Climate Action: CGIAR Science Programme 2025 to 2030 (IITA contribution)
Project Goal
The Climate Action Science Programme is one of the science programmes in the CGIAR Research Portfolio 2025 to 2030. It aims to drive science, innovation and collaboration to transform food, land and water systems for a climate-resilient, net-zero and equitable future, advancing research across agri-food systems that benefits 16 million vulnerable small-scale producers and value chain actors across 20 countries. IITA contributes to the programme through its Resilience and Climate Adaptation Programme, with a specific focus on measuring greenhouse gas mitigation strategies, assessing the sequestration potential of regenerative agriculture, and supporting cross-Centre coordination on data sharing.
Expected results
• 16 million smallholder farmers reached with climate-resilient and low-emissions innovations across food, land and water systems.
• US$15 billion of climate finance unlocked for agri-food systems, including through new instruments such as the Loss and Damage Fund.
• 1 gigaton CO2-equivalent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 across at least 30 countries, through enhanced carbon sequestration, lower current emissions and avoided future emissions.
• Strengthened prioritisation and coordination of climate action across CGIAR, including a front-desk function, mainstreaming of a just-transitions lens, and consolidated climate and food, land and water (FLW) systems research.
• Human-centred Climate Information Services and Early Warning Systems delivering digital advisories and real-time risk management from farm to national level.
• Locally led adaptation supported through new financing mechanisms, capacity building of local stakeholders to access funds, and integration of local priorities into national and global policy processes.
• Low-emission transitions co-designed and implemented with partners, with measurable progress against the 1 gigaton CO2-eq target by 2030.
• National climate policies, sectoral mainstreaming and decision-ready analytics produced through translational science, addressing key data gaps for both policy and finance decisions.
IITA contribution
• Measuring greenhouse gas mitigation strategies across CGIAR’s target geographies and value chains.
• Assessing the sequestration potential of regenerative agriculture, including soil organic carbon, agroforestry and integrated systems.
• Contributing to cross-Centre coordination on data sharing, supporting the programme’s analytics and prioritisation functions.
Project leader: CGIAR Science Programme on Climate Action
Start date: January 1, 2025
End date: December 31, 2030
Partners:
Better Diets and Nutrition; Breeding for Tomorrow; Food Frontiers and Security; Genebanks; Multifunctional Landscapes; Policy Innovations; Scaling for Impact; Sustainable Animal and Aquatic Foods; Sustainable Farming
Location: Côte d’ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe