With aid shrinking, governments need clear evidence to navigate tough choices for food security

Recent reductions in development funding from the US and Europe have intensified scrutiny of aid and assistance worldwide.

More than 700 million people continue to go hungry every day – a crisis compounded by climate change, economic volatility and geopolitical shocks.

Governments, particularly in developing countries, face a perfect storm: dwindling finances alongside growing pressure to ensure sustainable food security. Navigating this storm demands clear, science-based evidence to help policy-makers make smart, localized decisions that make the most of increasingly limited resources.

While a wealth of scientific research already exists on the innovations that address hunger and poverty sustainably, governments often face challenges integrating these into national policies and programmes.

What has been missing is a practical, accessible guide – a bridge between science and action – that outlines proven solutions to specific, on-the-ground challenges. This is what a new CGIAR report seeks to deliver by compiling decades of agricultural research into actionable recommendations.

Take nutritional challenges as an example. Every country around the world is dealing with malnutrition in some form, whether undernutrition, nutrient deficiencies, or obesity.

One cost-effective and proven solution that is applicable in all contexts is the integration of nutrition into health systems. In low- and middle-income countries, where animal-source food is a scarce, yet vital, source of key nutrients, One Health Units, which combine human, environment and animal health services, are particularly impactful. Improving human and livestock health side by side supports nutrition security by producing more, safer, nutrient-rich meat, milk and eggs and reduces the risk of zoonotic, or cross-species, disease.

Another evidence-backed solution to malnutrition is the use of biofortification, or the process of enhancing crops with essential micronutrients. Biofortification allows for targeted interventions that tackle specific nutrient deficiencies and, by enriching staple crops, the technique can improve nutrition without requiring any change in diets. In one example, some 100 million people in Pakistan benefit from zinc-enriched wheat, which has been shown to increase zinc intake by more than 20%.

The impact of climate change, including rising temperatures, erratic rainfalls and floods that disrupt food production and distribution, is another problem plaguing countries across the globe.

One innovation available to policy-makers in countries where smallholder farmers play an outsized role in agricultural production is to bundle climate information services designed for small-scale farms in rural communities. CGIAR researchers have seen how this is already making a difference in Guatemala, Senegal and Zambia, where climate information services bundled with localized farming and weather advice help farmers adapt to extreme weather events, adjusting to shifting climate patterns.

And, when it comes to developing new crop varieties or livestock breeds able to cope with new climate conditions while minimizing emissions, public-private partnerships offer a model for leveraging private sector investment for the public good. This has been the case with innovations such as tropically adapted potatoes and low-emission livestock developed by the EnviroCow project.

In addition, many countries are facing the cost of addressing water quality and management challenges, which hold back food security and rural livelihoods.

Again, proven solutions exist. For rice-producing countries, like Viet Nam, smart water management practices, including periodically cutting off irrigation water from fields before re-flooding them, have demonstrated that it is possible to reduce water waste on farmlands and improve productivity.

And, low-cost digital tools, such as the miniSASS app in Southern Africa, enable members of communities to monitor and report water exposed to harmful substances, fostering greater accountability and more efficient resource use, while also empowering citizen scientists.

In highlighting these solutions and many more, our new report is designed to help countries make sense of what works, while also understanding the trade-offs, costs and benefits of each option in their specific context. For instance, while adopting new climate-smart practices or water management systems can yield impressive results against climate change or food insecurity, their success hinges on local conditions, such as existing infrastructure, cultural practices and economic constraints.

By providing detailed examples and evidence-based recommendations, the report closes the gap between science and policy, enabling governments to translate current solutions into national policies and programmes. It is a call to action: a reminder that the challenges the world faces, from nutritional deficiencies to water scarcity, require holistic, integrated solutions that can only be achieved through evidence-based policy-making.

In the long run, turning research into real-world results depends on making science both tested and usable, and this has never been more urgent. With international aid under pressure, collaboration between governments, funders and research institutions is essential.

By aligning food systems research with policy needs and by using tools like CGIAR’s Insight to Impact report, we can drive targeted, evidence-based solutions to build a food-secure future for all.