Synthesizing knowledge for practitioners
Translating research into actionable knowledge is essential for driving progress on sustainable development. Academic journals and books serve many audiences—beyond the academic community, governments, policymakers, businesses, and individuals all rely on trusted knowledge. However, challenges remain. Navigating vast amounts of research literature is difficult, and scientific articles often require some translation for non-specialist audiences. The challenge of turning research into practice directly impacts our ability to address the SDGs.
CABI recognized this challenge, particularly for farmers. Research shows that crop pests cause 40% of global food production losses. Combined with the effects of climate change, farmers face increasing difficulties in protecting their crops. If they are unable to produce crops, the knock-on effects threaten food security.
To mitigate these risks, CABI developed the Pest Risk Monitoring Reporting service, providing actionable intelligence to national plant protection organizations (NPPOs) in low- and middle-income countries. The concept was simple: using information obtained from the WHO’s EIOS platform, a CABI-developed machine learning model scans over 23,000 online sources to generate key summaries highlighting pest risks. This scalable approach synthesizes research and news into practical insights, providing NPPOs with filtered lists of relevant information and directly supporting SDGs such as Zero Hunger, Life on Land, and Partnerships for the Goals.
Additionally, the service produces lists and risk scores for plant health threats, assessing entry likelihood, spread potential, and socio-economic impact. Initially launched in Kenya, Zambia, and Ghana, the service has been so successful that expansion plans are already underway.
What actions were taken?
- Web Monitoring and Machine Learning: Leveraged the WHO’s EIOS platform to scan over 23,000 online sources, using machine learning to filter relevant pest-related articles and summarize them into Pest Insight Reports.
- Pest Risk Registers: Created lists and scores of plant health threats based on entry likelihood, spread potential, and socio-economic impact.
- Collaborative Efforts: Partnered with the European Food Standards Agency to build a Plant Health Community, facilitating knowledge-sharing and coordinated strategies.
- Practical Impact: Reports have led to increased border control training, improved pest surveillance, and more effective resource allocation.
JOIN