cgiar Nourishing Report CRA

CGIAR RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS









Nourishing a

Peaceful Earth:

The CGIAR’s Contributions



CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

Agriculture: Cornerstone of Sustainable Development 2



CGIAR at a Glance 4



CGIAR Members 5



CGIAR Contributions to Food Security and Sustainable Development 6



CIAT—More Resilient Land and People 10



CIFOR—Protecting Forests from Fire 12



CIMMYT—Bridging the Hunger Gap in Southern Africa 14



CIP—High Priorities: The Global Mountain Program 16



ICARDA—Water: Making Good Use of a Scarce Resource 18



ICLARM—Reducing Poverty Through Fish Farming 20



ICRAF—Trees, Climate Change, and Well-Being 22



ICRISAT—Changing Gray to Green 24



IFPRI—Sustainable Food Security in Africa 26



IITA—Integrated Pest Management for a Healthier Environment 28



ILRI—Fever, Genes, and Malaria 30



IPGRI—Farming for Biodiversity 32



IRRI—Healthier Farms, Healthier Farmers 34



ISNAR—The Power of Partnerships 36



IWMI—The Global Water Crisis 38



WARDA—The “Right” Rice for Africa 40



A Special Message About HIV/AIDS and Agriculture in Africa 42



About our Research Centers 43



Annex: The Johannesburg Earth Summit 47

Agriculture: Cornerstone of Sustainable Development







gricultural development is a strong driver of eco- farm and off-farm employment) and helped nurture the envi-





A nomic growth, poverty reduction, and environmen-

tal conservation. A decade ago, Agenda 21—the

action program adopted at the Earth Summit held

in Rio de Janeiro—integrated antipoverty, antihunger, and

environmental imperatives into one concept: sustainable

ronment (by reducing the use of chemical pesticides in agri-

culture, conserving genetic resources, increasing the ability

of plants to resist pest and pathogen attacks, and promoting

the integrated management of soil, water, and tropical forest

resources).

development. As the title of this report—Nourishing a Policy studies and strengthening scientific capacities in

Peaceful Earth: The CGIAR’s Contributions—suggests, developing countries round out the CGIAR research portfo-

CGIAR research has made lio. The CGIAR-supported

substantial contributions Centers have collaborated

toward achieving the goal with the National Agricul-

of sustainable development. There is a closer link between tural Research Systems

Nourishing a Peaceful Earth societies and agriculture than (NARS) of developing

intends to provide background countries and other part-

for the upcoming global sum- between any other productive ners, thereby mobilizing

mits on food and sustainable science that directly sup-

sectors. This goes beyond the

development, and to show how ports sustainable develop-

investments in agricultural economic importance of the ment. The CGIAR partner-

research can have strong pay- ship now extends to more

offs in the fights against

sector or the share of the than 100 countries.

poverty, hunger, inequity, and population working in it, and it Though much has been

environmental degradation. achieved, more work

The CGIAR family believes

is deeply rooted in history. remains, not only for the

that sustainable agriculture CGIAR, but also for the

JACQUES DIOUF

and broad-based rural growth DIRECTOR-GENERAL, FOOD AND development community as

lie at the heart of sustainable A G R I C U LT U R E O R G A N I Z AT I O N O F T H E a whole. The World Bank’s

development. Together they U N I T E D N AT I O N S World Development Report

provide the means by which

poverty and hunger can be CGIAR Investments in Support of Agenda 21

alleviated and the environment protected, which are essen- (1992–2000)

tial elements for a peaceful earth. The CGIAR’s role in this

Protecting the

process is substantial. Over the 30 years of its existence, environment

CGIAR scientists have consistently demonstrated that sus- $495 million Saving

biodiversity

tainable agriculture and its driving force—agricultural Strengthening $284 million

national partners

research—can be a powerful force for achieving sustain- $642 million

able development.

Improving

CGIAR research has increased the productivity of more policies

$344 million

than 20 key food crops, including barley, beans, cassava,

chickpeas, maize, potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, wheat, and

sorghum. In addition to higher productivity crops, CGIAR Increasing

research has focused on more productive livestock, fish, and agricultural

productivity

trees, and on improved farming systems that are environ- $1.25 billion



mentally benign. The results have benefited humans

(through better nutrition, higher incomes, and higher on-









2 CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

■ Twenty to 30 percent of the world’s forest areas have been

A Twenty-first Century Reality Check

converted to agriculture, resulting in extensive species

and habitat loss. Agriculture is encroaching on many

national parks and other protected areas.

One-fifth of the world’s people live in absolute poverty,

■ Agriculture consumes 70 percent of the freshwater with-

on less than $1 a day. Almost half live on less than

drawn annually by humans. Irrigation is draining more

$2 a day. Some 826 million do not have enough to water than is being replenished by rainfall, causing water

eat. One-fifth of the children in the world’s poorest tables to fall. Moreover, many water sources are being pol-

countries die before they reach the age of five. One luted by excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides.

out of three children in the world’s poor countries

suffers from malnutrition. As a result, they are stunted, At the beginning of the twenty-first century, these are some of

underweight, or “wasted” (low weight for height). the stark realities that shape the unfinished business of the sus-

Over 40 million children in 23 developing countries tainable development agenda. Though the challenges remain

are expected to lose at least one parent to human difficult and complex, we cannot flinch before them. In addi-

immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency tion to questions of productivity and the environment, develop-

syndrome (HIV/AIDS) during the current decade. ing countries must grapple with trade issues and overcome the

negative effects of massive subsidies to agriculture in industri-

alized countries. Last year alone, the world’s wealthiest nations

spent more than $360 billion on agricultural subsidies, a sum

2000/2001 reminds us that, “Destitution persists even equivalent to the gross national product of all of Sub-Saharan

though human conditions have improved more in the past Africa, and a thousand times larger than CGIAR funds.

century than in the rest of history.” Mobilizing human resources and proprietary technologies

On the environment front, although the world has never for the poor and tapping the ongoing revolution in the bio-

been more conscious about the importance of environmental logical sciences, computing technology, and nearly instanta-

vigilance, the Pilot Analysis of Global Ecosystems, a joint neous global communications open up tremendous opportu-

study conducted earlier this year by the CGIAR’s Interna- nities in support of Agenda 21 objectives.

tional Food Policy Research Institute and the World The CGIAR remains committed to conducting research

Resources Institute, reported that the challenges to sustain- that will maintain the flow of knowledge necessary to under-

able development are formidable: pin sustainable agriculture as a cornerstone of sustainable

development. We will continue to strive with our partners to

■ Soil degradation, including nutrient depletion, erosion, face these complex problems in a way that nourishes and

and salinization, is widespread. sustains the earth and its people, both now and in the future.









IAN JOHNSON FRANCISCO J.B. REIFSCHNEIDER

CHAIRMAN, CGIAR DIRECTOR, CGIAR









RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS NOURISHING A PEACEFUL EARTH: THE CGIAR’S CONTRIBUTIONS 3

CGIAR at a Glance







he Consultative Group on International Agricul- on higher-yielding food crops; more productive livestock,





T tural Research (CGIAR) is an association created

in 1971 of 58 public and private members who

support a system of 16 international agricultural

research Centers. The CGIAR-supported Centers are

autonomous institutions, each with its own charter, interna-

fish, and trees; improved farming systems; better policies;

and enhanced scientific capacity in developing countries.



