CGIAR Multifunctional Landscapes

🌍 We're excited to share our latest newsletter! 📢 CGIAR Multifunctional Landscapes science program is pleased to announce Newsletter Issue 02, 2026, highlighting this quarter's progress across Africa, Asia and Latin America in advancing resilient food systems, ecosystem restoration, biodiversity conservation and climate resilience through integrated landscape approaches. 🌱 In this issue, discover: ✅ Community-led seed systems and restoration partnerships in Kenya ✅ Agroecological innovation and landscape transitions in India ✅ Soil carbon measurement and ecosystem-service valuation in Tunisia ✅ True-cost accounting research informing policy in Colombia and Peru ✅ River health and environmental flow tools supporting water governance ✅ CGIAR's growing engagement around the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists and preparations for UNCCD COP17 in Mongolia 👥 You'll also meet our newly appointed Area of Work Leads, who will help guide the program's vision and impact into 2026 and beyond. 📖 Check out the Newsletter: https://lnkd.in/dQf2_y4d 📄 See our Annual Technical Report: https://lnkd.in/eVmkFc-E CGIAR | International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) | Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT | International Water Management Institute (IWMI) | International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) |ICARDA; International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas | Landscape Alliance | CIFOR & ICRAF #CGIARMultifunctionalLandscapes #CGIAR #LandscapeScience #Agroecology #Biodiversity

Applications are open for the #CircularEconomy4Ghana Innovation Challenge. The challenge will support innovators developing tech-driven circular economy solutions that strengthen resilience in Ghana’s agriculture and textile value chains. Selected applicants will gain access to technical assistance, scientific mentorship and market opportunities. Apply by 8 August using the links in the post below! #CircularEconomy #Innovation #AgrifoodSystems #CGIARMultifunctionalLandscapes #Ghana

Drought doesn't wait for us to be ready. Around the world, communities are facing increasing pressure from water scarcity, land degradation and climate uncertainty. Building resilience requires more than infrastructure; it requires effective governance, informed decisions and inclusive action. This Thursday, join Dr Mohsin Hafeez, Strategic Program Director at International Water Management Institute (IWMI), as he shares insights on how water governance can help shape more resilient futures. Whether you work in research, development, policy or practice, this discussion offers an opportunity to explore solutions that can help communities adapt to a more uncertain future. 📅 Date: Thursday, 30 July 2026 🕝 Time: 2:00–3:00 PM EAT | 11:00 AM–12:00 PM UTC | 7:00–8:00 AM EDT 💻 Format: Virtual 🔗 Register here: https://lnkd.in/e_Vk3xye #DroughtResilience #WaterGovernance #LandRestoration #CGIAR #MultifunctionalLandscapes #UNCCD

📚 Most children learn about food systems; Food Heroes lets them help transform them. A new FREE card game from the CGIAR Multifunctional Landscapes Science Program, the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, and collaborators at fsysgame.org is helping young people tackle real-world challenges from saving seeds and restoring biodiversity to building compost systems and advocating for healthier landscapes. 🌍 Co-created with children in Kenya. 🏫 Rolling out in 37 schools. 🚀 Downloaded in 52 countries. Because the future of food systems shouldn't be designed for young people; it should be designed with them. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gi5G4QpS 👉 Play Food Heroes: https://lnkd.in/eFUWmCkg CGIAR | Lisa Elena Fuchs | Bela Sharma |Langat Kipkorir | Anastacia Wanjiru| Owen Kimani | Victoria Apondi| fsysgame.org | #CGIARMultifunctionalLandscapes #FoodHeroesExpansion #Agroecology #FoodSystems #YouthInnovation #SustainableLandscapes #YouthForChange

💧Join us for a timely conversation on Water Governance for Drought Resilience The CGIAR Multifunctional Landscapes Program invites you to a UNCCD-themed webinar exploring how water governance, land restoration and inclusive decision-making can help communities prepare for, adapt to and withstand drought. 🎙️ Featured Speaker Dr. Mohsin Hafeez Strategic Program Director – Water, Food and Ecosystems, International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Why attend? ✅ Hear expert insights on water governance and drought preparedness ✅ Explore practical approaches to strengthening resilience in vulnerable landscapes ✅ Learn how inclusive governance can support smallholder farmers, pastoralists, women and youth ✅ Engage directly with the speaker during a live Q&A session Join researchers, practitioners and development professionals for a timely discussion on solutions that can strengthen resilience, protect livelihoods and support sustainable landscape management, followed by an opportunity to engage directly with the speaker during a live Q&A. 📅 Date: Thursday, 30 July 2026 🕝 Time: 2:00–3:00 PM EAT | 11:00 AM–12:00 PM UTC | 7:00–8:00 AM EDT 💻 Format: Virtual 🔗 Register here: https://lnkd.in/e_Vk3xye #DroughtResilience #WaterGovernance #LandRestoration #CGIAR #MultifunctionalLandscapes #UNCCD

