Developing digital tools grounded in farmer realities requires a shift in design centered on its end-users. To support this, the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT (Alliance), in collaboration with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) held a four-day technical training to strengthen participants’ understanding of human-centered design (HCD) and explore further improvements to Climate+, a digital advisory system that provides farmers with weather-informed agro-advisories.

Chalkiness is a critical trait that negatively affects rice grain appearance, milling quality, cooking properties, and consumer acceptance, and its incidence is increasing under climate change as elevated temperatures during grain filling become more frequent. As a complex quantitative trait shaped by strong genotype × environment interactions, heat-induced chalkiness arises from coordinated disruption of endosperm development

Scientists at the Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS) and partners have used CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing to improve the resistance of potato plants against late blight disease. The study focused on modifying a susceptibility gene, StDND2, as an alternative strategy to strengthen crop resilience and reduce reliance on fungicides in potato production.