Pollination is a key ecosystem service forcacao (Theobroma cacao L.) production, yet naturalpollination rates are critically low, partly due toagricultural intensification and the widespread useof agrochemicals. We investigated how conventionalcrop management practices—specifically the applicationof an insecticide (cypermethrin), a fungicide(copper oxychloride), and a pollinator breeding substrate(oil palm fibre) affect pollination dynamics...

Agriculture is the single largest cause for transgressing planetary boundaries. A global transformation to sustainable intensification is required in order to hold the windows open for meeting the Paris climate accord of limiting global warming to 1.5°C and the global biodiversity framework of halting loss of biodiversity, while securing food...

Food systems are characterised by persistent injustices – from exploitative labour and unequal access to healthy food to disproportionate environmental burdens on marginalised communities. These injustices have spurred diverse conceptual frameworks (e.g., food democracy, food sovereignty, food justice), resulting in a fragmented debate around justice that tends to conceptualise it...

In this blog, Ilse, Ajinkya, Sajal and Hanwant argue for formally recognising camels as essential working animals for pastoral livelihoods and for facilitating their movement across state borders. 

In wetlands, water is the defining force shaping both ecosystems and livelihoods. Communities living in these regions hold rich traditional knowledge of water, embedded in their practices, institutions, and stories. In this blog, Suchiradipta argues that Extension and Advisory Services can serve as a vital bridge by translating between scientific...

Indigenous beekeeping practices across dryland and semi-arid regions often rely on wild, native pollinator populations and are embedded within seasonal, place-based ecological knowledge systems. These practices integrate biodiversity stewardship, water availability, food systems, and livelihoods without treating them as discrete domains. This learning material documents a Maasai women-led beekeeping practice in...

This case study documents how Maasai family farming systems in semi-arid northern Tanzania sustain household and livestock water access under prolonged drought through distributed, family-managed groundwater practices. In contexts where centralized water infrastructure is absent, communities rely on manually dug wells located in dry riverbeds and former lakebeds where surface...

In this episode of The Work We Do, we speak with Lauren Phillips, Director of Partnerships and UN Collaboration at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, about why women and youth are central to the transformation of agrifood systems. The conversation draws on FAO’s flagship reports to...

This emergency agriculture support brief presents the results of the latest Data in Emergencies Monitoring (DIEM-Monitoring) round conducted in Colombia from August to October 2025. More than 100 000 agricultural households are in need of emergency agricultural assistance in Colombia. This DIEM-Monitoring brief provides humanitarian actors with an in-depth analysis...

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and CARE USA collaborated in conducting a gender stocktaking exercise to enhance understanding of gender equality integration within Farmer Field School (FFS) programmes. The primary objective of this exercise was to better understand the extent to which FFS have addressed...

The 2025 edition of FAO Transforma, Unlocking Finance for Agrifood Systems Transformation, brought together governments, the private sector, multilateral banks, climate funds, philanthropy, and impact investors to bridge gaps between financing needs and opportunities. The event addressed structural challenges affecting the region’s agrifood systems, including rising food prices, extreme weather...

The numbers are clear: private sector engagement can make the difference for rural transformation. IFAD projects with strong private sector participation achieve average income gains of 64 per cent – four times higher than projects without such engagement. The public-private-producer partnership (4Ps) model is a key avenue to achieving this. Unlike traditional public-private partnerships, 4Ps explicitly include small-scale producers as equal, active partners rather than as suppliers or beneficiaries, catalysing sustainable,...

The Yucatán Black Hairless Pig (YBHP) is an indigenous Mexican breed shaped by tropicalenvironments and traditional management systems. This study aimed to characterize itsruns of homozygosity (ROH) and compare its ROH patterns with those of indigenous andcommercial pig breeds worldwide using the GGP Porcine 50K SNP array. After applyingstandard quality-control...

Today, a new wave of innovation is redefining what mechanization means for agriculture, and agriculture in Africa in particular. Early mechanization efforts on the African continent, particularly in the 1960s and 70s, came with great hopes but yielded limited results. Large tractors and imported machinery were often mismatched to end...

Aim of study: To compare the productivity, nutrient content and carbon stock with the reforestation of native trees Cordia gerascanthus and Cariniana pyriformis in an agricultural area abandoned. In Colombia, these species are commonly known as móncoro and abarco, respectively. Area of study: Pure forest of native species planted in the Andean region of Colombia...

For generations, farmers, pastoralists and local producers have been navigating uncertainty, not in theory, but in practice. Kenyan herders, for example, navigate volatile rainfall, shifting prices, pest outbreaks and political instability. In response, they’ve developed adaptive strategies: splitting herds, negotiating land access and diversifying crops and incomes. These are not nostalgic...

Indigenous Tamang women entrepreneurs are empowered to strengthen their allo textile business, learning new skills, improving their livelihoods and preserving this traditional craft for generations to come. 

Millets have been grown for ages and are an important staple crop in arid and semi-arid regions under adverse weather conditions. The traditional practices of millet cultivation, resulting in lower yields, need to be replaced with improved practices. Millets are known for their ecological resilience and nutritional richness and remain...

Knowledge exchange visit to Malaysia sparks new ideas for Vietnamese farmers to implement back home, including embracing digital technologies, incorporating eco-tourism and strengthening agroforestry.

In many rural regions, internet access remains limited, data costs are high, and electricity unreliable. Yet radio continues to reach farmers, pastoralists and fisherfolk every day. Beyond its role as a communication channel, rural radio functions as an inclusive public interest service that strengthens resilience and supports sustainable agri-food systems,...