CGIAR Multifunctional Landscapes science program

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/163087

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 21

CGIAR Excellence in Agronomy: Validating, tailoring, and expanding the cropping calendar agro-advisories in Ghana. Key Workshop Recommendations
(Report, 2025-07) Amankwah-Yeboah, Patricia; Ofosu-Ampong, Kingsley
Timely, accurate, and context-specific agro-advisories are essential for empowering smallholder farmers to make informed decisions throughout the agricultural season. In Ghana, while there is widespread knowledge on good agronomic practices (GAPs), significant challenges remain in translating this knowledge into accessible, actionable, and timely information, particularly for rural farmers dealing with increasingly variable climatic conditions. To address this gap, the Cropping Calendar Agro-Advisories tool was developed as a collaborative effort between the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research’s Institute for Scientific and Technological Information (CSIR-INSTI) and the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, under the CGIAR Excellence in Agronomy (EiA) Initiative (now integrated into CGIAR’s Sustainable Farming Science Program). This innovative tool integrates multiple data sources and contextual factors to enhance the precision of agro-advisories . It brings together seasonal forecast data, soil and agronomic information, and crop phenology to align advisories with the crop growth stages. Additionally, it incorporates location-specific management recommendations tailored to local conditions, ensuring the advice is relevant, inclusive, and actionable for diverse user groups. The system is designed to deliver digital, location-specific advisories aligned with the physiological and management stages of key crops. The Validation Workshop, held on July 2, 2025, at the CSIR-Crops Research Institute (CRI), represented a critical step in the Cropping Calendar and Agro-Advisory System's development. The workshop’s goal was to refine and validate the advisory content to ensure its technical accuracy, contextual relevance, and usability for a broad range of end-users, including farmers, extension agents, digital service providers, and research institutions.
Asociación genómica en híbridos interespecíficos (Urochloa spp): bases para el mejoramiento de la resistencia a salivazos
(Poster, 2025-06-25) Espitia Buitrago, Paula; Perea, Claudia; Mejia, Juan Camilo; de Vega, José; Jauregui, Rosa
Los salivazos (Hemiptera: Cercopidae) son una plaga clave en los pastos Brachiaria (Urochloa spp.) en América tropical, con un impacto de hasta un 74% la producción de carne (Congio et al., 2020). El programa de Urochloa interespecífico del CIAT integra caracteres de resistencia varietal en el esquema de fitomejoramiento, logrando una ganancia genética anual superior al 7% en antibiosis y 2% en tolerancia a ninfas de Aeneolamia varia (Hernández et al., 2025). Identificar las regiones genómicas asociadas a rasgos de resistencia varietal contribuye al entendimiento del control de caracteres clave así como al desarrollo de herramientas que asistan la selección.
Tolerancia a estrés por hierro en híbridos de Urochloa: metodología hidropónica eficiente en 21 días
(Poster, 2025-06-25) Gaviria Valencia, Juan Manuel; Mejia, Juan Camilo; Espitia Buitrago, Paula Andrea; Barbosa Torres, Norma; Jauregui, Rosa
Los suelos ácidos tropicales limitan la productividad ganadera por toxicidad mineral, especialmente por exceso de hierro (Fe) (Borrero et al., 2017). En Urochloa spp., este estrés compromete el crecimiento y la absorción de nutrientes. Este estudio propone una metodología hidropónica eficiente para evaluar, en 21 días, la tolerancia al Fe en genotipos interespecíficos, facilitando la selección de materiales promisorios (Wenzl et al., 2006)
Global estimated CIAT Urochloa hybrid adoption, 2001-2024
(Presentation, 2025-06) Burkart, Stefan
Participatory rangeland management (PRM): from concept to continental scaling
(Conference Paper, 2025-06) Flintan, Fiona E.; Otieno, Ken; Sircely, Jason; Nganga, I.; Eba, Bedasa; Mukalo, I.; Faustin, Z.; Akilmali, A.; Ngurumwa, P.; Ouma, D.; Olesikilal, B.; Ebro, A.; Okoth, J.; Akiyaga, A.; Gudina, D.; Irwin, B.
