Harriet Okech, a scientist at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), briefing visitors to CGIAR Science Week on the work of the IITA. Credit: Busani Bafana/IPS

By Busani Bafana
NAIROBI, Jul 1 2025 (IPS)

Despite delivering life-saving medicines, more nutritious crops, and transformative technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), science remains widely misunderstood, polarizing, and underappreciated. Much of this, experts say, comes down to one persistent issue: poor communication.

Science doesn’t reach the people it’s meant to serve—not because it lacks value, but because it is locked behind technical jargon and inaccessible language. “Science is often misunderstood because it’s poorly communicated,” says Harriet Okech, a biotechnologist on a mission to demystify science and protect it from distortion in an era of rampant misinformation.

Okech, a scientist at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Kenya, believes that science must be made understandable and relatable—especially for farmers and policymakers, who are critical in translating research into real-world impact.

“Science should not stay in journals or labs. It must reach the people who need it most,” Okech told IPS.

Keen to improve the accessibility and relevance of its science research to decision-makers, the CGIAR published a report, Insight to Impact: A Decision-Maker’s Guide to Navigating Food System Science, which recognized that the CGIAR’s research was not consistently being used. The report designed for leaders, policymakers and researchers, focuses on translating science into action by simplifying scientific findings into practical, understandable and relevant information with links to tools and real-world applications.

“One of the main barriers is the gap in communication between the scientist and the private sector, including the farmer who is supposed to be the key beneficiary of the materials and innovations the scientists are coming up with,” said Grace Mijiga Mhango, President of the Grain Traders and Processors Association of Malawi, one of several stakeholders consulting in the development of the report.

Commenting on the report, Lindiwe Sibanda, Chair of the CGIAR Integrated Partnership Board, highlighted that policymakers need more support to navigate food systems science.

“The most powerful scaling of agricultural research that I have experienced is through policy, where a policy environment is created in a way that is conducive for CGIAR technologies to be taken up. Yet not all researchers, not all scientists, are comfortable in the science-policy interface. This report marks a step towards bridging this gap.”

Unjamming the Jargon, Plain Speak

To make science relatable, it must first be understandable.

“Scientists and journalists must work together to unpack complex research. Otherwise, the message gets lost—or worse, misinterpreted,” said Okech.

Often, journalists simply reproduce scientific jargon without fully understanding it, leading to confusion and public distrust. “Scientists need to own their narratives and communicate their work clearly—without causing panic or watering it down,” she explained.

Through science communication training programs for researchers and journalists, Okech is helping build this critical skill set.

The biotechnology sector, in particular, has been a frequent casualty of misinformation.

“There’s a lot of fear around biotech because people don’t understand what it is,” Okech noted.

She recalled explaining the basics of GM technology to an Uber driver following Kenya’s decision to lift its ban on genetically modified crops.

“He thought GMOs were just oversized vegetables injected with chemicals. That moment reminded me how important it is to engage beyond the lab.”

Today, Okech writes science-based opinion pieces for the media and creates video content on platforms like YouTube to explain innovations in biotechnology and genome editing in a simple, visual, and engaging way. Her work spans key crops like cassava and ensete—a vital food crop in Ethiopia related to bananas—where she focuses on improving traits for disease resistance and resilience through genetic transformation and gene editing.

As the world works to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), science information must be accessible and inclusive in helping tackle development challenges, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Through its Open Science initiative, UNESCO has championed the need to simplify science communication to promote public understanding and engagement.

Science in Her Cells

Having transitioned from the lab to the front line of science communication, Okech sees herself as a bridge between researchers and the public.

“When I worked in the lab, my dream was to help others understand science, especially those without a scientific background,” she said.

Under the mentorship of Dr. Leena Tripathi—Director of the Eastern Africa Hub and Head of the Biotechnology Program at IITA—Okech has led communications efforts for the institute’s biotechnology and cassava seed systems programs.

Science, for Okech, is more than a career. It is a calling.

“It’s in my DNA,” she chuckled. “But what good is science if no one understands it?”

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Eluid Rugut, a youth agri-champion at the Ban Ki-Moon Centre. Credit: Busani Bafana/IPS

By Naureen Hossain
NAIROBI, Apr 17 2025 (IPS)

Eliud Rugut comes from generations of farmers, yet his family expected him to move out of their home and pursue another career.

He studied economics and started working in business and marketing, though it would be short-lived as he lost his job during the COVID-19 pandemic. When he moved back to his parents’ home, he wanted to turn around their farm’s productivity.

The farm’s production of millet, sorghum, and maize had been decreasing over the years—it had declined by 60 percent, a significant loss when the farm was the family’s main source of income. Part of the reason for this loss was attributed to the impact of climate change on soil degradation or pest infestations, and part of it was also because his parents were relying on the same seeds and farming techniques with little variation.

“My mother was open to new innovations,” Rugut said, explaining that she had asked him to bring forward new ideas to resolve the issues they faced. “She convinced my father to give me one acre to grow products in.”

At first, Rugut’s father was highly resistant to sharing his land because he would be losing part of his income. In a patriarchal society like that in Rugut’s community in Kenya, men hold greater rights when it comes to land inheritance and are the final authority on how the land is to be used. Eventually Rugut’s father agreed to lend out one acre of land.

It was with this single acre that Rugut built a greenhouse where he applied his farming techniques, technologies, and seeds. He planted crops such as bell peppers, indigenous vegetables, and several fruits, all of which grew during a different season from his family’s grains. Upon seeing the productivity from these crops—and the significant earnings they brought in—Rugut’s father was almost in disbelief that they could produce such results in a shorter timeframe than his maize crops. He took to walking around the greenhouse some nights, as though he needed to see the results and understand for himself, Rugut said. It was a step forward in changing his mind about adopting new approaches to farming.

Rugut would also download and play YouTube videos on agriculture for his father to watch at home. The exposure to different farming techniques through educational (and free) videos that were made by or were about farmers and their lived experience also went a long way in opening up Rugut’s father’s mind to the possibilities, especially when he saw how his son was applying those same techniques on their farm.

Rugut took action, bringing knowledge and innovation to his family and the wider community. Today, he is one of the founders of Silo Africa, which manufactures and sells silo systems for smallholder farmers, which are equipped with smart technology that allows farmers to track the stored grains’ conditions. This was also founded on his innovations with his family’s farm as a way to combat pests and weevils going through their grains. The company is looking to expand their business beyond Kenya and provide silos to farmers across the African continent.

Rugut’s journey in the agri-food industry was shaped when, in 2022, he joined the Ban Ki-Moon Centre for Global Citizens’ (BKMC) Youth Agri Champions Program. “It was one of the game changers of my life,” he said when describing his time in the program.

The opportunities to learn about scaling for impact and climate in agri-food systems had shaped his mindset around his work and the ideas he could take back to his community. With his fellow youth champions, they could commiserate about shared experiences and commonalities over land ownership and how these shaped their farming practices. These were opportunities to share best practices.

BKMC’s most significant impact was giving champions a platform to “elevate [their] voices.”

“That is one thing the youth have never had. Our voices were never heard,” Rugut said. “We never had platforms to voice our challenges, to voice what we are doing.”

Through the BKMC, Rugut could attend conferences like COP28 and share the stage with world leaders, doctors, academic researchers, and policymakers, which was “nerve-wracking” at first. Rugut’s time as a Youth AgriChampion showed him that it was possible for youth farmers, especially smallholder farmers, to “communicate [their] challenges.” More than that, their perspectives held weight.

Rugut has been pleased to dispel any misinformation around small farmers and prove that they are “open to learning” about new farming techniques, since they were already finding ways to adapt to the challenges brought on by climate change. What they need is for this information to be accessible, which is where he would “really challenge” conference attendees to “package” their research in a way that people like him could take the information back to the communities.

Each year, the Youth AgriChampions put out a ‘demand’ paper, which they present at the UN Climate Conference. Regular demands from these papers call for further investments in climate financing, capacity building, and access to climate-smart technology.

“We’ve gotten our voice through the Ban Ki-Moon [Centre] and through this demand paper—there is a document that can speak for us, and people who can speak for us.”

Although conferences like the UN Climate Conference and CGIAR Science Week bring stakeholders from all over the world and can serve as platforms for farmers from the Global South to participate in the conversations, there is still scope for further growth and inclusion.

Such conferences are largely for other stakeholder organizations that conduct research or run interventions in the agri-food systems, but it is still rare for farmers from marginalized communities—or “beneficiaries,” as they are known—to be present in these discussions. The research and solutions discussed in these conferences are often written and presented through a technical lens for a different audience.

“They talk a language that is only understandable by […] the researchers, the scientists, and the donors,” Rugut remarked. “But the very actors… they call it the ‘beneficiaries,’ the people who are at the forefront, who are supposed to have this technology, [who are] affected by the changes, they haven’t been at the table… It’s not enough, but it is a start for us.”

“As a youth and as a smallholder farmer, people view us as beneficiaries. But we are not just beneficiaries. We are co-creators of the change. We are very innovative. We want to be at the table to partner with various actors in the industry so we can improve it.”

Seeing them as “receivers” waiting for solutions is risky because it undermines those on the ground who are innovating and contributing. Even though they are deeply affected by food insecurity and the risks of farming across different environments, farmers are at the forefront of tackling the issue.

Rugut argues that young farmers are part of that charge in the strides and innovations they are making in increasing food security. They only need further support from larger actors such as the government, financiers, and non-governmental organizations in the agriculture industry. “The guys who are working in these big offices, they have three meals a day. We guarantee them three meals a day. So, are we the beneficiaries or are we the actors?”

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Nicoline de Haan during a parallel session on gender during the CGIAR Science Week. Credit: Naureen Hossain/IPS

By Naureen Hossain
NAIROBI, Apr 12 2025 (IPS)

To advance the participation of women, the youth, and minority communities in the agricultural sector, measures must be taken to recognize and break down the barriers that hold them back. Experts in the agricultural sector agree that even as they constitute a significant percentage of the agricultural workforce, women face persistent challenges. The picture that emerges is a lack of due recognition of their presence and their challenges, such as limited access to resources and knowledge.

In a parallel session convened during CGIAR Science Week, ‘Enabling global gains towards gender equality, youth, and social inclusion in agri-food systems,’ speakers convened to discuss how to bridge the gaps in gender equality and the inequities in food systems. The CGIAR Gender Impact Platform prioritizes effective, strategic research efforts that will go toward enhancing gender equality, social inclusion, and opportunities for youth.

In accompanying the CGIAR Gender Impact Platform, the CGIAR Gender Equality and Inclusion Accelerator — or GENDER Accelerator for short — serves as a “center for excellence,” according to CGIAR Gender Director Nicoline de Haan. The Accelerator is a platform for researchers and experts to serve as think tanks or build capacity among its stakeholders. Analyzing social and gender norms that influence the environments in which women and youth are shaped can help CGIAR and its partners identify trends and seek missing data. These findings will be relevant in areas where data is limited, such as with youth in the agricultural sector. The accelerator also compiles existing research to address the unique conditions in the food, water, and land systems (FLWS) that make it difficult to implement solutions.

“This is not about fixing women farmers. It is about changing the system around them,” said CGIAR Executive Managing Director Ismahane Elouafi in her opening remarks. She added that CGIAR would ensure that the platform would work to ensure that “all farmers can access the system fairly.”

In her remarks, De Haan broke down the steps that decision-makers could take to support women-led innovation at the individual and systemic levels. Formal measures to build up women’s participation can be solidified through inclusive policies and laws and through providing them with information, technology, and education. Women in this field should feel empowered to make informed decisions, which can also be achieved by recognizing that societal norms do not need to limit their capabilities.

The event also discussed the need for more opportunities for youth in the sector. Like women, they are excluded from decision-making processes. At least 1.2 million youth live in low-to-middle-income countries with few opportunities for gainful employment in this sector. Nana Yaa Boakyewaa Amoah, Director of Gender, Youth, and Inclusiveness for AGRA, remarked that identifying how the current landscape can be shaped to allow the youth to thrive in this sector should be a priority.

“Who should feed the future? It’s the youth,” said de Haan. “Let’s set them up for success right now, because I think we’re setting them up for failure.”

Research findings and the solutions borne from them should be made easily accessible to agricultural workers, which seems to be more of an issue for women and youth. Alessandra Galiè, Gender team leader at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), provided the example of chickens raised as livestock that contract the virulent Newcastle disease, which would jeopardize the livelihood of any farmer who raises them. While vaccines are available, there is a low adoption rate among women and youths, which she observed was due to a lack of awareness of the vaccine’s existence. When farmers are disempowered, they are unable to adopt innovations, she said.

Simply equipping agricultural workers with new farming techniques should not be enough. The empowerment that CGIAR and its partners work towards should also come from including them in the decision-making processes. Jackline Makokha, Director, Gender, State Department for Gender and Affirmative Action, Kenya, remarked that inclusivity in decision-making looks like “vulnerable groups included in the table…[who] make decisions that speak to their lived reality.” The unique perspective of minority groups should also be encouraged within academic spaces, allowing for more women scientists with a background in agricultural employment to lead research.

