Rural women make up over a quarter of the total world population. In developing countries, rural women represent approximately 43 per cent of the agricultural labor force. Roughly forty percent of the world’s population lives in drylands, making dryland rural women farmers fundamental for the eradication of poverty, food security, and sustainable development. The International Day of Rural women on the 15th of October gives an opportunity to celebrate, support, and empower rural women farmers, including indigenous women.

The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA), in collaboration with the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the support of partners including the Centre for Agricultural Bioscience International (CABI) and mLab East Africa,  is launching the pilot edition of Pitch AgriHack, a new component of its AgriHack Talent

The Global Alliance for the Future of Food (GA) released a report, titled "Seeds of Resilience: A Compendium of Perspectives on Agricultural Biodiversity from Around the World." Led by the GA’s Agroecological Transitions Working Group (ATWG), the publication focuses on the role seeds and seed diversity can play in sustainable agriculture, food security, and nutrition.

Going on now in Stockholm, World Water Week in Stockholm is the annual focal point for the globe’s water issues. Almost 3500 scientists and water specialists are gathered in Stockholm 28 August – 2 September. IWMI scientists will be involved in 15 different events, two new initiatives will be launched and two upcoming IWMI/Routledge publications on water basins highlighted.

Read all about IWMI’s involvement here: www.iwmi.org/wwweek2016

To follow the event on social media: #WWWeek

Jeremy Bird, IWMI’s Director General, asks the question, “Can we produce even more food by intensifying our agricultural production, yet stay within the Earth's budget?”

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM) organized a one day workshop on Recent Trends in Agricultural Research Capacity, Investment and Outputs in India on August 17, 2016 at the NASC Complex, PUSA, New Delhi.

Partner Spotlight: International Water Management Institute

New research throws light on why less and less spring water is making its way down the Himalayan ridges and valleys to the remote villages that depend on it the most.