CGIAR

INVESTMENT

KNOWLEDGE: A HIGH-YIELD





tional board of trustees, director, and staff. Working in more The knowledge generated by CGIAR—and the public- and

than 100 countries worldwide, they harness the best of cut- private-sector organizations that work with CGIAR as part-

ting-edge science to increase food security, reduce poverty, ners, researchers, and advisors—has paid poor farmers

and protect the global environment. handsome dividends in terms of increased output, higher

incomes, and sounder use of resources.

THE BIG PICTURE: CGIAR’s knowledge also benefits the general public. For

EXPLORING THE LINKS example, all benefits of CGIAR research are kept within the

Guarding Our

The CGIAR’s mission is “to con- public domain. New production and natural resource man-

Biodiversity

tribute to food security and poverty agement technologies and plant varieties are available with-

eradication in developing coun- out charge to interested parties throughout the world.

CGIAR holds in public trust

tries through research, partner-

the world’s largest collection THE CGIAR PARTNERSHIP

ships, capacity building, and pol-

of plant genetic resources— The CGIAR partnership includes 22 developing and 21

icy support, promoting sustainable

over 600,000 accessions of industrialized countries, 3 private foundations, and 12

agricultural development based on

more than 3,000 species. regional and international organizations that provide financ-

the environmentally sound man-

This includes: ing, technical support, and strategic direction. The Food and

agement of natural resources.”

From the outset, CGIAR recog- Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the

■ 6,000 endangered vari-

nized that agriculture is the corner- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the

eties of Latin American

stone of development in poor coun- World Bank serve as cosponsors.

maize

tries, where more than 70 percent In 1998 the CGIAR-supported Centers created Future

■ 5,400 potato specimens

of people depend on the land for Harvest, an organization dedicated to building awareness

■ 40,000 accessions of

their livelihoods. To sustain the and support for international agricultural research. The

crops and plants impor-

earth and its people, however, agri- Centers are now known as the Future Harvest Centers.

tant to Africa

cultural growth must be achieved

■ 117,000 samples of

in ways that preserve the health of Investment in the CGIAR has been

crops grown in the

the world’s ecosystems and the pro-

world’s dry areas

ductivity of their natural resources. the most effective use of official

Research is a critical means for

development assistance, bar none.

advancing the world’s agricultural

knowledge. Over the past 30 years, There can be no long-term agenda

the CGIAR research agenda has evolved to encompass a

wide range of problems that affect agricultural productivity.

for eradicating poverty, ending

It links these problems to increasingly broader concerns— hunger, and ensuring food security

from natural resource management and biodiversity protec-

tion, to capacity building and policy change, to rural devel-

without the CGIAR.

opment and poverty reduction.

Today, more than 8,500 CGIAR scientists and scientific MAURICE STRONG

S E C R E TA RY- G E N E R A L O F 1 9 9 2 U N I T E D

staff are working to improve the productivity of tropical agri- N AT I O N S C O N F E R E N C E O N E N V I R O N M E N T

culture. Their research—both strategic and applied—focuses AND DEVELOPMENT









4 CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

CGIAR Members







INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRIES Kenya Ministry of Agriculture and Rural

Australia Australian Centre for International Development

Agricultural Research Korea, Republic of Ministry of Agriculture

Austria Federal Ministry of Finance Mexico Ministry of Agriculture

Belgium Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nigeria Ministry of Agriculture and Natural

Canada Canadian International Development Resources

Agency Pakistan Ministry of Food, Agriculture and

Denmark Ministry of Foreign Affairs Livestock

Finland Ministry for Foreign Affairs Peru Ministry of Agriculture

France Ministry of Foreign Affairs Philippines Department of Agriculture

Germany Federal Ministry of Economic Romania Ministry of Agriculture and Food

Cooperation and Development Russian Russian Academy of Agricultural

Ireland Department of Foreign Affairs Federation Sciences

Italy Ministry of Foreign Affairs South Africa Ministry of Agriculture and Land

Affairs

Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Syrian Arab Ministry of Agriculture and Agricultural

Luxembourg Ministry of Finance

Republic Reform

Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Thailand Department of Agriculture

New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Uganda National Agricultural Research

Norway Ministry of Foreign Affairs Organization

Portugal Ministry of Finance

Spain Ministry of Agriculture FOUNDATIONS

Sweden Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ford Foundation

Switzerland Swiss Development Cooperation Kellogg Foundation

United Kingdom Department for International Rockefeller Foundation

Development

United States of United States Agency for International

America Development INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL

ORGANIZATIONS

DEVELOPING AND TRANSITION Asian Development Bank

COUNTRIES African Development Bank

Bangladesh Ministry of Agriculture Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development

Brazil Ministry of Agriculture and Food Supply European Commission

China Ministry of Agriculture Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Colombia Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Inter-American Development Bank

Development

International Development Research Centre

Côte d’Ivoire Ministry of Agriculture and Animal

International Fund for Agricultural Development

Resources

OPEC Fund for International Development

Egypt, Arab Ministry of Agriculture and Land

Republic of Reclamation United Nations Development Programme

India Ministry of Agriculture United Nations Environment Programme

Indonesia Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry World Bank

Iran, Islamic Ministry of Agriculture

Republic of









RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS NOURISHING A PEACEFUL EARTH: THE CGIAR’S CONTRIBUTIONS 5

CGIAR Contributions to Food Security and

Sustainable Development





he founding objective of the CGIAR was to mobi- ■ Poverty alleviation





T lize agricultural research on the front lines of the

battles against hunger and poverty. New technolo-

gies for rice, wheat, and maize sparked a “green

revolution,” transforming agriculture in much of Asia and

Latin America, rescuing people from hunger; fueling broad

■ Promotion of sustainable agriculture and rural

development

■ Capacity building and participatory approaches to

development

■ The strong role of science in sustainable development.

economic growth, which reduced poverty; and preserving

land and biodiversity. The CGIAR committed itself to working collaboratively with

As knowledge about sustainable agriculture grew, and its Agenda 21 partners, redoubling its efforts to achieve the

complexities were more deeply understood, new challenges goals of sustainable development. A summing up of signifi-

were added to the CGIAR research agenda. The global envi- cant CGIAR efforts, both before and after the Rio Earth Sum-

ronment—including especially climate change, ecological mit, includes impact in many of the areas highlighted in

and natural resource management, and public health and Agenda 21:

nutritional concerns—took its place at the forefront of

CGIAR programs. ■ Research-based agriculture has contributed to growth and

Over the years, the CGIAR-supported Centers have main- development, thereby enabling millions to begin their

tained their focus on “increasing the pile of food” in devel- ascent from poverty. (In developing countries an increase

oping countries, but they have also expanded their research of 1 percent in agricultural growth creates an increase of

agenda to respond to the more complex challenge of inte- 1.5 percent in the nonagricultural sector.)

grated gene management and integrated natural resource ■ More than 300 varieties of wheat and rice and more than

management. These activities are complemented by pro- 200 varieties of maize developed through CGIAR-sup-

grams directed at policy improvement, institutional strength- ported research are being grown by farmers in developing

ening, and capacity building. countries. Food production has doubled, improving health

This twinning of agricultural productivity–oriented and nutrition for millions.