Are you planning to participate in the 🪴 🌴 🦋 🐝 3rd National Agroecology Symposium 🌾 🍉 🫚 🎈 tomorrow, Wednesday 22, and Thursday 23 July? Together with WingFarm and ISFAAKenya, we from the CGIAR Multifunctional Landscapes at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT have organised a #Youth in #Agroecology #Action lab. In the session, we will introduce our #FoodHeroes comic and game that we co-developed with fsysgame.org and The Grass Company Limited in collaboration with DRYLANDS NATURAL RESOURCES CENTRE (DNRC) and Community Sustainable Agriculture and Healthy Environmental Program (CSHEP). Come join us in person at the symposium on Thursday 23 from 2-3 pm EAT, or use this specific link to our side event on day 2: https://lnkd.in/dmiqF_kY Find out more about our Food Heroes educational package here: https://lnkd.in/dFKVXvb4 With Kamau Njoroge Bela Sharma André Boeing Langat Kipkorir Victoria Apondi Samantha Waki Moses Wamae Kagai Essy Nicholas Syano Simone Staiger-Rivas Karen Nortje Meghajit Shijagurumayum Kristin Davis The Alliance in Africa

🌍 CGIAR is heading to Ulaanbaatar 🇲🇳, and the stakes have never been higher. The 17th session of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17) brings together governments, scientists, practitioners, and communities to confront one of the defining challenges of our time: land degradation, drought, and the long road to restoration. 🌱 The CGIAR Multifunctional Landscapes (MFL) Science Program will be at COP17, contributing science, evidence, and real-world implementation experience to the conversations that shape global action. Across sessions and side events, we will bring insights on: 🌿 Integrated landscape approaches for restoration and resilience 🐄 Drylands, rangelands, and sustainable pastoralism 🤝 Governance, tenure, and inclusive landscape planning 💧 Biodiversity, water, and food systems 💰 Finance and investment for landscape transformation Because transformation is not decided in negotiation rooms. It is built in fields, rangelands, and communities. 🔗 Learn more: https://lnkd.in/e6GqdECH #COP17Ulaanbaatar #UNCCDCOP17 #MultifunctionalLandscapes #CGIAR

Great to see this evidence-based, multi-stakeholder approach to balancing fish production and livelihoods with aquatic ecosystem protection. Thank you to IWMI for convening this important conversation and to all partners advancing sustainable aquaculture in Ghana. 

🌍 CGIAR is heading to Ulaanbaatar, and the stakes have never been higher. The 17th session of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17) brings together governments, scientists, practitioners, and communities to confront one of the defining challenges of our time: land degradation, drought, and the long road to restoration. The CGIAR Multifunctional Landscapes (MFL) Science Program will be at COP17, contributing science, evidence, and real-world implementation experience to the conversations that shape global action. Across sessions and side events, we will bring insights on: 🌱 Integrated landscape approaches for restoration and resilience 🐄 Drylands, rangelands, and sustainable pastoralism 🤝 Governance, tenure, and inclusive landscape planning 💧 Biodiversity, water, and food systems 💰 Finance and investment for landscape transformation Because transformation is not decided in negotiation rooms. It is built in fields, rangelands, and communities. https://lnkd.in/e6GqdECH CGIAR | ICARDA; International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas | ICRISAT | #COP17Ulaanbaatar #UNCCDCOP17 #MultifunctionalLandscapes #CGIAR

CGIAR's Multifunctional Landscapes Science Program is co-hosting a workshop at Tropentag 2026, and we'd love for you to join us. The session, "Towards Multifunctional Landscapes and Resilient Communities," brings together researchers, policymakers, students, and landscape practitioners to explore how land can be managed to deliver food, income, and ecological benefits all at once and how this can help address climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation, and poverty together. Representing the CGIAR MFL team, Lulseged Tamene and Cargele Masso will share CGIAR's approach to generating evidence, testing solutions, and shaping policy for multifunctional landscapes, alongside Willem Ferwerda (Commonland) and James Reed (Landscape Alliance | CIFOR & ICRAF), who will share practical lessons and perspectives from advancing landscape approaches in diverse contexts. This matters because landscapes designed to serve multiple goals are more resilient, but scaling them means solving real challenges around governance, financing, and inclusion, especially for women and Indigenous communities. Expect honest lessons from Africa, Asia, and South America, practical ideas for inclusive governance, and space to connect with others working on these issues. 🌱 📍 Göttingen, Germany (Hybrid) | 📅 16 September 2026 | 🕗 08:30–11:30 CET CGIAR #Tropentag2026 #MultifunctionalLandscapes #LandscapeRestoration