Christine Negra

Versant Vision LLC

This policy brief recommends three strategies for more effectively investing in smallholder-centred research and innovation that advance climate-resilient and sustainable agriculture. https://unfoundation.org/what-we-do/issues/climate-and-energy/empower-climate-resilient-smallholder-agriculture-by-investing-in-african-research-and-innovation/

In this perspective, we offer insights into the evolution of CGIAR’s research and innovation portfolio from 2019 to 2023, underpinning the transformative journey towards One CGIAR. With this contribution, we aim to strengthen the social and environmental sustainability components of allied, future Research for Development (R4D) portfolios. We explo...

A regional geopolitical conflict and sudden massive supply disruptions have revealed vulnerabilities in our global fuel–fertilizer–food nexus. As nitrogen (N) fertilizer price spikes threaten food security, differentiated responses are required to maintain staple cereal yields across over- and underfertilized agricultural systems. Through integrate...

Vulnerabilities of the global fuel-fertilizer-food nexus have been revealed by a regional geopolitical conflict causing sudden and massive supply disruptions. Across over- and under-fertilized agricultural systems, nitrogen (N) fertilizer price spikes will have very different effects and require differentiated responses. For staple cereal productio...

Transitioning to sustainable agricultural systems is imperative to meet the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Achieving more sustainable agricultural production systems will require significant additional capital, however this cannot be covered by the current financial market setup, which dissociates public and private funders. Blended f...

As the current crisis unfolds, international attention is focused on the many supply-related effects that compound existing failings and inequalities of the global food system, which were amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. We may again see civil unrest as witnessed during the 2008 food crisis. The war in Ukraine and trade sanctions are triggering...

Agri-food systems are besieged by malnutrition, yield gaps, and climate vulnerability, but integrated, research-based responses in public policy, agricultural, value chains, and finance are constrained by short-termism and zero sum thinking. As they respond to current and emerging agri-food system challenges, decision makers need new tools that ste...

Transitioning to sustainable agricultural systems is imperative to meet the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Achieving more sustainable agricultural production systems will require significant additional capital, however this cannot be covered by the current financial market setup, which dissociates public and private funders. Blended f...

Soil degradation poses a major challenge to agricultural systems in sub-Saharan Africa. Whereas there is a wealth of knowledge on the consequences of degraded soils, the evidence base for farm management practices that could prevent and mitigate soil degradation is still emerging and farmer uptake of such practices remains mostly low. We propose th...

Focusing on all three regions of the Africa Research In Sustainable Intensification For the Next Generation (Africa RISING) program, this report presents key findings and recommendations arising from the Phase II mid-term internally commissioned external evaluation. The Review Team’s recommendations are informed by the larger context for USAID and...

Global targets, such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and private sector commitments, such as deforestation free supply chains, are stimulating growing demand for sustainable investment opportunities in the food and agriculture sector. Yet, the supply of such opportunities has been slow to materialize despite a proliferation of impact funds...

This Background Document reviews the key technical considerations and recommendations underlying the Climate Bonds Initiative's Criteria Document for Protected Agriculture in Mexico. Capital markets enable issuers to tap into large pools of private capital from institutional investors. The green bond market can reward bond issuers and investors for...

The agriculture sector faces increasing environmental risks related to climate change and resource degradation. With appropriate information, investors, asset managers, and corporate decision makers can direct capital toward agricultural operations with better environmental performance and lower risks. However, many important types of environmental...

This Background Document reviews the key technical considerations and recommendations underlying the Climate Bonds Initiative's Criteria Document for Forestry. Capital markets enable issuers to tap into large pools of private capital from institutional investors. The green bond market can reward bond issuers and investors for sustainable investment...

This Background Document reviews the key technical considerations and recommendations underlying the Climate Bonds Initiative's Criteria Document for Marine Renewable Energy Assets. Capital markets enable issuers to tap into large pools of private capital from institutional investors. The green bond market can reward bond issuers and investors for...