Even though there are gaps in gender and social science research in the agricultural sector, the research that does exist must be brought together, which the CGIAR Gender Accelerator has the potential to do. It is also publicly accessible, which would allow stakeholders across agri-food systems to make use of it to facilitate research or to help design solutions.

Through the CGIAR platforms, the recognition they bring to women farmers and their work is a critical step toward gender equality and social inclusion. The international community and its leaders should follow suit. They will have that opportunity to demonstrate that recognition and make progress in 2026, which the United Nations declared as the International Year of the Woman Farmer.

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CGIAR Science Week closing plenary. Credit: Busani Bafana/IPS

By Joyce Chimbi
NAIROBI, Apr 11 2025 (IPS)

More than 13,600 participants from around the world registered for the inaugural CGIAR Science Week at the UN Complex, Nairobi, April 7-12, 2025. Dr. Ismahane Elouafi, the organization’s Executive Managing Director, said, “This is a testament that people are thirsty for science and for good news.”

“They are thirsty for hope, and that’s what science brings. And that’s also what CGIAR brings. We bring solutions to the country level and the community where science could really thrive.”

Through a video message, Amina J. Mohammed, the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group, said the science conference has come just a few months ahead of the 2nd United Nations Food Systems Summit Stocktake (UNFSS+4) to be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

“We will have the chance to reflect on the progress we’ve made and, more importantly, chart the way forward. Progress on the SDGs requires accelerating the transition to sustainable food systems. Partnerships are essential in accelerating progress, bringing together diverse expertise to drive science-based solutions,” she observed.

Stressing that by aligning research with policy and action and working with partners like CGIAR and the high-level panel of experts on the Committee on the Role of Food Security, “We are building food systems that are resilient, sustainable, and inclusive, ensuring lasting impact in the face of climate change and global hunger.

“Yet we must also remain mindful of the challenges we face, such as geopolitical tensions, the impacts of climate change, economic uncertainty, and the urgent need for a reformed international financial architecture that supports these efforts.”

Reflecting on the past five days, Dr. Eliud Kiplimo Kireger, Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), the conference co-host, said the past week provided a critical platform for dialogue, collaboration, and innovation, bringing together global leaders, researchers, and partners to address the pressing challenges of food security.

Observing that the discussions underscored the role of science, technology, and partnerships in transforming food systems for a more sustainable and equitable future. Stressing that the event has “uniquely convened agriculture, climate, and health stakeholders to address interconnected challenges threatening food security and sustainability. By integrating these domains, we have moved beyond cycle approaches to systemic solutions.”

Further emphasizing that the Science Week showcased transformative tools from AI-driven architectural decision-making to climate-smart groundbreaking technologies that are ready for scaling and that “these innovations provide actionable pathways to resilience… the next step is prioritization of localized adaptations of proven technologies, particularly for smallholder farmers.”

Juergen Voegele, Vice President, World Bank/Chair of the CGIAR System Council, told participants that as populations continue to grow, the need for CGIAR’s role is stronger than ever as increasingly severe weather events make food production more and more risky. And growing conflict around the world makes more and more people food insecure.

“And changing trade policies, as we see in the last few days, will affect hundreds of millions of people. At the same time, we see a decline in public spending for the needs of poor countries broadly. That also means competition for scarce research dollars is much fiercer now. For us as a CGIAR system, it becomes ever more critical to have a compelling narrative.”

Voegele said investing in agricultural research has the highest return on the dollar and is a key part of the solution to a changing climate, migration, and conflict and that “we do need to tell a story about how many lives drought-resistant wheat varieties save or flood-tolerant rice or nutrition-dense crops. It is impact and scale that matter and will be the most convincing in lower capitals.

“And we must ask ourselves some fundamental questions. For starters, is our new research portfolio still 100 percent relevant or do we need to prioritize even more for impact?”

Dr. Rachel Chikwamba, Group Executive for Advanced Chemistry and Life Sciences at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), affirmed that CGIAR is uniquely positioned to serve and complement ongoing initiatives through its extensive network of partnerships, and it remains a leader in fostering collaborative efforts to address these seemingly intractable global challenges.

“They have done it for the past 50 years in a shifting environment, and they continue to do this so very proudly, as we have witnessed this past week. For the youth that are in the room, I hope you have been inspired, and I do hope you take up careers in science and technology; in particular, I hope you take up careers in agriculture,” she said.

“You have seen what is possible, you have seen the role of technology therein, and you have seen its potential to transform not just our lives, but indeed how we engage the youth and how the youth can take charge of our common destiny.”

No matter how complex the issues in the agrifood systems, the world must listen to what the scientists are saying, and they are saying that the solutions are in science, innovation, inclusion, and partnerships and that no one should be left behind.

CGIAR works with more than 3000 partners in nearly 90 countries around the world to advance the transformation of food, land, and water systems in a climate crisis. Regional director generals from these partners supported the urgent calls for innovation, collaboration, and partnership.

The organization’s research centers include the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), The International Potato Center (CIP), AfricaRice, and The International Water Management Institute (IWMI).

In his closing remarks, Kenya’s Principal secretary state department for Agriculture, Dr. Paul Kiprono Ronoh, made an impassioned plea for youth to make a case for themselves and their involvement in resolving challenges in the agrifood systems. Further emphasizing that the time when decisions were made on behalf of farmers is long gone and that farmers must be at the table and at the center of developing and implementing innovative solutions.

“A crisis like this is an opportunity to find better solutions,” he said. “together we can transform science systems through science. Let us leave here inspired but also resolute in our commitment to using science, thus creating a future that is sustainable for generations to come. Kenya remains committed to being a leader in agricultural transformation and looks forward to working with all of you.”

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Dr Ismahane Elouafi, Executive Managing Director of CGIAR. Credit: Busani Bafana/IPS

By Cecilia Russell and Busani Bafana
NAIROBI, Apr 11 2025 (IPS)

This week presented a beacon of hope for young people so that the “girl from the South and the boy, of course” could stay in the developing world, Dr Ismahane Elouafi, Executive Managing Director of CGIAR, said during a press conference on the final day of the CGIAR Science Week.

Science and innovation could whet their appetites, especially as research and innovation can change the perception that it is a drudgery-filled occupation to one where there is room for ambition – and it made business sense.

“In the face of slow productivity and rising risks, the case is clear. Investing in agricultural research is one of the smartest and most future-proof decisions that anyone can make,” she said.

Elouafi, along with the other panellists Dr Eliud Kiplimo Kireger, the Director General of KALRO and Eluid Rugut, a youth agri-champion at the Ban Ki-moon Centre, alluded to the broad value chain of agriculture, which will make it attractive to young people.

Dr Eliud Kiplimo Kireger, the Director General of KALRO. Credit: Busani Bafana/IPS

Kireger commented that people say, “Agriculture is not sexy, and so we need to make it sexy,” and encourage young people into science. Apart from encouraging young kids into science, there was a space in it for young people who don’t want to see returns on their investments in years but in months.

Rugut’s personal experience backs the claim up; he told the press conference that he first had to convince his father to give him a little land – and this wasn’t an easy task. Rugut, who represents both the youth and a smallholder, said it was only once his father saw the benefits of the new technologies that he was prepared to give his son the benefit of the doubt.

“It was very hard to convince my dad to give us land, but over time, these technologies that I was trying to bring to the farm – like drip irrigation, water pumps and drought-tolerant seeds,” Rugut said, but in the end, “I was able to convince him. Also, my mom was able to convince him.”

Kireger said the week-long conference had shown the power of collaboration, especially because research was expensive and the need was great. However, digitisation had meant that a lot of the research was no longer stuck in the labs and was now in the hands of farmers.

Eluid Rugut, a youth agri-champion at the Ban Ki-Moon Centre. Credit: Busani Bafana/IPS

He encouraged farmers (and the journalists at the conference) to take a look at the Google Play store, where there are KALRO apps.

“So, if you go to Google Play Store, you will find many KALRO apps which you can download onto your phone. So, if you’re a coffee farmer, for example, you can download a guide on your phone.”

This digitisation is key to scaling research and making it accessible.

Elouafi, too, said investment in agribusiness was crucial to transforming the sector There was a need for public-private partnerships so farmers were no longer only involved in production but down the value chain too.

“So strategic investment in agricultural research isn’t just necessary; it is economically smart. We have seen a USD 10 return on every dollar spent on research and development in the agriculture sector.”

She provided several examples. Participating in the value chain could transform USD 300 of wheat into USD 3000 through pasta production. Likewise with quinoa, millet and sorghum, which cost USD 4 in the market, with production, can fetch USD 50 to USD 100 per kilogram in the market.

This opportunity is where policies and subsidies come in, to put this potential into the hands of the farmers. “This is a gap we need to bridge,” Elouafi said.

Elouafi reported significant progress this week, particularly in addressing food insecurity. The achievements included the launch of the CGIAR research portfolio, the International Potato Centre (CIP) and KALRO biotech agreement, the IWMI water security strategy for East Africa, and the publication of CGIAR’s flagship report, Insight to Impact: A decision-maker’s guide to navigating food system science.

“Science week  has demonstrated the strength of partnerships. How together we can generate powerful tools, innovation, technologies, knowledge, institutions, policies – all of it – to deliver real-world impact for the communities that we serve.

“In the era of fake news and misinformation, our work, our impact, our partnership, and our commitment to the communities we serve are real, and our impact is real, and we need to have a much louder voice. We cannot let it up because the gap will be filled by misinformation.”

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Dr. Ismahane Elouafi at the launch of CGIAR's flagship report, 'Insight to Impact: A decision-maker’s guide to navigating food system science.'

By Joyce Chimbi
NAIROBI, Apr 10 2025 (IPS)

“To have impact, it was crucial to understand what impact was wanted,” CGIAR’s Executive Managing Director Dr. Ismahane Elouafi said at the launch of the organization’s flagship report, Insight to Impact: A decision-maker’s guide to navigating food system science.

“The report is called Insight to Impact because the key message is that impact starts with insight. So, it is very important that we invest in science if we are to have an impact,” Elouafi said.  “But what is very important as well is to really have a proper engagement of policymakers… This report gives real examples and insights into what works and what does not work as well.”

To give a perspective on the importance of policy in relation to nutritious foods, she said that in many ways, the farmers will produce what they produce because there is a market for it and that to produce more healthy foods requires creating a market for it through policy. Policies can subsidize or incentivize farmers to produce more nutritious foods.

“And for me, this is what we have not been doing. We have not been pushing enough for policies that are pro-climate, that are pro-nutrition, and that are pro-poor as well. So, all of this is doable. And what we need to do is make sure we provide the genetic breed that we know is nutritious, but also go and talk to policymakers to get the policies to make sure it makes it to the market.”

In a world confronted by serious interconnected challenges of climate change, environmental degradation, persistent poverty, and food and nutrition insecurity, there is an urgent need for evidence-based decision-making to resolve complex issues that now transcend boundaries, demanding cohesive and science-driven solutions – and that is where the guide comes in.

“The reality is that today we are facing challenges, particularly in the last few years, that were unimaginable even five or ten years ago. The speed at which climate change is coming at us and farmers around the world, is not what anyone expected… The rate of return of investing in agricultural research is increasing by the minute, while the costs of not doing it are phenomenal,” by Jüergen Vöegele, Vice President, World Bank/Chair of the CGIAR System Council.

A Decision-Maker’s Guide To Navigating Food System Science was launched at CGIAR Science Week. Credit: Busani Bafana/IPS

While decision-makers at global, national, and local levels recognize the urgency of taking decisive action and also understand that safeguarding the resilience, health, and livelihoods of vulnerable communities, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, requires sound, science-backed policies, many also struggle to access the right information in the right format, slowing the translation of research into action.

As the world’s largest agricultural research partnership, CGIAR developed the report as part of a wider bundle of decision-making resources to meet these challenges head-on, recognizing that, although agricultural research cannot solve every problem, food system transformation must be part of the solution.

CGIAR’s global partnership of 13 world-leading research centers provides solutions to transform food, land, and water systems in a climate crisis to ensure food security in low- and middle-income countries. For over 50 years, the organization has supported decision-makers at global, regional, national, and local levels by providing timely, policy-relevant, impactful innovations, data, and expertise to ensure food security in target countries.

In this regard, the report provides science-based insights and practical recommendations to help decision-makers navigate the pressing challenges of agriculture, food security, and sustainable development while preparing for future risks. Importantly, it is a way to continually improve the accessibility and relevance of our research to decision-makers.

Grace Mijiga Mhango, president of the Grain Traders and Processors Association of Malawi, stated that one of the main barriers to using science as a transformative tool is the “gap in communication between the scientist and the private sector, including the farmer who is supposed to be the key beneficiary of the materials and innovations the scientists are coming up with.”

In the right hands, food system science and innovation can transform food systems to deliver across the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. It is the foundation that decision-makers at local, national, regional, and global levels can use to make informed decisions.

Decisions that result in food systems supporting regeneration rather than driving environmental degradation and becoming a net sink rather than a source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, protecting biodiversity rather than depleting it, and providing culturally appropriate, affordable, available, diverse, and safe diets that ensure nutrition, health, and food security.

Solutions steeped in science and innovation can contribute to producer stability and resilience, supporting livelihoods and reducing poverty for smallholders and benefiting over 500 million women while also creating new opportunities for 267 million young people.

