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Key takeaways Farmer-herder conflict in Nigeria and across the Sahel reshapes livelihoods by changing how households work, invest, farm, and plan for the future.Adaptation does not always build resilience, as coping strategies can reduce productivity and trap families in long-term vulnerability.Women experience conflict in different ways, and effective policies must account for how exposure to violence shapes opportunities, decisions, and aspirations. Rural southwestern Nigeria is not typically considered a conflict hotspot, yet violence there has been on the rise.

Key takeawaysSudan’s conflict has devastated food systems. The Third Sudan Conflict Conference explored how farmers, businesses, and markets face severe disruptions, driving food insecurity and livelihood losses. Recovery requires more than humanitarian aid. Support must strengthen livelihoods, market systems, and resilience while responding to immediate needs. Evidence and local adaptation offer hope. Households, traders, and institutions continue to adjust, showing that recovery is possible with sustained investment and coordination.Three years into the outbreak o

Smallholder farmers and small- and medium-sized agricultural enterprises (SMEs) account for around 80% of Africa’s food production, yet they face an estimated $75 billion annual gap in financing the seeds, fertilizer, tools, and services needed to make them consistently productive and resilient.

The El Niño weather phenomenon brings with it significant variations in typical weather patterns. For Malawi, that variation often takes the form of severe dry weather, impacting agricultural growing conditions and harvests. A new IFPRI Malawi Strategy Support Program Policy Note looks at the potential implications of the current El Niño conditions on Malawi’s agriculture and food security, as well as ways for policymakers and farmers to strengthen the resilience of their response. Maize yields have declined in Malawi in 8 of the last 12 years in which the El Niño phenomenon occurred.

Key takeawaysThe world has entered a period of permanent emergency defined by continual overlapping crises.Development strategy must be built to address persistent disruption, not temporary shocks.Continuity should be the key priority. Strong institutions, infrastructure, and productive sectors help countries keep progressing during crises.Conventional development strategy assumes that crises are interruptions. Wars end. Commodity prices stabilize. Supply chains recover. Political tensions ease.