A conference from 3-6 March 2015 in Ibadan, Nigeria is discussing how integrated systems research offers solutions to tackling poverty, hunger and environmental degradation as part of global efforts.

The conference represents “one of the most important and stimulating international platforms for knowledge exchange on the latest scientific results, developments and experiences in the agricultural systems research for development sector,” says an article in Modern Ghana.

Systems research takes a holistic perspective, looking at systems as a whole in order to understand the diversity of components that exist in it, and how these components interact with each other. It operates at different scales, such as farm, landscape, province, agro-ecological zone or region.

Despite significant economic growth in many developing countries over the past decade, over 800 million people remain under-nourished, including 160 million children.

“We must develop and promote improved and nutritious crop varieties of Africa’s major staples, as well as innovative practices on natural resources management, and innovations on integrated farming systems towards sustainable intensification of agriculture,” said Dr. Nteranya Sanginga, Director General of International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).

The International Conference on Integrated Systems for Sustainable Intensification in Smallholder Agriculture is organized by the CGIAR Research Program on Integrated Systems for the Humid Tropics (Humidtropics) of which the World Agroforestry Centre is a partner, together with the CGIAR Research Program on Aquatic Agricultural Systems (AAS) and the CGIAR Research Program on Dryland Systems (Drylands).

Read the full story: Agricultural Scientists Argue That Systems Research Offers Solutions To Tackle Poverty, Hunger And Environmental Degradation Together

To find out more about the conference, visit: http://humidtropics.cgiar.org/international-conference-integrated-systems/