Miscellaneous themes
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12348/719
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- Purpose - This paper aims to investigate the entrepreneurial behaviours exhibited by commercial smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe, focusing on their socio-economic characteristics, and considers their implication for outcomes of livelihood resilience in a resource-constrained and turbulent rural context. Design/methodology/approach - The study used survey data collected from 430 smallholder farmers in Masvingo province, Zimbabwe. Using a two-step cluster analysis, the study constructed a typology of farmers based on their entrepreneurial behaviour and socio-economic characteristics. Findings - The results revealed that commercial smallholder farmers are heterogeneous in terms of their entrepreneurial behaviours. Four clusters were identified: non-entrepreneurial, goal-driven, means-driven and ambidextrous. Beyond their entrepreneurial behaviours, these clusters significantly differ in the socio-economic characterises (gender, age, education levels, farm size, proximity to the market and social connection) and farm performance (seasonal sales per hectare and farm income per hectare). Research limitations/implications - The typology framework relating farmers’ entrepreneurial behaviours to their socio-economic characteristics and business performance is important to tailor and therefore improve the effectiveness of farmer entrepreneurship programmes and policies. In particular, tailoring farmer entrepreneurship education is crucial to distribute land, finance and market resources in purposive ways to promote a combination of smallholder farmers’ effectual and causal behaviours at an early stage of their farm ventures. Originality/value - Researchers still know little about which farmers’ behaviours are entrepreneurial and how these behaviours manifest in action during their commercial farm activities. This research leverages effectuation and causation theory to unveil previously overlooked distinctions on farmers’ entrepreneurial behaviours, thereby enhancing a more grounded understanding of farmer entrepreneurship in a resource-constrained context.
- Salt marsh ecosystems are vital for coastal protection, biodiversity support, and carbon sequestration, while also serving as nurseries for coastal and marine species and improving water quality. This study assessed the extent and ecological significance of the salt marsh ecosystem along the southeast coastal zone of Bangladesh. In addition, the study explored the biota associated with salt marshes, identified anthropogenic stressors affecting them and proposed conservation options. A citizen science-based monitoring approach, along with the scientific sampling, was conducted between July 2023 and June 2024 to collect the data from the study area. The study identified a 34 km-long salt marsh habitat extending from Sitakunda to Kattoli beach along the Chattogram coast of Bangladesh. This saltmarsh habitat is dominated by species Oryza coarctata. Visually higher densities of salt marsh were observed along the Salimpur and Sitakunda coasts. The salt marsh ecosystem of Chattogram coast supports diverse species, including shorebirds, mudskippers, horseshoe crabs, jellyfish, benthic organisms, crabs, shrimps, and fishes. We identified three spatial biodiversity clusters and Cluster 1 had the highest species diversity. This study found that the salt marsh ecosystem along the Chattogram coast serves as a habitat for over 50 salt marsh-associated fish species, which may depend on it for breeding, feeding, and nursery grounds. However, this area faces significant threats from activities such as burning, oil spills, shipbreaking, and fishing. Therefore, this study recommends an integrated approach to conserve the salt marsh ecosystem and its associated biota. This study serves as a unique example of an integrated monitoring strategy that supports conservation initiatives in developing countries.
- Demand for aquatic foods has been increasing rapidly due to population growth, rising incomes, and increasing appreciation for the health benefits of fish consumption (Aung et al., 2022; Naylor, Kishore, et al., 2021; Wang et al., 2022). The rapid growth of aquaculture in the past two decades has been the key contributor to meeting the increasing demand for aquatic foods. Aquatic foods are nutrient-rich (Golden et al., 2021; Thilsted et al., 2016), generate low emissions and impacts on land and water (Gephart et al., 2021; Springmann et al., 2018; Tigchelaar et al., 2022), and contribute to the human health, wellbeing, and livelihoods of rural communities (Crona et al., 2023; Willett et al., 2019). The latest fish foresight studies provide multifaceted insights into future scenarios of technological progress, climate change, population growth, diet transformation, urbanization, investments, and policy shifts in the fish sector and the potential for fish to provide nutrition-sensitive interventions to combating food insecurity and malnutrition at the global, regional and national levels (Bohnes et al., 2020; Chan, Tran, et al., 2021; Chan et al., 2019; Costello et al., 2020; Tran, Chan, et al., 2022; Tran, Chu, et al., 2022; Tran et al., 2023). Further foresight studies are needed to inform policymaking and develop a deeper understanding of the role aquatic foods can play in addressing the nutritional, social, and environmental food system challenges while navigating the trade-offs of pursuing these different goals (Chan, Prager, et al., 2021; Crona et al., 2023).
