CGIAR Initiative on Climate Resilience

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/117885

Part of the CGIAR Action Area on Systems Transformation

Primary CGIAR impact area: Climate adaptation and mitigation

https://www.cgiar.org/initiative/23-climber-building-systemic-resilience-against-climate-variability-and-extremes/

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Explorando la intersección entre el cambio climático y la violencia basada en género
(Video, 2025-02-26) Penel, Charlotte
Within the framework of the project “Generating more evidence on the challenges and experiences of women in climate change adaptation in national policies (of Guatemala),” funded by the Government of Ireland, this presentation explores the multiple intersections between climate change and gender-based violence (GBV), highlighting how climate impacts intensify human security risks and exacerbate pre-existing gender inequalities. By analyzing causal pathways such as economic and food insecurity, health, access to natural resources, and climate-induced displacement, the presentation identifies concrete mechanisms through which climate change contributes to increased GBV. It also emphasizes how factors such as poverty, age, education level, and migration status create intersectional vulnerabilities that disproportionately affect women, girls and other marginalised groups. Despite these vulnerabilities, women can be important agents of change and play a role in environmental conservation, climate resilience, and sustainable development. The presentation concludes with a call to develop research on these interlinked issues to further our understanding on this topic, especially in the Latin American region, as well as adopting holistic and intersectional approaches, fostering cross-sectoral collaboration to address the root causes of this nexus. Dentro del marco del proyecto “Obtener más evidencia sobre los desafíos y experiencias de las mujeres en materia de adaptación al cambio climático en las políticas a nivel nacional (de Guatemala)” financiado por el gobierno de Irlanda, esta presentación explora las múltiples intersecciones entre el cambio climático y la violencia basada en género (VBG), destacando cómo los impactos climáticos intensifican los riesgos para la seguridad humana y agravan las desigualdades de género preexistentes. A través del análisis de rutas causales como la inseguridad económica y alimentaria, la salud, el acceso a los recursos naturales y los desplazamientos inducidos por el clima, la presentación identifica mecanismos concretos mediante los cuales el cambio climático contribuye al aumento de la VBG. Asimismo, se enfatiza cómo factores como la pobreza, la edad, el nivel educativo y la situación migratoria generan vulnerabilidades interseccionales que afectan de manera desproporcionada a las mujeres, las niñas y otros grupos marginados. A pesar de estas vulnerabilidades, las mujeres pueden ser agentes importantes de cambio y juegan un papel en la conservación del medio ambiente, la resiliencia climática y en el desarrollo sostenible. La presentación concluye con un llamado a desarrollar investigaciones sobre estos temas interrelacionados para profundizar nuestra comprensión, especialmente en la región latinoamericana, así como a adoptar enfoques holísticos e interseccionales y fomentar la colaboración intersectorial para abordar las causas estructurales de este nexo.
Zambia’s Ministry of Green Economy and Environment pursues peace and security for green growth
(Case Study, 2025-05-08) Pacillo, Grazia; Gadeberg, Marianne; Maviza, Gracsious; Caroli, Giulia
In 2024, the CGIAR Research Initiative on Climate Resilience (ClimBeR) collaborated with local communities and national stakeholders, informing Zambia’s National Green Growth Strategy 2024-2030. Consequently, the strategy now includes social cohesion, peace, and stability as guiding principles for green growth. It emphasizes enhancing institutional capacity as a key enabling condition, and it includes provisions for research and training on climate, peace, and security. The Green Growth Strategy aims to foster a low-carbon and socially inclusive economy by 2030.
