BULLETIN 1

Why the MENA region needs a gender-responsive learning agenda

CGIAR January 15 2026

 

  

 

Climate change is accelerating at an unprecedented pace, wreaking havoc across food, land and water systems around the world. Women—who hold essential roles in these systems—are often the most affected. Lacking equal access to the resources, tools and information needed to adapt, women face disproportionate impacts. Yet, in their resilience, women are also leading local responses and driving transformations within their food systems.
In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, climate pressures are compounded by conflict, making it one of the most fragile regions globally. These overlapping crises widen gender gaps and drive inequality to new heights. Although women make up nearly half of the agricultural, aquaculture and fisheries labour forces in several contexts, their contributions remain undervalued, and structural barriers continue to undermine their potential.
“We must act urgently to accelerate transformation in these food systems,” said Ranjitha Puskur, a Principal Scientist from International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), who facilitated CGIAR Gender Equality and Inclusion Accelerator co-organized regional workshop “Co-creating a Gender and Social Inclusion Learning Agenda for Food, Land and Water Systems in MENA”, held from 19–20 November 2025 in Cairo, Egypt.
The food, land and water systems of the MENA region already struggle with limited natural resources and slow technological advancement. At the same time, socio-cultural norms and gendered constraints often go unaddressed, further exacerbating the challenges women face. Women face both biophysical limitations and intra-household barriers that restrict their access to and use of innovations, highlighting the need for gender-inclusive approaches in designing these technologies and innovations and a call for gender-responsive extension services.
Despite this urgency, the evidence base on gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) in MENA’s food, land and water systems remains scarce and fragmented. Without solid evidence, it becomes difficult for policymakers and practitioners to set priorities and identify impactful opportunities.
“We need more evidence recognizing women as farmers—legally and socially,” said Dina Najjar, Senior Gender Scientist at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA).
Why action is needed
As climate shocks and conflicts intensify inequalities, the MENA region urgently needs stronger evidence to inform effective policy. Globally, efforts are underway to close gender gaps in food systems, but projections show that, at the current pace, it will take 142 years to close the gender gap in the region. Participants at the workshop unanimously recognized that waiting for more than a century to achieve gender equality is unacceptable and demands immediate, transformative action.
“We keep doing a lot of diagnosis, but it’s time we focus on what works—finding solutions for women. We need to move analysis to action, accelerating progress toward gender equality,” said Puskur.
See more: https://www.cgiar.org/news-events/news/climate-change-conflict-and-inequality-why-middle-east-and-north-africa-region

BULLETIN 2

Researchers Use Gene Editing to Improve Salt Tolerance in Soybeans

January 21, 2026

 

  

 

Researchers from Nanjing Agricultural University and Xinjiang Agricultural University in China have identified a key genetic mechanism that helps wild soybean (Glycine soja) plants tolerate high salinity conditions. The study focused on how the transcription factor GsWRKY23 regulates a downstream gene, GsPER3, to strengthen the plant's defense against salt stress.
GsPER3 plays a role in controlling reactive oxygen species produced during stress. In the study, the researchers found that GsWRKY23 directly activates GsPER3 by binding to a specific region of its promoter. Using gene editing, the study revealed that plants with overexpressed GsWRKY23 had higher GsPER3 expression and peroxidase (POD) activity, while plants with suppressed GsPER3 expression showed opposite results.
The findings demonstrate that activating GsPER3 improves salt tolerance. Plants overexpressing GsPER3 showed better plant fresh weight and leaf relative water content, and lower relative electrolytic leakage level and malondialdehyde content in roots and leaves. The study concludes that activating GsPER3 expression could be used to develop more resilient soybean varieties for saline environments.
For more information, read the study from Plant Physiology and Biochemistry.
See: https://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/article/default.asp?ID=21666

 

SCIENTIFIC NEWS
Unlocking genetic diversity in Colombian cassava landraces for accelerated breeding
Kehan Zhao, Evan Long, Francisco Sanchez, Erwan Monier, Paul Chavarriaga, Grey Monroe
New Phytol.; 2026 Jan 19. doi: 10.1111/nph.70918.

  

Abstract

Cassava (Manihot esculenta) is a staple crop across the global south, yet modern varieties may have limited genetic diversity due to historical bottlenecks. We investigated the genomic diversity of over 1000 cassava genotypes, incorporating 387 newly sequenced Colombian landraces originating from diverse climates. We hypothesized that landraces retain untapped variation useful for breeding and adaptation. Whole-genome sequencing was used to characterize landraces and breeding lines. We assessed genetic differentiation across geography and climate and analyzed the distribution of loss-of-function (LoF) mutations to identify potential targets for gene editing. Landraces maintained high and novel dimensions of genetic diversity compared to breeding lines from Asia and Africa. Differentiation among landraces reflected both demography and climate of origin. LoF analyses indicated purging of deleterious alleles through inbreeding, but LoF alleles were retained in genes enriched for coumarin biosynthesis and plant immunity, suggesting selection for postharvest quality and disease resistance. Climate-associated loci were explored for their adaptive potential. Cassava landraces represent a critical reservoir of genetic diversity. This study establishes a foundation for leveraging landrace variation to accelerate cassava improvement through gene editing and targeted breeding.
See https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41552874/