From awareness to action: Social valuation of climate change mitigation options in Kenyan dairy farming
(Blog Post, 2025-02-20) Florez Herrera, Jesus Fernando; Burkart, Stefan
In Kenya, where small-scale dairy farming is a vital part of the economy, farmers face increasing challenges from rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns and degraded pastures. These climate risks affect productivity, making it crucial for farmers to adopt strategies that mitigate these effects. A recent study conducted by the CGIAR Initiative Livestock & Climate (L&C) has provided a closer look at how Kenyan dairy farmers perceive and are prepared to adopt climate change mitigation strategies.
The underlying causes of deforestation during “peacetime”: Evidence from the implementation of the Peace Agreement in Colombia
(Journal Article, 2025-06-01) Triana-Ángel, Natalia; Pirela Ríos, Ana; Junca Paredes, John Jairo; Pazos Cardenas, Mateo; Burkart, Stefan
Women’s participation in the forage and dual-purpose maize seed market in Laos
(Brief, 2025-05) Pazos Cardenas, Mateo; Bravo, Aura Maria; Triana Ángel, Natalia; Burkart, Stefan; Snyder, Katherine; Atieno, Mary Otieno; Philp, Joshua
In rural Laos, women have historically played crucial roles in agricultural activities, including rice cultivation, forest harvesting, and more recently, livestock and maize production. However, ongoing modernization and commercialization processes are reshaping their roles, leading to diversification into new crops and agricultural practices. This adaptation is driven by the necessity to respond to evolving economic and technological conditions. Yet, women continue to encounter significant challenges in agricultural markets, particularly in trade, underscoring the critical need for gender-sensitive approaches to support their agricultural roles (Ireson, 1996; Millar & Connell, 2010; Moglia et al., 2020). The analysis adopted Porter’s Five Forces Framework for Industry Analysis (Ghemawat & Collis, 2010), adapted to accommodate various actor types within the seed system. These forces include competition, the threat of new entrants, supplier bargaining power, customer bargaining power, and the availability of substitutes for sector products. Given the diverse nature and multilocation of the forage seed landscape, involving various industries such as logistics and distribution, our study focused on companies assuming roles in seed selection, innovation, harvesting, and production. This approach assumes a high degree of vertical integration within the forage supply chain. Furthermore, we explored how other actors in the system integrate into the value network and contribute to the functioning of the forage seed value chain.
Advancing sustainable livestock practices through ecosystem services valuation
(Blog Post, 2025-03-14) Burkart, Stefan; Florez Herrera, Jesus Fernando
As the world faces increasing environmental challenges, the need for sustainable livestock practices has never been more urgent. In response to this, a multi-disciplinary team of international researchers from the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), and the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) have developed an integral framework for evaluating ecosystem services in livestock farming, aiming to promote practices that balance environmental, economic, and social objectives.
Women's tenure security on collective lands: A conceptual framework
(Journal Article, 2025-08) Meinzen-Dick, Ruth S.; Doss, Cheryl; Flintan, Fiona E.; Knight, Rachael; Larson, Anne M.; Monterroso, Iliana
Within discussions of land and resource rights, there is growing attention to women's rights, mostly in terms of household and individual rights to private property. This leaves unanswered questions about whether and how women's land rights can be secured under collective tenure, upon which billions of people worldwide depend. There is an important gap in conceptual tools, empirical understanding, and policy recommendations on this topic. To address this gap and lay the foundations for a sound body of empirical studies and appropriate policies, we develop a conceptual framework to improve understanding of women's land rights under collective tenure. We discuss what secure tenure for women on collective lands would entail, then what factors would affect women's tenure security. We give attention to particularities of rangelands, forests, and other types of collective lands as well as commonalities across types. A key theme that emerges is that for women to have secure tenure under collective tenure, the collective (group) itself must have tenure security and the women must have secure rights within this collective. The latter requires us to consider the governance structures, how men and women access and control land, and the extent to which women have voice and power within the collective. More consistent analyses of collective tenure systems using the conceptual framework presented in this paper can help to identify which action resources are important for groups to secure rights to collective lands, and for women to advocate for their rights within the group.
