CGIAR has partnered with the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) to bring together the world’s leading scientists and decision-makers in agriculture, climate, and health for the inaugural CGIAR Science Week.
Running under the theme “Innovation and Partnerships for a Food, Nutrition, and Climate Secure Future,” it comes at a time when the world is grappling with unprecedented crises that disrupt livelihoods, cause loss of life and property, and exacerbate food insecurity.
The event delves into the power of science to provide solutions to some of the most pressing global challenges, including climate change, land and ecosystem degradation, biodiversity loss, food insecurity, malnutrition, rural poverty, and gender inequality.
With a clear focus on reimagining a sustainable and healthy future for people and the planet, CGIAR is addressing the malnutrition crisis particularly acute in Africa, where many children remain severely undernourished. Science Week is positioned as a platform to find and scale up solutions that can bring meaningful change.
According to CGIAR Executive Managing Director Ismahane Elouafi, the existence of hunger in a world equipped with scientific advancements is deeply troubling. “It should worry us when children go hungry, yet we have the science. With science, we can solve these issues we are facing collectively. We need to step up, we need to speak up, we need to use science right now,” she said.
CGIAR is globally recognized for its research and development investments, particularly in climate-resilient crop varieties, livestock breeds, and sustainable farm and tree management practices. Elouafi emphasized the urgency for collective action, reinforcing CGIAR’s slogan: “With science, we can.” She called for greater youth involvement and cross-sector collaboration to combat food insecurity.
“Small-scale producers across the globe produce the largest proportion of the food that feeds the world. That is why small-scale farmers are at the core of the Agricultural Research for Development Agenda,” she noted.
However, working in isolation continues to slow down progress in creating a sustainable global food system. To bridge the gap between smallholder farmers and groundbreaking agricultural technologies, CGIAR has partnered with the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA). The partnership aims to identify proven, resilience-building strategies that can be scaled through investment by International Finance Institutions (IFIs).
This collaboration spans three key subsectors: Livestock management – adapting and modernizing approaches to withstand climate extremes, Crop production – emphasizing climate-resilient varieties and techniques that safeguard harvests, and Agroforestry and tree crops – promoting diversification to buffer against climate shocks.
These partnerships are seen as instrumental in advancing climate action through a collective approach. Her Excellency Zainab Hawa Bangura, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON), stressed the importance of collaboration.
“Collective efforts to address climate change depend on the strength of the partnerships we form. These partnerships offer us a great opportunity to expand knowledge and collaboration,” she said.
By bringing together experts and scientists, Science Week seeks to offer actionable scientific solutions that help farmers build resilience against climate-related challenges.
Kenya’s Prime Cabinet Secretary, H.E. Musalia Mudavadi, during his speech at the CGIAR science week, applauded CGIAR’s initiatives while also raising concerns about the persistence of hunger despite scientific and technological advancements.
“This reality challenges us to rethink our approach. Why does hunger still exist when we have the tools to end it? I urge bold, science-driven solutions to tackle the global food security crisis,” said Mudavadi.
His call to action emphasized the need for governments, the private sector, and institutional leaders to embrace science and technology proactively. Doing so, he noted, would boost food production, tackle agricultural diseases, and mitigate the impacts of climate change factors that continue to threaten global food systems.