Overall, the report is designed for leaders, policymakers, and researchers; it focuses on translating science into action. The report simplifies scientific findings into practical, understandable, and relevant information with links to tools and real-world applications.

CGIAR research shows a good return on investment. For every dollar invested in CGIAR agricultural research and development, investors see USD 10 worth of benefits. With CGIAR’s annual research portfolio of just over USD 900 million and more than 9,000 staff working in over 85 countries Insight to Impact is the first in a series that will deliver plain-language roadmaps to help decision-makers tackle complex food and nutrition security and sustainability challenges.

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Panelists during a side event on the One Health approach and enhancing global food security. Credit: Naureen Hossain/IPS

By Naureen Hossain
NAIROBI, Apr 10 2025 (IPS)

Increasingly, experts in the global health and agricultural sectors are finding the One Health approach effective for identifying and addressing health concerns that can influence facets of health. Implementing this approach worldwide will require partnerships across different sectors.

On the sidelines of CGIAR Science Week, the “One Health Horizons: Catalyzing Collaborations, Innovations, and Policies for Improving Global Health and Food Security” side event brought together researchers and scientists to discuss how the One Health approach can benefit research in the agricultural sector.

According to the World Health Organization, One Health is an “integrated, unifying approach” that aims to optimize the health of people, animals, and ecosystems because they are interdependent. Researchers in the health sectors were finding that investing in capacity building and collaboration through the One Health approach could strengthen treatment responses for these three groups. The idea emerged in the wake of disruptions to the global supply chains brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The One Health approach also emphasized sustainable recovery, as countries faced several development challenges that would shape their relationship to the environment, such as demographic shifts, climate change, and natural resource degradation. In adopting the One Health approach to the wider agricultural sector, the impacts of one area of health on another can be assessed with a focus on environmental integration.

“When we want to transform the food land systems, we have to consider the global challenges,” said Hung Nguyen-Viet, Program Leader, Health, at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI).

As part of CGIAR’s Agenda for 2030, the One Health initiative was first built on protecting human health from zoonoses—diseases from wild animals or livestock—food-borne diseases, and antimicrobial resistance. The focus on animal diseases served as an entry point for the One Health approach, according to Jordon Chamberlin, principal scientist for the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Nairobi. Through their research projects, they could advance their understanding of the risks for infectious diseases and antibiotic resistance in livestock.

Following the projects’ conclusions, CGIAR’s team found that there were opportunities for cross-sectoral collaborations to incorporate the One Health approach. The team also recommended there needed to be greater engagement with policymakers to translate research findings into tangible strategies and the development of adaptable, context-specific interventions.

The open, analytical nature of the One Health model can go beyond health and agriculture. The impact of the global and local economies should also be taken into consideration, Chamberlin argued, such as in how global trends or supply shocks play out in local markets and how this influences farm management. This raises the possibility for new One Health research opportunities, such as the economics of organic production in smallholder systems and the new market opportunities or the impact of soil health across the food value systems.

The need for cross-sectoral partnerships and data was addressed during a panel discussion.
“We need partnerships; we need an enabling environment through enabling policies and legislative framework,” said Lillian Wambua, Regional Programme Officer, One Health for Africa, World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). “We need data and evidence that is going to help us… navigate the environments and barriers.”

Esther Mugi, a scientist for the African Plant Nutrition Institute (APNI), recommended that professionals from different sectors could convene in joint training programs or public dialogues to address the One Health principles. This would also ensure that there were domestic, homegrown approaches to addressing the challenges in the One Health approach, she said.

These partnerships across different sectors – the public and private sectors, academia, research groups like CGIAR, and government partners — should also be rooted in the involvement of the agricultural communities. As Wambua pointed out, “Most of these issues start and end with the community.”

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Dr. Himanshu Pathak (center) is the director general of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, a global research institute focused on dryland agriculture (ICRISAT). Credit: ICRISAT

By Joyce Chimbi
NAIROBI, Apr 10 2025 (IPS)

As agrifood systems in the Global South buckle under the weight of climate change, biodiversity, and even pollution, experts such as Dr. Himanshu Pathak call for urgent innovative solutions, as, at the current pace, the problems of the Global South are going to intensify with escalating climate change.

Pathak is the director general of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), a global research institute focused on dryland agriculture. He has over 32 years of experience in climate resilience, soil and crop management, and sustainable agricultural systems.

Speaking to IPS at the CGIAR Science Week, he shared his insights into the deepening rural poverty and hunger across the Global South and what it would take to build agricultural resilience and sustainability.

“Changing climate, increasing temperature, and increasing pollution are going to intensify the problem of degradation of its land, water, and air. To solve these problems, we strongly believe that new science and new technology will be very useful to address those challenges. New science means developing new varieties that are resistant or tolerant to climatic changes,” he said.

“Varieties that are high yielding and at the same time better in nutrient content, which will help in promoting soil fertility, will not degrade the soil. Once we develop these varieties and new technologies, we have to reach these technologies to the farmers through a conducive policy environment.”

ICRISAT is on the frontlines of developing much-needed solutions through its regional stations in eight different countries in Africa and, in all, working with about 80 countries on different aspects of their research activities, such as on amended crops like millets, sorghum, pulses, pigeon peas, chickpeas, and oilseed-rich groundnuts.

“We do crop improvement, how to increase yield by developing new varieties, and how to improve nutrient content by developing bio-fortified varieties. We also work on how to manage soil, water, nutrients, fertilizer, and, of course, climate action, and we are actively engaged in social sciences, capacity building, education, training, and teaching.”

On why farmers do not always adopt new science and technologies, Pathak said they find it difficult to do so “without good policy and support and without good incentives. And there is also a great need for capacity building and skill development of  farmers, as today’s technologies are quite knowledge intensive.”

Emphasizing that farmers need to improve their skills and knowledge to “understand and adopt these new technologies, new varieties, new water management, and so on. And to achieve all of these things, there is a need for partnership. Partnership among research organizations, partnership among farmers, donors, and policymakers.”

For sustainable changes, he spoke of an urgent need to involve women farmers, as gender equality is a central part of the solution, as is youth involvement. Stressing that this is a different generation of youth and that to attract and retain them in agriculture will take embracing new technologies such as digital agriculture, artificial intelligence, and precision agriculture, and equally important, agriculture has to be market-oriented.

Reiterating the critical role that science and technology play, David Guerena, a research scientist at the Alliance Biodiversity International–CIAT, spoke to IPS about the need to listen to what farmers are saying to understand their more preferred varieties and even what draws them to these varieties. This understanding can help breeders make more informed decisions towards more effective solutions that are better adapted to local settings. Stressing that AI and machine learning solutions for agriculture, specifically around breeding and breeding services, are also timely and critical and that, rather than leaving farmers behind, technology can connect farmers to research.

“It is important that we speak to farmers directly to help customize agricultural advisory services and linkages to markets. AI is also successfully interfacing with breeding teams. We have also seen how mobile money transfer models such as MPESA have done in rural ecosystems in supporting smallholder farmers to transact with ease,” he said.

Dr. Stephen Mutuvi from the Alliance Biodiversity International–CIAT and based in Arusha, Tanzania, specializes in Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Machine Learning. He leads the machine learning operations in the organization’s different projects, focusing on artificial intelligence.

He told IPS that AI is part of the solution, as “you can just record farmers as they speak, for instance, and people without literacy levels can convey their messages by just having their voices and conversations recorded.”

“And then using AI to transcribe their words automatically and applying advanced models like those similar to ChatGPT to analyze the data. So, we are at a very interesting space where the advanced technologies in AI are also getting to be useful and to be of impact to the direct users, who are the farmers in this case.”

Guerena stressed the need to find harmony between indigenous knowledge, which has sustained agriculture for thousands of years, and advanced scientific knowledge. Saying that indigenous knowledge gives a historical understanding and science is more modern and more advanced and that the two are central to developing lasting solutions.

But a lack of access to post-production remains a pain point for smallholder farmers in the Global South. Pathak says supporting farmers to access good prices for their produce is critical: “Market-friendliness, gender-friendliness, and of course nature-friendliness of agriculture will be extremely important in building agricultural resilience and sustainability.”

As is so often the case, he affirms that innovation and science are more invested in increasing yields as aspects of post-harvest, post-production, and access to markets are left unattended. He asserts that although increasing production is crucial, it is not sufficient.

“And therefore, we are working for the full agri-food system, starting from seed to produce, and then all kinds of value addition and connecting farmers with markets. So, value addition, agri-food processing, and post-harvest management of the commodities are extremely important,” Pathak said. “Onwards, along with increasing productivity by developing new varieties and new soil and water management technologies, we also have to give equal, if not more, importance to post-harvest management for agri-value addition.”

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Professor Lindiwe Majele Sibanda, CGIAR partnerships chair. Credit: Busani Bafana/IPS

By Busani Bafana
NAIROBI, Apr 10 2025 (IPS)

Animal scientist Lindiwe Majele Sibanda became what her grandmother earnestly prayed for when she was growing up on a farm in southern Zimbabwe.

Majele Sibanda, an Extraordinary Professor at the University of Pretoria  and chair of CGIAR’s Integrated Partnership Board, is a practicing livestock farmer and a successful one at that. She is raising pedigree and indigenous cattle as well as hardy Matabele goats.

“Livestock is livelihood,” Majele Sibanda says, speaking to IPS at CGIAR Science Week, responding to the growing concerns about livestock farming as an environmental threat.

Livestock production supports more than 1.3 billion people globally in terms of food and nutrition security. Africa has an estimated 800 million livestock keepers in a sector that contributes up to 50 percent of agricultural GDP and supports the livelihoods of about 350 million people.

There is a flipside, though. The livestock sector is currently responsible for up to 20 percent of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions, underlying the need for more efficient and sustainable livestock production systems.

Aspire to a ‘Protein Revolution’

“The biggest revolution we have to aspire to is the protein revolution, and the revolution will not be achieved without animal-source foods like milk, blood, and meat,” says Majele Sibanda. “We cannot achieve it with plant-based nutrition alone. I believe in livestock — but livestock that is produced sustainably.”

Livestock are both a solution and a challenge but will remain an essential part of the food system. Credit: Busani Bafana/IPS

Livestock has economic and social attributes that act as a store of value for farmers. Livestock farmers in Africa produce half of the continent’s meat and milk. Milk secures the nutritional needs of children, aiding in their development, while assorted livestock products contribute to income generation as they are traded, with meat, milk, and eggs being prominent commodities. Besides food, livestock provides non-food products like leather, wool, and pharmaceuticals.

Majele Sibanda is a champion for the International Livestock Research Institute Strategy, which is looking at sustainable livestock production systems.

In 2024, ILRI launched a new strategy, ‘Unlocking sustainable livestock’s potential through research for better lives and a better planet,’ to guide its programs in the next five years to 2030.

The strategy addresses global challenges such as climate change, food insecurity, and sustainable development. It aims to improve livestock systems in Africa and Asia through the implementation of large-scale, science-based sustainable livestock solutions that influence policy decisions and investments.

Science Drives Development

A distinguished leader and policy advocate on food systems, Majele Sibanda is convinced scientific research can enhance agriculture as a driver of development.

“With science, we can feed the world of 9.7 billion by 2050,” said Majele Sibanda, who has the privilege of being a farmer, a businessperson, and a jury member  for the Food Planet Prize, the world’s biggest prize in the sector.

“Technology on the shelf is not good enough,” she emphasized. “Technology on the ground takes drivers—it has to be conveyed. Scaling up requires policies. We talk about it as a science but let us talk about it as a multi-stakeholder agenda of moving science to the people who need it most. There can be no better base than doing it on-site together—from agenda setting to the users.”

Farmers Are Scientists, Custodians of Knowledge

But is it possible for farmers to adopt scientific innovations without abandoning the indigenous know-how of farming, which has supported them for generations?

Majele Sibanda believes so.

“Farmers are not stupid,” she retorts. “Farmers are scientists. You cannot farm without knowledge. They are custodians of knowledge and are continuously learning, whether they have gone to school for it or suckled it from their grandmother, like me and my father, who is still an active farmer or from their neighbors.”

She said farmers are continuously on a quest for new ways to improve both their land and animals.

“The beauty of science is that you have a dedicated group of persons whose core business is to generate their knowledge. That knowledge is for improving productivity in a sustainable way,” Majele Sibanda said, adding, “This rift between a farmer and a scientist does not and should not exist provided there is humility to accept that as a scientist you are learning and as a farmer you are learning. We have a common goal of sustainable production and sustainable food systems—feeding the soil, feeding the family, and feeding the pocket. We have a common goal of sustainable production and sustainable food systems.”

“If researchers understand the aspirations of farmers, they will be able to meet them halfway with the right technologies. The challenge we have had is that researchers want an easy way out at times and want to put all technologies on the shelf and do not want to invest in a local system that helps farmers adapt.”

Majele Sibanda highlights the importance of partnerships between the CGIAR and the national research systems in the provision and sharing of innovative technologies that enable farmers to adapt as well as mitigate the impacts of climate change.

“Unless we walk hand in hand, research technologies and innovations will sit on the shelf,” she said.

