Seed Systems, Wildlife Management, Agroforestry, and Community Transformation — SAN's Network in Action

Across continents and ecosystems, SAN members are translating bold commitments into tangible field results. This week's roundup covers crop resilience breakthroughs in West Africa, community-led wildlife conservation in Central and Southern Africa, agroecology in the Gambia, territorial transformation in Colombia, and tree species science powering forest restoration. Here's what's happening on the ground.

Closing Six Years of Crop Innovation: CORAF's ABEE Project Wraps Up in Dakar

It's not every day that six years of agricultural research gets its moment in the spotlight — but that's exactly what happened in Dakar this week. CORAF brought together researchers, breeders, and agricultural stakeholders from March 25–27 for the closing workshop of the ABEE project, a landmark initiative that has strengthened crop resilience and brought plant-breeding research closer to the real needs of farmers in West Africa.

The three-day event was structured around cross-disciplinary exchange. Day one focused on building institutional capacity in plant breeding, while day two featured rich panel discussions on results from the project's three main work packages, followed by collaborative group work to plan next steps. Discussions were candid, forward-looking, and deeply connected to the needs of smallholder farmers who depend on resilient, locally-adapted crop varieties.

CORAF is also advancing knowledge beyond the ABEE closure. Simultaneously, the organisation announced that Phase 2 of the TARSPro2 project is now being implemented across five priority countries — Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Chad — relying on strategic collaboration between national agricultural research systems, producer organisations, and private sector stakeholders to sustainably transform family farms.

Wildlife, Livelihoods, and Legal Frameworks: CIFOR-ICRAF's Multi-Country Action

Few organisations illustrate the complexity and richness of field-level implementation the way CIFOR-ICRAF does this week. Across Zambia, Cameroon, Rwanda, the Gambia, and Brazil, their teams and partners are weaving together conservation, livelihoods, policy, and agroecology.

In southern Zambia, a community transformation story is quietly unfolding. Through the Sustainable Wildlife Management Programme, cooperatives in Nyawa Chiefdom are moving from hunting to alternative livelihoods — developing fish farming, beekeeping, and livestock rearing, backed by training in governance, financial management, and market access. Meanwhile, CIFOR-ICRAF convened government officials and technical experts for a policy meeting in Zambia focused on applying Legal Hub Diagnostic Tools to strengthen wildlife management legislation, identify policy gaps, and improve natural resource governance.

In southern Cameroon, a parallel story is unfolding through participatory mapping in the Mintom region, where communities are taking a stronger role in managing their own hunting zones and monitoring wildlife using a blend of traditional knowledge and field data.

The organisation is also scaling agroforestry financing solutions. A new case study developed with ADA and Inkunga Finance Plc, supported by LuxDev, shares lessons from promoting agroforestry among smallholder farmers in Rwanda — a practical example of how financial systems can be designed to meet farmers where they are.

Agroecology as a Community Movement: Voices from the Gambia and Brazil

At the heart of CIFOR-ICRAF's agroecology work this week are two compelling human stories. In the Gambia, Maimuna Jawara is redefining what agroecology means — not just as science, but as a community movement. As a Social Systems Architect and practicing farmer, she supports women in starting small community gardens that grow livelihoods and strengthen food sovereignty.

In southern Brazil, Karina Gonçalves David's work is grounded in the everyday rhythms of sustainable farming: building soil health, managing shade and humidity, observing plants and fungi, harvesting at the right time, and connecting food to local markets through short supply chains. Together, these stories remind us that agroecology is not a policy document — it's a daily practice carried by people.

Colombia's Territorial Transformation: Fundación Natura Colombia at the Cesar Life Corridor

In Colombia's César region, a landmark event brought together government ministers, biodiversity fund directors, local actors, and communities to celebrate and advance the Cesar Life Corridor. Organised by Fundación Natura Colombia, the two-day gathering — "Corredor de Vida del Cesar: tejiendo transformaciones territoriales" — was more than a conference. It was a living demonstration of how territories can lead their own transitions.

The event attracted high-level institutional presence: Irene Vélez, Colombia's Minister of Environment, and Rigoberto Niño, Director of the Fund for Life and Biodiversity, attended to learn firsthand about progress in an ecoregion that is central to the country's energy transition agenda. Day one brought together diverse regional actors who have been collaborating to build a practical path toward sustainability.

Fundación Natura Colombia also advanced capacity-building work in Córdoba, conducting a workshop for community nurseries in Ayapel on national regulations for plant material production and marketing — equipping grassroots actors with the knowledge they need to operate, grow, and contribute to the region's ecological restoration goals.

CABI's Frontline Research: From Cucumber Crop Protection to Sustainable Agriculture Education

CABI continued its applied research and education work this week on two fronts. A new publication highlighted the vulnerability of cucumbers as a vital crop in countries across several regions — an often-overlooked crop that supports farmer livelihoods and food security. The research reinforces CABI's commitment to crop-level evidence that informs real-world pest and disease management.

In education, CABI launched details of an MSc programme designed for aspiring agricultural scientists, technologists, and sustainability professionals. Students explore how ecological principles and cutting-edge technologies create resilient, sustainable farming systems — with placements and external partner collaborations built in. It's a signal that building the next generation of sustainable agriculture professionals is as urgent as the field research itself.

Bioeconomy in Focus: The Circular Bioeconomy Alliance Makes the Case for Nature-Based Systems

Circular Bioeconomy Alliance this week returned to a core message that has never been more timely: our extractive, fossil-based economy must be rethought if we want a liveable future. A new article shared by the Alliance makes the case for forests as the engine of an economic revolution — an economy that ultimately relies on life, biodiversity, and regenerative systems rather than depletion.

Radical Collaboration for People and Planet

From Dakar's plant-breeding workshops to Zambia's community wildlife cooperatives, from Colombia's territorial transformation gatherings to the Gambia's community food sovereignty gardens — this week's dispatches from SAN's Global Impact Network tell a consistent story: sustainability is not abstract. It is built by people, in places, with knowledge, trust, and collaboration.

Each of these actions — however different in geography, crop, or method — contributes to SAN's core purpose: tackling the most pressing global challenges in agriculture through a network of organisations committed to radical collaboration for people and planet. The work continues. And it matters.