Methodology and Evaluation Research Core Facility’s Post

These days, I have been reflecting a lot on the importance of #cropdiversity, especially in the 20th anniversary year of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (#ITPGRFA) and the Crop Trust. Crop diversity is about food and nutrition, and it is also about resilience in agriculture, fighting climate change, preserving biodiversity, finding better solutions to producing and securing food. And it is about culture and humanity. Conserving and making available genetic resources is crucial to building sustainable food futures. This is a global responsibility. It is a global endeavor. It is why the Treaty is essential to human life and the planet’s health.   The Treaty (ITPGRFA), with 152 contracting parties, focuses on 64 crops – and many of their wild relatives – crucial for 80% of our plant-derived food. It aims to create a global genetic resource system for research, breeding, and training in agriculture. The Crop Trust, integral to the Treaty's funding, safeguards and helps make accessible crop diversity worldwide.   The Crop Trust states on its website: “Amid all the urgency, complexity and uncertainty [in the world of today], there is one thing we can do that stands out: we must conserve crop diversity.” It operates through an endowment fund providing financial support to key genebanks, globally, that maintain and operationalize crop genetic diversity under the Treaty. It also organizes the conservation of backups of crop seeds in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault – the ultimate depository for food security for generations.   Happy anniversary to the Treaty and Crop Trust, what you do is work for generations, work to secure #foodforever. Talk about purpose!   Are you inspired? Learn more in the Crop Trust’s “Food Forever: Strategic Plan 2030”: https://lnkd.in/dcRJJ7uM Crop Trust #ITPGRFA CGIAR ICARDA; International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas International Rice Research Institute CIAT- International Center for Tropical Agriculture International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) International Seed Federation Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Stefan S. Luigi Guarino and so many more

As part of our ongoing efforts to create a more accessible and equitable grantmaking process for our partners, we today announced two thematic open calls for intersectional agroecology funding through our Global Collaboration for Resilient Food Systems. 👨🏿🌾🌍👩🏽🌾💗 📈 Agroecology is gaining momentum around the world, as evidenced by our regional and international partners and the tens of thousands of farmers we collaborate with in our communities of practice in 10 countries across the Andes, West Africa, and East and Southern Africa. 🌿 Resilient food systems advance the full principles of agroecology: they adapt to climate change, social disruption, and economic adversity; they are socially and economically inclusive; and they generate healthy and available food, lasting ecological health, and thriving local economies for all. 📅 Proposals for the open calls, "Agroecology as a Bold Climate Solution" and "Agroecology and One Health," are due by May 15, 2024. 💰 Learn more about funding levels, selection criteria, and the application process on our How to Apply page: https://lnkd.in/gXh8bmPR #agroecology #foodsystems #fundingopportunity

How does access to global research impact local communities and the #SDGs? Find out how Hawassa University in Ethiopia is using Research4Life's #AGORA to enhance agricultural research and tackle issues like food security & climate resilience. https://lnkd.in/eKF-G3kh

Nontraditional crops have the potential of making a big impact on the state's ag economy. One researcher in Alcalde is exploring how adaptable saffron is to the northern New Mexico climate. You can learn more at this year's field day in Alcalde! https://lnkd.in/gpgU-J3R

🍅 Research paper on Africa’s ‘forgotten’ foods wins prestigious Cozzarelli Prize in Washington, DC //The study used climate modeling to assess the potential of 138 traditional food plants that could diversify or replace staple crops, and identified 58 that are micronutrient-rich and are suitable for integration into cropping systems under current and projected climatic conditions. The authors concluded that diversifying food production in Africa with these neglected ‘opportunity crops’ improves both the dietary health and climate resilience of food systems in sub-Saharan Africa.//

