Alliance Bioversity CIAT Policy and Research Briefs
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/106988
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Item Farm resilience and healthy diets for a sustainable food system in Vihiga County, Kenya(Blog Post, 2023-10-13) Mutui, Edith; Aluso, LillianItem Can climate-resilient agriculture become an engine for Syria’s post-conflict recovery?(Blog Post, 2025-03-19) Schapendonk, Frans; Rabie, SaraSyria finds itself at a crossroads. Faced with the imminent need to prevent a relapse into renewed short-term insecurity, its government also must start to develop longer-term strategies to support recovery. Generating peace dividends for Syria’s embattled population requires confronting the ecological threats which currently undermine basic human security across the country. Nowhere do these threats emerge more prominently than in its agricultural sector. Ensuring that this essential sector lives up to its potential as an engine for economic stabilization and peace will require a set of targeted – and climate-sensitive – investments and interventions.Item Sustainable cocoa sourcing under the EUDR. Maximizing benefits for planet and people – research dialogue results, WCC Brussels, Belgium(Brief, 2025-03) Schmidt, Paul Gunter; Bunn, ChristianItem Beyond “reach” – advancing responsible pathways to impact at scale(Brief, 2025-03) Ewell, HannaScaling agricultural innovations is often measured by how many farmers adopt a technology or how quickly an innovation spreads. But this approach overlooks crucial questions: for whom are we scaling, and how can we ensure equitable benefit? What are the unintended impacts of scaling, and how might these be minimized? Without inclusivity, scaling risks reinforcing existing inequalities rather than driving meaningful, sustainable change. Without strategic anticipation, scaling can unintentionally cause harm to the environment. Thus, responsible scaling ensures that marginalized groups, especially women, are not only recipients of innovation but also active decision-makers in shaping their agricultural future. Scaling processes are carefully planned and monitored and can be adaptively adjusted to fit new and changing contexts.Item Improving dietary quality and livelihoods using farm and wild biodiversity through an integrated community-based approach in Kenya (Impro-Co Diet Project) - Turkana(Brief, 2023-03-29) Oduor, Francis Odhiambo; Jordan, Irmgard; Termote, CelineDespite the significant progress made in addressing food insecurity and malnutrition in Kenya, the problem remains pervasive in Turkana. At the same time, threats of climate change and other risk like covid -19 have worsened the bleak situation beyond its adaptive limits. Therefore, a genuine need for building interventions that are both responsive to local contexts and resilient to ensure long-term development is apparent. This requires the recognition of indigenous resources including local knowledge to be factored in the design of interventions to enhance the resilience of the communities. Against this background, the Impro-Co Diet Project applied the Participatory Approach for Diet and Farm Diversity developed by Bioversity International in Vihiga to support the communities to enhance their resilience and transition healthier, more diverse diets.Item Julian Higuera-Florez on harnessing environmental peacebuilding in Latin America and the Caribbean(Blog Post, 2025-03-08) Higuera-Florez, Julian; Soderberg, AngusEnvironmental peacebuilding offers a promising framework to address deeply intertwined environmental challenges and conflict dynamics in Latin America and the Caribbean. So why has it not delivered fully on this promise? In an interview with ESCP, Julian Higuera-Florez, a research specialist in climate, peace, and security at the Alliance of Biodiversity and CIAT and CGIAR FOCUS Climate Security, discussed a new policy brief, Environmental Peacebuilding in Latin America and the Caribbean: Bridging Gaps and Harnessing Opportunities, co-authored with the UNDP Latin America and the Caribbean Hub.Item Accelerating innovation and impact in EU-Africa collaboration for sustainable food systems(Brief, 2025-02-28) D'Alessandro, Cecilia; Menza, GianpieroThis policy brief focuses on the critical importance of fostering the uptake and impact of research and innovation (R&I) in agrifood systems, particularly within the context of EU-Africa collaboration. As Africa faces mounting challenges from climate change, resource scarcity, and food insecurity, R&I should not only produce innovative solutions but also facilitate their widespread adoption and scaling. Achieving sustainable, inclusive, and resilient agrifood systems in Africa requires translating science and technological advances into practical, large-scale applications. The policy brief examines the EU-Africa R&I partnership, addressing key barriers to innovation uptake and exploring how to facilitate the scaling of agrifood innovations. It also draws on insights from other global initiatives and the broader innovation landscape, offering a comprehensive perspective on the challenges and opportunities in promoting the uptake of innovation.Item Women as actors of change: Climate, peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean(Brief, 2025-03-07) Palou Zuniga, Nohelia; Madurga Lopez, IgnacioItem Insights on climate peace, social cohesion and mobility in Namibia(Brief, 2025-02) Sigopi, Maria; Makanda, Joseph; Maviza, Gracsious; Tarusarira, Joram; Amutenya, Klaudia; Thompson, Sylvia; Joao, Baptista; Hamukwaya, PanduleniClimate change is having alarming effects on societies and ecosystems. There is also growing evidence of its impacts transforming and redefining the global peace and security landscape across local, national, and international levels. These impacts are triggering competition over natural resources, compromising livelihoods, and causing displacement, thereby increasing the risk of social tensions and instabilityItem Creación de un marco propicio para promover los bancos comunitarios de semillas, considerando cuatro elementos