Through genetic linkage maps, multi-environmental phenotype data, and transcriptome studies, researchers from the Institute of Cotton Research of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences discovered a gene that regulates fiber quality and yield traits in cotton. Their findings are published in the Journal of Advanced Research. Upland cotton is the largest source of natural fiber from plants. Breeding better cotton varieties with favorable fiber quality and yield traits has challenged researchers. Thus, finding the genetic basis of yield and fiber quality is highly significant in cotton improvement.

Scientists from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) have developed SpeedFlower, a robust, first-ever speed breeding protocol for rice that will achieve 4 to 5 crops of rice in one year, which is almost double of what has been possible in current breeding programs. SpeedFlower focuses on optimizing light spectrum, intensity, photoperiod, temperature, humidity, nutrient levels, and hormonal regulation to expedite growth, flowering, and maturity in rice.

Scientists from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) developed a robust, first ever speed breeding protocol for rice that will achieve 4 to 5 crops of rice in one year - almost double of what has been possible in breeding programs until now. This protocol will be important to accelerate breeding new improved varieties of rice to cope with climate change and the needs of a growing world population. Called SpeedFlower, the protocol focuses on optimizing light spectrum, amount and intensity, along with temperature, humidity and other variables that expedite growth, flowering and maturity in rice.

As part of global celebrations to mark the International Year of Millets 2023, ICRISAT opened the doors of its Samanko Research Station and regional hub for West and Central Africa for an engaging open field day on 2 November 2023. The occasion was honored by the presence of Mali's Minister for Agriculture, Mr Lassine Dembélé. In a brief opening ceremony, Dr Macdonald Bright Jumbo, Interim Director of ICRISAT in Mali, welcomed participants and highlighted the significance of the International Year of Millets as "

Commons provide many ecosystem services that support the livelihoods of billions around the world but their economic (and non-economic) contribution to people and nature are rarely assessed. As part of the effort to support the Promise of Commons initiative led by the Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) in India, a collaborative research team comprised of FES, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and other CGIAR centers has been examining the linkages between commons and ecosystem services.

As part of the Living Labs for People (LL4P) work in Nandi County, Kenya, under the CGIAR Research Initiative on “Low-Emission Food Systems,” researchers from the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) mapped major land use types in Nandi County using remote sensing and machine learning. The process begins with acquiring pertinent remote sensing data, followed by rigorous preprocessing to ensure accuracy and consistency

Climate change is making extreme weather events more intense and frequent.  Warning systems that are accurate, easy to use and provide the right climate information help limit loss of life and livelihoods. With advance warning, small-scale farmers get precious time to store produce and animals safely, and to prepare for disaster. Even when some damage is unavoidable, it can make it easier to recover.

FAO Director-General QU Dongyu met today with the Vice-President and Minister of Equality and Equity of the Republic of Colombia, Her Excellency Francia Elena Márquez Mina, at FAO headquarters in Rome. The Vice-President conveyed her appreciation to the FAO Director-General for the support to the Republic of Colombia and highlighted the severity of hunger worldwide and particularly in Colombia where 15 million people suffer hunger or malnutrition.

To promote the rice straw-based circular economy in Vietnam, the Farmer Field Day on improving the production of indoor and outdoor straw mushrooms was held in Thot Not District, Can Tho City on December 21, 2023. The event was hosted by the Can Tho Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), in collaboration with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the College of Agriculture, Can Tho University.

Amid the ongoing Ukraine-Russian conflict, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) is extending vital assistance to farmers in Niger and Chad who are grappling with acute food crises. The conflict's ripple effect on global food and fertilizer prices has hit these Sahelian countries particularly hard, making food scarcer and unaffordable, especially for women and their children. To counter these challenges and help prevent the destabilization of the region, ICRISAT's Niamey genebank team, under the leadership of ICRISAT’s Niger Country Representative Dr Falalou Hamidou, has launched an initiative to tackle the issue.