- Food systems have achieved remarkable progress in recent decades, but moving forward, they will face significant challenges in delivering the many outputs and services—such as poverty alleviation, nutrition and health, livelihoods, and environmental sustainability—we expect and need. By combining sophisticated analysis and close engagement with stakeholders, we can identify and explore the likely impacts of different future scenarios based on alternative development pathways and external factors. These results can help inform the decisions we make about food systems today.
- The transformation of global food systems is essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and fulfilling the Paris Agreement commitments, especially in vulnerable regions like East and Southern Africa (ESA). In such regions, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across food systems value chains can drive transformative innovations, but often require external support to build capacity. Business accelerators, originally from the corporate and tech sectors, have emerged as key players in supporting early-stage ventures, yet their role in agriculture and food systems remains underexplored. This paper presents findings from the first cohort of the CGIAR Food Systems Accelerator (CFSA), which supports agribusinesses in ESA in scaling climate-smart innovations. Through its science-backed, tailored approach, CFSA enhances investment readiness and technical capabilities among SMEs. The assessment, based on interviews with agribusiness founders (n = 10), reveals perceived improvements in entrepreneurial skills, partnership opportunities, and organizational capabilities, though challenges related to financial constraints and enabling environment remain. This study highlights the potential of non-profit accelerators in fostering food systems transformation through SME development, with important implications for poverty reduction, food security, and climate adaptation. Expanding such programs and studying their long-term impacts is crucial for driving sustainable growth in food systems in the Global South.
- A practical course to master XLSForm (ODK) coding for digital surveys. Participants will learn to implement advanced logic (skip patterns, validation) and fully deploy finalized forms to KoboToolbox for efficient field data collection and management. The focus of the form coding includes the understanding of question types, form operators, and functions to be applied based on the country study.
- Outbreaks of emergency animal diseases such as African swine fever (ASF) and foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) are typically managed through regulated control measures, including tracing, surveillance, movement restrictions, culling, disposal and decontamination. However, limited understanding and fragmented data on material flows – such as semen, live animals and meat products – within meat supply chains hinder policymakers' ability to assess the full impact of these measures and to consider these implications in their decision-making. This study aimed to map the material flow within the Australian pork supply chain and to identify the potential socio-economic implications of disease control interventions. Industry experts were engaged to assist in the drafting of a flow chart and to provide descriptions of activities at each segment of the supply chain. Results revealed a highly integrated and complex supply network. These structural and operational features, combined with regulatory movement controls, can lead to significant disruptions, including loss of livestock and breeding capacity, business income and employment, animal welfare risks, psychological stress, reputational damage from mass culling and reduced meat availability for consumers. The findings of this work emphasise the importance of decision-makers being well informed about the effects of supply chain disruptions and the socio-economic consequences of disease control decisions.
- In sensory panel IV (Adults), The ComFA+Fish strawberry flavor instant porridge is a market-leading product with exceptional sensory appeal and usability. Its nearly universal positive ratings on texture and flavor can set a high benchmark to improve the other variants. The ComFA+ strawberry porridge is due to its high acceptability. There is a need to improve plain porridge and the Vanilla+Kapenta variants in terms of flavor and texture. Insights from strawberry's success— such as flavor balancing and texture consistency—could be applied to refine the other variants. In sensory panel V (infants), the ComFA+Fish strawberry flavor instant porridge has the strongest appeal among infants, followed by the vanilla flavor. Strawberry porridge should be prioritized for launch due to its universal appeal among infants and, thus, suitable for mainstream adoption. Vanilla porridge can also be promoted as an option for kids as it performs well across T1, T2 and T3. Vanilla porridge is a big contender for infants and children who like subtle flavors. The ComFA+Fish vanilla flavor extra kapenta porridge must be reformulated to improve broader acceptability. Reducing portion sizes to reduce food waste and encourage children to consume porridge fully may be critical.