A scoping review of the incentives for promoting the adoption of agroecological practices and outcomes among rice farmers in Vietnam
(Journal Article, 2025-04-25) Ogutu, Sylvester; Mockshell, Jonathan; Minh, Thai; Remans, Roseline
Recent research and development efforts to achieve sustainable rice production in Vietnam have incorporated agroecological principles and practices. These efforts have come as a result of increasing pressure on food systems to achieve global food security. Growing food demand, rising population, climate change, and natural resources degradation, make it necessary to transform the current production systems towards more sustainable models. Agroecology is being promoted as one of the pathways to transition toward sustainable food production, with broad adoption requiring incentives for farmers. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines, we conducted a scoping review of 120 articles to understand the incentives applied for promoting agroecological practices, whether and how the incentives promote the adoption of agroecological practices, and their relationship with economic, environmental, and social outcomes among rice farmers in Vietnam. Such in-depth reviews of the role of incentives in the agroecological transition are scarce. Results show that in about 60% of the articles, incentives led to adoption, outcomes (e.g., yield and income gains), or both, suggesting the importance and common use of incentives among rice farmers in Vietnam. Four types of incentives used were market, non-market, regulatory, and cross-compliance. These incentives directly or indirectly influenced outcomes through the adoption of agroecological practices. Market incentives (33%) were relatively more important for directly influencing outcomes, while non-market incentives (50%) were more important for indirectly influencing outcomes. Market, non-market, and regulatory incentives were more associated with the adoption of new agronomic practices, such as farm diversification, improved varieties, and organic agriculture than with other practices, while cross-compliance incentives were more highly associated with adoption of agroforestry. Generally, the incentives used were more associated with economic outcomes (56%), than with environmental (31%), and social (13%) outcomes. Overall, the results show that incentives influence outcomes differently, and a combination of different incentives is required to achieve holistic outcomes.
Identifying critical incentives for scaling out the adoption of agroecological practices–a systematic review of Peruvian cacao value chains
(Journal Article, 2025-05-02) Mockshell, Jonathan; Omulo, Godfrey; Asante-Addo, Collins; Nielsen Ritter, Thea; Quintero, Marcela; Remans, Roseline
The growing global importance of agroecology highlights the pivotal role public and private sectors play in providing incentives and investments to catalyze behavioural changes and transform food systems. However, limited research exists on incentives for scaling agroecological practices in cacao value chains. This study employed a systematic review approach, focusing on Peruvian cacao sector, to explore incentives promoting agroecological practices and their sustainability outcomes. Findings reveal that within Peru’s cacao value chains, non-market incentives constitute the majority (36%), followed by regulatory measures (25%), market-based incentives (22%), and cross-compliance incentives (17%). Main providers of incentives include certification bodies, community-based organizations, and international funding organizations. Effective incentives include sustainability standards, market support subsidies, in-kind rewards, and agroecological schemes that support the adoption of practices such as intercropping, nature conservation for carbon sequestration, and the use of green and animal manure. These incentives have significantly improved sustainability outcomes: economic (39%), environmental (33%), and social (28%). However, limited use of cross-compliance incentives and modest emphasis on social outcomes highlight the need for policy instruments targeting the adoption of agroecological practices within cacao sector. This study provides insights for policymakers, development agencies, and private-sector to design effective incentives for advancing agroecological transitions in Peru and beyond.