research (as the basis of development) with natural resource

management (as the basis of global environmental conserva-

tion and protection) found expression in the action program Agenda 21: Poverty Alleviation and

Agenda 21 and in related agreements adopted by the Rio Sustainable Development

Earth Summit, i.e., the United Nations Conference on Envi-

ronment and Development (UNCED) of 1992. A specific antipoverty strategy is one of the basic

Agreements endorsed at the Rio Earth Summit reflected conditions for ensuring sustainable development.

a global consensus and political commitment at the high-

est level on cooperation to combine the goals of develop- The capacity of available resources and technolo-

ment with those of environmental protection. “This mar- gies to satisfy the demands of a growing population

riage of the two issues characterized all decisions at for food and other agricultural commodities remains

UNCED, and was its greatest success,” said Razali Ismail, uncertain. Agriculture has to meet this challenge

first chairman of the United Nations Commission on Sus- mainly by increasing production on land already in

tainable Development. use and by avoiding further encroachment of land

At its meeting in October 1992, which was the first that is only marginally suitable for cultivation.

meeting following the Rio Earth Summit, the CGIAR

identified and welcomed the congruence between its The sciences are increasingly being understood as

own goals and those of Agenda 21, particularly in the fol- an essential component in the search for feasible

lowing areas: pathways toward sustainable development.









6 CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

■ The land saved from cultivation, internationally, by the

intensive use of new technologies is some 300 million

hectares—equivalent to the total arable land of the United

States, Canada, and Brazil. The biodiversity of the

“saved” lands—part of the natural heritage of the human

family—was also conserved.

■ The CGIAR holds in public trust for the future one of the

world’s largest collections of plant genetic resources, con-

taining some 600,000 accessions of more than 3,000 crop,

forage, and pasture species. These accessions have been

placed under the auspices of the FAO.

■ Integrated pest management, the biological control of

pests, and the development of disease-resistant plant vari-

eties have helped to reduce pesticide use in developing

countries. For example, control of cassava pests alone has

increased the value of annual production in Sub-Saharan

Key Research Areas Emphasized in Agenda 21

Africa by $400 million.

■ Research on water management has generated knowledge

■ Integrated approaches to the planning and man-

on how more sustainable farm production can be achieved

agement of land resources

in irrigated areas. Current efforts are being directed, as

■ Integrated approaches to improved manage-

well, at making the use of water more sustainable by

ment and use of water resources

obtaining “more crop per drop.”

■ Conservation of biological diversity

■ Research into community-based forest management has

■ Environmentally sound management of biotech-

resulted in the development of environmental indicators

nology

for tropical forests. These enable scientists to monitor the

■ Management of fragile ecosystems, including

environmental effects of reduced-impact logging, utilize

marine resources and coastal area management

nontimber forest products, and improve the sustainable

■ Combating deforestation

productivity of plantation forestry.

■ Strengthening the research capacity of national

■ Research has enabled local communities to undertake

institutions

their own initiatives to conserve and protect marine

■ Policy research and options for policy reform

resources. From protecting mangrove forests to preventing









RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS NOURISHING A PEACEFUL EARTH: THE CGIAR’S CONTRIBUTIONS 7

destructive fishing practices, these documented

instances of sustainable, locally based conservation

practices will be of vital importance to coastal commu-

nities throughout the developing world.

■ Scientific capacity in developing countries has been

strengthened through partnership arrangements,

institution building, and training. Some 75,000

developing country–scientists have been trained at

CGIAR Centers.

■ A bottom-up approach to priority setting by the CGIAR

and collaboration with NARS, civil society institutions,

and the Global Forum on Agricultural Research have

promoted participatory research.



Details of the contribution made by the CGIAR-supported

Centers to meeting the objectives of the Rio Earth Summit

are described on the pages that follow. The record is

substantial, but the tasks of sustainable development are

not completed.

At the same time, the world is destroying natural capital

at a very rapid rate. The earth’s fragile natural resources

are burdened by overconsumption in rich countries and by

population pressures in poor countries. Biodiversity is

being lost at historically high rates. Deforestation claims

almost 12 million hectares of forest a year. In some coun-

tries, the economic cost of producing clean water is already

greater than the economic cost of producing oil. Nearly

two-thirds of the world’s population will live in water-

scarce or water-stressed areas by 2025, where tensions over The world’s marine fisheries are overexploited. Soils are

precious resources are expected. constantly degraded and destroyed and, consequently,

annual agricultural production is 10 percent lower than it

could be in some poor countries. Climate change threatens

both industrialized and developing countries unless thought-

The world is shrinking and ful actions are taken to adapt to the consequences of climate

change and mitigate its deleterious effects. These problems

interdependency is the may be aggravated by a potential increase in the number of

driving force of develop- poor people in the world by an estimated 2 billion over the

next 25 years.

ment today. It forces upon These details are not meant to conjure up a doomsday sce-

us the need to reinvigorate nario. They are a composite of reality, providing indications

of even more serious problems tomorrow, if today’s warning

effective implementation of signs are not heeded.

The challenge, says a preparatory document for the World

sustainable development.

Summit on Sustainable Development, is “to alleviate poverty

EMIL SALIM

and achieve food security while ensuring the sustainable use

CHAIRMAN OF THE BUREAU OF THE of land and other natural resources. The concept of sustain-

P R E PA R AT O RY C O M M I T T E E O F T H E able agriculture and rural development, which has as its

W O R L D S U M M I T O N S U S TA I N A B L E

major objective to increase food security in an environmen-

DEVELOPMENT

tally sound way so as to contribute to sustainable resource

management, offers an approach to achieve this.”







8 CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

An individual cannot be

brought out of poverty unless

you address squarely the

quality … and the productivity

of the resources on which

that individual’s livelihood

depends. This is particularly

important for the rural poor

in the developing world.

NITIN DESAI

U N D E R - S E C R E TA R Y- G E N E R A L F O R

E C O N O M I C A N D S O C I A L A F FA I R S ,

Sustainable agriculture sustains the earth and its people. U N I T E D N AT I O N S



Research is the driving force behind sustainable agriculture,

creating new knowledge for development and recovering valu-

able indigenous knowledge to fuel increased productivity and

support the effective management of natural resources.









RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS NOURISHING A PEACEFUL EARTH: THE CGIAR’S CONTRIBUTIONS 9

More Resilient Land and People









ess than three years after Hurricane Mitch devas-





L tated agriculture in Honduras and Nicaragua,

thousands of rural people in both countries are

again living the nightmare of food and seed

scarcity. This time, though, the threat comes from a severe

and widespread drought. The Honduran Secretariat of Agri-

culture and Livestock recently reported that in 57 munici-

palities more than 75 percent of the bean, maize, and rice

harvests have been lost. As a result of this experience, the CIALs were well pre-

Mitch prompted a deluge of emergency aid, including a suc- pared for targeting seed relief effectively and equitably. They

cessful seed relief effort mounted by four CGIAR-supported had a detailed knowledge of local communities and had

Centers under coordination of the CGIAR’s International made an effort to involve groups of people—such as women

Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). But the new cri- and indigenous people—that often receive far less than their

sis has elicited a different response. Now, the Honduran gov- fair share of development benefits. In addition, the groups

ernment and the Red Cross are seeking help in applying had already tested some of the improved crop varieties being

longer-term measures that can reduce agriculture’s vulnerabil- distributed, and they had gained experience in organizing

ity to natural disasters and to the resulting social upheaval. collective action. To strengthen and spread this approach in

In responding to this call, explains CIAT scientist Miguel Honduras and other countries, CIAT is promoting the devel-

Ayarza, who coordinates the Center’s work in Central Amer- opment of CIAL associations that coordinate, support, and

ica, “We’ll draw on a growing repertory of participatory seek funding for local agricultural research.

approaches. These tools offer the best hope for making hill- Some CIALs have evolved into small agroenterprises that

side land and communities more resilient in the face of peri- specialize in producing and marketing high-quality crop

odic crises.” seed at prices well below those of the commercial seed sec-

tor. “We have no problem selling all the seed we produce

PARTICIPATORY TOOLS PROVE under irrigation during the dry season,” explain Melvin

THEIR WORTH López and César Romero, who belong to a seed-producing

Some of the evidence supporting this claim has come from group in the municipality of Yorito, Honduras.