- This paper uses case studies of three agri-food systems in Nigeria – cassava, catfish and chicken – to demonstrate the impact of gender norms on women's economic resilience to climate change impacts. It provides insights into how transforming gender norms helps build economic resilience for women. It is based on data collected in Ogun and Oyo states through a stakeholders’ workshop, 55 Individual and Key Informant Interviews and 18 sex-disaggregated Focus Group Discussions. A gender-sensitive resilience approach was developed from literature on resilience approaches and gender transformative processes and used to analyse the data. The paper concludes that gender norms create gendered opportunities and constraints for economic resilience to the impacts of climate change. These opportunities and constraints emerge at the intersection of social institutions, agency and power relations. More men than women have access to and ownership of resources for economic resilience, such as land and finance. Men can often make long-term/strategic plans compared to women's short-term survival tactics. Approaches to promoting women’s economic resilience in climate change scenarios should challenge discriminatory gender norms and integrate gender-sensitive agricultural policies that encourage women’s equal and meaningful participation in all spheres, including at household, community, organizational and macro-environmental levels.
- This report outlines the financial statements and report of independent auditors for the year end December 31,2024
- CONTEXT: Agri-food system transformations require change across sectors and actors within the system. Initiatives contributing to these changes need to connect system change processes to individual and collective agency and behaviors. OBJECTIVE: We propose a conceptual framework on agency and behavior change for transforming agri-food systems (ACT framework). ACT emphasizes agri-food system actors’ behaviors with attention to their power, agency, and the influence of structural agri-food system elements. Researchers can apply ACT to assess an initiative’s contributions to changes in system elements through individual and collective behaviors. METHODS: We conducted literature reviews and key informant interviews for 29 initiative case studies. Using ACT, we identified patterns in terms of initiatives’ targeted actors, behaviors, and the factors shaping actors’ agency and behavior. We then applied ACT in an initiative in Zimbabwe to develop a theory of change that links behavior change pathways with broader systems transformation. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The reviewed initiatives focused heavily on shaping producers’ behavior through knowledge transfer, less often considering other actors and structural challenges and opportunities. Key informants frequently reported enablers and impediments to achieve initiative outcomes that were associated with structural system elements. Few were able to articulate their initiative’s theory of change and underlying assumptions. SIGNIFICANCE: ACT can support a more diverse and theory-based exploration of agri-food system initiatives’ target actors, behaviors, and factors shaping behaviors. Development professionals can apply the ACT framework to design more effective TOCs that attend to diverse actor groups and leverage the factors influencing these actors’ agency and behaviors.
- Decision support systems (DSS) are essential planning tools that enable decision makers to make informed, evidence-based choices in agricultural production. For DSS to be effective, they must be customized to address challenges unique to specific production systems. The interface for Marek’s Disease Economic Impact and Tradeoff (i-MaDE-IT) was developed as a specialized DSS for conducting ex-ante impact assessments of Marek’s disease control strategies in layer poultry production systems. However, its baseline mode (without a Marek’s disease outbreak) can also serve as a tool for layer production planning and forecasting. i-MaDE-IT, a user-friendly web-based simulation interface, serves as the front end of a system dynamics model comprising three core modules. These modules, comprising production-epidemiological, management decisions, and financial modules, are designed to be easily navigable and comprehensible. The production-epidemiological module tracks the transition of poultry birds from day-old chicks to spent layers while simulating their progression through various health statuses based on disease spread dynamics. The management decisions module captures re-vaccination and biosecurity measures (specifically culling) as control measures, as well as the financial decisions that influence the profitability indicators – gross margin and benefit-cost ratio. The financial module consolidates all production costs and revenues from eggs, spent layers and manure.
- The Feed the Future Burma Fish for Livelihoods project (2019-2025) funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) focused on improving the nutritional status of vulnerable households in Central and Northern Myanmar by promoting inclusive and sustainable aquaculture growth among small-scale farmers. WorldFish provides technical backstopping to the main field-based implementers namely: the Myanmar Fisheries Federation, Karuna Social Services Association, and Ar Yone Oo,. The project also draws on the International Water Management Institute expertise, a sister CGIAR entity1.
