Alliance Research Lever 2: Multifunctional Landscapes

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/107450

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Tree crop Information needs and use among farmers and extension agents in Ghana
(Report, 2025-04-22) Ofosu-Ampong, Kingsley; Jizorkuwie, Abdul-Latif; Schmidt, Paul; Wuletawu, Abera
Achieving agroecological food system transformation
(News Item, 2025-03-20) Fuchs, Lisa Elena; Awiti, Alex; Nyawira, Sylvia; Chege, Christine G. Kiria; Guettou Djurfeldt, Nadia
While agroecological solutions exist at farm level, scaling them to broader food, land and water systems entails many hurdles. The CGIAR Initiative on Agroecology was launched in order to clear them. Based on their experience in Kenya, our authors share some overarching insights. A redesign of food systems is urgently needed to achieve ecological, economic and social sustainability. Agroecology offers a transformative pathway that integrates sustainable and resilient agricultural practices with increased agency for smallholder farmers and other food system actors, and pays special attention to women, youth and other marginalised groups. Agroecological solutions are well documented at farm level, but applying them to broader food, land and water systems remains a challenge given insufficient evidence, misaligned policies, inadequate capacity, insufficient attention to intersecting inequalities and limited financing mechanisms. The CGIAR Initiative on Agroecology (see Box) has been aiming to address these barriers by promoting the application of contextually appropriate agroecological principles by food system actors such as farmers, businesses, government entities and policy-makers in so-called agroecological living landscapes (ALLs). The latter are geographically bounded landscapes in which farmers, agroecology practitioners, researchers and other development actors identify, test and promote agroecological innovations across sectors and scales, thus generating evidence on the transformative potential of agroecology and identifying institutional innovations. As we come to the end of a three-year cycle of collaborative implementation and transition to a new CGIAR Science Program on Multifunctional Landscapes, the Agroecology Initiative Kenya research team leads share the following nine key messages.
Situating the “human” in forest landscape restoration
(Journal Article, 2025-02-24) Mansourian, Stephanie; Djenontin, Ida N. S.; Elias, Marlene; Oldekop, Johan A.; Derkyi, Mercy Afua Adutwumwaa; Kull, Christian A.; Pacheco, Pablo
Globally, forest landscape restoration (FLR) is gaining ground, alongside other forms of restoration under the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. In most cases, projects and initiatives fail to consider human dimensions that influence the processes and outcomes of the restoration effort. These dimensions refer to how and why humans value natural resources; how humans want resources to be managed; and how humans affect or are affected by natural resource management decisions. Using the model of the forest transition curve that shows the trajectory from loss of forests to restored forests, we discuss how FLR intersects in different ways with this transition curve. We conclude that: 1) definitions and their implications are a fundamental challenge for FLR; 2) there is an intrinsic interdependence between people and forests that varies across spatial and temporal scales and that is mediated by institutions; 3) power differentials among stakeholders create imbalances in restoration; 4) conflicts around restoration result from differing interests, power and values. Equitable and durable restoration requires a much greater inclusion of human dimensions along all steps of the process.
Digital agency in agricultural knowledge systems: Fostering responsible co-development of digital technical advisory tools
(Presentation, 2025-05-08) McCampbell, Mariette
Presented by Mariette McCampbell, Inclusive Digital Tools Project of Agroecological TRANSITIONS, at the “Increasing farmer’s digital agency for agroecology” webinar on 8 May 2025, an event of the Transformative Partnership Platform (TPP) for Agroecology and Agroecological TRANSITIONS Project (ATDT). Agroecology promotes sustainable farming systems for not only productivity and ecosystem benefits, but also social inclusion values like co-creation, empowerment, and farmer agency. Social inclusion is not only a fundamental principle for agroecology but also for the application of digital tools in the agriculture sector. When used responsibly, digital technologies can empower and incentive smallholder farmers to innovate for agroecological practices at larger scales than would be possible through conventional technical assistance and performance assessment methods. The purpose of this webinar is to share final recommendations and a framework for enhancing farmer agency in the use of digital tools and to promote inclusivity in farmers’ role in the co-creation of agricultural practices. The three-year, EU-IFAD funded Agroecological TRANSITIONS: Inclusive Digital Tools project will share its conclusions in this webinar with a presentation about farmer agency and co-creation of practices, followed by presentations of examples in Vietnam and Brazil, where the project developed new digital tools for implementing agroecological practices at scale and facilitated their implementation. Learn more & find other presentations & outputs here: https://bit.ly/AgLEDxATDT
