhere, and a growing awareness about the resource value of sludge within a circular economy.

For the 1.5 billion people living in fragile and conflict-affected situations, livelihood challenges are compounded by climate change, unsustainable resource consumption, poor governance, and weak social cohesion. Disaster risk reduction (DRR) and preparedness are critical components of a comprehensive approach to managing and mitigating the impact of disasters.