Nearly 500 million people in the developing world depend on aquatic agricultural systems for their livelihoods, with 140 million of these people living in poverty. Occurring along freshwater floodplains and coastal deltas, aquatic agricultural systems are highly productive farming and fishing systems that provide multiple opportunities for growing or harvesting food and generating income. The CGIAR Research Program on Aquatic Agricultural Systems seeks to better harness the agricultural potential of these systems, while helping to build adaptive capacity and resilience in the face of social, economic and environmental change.