We use a combination of a global desk review of the literature with information from an on-going action research in Kenya to provide insights into the main characteristics, benefits and shortfalls of business models for engaging women and young people in agricultural service provision in Africa. The findings demonstrate that the engagement of African women and young people in agricultural service provision is not a panacea to the challenges they face. However various business models have been successful in contributing to economic empowerment, to increasing entrepreneurial activities and to upskilling of women and young people engaged as service providers. Business models that are successful are place-based and people-focused, market-driven and focused on value chains. Challenges however abound due to various factors, hence for sustainability there is need for multi-sectoral inter-institutional collaboration that pulls in funding and which makes a case for private sector buy-in. Future research should focus on increasing the evidence base to understand if successes with inclusion of women and young people in agricultural service provision has an influence on emerging agricultural policy. Research should also rigorously assess the extent to which successful agricultural service provision business models are engendered, provide sufficient levels of renumeration and the extent to which they impact farmer outcomes.

Using qualitative methods, this study assessed the stakeholders and management processes involved in locust outbreaks in China, including factors influencing the use of biopesticides. Study findings show that China has an integrated national locust response protocol, which involves various institutions from all administrative levels of the government. The process is inherently highly complex but efficient, with multisectoral agencies working closely together to prevent and/or manage locust outbreaks. In addition, the process has been successful in combating recent outbreaks, due to dedicated government funding, decisive administrative and technical actions, and the empowerment of local government administration. This is the case with the county level acting as a ‘first-responder’ that is capacitated financially and technically to respond to a locust invasion in their jurisdiction. Additionally, study findings show that despite the availability of biopesticides in local markets, their use is dampened by inadequate information about market availability, negative perceptions by decision makers about their efficacy, and concerns about their costs, as well as limited knowledge of their application techniques. Actions are therefore needed by relevant authorities to enhance stakeholder awareness of biopesticide market availability, efficacy, and field application processes. Future areas of research should focus on modelling the expected impact and cost effectiveness of chemicals vs. biopesticides, thus increasing the evidence base for promoting biopesticide use.

Background: The African continent is known for high entrepreneurial activity, especially in the agricultural sector. Despite this, the continent's economic development is below expectations, due to numerous factors constraining the growth and sustainability of agricultural SMEs. These constraints have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to understand the pathways through which the pandemic affected agri-SMEs, with specific focus on assessing the differentiated effects arising from the size of the agri-SME and the gender of the owner-manager. Methods: Data was collected from over 100 agri-SMEs, ranging in size from sole proprietorships with one employee to agri-SMEs employing up to 100 people, in six African countries. Mixed methods were used to analyse the data with changes in business operations arising from changing market access, regimented health and safety guidelines and constrained labour supply assessed using visualisations and descriptive statistics. Logistic regression modelling was employed to determine the set of variables contributing to agri-SME business downturn during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: All surveyed agri-SMEs were negatively affected by COVID-19-associated restrictions with the size of the firm and gender of the owner-managers resulting in differentiated impacts. The smallest agri-SMEs, mainly owner-managed by women, were more likely to experience disruptions in marketing their goods and maintaining their labour supply. Larger agri-SMEs made changes to their business operations to comply with government guidelines during the pandemic and made investments to manage their labour supply, thus sustaining their business operations. In addition, logistic regression modelling results show that financing prior to the pandemic, engaging in primary agricultural production, and being further from urban centres significantly influenced the likelihood of a firm incurring business losses. Conclusions: These findings necessitate engendered multi-faceted agri-SME support packages that are tailored for smaller-sized agri-SMEs. Any such support package should include support for agri-SMEs to develop sustainable marketing strategies and help them secure flexible financing that considers payment deferrals and debt moratorium during bona fide market shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Strides have been made in Bangladesh to promote the utilisation of biological control agents (BCAs), however farmer utilisation remains sub-optimal. The establishment of local BCA production hubs, although touted as a panacea to this problem, has no proven business case. This study makes the case for a non-linear business model. Methods: Qualitative and quantitative data from maize growing areas in Bangladesh was collected via telephone interviews from key informants representing four key stakeholders—national research institute, regional research stations, farmer producer organisations and agro-dealers. Results: Farmer uptake of BCAs in Bangladesh for FAW management is hindered by several factors—lack of BCAs availability in local markets, negative farmer and agro-dealer perceptions, poor input industry linkages for the supply of BCAs products to agro-dealers and inadequate institutional finances for capacity building of and technical support by research scientists and extension agents. Given these challenges to BCAs uptake, an innovation systems-based business model that links researchers, extensionists, agro-dealers and farmer producer organizations in a non-linear pathway is proposed for Bangladesh. This translates into the establishment of local BCA production hubs owner-managed by farm entrepreneurs, with scientists providing them with nucleus culture, while extension services provide technical support for quality assurance. The interaction between all stakeholders is non-linear with all actors intellectually consulted and engaged, with technical capacity on BCAs available for any actor requiring it. Multi-disciplinary research, that takes into account feedback from stakeholders, complements the process thus generating robust and relevant knowledge for feedbacking to improve the business model, capacity building initiatives and farmer engagement. Conclusions: Mentoring and capacity building leveraged via engagement of research institutions; and demonstration of technology use and guidance utilising extension services and agro-dealer networks, will promote the utilisation of BCAs for FAW management and enable local farm entrepreneurs to meet the increased demand via establishment of local BCA production hubs.