CIAT’s experience with disaster relief after Mitch. For exam- According to Guillermo Giraldo, the seed specialist who

ple, in areas of Honduras and Nicaragua where local agri- coordinated the Centers’ emergency seed relief effort after

cultural research committees, or CIALs, had been estab- Mitch, networks of small farmer–run enterprises like this one

lished, these farmer groups provided an effective way to could provide the foundation for a national, community-

channel emergency seed supplies into rural communities. based seed system that guarantees adequate seed supplies in

Each CIAL consists of four or more farmers, selected by the good times and bad.

community because of their known interest in experimenting

with new options. With assistance from a facilitator, the com- COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT OF

mittee diagnoses research needs through community brain- HILLSIDE RESOURCES

storming sessions and then sets a research agenda, carries out Another participatory model that proved its worth in the

experiments, and reports the results to the community. aftermath of Hurricane Mitch is a community watershed









10 CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

management association called Campos Verdes (Green In this second project, Campos Verdes employed a tech-

Fields). Consisting of representatives from the 16 communi- nique for participatory mapping and monitoring of natural

ties that make up the municipality of San Dionisio in resources, one of nine methods developed by CIAT’s Hill-

Nicaragua, Campos Verdes expresses farmers’ needs, con- sides Project with its national and local partners. Other tools

veys feedback to research and development organizations, enable communities to, for example, conduct participatory

and mounts projects in response to local demand. analysis of soil quality indicators and evaluate market

During the months following Mitch, explains Paulina opportunities for small farmers. “Through these methods

Aguilar, a member of the association’s governing board, “Cam- rural people build a local knowledge base and acquire skills

that lead to action aimed at reducing poverty and protecting

natural resources,” notes Hillsides Project manager José

Ignacio Sanz.



A SUPERMARKET OF OPTIONS

Under particularly trying circumstances, the CIALs and

Campos Verdes have proven their worth as engines of

grassroots rural innovation. But in order for these models to

succeed over time, they must have a way to bring technol-

ogy supplies more directly and continuously to bear on

local demand.

For this purpose CIAT scientists are helping establish a

network of community experimental sites called SOLs, the

Spanish acronym for “supermarkets of options for hillsides.”

Occupying a prominent place in the local landscape, these

pos Verdes organized allow research and development organizations to subject new

two projects designed technologies to the scrutiny of individual farmers and their

to deal with the hurri- organizations. These then offer feedback and propose their

cane’s impacts on agri- own solutions through community planning and monitoring

culture.” One involved of SOL experiments.

multiplication and dis- Plots containing diverse food crops, forages, agroforestry

tribution of improved species, alternative cropping systems, and dual-purpose

seed, while the other erosion control barriers give rise to new rounds of experi-

was designed to give mentation, which fuse formal science with local knowledge.

the community a good In this way the SOL sites mirror scientists’ and farmers’

overall grasp of the state joint endeavors to strengthen food security and find new

of the local environment and to identify areas that are particu- opportunities to improve family well-being, while protecting

larly vulnerable to continued degradation. the environment.









RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS NOURISHING A PEACEFUL EARTH: THE CGIAR’S CONTRIBUTIONS 11

Protecting Forests from Fire









ropical forests and woodlands are fundamental to





T life on earth even though they cover only one-sev-

enth of the earth’s land area. These forests purify

the air, protect water supplies and soil, and store

carbon to help reduce global warming. Three hundred and

fifty million people depend on tropical forests for their

income or subsistence. The forests provide timber and fuel-

wood, food and drink, fibers, resins, fodder, and medicines.

Tropical forests alone house more than half of all the world’s

plant and animal species.

Forests have an enormous potential to contribute to rural

and urban welfare, economic growth, sustainable agricul-

tural development, and global environmental functions. especially in drought conditions, the fires have spread

Even so, deforestation and degradation of forestlands con- beyond originally targeted areas. The problem is compounded

tinue apace. According to the latest figures available (in when the fires spread to open-access areas or other land

FAO’s State of the World’s Forests 1999), at least 13.7 million where the local communities lack fire-fighting resources.

hectares of natural forest were lost every year between 1990 The most destructive fires are those burning on peat lands.

and 1995 in developing countries. These release large amounts of damaging particles and car-

bon dioxide into the atmosphere. According to scientists at

R E S O LV I N G THE F O R E S T- A G R I C U LT U R E CIFOR, 80 percent of the haze problem could be eliminated

DILEMMA with stricter controls, especially over peat land. Any action,

Tropical forest fires, which often are set to clear land for however, must take into account the fundamental socioeco-

agricultural expansion, are a serious environmental problem. nomic forces driving the fires, and must offer practical alter-

They not only reduce forest area—they can also bring about natives to burning.

substantial financial losses to stakeholders. At the same Scientists from CIFOR are developing alternative methods of

time, fires are contributing about 20 percent of the world’s land preparation and use that reduce fire use and smoke gen-

carbon emissions. eration. They will work with the government to formulate burn-

Reconciling the need to conserve tropical forests with the ing regulations and enforce total fire bans in vulnerable areas.

demand for agricultural products is the goal of a research

project under way at the CGIAR’s Center for International SHARING RESOURCES WITH THE POOR

Forestry Research (CIFOR). In collaboration with another Another CIFOR focus is to improve the livelihoods of poor

CGIAR Center, the International Centre for Research in Agro- people. In Zimbabwe, scientists from CIFOR, the University

forestry, CIFOR is developing strategies to prevent the fires of Zimbabwe’s Institute of Environmental Studies, and the

that regularly occur in Indonesian forests and have created a United Kingdom’s Centre for Ecology and Hydrology have

choking haze over much of Southeast Asia. been collaborating on a three-year project to develop a new

Large-scale operations such as oil palm and logging con- system for sharing natural resources.

cerns start about two-thirds of the fires in these forests. Other Their work in two areas of southern Zimbabwe’s Chivi Dis-

fires are set by farmers preparing land for crops. Some fires trict produced significant results in 2000. The work has

are used as a weapon in land tenure conflicts. Sometimes, paved the way for a radical shift away from a command-and-







12 CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

control governing system and toward a system based largely

on community input. Thanks to a series of researcher-initi-

ated workshops, government officials and villagers found

common ground and agreed to changes in the governance of

two microcatchment areas that were acceptable to all the

parties concerned.