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Director of the CGIAR GENDER Impact Platform, Nicoline de Haan at the "Enabling global gains towards gender equality" Strategy Dialogue during CGIAR Science Week 2025. Credit: CGIAR

By Naureen Hossain
NAIROBI, Apr 10 2025 (IPS)

Women farmers face structural issues that prevent them from realizing their full potential, from societal perceptions that dictate their limitations to poor land.

However, CGIAR’s Gender Impact Platform Director, Nicoline de Haan, argues that leaning into a “victim” narrative does not serve them, especially when women are demonstrably more involved in agriculture.

De Haan says researchers need to be bolder in examining the gender impact in the agricultural sector to assess the key concerns that women farmers face in the field. The limited tools and resources in developing countries challenge both men and women farmers.

“We have made a lot of gains on gender, and if we fall back now, it’ll take another 30 years before we get back to where we were,” De Haan told IPS. “So we also need to be bold, and we need to be proud of what we have done.”

Even though women make up 62 percent of working farmers, they face more challenges than men. Among these are the major issues: access to knowledge, farming techniques, and quality equipment. Structural barriers also need overcoming.

Among rural communities across Africa, women and girls are raised with a particular perception of what their role and responsibility is in the household, such as being delegated as the primary child caregiver. However, the Gender Impact Platform has found in their research that women are far more involved in farming duties — and they shouldn’t be blamed for taking on what is considered a traditionally male occupation.

Land ownership is vital for farmers, especially women who work on but often don’t own the land. Certain perceptions of women’s roles in farming even influence the kind of livestock that women can have, De Haan explained. Goats, sheep, and especially chickens are seen as ‘socially acceptable’ livestock, as they can be raised in the homestead, traditionally considered the ‘woman’s place.’ With cattle, even if women are more involved in their care, men are more likely to own them, given that they are considered a huge investment.

Women that are able to use farmland for themselves find the quality of the land to be much poorer, according to CGIAR. Even seeds and manure may be degraded when passed down to women. Women also cannot own property in parts of Africa and Asia, and while their farms and livestock may be their only sources of income, their access to the land could be complicated.

However, to simply challenge the norms or declare them wrong would do little to make progress, so De Haan calls for nuance when considering the best course of action. When dialogue between men and women farmers is held over a technical issue first, such as animal disease, it encourages men to recognize and respect how active women are outside the household and therefore consider the gender issue. “We are trying to change society and systems, but we’re trying to make it better for everyone. We’re not out there to burn down the patriarchy. But we are there to make sure that women can actually function better.”

She also says that more research and effort should be made to ask women farmers what they want and where they need help, whether that be financial support or equipment. More can be done to ask them directly and demand their needs. Further research into women’s participation in the sector revealed that women were far more involved in farming and perfectly capable of self-sufficiency.

“We ask the wrong questions sometimes. We ask by default that they’re victims; we ask by default that they have no agency. We don’t look past the defaults of what agency they do have and how amazing they get things done in a patriarchal society,” said De Haan. “But they have their way. I’m a sociologist; I always say people do things for a reason. We might not understand it, we might not agree, but they do it for a reason and we need to understand that reason.”

Women’s participation in agriculture is only part of a wider problem of poverty and rural areas not getting enough investment. In Kenya, men are not getting enough opportunities for stable employment, especially in agriculture. Agriculture jobs do not pay enough to make a living wage, which for young people seeking jobs, is a key factor in deciding their lives. There is not enough of a livelihood to be made in farm work at present.

“We’ve talked to a lot to youth and basically they said, ‘we’ll stay in agriculture, but make it pay,’” said De Haan.

While urbanization has drawn millions of youth to big cities to seek work opportunities, many young people are finding that jobs in urban areas require different skill sets than labor-intensive field jobs.

CGIAR’s focus is on finding technical solutions and impactful change through data-driven evidence that illustrates women’s lived experience in rural communities and in agricultural spaces. The research makes sure that people “have the mental support and frameworks” that help them.

CGIAR Gender recognizes that technology should be part of those technical solutions rather than another problem for women farmers to overcome. Time and resources need to be invested into equipping women with the technology itself, along with teaching them how to apply it to their work. Rather than the end, technology is the means to economic empowerment, De Haan said.

However, a potential pitfall of rapid digitalization is that structural barriers are reinforced even within digital technology, especially when the digital gap between men and women in East Africa is so stark. Owning a smartphone is not as ubiquitous for rural communities, especially for women. In a 2018 survey, it was shown that only 10 percent of Kenyan women used a mobile phone for information compared to 22 percent of men.

With the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), CGIAR Gender is also looking into its presence in the sector, especially given the limitations. The group has been working with large language models and training them to consider gender in their responses. “If we don’t do it now, we will continue putting in those structural barriers, those inequities… If [ChatGPT] gets the wrong answer, we need to train it to get the right answer,” De Haan said. De Haan believes that research must address the issue of gender-blind training in AI.

CGIAR Gender is pushing for wider research that aims to inform the decision-makers and policymakers on the best course of action to serve the farmers who will be impacted by those decisions, de Haan said. “We might not be able to directly influence that one little farmer in the field, but we can influence the model that is deciding what policies are coming to her table.”

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Dr. Eliud Kiplimo Kireger, the Director General and CEO of KALRO, is speaking at the CGIAR Science Week in Nairobi. Credit: CGIAR

By Joyce Chimbi
NAIROBI, Apr 9 2025 (IPS)

The state of food and nutrition security in the Global South masks the great strides and investments made to increase agricultural yields to feed a rapidly growing population. As discussions deepen at the ongoing CGIAR Science Week, plenary discussions on Wednesday (April 9) explored transformative strategies and innovations driving agricultural resilience across Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America.

UN statistics show one in five people in Africa sleep hungry. To halt and reverse the pace of rising hunger on the continent, the African Union (AU) has adopted a new agricultural development strategy that will see the continent increase its agrifood output by 45 percent by 2035 and transform its agri-food systems as part of its new plan to become food secure in a decade.

The AU earlier this year adopted the 10-year Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Strategy and Action Plan and the Kampala CAADP Declaration on Building Resilient and Sustainable Agrifood Systems in Africa, which will be implemented from 2026 to 2035.

“On aligning Kenya’s agricultural agenda with the AU’s strategy and action plan, as the national agricultural research organization that supports farmers in this part of the world, we are aligned by developing technologies, innovations, and marginal practices that support our farmers to increase productivity and improve their resilience,” said Dr. Eliud Kiplimo Kireger, the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO). “Due to the effects of climate change, in the last few years, our focus has been to develop drought-resilient crops.”

“Also, with climate change, we have new emerging pests and diseases,” Kireger explained, adding that a lot of work done had become obsolete because of climatic changes. “Areas that were dry are (now) drier and areas that were of high potential are flooded.”

Putting Technology into Farmers’ Hands

In addition to these challenges, farmers also face difficulties accessing technology—although developed, the technologies are still in the hands of scientists and institutions and haven’t been shared with the farmers.

“So, how do we get these technologies to the farmers to increase their productivity? Kireger asked, adding that where the technology exists, it has been built with the challenges of providing digital services to a remote rural community in mind.

“We have digitized most of our technologies and made them available on a mobile platform to support e-extension services, which are the weakest link between research and farmers. This is because the researchers are unable to physically reach all farmers.”

Climate, AgriFood Complexities in Latin America and the Caribbean 

Further afield, participants heard about how the Latin American and Caribbean countries are coping with the complex, multiple challenges confronting their agrifood systems. For the region, it is a unique setting of scarcity and surplus.

Nearly 74 percent of Latin American and Caribbean countries are highly exposed to extreme weather events—affecting food security. In Latin America and the Caribbean, one in 10 children under the age of five lives with stunting.

Latin America and the Caribbean region is the world’s leading net food exporter. Yet, a few countries are doing better than most. For instance, as the largest nation in the region, Brazil generates almost half of all Latin American exports, hence the substantial disparities and inequalities in agriculture, food, and nutrition security. It is these pockets of inequalities, hunger, and malnutrition that experts are finding innovative solutions for.

Potatoes, Genebanks and New Markets

Regional experts spoke about ongoing collaboration and the potential to scale solutions. In this regard, there was an extensive discussion on genebanks and the potato, a staple food in approximately 160 countries, where they are consumed by more than two-thirds of the world’s population.

“We have the world’s largest gene bank on potatoes that serves over 100 countries in the world. The International Potato Center (CIP) base in Peru is called the Center of Origin of Potato, and the communities in the Andes Mountains are the guardians of that diversity and of that global resource,” said Dr. Simon Heck, Director General and Senior Director of the Center of Origin of Potato/CGIAR.

CIP’s potato and sweet potato collections are the world’s largest, and they contain nearly all of the potatoes’ wild relatives. The in vitro genebank is the largest and one of the first to get ISO 17025 certification for safe germplasm transport.

Genebanks conserve living plant samples of the world’s important crops and their wild relatives. They ensure that the genetic resources that underpin the world’s food supply are both secure in the long term for future generations and available in the short term for use by farmers, plant breeders, and researchers.

In light of climate change and emerging pests and diseases, these collections are important to ensure that crop plants that may contain genes to resist disease, provide enhanced nutrition, or survive in changing or harsh environments do not become endangered or extinct over time.

“One question we have is how do we mobilize their capacity to help solve problems within the Latin American and Caribbean regions, but also elsewhere? And how do they receive benefits from that?” Heck posed the question, citing an example of expanding the Agri-LAC (Latin America and the Caribbean) model to Asia. “We have been working in Vietnam to develop a tropically adapted potato. Potato production globally is now moving into Asia.”

Heck told participants that more than half of the world’s potatoes are grown and consumed in Asia. Within Asia, the potato is moving into subtropical and tropical environments like India and Vietnam, and the question is about determining what kind of potato is needed to make this movement successful.

“And so, the answer to that question takes us back to Peru. It takes us back not just to the CIP genebank, which is one of the largest in vitro genebanks in the world and contains the global collection of potatoes, but into the mountains of Peru. We have struck a partnership with Vietnam, with Peru, and with one of the world’s largest potato breeding companies based in the Netherlands,” Heck explained. “And together, we have developed new types of potato, tropical potato, and the first varieties have now been released in Asia. This strain is really a physical combination of genetic material from the highlands of Peru and commercial germplasm from European potato companies.”

What’s more, they demonstrated that it can work technically.

“We have excellent potato varieties now in the lowlands of Asia. (These varieties) can work in terms of market segmentation.”

The inaugural CGIAR Science Week coincides with the first G20 meeting to be hosted in Africa later this year, providing a particularly unique opportunity to leverage CGIAR commitments from the Science Week and to provide input to the G20 agenda of transforming agri-food systems for greater climate resilience, increased productivity, and addressing the drivers of food insecurity at the global level.

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Crucial partnerships agreed to during CGIAR Science Week.

By Busani Bafana
NAIROBI, Apr 9 2025 (IPS)

Two crucial partnerships were signed at the CGIAR Science Week in Nairobi today (April 9, 2025), aimed at delivering research for development at scale across Africa.

The CGIAR and the African Agricultural Research, Innovation, and Education Institutions (AARIEIs) signed a Joint Statement in support of the Kampala CAADP Declaration and the CAADP Strategy and Action Plan (2026-2035). In January 2025, the African Union (AU) adopted a new agricultural development strategy that will see the continent increase its agrifood output by 45 percent by 2035 and transform its agrifood systems as part of its new plan to become food secure in a decade. During the signing ceremony, the organizations pledged to forge a partnership that would harness the power of collaboration to deliver research at scale.
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King of the crops, Simeon Ehui, IITA Director General, holding a cassava tuber, a key crop developed by the IITA. Credit: Busani Bafana/IPS

By Busani Bafana
NAIROBI, Apr 9 2025 (IPS)

Climate change is outpacing science and farmers are paying the price. Agricultural research innovations need to reach farmers before it is too late.

Partnership, collaborations, and the right dose of political will are the fuel to put innovations into the farmer’s hands, says Simeon Ehui, Director General of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and CGIAR Regional Director, Continental Africa. The IITA has delivered solutions to low crop yields, poor quality, and unhealthy diet to boost food security, nutrition, and livelihoods for smallholder farmers who keep the world fed.

“We have developed a number of technologies; unfortunately, many of these technologies are not always going to farmers, the final users,” said Ehui, adding that with political will, innovation can be rolled out faster and wider.

“Policy makers understand the importance of science but face competing needs and sometimes need to make decisions that will not always go in the interest of farmers. We need to continue lobbying them to convince them of the importance of science.”

Ehui told IPS that the IITA has tackled food insecurity, poverty, and environmental degradation through cutting-edge research on key crops  like maize, banana, cowpea, soybean, cassava, and yam. With global hunger rising despite scientific advances, the question is, why are innovations not reaching farmers fast enough?

“While scientific breakthroughs are abundant, the real gap lies in delivery—getting these innovations into the hands of farmers at scale,” Ehui noted, citing that many countries still face weak extension systems, fragmented value chains, and limited private sector engagement.

IITA has bridged this gap through initiatives like the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) program, in partnership with the African Development Bank. TAAT has helped move proven technologies across priority value chains from research to farmers via CGIAR centers, governments, private sector actors, and financial institutions.