Quantifying loss and damage from compound climate risk
(Working Paper, 2025-05-07) Engdaw, Mastawesha Misganaw; Ghosh, Aniruddha; Chilambe, Pedro Anglaze; Ramirez Villegas, Julian; Girvetz, Evan
Recent analyses of multi-hazard attribution studies reveal that compound climate extremes often lead to disproportionately high levels of loss and damage. However, significant losses from single extreme events—sometimes exceeding those from compound events—cannot be overlooked. This highlights a critical limitation: traditional univariate analyses of extremes may underestimate the full extent of loss and damage. This Working Paper emphasizes the need for comprehensive risk assessments to improve the estimation of loss and damage and to strengthen the effectiveness of interventions. To support this, we introduce a novel, time-sensitive, modeling-based conceptual framework that distinguishes between avoided and unavoidable loss and damage. This framework also enables the evaluation of how coordinated interventions contribute to increasing the share of avoidable loss and damage. These roles of the framework and their effectiveness will enhance with further development of impact models. By integrating comprehensive risk analysis with this new framework, it becomes possible to more rigorously identify and assess loss and damage that might otherwise be underestimated. Furthermore, the approach proposed here contributes to promoting greater equity in decision-making processes related to the Loss and Damage Fund. Whenever possible, averting and minimizing loss and damage remains the most effective strategy. To this end, aiming to enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of interventions that increase avoidable loss and damage, we suggest several policy recommendations: diversifying assessment to economic sectors such as livestock for addressing loss and damage of pastoral communities, minimizing trade-offs though harmonized interventions, accelerated project approval procedure, and data access and sharing.
The fund established to respond to loss and damage from climate change: Ethiopia’s preparedness in data management and robust scientific information production
(Press Item, 2025-05-07) Engdaw, Mastawesha Misganaw
This Feature highlights the disproportionate burden of climate change-induced loss and damage on low-income and developing countries, particularly Ethiopia. While industrialized nations are the primary contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, it is the least emitting countries that suffer the most from extreme events such as heatwaves, droughts, floods, and wildfires. These climate-induced shocks exacerbate vulnerabilities, threaten ecosystems, and disrupt livelihoods and economies. Although existing global finance mechanisms like the Adaptation Fund and Green Climate Fund offer some support, they fall short in addressing the full scale of losses and damages experienced by vulnerable nations. The establishment of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD) under the World Bank offers a new opportunity for developing countries to receive financial support. However, eligibility for accessing these funds is contingent on robust, timely, and scientifically credible evidence that links climate hazards to observed losses and damages. Ethiopia, like many developing nations, faces challenges in generating and managing such data due to limited technical, financial, and institutional capacity. This Feature highlights the critical need to strengthen national data systems, build climate information management capacity, and improve the credibility of evidence as a pathway to access loss and damage financing and effectively respond to losses and damages.
Fotoreportaje del proyecto: Poniendo los ecosistemas en el centro de la adaptación a través del enfoque de Territorios Sotenibles Adaptados al Clima (TeSAC). Santa Rita, Copán Honduras
(Photo Report, 2025) Arce, Daniela; Martinez, Jesus; Borrayo, Andrea; Gómez, Cindy; Martinez Baron, Deissy
El proyecto “Poniendo los ecosistemas en el centro de la adaptación a través del enfoque de Territorios Sostenibles Adaptados al Clima”, ﬁnanciado por el Fondo de Adaptación basada en Ecosistemas e implementado por la Alianza Bioversity & CIAT y la Comisión de Acción Social Menonita - CASM, ha trabajado de la mano con agricultores de Santa Rita (Copán), para la apropiación de conocimientos climáticos, la identiﬁcación participativa de la vulnerabilidad climática del territorio y la priorización e implementación de prácticas de adaptación.
Countering climate-related security risks in the Sahel: Strengthening climate resilience and peace
(Case Study, 2025-05-05) Sarzana, Carolina; Pacillo, Grazia; Laderach, Peter; Gadeberg, Marianne
In the Sahel, community tensions and conflicts are exacerbated by droughts and irregular floods. In response, researchers from the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT (the Alliance), contributing to the CGIAR Research Initiative on Climate Resilience (ClimBeR), investigated how climate-change impacts can cause and interact with security threats in Burkina Faso and Mali. They engaged national and regional stakeholders to validate their findings and recommend best-bet solutions. Authorities in both countries are now set to integrate these insights into their first-ever national climate security strategies.