This short report explains how companies and governments can reduce operational and reputational risks and seize opportunities, by estimating and monitoring the agrobiodiversity impact of supply chain investments. The Agrobiodiversity Index can also help investors to screen their portfolios for companies and governments that promote agrobiodiversit...

Reforestation involves potential trade-offs: hard choices between environmental and social benefits, individual and community benefits, and among stakeholders who bear different costs and benefits. In this manuscript, we aim to show that successful long-term reforestation requires stakeholder engagement beyond planning stages and a recognition of t...

Increased production and consumption of pulse crops is essential if global agriculture and food systems are to stay within planetary boundaries. Yet, the 13 pulse crops receive just USD 175 million in research funding annually. This report presents an internationally coordinated strategy designed to increase investment in five major arenas of scien...

To accelerate the growth of conservation finance as a whole, this report explores how to utilize debt as a tool. This report strives to plot a course for executives in the private sector as well as to inform investors, financial institutions, and conservation-oriented organizations (including NGO’s, government and development agencies) that wish to...

Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) can help overcome hunger while supporting rural populations adapt to climate change, managing natural resources sustainably and curbing rising temperatures. As food insecurity, poverty, climate change and environmental degradation challenges build and intensify, climate-smart solutions will need to be implemented on...

This report provides the key findings from the CRP-Commissioned External Evaluation (CCEE) of Humidtropics, which was conducted between April and September 2015. The purpose of the evaluation was to review and provide an overview and critical analysis of the relevance of the program, the plausibility of its approach for achievement of intended resu...

East and Southeast Asian countries have become some of the world’s foremost producers of commodity crops, but growth came at a high environmental cost. In this new book, EcoAgriculture Partners, The World Bank and Clarmondial recommend an Agricultural Green Growth framework for national and local governments to promote environmental stewardship in...

As countries around the world face urgent agricultural challenges, the concept of 'climate-smart' agriculture (CSA) has been put forward to achieve climate change adaptation, mitigation, and food security synergistically. A new report explores how three countries are using integrated policy approaches to CSA and offers insights for how other countr...

As countries around the world face urgent agricultural challenges, the concept of ‘climate-smart’ agriculture (CSA) has been put forward to synergistically achieve climate change adaptation, mitigation, and food security. This paper explores how three countries are using integrated policy approaches to CSA. Brazil invested in research to support su...

Integrated, multi-disciplinary, and Africa-focused scientific research is essential to understanding the complexity of African agricultural landscapes and making them more productive, sustainable, climate-resilient, and socially inclusive (FARA, 2013). This paper synthesizes findings from several recent publications related to the science of integr...

New multi-stakeholder, integrated landscape initiatives (ILIs) are emerging as an operational framework to address risks and support economic growth, food production, ecosystem conservation, and rural livelihoods across entire landscapes. However, a key player in these issues—the business sector serving local, national, and international markets—ha...

Taking Tree-based Ecosystem Approaches to Scale: Evidence of drivers and impacts on food security, climate change resilience and carbon sequestration. Ecoagriculture Discussion Paper No. 11. Washington, DC. EcoAgriculture Partners.

Terrestrial ecosystems provide a number of key services to society that are linked to carbon (C) cycle processes, a few of which include controlling food and fiber production, basic building materials, energy sources, and soil water holding capacity. Human societies have developed a number of land-use practices to enhance biological C processes and...

To adapt to climate change and ensure food security, major interventions are required to transform current patterns and practices of food production, distribution and consumption. The scientific community has an essential role to play in informing concurrent, strategic investments to establish climate-resilient agricultural production systems, mini...

Recent years have seen global food prices rise and become more volatile. Price surges in 2008 and 2011 held devastating consequences for hundreds of millions of people and negatively impacted many more. Today one billion people are hungry. The issue is a high priority for many international agencies and national governments. At the Cannes Summit in...

Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) has gained significant policy momentum as an international mechanism for global climate change mitigation. The mobilization of funding, technical activity and institutional engagement for REDD has been relatively quick and widespread. The policy and technical lessons learned over the evol...

The history of Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) can inform agricultural climate change mitigation. Drawing on interviews with 32 experts and the literature, this rapid assessment study summarizes lessons in six areas believed to be necessary for a successful global mechanism for agricultural mitigation.

There are existing and emerging financial incentives for land managers to adopt practices that contribute to climate change mitigation. Maximizing terrestrial carbon sequestration while minimizing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, then documenting and rewarding outcomes requires the ability to deliver the following functions: 1. Estimate the total bi...

Improved terrestrial carbon management offers tremendous potential for climate change mitigation and, in many cases, there are associated co-benefits such as increased productivity, resilience, and biodiversity. It is expected that governments will agree to incentives for improved management of some forms of terrestrial carbon in developing countri...

Improved management of terrestrial carbon in agriculture, forestry, and other land use sectors is a necessary part of climate change mitigation. It is likely that governments will agree in Copenhagen in December 2009 to incentives for improved management of some forms of terrestrial carbon, including maintaining existing terrestrial carbon (e.g., a...

Environmental experts state that countries will need to design effective policies to address information limitations that are constraining the ability of these professionals to identify and understand emerging environmental problems. They state that better identification and understanding of such problems will enable them to devise strategies to ad...

One favored approach is an integrated assessment approach that recognizes interactions among different aspects of pollutants as well as multi-media chemistry and exposure pathways. Figure 1 shows the inter- related nature of many pollutants. This article exam- ines several high priority air pollutants or pollutant classes in this context, and discu...

Background/Question/Methods Air quality managers need tools for identifying air pollution induced ecological impairment and for documenting improvements due to pollution reductions. To develop a suite of indicators to guide environmental monitoring and performance assessment, metrics of air pollution exposure and ecological change were investigat...

Policymakers, program managers, and landowners need information about net terrestrial carbon sequestration in forests, croplands, grasslands, and shrublands to understand the cumulative effects of carbon trading programs, expanding biofuels production, and changing environmental conditions in addition to agricultural and forestry uses. Objective in...

Well-designed ecological indicators are important tools for tracking the cumulative effects of land management, disturbance patterns and climate on the biogeochemical condition of ecosystems. Indicators can be used to identify direct and indirect ecological responses to major stressors, to evaluate the effectiveness of management strategies and to...

This report recommends that urgent attention be given to filling ten key information gaps that prevent effective reporting on key indicators of the condition and use of U.S. ecosystems and thus limit our capacity for informed decision making. These ten gaps have been selected for special attention from the larger set of gaps identified in The Heinz...

Trace metal accumulation by Mn in synthetic oxides and soil nodules has been attributed to specific adsorption and oxidation at Mn oxide surfaces, yet little is known about trace metal interactions with Mn in bulk soil. We investigated competitive effects of trace metal pretreatment on Cr oxidation in well-aerated, high-Mn soils, as well as accumul...

Due to their high degree of reactivity, Mn oxides in soil systems may exert a greater influence on trace metal chemistry than that suggested by their relatively low abundance. In particular, Mn is the only known oxidizer of trivalent Cr in soils. We investigated soil properties that influence the Cr oxidizing capacity of Mn oxides in eight well-aer...

Complex forces act upon and within rural communities in northern New England and create changes in the natural and social landscape. Rural communities need an effective local mechanism for identifying and acting on their goals for conservation of terrestrial, aquatic, recreational, and biological resources and for shaping the future landscape of th...

Data collected through a survey of visitors to the Vermont state park system were used to define a range of environmental behavior, ethics, and values exhibited by park visitors. These data were used to develop principles for designing park-based environmental education programs. The study findings suggest that such programs should emphasize points...