“It’s not just about deploying technologies; it’s about building systems for scale—streamlining release processes, aligning with policy, and expanding access to inputs and markets, especially for women and youth,” said Ehui.

Ehui quipped he had three messages for policymakers. “You need science to develop your agricultural productivity. You need investments in rural infrastructure, and you also need partnerships. Without partnerships, nothing can be done.”

Seeds for food security. Seed varieties from the IITA Gene bank. Credit: Busani Bafana/IPS

Revolutionary breakthroughs

The science research institute has put out more nutritious, climate-resistant crops, which have helped fight hunger and boost the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Africa. It developed and released stress-resilient maize varieties that are both drought and Striga resistant and more nutritious. More than 170 maize varieties have been released between 2007 and 2024 in collaboration with IITA and national partners in Benin, Ghana, Mali, and Nigeria.

As a result of the research innovation, more than  480,000 metric tons of certified seed have been produced, which have been planted on an estimated 18 million hectares by 45 million households. Well over 500 million people have benefited from the improved maize crop.

Banana breeding programs have developed hybrids with enhanced resistance to the fungal diseases Fusarium wilt and Black Sigatoka, which can wipe out banana crops.

Ehui said IITA has also developed early-maturing, disease-resistant yam and cassava varieties, alongside digital tools like AKILIMO, which support farmers in optimizing agronomic practices and fertilizer use.

“We have also developed an economically sustainable seed system for root and tuber crops, powered by innovative rapid multiplication techniques,” he said, pointing out that the rapid stem multiplication approach has enabled the fast and efficient scaling of improved varieties to growers and the processing industry.

The science is progression; now it’s crucial farmers benefit, Ehui says.

“The IITA and CGIAR centers have to work with governments to ensure that technologies are taken up and we modernize the agriculture sector. This is the challenge we face because having research products in our labs does not help if they are never taken up by end users. The agricultural revolution is not in the lab but outside (in the real world). The lab is needed—the lab is not the end point.”

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Panelists at the Scaling Impact plenary during CGIAR Science Week 2025. Credit: CGIAR

By Naureen Hossain
NAIROBI, Apr 9 2025 (IPS)

The ASEAN-CGIAR program “unlocks opportunities to look at commodities in the region, interest, markets, and capacity building, Director General of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) Dr. Yvonne Pinto said during a plenary that focused on fostering regional integration, scaling innovation, and amplifying the impact of CGIAR’s research in addressing agricultural challenges.

The ASEAN-CGIAR Innovate for Food and Nutrition Security Regional Program was established to help ASEAN member states address complex, interrelated issues in their agricultural sectors, including climate change, food safety and nutrition, resource scarcity, and poverty. The program includes eight intervention packages (IPs), or activities relating to bolstering agricultural sustainability and food security across the region. Since the program’s launch in 2023, the interventions have been implemented in ten countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Myanmar.

As CGIAR Science Week proceeded onto its second day, part of the focus of the day’s plenary session was on ‘Building Bridges,’ as was illustrated in the joint program between CGIAR and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The ASEAN region is home to multiple climates and commodities, which are distributed through a single-market production base through its integration with the global economy.

Pinto points out that this was the entry point for the ASEAN-CGIAR program, for CGIAR has a “tremendous opportunity to play a significant role that is about delivering against the needs.”

“It unlocks opportunities to look at commodities in the region, interest, markets, and capacity building, and it is really built and co-created by the countries in question. So it is central to the CGIAR regional plan,” said Pinto.

While the program has the backing of global research alliances like CGIAR and its partners and funders, including Australia, the Netherlands, and Japan, it has been built and co-created by the countries where the programs were implemented. This would indicate an emphasis on relying on expert local knowledge on the issues and on empowering local agricultural communities to have a hand in the solution.

As an ASEAN member state and one of the countries where the ASEAN-CGIAR regional program has been implemented, Vietnam, through To Viet Chau, the Deputy Director General, International Cooperation Division, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, shared that the Vietnamese government recognizes the impact of climate on their agricultural sector. He proposed that adopting integrative strategies that link local stakeholders with the private sector would help to increase access to sustainable farming technologies and build the capacity for farmers.

The panel discussion highlighted the significance of South-South collaboration and the need for countries in the Global South to actively share resources and knowledge to address their issues. In the agricultural sector, ASEAN’s model for development follows a bottom-up approach that takes initiative at the community level and centers their needs when formulating policies and programs.

For the African continent, there is an opportunity to learn from the ASEAN-CGIAR program, observed Bongiwe Njobe, Board Chairperson, Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA). The regions face similar challenges, including human capital constraints, rapid urbanization, climate change, production system challenges, and nutritional issues.

Recently, increasing political will towards sustainable development has opened up the countries towards joint cooperation. “Working through the African Union, I think the continent is increasingly finding a structure that is multilayered that allows for continental conversations and initiatives, regional—we call them subregional organizations and linkages—and country participation through the AU. And then an organization like FARA, which is positioned as a technical arm recognized by the AU as a technical arm, coordinates the scientific arms across the same structures in the regions,” said Niobe.

While the tenets for programs similar to ASEAN-CGIAR are present in the African continent, Niobe remarked that challenges remain, such as strengthening the effectiveness of the systems, the strength of relational capital between countries, and ensuring that the goals set out can be achieved.

The need for collaboration is evident through the multiple stakeholders in this sector. Government support is critical in facilitating agricultural and food production projects and in identifying areas that would benefit from the intervention. The private sector can also play its part through financial backing. It was even said that civil society has a part to play in advancing development in agriculture and food production at the local level.

Groups such as the Philippine Rice Research Institute are in a position to connect organizations and people together. “We broker, and we see that the work becomes faster and we don’t have to be the center of everything,” said Executive Director John de Leon.

“I think the time is now for the South to exert its leadership in how it wishes to address its own problems, and I say that from the perspective of another girl from the South.”

In a video message, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Economic Community, Satvinder Singh, shared that collaboration was at the root of the success for the region. For ASEAN, it was important for all stakeholders in this sector, including government, public, and private partners, to come together and have a stake in “shaping a more sustainable future.”

“We recognize that no single country can address these challenges alone,” said Singh. “We know that by leveraging regional cooperation, we can definitely accelerate and adopt climate-smart agricultural technologies, we can come together to explore strengthening our value chains, and also we can come together to build a much more resilient and sustainable food system. This is why the ASEAN-CGIAR regional program is very significant for us. It serves as a platform to unite global experience and cutting-edge research and the practical solutions tailored to our region’s needs.”

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Panellists from the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) at the launch of the IWMI Strategy 2024–2030 in East Africa. Credit: Busani Bafana/IPS

By Busani Bafana
NAIROBI, Apr 9 2025 (IPS)

In East Africa, climate change has made water a lifeline and threat.

In a region highly dependent on rainfall for growing crops, climate change is threatening water security but science-backed solutions are helping turn the tide.

Global leaders, scientists, policymakers, and development partners meeting in Nairobi during the inaugural CGIAR Science Week  made a tight case for water security and productivity in East Africa, a region vulnerable to the increased impacts of climate change such as droughts and floods.

The use, conservation and management of water underpins sustainable development of the East Africa region, which covers Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea, and Ethiopia.

“Water security means considering how much water you have, water of sufficient quality and being  able to manage risks – drought, floods, extreme events – in ways that livelihoods and lives, the economy and ecosystems can all thrive together,” said Mark Smith, Director General of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), at the launch of the IWMI Strategy 2024–2030 in East Africa.

Smith noted that the new strategy was a significant leap forward in the institute’s mission to harness science research in enhancing water security, supporting climate adaptation and driving sustainable agriculture across East Africa.

“Water security  is necessarily systemic and our strategy reflects that,” he said. “There is a  flipside to that aspect of water in which it intersects with different types of uses. If you can get water security right, then you can  trigger transformation across those systems as you open access to water and enable more  sustainable and fairer sharing of water across different uses.”

Mark Smith, Director General of the International Water Management Institute. Credit: Busani Bafana/IPS

By harnessing  cutting-edge research and fostering regional partnerships, IWMI aims to deliver solutions that improve livelihoods across East Africa.

“Water security is important for the transformation of agriculture and for sustainable development,” he said, adding that, “Water is at the heart of climate resilience, food security and economic development.”

Sara Mbago-Bhunu,  Director of the East and Southern Africa Division of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), highlighting the importance of collaboration in enhancing water security,  called for continued public and private financing for the water sector, particularly to benefit small-scale farmers through irrigation facilities.

IFAD has invested USD 2 billion in irrigation and water management in 100 projects worldwide, while in East Africa it has supported 14 projects in 12 countries. Mbago-Bhunu said it was critical to invest in water accounting.

“We tend to underestimate what water accounting is  and irrigation performance assessment translated into how we source water, how we manage it but also how we account for it because accounting  will give us further breakthroughs to where we should change in the way we invest in water technologies,” she said.

Ephantus Kimoto, Principal Secretary in the Department for Irrigation in the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation of Kenya. Credit: Busani Bafana/IPS

Ephantus Kimoto, Principal Secretary in the Department for Irrigation in the Ministry of Water, sanitation and Irrigation of Kenya,  said the government was working to boost irrigation capacity in the country. Currently only four percent of Kenya’s arable land was under irrigation under the National Irrigation Sector Investment Master Plan (NISIP); there is irrigation potential of 3.5  million acres in the country.

Kimoto noted that Kenya had enough water resources but lacked the economic means to scale up irrigation projects. Under the national plan, Kenya seeks to increase the land under irrigation up to 1 million acres and boost food productivity and job creation, especially among the youth.

A panel discussion hosted alongside the launch of the IWMI strategy noted the importance of collaboration in the management of water resources in East Africa while at the same time scaling up innovation and research.

For farmers, saving water is everything.

“Water is a scarce resource and we need to  guard it well, “ said Elizabeth Nsimadala, President, Eastern Africa Farmers Federation.

“We are seeing a lot of water wasted and what is missing is the science bit. When you look at wasted water when it comes to irrigation, there is a lot and this directly affects the output. What is also a missing from our end as farmers is how much quantity does this crop require, as different crops require different quantities of water.”

Nsimadala – a coffee farmer – said policy, infrastructure, sustainability, access and management were priority issues for farmers in terms of water use. She called for the provision of water-saving technologies for farmers because of the competing water uses that have been worsened by the impact of climate change.

While Yelvin Denje, a research fellow with the African Group of Negotiators Experts Support

(AGNES) said the interface between science and policy has led to improvements in equitable access and unlocked the potential for water and development on the continent but it was hard to measure the effectiveness of policies.

“There are now in many African countries water regulations, acts and water laws,” he said, citing the Africa Water Vision for 2025.

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As the Global South reaches concerning food and nutrition security levels, experts say science will turn around the trajectory of extreme poverty and hunger. Credit: Joyce Chimbi/IPS

By Joyce Chimbi
NAIROBI, Apr 8 2025 (IPS)

Global food and nutrition insecurity levels are hurtling towards a catastrophe. To counter these problems, leading world experts say science is the ‘silver bullet.’ That science will build climate-resilient agri-food systems, improve livelihoods across the value chain, and ensure more affordable, nutritious food while safeguarding the environment.

“We want a positive impact on global food security. Science is about bringing us insights into issues so that we can then have an impact. Food security cannot happen without science, without research, without data, without analysis, without information, without intelligence, and without thought,” said CGIAR Executive Managing Director Ismahane Elouafi.

“CGIAR scientists will present to you our new research portfolio for 2025-2030, which we believe will really tackle the challenges that we are talking about in the Science Week. We have an incredible team of scientists who really envisioned what the organization can achieve in the coming years. We grow our robust research in high-risk systems and context-specific settings to achieve effective solutions.”

“The most important aspect is the ongoing work on the ground and in the industries, in the field and laboratories, and it is why we need our scientists and partners to come together. Our science research program can provide solutions but those solutions have to be made by people. For this reason, we need to meet in person and virtually and engage so that we live up to set goals.”

CGIAR Executive Managing Director Ismahane Elouafi on the first day of Science Week. Credit: CGIAR

During the second day’s plenary session, there was a special focus on the CGIAR’s new research portfolio and on exploring strategies for effectively scaling innovations to ensure they reach farmers and consumers worldwide. With a focus on addressing the major challenges to food, land, and water systems sustainability, participants were given insights into how CGIAR’s work aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals and contributes to global efforts for agricultural transformation.

Dr. Sandra Milach, CGIAR’s Chief Scientist, told participants where the organization’s scientific revolution all started. Nearly 50 years ago, CGIAR turned to science for solutions by building centers to address segregation in countries still dealing with the effects of centuries of colonization. The organization built farms and lifted millions from hunger in Africa, Asia, and many parts of Latin America.

“However, the world today is different, very different. Yes, we still have global food and water emergencies that we need to address, but we are also facing climate change, biodiversity loss, and new conflicts. Very difficult indeed. Once again, we need and must build capabilities to address these new problems. We have done it before. I’m very confident we will do it again. In 2021, we refocused our strategy to rebuild and do so around five important impact areas, including nutrition, livelihoods, gender, climate, and biodiversity,” Milach said.

