Miscellaneous themes
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12348/719
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- 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.
- 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. This report highlights the results of a survey conducted among 355 respondents (25% of the 1,365 project participants) from 20 townships who received WASH materials between 2019 and 2023. The majority of respondents were male (67%) and over 30 years of age.
- The Feed the Future Burma, Fish for Livelihoods Activity (2019-2027) funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) focusses on improving the nutritional status of vulnerable households in Central and Northern Myanmar by promoting inclusive and sustainable aquaculture growth for small-scale farmers and their communities. To evaluate the outcomes of the Activity’s support, the team conducts an annual survey to assess diet diversity and fish consumption among women of reproductive age in the Activity areas. The survey results help guide the project team and relevant stakeholders in identifying effective strategies and determining necessary adjustments to current interventions, ensuring their sustainability. This report presents the 2024 survey findings on dietary diversity among women of reproductive age from 34 townships participating in the Activity. For the safety and security of the field survey team, villages deemed unsafe or inaccessible were excluded from the survey sample.
- 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.
- Transition to unhealthy food choices and lifestyles is causing health problems for Solomon Islanders. Due to these circumstances, a tok stori was organized in 2023 to start addressing the following question: “what does a vision for a healthy and safe food system comprise?” (Tutuo et al. 2023). To follow up on these discussions, WorldFish and the Kastom Gaden Association (KGA) organized a second series of forums called Island Food Systems in Transition: Strengthening Indigenous Food Systems in Solomon Islands. The forums were hosted in Gizo, Western Province, on June 13, 2024, and in Buala, Isabel Province, on August 14, 2024 . These forums brought together rural actors and key stakeholders (i) to talk about traditional farming and aquatic foods under a nutrition-sensitive approach and (ii) to listen to ideas about what the future of food systems in Solomon Islands could look like at the provincial level.
- This three-and-half day Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) training workshop was designed to equip researchers and partners of AABS and NARES from Bangladesh, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda with foundational GESI knowledge and the tools needed to conduct gender research and design development interventions within AFS. The workshop aimed to encourage knowledge exchange through interactive methods, including group activities, role-playing, and collective discussions.
- Key messages: Forests and fisheries are interconnected, and both are impacted by changes in land use within watersheds. Watershed functions are affected by climate, land-use change, overfishing, deforestation and forest degradation. Riparian communities value watersheds but lack political structures for effective integrated management. Community-based governance of natural resources within watersheds can protect ecosystem services and support livelihoods of riparian communities. Even where there is little data now, actions can be taken to enhance monitoring and management of watersheds.
- AICCRA Zambia has significantly empowered smallholder farmers in Eastern Province of Zambia by equipping them with validated climate-smart agricultural (CSA) practices and enhanced climate information services (CIS) to adapt to climate change. Field discussions with farmers revealed that those who adopted AICCRA’s climate-smart solutions such as drought-resistant seed varieties, conservation agriculture, agroforestry with Gliricidia, and agro-advisories on better planting timing achieved improved yields, even during challenging seasons. In Eastern Province, COMACO directly trained 175,000 farmers through its cooperative model, with 130,000 (50% women) adopting climate-smart agriculture practices. All farmers have access to enhanced climate information services through the climate-smart radio program, broadcast twice a week from 15:00 to 15:30 hours, with a repeat airing from 20:00 to 20:30 hours. The program receives calls from farmers, including those across the borders in Malawi and Mozambique. The success of this initiative underscores the importance of collaborative efforts in addressing climate challenges and improving livelihoods in vulnerable regions. Farmers have expressed appreciation for the timely and practical information provided, which has led to better planning and increased yields.
- This recipe book celebrates the rich culinary heritage of Bihar, showcasing traditional fish preparation methods from diverse communities across the region. Designed to promote the nutritional benefits of fish consumption, it encourages healthier diets, supports the local economy, and enhances household culinary skills.
- Malawi is endowed with wetland ecosystems that provide essential services to the country’s people and the environment. As in the rest of the world, however, the wetlands are facing a challenge to sustain their services due to, among others, a lack of research-based evidence to support a farming system that balances food production and efforts to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This chapter critically analyses the link between Malawi’s dominant wetland farming systems and GHG emissions. It addresses the following research questions: To what extent will converting wetlands for aquaculture and rice production contribute to GHG emissions, and what could be the potential implications? Given the trade-offs in climate change mitigation efforts and food production, to what extent will the integration of the two farming systems mitigate GHG emissions? The chapter instigates debate to uncover much-needed data on how much GHG Malawi’s wetland farming has contributed to global emissions, its implications, and future interventions.
- Delivering climate justice remains a challenge at UN climate talks. High-income countries missed their $100 billion climate finance target and are now negotiating a new goal at COP29. However, discussions often overlook the blue economy, which includes sustainable aquatic resource use and can drive climate justice. Investing in small-scale fisheries and aquaculture supports vulnerable coastal communities while fostering sustainable growth. Yet, climate finance for aquatic food systems remains minimal. Policymakers must integrate small-scale fisheries into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), enhance coastal resilience, and ensure climate funds address losses in aquatic food production to create a more equitable, food-secure future.
- WorldFish’s research and development programs have piloted and scaled fresh fish, dried fish and fish powder to bridge production systems and consumer wellbeing. This video showcases the various activities across the Pacific, Asia and Africa implemented to deliver essential nourishment while benefiting food systems. Dive into the inspiring story of fish-powered progress! The video was developed by WorldFish, and funded by the CGIAR Nutrition Impact Platform under the Nutrition-sensitive Food Systems Impact Video grants.