From genebanks to farms: How citizen science is transforming crop variety evaluation through the tricot approach
(Presentation, 2025-04-23) De Sousa, Kaue
Climate risk and value chain vulnerability assessment: Stakeholder mapping, hazard hotspot identification, and sensitivity analysis for climate-resilient interventions in Mozambique
(Report, 2025-05-02) Gamoyo, Majambo; Koech, Grace; Chilambe, Pedro; Osiemo, Jamleck; Binge, Brenda
This report presents a Rapid Climate Risk Analysis for Mozambique’s Nampula and Zambezia regions, with the overarching aim of informing the development of an evidence-based, context-specific adaptation toolkit to strengthen climate resilience in key agricultural value chains. The regions face heightened vulnerability to climate change due to rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, and increased frequency of extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, and tropical cyclones. These climatic stressors significantly threaten agricultural productivity, rural livelihoods, and socio-economic stability. Utilizing historical data and climate projections under SSP245 and SSP585 scenarios, the analysis identifies critical vulnerabilities and hazard hotspots, particularly areas exposed to compounded risks of heat stress and drought. The report emphasizes the need for tailored adaptation strategies to mitigate these risks and enhance resilience, while also contributing to Mozambique’s national adaptation and sustainable development objectives. Key components of the report include stakeholder mapping, climate trend analysis, and recommendations for targeted resilience interventions. This report presents a Rapid Climate Risk Analysis for Mozambique’s Nampula and Zambezia regions, with the overarching aim of informing the development of an evidence-based, context-specific adaptation toolkit to strengthen climate resilience in key agricultural value chains. The regions face heightened vulnerability to climate change due to rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, and increased frequency of extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, and tropical cyclones. These climatic stressors significantly threaten agricultural productivity, rural livelihoods, and socio-economic stability. Utilizing historical data and climate projections under SSP245 and SSP585 scenarios, the analysis identifies critical vulnerabilities and hazard hotspots, particularly areas exposed to compounded risks of heat stress and drought. The report emphasizes the need for tailored adaptation strategies to mitigate these risks and enhance resilience, while also contributing to Mozambique’s national adaptation and sustainable development objectives. Key components of the report include stakeholder mapping, climate trend analysis, and recommendations for targeted resilience interventions.
The Climate-Smart Villages (CSV) of Olopa as a local innovation platform for scaling ecosystem-based adaptation in Guatemala
(Brief, 2025-05) Martinez Salgado, Jesus David; Borrayo, Andrea Surama; Claudia, Lopez; Castellanos, Andrea; Martinez Baron, Deissy
The municipality of Olopa (Guatemala) is located in the Central American Dry Corridor, a region characterized by irregular rainfall, high susceptibility to climate variability (FAO, 2019), and classified as highly vulnerable to climate change according to IPCC models (2013). In this territory, the recurrence of events such as droughts has driven farmers to intensively exploit environmental resources to maintain and/or increase their income and food security (Calvo-Solano et al., 2018). However, this has resulted in a vicious cycle in which the inefficient use of environmental resources progressively reduces the climate resilience of agri-food systems (FAO, 2023), decreasing farmers’ incomes and preventing them from improving their livelihoods. The Climate-Smart Villages (CSV) (Aggarwal et al., 2018) has been established in Olopa since 2015. It integrates research for development to address specific agroclimatic challenges faced by rural producers. This approach aims to strengthen communities’ capacity to reduce their climate vulnerability by increasing their knowledge and adopting informed and sustainable measures related to soil and water conservation and management, biodiversity protection, the use of local agroclimatic information, emission reduction strategies, and adaptation plans tailored to the needs of families and communities through a participatory and inclusive process.