- In recognition of its essential role in healthy diets, Cambodia has included fish in its newly launched Third National Strategy for Food Security and Nutrition (2024–2028). The strategy, spearheaded by the Council for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD), aims to boost food security, nutrition outcomes, and resilience nationwide. Speaking at the strategy’s official launch on 10 April 2025, Dr. Ouk Rabun, Senior Minister and Chairman of CARD, acknowledged the crucial role played by WorldFish and other key development partners, highlighting their contributions in shaping the strategic direction for Cambodia’s nutrition and food security future.
- This brief aims to explore how circular economy, food systems and practical waste management considerations – might link with regenerative agriculture, soil systems improvement, fish and rice systems, precision fermentation and enzymatic conversion to reduce carbon footprints, bio-security risks and improve food safety aspects for improvements in SEAP.
- The workshop on “improving food and nutrition security through regenerative farming systems, enhanced agrobiodiversity and farmer-led irrigation systems” is part of the ASEAN-CGIAR Innovate for food and nutrition security program. The program was officially launched in October in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the 45th Meeting of ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry. In Laos, with the support of National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute (NAFRI), WorldFish, Alliance Bioversity CIAT and International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Intervention Packages 1, 3 and 7 combined the efforts in conducting the workshop, and moving forward, will leverage the ongoing activities that are spearheaded by the national partners and CGIAR colleagues to achieve long term impact.
- This brief aims to explore how circular economy, food systems and practical waste management considerations – might link with regenerative agriculture, soil systems improvement, fish and rice systems, precision fermentation and enzymatic conversion to reduce carbon footprints, bio-security risks and improve food safety aspects for improvements in SEAP.
- Stakeholders in complex landscapes with competing interests such as the Lower Kafue Basin have realized that concrete actions cannot be attempted by single entities such as the government alone. These actions necessitate efforts beyond the internal value chains of individual companies, farmers, nongovernmental organizations or traditional leaders, but must be addressed holistically at the basin scale. The primary objective of the Lower Kafue Basin platform is to encourage transparency and equitable dialogue among stakeholders that will influence local decisions and inform the direction of basin policy. This approach will ultimately improve local livelihoods and stewardship of natural resources.
- This technical report delves into the essential task of gathering validation data, focusing on surface and groundwater related data monitoring through the deployment of field equipment. The primary objective is to comprehensively monitor surface water and groundwater levels, along with rainfall, on a regular basis. This hydrologic monitoring initiative is conducted within the context of a case study centered on rice-fish systems, specifically community fish refuges (CFRs) in Prey Veng Province, Cambodia.
- Aquatic foods are important and hold a significant role in the global food system through income, food and employment. The Lower Kafue Basin is one of the most important ecosystems in Zambia in providing fisheries, livestock, wildlife, forestry, irrigation farming, hydro-electricity, water for industrial and municipal use services. These multiple and competing uses of the Kafue River and its basin are some of the drivers that are exerting pressure on the ecosystem and challenging its capacity to continue to provide livelihood services to the people in the basin. Hence, investing in effective aquatic food landscape governance through the development of a Multi-Stakeholder Platform and Stakeholder Engagement Strategy for Aquatic Food Systems is expected to contribute towards sustainable and integrated development. A literature review was conducted on the Aquatic Food Systems for the landscape and multi-stakeholder platform/engagement in Zambia. Key informant interviews and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were conducted with Government officials, Non-governmental Organizations, Traditional Authorities and Resource Users to have an in-depth understanding. Findings indicated that agriculture is one of the dominant sectors with about 0.1 to 20 hectares per farmer under cultivation contributing 17% of the national maize production. The Lower Kafue Basin has the largest population of livestock within the country with a cattle population estimated at 92,900 heads; Namwala district alone accounts for 24.2% of the country’s total livestock population. Fish production in the Lower Kafue Basin represents approximately 7% of the total fisheries industry in Zambia. Wildlife distribution is largely attributed to the diversity and complexity of habitats while forestry resources in Southern Province of Zambia are estimated at 4,673,000 hectares of standing forest area. Based on this review, it was recommended to design and develop the Multistakeholder Platform (MSP) and Stakeholder Engagement Strategy (SES) that should respond to the Multi-Sectoral challenges in the management of the Lower Kafue Basin. The report also recommends that a cost-benefit sharing and financing mechanism should be devised to sustain conservation and management of the Lower Kafue Basin.