Explorando los modelos de negocio para las transiciones agroecológicas en los cultivos de cacao y camu camu en Ucayali, Perú
(Brief, 2025-04-01) Blanco, Maria; Mosquera, Leslie Estefany; De Los Rios, Rafael; Crisostomo, Diego; Díaz, César; Ritter, Thea; Ivanova, Yovita; Mockshell, Jonathan; Sanchez, Jose Choy
Mensajes clave La transición agroecológica es una oportunidad estratégica para el desarrollo sostenible en Ucayali. Los productores de cacao y camu camu ofrecen productos de alta calidad, pero enfrentan barreras, como el acceso limitado a financiamiento, una infraestructura deficiente y costos elevados de certificación. Agroindustria y gastronomía valorizan la biodiversidad amazónica. Innovación, economía circular y conexiones con productores locales son claves para fortalecer la competitividad, impulsar el desarrollo regional y promover alimentos sostenibles. Las cooperativas y asociaciones son actores clave para conectar productores con mercados, financiamiento y prácticas sostenibles. Las políticas que refuercen su rol impulsarán la adopción de sistemas agroecológicos y beneficios sociales. Las inversiones público-privadas en riego, capacitación y tecnología, junto con incentivos como créditos accesibles, estrategias de biocomercio y pagos por servicios ambientales, impulsarán cadenas sostenibles. Promover la diversificación, las tecnologías ecoeficientes y los saberes ancestrales reduce los riesgos climáticos y mejora los ingresos. Los incentivos económicos y los programas especializados son esenciales para facilitar esta transición y garantizar un impacto sostenible en Ucayali.
Pathways to Sustainable Wheat Business Models: Exploring agroecological practices and investment opportunities in Doyogena, Ethiopia
(Report, 2025-04-04) Mosquera, Leslie Estefany; Blanco, Maria; Balcha, Yodit; Mockshell, Jonathan; Ritter, Thea
Ethiopia, the largest wheat producer in sub-Saharan Africa, relies heavily on wheat for both household income and food security. In the Dogoyena district in the southern part of the country, there is significant potential to advance agroecological practices within the wheat value chain. While most smallholders primarily depend on wheat for their livelihoods, many are beginning to diversify their crops as part of broader economic diversification efforts. This shift is occurring despite government initiatives promoting wheat intensification to meet growing national and international demand. Producers Doyogena is a critical project area for the Private Sector Incentives and Investments (PSii) under the TRANSITIONS program due to it has conditions that favor the cultivation of wheat, which is predominantly cultivated by smallholder producers in the district. This study focuses on four wheat clusters in the Dogoyena district: Tumma, Adoye, Selam, and Telle. This study is crucial as it will help identify the most effective incentives and investment opportunities within wheat clusters, considering the social and economic local contexts of the key stakeholders in the Dogoyena district. This report is part of the PSii project and provides an in-depth analysis of three cooperative business models in four wheat clusters, as well as of agroecological practices in Ethiopia. Utilizing focus group discussions and the Business Model Canvas tool, the study offers a comprehensive examination of wheat production strategies and their alignment with sustainable practices. The analysis of farmer cooperatives from four wheat farming clusters (Tumma, Adoye, Selam, and Telle) reveals distinct approaches to wheat production. Amecho Seed Multiplication cooperative (Adoyo cluster) and the Serara producer cooperative (Telle and Tumma cluster) focus on high-quality production and strong customer relationships, investing significantly in labor, inputs, and credit. Angacha producers Cooperative (Selam cluster) integrates resource sharing through partnerships while Serara emphasizes waste reduction and manages costs related to interest rates, storage, and transportation. The findings on agroecological practices show that producers have low engagement in market connectivity and integration, indicating a need for improved market linkages and cooperative development. Knowledge sharing and multi-stakeholder participation are also insufficient, emphasizing the need for better extension services and collaborative learning. Although some agroecological practices are adopted, there is significant potential for improvement in soil health, biodiversity, and fairness in income distribution. Encouraging practices like cover cropping, reduced tillage, and integrated pest management can enhance sustainability and resilience. This report analyzes the opportunities for improvement and appropriate investments and incentives to promote and support the transition towards more sustainable practices in the study area.