Increasing farmer´s digital agency and cocreation: the Solis experience in Brazil
(Presentation, 2025-05-08) Laurens, Violaine
Presented by Violaine Laurens, Solidaridad Latin America, at the “Increasing farmer’s digital agency for agroecology” webinar on 8 May 2025, an event of the Transformative Partnership Platform (TPP) for Agroecology and Agroecological TRANSITIONS Project (ATDT). Agroecology promotes sustainable farming systems for not only productivity and ecosystem benefits, but also social inclusion values like co-creation, empowerment, and farmer agency. Social inclusion is not only a fundamental principle for agroecology but also for the application of digital tools in the agriculture sector. When used responsibly, digital technologies can empower and incentive smallholder farmers to innovate for agroecological practices at larger scales than would be possible through conventional technical assistance and performance assessment methods. The purpose of this webinar is to share final recommendations and a framework for enhancing farmer agency in the use of digital tools and to promote inclusivity in farmers’ role in the co-creation of agricultural practices. The three-year, EU-IFAD funded Agroecological TRANSITIONS: Inclusive Digital Tools project will share its conclusions in this webinar with a presentation about farmer agency and co-creation of practices, followed by presentations of examples in Vietnam and Brazil, where the project developed new digital tools for implementing agroecological practices at scale and facilitated their implementation. Learn more & find other presentations & outputs here: https://bit.ly/AgLEDxATDT
Empowering Ghanaian communities to conserve their forests through a private-sector-led payment for ecosystem services mechanism
(Case Study, 2025-05-12) Nguyen, Phuong Minh; Talsma, Tiffany; Reymondin, Louis; Vantalon, Thibaud; Molina, Luis; Kyeretwie, Bram Nana Safo; Adzi, George Bush; Nguyen Perperidis, Emily
The Landscapes for Cocoa Livelihoods project reduced deforestation by 71% over 1,044 hectares in Ghana's Tano Offin Forest Reserve, conserving 6,911 tons of CO2 equivalent, 65,303 m³ of water recharge, and 39 hectares of biodiverse landscape over a period of 1 year (July 1st 2023 – June 30th 2024). This project demonstrates the scaling potential of a private-sector-funded Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) model, where cacao-producing communities conserve the forest in exchange for collective rewards that improve every household’s living conditions.
Nontargeted metabolomics: PTFI Platform
(Brief, 2025-05) Watkins, Steve; Odenkirk, Melanie T; Prenni, Jessica; Brinkley, Sarah
The PTFI Nontargeted Metabolomics platform supports the characterization of the small molecule composition in food. This method uses solid phase extraction (SPE) to isolate small molecules for analysis by reverse phased liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS). The PTFI Nontargeted Metabolomics platform is adapted from existing protocols used by researchers. What sets the PTFI method apart is the focus on standardization and the incorporation of a unique internal retention standard reagent which is a mixture of 33 compounds nonendogenous to food. When researchers around the world employ the same standardized protocol and utilize the same internal standard reagent the resulting data can be harmonized and becomes comparable – allowing us to build a scalable data resource.
Identifying critical incentives for scaling out the adoption of agroecological practices–a systematic review of Peruvian cacao value chains
(Journal Article, 2025-05-02) Mockshell, Jonathan; Omulo, Godfrey; Asante-Addo, Collins; Nielsen Ritter, Thea; Quintero, Marcela; Remans, Roseline
The growing global importance of agroecology highlights the pivotal role public and private sectors play in providing incentives and investments to catalyze behavioural changes and transform food systems. However, limited research exists on incentives for scaling agroecological practices in cacao value chains. This study employed a systematic review approach, focusing on Peruvian cacao sector, to explore incentives promoting agroecological practices and their sustainability outcomes. Findings reveal that within Peru’s cacao value chains, non-market incentives constitute the majority (36%), followed by regulatory measures (25%), market-based incentives (22%), and cross-compliance incentives (17%). Main providers of incentives include certification bodies, community-based organizations, and international funding organizations. Effective incentives include sustainability standards, market support subsidies, in-kind rewards, and agroecological schemes that support the adoption of practices such as intercropping, nature conservation for carbon sequestration, and the use of green and animal manure. These incentives have significantly improved sustainability outcomes: economic (39%), environmental (33%), and social (28%). However, limited use of cross-compliance incentives and modest emphasis on social outcomes highlight the need for policy instruments targeting the adoption of agroecological practices within cacao sector. This study provides insights for policymakers, development agencies, and private-sector to design effective incentives for advancing agroecological transitions in Peru and beyond.
