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CTA and CIAT to partner with the Pan-African Bean Alliance on knowledge management
It took us some time but finally CTA, CIAT and PABRA will work together on a knowledge management initiative!
Indeed, we needed more than a year to nail down the collaboration, probably because even if relatively “small” activities are promising entry points to future growing undertakings, they often do not receive the attention they disserve…
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Knowledge Sharing in search of a home in CGIAR
Last week I attended a workshop in Rome on “Communications for research and development impact: delivering the CGIAR Results framework”, hosted by the Consortium Office.
The objective was to develop suggestions for ensuring that communications and knowledge sharing are included in the final guidelines of CGIAR research proposals (see guidelines for pre-proposals…
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Open access and open data: Three insights from the regional CGIAR implementation workshop
From August 18th to 21st, CIAT hosted the regional Open Access / Open Data workshop for CGIAR centers and CRPs, with colleagues from CIP, IRRI, IFPRI and CIMMYT. Two other regional workshops have been held already in Asia and Africa. It was a perfect opportunity to discuss key issues and make progress in the development of our…
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“Puertas y mentes abiertas”: un relato sobre la evolución de la colaboración y el intercambio de conocimiento en la unidad de biotecnología del CIAT
Recientemente mi colega Silvia Pineda y yo entrevistamos al doctor William Roca, especialista en fisiología celular y citogenética de plantas y científico emérito del CIAT que, siendo uno de los gestores de la Unidad de Investigación en Biotecnología, se refirió al camino que se recorrió en el CIAT para lograr establecer dicha unidad.
En su relato me llamó la atención la constante…
publication
A global synthesis reveals biodiversity-mediated benefits for crop production
Bioversity International (Bioversity International)
https://hdl.handle.net/10568/105463
Abstract
Natural and modified ecosystems contribute a multitude of functions and services that support human well-being (1, 2). It has long been recognized that biodiversity plays an important role in the functioning of ecosystems (3, 4), but the dependence of ecosystem services on biodiversity is under debate. An early synthesis revealed inconsistent…
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Tailor-made CSA: adapting best-bet practices for East African smallholders
Smallholder farmers are not equal. Take Susan. She is perceived as a “small” farmer in her community of Soweto (Wote) in semi-arid Kenya. She doesn’t own land. The 0.5 ha she cultivates belong to her in-laws. The average farm size in her area is between 1 and 5ha.
Susan’s failed crops. Credit: C.Birnholz/CIAT
When we visited her in…
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Una visión compartida y un plan de acción para el futuro de la quinua en Colombia
La conformación de una plataforma nacional de actores de la quinua y elección de su junta directiva; la construcción de una visión compartida proyectada al año 2020, y un plan estratégico que incluye las líneas de investigación claves para solucionar los cuellos de botella identificados participativamente en la cadena, son los tres resultados…
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Comunidad de intercambio de conocimientos para afrontar el cambio climático en los Andes
La comunidad virtual de práctica Andes (COP-Andes) es un espacio que propicia ambientes de discusión en torno al Cambio Climático (CC), la Variabilidad Climática y la afectación de éstos fenómenos al recurso hídrico, los ecosistemas, el medio ambiente y los cultivos agrícolas. En éste espacio están involucrados diferentes actores de la sociedad civil, investigadores y tomadores de decisión, que comparten sus experiencias e inquietudes frente al tema del CC y las…
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¿Cómo lograr que los productores enfrenten mejor el cambio climático?
ToC del proyecto PIASAC. Los colores del gráfico buscan explicar de manera fácil la lógica de cómo las actividades contribuyen a los productos, y estos a los resultados esperados. Como se puede observar, en algunos casos, varias actividades participan a la generación de productos y de la misma manera, diferentes productos permiten lograr un mismo resultado.
Por Fanny Howland, antropóloga del grupo de Gestión de Conocimiento del CIAT. El Proyecto PIASAC estableció…
article
STORMING THE TASTE TEST: How Colombia's micro-lots blur the line between coffee and pure dopamine
How Colombia's micro-lots blur the line between coffee and pure dopamine Pasto, capital of Nariño Department, southwesten Colombia.
On the third floor of a hotel near Pasto’s central plaza, there was slurping. Lots of slurping.
STORMING THE TASTE TEST
This was my first formal coffee cupping experience. Lined up were some of the region’s best brews, ready for their moment…
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Southeast Asia’s best cassava breeders form network
A network of Southeast Asia’s cassava breeders, who have achieved some of the best progress in breeding history worldwide, met in Hanoi, Vietnam on October 9th and 10th to discuss research milestones and next steps.
Around two million hectares of cassava are planted to Southeast Asia’s breeding programs, said Dr. Clair Hershey, CIAT’s cassava program leader in his opening remarks.
Significant impact has been achieved, with high returns on investment in breeding, he noted.…
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EATxCali: Hungry for a Sustainable Food System
When I grew up, poor people were thin. Books, films and news coverage of famines perpetuated the stereotype. But today, poor people are increasingly likely to be overweight. Now it's often the rich who are the thin ones.
It’s especially the case in cities, where most of humanity lives. There, wealthy folks might be packed into yoga halls or subscription-only gyms. Post-workout, they might chow down on organo-Paleo whatnot, perhaps washed down with a zingy wheatgrass shot. Poorer folks…
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Recognition, a road to organizational success
Every day, people work hard at their jobs to attain their objectives and hope that their work will be appreciated and their efforts recognized. It is a question of basic human needs, of the recognition and appreciation we all need because human beings, by their very nature, like to feel important, that they are being taken into consideration, and that all their achievements are celebrated. This occurs not only in our personal lives, but in the workplace as well, where emphasizing achievements positively…
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Climate change: Arabica coffee faces a roasting
Scientists pinpoint the world’s most vulnerable coffee zones New research gives fresh insights into which of the world’s arabica coffee-producing zones will bear the brunt of climate change. The biggest losers will be in hotter areas with long dry seasons, such as parts of Brazil and Central America. There, almost 80% of land currently used to grow arabica coffee will become unsuitable by 2050.
Even the safest areas – those with cooler and more constant temperatures, considered optimal…
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CIRAD-CIAT, el éxito de una relación basada en el respeto y la complementariedad
Un científico emérito, 6 investigadores ubicados actualmente en la sede del CIAT en Colombia, y decenas de científicos que por más de 25 años han pasado por el Centro, son algunas de las cifras que a grandes rasgos reflejan los frutos de la alianza colaborativa entre el Centro de Cooperación Internacional en Investigación Agrícola para el Desarrollo (CIRAD) y el CIAT.
Una alianza que se renueva permanentemente gracias a hechos…
