Sustainable access to early generation seed (EGS) is important for efficient supply of quality certified, standard and/or quality declared seed of improved high-performing crop varieties. Some studies have been conducted from a global perspective on the delivery of EGS with a major focus on the economic analysis and identification of effective pathways for sustainable supply. This study was designed to establish the best practices and critical factors for the delivery of EGS for grain legume and dryland cereal crops in selected countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and parts of South Asia.

Under WP 1, CIAT/PABRA promotes beans as means of contributing to the wellness of the food system, including climate adaptation, as well as the business environment. The nutrition component implemented its planned activities through partnerships with NARES and private sector players (SMEs). Eight NARES partners were engaged (three in SABRN and 5 in ECABREN) and eleven private sector players were engaged (seven in SABRN and four in ECABREN). As a result, more than 731 field demonstrations using food basket approach were mounted (100 in Zambia, 17 in Uganda, 9 in Zimbabwe and 605 in Malawi).

The second phase of the Yam Improvement for Income and Food Security in West Africa (YIIFSWA II) project was implemented through a strong collaboration between research and private sector. Private seed companies were provided with a wide variety of training and development activities on good agronomic practices (GAPs). However, the effects of the training activities were yet to be evaluated.

The kick off workshop of the CGIAR Initiative on Sustainable Animal Productivity for Livelihoods, Nutrition and Gender inclusion (SAPLING)—took place on 20-21 April in Son La Province, Vietnam. The workshop was co-hosted by the Sub-department of Animal Health and Livestock Production and Fisheries, Son La Province (Sub-DAH), the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the Alliance for Bioversity International and CIAT (ABC).

Potato plays an important role in Kenya’s food and nutrition security plan - part of the Big Four
Economic Development Strategy. The crop is cultivated by approximately 800,000 smallholder farmers
and a few medium and large-scale farmers. The sector employs another 2.5 million people -
transporters, distributors, processors, vendors, retailers, and exporters - who derive their livelihoods
along the value chain. Production has fluctuated over the last decade, despite a steady increase in area

The cattle sector is strategic for both the economic development and food security of Africa, but the low availability and quality of forage puts the most vulnerable population at risk. Hybrid forages are an alternative for enhancing both food security and sustainability of the sector but adoption levels are still low in Africa, which is related to various factors such as the availability of seeds.

Key Messages
• Yemen is experiencing one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises resulting from prolonged conflict, with about half the population suffering from food insecurity.
• Food availability and affordability in Yemen is extremely vulnerable to external shocks because of the fragility of the national food system and its heavy dependence on food imports by the private sector and international humanitarian agencies.

ICTforAg is an annual convening where agricultural stakeholders and technology experts come together to share knowledge, find solutions, and form partnerships to address challenges in agri-food systems across low- and middle-income countries. The main goal of ICTforAg is to grow communities and catalyze meaningful conversations, insights, and collaborations, increase participation of participants from the developing world, promote knowledge sharing and learning, and inspire practitioners to develop inclusive and sustainable ICT solutions.

The climate services that are available to farmers and other agricultural value chain actors are quite heterogeneous across sub-Saharan African countries. While the literature highlights widespread gaps between available climate services and the needs of farmers and other decision makers, there has been little published analysis of how or why those gaps vary by country.

CCDA-X1, hosted by the Government of Namibia, convened on the theme: “Just transitions for a Climate-Resilient Development in Africa – Transforming Dialogue into Action” in collaboration with Africa’s civil society organisations, academia, development partners, regional and international organisations and the private sector.
The conference resulted in the following key messages to be taken forward to COP27 by Namibia.

Increasing demands for energy to boost the Mekong economies have attracted the keen interest of riparian countries for hydropower development. This is evidenced by extensive investment in hydropower projects across the region over the last few decades.

Multistakeholder platforms (MSPs) are increasingly applied in environmental governance as institutions to collectively negotiate challenges, opportunities, and policy options in contested landscapes. However, their contributions and effectiveness depend on how stakeholders perceive and frame the role of MSPs in addressing social and environmental challenges. Despite this dependence, stakeholder perceptions of MSPs are currently under-researched.