Ethiopia is exposed to a wide range of disasters associated with the country’s extensive dependence on rainfed subsistence agriculture, climate change, resource degradation, diverse geoclimatic and socio-economic conditions and conflicts. Drought and floods are the major challenges, but a number of other threats affect communities and livelihoods. These include conflict, desert locust, fall armyworm, frost and hail, crop pests and diseases, livestock diseases, human diseases, landslides, earthquakes, and urban and forest fires.

Every source of evidence suggests that Ethiopia would feel the human and economic impacts of climate change intensely, and the impacts will only continue to grow if the country continues a business-as-usual approach to crisis response, and will not be able to manage the increasing scale of the challenges. Thus, there is call by all stakeholders for a paradigm shift in the way the country deals with communities at risk, in order to take preventive actions to reduce exposure, vulnerability and impact at local level. This requires moving away from a reactive system that solely focuses on drought and supply of life-saving humanitarian relief and emergency responses during disasters to a comprehensive proactive disaster and climate risk management approach, including climate change adaptation, among which are interventions to enhance livelihood diversification, social protection programmes and risk transfer mechanisms.

Furthermore, resilient agrifood systems support should include a range of proven interventions that are context-relevant and cover the whole agrifood system, such as increase in fertilizer use where appropriate and high-yielding and drought-tolerant seeds, strengthened extension and advisory systems at the kebele (local) level through the use of farmer field schools and pastoral field schools, expansion of access to credit, livelihood diversification, risk transfer mechanism and institutional development that link short-term emergency relief to long-term development pathways. This approach is essential for building resilience to natural hazard and human-induced disasters resulting in food insecurity challenges.

This publication, Water Quality in Agriculture: Risks and Risk Mitigation, emphasizes technical solutions and good agricultural practices, including risk mitigation measures suitable for the contexts of differently resourced institutions working in rural as well as urban and peri-urban settings in low- and middle-income countries. With a focus on sustainability of the overall land use system, the guidelines also cover possible downstream impacts of farm-level decisions. As each country has a range of site-specific conditions related to climate, soil and water quality, crop type and variety, as well as management options, subnational adjustments to the presented guidelines are recommended.

Water Quality in Agriculture: Risks and Risk Mitigation, is intended for use by national and subnational governmental authorities, farm and project managers, extension officers, consultants and engineers to evaluate water quality data, and identify potential problems and solutions related to water quality. The presented guidelines will also be of value to the scientific research community and university students.

The State of India’s Environment 2022 is the 9th annual edition in this series, and is the country’s most authoritative statement on the developments in the environment and related sectors.

Backed by four decades of research and publishing history, this annual publication of the Centre for Science and Environment, and Down To Earth, focuses on climate change, migration, health and food systems. It also covers biodiversity, forest and wildlife, energy, industry, habitat, pollution, waste, agriculture and rural development.

This 9th annual edition also offers a special assessment of the state of development in the States through graphical analysis and data. With contributors ranging from academics, researchers, journalists and policymakers, the report is a must-have for anyone interested in getting the complete picture of all things environmental.

This open-access textbook provides a comprehensive, up-to-date guide for students and practitioners wishing to access the key disciplines and principles of wheat breeding. Edited by Matthew Paul Reynolds, Senior Scientist and head of Wheat Physiology at CIMMYT, and Hans-Joachim Braun, former Director of CIMMYT’s Global Wheat Program, it covers all aspects of wheat improvement, from utilizing genetic resources to breeding and selection methods, data analysis, biotic and abiotic stress tolerance, yield potential, genomics, quality nutrition and processing, physiological pre-breeding, and seed production.

While the volume provides an overview for professionals interested in wheat, many of the ideas and methods presented are equally relevant to small grain cereals and crop improvement in general. All chapter authors are world-class researchers and breeders whose expertise spans cutting-edge academic science to impacts in farmers’ fields.

Given the challenges currently faced by academia, industry, and national wheat programs to produce higher crop yields, often with fewer inputs and under increasingly harsher climates, this volume is a timely addition to their toolkit.

Public food transfer programs serve as an important safety net for those facing hunger and food insecurity in both low- and high-income countries around the world. During the COVID-19 pandemic, these programs have become even more crucial, as food insecurity and poverty rates have soared. But lockdowns and other public health restrictions can also disrupt food distribution operations and thus limit their effectiveness.

This guide explores the climate-smart intensification of upland and lowland crop production systems in the dry-zone of Sri Lanka and provides technical guidance to achieve the productive objectives of selected strategic crops (as deemed relevant by the Government of Sri Lanka). The first edition focuses on maize and groundnut upland production systems and on rice lowland production. It provides a quick reference for information on crop production and soil management, including crop varieties, nutritional requirements and field equipment. As climate change will result in wider and more severe occurrences of plant pests, the guide relies on integrated pest management practices adapted to climate change. Optimizing the production of these crops calls for the diversification of crop systems using intercrops and cover crops. Additionally, sustainable mechanization is regarded as an essential agricultural production input to optimize labour and land productivity for the sustainable and profitable development of the agriculture sector. Therefore, the guide describes the innovative equipment needed for the sustainable optimization of crop production. To ensure coherent guidance and advice on sustainable farming practices, inputs and technologies, the guide has been developed in cooperation with all stakeholders working in the agriculture sector of Sri Lanka.

This paper summarises the findings of the International Panel on Climate Change’s Sixth Assessment Report which runs into over 3 000 pages, focusing on the assessment’s conclusions and their effect on agrifood systems. The Assessment Reports of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) are important as they provide policymakers with state of knowledge assessments on climate change, its implications, and potential future risks. These assessments also put forward adaptation and mitigation options.

This work provides a preliminary analysis of the key climate risks affecting agrifood value chains and opportunities for climate services that reach stakeholders involved in all stages of the value chain, from agrifood production to harvest, storage and refrigeration, processing and packaging, transportation, markets, trade and consumption. Climate services provide opportunities to effectively and comprehensively mainstream climate risk management across the entire agrifood value chain, in addition to increasing sustainability and efficiency in the face of changing climate conditions.

This report provides significant primary information and recommendations on the development of climate services across the agrifood value chain with a view to systematically enhance sustainable and resilient opportunities. It also provides a basis for further research and investment funding in this area. Its findings could spark follow-up research and public and private investment.

The Partnership for Agricultural Transformation in Pakistan (PAT-P) is a coalition of multilateral international agencies that aim to transform agriculture into a dynamic, competitive, efficient and climate smart sector, and to reposition it as an engine of growth in rural areas. The coalition assists the Government in implementing a policy framework and take reform actions that are potentially of high impact and politically critical.

This Just-in-Time Policy Note examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Pakistan’s food system and provides recommendations on key policy actions and adjustments to make the food systems more resilient to future shocks.