Coastal ecosystems and their diverse biodiversity are under threat due to the impacts of global climate change, specifically due to rising sea levels. Mangroves, crucial as socio-ecological systems, play a vital role in combating climate change, safeguarding coastlines, and sustaining the livelihoods of coastal communities.

For the last 25 years, SSP has nurtured cadres of grassroots women leaders called Sakhis, who have won numerous honours and accolades for their own transformation, and for various sustainable solutions and projects they have initiated. Many of these Sakhis are feted as decision makers in their own communities, and...

Sundargarh (Odisha), Latehar (Jharkhand): Deep inside the lush sal forest in Odisha’s Sundargarh, Albisia Lakda, an Adivasi farmer living in Subdega block had divided the rice crop on her two-acre plot of farmland in two sections. With the monsoon fluctuating widely last year, parts of Odisha experienced long dry spells and crop failures. Now,...

Tribal farmers in the Himalayas are vulnerable to climatic changes, as their rain-fed cultivation systems, practiced on steep, sloping terrain, are susceptible to changes in rainfall while at the same time being the primary means of livelihood. Soil and water conservation practices (SWCP) can improve the resilience of these cultivation...

Despite a plethora of emerging alternatives under the broad rubric of agroecology, sustainable transitions in Indian agriculture are caught between institutional inertia and lock-ins of its vast agricultural establishment on the one hand and a pro-active state promoting a natural farming. This push for Zero-Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF), while welcome...

The objective of this impact report is to gain consolidated impact insights and lessons learned from the International Climate Initiative (IKI) financed SEED project: Financing and capacity building for micro and small climate-smart enterprises: Filling the gap of the missing middle. The 5-year global SEED project was operating in Ghana, India,...

Women’s empowerment has been associated with improved nutritional outcomes in various settings. However, the gains from empowerment do not necessarily accrue to different members of the same household in the same manner. Furthermore, the relationship between empowerment and nutrition itself is likely to be shaped by the overall level of...

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected vulnerable households’ livelihoods in developing countries. Using high-frequency phone survey data from the World Bank, we assess rural Indian households’ vulnerability and poverty status during the pandemic. Results reveal that over three-fifths of Indian rural households are vulnerable to poverty in the...

This document is designed to provide comprehensive guidelines for the production and management of quality planting materials for the benefit of farmers, nursery operators, agricultural extension agents, and other stakeholders. It explores the significance of using Quality Planting Material (QPM) for successful agroforestry practices and focuses an the pivotal role...

In the Changthang region of Ladakh, India, pastoralism serves as the cornerstone of both the local economy and the local way of life. However, recent socioeconomic shifts and environmental constraints put this economic structure, which has been expertly adapted to the difficult trans-Himalayan geography, in danger of becoming unsustainable. To...

With global temperatures already 1.2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, climate change is having major impacts on agriculture that fall disproportionately on the Global South—from crops, to livestock, to aquaculture. Agricultural systems endure frequent heat waves, flooding, and drought—often all in one season. Climate-related extreme weather events such as intense...

At the just concluded smart projector training to make natural farming accessible in rural areas, five newly selected Entrepreneurs for Rural Access (ERAs) teams from Madhya Pradesh, India, were equipped with digital and entrepreneurial tools and skills for running a business from bringing training videos to farmers using a smart...

When used in water-scarce areas, biochar helps the soil to better absorb water and to slowly release the required amount to the crop. So you need to irrigate less, which saves you money and labour. Biochar also makes soils more productive.

Global Organic Agricultural Innovations covers major innovations and research in organic agriculture from 18 countries and areas around the world. This edition showcases the diversity and robustness of the growth of organic agriculture around the world. More than seventy innovators and researchers contribute to this edition which covers themes from climate...

In 2023, the CGIAR Research Initiative on Transforming Agrifood Systems in South Asia (TAFSSA) addressed the nexus of poverty, social inequities, malnutrition, environmental degradation, and climate change through research and innovation. Collaborating with 10 CGIAR Research Initiatives, engaging with five bilateral projects aligned with Initiative goals, and partnering with two...

The more pigeon peas produce secondary branches, the more pods it will produce, leading to higher yields. 6 to 7 weeks after sowing, remove the tips of the main branches. This is called nipping. After a week, use half a mug of biofertiliser per plant or add it to irrigation...

Informal trade Informal cross-border trade plays a major role in the BIMSTEC region, given the shared borders between member countries such as India with Bangladesh and Nepal. Informal trade is defined through the exchange process and consists of unrecorded trade flows that escape official statistics. “Informality” refers to the nature of the...

Different crops and tree leaves provide different levels of micro and macro-nutrients when incorporated into the soil. This adds organic matter, boosts beneficial soil micro-organisms and enhances soil fertility.

Flash droughts are abrupt and rapid intensification of droughts that affect agriculture, water, and ecosystems and are commonplace in South Asia. Despite their potential impact, flash drought evolution characteristics and underlying mechanisms in South Asia remain underexplored. We use a multivariate approach to analyze the onset speed, frequency, severity, duration,...

Climate change and variability affect virtually everyone and every region of the world but the effects are nowhere more prominent than among rural marginalized communities that rely heavily on agriculture and fishing for a living and they face numerous livelihood challenges including risk posed by variability of climate. Using phenomenological...