CGIAR is the only worldwide partnership addressing agricultural research for development, whose work contributes to the global effort to tackle poverty, hunger and major nutrition imbalances, and environmental degradation.
It is carried out by 15 Centers, that are members of the CGIAR Consortium, in close collaboration with hundreds of partners, including national and regional research institutes, civil society organizations, academia, development organizations and the private sector.
The 15 Research Centers generate and disseminate knowledge, technologies, and policies for agricultural development through the CGIAR Research Programs. The CGIAR Fund provides reliable and predictable multi-year funding to enable research planning over the long term, resource allocation based on agreed priorities, and the timely and predictable disbursement of funds. The multi-donor trust fund finances research carried out by the Centers through the CGIAR Research Programs.
We have almost 10,000 scientists and staff in 96 countries, unparalleled research infrastructure and dynamic networks across the globe. Our collections of genetic resources are the most comprehensive in the world.
What we do
We collaborate with research and development partners to solve development problems. To fulfill our mission we:
- Identify significant global development problems that science can help solve
- Collect and organize knowledge related to these development problems
- Develop research programs to fill the knowledge gaps to solve these development problems
- Catalyze and lead putting research into practice, and policies and institutions into place, to solve these development problems
- Lead monitoring and evaluation, share the lessons we learn and best practices we discover;
- Conserve, evaluate and share genetic diversity
- Strengthen skills and knowledge in agricultural research for development around the world
Making a difference
We act in the interests of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable. Our track record spans four decades of research.
Our research accounted for US$673 million or just over 10 percent of the US$5.1 billion spent on agricultural research for development in 2010. The economic benefits run to billions of dollars. In Asia, the overall benefits of CGIAR research are estimated at US$10.8 billion a year for rice, US$2.5 billion for wheat and US$0.8 billion for maize.
It has often been cited that one dollar invested in CGIAR research results in about nine dollars in increased productivity in developing countries.
Sweeping reforms for the 21st century
Political, financial, technological and environmental changes reverberating around the globe mean that there are many opportunities to rejuvenate the shaky global food system. Developments in agricultural and environmental science, progress in government policies, and advances in our understanding of gender dynamics and nutrition open new avenues for producing more food and for making entrenched hunger and poverty history.
The sweeping reforms that brought in the CGIAR Consortium in 2010 mean we are primed to take advantage of these opportunities. We are eagerly tackling the ever more complex challenges in agricultural development. We are convinced that the science we do can make even more of a difference. To fulfill our goals we aim to secure US$1 billion in annual investments to fund the current CGIAR Research Programs.
CGIAR has embraced a new approach that brings together its strengths around the world and spurs new thinking about agricultural research for development, including innovative ways to pursue scientific work and the funding it requires. CGIAR is bringing donors together for better results and enabling scientists to focus more on the research through which they develop and deliver big ideas for big impact. As a result, CGIAR is more efficient and effective, and better positioned than ever before to meet the development challenges of the 21st century.
We are no longer the ‘Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research’. In 2008 we underwent a major transformation, to reflect this and yet retain our roots we are now known simply as CGIAR.
Members:
Resources
Displaying 281 - 285 of 12598Intensive and extensive rice farm adaptations in salinity-prone areas of the Mekong Delta
Sea-level rise and resulting salinity inundation are making many coastal areas increasingly unfavorable for rice production. This paper examines intensive and extensive adaptations to rice production in salinity-prone areas of the Mekong River Delta (MKD) of Vietnam using a two-year panel dataset of 788 rice-growing households.
Chapter Three. Conservation agriculture for regenerating soil health and climate change mitigation in smallholder systems of South Asia
The increase in agriculture production to meet the food demand of growing human population from a limited availability of arable land with low environmental footprints and preserving natural resources (soil, water and air) simultaneously are major challenges in South Asia. The situation is further complicated by the climate change, which will further lower the food production, compounding the challenge of meeting food demand.
Silage maize as a potent candidate for sustainable animal husbandry development—perspectives and strategies for genetic enhancement
Maize is recognized as the queen of cereals, with an ability to adapt to diverse agroecologies (from 58oN to 55oS latitude) and the highest genetic yield potential among cereals. Under contemporary conditions of global climate change, C4 maize crops offer resilience and sustainability to ensure food, nutritional security, and farmer livelihood. In the northwestern plains of India, maize is an important alternative to paddy for crop diversification in the wake of depleting water resources, reduced farm diversity, nutrient mining, and environmental pollution due to paddy straw burning.
Gender-sensitive nutrition training in Embu County in Kenya
The Gender Equality Initiative (HER+) Work Package 2 (WP 2) - EMPOWER targets to co-identify and model diverse scenarios for bundling climate-smart technologies to empower women, men and youths to be partners and drivers of climate change solutions. HER+ WP2 aims to integrate social innovations in existing Ukama Ustawi initiative (UU) sites or what we are calling learning labs to contribute to climate change resilience and women’s empowerment.
Gender equality and women’s empowerment in rural transformation: From evidence to public action
The slow, limited, and uneven progress on women’s empowerment and gender equality over the last decade clearly shows that rural transformation, with its focus on efficiency and productivity, is leaving women behind in addition to having negative impacts on the environment and nutrition. New inclusive models of rural transformation are called for. The study argues that treating gender equality and women’s empowerment as key in the process of rural transformation will lead to a more inclusive and resilient transformation of rural spaces.