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The report details a study tour in the Aguié department, Niger, focused on 'productive sanitation' (EcoSan). It describes the use of hygienized human urine (Takin Ruwa) and feces (Takin Bussasché) as agricultural fertilizers. Key findings include significant yield increases in millet and peppers compared to chemical fertilizers, the importance of community engagement with religious and traditional leaders to overcome cultural resistance, and specific technical protocols for the collection, storage, and application of ecological fertilizers to ensure safety for producers and consumers.

This report argues that transforming gender relations in sub-Saharan African agriculture is essential for improving agricultural productivity, food security, and overall human development. It posits a causal link between gender equality in households and communities and better agricultural outcomes, asserting that standard development interventions cannot fully succeed unless women and men are on equal footing.

The report examines the relationship between water productivity, water flows, and ecosystem services, emphasizing that narrow agricultural efficiency often creates trade-offs with broader landscape health. It advocates for an integrated approach to water resource management that values regulating and supporting services alongside provisioning ones.

The report examines how gender inequalities in sub-Saharan Africa hinder agricultural productivity and proposes an 'empowerment pathway' focusing on agency, structure, and relations. It provides evidence that closing the gender gap in resource access could increase farm yields by 20-30%. Through case studies in countries like Kenya, Zambia, Ethiopia, and Uganda, the document illustrates successful strategies including gender-responsive budgeting, household-level gender analysis, and the engagement of traditional leaders to secure women's land rights and improve value chain participation. It also addresses the specific intersection of gender and 'climate-smart' agriculture, emphasizing that women's vulnerability to climate change is exacerbated by existing structural inequalities.

The report argues that climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is only effective when it addresses gender inequalities that make women more vulnerable to climate change and hinder their adoption of sustainable practices. It highlights that women often face barriers such as insecure land tenure, limited capital, and restrictive social norms. Through case studies in countries like Kenya, Ghana, and Uganda, the document demonstrates that successful interventions require a combination of enhancing women's agency (through training and knowledge networks), reforming institutional structures (securing land and credit rights), and transforming gender relations (encouraging male support and shared decision-making). Specific examples include the use of biogas digesters to reduce women's domestic workloads and the implementation of 'climate analogue' visits to share adaptation strategies.

The document argues that multi-layered home gardens incorporating trees, shrubs, and crops enhance food security, nutrition, and climate resilience. It identifies key barriers to their development, such as insecure land tenure and water scarcity, and suggests that integrating home gardens into climate finance mechanisms like REDD+ could provide new opportunities for expansion.

The report examines the 2022 food crisis in the Central Sahel, which followed an erratic 2021 rainy season characterized by delayed onset and short duration. Using three observational datasets and multiple climate models, the study finds that it is impossible to significantly link these specific monsoon characteristics to anthropogenic climate change due to large uncertainties and discrepancies. Instead, the crisis is attributed to chronic vulnerabilities, including extreme poverty, armed conflict, political instability, and global economic shocks such as the war in Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic.