This publication presents perspectives from researchers working in agricultural and environmental sciences on the importance of place-based research environments and institutional collaborations. Drawing on experiences from Nairobi (Kenya), Toronto (Canada), and the Department of Agricultural Sciences at the University of Naples Federico II (UNINA), the discussion highlights how diverse ecological conditions, advanced research infrastructure, and strong links between science and practice shape research outcomes. Nairobi is portrayed as a strategic center for studying biodiversity, agroforestry, restoration, and rural development due to its diverse landscapes and proximity to real-world land-use challenges. Toronto offers access to world-class scientific infrastructure, interdisciplinary expertise, and advanced technologies that support cutting-edge research in plant biology and related fields. Meanwhile, UNINA provides a unique setting where longstanding agricultural traditions intersect with contemporary scientific research, enabling investigation of crop production challenges, plant health, and sustainable agricultural systems. Collectively, these perspectives demonstrate how research institutions and regional contexts can foster innovation, collaboration, and knowledge generation to address agricultural, environmental, and socio-ecological challenges.
Tag: capacity building
Global literature review and survey of implementation constraints on natural climate solutions
Natural Climate Solutions – protection, restoration, and improved management of lands and waters that reduce greenhouse gasses – have large climate change mitigation potential. However, lack of comprehensive information on implementation challenges hinders the adoption of Natural Climate Solutions and the delivery of near-term mitigation. Using a global survey of Natural Climate Solutions projects and a systematic review of recent studies, we map 46 constraints in eight categories, yielding 15,572 geo-referenced pathway-constraint observations from 501 studies and projects in 137 countries covering 20 of 22 United Nations subregions. Social-behavioral, Knowledge, and Government-Organizational are the most-reported constraint categories, and lack of policy coordination or implementation capacity the most-observed constraint and most frequently top-ranking constraint for pathways and subregions. Despite broad congruence, top constraint and category rankings vary among subregions and pathways, respectively. We find that projects generally encounter diverse sets of challenges. Without enabling efforts, near-term mitigation from Natural Climate Solutions may remain well below its biophysical potential.
Agroforestry Training Manual
This manual is a practical training resource developed to strengthen the capacity of extension agents and farmers in implementing agroforestry practices in Rwanda. Produced under the project Promoting Climate-Smart Agriculture for Improved Rural Livelihoods and Climate Resiliency in the Climate-Vulnerable Eastern Province of Rwanda, the manual provides technical guidance on integrating trees, crops, and livestock to enhance productivity, resilience, and environmental sustainability. The publication covers four main areas: agroforestry principles, systems and suitable species; tree nurseries and seedbeds; tree planting and management; and agroforestry products and services. It presents common agroforestry systems practiced in Rwanda, including woodlots, alley cropping, contour tree planting, fruit orchards, silvopastoral systems, home gardens, apiculture, aquasilviculture, and sericulture. The manual also provides practical recommendations on nursery establishment, seed handling, seedling management, tree planting techniques, pruning, thinning, coppicing, and tree protection. Furthermore, it highlights the economic and environmental benefits of agroforestry, including fruit production, tree seed enterprises, fodder, timber, fuelwood, honey production, erosion control, soil fertility improvement, climate change adaptation, biodiversity conservation, and restoration of degraded lands. Designed as a hands-on training tool, the manual aims to promote climate-smart agriculture, improve rural livelihoods, and support sustainable land management through increased adoption of agroforestry practices.
The blue carbon mangrove value chain framework
Key messages
- The blue carbon mangrove value chain (BCMVC) connects global commitments to local impacts. It links climate and biodiversity targets with on-the-ground mangrove management, aligning policy, finance and socioeconomic community outcomes across scales.
- The BCMVC is not only about carbon credit or its monetization. It must integrate ecological integrity and social values alongside economic returns to support legitimacy, equity and long-term sustainability.
- Implementation and scaling depend on enabling conditions, investment-ready systems and actor-specific capacities. Government institutions require stronger planning and coordination capacities; project developers need measurement, reporting and verification, and financing skills; and local communities require capacities to participate as rights holders, as co-investors (socially and economically) and as negotiators in decision making, monitoring and benefit-sharing processes.
Strengthening stakeholder capacities for equitable blue carbon mangrove: Mapping capacities and gaps in two pilot sites in Indonesia
Key messages
- Mangrove blue carbon presents opportunities for climate change mitigation, and other environmental and socioeconomic benefits for coastal communities, but capacity to engage effectively and fully in mangrove blue carbon financial investments is unevenly distributed across the blue carbon mangrove value chain.
- Although mangrove management capacities are increasingly present in Indonesia, gaps are evident in areas such as project development; measurement, reporting and verification (MRV); and engagement with carbon and non-carbon market mechanisms.