Co-development enables holistic digital traceability of sustainability. The case of Peruvian cocoa
(Brief, 2025-02-13) Hidalgo, Francisco; Jones, Sarah K.; Sanchez, Andrea; Ivanova, Yovita; Sánchez Choy, José G.; Mockshell, Jonathan; Steinke, Jonathan
Key messages: Policy shifts toward agroecology and growing consumer awareness have made holistic sustainability monitoring increasingly relevant. Advancements in digital technologies create favorable conditions for developing digital traceability tools to respond to this need. Digital traceability can facilitate data collection on agroecological metrics and end-to-end traceability. Technologies such as blockchain can make information management more transparent, reliable, and safe. End-to-end traceability requires the cooperation of different stakeholders and a system that integrates their information needs and capabilities while providing indicators that can be used to assess agrifood value chain sustainability. Here, we show a co-development approach proved to be an effective way to meet these requirements. Co-development involved addressing participants’ diversity of perspectives, interests, and capabilities. Several challenges arose, which required adaptive planning. Translation and mediation strategies were effective in navigating this environment. The use of a compact, yet holistic, set of agroecological metrics, and implementation of iterative programming and testing cycles with end-users, were key attributes to achieving systems’ contextualization and applicability. Identifying effective incentives, and removing barriers, is key to ensuring participation in co-development processes. Enabling holistic digital traceability calls for financial sustainability schemes that do not burden producers, and practices for managing data responsibly.
Incentives for agroecological transition in Ucayali, Peru: Resilient and inclusive systems
(Video, 2025-01-29) Blanco Garcia, Maria Alejandra; Araujo De Lima, Silvia; Mosquera Escobar, Leslie Estefany; Ivanova, Yovita; Sanchez Choy Sanchez, Jose Gerardo; Varon Molina, Adriana Patricia; Marulanda Duran, Luis Alejandro; Mockshell, Jonathan
The Peruvian Amazon, one of the most biodiverse regions in the world, faces numerous interconnected challenges, including biodiversity loss and soil degradation. The Private Sector Incentives and Investments (PSii) project—implemented by the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, funded by the European Commission, and managed by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)—marks a significant step toward fostering sustainable and inclusive food systems. It operates under the CGIAR’s Agroecological Transitions Program for Building Resilient, Inclusive Agricultural and Food Systems (TRANSITIONS). The project aims to drive an agroecological transition within the Cacao value chain by generating data-driven insights and optimizing investment returns. These efforts seek to motivate public and private stakeholders to move beyond traditional “business as usual” practices and adopt agroecological production approaches, ultimately enhancing the environmental sustainability of Peru's food systems. To achieve its objectives, the project collaborates with various local and regional institutions, including the Chamber of Commerce, the National Institute for Agricultural Innovation, and local cacao cooperatives. This video showcases the key milestones and the evolving landscape of agroecological transitions in Ucayali.
Building resilience: Over 550 Ethiopian wheat producers enabled with bundled sustainable agroecological innovations
(Case Study, 2025-02-11) Mockshell, Jonathan; Tibebe, Degefie; Ngige, Chris Mwangi; Balcha, Yodit; Ibrahim, Mohamed; Ritter, Thea; Ogutu, Sylvester
Ethiopian wheat producers lack access to affordable fertilizer and seeds. A TRANSITIONS Private Sector Incentives and Investments (PSii) sustainability project provided bundled agroecological solutions, including faba bean and wheat crop rotation to enhance nitrogen fixation and biodiversity. In addition to training wheat producers in Doyogena, the project provided subsidized inputs and enhanced partnerships between producer organizations, district agricultural offices, seed breeders, and other stakeholders in the wheat value chain. Immediate outcomes include increased awareness, the adoption of farm-level agroecological solutions, and increased empowerment.
