Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research CGIAR

Background

The CGIAR is a global partnership of 62 members including 22 industrial countries (with the EC), 22 developing countries, and 16 foundations, international and regional organisations. The CGIAR is co-sponsored by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Bank. The UK is a founder member. The CGIAR oversees the work of 16 international research centres to contribute to food security and poverty eradication in developing countries through research, partnership, capacity building and policy support. The CGIAR has five principle challenges: to increase productivity of subsistence and cash crops (36%); to protect the environment (18%); to preserve biodiversity (10%); to improve policies (14%); and to strengthen national research (22%).

Funding for the CGIAR centres is provided by voluntary contributions from its members of some US $400 million a year. The UK is currently the fourth largest contributor, behind the USA the World Bank and Canada. CGIAR funding is less than 2% of the total public sector investment in agricultural research.

The CGIAR offers an effective platform for promoting DFID policy in the international natural resources research community and the UK is an active member. DFID policy is also promoted by targeting financial support on particular activities, which offer good prospects of creating new knowledge in natural resources management, which will improve the livelihoods of poor people.

Direct support to the CGIAR from DFID’s Central Research Team for the work of the centres currently amounts to about £9.5 million annually. Another £6 million comes from DFID’s own centrally-funded natural resources research programmes and DFID’s country programmes commissioning the services of individual CGIAR Centres for particular projects.

The CGIAR is currently undergoing a wholesale process of reform and restructuring to improve its relevance, effectiveness, and efficiency in undertaking research, which meet the needs of poor people. DFID is contributing to this work and expects that supporting the CGIAR will become an even better investment in the future.

CGIAR Work Supported by DFID

Natural Resources Research by CGIAR and other International Centres/Programmes supported by DFID 2003/2004.

Success Stories

Examples of impact from some of the work at the sixteen CGIAR International Centres supported by DFID.

Further details: CGIAR web site www.cgiar.org

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