The Climate-Smart Villages – CSV of Santa Rita as a local innovation platform for scaling ecosystem- based adaptation in Honduras
(Brief, 2025-05) Martinez Salgado, Jesus David; Borrayo, Andrea Surama; Cindy, Gómez; Castellanos, Andrea; Martinez Baron, Deissy
The municipality of Santa Rita (Honduras), located in the Central American Dry Corridor region, is characterized by irregular rainfall and high vulnerability to climate variability (FAO, 2019). According to IPCC models (2013), this area is particularly susceptible to the effects of climate change. The recurrence of phenomena such as droughts has led farmers to intensify the use of natural resources to sustain or increase their incomes and ensure their food security (Calvo-Solano et al., 2018). However, this excessive exploitation has triggered a harmful cycle, where inefficiency in managing environmental resources reduces the resilience of agri-food systems (FAO, 2023), affecting farming families’ incomes and limiting their ability to improve their living conditions. based Adaptation Fund (Global EbA Fund). The Climate Smart Villages – CSV in English, according to Aggarwal et al., 2018), established in Santa Rita since 2015, integrates research for development to address specific agro-climatic challenges faced by rural producers. This approach seeks to strengthen communities’ capacity to reduce their climate vulnerability by increasing their knowledge and adopting informed and sustainable measures related to soil conservation and management, water, biodiversity, the use of local agro-climatic information, emission reduction measures, and adaptation plans contextualized to the specific needs of families and communities through a participatory and inclusive process.
Kenya’s County Climate Change Fund enables communities to invest both in climate-change adaptation and peace
(Case Study, 2025-05-05) Pacillo, Grazia; Gadeberg, Marianne; Medina Santa Cruz, Leonardo; Schapendonk, Frans
Kenya’s County Climate Change Fund (CCCF) enables communities to prioritize, design, and secure funding for locally led climate-adaptation projects. It is operationalized by the Adaptation Consortium (ADA). In contributing to the CGIAR Research Initiative on Climate Resilience (ClimBeR), researchers from the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT partnered with ADA to assess how the CCCF can also address climate-related conflicts and promote peace. Based on ClimBeR’s recommendations, ADA is planning to integrate conflict prevention and resolution as an additional goal of the CCCF.
Promoting peace and climate resilience in the post-conflict Mindanao region of the Philippines
(Case Study, 2025-04-29) Pacillo, Grazia; Savelli, Adam; Medina Santa Cruz, Leonardo
Researchers from the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT launched a first-ever community of practice on climate security and environmental peacebuilding and collaborated to identify entry points for environmental peacebuilding. The research team partnered with Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) and contributed to CGIAR’s Climate Resilience Initiative (ClimBeR). The partnership supported MSU-IIT in securing the institution a seat on an influential committee for reintegrating conflict-affected communities into society. Now MSU-IIT can inform proposed climate-resilience interventions and ensure they also foster peacebuilding.
GHG activity data collection tool – User guide for Kenya’s crop subsector
(Manual, 2025-05-02) Mwangi, Obadiah; Nyawira, Sylvia
Local solutions for transformative development and sustainable futures
(Blog, 2025-04-24) Gadu, Siyaxola; Maviza, Gracsious; Maphosa, Mandlenkosi
Members of the CGIAR FOCUS Climate Security Team in Southern Africa attended the 2025 NUST-WFP National Symposium in Zimbabwe, themed “Building Resilient Communities for Sustainable Futures.”. The symposium brought together officials from various government ministries, academia, development partners, and civil society organisations.
Disentangling climate and human drivers of land degradation in East and Southern Africa
(Journal Article, 2025) Muthoni, F.K.; Manda, J.; Dubovky, O.
Timely monitoring of land degradation (LD) is essential to guide targeting the sustainable land management (SLM) practices to the suitable context that assists in achieving an LD neutral world. This study applied a 40-year time series of remote sensing data representing vegetation indices and rainfall to identify the hotspots for the climatic and human-induced LD or improvements in the East and Southern Africa (ESA) region. This was complemented by a field assessment of LD and SLM practices applied by farmers in Tanzania. Remote sensing analysis at the regional scale identified hotspots in the ESA region that experienced statistically significant LD and improvement trends primarily driven by human and climatic factors during two temporal segments from 1983 to 2005 (T1) and 2006–2022 (T2). The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) trends exhibited a browning-to-greening trend reversal between T1 and T2 in northern Zambia and Tanzania, contrasting with persistent browning in Central Malawi and southern Zambia. At the local scale, severe LD in Kongwa district of Tanzania was primarily caused by erosion by water, wind, and unsustainable exploitation of natural vegetation, although their magnitude varied over different landscape gradients. These collaborated with the remotely sensed browning trend observed in the Kongwa district, but the greening plots were largely smoothened out by coarse-resolution NDVI data. The regional scale identification of factors driving the greening or browning trends provides a first-instance evidence-based sampling frame for future studies to identify the actual practices applied in the greening zone that can be used to rehabilitate the degraded land.
