Media resources

Elisabeth Claverie de Saint Martin, CEO of CIRAD, and Bertrand Walckenaer, Deputy Director-General of AFD, during the signing at the 2026 International Agricultural Show. © J. Kuhn, CIRAD 

ASEACA project co-construction process. © CIRAD 

This is the story of the founding of GINA -- the Groundnut Improvement Network for Africa -- a group of peanut breeders from across the continent who joined together for a first-of-its-kind assessment of the diversity of peanut genes. By working together, the group is empowering individual scientists to respond quickly to climate change and other environmental pressures, easing food insecurity and improving farmers' livelihoods.

Agroecological market-garden cropping systems based on a diversity of crop species and the use of organic inputs help to improve producers' incomes while protecting their health and that of their environment. But the complexity of agro-ecological systems compared with conventional systems requires dialogue between researchers and pilot growers to identify and adapt effective, sustainable solutions. Theoretical and practical training for trainers is also essential to explain how the various ecosystem services work and how best to exploit them, taking into account local constraints. The Marigo project, led by CIRAD, is actively involved in research, training and the creation of multi-stakeholder platforms in each of the regions where it operates, in order to share diagnoses of the market gardening sector and work together to develop solutions that address local issues. The introduction of participatory guarantee systems based on consultation and mutualism between players should be able to meet consumer demand for quality vegetables. The Marigo project is funded by the European Union as part of the DeSIRA programme.

Further information: www.projet-marigo.org

© CIRAD/Imagéo, 2023 https://www.cirad.fr/en

How can we provide healthy food to a global population of 10 billion by 2050, against a backdrop of climate change and increasing numbers of crises? This topic will be central to the celebration CIRAD is organizing to mark its 40th anniversary, at the ‪@lemondefr‬ newspaper's offices in Paris. The event, by invitation only, will bring together CIRAD's institutional partners: universities, ministries, and public- and private-sector donors. Scientists, policymakers and representatives from international institutions will be discussing the levers available to tackle the challenges posed by this question:

1. Accelerating agroecological transitions to address the global changes relating to climate and biodiversity
2. Intensifying the development and deployment of One Health approaches within socio-ecosystems
3. Transforming food systems and non-food biomass production systems.

In West Africa, agriculture has always played a key role. More than two thirds of the population works in agriculture today. In just a few decades, the agri-food sectors have become the fundamental cornerstone of the West African economy. The processing of agricultural products is a great accelerator of growth. Making products with added value not only enables producers to export to international markets, it also creates jobs, increases farmers’ incomes and reduces agricultural loss which in some regions accounts for half of the harvest. Today, a large number of entrepreneurs are involved in the processing of these raw materials. Yet, all of these businesses, primarily SMEs are severely curbed in their development. Access to energy, which is crucial to processing products, is very complex and a major challenge in this part of the world. In order to meet these SMEs’ energy needs, BioStar project has been launched in two pilot countries : Senegal and Burkina Faso. More informations : https://www.biostar-afrique.org/en

In response to agricultural production that is both too expensive and too low-yielding in relation to demand, Ivorian farmers are turning to agroecology. They are already obtaining more consistent outputs, richer soils and a wide variety of crops that give them greater income flexibility. CIRAD and its partners have been working with them in this area since 2019. To go further, as part of the MARIGO project, launched in 2022 and coordinated by CIRAD, scientists, trainers, producers and consumers will be pooling their knowledge and know-how over four years. The MARIGO project is funded by the European Union under the DeSIRA programme.

Further information: www.projet-marigo.org

CIRAD/Imagéo, 2023

In five rural regions of Tunisia, 4000 people from all walks of life have contributed to a vast participatory territorial planning process. CIRAD scientists are supporting the participatory and inclusive aspects of this programme. These participatory territorial planning operations are being carried out as part of the PACTE programme, which focuses on five governorates (Bizerte, Kairouan, Le Kef, Sidi Bouzid and Siliana). This project, coordinated by the Tunisian Ministry of Agriculture since 2018, is improving governance of natural resources and helping rural territories adapt to climate change.

Further information on CIRAD's expertise in participatory processes: https://bit.ly/3KZ6b2f

© CIRAD, 2022