- Strengthening practical capacities alone is not sufficient: these must be supported by empowering governance arrangements and enabling institutions and be underpinned by strong foundational capacities. These are needed to ensure that stakeholders can move beyond project implementation roles towards sustained participation, leadership and innovation across the blue carbon value chain. In the Indonesian context, fragmented coordination, unclear distribution of mandates, and varying levels of capacity across sectors and government continue to be key barriers to effective and scalable blue carbon value chain implementation.
- Community groups play a central role in mangrove management, yet require stronger institutional recognition, clearer mandates and sustained capacity development support to participate effectively and fully in emerging blue carbon initiatives.
- Targeted, long-term and competency-based capacity development is needed to strengthen and develop stakeholder engagement; improve institutional readiness; and build trust and confidence among communities, government, private sectors and investors in Indonesia’s blue carbon initiatives and financing mechanisms.
Assessing CREMAs’ Capacity to Govern Landscape Resources in the Western Wildlife Corridor of Northern Ghana
Ghana initiated community resource management areas (CREMAs) as a community-based natural management approach to give local communities the right and power to manage natural resources within their territorial boundaries. The expectation is that communities and their environment would prosper through more equitable landscape governance and sustainable use of natural resources. However, the challenges to achieving full functionality of CREMA and expected results, particularly in the Western Wildlife Corridor in northern Ghana, raise questions about the governance actors’ capacity. Therefore, this study aims to assess the capacity of actors to take ownership of and lead the governance processes implied by the CREMA approach. Based on focus group discussions and individual interviews, we found that the capacities of the CREMA governance bodies are weak to implement the CREMA approach effectively. The lack of knowledge and technical skills to support multi-actor processes, the weak collaboration between actors, and the lack of sustainable financial inflows and livelihood support are key challenges to be addressed for better CREMA performance. Despite these constraints, local actors’ enthusiasm and willingness to engage more actively in the governance of their landscape constitute an opportunity for an improved implementation of the CREMA approach. We suggest that initiatives to strengthen the technical and financial capacities of governance bodies and raise awareness among the local population are necessary to improve the functioning and performance of CREMAs. In addition, actions to improve the livelihoods of local communities will enhance the mobilization and engagement of social groups in the implementation of the CREMA concept.
Capacity Development and Education Hub
Managing our planetʼs landscapes, forests and biodiversity is ultimately about supporting people and, making sure they have the tools, knowledge and skills to address both the challenges theyʼre currently facing, and any new ones coming their way.
Thatʼs why CIFOR-ICRAF has a long history of developing capacity and providing education within and across our hundreds of projects and programmes globally, informed by the latest science on societal learning.
Now, as we seek to boost our impact and scope for collaboration, weʼve gathered all our work on the topic into one handy hub.
Facilitating knowledge exchange through ‘Learning Labs’. Guidance note
Facilitated learning empowers stakeholders to take ownership of their learning process, with facilitators providing resources and support rather than direct instruction. Participants learn collaboratively by identifying and implementing solutions to shared challenges and developmental issues. Learning labs serve as dynamic spaces for open dialogue, knowledge exchange, and innovation, where successes and failures are discussed, common problems are addressed, and ideas for scaling interventions across countries are explored. Each lab is designed as a one‑hour interactive session to maximize peer learning and exchange on specific topics.
Overview on forest research in Africa
Long and consultative planning processes have been undertaken to develop priorities for strategic forestry research in Africa. The results have contributed to the development of CIFOR’s medium-term plan, so that there seems to be a good match between Africa’s needs and CIFOR’s intentions. The political divisions of Africa make it difficult to achieve critical mass in public sector institutions. There should be renewed attempts to establish group-country research so as to maximize the effectiveness of the small pool of trained research staff. Institutional strengthening and human resource development needs more attention nationally and from donor agencies. Forestry research institutions should recruit staff from a wider range of disciplines or should develop partnerships with a wider range of organizations. A much greater effort in economics and social science research is required to compensate for the frequent policy failures. CIFOR seeks active collaboration with appropriate organizations in Africa.
Developing and sharing capacities for agricultural research and innovation systems: A science review of theoretical concepts, methods, tools and standards
This study is a scoping literature review aimed at identifying current concepts, methods, tools and standards used or relevant for learning and capacity development in agricultural research and innovation systems. It provides an overview of the state of science, practices and remaining gaps in approaches to learning and capacity development at the individual, organizational and systems levels. It is intended to inform CGIAR’s future capacity sharing work by learning from the theories and empirical evidence presented in the scientific literature, and from approaches and activities conducted by other entities that CGIAR could adapt. This study reviews the dominant theoretical frameworks and practical concepts, methods, tools and standards for capacity development at individual, organizational and systems levels, and discusses how they could be applied to CGIAR’s capacity sharing work in the context of agricultural research, training and innovation systems.