Over the years, CGIAR’s mandate has been shaped by an evolving global crisis and they have developed their capabilities to match contemporary problems. She talked about CGIAR’s cutting-edge research and initiatives designed to tackle these pressing issues and discuss the pathways for translating scientific discoveries into tangible benefits for communities on the ground.

Dr. Sandra Milach speaks at the CGIAR science week. Credit: CGIAR

By highlighting the intersections between CGIAR’s research and broader international development agenda, she said the organization aims to underscore the importance of collaborative efforts in driving progress towards a sustainable and food-secure future. Emphasizing that the new research portfolio 2025-2030 is big and ambitious, as it for instance, seeks to reduce the number of people affected by extreme hunger by 26 percent and that is 1.82 million people, by 2030. Saying that this is nearly the size of her native country, Brazil.

“Our scientists know how to produce more crops and even more new crops. Our green fields are large and well-established, but we will need to look critically at all the staple crops, bio-fortified crops, and forgotten crops to understand what needs to be done tomorrow. Our scientists also have the knowledge and innovations to empower livestock keepers and fishermen and make sustainable animal and animal food production a core offering. But we will make sure not to design our research programs solely to produce more food. Equally important, better diets and nutrition are central to our work,” Milach.

“By 2030, it is our mission to lift 31 million people from extreme poverty and it will be the foundation of what we do. We hope also to create 92 million jobs, a number equal to the workforce of any nation, just to give you a perspective. Indeed, by improving farms and helping farmers, we will also benefit the environment so that jobs are created around the environment. And we will do it while increasing the average income by 87 percent. This is our pledge.”

Another priority goal will be to prevent 500 million tons of emissions by 2030. Milach said the innovations are just as important as the knowledge and that CGIAR will also build on indigenous and traditional food practices and that knowledge created through these systems will travel across borders. The issue of gender and social inclusion will feature prominently in the new portfolio and specifically towards increasing women and youth employment in the agri-food system and sector.

“Importantly, technologies can be adapted and developed beyond the communities they were designed for. In a more fragile world that we live in today, we have a duty to the smallholder farmers. But not only that, to the communities that they serve. We will need our science to adapt to new food frontiers and security contexts. Especially food producers in urban areas, in islands, and in conflict zones that exist across the world,” she reiterated.

“Our reform was designed to tackle the biodiversity crisis. One million species are at risk of extinction. By 2030, we want to deliver an innovation that will protect 20 billion hectares of land for expansion. This represents 25 percent of the size of the Amazon forest.  But we cannot focus on one parcel of land, one waterway, one specific crop, or one biome. We need to use less land and we need to build a bigger land and this can be achieved through environmentally sound solutions.”

Panel discussions in plenary buttressed her remarks by emphasizing the critical role of science in promoting climate-smart agriculture and in proper diversification, soil health, better conservation and conservation practices, and in addressing water scarcity. Overall, CGIAR is designed to prioritize the organization’s impact within their global mission. While also setting the tone for the global science community so that science can serve people and communities.
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Ismahane Elouafi Executive Managing Director, CGIAR and Nairobi Chef Kiran Jethwa in discussion during the Good Food for All lunch at CGIAR Science Week 2025. Credit: CGIAR

By Cecilia Russell
NAIROBI, Apr 8 2025 (IPS)

Good Food for All is the motto of The Chef’s Manifesto, a project that brings together more than 1,500 chefs from around the world to explore how to ensure the food they prepare is planet-friendly and sustainable.

It was Nairobi Chef Kiran Jethwa who prepared a menu filled with locally sourced food for the thousands of  delegates on the first day at the GCIAR Science Week in Nairobi.

The menu included High Iron Red Kidney Bean and Biofortified Sweet Potato,  Swahili Curry with Toasted Ginger and Dhania, Tilapia Pilau with Omena (Native Small Fish), Slow Braised Kenyan Kinyeji Chicken Stew with Cassava, Arrow Root with Seared Terere (Amaranth and Millet and Jaegerry Halwa with Raisins and Roasted Cashews.

Delegates snaked towards the tent under beautiful trees on this most exotic United Nations campus situated near Kienyeji forest in Nairobi.

At the Chef’s Manifesto lunch on the first day of CGIAR science week. Credit: IPS

Food is central to the debates here, where delegates debate how science can make a difference in the world where hunger is rampant (according to the United Nations, 3.1 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet) and climate change and conflict, among other issues, complicate food production.

As Prof. Lindiwe Majele Sibanda, who chaired the Council of the Wise session in the opening plenary, told the audience, the crisis we are in calls for bold action.

“We’re in a crisis because of climate change. We’re in a crisis because of environmental and health degradation… We are in crisis because of gender inequality, no jobs for our youth, and nutrition insecurity,” she said, and during this week “we are looking for solutions” to this in science.

Summing up the argument of former Prime Minister Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki as AU Special Envoy for Food Systems, Sibanda coined a quote for social media.

“We are in a crisis and Dr. Mayaki says… We need more leaders who are scientists, because scientists solve problems.”

To applause, he agreed.

A healthy plate of sustainably sourced food. Credit: IPS

Former President of Mauritius, Dr. Ameenah Firdaus Gurib-Fakim, asked where the empowerment of women in agriculture was. “Food is produced mostly by women.”

And, she asked, how is it possible to get youth into agriculture?

Agriculture needs to break the stereotype of agriculture as a woman with a hoe breaking hard earth.

“We need the youth to realize that agriculture is a 1 trillion dollar business,” Gurib-Fakim said, emphasizing that it was time to change the narrative.

Sibanda agreed. “Can we have an education that is fit for purpose? Can we have women empowerment and youth as drivers of the food systems, research, and innovation?”

Former Prime Minister of the Republic of Guinea and expert in agricultural finance, Mohamed Beavogui, said it was time for “bold, practical, and inclusive solutions” for ensuring that what was produced on the land ended up on the plate.

Looking for a quotable quote, Sibanda summed it up as “LLP from the lab to the land to the plate, that’s a systems approach,” elaborating that CGIAR aims to reform the food, land, and water systems for food security globally.

“Please Tweet that,” she asked the audience, referring to X by its pre-Elon Musk name.

Finally, Sibanda asked former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan why we are still hungry, poor, and not preserving our biodiversity.

He didn’t believe that it was necessary to elect presidents that are scientists; he commented that in Africa leaders probably spend more time thinking about how to “hold onto leadership than thinking about their people.”

But getting the right mix into the cabinet was crucial—it was more about finding the right people and putting them in roles where they can make a difference.

Sibanda sums it up: “The president has to surround himself with the right people… to be game changers in the country.

Sibanda noted the session produced lots of “tweetable tweets.”

Summing up the panel’s view on policymaking, she said it was as messy and inexact—like “sausage making”—but needed to be “contextualized, evidence-based,” and those affected need to be consulted.

The “billboard” message, however, was that youth are the future and science should be at the forefront of agriculture.

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CGIAR and the Kenyan Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) have convened the very first CGIAR Science Week, April 7 to 12, 2025. Credit: Joyce Chimbi/IPS

By Joyce Chimbi
NAIROBI, Apr 7 2025 (IPS)

The world’s leading scientists and decision-makers in agriculture, climate, and health are meeting in Nairobi this week to promote innovation and partnerships towards a food, nutrition, and climate-secure future. As current agrifood systems buckle under multiple challenges, nearly one in 11 people globally and one in five people in Africa go hungry every day.

Recognizing the urgency of these challenges, CGIAR and the Kenyan Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) have convened the very first CGIAR Science Week, April 7 to 12, 2025, at the UN Complex. In this regard, a high-level opening plenary session today underscored an unwavering commitment to international agricultural research.

During the opening plenary, CGIAR’s Executive Managing Director Ismahane Elouafi told the audience that the food crisis was depressing. “We are faced with one of the food shortage crises in history… We have seen emerging conflicts in so many parts of the world. We have also seen climate change that is accelerating and showing us how bad it is in different parts of the world.

“And this is bad for all of us, but imagine how bad it is for a woman that doesn’t have food for her kids.”

However, this is where science comes to the fore.

“This week marks a pivotal moment in our shared journey towards transforming global agriculture and food systems. CGIAR is unwavering in our commitment to advancing groundbreaking agricultural science that is sustainable, inclusive, and rooted in the belief that research, innovation, and collaboration are the keys to overcoming the complex challenges facing agri-food systems today,” Elouafi said.

There was a lot of emphasis on the role of youth and ensuring they were part of the solution, especially in the global South.

Elouafi welcomed students to the Science Week and said she hoped they would remain committed to the South.

“Go to agriculture, because we all need food, and you could be the solution in the future,” she said.

“And in all honesty, I used to introduce myself as a girl from the South that made it to the North… and it was a success… I want, really,  the kids in the south to go out saying, ‘I’m a girl from the South and I am staying in the South.'”

While officially opening the science conference, Kenya’s Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi said it was a privilege to represent the President, who is “himself a scientist. In fact, the first scientist president that Kenya has had. The theme of this year’s assembly is timely, considering the unprecedented environmental and food security challenges that the world faces today.”

“The only way forward is through scientific research and on the stakeholders of our country. I am proud to be a member of the National Coalition of Colonists, providing employment for over 60 percent of our population, significantly contributing to national armament and ensuring food security for millions of people.”

“The sector faces immense challenges, from climate change and extreme weather conditions, land deprivation, soil infertility, food insecurity and malnutrition, post-harvest losses, unlimited access to technology, financing, and investments, and of course, confidence. This Science Week is a defining moment. It gives us an opportunity to engage in how to mitigate these challenges.”

As major and connected global challenges threaten the sustainability of food, land, and water systems, global and regional leaders in research, policy, and development say tackling these disruptions requires continued strengthening of collaborative efforts and strategic partnerships towards agri-food systems that are sustainable, resilient, inclusive, and can nourish both people and planet.

A Council of the Wise, a panel session graced by distinguished personalities in Africa, spoke about issues such as politics, policy, and science, and the place of women and youth in transforming agrifood systems. Ameenah Gurib–Fakim, Former President of Mauritius, asked, “Where are the women in Africa in agriculture? What I’m going to say next is not a political statement; it is a fact. Women feed Africa. Where is the technology? Where is the empowerment for our African girls and women?”

“How do we empower them with the technologies? How do we empower them with the capacity to go and open their bank account? How do we empower them to access land? These are issues we have to tackle. Because after all, African food is produced mostly by smallholder farmers, and many of them are women. So, looking at the challenges across Africa, we really have to look at it through the gender lens.”

Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, Former Prime Minister of Nigeria and African Union Special Envoy for Food Systems, spoke about population growth and the challenges facing agrifood systems. “In the 60s, the total population of the African continent was about 300 million and we had relative subsistence. Today, we are 1.5 billion people. And in between, between the 60s and today, a lot of things have happened. Progresses and improvements have been made. We have seen food and agriculture strategically implemented, continentally, regionally, and nationally.”

“We have seen our networks of research, science, and innovation really get a significant momentum. But the demographics have beaten the games that we are playing. So, the conclusion that needs to be drawn from that picture is that we need to accelerate. And… we need to do more with less. We know the challenges in terms of productivity, production, land, immigration, and climate. We have the technical answers. The question now is how do we add political solutions to these technical solutions, the scientific solutions, and the innovative solutions? We need political solutions.”

Towards this end, experts and participants from around the globe will explore transformative solutions to the complex challenges facing agri-food systems, such as water scarcity, biodiversity loss, and extreme weather events. Recognizing their intersection while also reflecting on past successes and lessons learned in embracing solutions centered on inclusivity, partnership, and innovation.

There is an emphasis on sustained global investment in innovation, technology, and science as the most effective tools to deliver food, nutrition, and climate security for all, and more so, the most vulnerable people and communities who are increasingly burdened by heightened food insecurity, poverty, and social inequality as unprecedented multiple, complex challenges converge.

Mohamed Beavogui, former Prime Minister, the Republic of Guinea, said that responses to the food and nutrition challenges have not been adequate. Lands are degrading fast. “To date, we are still using about 20 kilograms of fertilizer per hectare while others are using more than 137 kilograms per hectare. Yet, climate change is giving us chaotic rains, droughts, and floods.”

“We do not have, on the ground at least, the right resources. And then, our farmers lack finance, access to technology, etc. And moreover, those who are living between agriculture and the ground, women, are excluded. But there is good news, and a lot of good news; there is a lot of innovation everywhere you look and we need to move it from the lab to the land to the plate.”

Importantly, agricultural research and science is a means to economic stability and gender equality. Given the enormity of the task at hand, the CGIAR is positioning the week as a platform to enhance regional and global partnerships with an aim to scale scientific innovations and solutions but also to reinforce local community-bred practices that work.

Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan, Former President of Nigeria who holds a doctorate degree in hydrobiology, spoke of the critical need to have leaders who are aware of the usefulness of science. Stressing that science is a mindset that focuses on problem-solving and that this mindset is a key issue towards solving the challenges facing humanity today.

“In Africa, our leaders spend more time thinking about how to get to leadership and hold on to leadership than thinking about the people. We have to spend more time thinking about the people. Even when the President is not a scientist, they can put the right people, experts and competent people, in the right places. It is about the President having the political will and commitment to move the country forward and adopt science and technology to solve agricultural problems.”