ACT: a framework for effective theories of change and activities in agri-food system transformation initiatives
(Case Study, 2025-04-07) Freed, Sarah Johanna; Rietveld, Anne
The ACT Framework for Agency and Behavior Change in Transforming Agri-food Systems has been used by researchers to 1) guide them in applying a systems approach in understanding the diversity of food system actors and their opportunities for change; and 2) systematically identify, prioritize, and leverage the factors influencing actors’ agency and behaviors. In Burkina Faso, this approach contributed to developing an inclusive, agroecological business model for the dairy value chain. Alliance researchers played a key role in developing and implementing the framework.
Evaluating participatory monitoring in mountainous tourist regions
(Journal Article, 2025-04-14) Zeballos, Jazmin Campos; Valencia, Jefferson; Codalli, Fabia; Mitze, Fabian; Shagega, Frank; Weeser, Björn; Jacobs, Suzanne
In view of the considerable impact of climate change on water resources, it is crucial to promptly address the limited availability of consistent and reliable hydrometeorological data to enable timely decision-making. HydroCrowd employs a participatory monitoring approach to collect meteorological and hydrological data in vulnerable mountainous tourist areas. This paper presents an analysis of both non-frequent and regular volunteers who participated in the project, examines the motivation behind their participation, and evaluates the advantages and disadvantages of the project’s approach to data collection. The stations, smartphone application, and data collection process received, in general, a positive response. However, the lack of reliable internet connection in some regions hinders the observation upload process, which in turn hinders the participation of volunteers. The results suggest that such projects cannot solely rely on non-frequent volunteers, such as tourists. Communities and local stakeholders are instrumental in ensuring the continuous collection of data in a timely manner for projects of this nature.
Water and aquatic foods in revised principles of agroecology can accelerate food systems transformation
(Journal Article, 2025-05) Freed, S.; Lo, M. G. Y.; McCartney, Matthew; Allison, E. H.; Smith, Douglas Mark; Joffre, O. M.; Sinclair, F.
The interaction between climate change and agricultural intensification contributes to biodiversity loss, while widespread degradation of land and water undermine food system productivity. Agroecological principles aim to guide food systems transformation but rarely refer to water or aquatic foods, which are critical elements of nutritious, sustainable and equitable food systems. Here we examine the principles and frameworks presented in agroecological literature and suggest rephrasing of six of the principles to incorporate water, aquatic foods and land- to seascapes. We recommend three cross-sectoral actions that leverage aquatic features in agroecosystems to facilitate more effective transition pathways towards sustainable food systems.
Response of soil biodiversity and crop productivity to liming in acidic soil of organic tea plantations in Northern Vietnam
(Journal Article, 2025-04-02) Le, Viet San; Herrmann, Laetitia; Nguyen, Thi Binh; Trap, Jean; Marsden, Claire; Robin, Agnès; Degrune, Florine; Nguyen, Van Huy; Bräu, Lambert; Lesueur, Didier
Characterization of dairy farming, feed types and management practices in Rwanda
(Presentation, 2024-10-30) Sibiko, Kenneth W.; Munyentwari, Joseph Mbuta; Nyawira, Sylvia
This research study is part of the LSIL-Rwanda project titled "Developing Climate-Smart Management Strategies to Improve the Sustainability of Smallholder Dairy Cattle Production Systems in Rwanda." The aim is to understand the socio-economic characteristics and the extent of adoption of improved forage grasses and climate-smart agriculture (CSA) among dairy farmers in the Burera, Nyagatare, and Nyanza districts of Rwanda. The results will be used to cluster and develop a typology for the farms, proposing appropriate improvements to enhance feed availability and milk production for better economic and environmental sustainability in the project sites. This study builds on cross-sectional survey data from a sample of 220 smallholders in the three districts
Principles of engagement and vision to action for transdisciplinary research and co-design in agroecology
(Poster, 2025-04-08) Fuchs, Lisa Elena; Voss, Rachel C.; Freed, Sarah; Rietveld, Anne; Falk, Thomas; Triomphe, Bernard; Bergamini, Nadia; Dickens, Chris; Quintero, Marcela
Living labs or living landscapes are gaining momentum as sub-national territories within which sustainable food system transformation is sought through multi-stakeholder engagement processes. In the CGIAR Agroecology Initiative, 11 ALLs were established in 8 countries. Here, ALLs are defined as multi-stakeholder spaces in which agroecological innovations can be identified, co-designed, tested, and adopted. These landscapes emerge as coherent territories that have fuzzy boundaries defined by the functionality and meaning bestowed onto them by their diverse users, who care about and are willing to take transformative action in pursuit of just food system transitions, rather than by geographical or administrative limits. ALLs respond to the common challenges that external partners face in accompanying and supporting local stakeholders on agroecological transition pathways without imposing their own views and agendas. ALLs offer an opportunity to act as transformation vehicles that foster transdisciplinary research, including the co-creation of knowledge and co-design of innovations. Principle-based engagement methods can help to support and enable locally driven transformation processes.