Water productivity in South Asia: spatial and temporal variations
(Book Chapter, 2025-04-13) Amarasinghe, Upali; Sikka, Alok; Perera, Madhusha; Alahacoon, Niranga
This chapter assesses the variations and options for improving water productivity to address water risks and insecurity in South Asian countries. The water productivity indicators of focus are physical water productivity (PWP)—the production per unit of water use, and economic water productivity (EWP), the value of production per unit of water use. A significant potential exists to increase PWP in many South Asian countries and regions with no water scarcity. These regions require increased access to water. However, increasing EWP should take precedence under water-scarce conditions. The latter may require reducing water-intensive crop areas and diversifying to less water-intensive crops.
Navigating Nigeria’s food system challenges in the face of inflation and reform
(Brief, 2025-04-24) Omamo, Steven Were; Andam, Kwaw S.; Balana, Bedru; Amare, Mulubrhan; Popoola, Olufemi; Nwagboso, Chibuzo
Main Messages: 1. Low-income households in both urban and rural areas are hardest hit by rising food prices. Post-reform (fuel subsidies removal and exchange rate liberalization) price shocks and persistent inflation have disproportionately affected poor urban and rural households, forcing them to reduce food consumption and dietary diversity. Malnutrition and food insecurity are on the rise, particularly among children and women-headed households, with sharpest impacts in conflict-affected areas. 2. Small-scale farmers are not benefiting proportionately from price increases. Despite surging food prices, small-scale farmers face escalating input costs, poor market access, and structural in-efficiencies that leave them with marginal gains far below the rate of inflation. 3. Trading networks maintain healthy margins, amplifying systemic inefficiencies. Traders and intermediaries dominate the food supply chain, passing on increased costs to consumers while pre-serving or even increasing their profit margins, highlighting inequities in the distribution of benefits along the value chain. 4. Recent economic reforms and external shocks exacerbate structural weaknesses. Economic reforms, including the removal of fuel subsidies and exchange rate adjustments, have amplified existing challenges in the food system, including high transport costs, inadequate infrastructure, and fragmented markets. 5. Policy interventions should protect vulnerable groups and strengthen local food systems. Addressing these disparities requires targeted safety nets for consumers, support for small-scale farmers, and systemic investments to reduce inefficiencies in the value chain while promoting cli-mate-resilient food systems.
How conflict-sensitive water management builds peace: Lessons from CGIAR’s training with Egypt’s NWRC
(Blog Post, 2025-04-22) Schapendonk, Frans; Jaskolski, Martina
Climate change is straining water supplies and heightening community tensions. Evidence shows that when water scarcity rises within certain contexts, the risk of conflict increases. However, sustainable water management arrangements that are attuned to these dynamics, can offer important co-benefits for social cohesion and the emergence of a climate-resilient peace. To help equip those working in the field of water management prepare for and manage these risks, members of the CGIAR FOCUS Climate Security team delivered a multi-module training session on conflict-sensitive water management frameworks to over 35 water engineers from across Africa as part of the NWRC’s 29th Regional Annual Diploma Course on Hydraulic Engineering in River Basins.
Implications of climate crisis in Southern Africa
(Book Chapter, 2025-04-11) Maviza, Gracsious; Nzima, Divane; Gadu, Ernest Siyaxola; Ndlovu, Ntobeko
This chapter discusses climate crisis within the framework of climate capitalism. Contrary to the conventional understanding of climate from an anthropocentric perspective, the discussion here emphasises fairness, equity, and inclusivity in crafting solutions that recognise the role of the history of colonialism and imperialism perpetuated by powerful countries and multinational corporations. Chapter concludes that only comprehensive strategies prioritising sustainability and inclusivity, beyond market-driven approaches will help build a more just and resilient future for Africa.
CGIAR Research Initiative on Climate Resilience: Annual Technical Report 2024
(Report, 2025-04-15) CGIAR Initiative on Climate Resilience

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