Spaghetti, sauce and a crime thriller . . . that's the recipe for this interesting 5-min read from Katia Taylor - AgriFutures evokeAG 2024 Future Young Leader, and Postdoctoral Researcher at CSIRO. With research focused on the microbiome that degrades crop residues, Katia has set out to discover the primary drivers for our disappearing soil carbon. "Across every one of Earth’s continents, we're seeing disturbing declines in soil health. Perhaps most concerning is that over the past 200 years, we’ve lost up to 60% of soil carbon from our agricultural soils." So who features in the line-up of suspects? Is it soil disturbance and tillage. Or retention of crop residue? Read on in the article - link in comments - to find out more. "Our team carried out a long-term field trial using this approach and showed that over a five-year period it’s possible to build over nine tonnes of carbon per hectare, which would earn you over $1,000 per hectare in Australian carbon credit units. And that isn’t counting the benefits to the crop of having healthy soil." The way forward? Well, the microbiome, just like us, needs a healthy balanced diet! #soilhealth #biodiversity #sustainableag #ecosystemservices

How Not to Lose Tomatoes as We Dry Out Our Planet? Scientists have developed drought and salt-resistant tomato plants by discovering a new stress-response mechanism. By engineering these plants to produce a synthetic molecule that activates this mechanism, they enhance the plants' resilience. This breakthrough could ensure stable tomato production despite adverse climate conditions, supporting global food security. https://lnkd.in/dE7D22ir via Saclay Plant Sci. (SPS), CEPLAS - Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences   #PlantScience #PlantSci #Climatechange #Tomato #Science #Crops #Agriculture Post written by Villő Bernád, Kumsal Ecem Çolpan Karışan, Andrea Gabriela Hernández Sanz, and Yanmin Zhou during the SPS-CEPLAS Summer School 2024 #ClimateSchool2024 Image: tomato plant. Credit: 1195798 / Pixabay

How Not to Lose Tomatoes as We Dry Out Our Planet? Scientists have developed drought and salt-resistant tomato plants by discovering a new stress-response mechanism. By engineering these plants to produce a synthetic molecule that activates this mechanism, they enhance the plants' resilience. This breakthrough could ensure stable tomato production despite adverse climate conditions, supporting global food security. https://lnkd.in/d6-cz5_X via Saclay Plant Sci. (SPS), CEPLAS - Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences   #PlantScience #PlantSci #Climatechange #Tomato #Science #Crops #Agriculture Post written by Villő Bernád, Kumsal Ecem Çolpan Karışan, Andrea Gabriela Hernández Sanz, and Yanmin Zhou during the SPS-CEPLAS Summer School 2024 #ClimateSchool2024 Image: tomato plant. Credit: 1195798 / Pixabay

A key goal of The 50x2030 Initiative is to support partner countries in the development and implementation of national agricultural strategies. In Sierra Leone, 50x2030's Data Ecosystem Mapping (DEM) is cited as a critical document to assess the agricultural data landscape in country, informing its Feed Salone strategy to achieve food security, economic growth and climate resilience. #50x2030 #DataSmartAg #SDG2 Read more: https://lnkd.in/e-AKKXBu

🌱 Welcome to the Upya Agroecology Portal! 🌱 We’re excited to have you join us on this journey! Explore our platform at https://lnkd.in/e9rdKm2r, where you’ll find insightful pathways into the world of agroecology. Why not start with our Thematic Journeys? We offer three tailored pathways to: 1. Understand the fundamentals of agroecology. 2. Access valuable resources to support your transition. 3. Discover best practices from across the globe to help adapt to climate change. Each journey is enriched with real-life case studies and testimonies straight from the field. 🌍 This week, begin with Agroecology 101: https://lnkd.in/eAeE8ANh Dive into the basics of agroecology, its guiding principles, and the immense benefits it offers. You’ll also see practical examples of how agroecology is being implemented worldwide. With strong social values at its core, agroecology offers a resilient path for farmers, promoting harmony with nature, improving quality of life, and enhancing production. It’s a powerful solution to the challenges of climate change, soil degradation, and biodiversity loss. Join us and be part of the change! 🌾