Food security, at national and household levels, is on the decline because traditional capital (physical, natural, human and financial) has not fully led to its improvement. There is an increasing shift of attention to social capital as an element that explains household food security, but there is a lack of adequately documented information on this. Therefore, this study investigates the effects of social capital on food security, using data collected on a cross-section of 775 cassava farming households from four zones of Nigeria.

Following the launch of the CSA strategy for the Central American Integration System (2017), supported by CCAFS, actors from all levels (local, national, regional/international) implemented 259 transformations aligned with the strategy’s objectives toward scaling Climate Smart Agriculture. These transformations include CSA policy formulation and implementation, capacity strengthening and partnership around CSA, mechanisms to facilitate and articulate climate financing. Most of the transformations are concentrated in the policy area.

Effective assessments of the current status of biodiversity conservation are needed to support planning, policy and action, from local to global levels. Of particular use would be well documented, reproducible methods based on openly accessible data and tools. Such methods should provide an accurate estimate of the state of conservation of diversity, identifying gaps in current conservation systems, while providing a benchmark against which to measure success, including determining when conservation goals have been met.

Recent studies on yield gap analysis for rice in Southeast Asia revealed different levels of intensification across the main ‘rice bowls’ in the region. Identifying the key crop management and biophysical drivers of rice yield gaps across different ‘rice bowls’ provides opportunities for comparative analyses, which are crucial to better understand the scope to narrow yield gaps and increase resource-use efficiencies across the region.

Crop wild relatives (CWRs) belonging to the Brassicaceae family possess extensive genetic diversity and have frequently been utilized in the enhancement of cultivated Brassica species. However, their tolerance to glyphosate, a widely used herbicide, has remained unknown. Our study examined the glyphosate response of 20 genotypes from the Brassicaceae family, which included genotypes within the U triangle and their wild relatives.

Wild foods significantly contribute to the global food basket, and food and nutrition security. Worldwide, wild food species form an integral part of local diets and their widespread assimilation into local food culture suggests an untapped potential to ensure easy availability and access to micronutrients for sustainable food systems. However, wild species are often overlooked within nutrition-related policies, and their levels of availability remain unknown.

This report provides an update on the state of the art of the cocoa value chain in Ucayali, along with a discussion on its existing business models and their associated challenges and opportunities. This analysis is conducted within the framework of the 13 agroecological principles outlined by the High Level Panel of Experts (HLPE, 2019).

Little is known about the responses of endangered Rosewood species to drought and heat stress. These stresses are expected to increase in the Greater Mekong Subregion where the species co-occur and are endemic. Our results indicate contrasting relationships in water relations, photosynthetic pigment levels, and total soluble sugars in the two species, matching their ecological niches. The results support effective regeneration and conservation of the species in degraded habitats and in the face of climate change.

Commercial farming of banana for export has rapidly expanded across northern uplands of Laos since 2008 with the establishment of new plantations by foreign companies. Heavy reliance on agrochemical usage warrants examination of possible environmental and human health risks. This study presents a preliminary assessment of the environmental risks from pesticide usage associated with bananas and other major crops in Oudomxay province.

This brief identifies important constructs for assessing drivers of food choice behaviors and describes progress on the development of a repository of instruments and measures for assessing these constructs.
OBJECTIVES

List constructs that can be assessed to understand drivers of household and individual food choice behaviors.
Identify instruments and measures to assess each food choice construct and organize these into a searchable repository.
Illustrate the use of the Food Choice Repository.

This report delves into the essential task of gathering validation data, focusing on surface and groundwater related data monitoring through the deployment of field equipment. The primary objective is to comprehensively monitor surface water and groundwater levels, along with rainfall, on a regular basis. This hydrologic monitoring initiative is conducted within the context of a case study centered on rice-fish systems, specifically community fish refuges (CFRs) in Prey Veng Province, Cambodia.

Management practices to improve soil health influence several ecosystem services including regulation of water
flows, changes in soil biodiversity and greenhouse gases that are important at local, regional and global levels.
Unfortunately, the primary focus in soil health management over the years has been increasing crop productivity
and to some extent the associated economics and use efficiencies of inputs. There are now efforts to study the