Ideas to Impact: Creative Systems Thinking in Agriculture

CGIAR December 19 2025

A one-day CIMMYT–CGIAR Scaling for Impact (S4I) workshop with BARI on 8 Dec 2025 brought together 25 early- and mid-career scientists (56% women) to strengthen creative and systems thinking for more innovative, inclusive, and scalable agricultural research. Through hands-on sessions on problem mapping.

Designing agricultural research that is innovative, inclusive, and scalable is becoming increasingly critical as agrifood systems face climate stress, market volatility, and sustainability challenges. Responding to this need, CIMMYT, under the CGIAR Scaling for Impact (S4I) program, partnered with the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) to organize a one-day capacity-sharing workshop on Creative and Systems Thinking for Innovative Agricultural Research on 8 December 2025. 

The training convened 25 early- and mid-career scientists from BARI, with strong gender balance (56% women and 44% men), reflecting inclusive capacity development. The program was inaugurated by Dr. Abdullah Yousuf Akhond, Director General, BARI, who recognized CGIAR’s sustained collaboration with NARES partners and emphasized its value in strengthening national research systems. Dr. Ashraf Uddin Ahmed, Director of Support Services, and Dr. Md. Atatur Rahman, Director of the Training Wing, underscored BARI’s strategic interest in expanding collaboration with CIMMYT. They highlighted that this was the first time such a structured training had been offered to BARI scientists, signaling a renewed institutional commitment to modern, impact-oriented capacity building. 

The focus was clear: strengthen researchers’ ability to think beyond disciplinary silos and design research that delivers real-world impact at scale.

Looking Ahead 

This workshop marked an important step in strengthening collaboration between CIMMYT and national agricultural research systems in Bangladesh. By integrating creativity, analytical rigor, and systems thinking, the training contributed to building capacities essential for designing policy-relevant, inclusive, and scalable agricultural innovations. 

As agrifood systems continue to evolve under climate and development pressures, such approaches will be critical to ensuring that research moves beyond publications toward meaningful impact for farmers and food systems. 

See: https://www.cgiar.org/news-events/news/ideas-impact-creative-systems-thinking-agriculture