Overall, the Science Week is an opportunity to use the best science, innovation, research, and existing knowledge within communities to draw the most effective roadmap into a future where agrifood systems and interconnected issues of climate change, environment, biodiversity, and water can harmoniously converge to produce the best possible outcomes for both planet and humanity.
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Sweetpotato crossing block, Uganda. Reuben Ssali, a plant breeder Associate with the International Potato Center. Credit: CGIAR

By IPS Correspondent
NAIROBI, Apr 7 2025 (IPS)

CGIAR and the Kenyan Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) are bringing together the world’s leading scientists and decision-makers in agriculture, climate, and health for the first CGIAR Science Week. This gathering will be a key moment to advance research and innovation, inspire action, and establish critical partnerships that can secure investment in sustainable food systems for people and the planet.

IPS’ team of journalists, Busani Bafana, Joyce Chimbi, and Naureen Hossain, will bring you news and interviews throughout the week as the conference unfolds. This will include the launch of the CGIAR Research Portfolio 2025-2030 today (April 7, 2025).

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SBSTTA 26 Chair Senka Barudanović, Bosnia and Herzegovina, conferring with the Secretariat. Credit: IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis

By Stella Paul
NAIROBI, May 20 2024 (IPS)

After a week-long discussion by delegates from 196 countries, the 26th meeting of the Subsidiary Body of Scientific, Technical, and Technological Advisors (SBSTTA) of UN Biodiversity has concluded with a set of recommendations on several issues, including living modified organisms (LMOs) and synthetic biology. All nations must consider the recommendations, discuss them, and possibly adopt them at the Biodiversity COP in October. However, many questions remain unanswered and unclear.

LMOs and Synthetic Biology in Biodiversity COP

Synthetic biology, though identified as a new emerging issue, has been discussed for well over a decade at UN Biodiversity. In fact, 13 years ago, at COP11 in Hyderabad, India, nations took note of the proposals for new and emerging issues relating to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. They had also noted the need to consider the potential positive and negative impacts of components, organisms and products resulting from synthetic biology techniques on the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.

Based on SBSTTA’s suggestions, countries decided to create an ad hoc technical expert group (AHTEG) on synthetic biology in 2014. This group would talk about “synthetic biology as a further development and new dimension of modern biotechnology that combines science, technology, and engineering to make it easier and faster to understand, design, redesign, manufacture, and/or modify genetic materials, living organisms, and biological systems.” Later, the COP also asked AHTEG to discuss synthetic biology and risk assessment under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, an international agreement aimed at ensuring the safe handling, transport, and use of living modified organisms (LMOs). The protocol was adopted on January 29, 2000, as a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and entered into force on September 11, 2003.

David Cooper, acting Executive Director of UN Biodiversity and Senka Barudanovic, SBSTTA chair, address the press. Credit: Stella Paul/IPS

The Mandate of SBSTTA-26

Brinda Dass is the Gene Drive Policy Lead at Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, US and a member of the AHTEG who attended the SBSTTA-26 in Nairobi. Dass revealed that for the Nairobi meet, AHTEG was given the task of developing a special guideline on engineered gene drive and at SBSTTA, the major discussion on LMO and synthetic biology was centered around genetically modified mosquitoes.

“For risk assessment, the request from the last COP (COP15 held in Montreal, Canada, in 2022) was to have a draft outline prepared. The request was very focused on the specific elements of engineered gene drive mosquitoes because that’s the most proximal use case because there’s work ongoing right now to generate engineered gene drive mosquitoes for malaria elimination and control in Africa.  So, our technical expert group was asked to prepare additional voluntary guidance on living modified organisms that contain engineered gene drives—and that’s what we did,” Dass told IPS.

Dass’s also commented that it was a successful meeting.

“Most parties, especially from the African continent—actually, almost all African delegations—accepted the document as they were happy to send it to the COP. So, they have approved it, they have accepted it, they were happy with what work was done and they wanted to move to COP. They don’t have any reservations on that,” Dass added.

Both Senka Barudanovic, who chaired all the sessions of SBSTTA and David Cooper, acting Executive Secretary of UN CBD, appeared to agree with Dass.

“I sincerely congratulate delegates for their hard work; I think it was a successful meeting where most parties demonstrated a spirit of compromise,” said Barudanovic.

“This meeting showed the willingness of parties to the CBD to reach consensus on the important scientific foundations of our work to achieve the Biodiversity Plan,” said Cooper. “The discussions have wide-reaching implications for biosafety, biotechnology, biodiversity in our oceans, and new global work on the health of people, plants, and animals.”

Brinda Dass, senior technical expert and Gene Drive Policy Lead at the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health. Credit: Stella Paul/IPS

Engineered Gene Drive Versus Genetically Engineered Products

Genetic engineering involves the direct modification of an organism’s DNA, often in a controlled environment, without necessarily influencing inheritance patterns in the wild. This technology is usually applied in agriculture, medicine, and industrial biotechnology. For example, BT cotton and other genetically modified (GM) crops.

Engineered gene drive, on the other hand, uses specific genetic constructs to create inheritance patterns, which means the genetic modification has a higher chance of being passed on from one generation to another. The development of engineered malaria mosquitoes is done under this technology.

Since its impact would be on successive generations, engineered gene drive technology naturally raises significant ecological and ethical concerns due to the potential for widespread and irreversible impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity. One of the biggest concern is the potential spread of modified genes beyond the target population. For example, there is concern about the impact and effect of engineered gene drive malaria-resistant mosquitoes on other animals and other insects, including mosquitoes that do not cause malaria.

Experts also say that the whole issue of LMO and Synthetic Biology is also looked at with concern and skepticism because many find it too complicated.

One of the reasons that it is complicated is because there is no universal definition of what synthetic biology is. Because it largely captures many kinds of technologies and products, it is difficult to understand what does and doesn’t fall under the bucket of synthetic biology.

Another factor is the unequal participation of the delegates, which could be attributed to a variety of reasons, including lack of understanding.

“Not all the delegates speak up. So, we don’t know their level of understanding. By level of understanding, I mean, there’s factual understanding and then there’s understanding of what the implications are of the decisions that are being taken here. Of course, I can’t say more (on the reasons why they don’t speak or their understanding), because I don’t know all the delegates and I’m limited to their statements,” said a scientist from the US who works as the focal point on LMO but is unwilling to reveal his name as the US is not a signatory to the UN Biodiversity Convention.

Lucia DeSouza, senior biotechnology scientist at the Public Research and Regulation Initiative (PRRI). Credit: Stella Paul/IPS

The Arguments and the Questions

At SBSTTA, some participants indicated that despite days of discussions, several questions were left unanswered and that many parties and representatives of NGOs and indigenous peoples groups were not in agreement. Some of these experts have been following the biodiversity COPs, the developments at SBSTTA, and the Cartagena Protocol for a long time, and they allege that the issue of gene drive was being discussed at multiple meetings, which led to unnecessary use of time, efforts, and resources.

“If you look at the documents from synthetic biology, one of the things that they prioritize is gene drives. But the thing is that gene drive is also being looked at already under Cartagena protocol. So, if you ask me, it looks like duplication of effort because synthetic biology is supposed to do horizon scanning, which is to look at new and emerging technologies as they apply to CBD and the protocols, right? So, if they look and say gene drive is one of those technologies,. But then, we already have gene drives being worked on, it’s not so much new and emerging,” said a scientist unwilling to reveal her name as she is not authorized to speak with the media.

The same issue was also brought up by the delegate from Japan, who argued that gene drive technology is a technology that arrived several years ago. It has already emerged, and the world is already working on it. So, why was the issue still being discussed at SBSTTA as a new and emerging issue?

“It’s true; technical experts have been talking about synthetic biology for more than 10 years, but they never concluded whether it is a new and emergent issue. Even the self-limiting mosquitoes fall under the definition of LMO and it’s one that has been tested in the field for a long time and it’s actually approved for Brazil, Paraguay, if I’m not mistaken. So, it’s also even been in the market. So, what Japan here raised is a very important point, because we are wasting a lot of time,” says Lucia DeSouza, a Brazilian scientist who is the Executive Secretary of the Public Research and Regulation Initiative (PRRI), a global group of biotechnology scientists.

Recommendations of SBSTTA and the Future Course

According to a statement by the CBD Secretariat, on biosafety and biotechnology, the Parties recommended new voluntary guidance on the risk assessment on engineered gene drives. The recommended guidelines are aimed at strengthening transparency and scientific rigor in the process and continuing the detection and identification of LMOs.

For the issue of synthetic biology, SBSTTA recommended that further discussions are needed on the possibility of continuing horizon scanning, an approach that involves systematically exploring and analyzing emerging trends, innovations, and potential future developments in the field of synthetic biology. This approach helps policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders anticipate and prepare for future challenges and opportunities.

An example of horizon scanning for synthetic biology could be the development of genetically modified fish, which is currently being researched for possible aquaculture efficiency and food security.

However, because SBSTTA is an advisory group, the COP may or may not adopt its recommendations. But once a draft decision is sent to the COP—in this case the issue of engineered gene drive malaria mosquitoes—then the nations will have a chance to read and express their opinions. It is possible that they will object to or reject some of the draft’s provisions, but it is also very likely that the parties will eventually accept some version of the draft decision.

“We are discussing risk assessment. We are discussing how to build a management system based on this risk assessment. And then what? Then, where do we go? It’s a good question,” DeSouza said. “While we can’t predict where things will go from here, as long as this topic remains relevant for parties, they’re going to keep wanting to have conversations related to it. The only way the topic will end is if the products (like gene drive mosquitoes) stop being produced and used or if the parties stop taking an interest in it. If the parties stay interested, then SBSTTA will continue to develop technical guidance documents. Finally, the countries will develop their own domestic regulatory frameworks following all these guidelines and the Cartagena protocol.”
IPS UN Bureau Report

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By Roberto Azevêdo
GENEVA, Jan 22 2016 (IPS)

In 2015 the international community took some huge strides forward on a number of vital issues.

There was the agreement on the United Nations new Sustainable Development Goals.

There was the remarkable breakthrough in Paris in the fight against climate change.

Roberto Azevêdo

And, late in December, at the World Trade Organization (WTO) ministerial conference in Nairobi, members agreed a set of very significant results. In fact, they delivered some of the biggest reforms in global trade policy for 20 years.

We must seek to capitalise on this progress in 2016.

Let me explain in a bit more detail what was delivered in Nairobi.

The Nairobi Package contained a number of important decisions ­ including a decision on export competition. This is truly historic. It is the most important reform in international trade rules on agriculture since the creation of the WTO.

The elimination of agricultural export subsidies is particularly significant in improving the global trading environment.

WTO members ­ especially developing countries ­ have consistently demanded action on this issue due to the enormous trade-distorting potential of these subsidies. In fact, this task has been outstanding since export subsidies were banned for industrial goods more than 50 years ago. So this decision corrected an historic imbalance.

Countries have often resorted to export subsidies during economic crises ­ and recent history shows that once one country did so, others quickly followed suit. Because of the Nairobi Package, no-one will be tempted to resort to such action in the future.

This decision will help to level the playing field in agriculture markets, to the benefit of farmers and exporters in developing and least-developed countries.

This decision will also help to limit similar distorting effects associated with export credits and state trading enterprises.

And it will provide a better framework for international food aid ­ maintaining this essential lifeline, while ensuring that it doesn’t displace domestic producers.

Members also took action on other developing-country issues, committing to find a permanent solution on public stockholding for food security purposes, and to develop a Special Safeguard Mechanism.

And members agreed a package of specific decisions for least developed countries, to support their integration into the global economy. This contained measures to enhance preferential rules of origin for these countries and preferential treatment for their services providers.

And it contained a number of steps on cotton ­ helping low-income cotton producers to access new markets.

Finally, a large group of members agreed on the expansion of the Information Technology Agreement. Again, this was an historic breakthrough. It will eliminate tariffs on 10 per cent of global trade ­ that’s 1.3 trillion dollars worth of trade, making it the WTO’s first major tariff cutting deal since 1996.

Altogether, these decisions will provide a real boost to growth and development around the world.

This success is all the more significant because it comes so soon after our successful conference in Bali that delivered a number of important outcomes, including the Trade Facilitation Agreement. (TFA)

The TFA will bring a higher level of predictability and transparency to customs processes around the world, making it easier for businesses ­ especially smaller enterprises ­ to join global value chains.

It could reduce trade costs by an average of 14.5 per cent – with the greatest savings being felt in developing countries.

The Agreement has the potential to increase global merchandise exports by up to 1 trillion dollars per annum, and to create 20 million jobs around the world.

That’s potentially a bigger impact than the elimination of all remaining tariffs.

So the challenge before us is very significant.

For instance, during or the last two years, we have been trying to reinvigorate the Doha agenda on development, exploring various ways of overcoming the existing difficulties. We tested different alternatives over several months of good engagement, but the conversations revealed significant differences, which are unlikely to be solved in the short term.

But the challenge is not limited only to the question of what happens to the Doha issues, it is about the negotiating function of the WTO. It is about what members want for the future of the WTO as a standard and rule-setting body. And the challenge is urgent.

The world won’t wait for the WTO. Other trade deals will keep advancing.