Guía referencial para buenas prácticas de laboratorio
(Manual, 2024-04) Dekeyrel, Jesse; Garcia, Elias Moisés
La "Guía referencial para buenas prácticas de laboratorio" es un manual desarrollado en el marco de los proyectos STDF/PG/681 y Clima-LoCa, liderados por KU Leuven y por la Alianza de Bioversity International y el CIAT, respectivamente, e implementados en colaboración con la Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral - ESPOL. Este documento tiene como objetivo principal proporcionar pautas prácticas para el control de calidad y la correcta ejecución de análisis elementales en muestras sólidas, específicamente suelos, hojas y cacao. La guía está diseñada para ser aplicable en cualquier laboratorio, independientemente del equipo analítico disponible (FAAS, GFAAS, ICP-OES e ICP-MS). También ofrece parámetros específicos para garantizar la precisión y exactitud en los análisis. Este manual contribuye a mejorar las mediciones de cadmio (Cd) en suelos y tejidos de cacao, promoviendo estándares internacionales en la investigación agrícola y ambiental.
Explorando los modelos de negocio para las transiciones agroecológicas en los cultivos de cacao y camu camu en Ucayali, Perú
(Brief, 2025-04-01) Blanco, Maria; Mosquera, Leslie Estefany; De Los Rios, Rafael; Crisostomo, Diego; Díaz, César; Ritter, Thea; Ivanova, Yovita; Mockshell, Jonathan; Sanchez, Jose Choy
Mensajes clave La transición agroecológica es una oportunidad estratégica para el desarrollo sostenible en Ucayali. Los productores de cacao y camu camu ofrecen productos de alta calidad, pero enfrentan barreras, como el acceso limitado a financiamiento, una infraestructura deficiente y costos elevados de certificación. Agroindustria y gastronomía valorizan la biodiversidad amazónica. Innovación, economía circular y conexiones con productores locales son claves para fortalecer la competitividad, impulsar el desarrollo regional y promover alimentos sostenibles. Las cooperativas y asociaciones son actores clave para conectar productores con mercados, financiamiento y prácticas sostenibles. Las políticas que refuercen su rol impulsarán la adopción de sistemas agroecológicos y beneficios sociales. Las inversiones público-privadas en riego, capacitación y tecnología, junto con incentivos como créditos accesibles, estrategias de biocomercio y pagos por servicios ambientales, impulsarán cadenas sostenibles. Promover la diversificación, las tecnologías ecoeficientes y los saberes ancestrales reduce los riesgos climáticos y mejora los ingresos. Los incentivos económicos y los programas especializados son esenciales para facilitar esta transición y garantizar un impacto sostenible en Ucayali.
Submission on article 6.8 of the Paris Agreement for SB62
(Brief, 2025-03-21) Villarino, Ma Eliza J.
This submission responds to the invitation to provide views on barriers to using the NMA Platform, challenges in engagement and how NMAs can support the implementation of NDCs.
Ionomics: PTFI Platform
(Brief, 2025-03) Chaparro, Jacqueline M; Odenkirk, Melanie T; Prenni, Jessica E; Watkins, Steve; Brinkley, Sarah
The PTFI ionomics method quantifies the concentrations of 26 biologically important elements across a wide range of plant and animal foods. This method utilizes acid digestion to free all elements prior to their analysis by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).
ICAT project closure workshop held on the 14th and 15th of January 2025, Kyaka Hotel, Machakos-Kenya
(Report, 2025-03-01) Nyawira, Sylvia; Kimeu, Etheldreda; Mwangi, Obadiah; Jalango, Dorcas; Ndetu, Veronica
County capacity building workshop on GHG Inventory for Kenya’s crop subsector report
(Report, 2024-10-01) Mwangi, Obadiah; Kioko, Angela; Jalango, Dorcas; Kinyua, Ivy; Nyawira, Sylvia

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