Gone is a two-decades-old resource management system

that had been created without local participation and that

consequently ignored community interests. Using a social

science methodology known as “scenario building,”

researchers urged the various parties to imagine how they

wanted local resource management to work and to propose

possible changes in the existing legislative framework that

would improve the present situation.

The local people were highly enthusiastic about the work-

shops. Most village representatives had never before had the

opportunity to express their views and discuss such issues









with district authorities. In a final session, several groups pre-

sented the district council with possible scenarios for the man-

agement of various resources. To the surprise of many, the

council was very amenable to the proposed changes in the

management structure. Under the new arrangement, the coun-

cil’s role would be mainly to support and coordinate commu-

nity initiatives and provide arbitration when necessary.

CIFOR scientists believe their research activities made a

breakthrough. The district council is pleased with the out-

come of the process, and wants to expand the pilot project to

other villages.









RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS NOURISHING A PEACEFUL EARTH: THE CGIAR’S CONTRIBUTIONS 13

Bridging the Hunger Gap in Southern Africa









aize is one of the world’s most important





M crops and plays a vital role in the livelihoods

and nutrition of the poor. In 1999, in the

world’s lowest-income countries, nearly 60

million tons of maize were consumed, seven-tenths as food.

In Sub-Saharan Africa maize accounts for almost 40 percent

of all cereal production, yet average yields are less than 1.5

tons per hectare, compared with more than 8 tons per

hectare in industrialized countries.

Nowhere is maize more important to diets than in south-

ern Africa: each inhabitant there consumes an average of

more than 100 kilograms per year. But many maize-growing

areas in the region are drought-prone, and crop failures are

common. Farmers are hesitant to use costly fertilizers

because the returns are not guaranteed.



PROVIDING GRAIN WHEN OTHER

VA R I E T I E S FAIL

Now two new maize varieties developed by the CGIAR’s

Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maïz y

Trigo (International Maize and Wheat Improvement

Center—CIMMYT), in collaboration with southern African

researchers, will provide grain when other varieties fail. Household food stores

Called “Grace” and “Zm521,” they have qualities especially are at their lowest just

valued by smallholder farmers. Zm521 was bred to yield before harvest, caus-

more under drought and low soil-fertility conditions. In trials ing a “hunger gap”

stretching from Ethiopia to South Africa, it produced on aver- during which many

age 34 percent more grain than currently grown varieties, and families may eat only

its advantage under stress conditions was as high as 50 per- one meal a day. Grace

cent. Farmers in the northern province of South Africa, where not only allows small-

drought strikes nearly every year, are impressed with the holder farmers to reap

yield of Zm521 under the region’s adverse conditions. a new harvest earlier

than normal, but

HEDGE AGAINST HUNGER also bolsters farmers’

Grace acts as a hedge against hunger. Maturing earlier than incomes because, as

traditional maize varieties, it can be eaten green, making a green maize, it com-

vital difference in the economic and social well-being of mands a higher market

smallholder farm families. In subsistence agriculture, the price than other maize

time between planting and harvest is a precarious period. varieties.







14 CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

NEW BENEFITS FOR SMALL FARMERS



Quality Protein Maize Reaps Two CGIAR One of the major advantages of Grace and Zm521 is that they

Scientists the Millennium World Food Prize are open-pollinated, so their seed is cheaper than that of

commercially available hybrids. In addition, their yields

A lifetime’s work in developing a higher-yielding, pro- remain high even when grain saved from a previous harvest

tein-rich maize that can help prevent malnutrition in is used as seed for sowing (a common smallholder farmer

millions of people has earned two scientists, Dr. practice). This contrasts with the case of hybrids, whose high

Surinder K. Vasal and Dr. Evangelina Villegas, the yields fall steeply when seed of their progeny is used to sow.

Millennium World Food Prize. Dr. Villegas is the first Open-pollinated varieties such as Grace and ZM521 are a

woman ever to receive the prize. Both she and Dr. natural for cash-strapped farmers unable to buy fresh seed

Vasal are affiliated with CIMMYT. every season.

In recent years, modern plant breeding has made enormous

Thirty-five years in the making, the new quality pro- strides. It has produced new varieties of staple crops, such as

tein maize (QPM) looks and tastes like normal Grace and Zm521, that are resistant to a range of biotic

maize, with one vital difference: it contains twice the stresses (insect pests and diseases) and abiotic stresses

amount of lysine and tryptophan, amino acids essen- (drought and infertile soils), and that grow with compara-

tial for human health and nutrition. QPM’s nutritive tively small amounts of fertilizers, perform well in adverse

value approaches that of protein from skim milk. It is agroclimatic conditions, and produce comparatively large

being grown in 20 countries in Latin America, Asia, yields. These innovations are vitally important to achieving

and Africa. food security in developing nations, where maize is often the

dominant staple.

“QPM is helping to make a real difference in the lives

of millions of people that are living on the edge of sur-

vival,” said Ian Johnson, chairman of the CGIAR and

World Bank vice president. “It is an example of peo-

There is a need for a renewed

ple-centered science at its very best.” commitment to international

partnerships to eradicate

poverty, social exclusion, and

marginalization.

THABO MBEKI

P R E S I D E N T, S O U T H A F R I C A









RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS NOURISHING A PEACEFUL EARTH: THE CGIAR’S CONTRIBUTIONS 15

High Priorities: The Global Mountain Program









he 1992 Earth Summit focused global attention





T on pressing environmental challenges facing

humanity. Chapter 13 of Agenda 21 focuses on

one of the key issues: the sustainable manage-

ment of fragile mountain ecosystems.

Most global mountain areas are experiencing environ-

mental degradation. They are susceptible to soil erosion,

landslides, and rapid loss of habitat and genetic diversity.

There is widespread poverty among mountain inhabitants,

and loss of indigenous knowledge is accelerating. Immediate ■ Generating and strengthening knowledge about ecology

action is needed to ensure the proper management of moun- and sustainable development

tain resources and the socioeconomic development of the ■ Promoting integrated watershed development and alterna-

people who live in mountain areas. tive livelihood opportunities.



THE GLOBAL MOUNTAIN PROGRAM BUILDING KNOWLEDGE OF

In 1997 the CGIAR created the Global Mountain Program MOUNTAIN ECOSYSTEMS

(GMP) to coordinate the systemwide response to these Mountains are highly vulnerable to human and ecological

urgent problems and entrusted the CGIAR’s Centro Inter- imbalance and are exceptionally sensitive to climatic and

nacional de la Papa (International Potato Center— atmospheric change. Because mountains and hillsides harbor

CIP) with its leadership. a diversity of gradients in temperature, precipitation, and

The first step was to select three benchmark areas and insolation, a given mountain slope may include several cli-

identify a partner to coordinate GMP activities in each. The matic systems—tropical, subtropical, temperate, and

African Highland Initiative—convened by the CGIAR’s alpine—each of which represents a microcosm of larger habi-

International Centre for Research in Agroforestry—took the tat diversity.

leadership in the East African Highlands; the International The sound development of these ecosystems, therefore,

Center for Integrated Mountain Development headed up requires detailed information on ecology, natural resource

efforts in the Hindu-Kush Himalayas; and the Consortium potential, and socioeconomic activity. The GMP has taken

for the Sustainable Development of the Andes (CONDESAN) action to fill the gaps in existing knowledge by:

took charge in the Andes. Others soon joined, including non- ■ Creating and improving existing alliances to increase

governmental organizations (NGOs), universities, and awareness of the vulnerability of mountain ecosystems

research institutions. CIP and its partners also formed the and facilitate future activities.

