Climate-resilient and nutrition-smart agriculture systems accelerator

Abstract

The Climate-Resilient and Nutrition-Smart Agriculture Systems Accelerator drives the large-scale deployment of nutritious, climate-resilient crop varieties across Africa and Latin America to strengthen food security, improve nutrition, and build climate resilience. Led by CGIAR with national and regional partners, the initiative integrates crop innovation with data science, AI-powered climate services, and participatory seed systems to ensure that improved varieties reach the farmers and communities who need them most. Its inclusive design embeds gender equality, youth leadership, and traditional knowledge to create equitable, community-owned solutions that respond to local agroecological realities. By combining scientific excellence with digital intelligence, sustainable agronomic practices, and strong market linkages, the Accelerator transforms food systems from vulnerable and fragmented to resilient, nutritious, and inclusive, empowering the Global South to lead its own climate and nutrition transformation.

Partners

Scaling partners

Ministries of agriculture, FAO, WFP, Latin American Reserve Fund (FLAR) and The Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA), Farmerline, Esoko, Digital Green

Innovation partner

CGIAR Centres: CIMMYT, IITA, CIP, National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS), EMBRAPA, KALRO, ICTA, DICTA, Agrosavia, EIA

Demand partners

Farmer associations and federations (e.g., Fedearroz, National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia, Dry Corridor producer organisations), private foundations, and food companies

Financing

USD 21-40 million (2025-2032)

Challenge

Across Africa and Latin America, food systems face a compounding crisis driven by climate change, fragile seed systems, and widening nutrition gaps, demanding urgent, coordinated action. In Africa, over 30% of children under five suffer from stunted growth, and nearly 4 million experience severe malnutrition (UNICEF, 2023). In Latin America and the Caribbean, 11.5% of children under five are stunted, rising to 17% in Mesoamerica, while micronutrient deficiencies affect 63% of women and 48% of preschool children (FAO, 2024).

Since 1961, agricultural yields have declined by 21%, with the steepest losses in Africa and Latin America (Ortiz-Bobea et al., 2021). Staple crops such as rice, beans, maize, and sweet potato are increasingly vulnerable to heat and drought, threatening food security and livelihoods. In the Central American Dry Corridor, recurrent droughts and degraded soils have reduced maize and bean yields by up to 40%, undermining household nutrition and resilience (FAO, 2021).

These production challenges are compounded by limited access to localised, actionable information, particularly for women, youth, and Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs), restricting the adoption of climate-resilient, nutritious crops. The result is persistent yield gaps, inefficient input use, and deepening poverty. Urgent investment in climate-resilient, nutrition-sensitive food systems is required to strengthen seed systems, link farmers to nutrition-focused markets, and empower women, youth, and IPLCs as agents of sustainable food transformation, through participatory approaches.

Solution

The Climate-Resilient and Nutrition-Smart Agriculture Systems Accelerator strengthens food and nutrition security by deploying nutritious, climate-resilient crop varieties through an integrated model that unites science, technology, and community leadership. The programme combines technological innovation, capacity building, policy engagement, and community participation through the following pillars:

• Development and Deployment of Resilient, Nutritious Crop Varieties: Breeding and scaling drought-, heat-, and nutrient-efficient crops.
• Seed Systems: Strengthening community-led and participatory seed networks to ensure early adoption and equitable access.
• Climate Services and Sustainable Agronomic Practices: Delivering AI-powered, real-time agroclimatic intelligence to guide adaptive, low-emission farming.
• Post-Harvest: Promoting low-cost, locally adapted technologies and practices to reduce losses, improve food quality, and enhance sustainability.
• Markets and Nutrition: Linking farmers to inclusive value chains for nutritious, climate-smart crops by promoting adoption, commercialisation, and consumption of improved varieties.

The programme’s participatory model ensures local ownership, bringing together national research institutes, Indigenous and rural communities, and private sector actors. Collaborations with seed companies, food processors, and agri-tech providers strengthen value chains, expand market access, and co-develop innovations that are both commercially viable and socially inclusive.

Impact

Building on the positive outcomes of CGIAR programs, which include:

• Over 40 improved crop varieties released in Latin America, meeting nutritional goals and performing strongly under stress conditions, planted on more than 5 million hectares.
• In Africa, through PABRA, more than 650 bean varieties released across 31 countries, reaching 42.7 million farmers with measurable gains in nutrition, food security, and income.
• Key examples: ICTA Chortí (beans) and ICTA B15 (maize) in Guatemala; Fedearroz BioZn035 (biofortified rice) in Colombia, with high zinc content and competitive yields, more than 250.000 small farmers have had access to these varieties.
• AgWise+, a digital platform combining AI-powered analytics, IoT sensors, and farmer feedback to generate hyper-local recommendations tailored to diverse agroecological contexts, has already scaled to 50,000+ users with verified performance reports and adoption across multiple countries.
• IoT innovation score 4, reflecting early pilot adoption within CGIAR, NARS, and select cooperatives; strong partner commitment for regional scaling.
  Improved access to climate information: more than 2 million smallholder farmers now receive timely and actionable climate advisories provided through the AICCRA (Accelerating Impact of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa) project.

Potential Impacts

Climate Resilience Impacts: The programme will boost agricultural resilience by deploying stress-tolerant crops and AI-powered climate services reaching over 3 million farmers, reducing yield losses and agricultural emissions.

Food and Nutritional Security: The program will reach 2-3 million smallholder farmers across East Africa and Latin America, reducing seasonal food insecurity and improving nutrition through the adoption of biofortified, nutrient-rich crops such as high-zinc rice and protein-enriched beans and maize.

Environmental: The programme will reduce post-harvest losses by 10-20% through locally adapted technologies, while enhancing agrobiodiversity and ecosystem resilience via diversified crop systems. It aligns with SDGs and supports COP30 goals for a resilient, low-emission agricultural transformation.

Strengthened institutional capacity: The programme will build a multi-stakeholder innovation network to scale technologies regionally, deploying AI, IoT, and data-driven solutions across eight countries, while promoting inclusive governance that integrates gender, youth, and traditional knowledge for local ownership.
Gender and social inclusion: 40% women and 25% youth engaged in leadership, seed systems, and innovation processes.

Scaling plan

• 2026: Participatory diagnostics and additional site selection in target countries (each country and crop may be at a different stage); Adapt AI platforms and training of community leaders and potential users; Evaluate partnerships with NARS, NGOs, and private-sector partners in previously and newly selected sites.
• 2027: Expand variety and digital-tool adoption; Strengthen local seed systems and extension services; Integrate climate services and sustainable practices; Impact evaluation and iterative adaptation based on local feedback.
• 2028-2032: Regional and national scaling; Consolidate local capacity and leadership transfer; Ongoing monitoring and evaluation; Prepare transition to local ownership and post-project sustainability.

Contact

Marcela Quintero, Associate Director General, Research Strategy, and Innovation, m.quintero@cgiar.org.
Carolina Gonzalez, Thematic Leader; Alliance Bioversity-CIAT, c.gonzalez@cgiar.org