CGIAR Consortium
The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) is an informal network of 15 international agricultural research centres which manages ~600,000 agricultural seed samples. It is the most influential agricultural research body in the South, and thus affects food and agricultural development policies for resource-poor farmers worldwide. In 1994, most of the crop germplasm held in CGIAR gene banks was placed under the auspices of the FAO, to be held in trust for the world community.
CGIAR is the world’s largest global agricultural research partnership dedicated to reducing poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security, and improving natural resources and ecosystem services. The CGIAR Consortium coordinates research carried out by 15 CGIAR Centres around the world. Fundamentally, it provides donors with a single contact point to contribute to agricultural research for development, and to increase available funding by reducing and/or eliminating duplication of effort among the centers.
Direction
Specific goals are to help achieve global ambition reflected in the following: Sustainable Development Goals ref, United Nations' Zero Hunger Challenge ref, G8 Nutrition for Growth Compact [1], Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture (GACSA)’s commitment [2], IUCN's Bonn Challenge on Landscape Restoration ref, ref, and the Convention on Biodiversity’s Aichii Targets ref.
The Global Forum on Agricultural Research and Innovation (GFAR) organises a biennial Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development (GCARD), which provides a forum for closer engagement of developing countries and partners in developing and guiding the research and development agenda of the CGIAR Consortium. Note: see also CIARD, GODAN, AgriProfiles, CIARD RING, AgInfra.
Governance
- System Council: a governing body comprised of 15 (bilateral) donors and 5 country representatives [3], [4]. Operational until end-2016, the CGIAR Fund was the multi-donor trust fund that financed CGIAR research guided by the Strategy and Results Framework. From July 2016, it's responsibilities are taken over by the CGIAR System Council [5]. Independent advice on strategy, mission and impact is provided by the Independent Science and Partnership Council.[6]
- System Organisation: [7]
- Partnership Forum, co-chaired by the Research Centres and the Funders.[10]
- General Assembly: a forum for the Research Centers to discuss issues related to the CGIAR System and the CGIAR System Organisation. Nominates candidates to the System Management Board and approves the System Council representatives.[11]
- Trust Fund: a pooled funding mechanism, to serve as a multi-donor funding mechanism used to support the ‘CGIAR Portfolio’ and system-wide actions and entities.[12]
Funding
CGIAR has an annual research portfolio of just over $900m with 11,000 staff working in 70+ countries. CGIAR provides a participatory mechanism for national governments, multilateral funding and development agencies and leading private foundations to finance some of the world’s most innovative agricultural research. CGIAR Strategy and Results Framework 2016-2030, p.35
CGiAR Trust Fund: at one time this had a dedicated website, but this went offline in early 2015, cgiarfund.org. Operational until end-2016, the CGIAR Fund was the multi-donor trust fund that financed CGIAR research guided by the Strategy and Results Framework. From Jul.2016, its responsibilities were taken over by the #CGIAR System Council.ref
The Fund’s decision-making body was the Fund Council. The Fund Council was composed of 22 members who represent and make decisions on behalf of Fund Donors and stakeholders. Fund Donors that contribute an average minimum of US $500,000 a year are eligible to serve as Fund Council members.
The World Bank is the limited Trustee of the Fund ref. It is responsible for receiving, investing and disbursing funds to the CGIAR on instruction of the Fund Council. It has fiduciary responsibility for funds contributed to the CGIAR Fund until these are disbursed at which time the World Bank, as Trustee, has no responsibility for the funds. Fund money is invested in accordance with the investment policies of the World Bank (which sucks rocks). The Fund is not registered in the USA - so where is it registered? FAQs
See also Philanthropy, and "Shaping the Agenda".
Gene Banks
Research Centres
- Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) is an intergovernmental association of African member countries. Its mission is to contribute to poverty alleviation and food security in Africa, through research, development and partnership activities aimed at increasing the productivity and profitability of the rice sector in ways that ensure the sustainability of the farming environment. Africa Rice Center, africarice.org
- Bioversity International is a global research-for-development organization. We have a vision – that agricultural biodiversity nourishes people and sustains the planet. We deliver scientific evidence, management practices and policy options to use and safeguard agricultural and tree biodiversity to attain sustainable global food and nutrition security. Our mission is to deliver scientific evidence, management practices and policy options to use and safeguard agricultural and tree biodiversity to attain sustainable global food and nutrition security. Food systems are failing. The solution: Agrobiodiversity. Agrobiodiversity Index. Bioversity Int'l (UK) is a Registered UK Charity No.1131854.bioversityinternational.org
- International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) develops technologies, methods, and knowledge that better enable farmers in developing countries to enhance eco-efficiency in agriculture. This means we make production more competitive and profitable as well as sustainable and resilient through economically and ecologically sound use of natural resources and purchased inputs. ciat.cgiar.org
- Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) is a non-profit, scientific institution that conducts research on the most pressing challenges of forest and landscape management around the world. Using a global, multidisciplinary approach, we aim to improve human well-being, protect the environment, and increase equity. To do so, we conduct innovative research, develop partners’ capacity, and actively engage in dialogue with all stakeholders to inform policies and practices that affect forests and people. CIFOR leads the CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA). cifor.org
- International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) works throughout the developing world to improve livelihoods and foster more productive, sustainable maize and wheat farming. Through collaborative research, partnerships, and training, the center helps to build and strengthen a new generation of national agricultural research and extension services in maize- and wheat-growing nations. CIMMYT leads the CGIAR Research Programs on Maize and Wheat. cimmyt.org
- International Potato Center (CIP) was founded in 1971 as a root and tuber research-for-development institution delivering sustainable solutions to the pressing world problems of hunger, poverty, and the degradation of natural resources. CIP seeks to achieve food security, increased well-being, and gender equity for poor people in the developing world. CIP furthers its mission through rigorous research, innovation in science and technology, and capacity strengthening regarding root and tuber farming and food systems. cipotato.org
