Soils are critical for agriculture and natural ecosystems and need protection, and adherence to nature's principles. The objective of this work is to understand how nature manages resources and describe management of the 'living soil’ and its soil productivity and use nature's laws as guidelines for the management. These guidelines provide the...

The earth is warming, and the frequency of extreme weather events have been rapidly growing globally with unprecedented consequences to farming communities. In principle, weather and climate information services (WCIS) can help farmers better manage their activities and farm level outcomes by supporting their decision-making with relevant and usable information...

The impacts of the climate and biodiversity crises on people’s livelihoods and opportunities differ greatly based on their gender and other intersecting identity factors. Populations that face systemic marginalization and discrimination are often disproportionately affected.  International actors and scientific bodies, such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Intergovernmental...

The fungus Magnaporthe oryzae ravages rice and wheat crops and poses a formidable threat to human food on a global scale. Researchers from INRAE, CIRAD and the Université de Montpellier, together with the Hunan Hybrid Rice Research Centre (HHRRC) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) have discovered a gene...

Innovations are crucial for the transition to a sustainable bioeconomy. They are embedded in and linked to complex value chains, but these interrelationships have not received much attention in the empirical literature yet. Using current typologies of four bioeconomic innovation types and six value chain models, this case study analyzes...

In this 6th factsheet in the series on ultra-processed food (UPF) in Africa, the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) briefly discuss how UPF is impacting ecological health and functioning, and driving the interconnected biodiversity, climate, and pollution crises on the continent. Over the last two decades, food systems have undergone massive transformations. It...

This set of briefs was produced as an easy-to-use guide to address the challenges surrounding land rights in Kyrgyzstan based on the Kyrgyz land, civil and family codes. Its primary goal is to offer Kyrgyz citizens a clear understanding of their rights, legal processes, and practical steps related to land...

Vincent Gitz, ingeniero forestal, científico de recursos naturales y economista, aporta una gran experiencia a su nuevo rol en la oficina de CIFOR-ICRAF para América Latina en Lima, Perú. Con una trayectoria en investigación, formulación de políticas y en la intersección entre ciencia y toma de decisiones, el Dr. Gitz...

Rural women in low- and middle-income countries face multiple constraints in accessing and benefiting from essential complementary resources, technologies, and services for agricultural production and participation in the agrifood system. This paper highlights recent thinking around these constraints and how to overcome them. The complementary factors we consider are: (1)...

En el entorno rural, las mujeres desempeñan roles esenciales como productoras, administradoras de recursos, garantes de la seguridad alimentaria y custodias de la biodiversidad. La evidencia indica que cuando las mujeres participan en la gestión de los recursos naturales, mejora su conservación y gestión, y es más probable que se...

In 1997, thousands of people gathered in Marrakesh, Morocco, for the first World Water Forum to address an urgent problem: the global water crisis. The meeting resulted in the Marrakech Declaration, a pledge that called on the World Water Council to develop a “World Water Vision” for the 21st century....

Este folleto está dirigido a agricultores, técnicos agrícolas y trabajadores de extensión. Tiene el objetivo de orientar el establecimiento y funcionamiento de los bancos de semillas en los espacios comunitarios; ofrece la definición de bancos locales de semillas, quienes los integran y aspectos básicos para su funcionamiento. Además, este documento...

This manual describes in detail the Global Biodiversity Standard (TGBS) methodology required for TGBS certification, including the application form, remote sensing and field survey, as well as the assessment process and scoring system. This manual is divided into nine sections, each of which addresses a different aspect of the TGBS...

En Nicaragua, Mesoamérica sin Hambre AMEXCID-FAO ha centrado sus esfuerzos en apoyar el diseño y la implementación de instrumentos normativos y de política pública, basados en experiencias validadas y sistematizadas en campo, que contribuyan a mejorar la disponibilidad, el acceso y la calidad de semillas, y con ello a garantizar...

In this series focusing on ultra-processed food (UPF) on the African continent, the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) explore the impacts of shifting dietary patterns, with increasing reliance on low-cost, ultra-processed foods (UPFs) globally, and in Africa in particular, in the context of an urgent call for a just, agroecological...

The publication offers a rich diversity of perspectives and insights from real-life experiences of 42 inspiring teams of youths in Africa and India who are blazing a trail as private extension and advisory service providers promoting agroecology through farmer-to-farmer learning videos. Each of the deeply compelling stories presented in this...

Group-shared attributes, coded in cultural systems, heavily influence how land is used. Despite recent advances in behavioural theory, the central role of culture in land-use decision-making and linked sustainability outcomes is underexplored. We expanded on institutional analysis and system-dynamics frameworks to analyse 66 studies that causally link culture to land...

El folleto Producción y conservación de semillas está dirigido a la comunidad agricultora, personal extensionista y de técnicos agrícolas y tiene como objetivo orientar a estos grupos de trabajo en los procesos de producción y conservación de semillas de maíz. Este folleto guía los procesos para producir y mantener semillas...

Small-scale fisheries (SSF), including fishers and fishworkers together with their communities and organizations, are among the world’s most effective contributors to safeguarding aquatic resources and environments. Living near to, and relying on, freshwater and marine aquatic species and environments, small-scale fisheries are at the heart of environmental conservation and stewardship...

The rapid and ongoing digital transformation of government, economic, and social sectors holds immense potential to improve outcomes across the SDGs for smallholder farmers and rural communities more generally. However, it is also widely recognized that digitalization alone does not guarantee inclusion. Rural residents and marginalized groups have the most...