Mountain Forum (MF), a complementary effort promoting ■ Developing or adapting cost-effective tools and methods

knowledge and information exchange for mountain research to generate ecological, natural resource, and socioeco-

and development. nomic information at different spatial scales. The devel-

opment and validation of geospatial tools will allow

THE GMP RESPONSE TO AGENDA 21 researchers, development agents, and decisionmakers to

The GMP built its action plan around Chapter 13’s two main simulate expected impacts on agricultural production and

program areas for mountain ecosystems: natural resources.









16 CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

■ Empowering mountain inhabitants by training local pro- changes. After four years, close to 400 communities and some

fessionals in the use of new tools and methods. In the 53,000 households in the poorest area of Peru have benefited

Andes and the Himalayas, more than 200 people have directly. Better soil and water conservation, pasture manage-

received short-term training and more than 20 have ment, and forestation technologies have improved natural

earned or are pursuing graduate degrees through the GMP resource management on about 12,000 hectares.

Fellowship Program. In Ilave-Huenque, Peru, improved pasture management

■ Systematizing and preserving indigenous knowledge. has increased net household income by 40 percent and

Researchers in the Andes have collected indigenous soil greatly lowered the loss of palatable species. Integrated soil

classification and climate-forecast knowledge, and are management has resulted in a five-fold increase in potato

using artificial intelligence to preserve it. production, and fallow enrichment has curbed soil erosion

■ Actively participating in the Mountain Forum CONDE- while increasing forage availability almost three times as

SAN’s InfoAndina electronic network, the MF Latin compared to conventional practices.

American node, has involved more than 5,000 people in In the highlands of southern Peru, the Centro de Investi-

debates on mountain issues. gación de Recursos Naturales y Medio Ambiente, an NGO,

has helped to teach more than 1,000 communities how to add

PROMOTING MOUNTAIN DEVELOPMENT value to their produce through processing. Production of

AND BETTER LIVELIHOODS export-quality alpaca sweaters is generating employment

About 10 percent of the earth’s population lives in high and income, and new markets for processed products of

mountain areas, and another 40 percent occupies adjacent native crops—such as quinoa and oca—are helping to boost

watershed areas. Because these rural populations—already farm-gate prices and promote conservation of these crops.

besieged by poverty, unemployment, poor health, and bad In Desaguadero, Bolivia, more than 300 hectares of saline

sanitation—are dependent on rain-fed agriculture, environ- soils have been reclaimed and are being used for grazing.

mental degradation has a devastating impact on them. Moun-

tains are also an important source of water, energy, and bio-

logical diversity for the rest of the world. Be it land

degradation; deforestation and loss of biomass cover to

excessive livestock grazing; or population-induced cultiva-

tion of marginal lands in the Andes, the Himalayas, South-

east Asia, or Central and East Africa—all of these have an

effect, direct or indirect, on most of the world’s inhabitants.

To promote integrated mountain development, GMP part-

ners have carefully studied nine watersheds in the

Himalayas and the Andes. Detailed information on socioe-

conomic and cultural conditions, natural resources and their

vulnerability, and production and land-use systems have

been systematized into an interactive CD-ROM for each

watershed, together with an analysis of lessons learned and

strategies for development.



THE GMP IN ACTION: EXAMPLES

FROM THE ANDES

Promotion of integrated, participatory action by GMP part-

ners in several watersheds has resulted in substantial

improvements in the conservation of natural resources and

the generation of rural household income.

In Santa Ana, Peru, a complete range of geospatial tools

was used to assess the expected impact of technological

change on the economy and the environment. Communal

leaders were empowered to prioritize action for the manage-

ment of natural resources, train families, and implement







RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS NOURISHING A PEACEFUL EARTH: THE CGIAR’S CONTRIBUTIONS 17

Water: Making Good Use of a Scarce Resource









ver six million hectares of crop- and rangeland





O are lost each year to desertification, much as a

result of human activity. Unsustainable farming

practices (such as overgrazing and improper

irrigation) damage the soil by removing plant cover,

increasing soil salinity, and depleting soil nutrients. The

spread of the resulting “unnatural deserts,” found in more

than 100 countries, can be controlled if the causes of deser-

tification are recognized early enough. wastewater, with no significant increase in salinity or accu-

The CGIAR’s International Center for Agricultural mulation of heavy metals in the soil. More research is

Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) conducts planned to assess the productive potential of Sorbulak Lake,

research directed at improving water-use efficiency, in addi- including the possibility of raising fish to provide a protein

tion to improving productivity and yield-stability of crops. supplement for livestock. Researchers will continue to mon-

Inefficient use of water not only limits crop yields in the itor the effects of wastewater on the soil status and the qual-

short term, but also undermines productivity in the long term ity of crops and final products (such as milk and meat), as

by contributing to soil degradation and wider environmental well as any effects on the environment. This project has great

damage. The potential for improving water-use efficiency is potential to put to good use what is at present a wasted

great, so maintaining and improving the productivity of land resource. Use of wastewater not only decreases pressure on

through the development of sound management practices the collection system, but also contributes to sustainable

and improved crop varieties is a major goal of ICARDA. production of livestock and feed, provides wood for fuel and

building materials, and increases employment opportunities.

MAKING GOOD USE OF WA S T E WAT E R If the project’s approach proves successful, it could be repli-

Urban populations generate large volumes of domestic and cated in other dry areas of the Central and West Asia and

industrial wastewater, which, in dry regions, could be used North Africa region.

for irrigation. In 2000 ICARDA began a five-course rotation

experiment in Kazakhstan to assess the potential of waste- I N N O VAT I V E IRRIGATION

water irrigation for growing fodder crops. Wastewater from Growing commercial crops, such as cotton, in the dry conti-

Almaty, the capital, is treated by mechanical and biological nental climate of Central Asia is a challenge. Irrigation is

means, and then piped to the Sorbulak Collector, a natural, essential if crops are to generate an economic yield, but irri-

closed depression near the city. This reservoir (created to gation combined with high evaporation during the summer

store wastewater) now holds 1,022 million cubic meters of can increase soil salinity. ICARDA is investigating how inno-

water, forming a lake with a surface area of 62 square kilo- vative irrigation technology can improve the management of

meters. Investigations by scientists from ICARDA, in collab- soil and water resources while increasing economic output.

oration with the Kazakh Research Institute of Water Man- In the Arys-Turkestan region of south Kazakhstan, alter-

agement, indicate that this water would be sufficient to nate furrow irrigation—supplying every other furrow with

irrigate approximately 45,000 hectares of land. irrigation water—has been introduced on a large experi-

Good yields of crops, such as the Jerusalem artichoke and mental plot for comparison with traditional surface irriga-

Sudan grass, were obtained from land irrigated with the tion. Experiments indicate that alternate furrow irrigation,









18 CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

combined with the use of shallow groundwater, is more original forest vegetation and mosaics of agricultural areas

effective than traditional irrigation methods because it uses mixed with degraded forms of the original forest vegetation.