Background: This study aimed to assess whether current research trends in One Health emphasise zoonotic and foodborne diseases and antimicrobial resistance, as has historically been the case, or whether they increasingly align with a more holistic understanding of the One Health concept. This is achieved by exploring the global trends in One Health-labelled research and examining how these align with the Quadripartite One Health Joint Plan of Action (2022–2026) (OH JPA). Methods: A combination of bibliometric analysis and Social Network Mapping was used to meet the study objectives. Specifically, 6168 publications (January 2010–October 2024) were retrieved from the Dimensions database for bibliometric analysis. A full-accounting approach was used to attribute publications to countries or institutions, while Social Network Analysis centrality measures were used to quantify the scale and impact of collaboration among institutions engaged in One Health research. A topic model was also developed and visualised using the Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection machine learning algorithm. Results: We found that globally, in the last decade, there has been an increase in the volume of One Health research publications, with the largest annual publication growth occurring after 2018. Half of all 6168 One Health research publications from 2010 are focused on six primary research topics, five of which are a lead topic for one of the six action tracks under the OH JPA. We also found that while there are more outputs on zoonotic epidemics and pandemics, the proportions of other areas of One Health research are increasing, although integrating the environment is still comparatively underrepresented. Although global collaborations exist in One Health research, there exist disparities between countries where One Health research is being conducted (largely in Africa and Asia) and countries leading One Health research (primarily high-income countries). There is some evidence of the use of One Health research in policy making, but the evidence base to determine this is limited, especially for low- and middle-income countries. Conclusions: Efforts are needed to strengthen One Health research capacity in the Global South, while continuing, globally, to conduct collaborative research to better understand changes in One Health research priorities, topical gaps and collaborations. One Health impact statement: This article contributes to ongoing debates on One Health priorities, conceptual thinking and ways of working. The ‘One Health’ approach has galvanised many policy makers, practitioners and researchers across the human, environment, animal and plant health sectors to tackle interconnected health challenges through a more integrated and collaborative lens. However, tendencies towards disciplinary and sectoral silos as well as lack of coordination of One Health in policy persist. This study involved data scientists, social scientists, plant pathologists, ecologists, veterinarians, public health scientists, One Health specialists and policy experts engaged in providing scientific and strategic advice on One Health for institutions working across the globe. This cross-sectoral, transdisciplinary team allowed interpretation of results in ways that would not have been possible with a less diverse team. Research and policy documents self-labelled as One Health were analysed to provide insights that can be used by One Health global scientific and strategic platforms for reform. In addition, insights on One Health research collaborations offer fuel for all stakeholders in the One Health landscape to continue working collectively to tackle complex, global health issues.