The document provides an update on socio-economic research strategies related to drylands, detailing team recruitment and stalled initiatives such as the Mindplus network. It outlines efforts in agri-food system innovation, impact assessment, and the establishment of comprehensive donor lists across several countries, along with ongoing programming to enhance dietary behaviour and crop-livestock integration. The way forward emphasizes a coordinated approach to fundraising and continued engagement with donors for research program support.

1. DRYLANDS IN
TRANSITIONUpdate on the socio-economic research strategy

2. General update
1. Team development: Recruitment of two value chain
researchers (India, Malawi), recruitment of one
development economist (Kenya)
2. MINDplus network: Stalled due to staff turnover and
perceived opportunity cost by participants.
3. Community of practice: Research colloquia and lead of
social science convenings of all CGIAR centres at ICRAF
Campus, Nairobi.
4. Donor intelligence: Establishment of comprehensive
country donor lists (Kenya, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Nigeria,
India); Ongoing conversation with BMGF, EU, IFAD – for
details see list of pipeline projects managed by SMC.

3. 1. Foresight on farming and food
3. Transition and scaling pathways
5. Impact assessment and learning
2. Agri-food system innovation
4. Facilitation and collective behaviour
Evidence and tools for governing transitions
to sustainable agri-food systems
Sustainable
Diets
Environmental
Health
Social
Resilience

4. Strengthening crop-livestock value chains
• Mapping crop-livestock value
chains
• Trade-off analysis- identifying
fodder opportunities and options
for improving livestock value
chains
• Systems dynamics value chain
modelling- mapping regional
corridors of livestock trade
across West Africa against
macro-level economic variables
and policies
Understanding dynamics of Livestock
value chains, Niamey
In WCA- Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Cote
d’Ivoire (ICRISAT, ILRI, CIRAD)

5. • Accelerating stakeholder
dialogue across scales;
• Support creativity in
institutional change
processes;
• Trigger adopting of
technologies and practices;
and
• Influence decisions for
transitions towards
sustainable practices.
Redeployable tools, experimental games

6. Impact of food environments on diets
35%

8. Update on investment
• Programming of Urban dietary behaviour change and
nutrition-sensitive value chains: Pilots started in Bulawayo,
Lilongwe, Nairobi – intensive engagement with strategic
partners (UNICEF, WFP, UN-Habitat; EU Delegations, DFID,
IDRC on future program funding).
• Programming of crop-livestock integration for conflict
transformation in agro-pastoral East/West-Africa: Ongoing
conversations with EU Delegations, selected bilateral
donors, BMGF and IFAD.
• Progress towards self-funded socio-economics programs:
IIASA project with LVBC / East African Community, Millinet
(BBSRC), SLU on rural/urban linkages, three new CIM
positions, etc.

9. Way forward
1. The only way to secure large programme
funding is through a coordinated approach to
fundraising.
2. Continue conversations with donors for
support of the two research programs
(Urban dietary behaviour change / Crop-
Livestock integration and conflict
transformation).

10. Thank You