about half as much water as the traditional system and loses ■ The imagery also provides evidence that perennial grasses

two-thirds less in runoff, resulting in water savings and have disappeared almost entirely, except in some depres-

enhanced productivity. If this technology were applied to sion areas, where their presence may be linked with saline

the entire 60,000 hectares currently planted with cotton, not conditions. Whatever the winter/spring conditions of range,

only would the existing yield be maintained, but in addition the rangelands are largely composed of annual grasses.

a huge volume of water could be made available for irrigat- This is a form of degradation caused by overgrazing.

ing additional crops. ■ Wind erosion is evidenced by the presence of widespread

sand-sheets in the arid interior, particularly around the

NEW LAND-USE MAP eastward extension of the Palmyrenian range, where it

ICARDA has developed a revised land-use map of the Syr- covers a combined maximal width of 80 kilometers. This

ian Arab Republic for hydrological modeling, land-use plan- form of wind erosion can occur rapidly, and is probably

ning, and environmental monitoring in that country. The map linked to the absence of perennials on the steppe.

is based on the Syria Space Atlas, published by the General ■ Water erosion of a geological nature is obvious, particu-

Organization of Remote Sensing, Damascus. The classifica- larly in the bare areas around the Euphrates Valley, and is

tion used for the map incorporates elements of land cover as entirely natural even in the arid interior, which is criss-

well as land use. Some salient findings: crossed by large wadi systems and other seasonal

■ One-third of agriculture in Syria is under rainfed systems. drainage lines. Gully patterns that extend over the farm

Considering the semi-arid and arid conditions in the blocks indicate that, after the farms were abandoned,

country, this is a very high proportion of agriculture to the accelerated erosion took place.

total land area. Of the cultivated area, about 11,500 ■ Man-induced salinization cannot be observed directly on

square kilometers are irrigated. The very limited extent of the imagery but is inferred from anomalies in the land-use

forested or wooded areas (about 3 percent) is also striking. pattern. Large areas in the Euphrates Valley, especially

According to the satellite images, rangelands occupy only south of Deir-ez-Zor, are bare, while the canal infrastruc-

about 10 percent of the country. This is a major under- ture and field pattern typical of an intensive irrigation sys-

representation of the land that is used for grazing. Many tem, and a shortage of suitable land, can be clearly seen.

areas classified as “bare land” are in fact grazed, partic-

ularly in winter and spring. ICARDA collaborates closely with the Syrian national pro-

■ The imagery shows a clear vegetation degradation in the gram to develop technologies to prevent degradation and

coastal mountains. This is obvious from the intertwining of help rehabilitate land in these areas.





Distribution of major land-cover categories

in the Syrian Arab Republic



Cultivated areas Forests and

34.2% other wooded

areas 3.2%



Rangelands

9.4%



Urbanized areas 0.5%

Waterbodies

1.2%









Bare areas with or

without sparse cover 51.5%









RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS NOURISHING A PEACEFUL EARTH: THE CGIAR’S CONTRIBUTIONS 19

Reducing Poverty Through Fish Farming









roduction, management, and conservation of liv-





P ing aquatic resources such as fish must be

improved all over the world to ensure the food

security of present and future generations of peo-

ple in developing countries. Today, more than 1 billion peo-

ple rely on fish as a source of animal protein. This repre-

sents about 30 percent of the total protein intake for people

in Asia, 20 percent for people in Africa, and 10 percent for

people in Latin America. With their heavy reliance on fish

as a source of animal protein, people in developing coun-

tries will be hardest hit if fish stocks continue to be depleted pines. Each of these sites presented a different set of ecolog-

by heavy fishing pressure, erosion, industrialization, pollu- ical, biological, and sociological circumstances, highlighting

tion, reclamation, and accidental oil spills. the need to research and develop site-specific systems.



BALANCING FOOD SECURITY AND A BANGLADESH

HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT ICLARM’s work in Bangladesh has focused on the use of

Small-scale integrated aquaculture-agriculture (IAA) holds homestead ponds and ditches to enhance family nutrition,

promise for balancing food security and a healthy environ- income, and the status of women, all within the existing eco-

ment. The basic principle of IAA is to grow fish in bodies of nomic and social environment. For farmers with little access

water that are closely integrated into the resource flows of all to cash to adopt and integrate fish farming, it was necessary

the diverse activities on a farm. The aim is to convert agricul- to develop aquaculture practices that optimize the use of

tural waste and manure into high-quality fish protein, to use inexpensive, locally available resources, such as grasses

the nutrients generated in the pond as fertilizers for growing and weeds, as feed. Such practices would encourage farm-

plants on the farm, to reduce the need for off-farm inputs, and ers to incorporate fish-raising into their existing farming

to maximize the use of on-farm resources through recycling. systems without competing for resources with other farm

Integrating fish farming with any one—or a combination—of enterprises. Nearly 60,000 small farmers have already

these farm activities can improve a farm’s overall output. adopted newly developed, low-cost feeding methods.

ICLARM–The World Fish Center has created a partici- Many of these farmers are women who have been successful

patory research tool, RESTORE, for monitoring, evaluating, in raising fish in ponds and ditches near their homes.

and managing natural resources. ICLARM’s objective was not Extension agencies are spreading the techniques through-

simply to increase fish production, but also to rehabilitate out Bangladesh.

water resources and maximize the use of all on-farm

resources to increase income, food security, and the long-term GHANA

sustainability of the farm household. Moreover, ICLARM IAA was tested in a region characterized by destructive agri-

wished to establish procedures that farmers could use to cultural practices, denuded hill slopes, soil erosion, and low

make their own decisions about how best to integrate aqua- water availability in the dry season. Together, scientists,

culture and maximize resource use on their farms. extension workers, and farmers worked on a four-step

ICLARM has carried out research on the introduction of approach to introduce ponds and aquaculture on the farms,

IAA systems in Bangladesh, Ghana, Malawi, and the Philip- and to integrate whole-farm resource flows to maximize pro-







20 CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

ductivity. Researchers found that protein intake jumped from PHILIPPINES

60 percent of recommended levels to more than 120 percent In the Philippines integration of aquaculture with other on-

through the introduction of IAA components into traditional farm resource systems increased farmers’ net incomes from

farming practices. In addition, micronutrient intake from $350 to $750, biomass output from seven to eight tons per

vegetables increased by 60 percent. hectare, and the number of cultured and utilized species

(species diversity) from six to eleven.

M A L AW I ICLARM has led the way in IAA research with a strong

IAA farms in project areas in southern Malawi produce focus on improving adoption rates and the technology for

between 1,350 and 1,650 kilograms of fish per hectare per production. National and international development groups

year—much more than the average 900 kilograms per are now supporting the introduction of research aimed at the

hectare produced before the introduction of IAA. Economi- development of the individual small farmer at the grassroots

cally, IAA farms generate almost six times the value gener- level—research in which the farmer would participate. In

ated by the typical small farm. The integrated pond-veg- the future ICLARM will evaluate the relative merits and con-

etable garden of IAA farms generates, on average, 72 percent straints of IAA practices in traditional farming systems in a

of household income. The vegetable garden-pond resource wide range of settings in Asia and Africa. It will aim to bal-

system generates almost $14 per 100 square meters per ance on-farm participatory research with community-based

year; by contrast, the maize crop and homestead generate analyses of the general development of smallholder aquacul-

$1–2 per 100 square meters per year. ture to widely benefit low-income consumers.