- International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) has a global mandate for the crop development of barley, lentil and faba bean and serves the non-tropical dry areas for the improvement of water-use efficiency in agriculture, rangeland issues and small-ruminant production. In the Middle East and North Africa region and in Central Asia, ICARDA contributes to the improvement of bread and durum wheat, kabuli chickpea, pasture and forage legumes, and associated farming systems. We also work on land management topics, the diversification of production systems, and value chains for sector based crop and livestock products. Social, economic and policy research as well as communication and knowledge sharing is an integral component of ICARDA's approaches to enhance the result uptake and maximize the impact of the research outputs. icarda.org
- World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) is the only institution that does globally significant agroforestry research in and for all of the developing tropics. Knowledge produced by ICRAF enables governments, development agencies and farmers to utilize the power of trees to make farming and livelihoods more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable at scales. worldagroforestry.org
- International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). Our approach is through partnerships and with an Inclusive Market Oriented Development. Partnerships are critical as ICRISAT takes a catalyst role to help rural communities develop their own solutions and engage the actors needed to bring the vision to reality. Inclusive means we are inclusive of the farmers in developing solutions and inclusive of the all people especially women and youth. Market Oriented Development means we focus our research and development efforts on making farming profitable, helping move farmers from subsistence to commercial operators. icrisat.org
- International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing countries. IFPRI leads two CGIAR Research Programs (CRPs): Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM)and Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH). Transparency Rating: Transparify [3] International Food Policy Research Institute, ifpri.org
- International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) generates agricultural innovations to meet Africa’s most pressing challenges of hunger, malnutrition, poverty,and natural resource degradation. Its mission is to assure food security for some of the world’s poorest people and provide them with viable strategies that create real, long-term results for economic development and community stability, while building an ecologically sound future that takes into account the issues of climate change. Working with various partners across sub-Saharan Africa, we improve livelihoods, enhance food and nutrition security, increase employment, and preserve natural resource integrity. iita.org
- International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) with partners, to develop, test, adapt and promote science-based practices that—being sustainable and scalable—achieve better lives through livestock. with partners,to provide compelling scientific evidence in ways that persuade decision-makers—from farms to boardrooms and parliaments—that smarter policies and bigger livestock investments can deliver significant socio-economic, health and environmental dividends to both poor nations and households. with partners,to increase capacity among ILRI’s key stakeholders to make better use of livestock science and investments for better lives through livestock. ilri.org
- International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is the custodian of extraordinary genetic resources in the International Rice Genebank — one of the premiere gene banks in the world. IRRI is custodian of genetic populations and breeding germplasm that fuel varietal development across the globe. IRRI has a powerful suite of production system technologies and knowledge transfer programs that scale to benefit rice farming productivity and profitability. Uses GMO techniques... International Rice Research Institute irri.org
- International Water Management Institute (IWMI) conducts research for development through programs whose purpose is to build an evidence base for new approaches that address key water-related challenges. Our work brings to light striking insights on the status and possibilities of water and land management, develops innovative solutions to the most pressing problems (often through collaboration across diverse sectors of the economy and environment), and helps put in place the knowledge, policies and investments needed to reach the water-related targets of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. iwmi.cgiar.org
- WorldFish: mission is to strengthen livelihoods and enhance food and nutrition security by improving fisheries and aquaculture. Enable sustainable increases in livelihoods from aquaculture production without creating adverse socio-economic or environmental impacts. Secure and enhance the contribution of small-scale fisheries (SSF) to poverty reduction and food security in priority geographies. Increase the availability, access and consumption of nutrient-rich, safe fish, especially for women of reproductive age, infants and young children. WorldFish, worldfishcenter.org
Research Programs
- Genetic improvement of crops, livestock, fish and trees, to increase productivity, resilience to stress, nutritional value and efficiency of resource use.
- Enabling policies and institutions: improve the performance of markets, enhance delivery of critical public goods and services, and increase the agency and resilience of poor people.
- Agricultural systems: optimize economic, social and environmental co-benefits in areas with high concentrations of poor people.
- Gender and inclusive growth: create opportunities for women, young people and marginalized groups.
- Natural resources and ecosystem services: productive ecosystems and landscapes that offer significant opportunities to reverse environmental degradation and enhance productivity.
- Nutrition and health: dietary diversity, nutritional content and safety of foods, and development of value chains of particular importance for the nutrition of poor consumers.
- Climate-smart agriculture: focusing on urgently-needed adaptation and mitigation options for farmers and other resource users.
- Nurturing diversity: ensure that CGIAR in-trust plant genetic resources collections are safely maintained, genetically and phenotypically characterized.
- Natural resources and ecosystem services: focus on ecosystems and landscapes that offer significant opportunities to reverse environmental degradation and enhance the sustainable intensification of production.
References
- ^ CGIAR Strategy and Results Framework, 2016-2030. Redefining how CGIAR does business until 2030. CGIAR. Accessed Aug.01.2019.
- ^ How We Work: Strategy. CGIAR. Accessed Aug.10.2019.
- ^ How Has Think Tank Transparency Evolved in 2018? Transparify, Jul.16.2018.