centrales: Reconocimiento, respeto, apoyo y colaboración(Brief, 2025-02) Vernooy, Ronnie; Gupta, Arnab; Subedi, Abishkar; Araujo De Lima, SilviaEl número de bancos comunitarios de semillas en todo el mundo crece, pero en muchos países sigue existiendo un vacío político y jurídico en cuanto a su contribución a la conservación de la agricultura y al desarrollo comunitario, y los mecanismos para apoyar y fortalecer sus funciones y actividades. Reconociendo la inversión de tiempo, esfuerzo y recursos que requieren el mantenimiento y la sostenibilidad de un banco de semillas, no debería funcionar sin una estrategia de apoyo, que incluya construir desde cero y fortalecer las capacidades organizativas y técnicas necesarias para mantener su funcionamiento eficiente. Dicha estrategia podría diseñarse e implementarse al nivel político, jurídico y/o normativo. Este documento ofrece elementos clave que aprovechan cuatro dimensiones de una estrategia de colaboración: reconocimiento, respeto, soporte y colaboración.Item Procedimiento - Documentación del perfil de productos para la selección de variedades de arroz en organizaciones miembro del FLAR(Manual, 2022) Cruz Gallego, Maribel; Sanabria Gongora, Yamid; Graterol Matute, Eduardo Jose; Andrade Lopez, Robert Santiago; Escobar Valdes, Maria XimenaEl propósito de este ejercicio es documentar los perfiles de productos con las características tomadas en cuenta para la selección de variedades en los programas de fitomejoramiento de las organizaciones miembro del FLAR y otros asociados a ellos, así como los estándares de comparación que los mejoradores utilizan para cada una de ellas. Esta información permite disponer de un perfil objetivo que sirva como documento de referencia sobre los criterios de selección de las variedades de arroz de los miembros del FLAR.Item Procedimiento - Diagnóstico sobre capacidades en los programas de mejoramiento Arroz/FLAR(Manual, 2022) Cruz Gallego, Maribel; Sanabria Gongora, Yamid; Graterol Matute, Eduardo Jose; Andrade Lopez, Robert Santiago; Escobar Valdes, Maria XimenaEl propósito de este diagnóstico es documentar las capacidades de los programas de fitomejoramiento de las organizaciones miembro del FLAR y otras asociadas a ellas, para la investigación en arroz, selección de germoplasma, obtención de variedades y comercialización de semillas, tomando en cuenta la infraestructura, materiales y equipos, personal técnico y de investigación, entre otros recursos. Este diagnóstico establece las bases para la planeación estratégica del programa de fitomejoramiento del FLAR con miras a desarrollar estrategias conjuntas con los socios que permitan optimizar los recursos invertidos en la investigación, obtener los productos esperados y establecer redes de colaboración entre miembros del FLARItem AgriTech4Kenya: Bootcamp Innovators Booklet(Brochure, 2024-12) Loiseau, Camille; Khader, Taija; Sanchez, Hannah; Bhansali, M.Item CircularEconomy4Colombia: Innovators challenge(Brochure, 2024-11) Khader, Taija Susanna; Sanche, HannahEl CircularEconomy4Colombia Innovation Challenge vio aproximadamente 421 aplicaciones de 27 paises diferentes, desde Chile hasta las Filipinas, Mali a Inglaterra. Después de la meticulosa evaluación de las 120 aplicaciones que cumplian con nuestros criterios de evaluación y las llamadas con los 35 equipos pre-seleccionados, 21 equipos han sido seleccionados para atender al bootcamp de 3 días que se llevará a cabo en Palmira, Colombia en la sede regional de la Alianza de Bioversity International y CIAT.Item Advancing peace with nature through innovation: Launch of the CircularEconomy4Colombia Acceleration Program(Blog Post, 2024-11-20) Loiseau, Camille; Khader, TaijaThe CircularEconomy4Colombia Acceleration Program is beginning today. Over the following four months, the selected teams will participate in specialized training and mentorship sessions aimed at strengthening their business models, scaling their innovations, and increasing their market readiness. The program will culminate in a Demo Day in the Spring of 2025, offering the teams a platform to showcase their progress in front of industry leaders, and key stakeholders, including investors.Item The CircularEconomy4Colombia innovation challenge is live(Blog Post, 2024-07-08) Khader, Taija; Dowling, KevinBogotá, July 3, 2024 – The CGIAR Accelerate for Impact Platform (A4IP) launches the latest of its science-driven and market-oriented innovation challenges - CircularEconomy4Colombia – with an open call for ambitious innovators.Item CGIAR Accelerate for Impact Platform and Partners launch the AgriTech4Kenya Innovation Challenge 2024(Blog Post, 2024-07-16) Al Keylani, Ambra; Wafullah, TeresahAgriTech4Kenya is an initiative powered by Kenyans, for Kenya. Through a participatory and demand-driven approach, the project offers comprehensive support to build a solid go-to-market strategy through business mentorship, scientific technical validation, market opportunities, access to finance, and on-the-ground experimentation with end-users to pilot solutions. In doing so, it aims to create an enabling environment for testing, validating, and transferring knowledge and technological solutions that enhance the sustainability, resilience, and efficiency of Kenya’s agricultural system, unlocking the nation’s potential in line with its strategic objective to be food secure by 2033.Item 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, JonathanKey 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.Item AgriTech4Egypt innovation challenge: That’s a wrap(Blog Post, 2025-01-09) Zaccari, Claudia; Loiseau, CamilleOn 17 December 2024, the AgriTech4Egypt Innovation Challenge wrapped up months of hard work through its final Demo Day, aimed at celebrating the achievements of 15 Agri-Tech innovation teams who successfully completed an intensive acceleration program, chosen from 900 applicants across 48 countries. Read the full article.Item Concept note for capacity building to agrifood businesses in the cashew nut value chain in Senegal(Brief, 2024-12-28) Derenoncourt, Ena; Siagbe, Golli; Ouedraogo, Mathieu; Ouedraogo, Issa