Bundled agroecological cacao production practices: fertilizer and sustainable practices training benefits over 200 organic producers.
(Case Study, 2025-02-11) Mockshell, Jonathan; Ritter, Thea; Blanco, Maria; Ngige, Chris Mwangi; Mosquera, Leslie Estefany; Sánchez Choy, José G.; Ivanova, Yovita
Organic fertilizers boost yields, yet according to our research, most cacao producers in Ucayali region do not use fertilizers year-round, due to limited finances and knowledge. We trained 69 organic cacao producers, who are now adopting innovative bundled agroecological practices to significantly enhance their productivity. Bundles of practices include preparing and applying organic fertilizers to improve managing solid organic waste generated from cacao production. Expected scalable outcomes include enhanced soil health, recycling, cacao production, and incomes.
Comparative profitability of agroecological practices in Ethiopian wheat farming
(Journal Article, 2025-01-30) Ng-Ang-A, Stanley Karanja; Ogutu, Sylvester Ochieng; Tibebe, Degefie; Akinyi, Devinia; Mockshell, Jonathan
Introduction: Agroecology is increasingly promoted as a pathway to sustainable food production, aiming to maximize natural resource use while minimizing external inputs with harmful environmental effects. Agroecological practices can enhance farm productivity while ensuring environmental sustainability. However, these practices often require higher initial investments compared to business-as-usual (BAU) practices, and their profitability and relative risks are not well studied. This research evaluates the profitability and risk of adopting agroecological practices among wheat farmers in Ethiopia. Methods: We conducted a deterministic cost-benefit analysis (CBA) incorporating sensitivity and scenario analysis to evaluate the profitability and relative risks associated with three agroecological practices: certified wheat seed, optimal site-specific inorganic fertilizer application rates, and drainage of waterlogged soils. The analysis considered yield uncertainty, market price fluctuations, and implementation variability to provide robust insights for decision-making. Results: The deterministic CBA revealed that among the three practices, the use of certified seeds was the most profitable, with a net present value (NPV) of US$ 2,531 ha–1. This was followed by optimal site-specific inorganic fertilizer application, with an NPV of US$ 2,371 ha–1. Drainage of waterlogged soils yielded the lowest profitability, with an NPV of US$ 2,099 ha–1. Discussion: The results indicate that certified seeds and optimal fertilizer rates offer higher financial returns, making them attractive investments for wheat farmers. However, profitability alone does not guarantee adoption. Other factors, including social and behavioral aspects, influence farmer decisions. Future research should integrate these dimensions to develop comprehensive strategies for promoting agroecological practices. Conclusion: Adopting agroecological practices has clear economic benefits for Ethiopian wheat farmers, with certified seeds emerging as the most profitable option. These findings provide evidence for stakeholders to design targeted interventions that maximize returns while addressing barriers to adoption.
Agroecological TRANSITIONS for our future
(Infographic, 2025-01-15) TRANSITIONS Program; Ricci, Fabio; Araujo De Lima, Silvia; Shelton, Sadie; Geck, Matthias; Wollenberg, Eva Karoline; Mockshell, Jonathan; Crossland, Mary
This infographic was produced by the 3 projects' managers and communication officers of the TRANSITIONS Program (Agroecological transition programme for building resilient and inclusive agricultural food systems) funded by the European Union and managed by IFAD. The TRANSITIONS program aims to identify, test and scale up highly effective catalyzers of agroecology-driven food system transformation by means of three key actions: Agroecological transitions are complex and can take multiple pathways! We can view them as a subway network... different stations and lines leading toward a UNIFIED GOAL: sustainable, resilient and healthy food, and agricultural systems. Follow the different lines to see where the TRANSITIONS program works and how it aims to foster agroecological conversion through specific milestones! 1. The development and implementation of holistic performance metrics for agriculture across scales 2. Inclusive digital resources to support climate resilient agroecological transitions 3. Innovative pathways for long-term incentives and private and public investment

Browse

Recent Submissions