Assessing the Impact of 10 years of FTA Research: a synthesis of the 5 integrated impact studies

In 2021, the CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA) completed a set of studies, under the guidance and oversight of its Independent Steering Committee (ISC), to document its progress in addressing five key global challenges. These studies had the following purposes: (i) to design a workable approach and operational method to assess impacts at scale at the level of the FTA program, since 2011; (ii) to deploy the method effectively on a set of five identified development challenges addressed by FTA; (iii) to learn lessons from the exercise for FTA post 2021. This document provides a synthesis of the five studies and draws lessons and recommendations for research for development programs

Seeding resilient restoration: an indicator system for the analysis of tree seed systems

Achieving multi-million-hectare commitments from countries around the world to restore degraded lands in resilient and sustainable ways requires, among other things, huge volumes of tree planting material. Seed systems encompassing all forest reproductive material (e.g., seeds, cuttings, stakes, and wildings), are key to ensuring that sufficient planting material with a diverse range of suitable species, adapted to local conditions and capable of persisting under a changing climate, is available for restoration projects. The ideal structure of a seed system integrates five components: seed selection and innovation, seed harvesting and production, market access, supply and demand, quality control, and an enabling environment. We propose 15 indicators to evaluate these key components and trial them by assessing national seed systems in 7 Latin American countries. We conclude that the indicators enable a straightforward assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of national seed systems, thus assisting governments to identify key areas for improvement and opportunities for horizontal learnin