This paper traces the evolution of the innovation systems framework within the agricultural sector in Sub-Saharan Africa, and presents a conceptual framework for agricultural innovation systems. The difference between innovation ecology/ecosystems and intervention-based innovations systems is highlighted, given that these two concepts are used at different levels in promoting and sustaining agricultural innovations.

In this report, food distribution is analysed within the context of food systems in Tanzania. This study looks at entry points for further studies of food system issues within the country that will affect progress towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2. Both qualitative and quantitative methods are used, first to map and conceptualize the complexity of the food system in Tanzania, and then to quantify the likely impacts of scenarios of action and inaction.

To respond to the vast needs in Tanganyika, DRC, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) are implementing an integrated programme to build community resilience and strengthen agricultural value chains. Despite its vast natural resources, the DRC faces the largest hunger crisis in the world. The country continues to experience prolonged conflict – particularly in the east – contributing to large-scale population displacements, disrupting agricultural activities and impeding access to markets, schools and healthcare.

The study utilized WFP’s Consolidated Livelihood Exercise for Analyzing Resilience (CLEAR) approach which contains a baseline of major livelihood zones all over the country. CLEAR has provided the backbone to build the Philippines’ first livelihood zone maps which aim to provide information for the diversification of economic activities, aimed to ensure that its food systems are secure, peace and hunger are addressed, and the country is on a continuous path to sustainable development.

The COVID-19 pandemic has elevated the importance of agriculture in the Pacific Islands for food security and economic development. The crisis has underscored the crucial role of domestic food systems to provide resilience to shocks, livelihood options, self-sufficiency, and insurance against food and nutrition insecurity. However, remoteness from international markets, populations dispersed across many small islands, heightened vulnerability to climate change, and natural resource constraints pose significant challenges for adapting food systems to cope with the impacts of COVID-19.

The IPMS project proposes to ‘contribute to improved agricultural productivity and production through market-oriented agricultural development, as a means for achieving improved and sustainable livelihoods for the rural population’ in Ethiopia. To accomplish this goal the project supports development and (action) research on innovative technologies, processes and institutional arrangements in three focus areas i.e.