The wider the gap between regional and multilateral disciplines, the worse the trade environment becomes for everyone, particularly businesses, small countries and all those not involved in major regional negotiations.

But the outlook is not bleak. I said at the outset that 2016 was full of promise. I truly believe that ­ because, while we face real challenges, there are also real opportunities before us.

(End)

Excerpt:

By Jomo Kwame Sundaram
ROME, Dec 11 2015 (IPS)

The latest estimates are that over two billion people in the world suffer some micronutrient deficiencies, often referred to as “hidden hunger.” The main sustainable solution is to ensure adequate public health interventions, including clean water, sanitation and hygiene as well as healthy, diverse diets for all.

Jomo Kwame Sundaram. Credit: FAO

In the short term, however, it will be necessary to provide supplements of vitamins, minerals and trace elements to those especially vulnerable, e.g. due to displacement and emergency situations. There is a general consensus that such needs of pregnant and lactating mothers should be especially prioritized due to the intergenerational consequences of child stunting for such reasons.

Developing countries should be able to affordably access locally produced or imported generics of the vitamin and mineral supplements they require. Many current options associated with public-private partnership will instead strengthen the vested interests of the lucrative, large and fast-growing industry for nutrition supplements.

The need for supplementation to address urgent, short-term micronutrient deficiencies should qualify as part of the public health exception to the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO). This has not been fully recognized ostensibly because people do not drop dead immediately due to “hidden hunger.”

TRIPS and generics production for developing countries

Under the TRIPS agreement, intellectual property rights (IPRs) — for copyright, trademark, geographical indication, industrial designs and patents — are extended to all signatory countries. Patents, most relevant to public health and access to medicines, give twenty years of protection to inventions.

In the current language, there are no explicit provisions for generic production of patented nutrition supplements. However, there is supposed to be a great deal of flexibility on the basis of public health needs, which could be extended to minerals and vitamins for supplementation.

The TRIPS Agreement provides space for countries taking measures to protect public health. Under Article 31, countries can issue compulsory licenses allowing firms or individuals to produce generic copies of patented products or processes for the domestic market without the owner’s consent in “case of a national emergency or other circumstances of extreme urgency or in cases of public non-commercial use.” The government can also determine adequate payment to the IPR holder.

At the Doha WTO conference in 2001 launching the Doha Development Round of trade negotiations, the Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health affirmed the right of countries to protect public health, enable access to medicines, and determine the criteria for issuing a compulsory license. It emphasized that each country “has the right to grant compulsory licenses” and “the right to determine what constitutes a national health emergency or other circumstances of extreme urgency.”

This new text corrected the false impression that some health emergency was needed to justify compulsory licensing. It also spelt out that “public health crises, including those relating to HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other epidemics, can represent a national emergency or other circumstances of extreme urgency.”

Technology transfer

Under Article 66.2 of TRIPS, developed country governments are obliged to actively promote technology transfer in establishing manufacturing capabilities for patented processes in developing countries. The 2001 Declaration also reaffirmed the developed countries’ commitment to provide incentives to their corporations to enable technology transfer to the least developed countries. This was part of the original bargain for developing countries to provide protection of IPRs.

Developing countries also have the right to import generics if they lack manufacturing capabilities. A 2003 waiver allows countries unable to domestically produce pharmaceuticals to import them instead. Hence, under compulsory licensing, such countries can import externally produced patented drugs. Thus, while compulsory licensing allows countries to import cheaper generics from countries already producing them, to take advantage of TRIPS Agreement flexibility, countries need to legislate accordingly.

However, exemptions to pharmaceutical patent protection to the least developed countries, enabling them to import without issuing a compulsory license, were only extended until 2016. The upcoming Nairobi WTO ministerial should extend this exemption beyond next year.

While there appears to be legal space under TRIPS for developing countries to use compulsory licensing, they have effectively be prevented from doing this by complicated rules and procedural requirements. Consequently, use of compulsory licensing by developing countries has been largely limited to HIV/AIDS medicines, and almost exclusively used by middle-income countries. LDCs have not issued any compulsory licenses while the total number of applications has declined significantly in the last decade.

Needed actions

Existing TRIPS texts do not preclude compulsory licensing for local generic production in developing countries. However, extension of the right to use compulsory licensing and other such flexibilities to vitamin and mineral supplements is not explicit. While explicit permission is given to AIDs, malaria, tuberculosis and epidemics, even this is rarely used.

In light of the foregoing, the following revisions to WTO provisions to protect developing countries’ right to produce generic vitamin and mineral supplements should be introduced. This will also be in line with the July 2015 Addis Ababa Action Agenda’s commitment to facilitate technology transfer:

• Developing appropriate model legislation to facilitate development of the national legislation needed for compulsory licensing, etc.
• Provide free legal services to developing country governments interested in accessing TRIPS facilities.
• Identify and investigate relevant national vitamin and mineral supplement production needs in partnership with other governments to enable developed countries to meet their technology transfer obligations.

Developing countries need to act to overcome three major constraints to issuing compulsory licenses and bypassing patent legislation for public health. First, the governments must be strong enough to withstand business and political pressures. Second, it is necessary to have enabling legislation in place. Third, these countries need to have production capacity and distribution arrangements in place.
Also, the UN system should offer appropriate technical expertise to advance progress.

(End)

Excerpt:

By Roberto Azevêdo
GENEVA, Dec 11 2015 (IPS)

The Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) is now just a few days away, from 15 to 18 December in Nairobi.

This is the first time that the WTO has held a Ministerial Conference in Africa­ and therefore expectations are high that it should deliver for Africa ­ and for all developing countries, particularly the least-developed.

This work is happening mainly through two processes.

The first process is that of the negotiations group. Members are working through these groups on a range of specific issues. However, despite intensive efforts on all of the core issues of the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) of world trade negotiations, started in November 2001, I must report that little progress has been made. Gaps between members’ positions remain huge.

This means we haven’t been able to advance in many of the major DDA issues such as agricultural domestic support, for example, or any aspect of market access ­ whether agricultural, non-agricultural, or services.

Nevertheless, a general sense has emerged that consensus might be achievable on some issues ­if, and only if, we work very hard on all of them.

This includes a package of measures for Least Developed Countries (LDCs), which could contain a number of possible elements, such as further steps on Duty-Free and Quota-Free (DFQF), services, cotton and rules of origin.

Another issue which we may be able to harvest is a possible agreement on export competition in agriculture, which may include steps on export subsidies, export credits, the role of state trading enterprises and food aid, for example. Any achievements here would be especially important for developing and least-developed countries.

We are also working on issues such as special safeguard mechanisms and public stockholding for food security purposes, though progress is lacking here as well.

Indeed, at present, nothing is guaranteed. There is still a long way to go, significant gaps still to bridge, and little time remaining.

So, that’s the first process. The second is focused on drafting a Ministerial Declaration. There has been intensive work going on here as well.

In this regard, a majority of delegations made reference to a “Bali-like” Ministerial Declaration (December 2013) in three parts. The first part would have the introductory language, focusing on the importance of the multilateral trading system, the second part would cover the Nairobi deliverables, and the third part would look to the future work of the WTO after Nairobi.

There has been some progress. Clearly, however, we will need to take a different approach for the most contentious issues.

This process on the declaration shows the importance of Nairobi ­ but it also underlines the fact that our work will not end there.

The conversation about the future of the DDA is surely just as important as any deliverables that we will achieve in Nairobi.

The DDA has seen slow progress since its launch in 2001 and when negotiations are slow in the WTO, countries will explore other avenues such as regional trade agreements.

These initiatives are positive, but the WTO must advance as well.

The risk of doing everything in regional forums is that most of the time developing countries and LDCs will be left out of the conversation.

It is only at the multilateral level where all voices are heard, and where the biggest development issues can be properly addressed.

This brings the spotlight back to the WTO, and to our capacity to negotiate.

Nevertheless, I think we cannot disregard important commonalities when thinking the way ahead.

For instance, I think all members agree that:

– We want to deliver in Nairobi.
– Whatever we deliver will not be enough to formally and consensually conclude the Doha Round.
– And members are willing to keep the big Doha issues on the table, agriculture being the most pre-eminent of these.

This discussion on how we move forward will be vitally important for the future of the WTO.

So there is a lot at stake, in terms of the potential deliverables ­ and in terms of what success, or failure, would mean for the future of the multilateral trading system.

Nairobi will be a very important moment in many ways. And I should say that there could be a number of other positive outcomes there.

Ministers of the 162 country members will be asked to approve the membership of Liberia and Afghanistan, for example ­ which will deliver a big boost for growth and development in those two countries.

It is also possible that the deal to expand the Information Technology Agreement will be finalized, which will deliver more economic growth around the world.

And we may see some further progress on the Environmental Goods Agreement.

In addition, we hope to see a strong vote of support for the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) at their pledging conference which will be held on the eve of the ministerial. Indeed, the EIF provides essential support for LDCs, and so this will be another important outcome from the Ministerial Conference.

In conclusion, we have a lot on the table ­ but a lot of work is still required to achieve successful outcomes in Nairobi.

So how do we take forward the outstanding Doha issues after Nairobi? Opinions are quite divergent on this point.

Some members argue that we must keep working on Doha because it is vital for development ­ and that while Doha is not concluded we must not divert our focus to discuss anything else.

Others argue that after years of limited success under the Doha architecture, it is unlikely that this framework could yield any further progress, especially on the more difficult issues.

Therefore, these countries are reluctant to continue engaging in negotiations under this current framework.

These members also believe that for the Organization to function properly, it has to evolve and address whatever new issues members want to talk about. For these members, it is critical that the WTO addresses new concerns; otherwise it risks losing its relevance.

Obviously, it is difficult to reconcile these views.

(End)

Excerpt:

A mother and her children protect themselves pretending to be dead in Westgate mall. Credit: Al Jazeera

By AJ Correspondents
QATAR, Sep 23 2013 (IPS)

Heavy and sustained gunfire has been heard from the Nairobi mall where the Al-Qaeda-linked Somali Islamist rebel group Al Shabab are holed up, holding an unknown number of civilians hostage.

Two Al Shabab fighters have been killed in the ongoing military raid to end the standoff and nearly all hostages have been freed, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for the Interior Ole Lenku said on Monday.

“We don’t want to give you a definitive position on when we think the process will come to an end, but we are doing anything reasonably possible, cautiously though, to bring this process to an end,” Lenku told a news conference.

Black smoke has been seen rising and several blasts have been heard in the area, two days after Al Shabab fighters stormed the mall.

Lenku said a fire inside the mall was the work of the fighters, but that it would soon be extinguished.

He said that Kenyan forces were in control of all floors of the mall, and that “the terrorists are running and hiding in some stores […] there is no room for escape”.

Television images on Monday showed troops in camouflage running to new positions, while an armoured personal carrier was also seen shifting position.

Journalists and their cameras have been moved and no longer have a clear sight of the mall, but can see its perimeter.

“It is us who caused the explosion, we are trying to get in through the roof,” one security official, who asked not to be named, told the Reuters news agency at the scene. There was no official comment.

Al Jazeera’s Catherine Soi, reporting from the vicinity of the mall, said that the concern was that the fighters would not allow themselves to be apprehended, and that they might harm any remaining hostages.

“They went in there with a suicide mission, they knew that it was very difficult for them to get out alive. […] The concern really is the hostages. The ministry says that they have been able to evacuate most of the people in that mall … more than 1,000 people have been evacuated [since the siege began], but the concern is with the hostages [still in the building],” she reported.

Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced that it was adjourning the trial of Kenya’s Deputy President William Ruto on charges relating to violence following elections in 2007.

The court said Ruto would be excused from the trial, which began earlier this month, for a week to return to Nairobi to help deal with the crisis.

On Sunday, Kenyan security forces claimed to have rescued most of the hostages, but an unknown number remain trapped inside.

Armed men belonging to the Somali group Al Shabab had stormed the Westgate shopping centre on Saturday using grenades and assault rifles. The attack left at least 68 people dead and more than 150 wounded, according to the Red Cross.

Colonel Cyrus Oguna, a military spokesman of Al Shabab, told Al Jazeera that most of the hostages had been released, though he did not provide an exact number. “Most of them were dehydrated and suffering from shock,” Oguna said, adding that four Kenyan soldiers were injured in the rescue operation.

As security forces intesified efforts to end the standoff late on Sunday, Meanwhile, Al Shabab, which has claimed responsibility for the siege, said on its Twitter feed that the “Kenyan government shall be held responsible for any loss of life as a result of such an imprudent move. The call is yours!”

It said “Kenyan forces who’ve just attempted a roof landing must know that they are jeopardising the lives of hostages.”

Al Shabab told Al Jazeera it carried out the attack in which they specifically targeted non-Muslims. Kenyans and foreigners were among those confirmed dead, including French, Britons, Indians, Canadians, Chinese and a renowned Ghanaian poet. Speaking to Al Jazeera later, Abu Omar, a spokesman for the group, ruled out any negotiations over the hostages being held.

The group is demanding that Kenya pull troops back from neighbouring Somalia, where Al Shabab is fighting against the government.

The United Nations Security Council condemned the attack “in the strongest possible terms,” and reminded Kenya that any response must comply with international human rights law.

Published under agreement with Al Jazeera.