The only way to achieve a higher rate of growth in these

countries is to engage the underutilized capacities of the

poor through broad-based rural development, centered on

growing agricultural production.

LENNART BÅGE

P R E S I D E N T, I N T E R N AT I O N A L F U N D

F O R A G R I C U LT U R A L D E V E L O P M E N T









RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS NOURISHING A PEACEFUL EARTH: THE CGIAR’S CONTRIBUTIONS 21

Trees, Climate Change, and Well-Being









lobal climate change is a phenomenon that





G threatens human development and environmen-

tal integrity. In the coming decades no single

human will remain unaffected by the world’s

changing climate. It will influence how we live, it will change

the way our surroundings look, and most importantly, it will

have a profound impact on how we feed ourselves.

To address the climate change phenomenon, the Inter-

Center Working Group on Climate Change (the Working

Group) was established in 1998, under the leadership of

the CGIAR’s International Centre for Research in

Agroforestry (ICRAF). In a report to its investors, the

Working Group concluded that global climate change is

intricately linked with CGIAR’s goals of food security,

poverty alleviation, and environmental protection.



CLIMATE CHANGE AND for higher yields and better tolerance of abiotic and biotic

DEVELOPING COUNTRIES stresses; protecting in situ biodiversity; and developing

The impacts of global warming on developing-country crops, approaches to cope with greater climatic variability and

livestock, forestry, and fisheries are projected to be of enor- increased frequency of extreme weather events.

mous significance to the well-being of people in the coming

decades. The Working Group’s aim, therefore, is to develop A G R O F O R E S T R Y, FOOD S E C U R I T Y, AND

a proactive and coherent response to the challenges posed by POVERTY REDUCTION

climate change, and to refocus agricultural research capac- Agroforestry is one set of practices being developed at

ity within the CGIAR. ICRAF and other CGIAR Centers which can play a role in

CGIAR’s climate change research agenda encompasses both mitigation and adaptation. Agroforestry—the planting

two sets of strategies: those to mitigate the accumulation of of trees on farms and in the rural landscape—can increase

greenhouse gases, and those to adapt to the consequences of the resilience of farming systems and can sequester signifi-

climate change. cant amounts of carbon. In most smallholder farming systems

Among the mitigation strategies are increasing carbon in the tropics land clearing and continuous cultivation

stocks in agroecosystems; improving nitrogen-use efficiency decrease soil carbon storage and soil fertility. Agroforestry

and reducing nitrous oxide emissions; improving water-use practices can help reverse this situation.

efficiency; and promoting increased carbon sequestration Many agroforestry systems use fast-growing, nitrogen-fix-

through improved management of croplands, forests, and ing trees to restore soil fertility and improve the soil’s phys-

grazing lands. ical properties. A major part of this soil restoration process

The adaptation strategies include increasing the adaptive involves recovery of organic-based nutrient cycles through

capability of crops, livestock, tree species, and their hus- replenishment of soil organic matter, about half of which is

bandry under changing climatic conditions; pursuing inte- carbon. The transformation of low-productivity croplands

grated genetic resource management to enhance germplasm into productive farmland helps to increase crop yields for







22 CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

local farmers and removes carbon from the atmosphere. grasslands to agroforestry has by far the best potential to soak

When land becomes more productive, farmers can shift to up atmospheric carbon.

high-value tree or vegetable crops, and poverty is reduced. Trees in natural forests only soak up carbon when they are

Thus, agroforestry can play an important role in increasing growing. Since mature forests release as much CO2 through

food security and poverty alleviation. At the same time, by respiration as they absorb through photosynthesis, they do

increasing carbon stores above ground in trees on farms and not remove additional CO2 from the atmosphere.

below ground in soil organic matter, agroforestry produces Although preventing deforestation stops release of stored

global benefits. It withdraws carbon dioxide (CO2) from the carbon, it does not decrease the amount of CO2 in the atmos-

atmosphere, where the gas contributes to global warming, phere. Planting in managed agroforestry systems accom-

and stores it in agroecosystems, where it contributes to their plishes both tasks.

sustainability. The IPCC report estimates that during one year worldwide,

Significant evidence, compiled by the United well-managed, no-till croplands can sequester 125 megatons

Nations–sponsored Intergovernmental Panel on Climate of carbon; grazing land, 240 megatons; newly planted and

Change (IPCC), now shows that some agroforestry systems regrowing forests, between 197 and 584 megatons; and agro-

may sequester (or trap) three times more carbon from atmos- forestry systems, 390 megatons. By contrast, according to the

pheric CO2 than the same areas of croplands and grasslands report, the current rate of deforestation releases 1,788 mega-

sequester, and at least 60 percent as much as a similar area tons of carbon into the atmosphere annually.

of newly planted and regrowing forests sequesters. The bottom line is that agroforestry is an outstanding land-

Land Use, Land-Use Change, and Forestry, an IPCC spe- use system with potential for both carbon sequestration,

cial report released in May 2000, offers new estimates of just which mitigates global climate change, and poverty reduction.

how much carbon With agreement in July 2001 on the definitions within the

is stored in vari- Kyoto Protocol for forest aforestation, reforestation, and

ous land-use sys- deforestation, the way is now clear for developing countries

tems. It indicates to benefit from dispersed but collectively substantive rural

that conversion tree planting. Agroforestry is a solution that shows that small-

of unproductive scale farmers can think and act locally, and at the same time

croplands and provide a positive effect globally.









RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS NOURISHING A PEACEFUL EARTH: THE CGIAR’S CONTRIBUTIONS 23

Changing Gray to Green









he dry tropics represent one of the world’s





T harshest ecological zones, where food produc-

tion is a risky enterprise. The region is home to

hundreds of millions of poor Africans and

Asians. Most of the poor are in South Asia, where the pop-

ulation is expected to increase by about 1.4 billion during

the 1990–2020 period.

Sometimes the dry tropics are called “gray areas”

because their thirsty soils look dry and dusty. Low soil fer-

tility is a critical constraint across most of the dry tropics—

dry areas produce less vegetation and the high temperatures

found in these climates promote oxidation, creating soils

that are low in organic matter.



SOLUTIONS ARE AT HAND

The International Crops Research Institute for the

Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) is working to find ways in

which the output of the dryland tropics can be maximized, niques to increase crop yields can be developed while min-

thus reducing poverty and encouraging the rural inhabitants imizing environmental impacts. Innovations such as these

to remain on the land. Recent research at ICRISAT are helping to change the landscape of the dry tropics from

has shown how an integrated systems approach can make gray to green.

better use of water, how additional crops can be fit into Across Niger, 20 pilot sites are making the color transi-

the short growing season, and how pest management tech- tion. In Niger, millet yields have declined almost 3 percent

annually since the mid-1980s, even though the area culti-

vated has doubled. This change is a sure sign of overfarm-

Hunger would not be a constant ing, a frequent problem in semi-arid areas. For those who

companion to more than 800 inhabit the region, millet—the world’s most drought-toler-

ant cereal crop—means the difference between survival

million people around the and starvation.

world if the natural resources

GAINS ARE IMPRESSIVE

their communities have relied Though applying fertilizer in dry areas might appear coun-

upon for centuries were not terintuitive, new research has shown that in the proper

amounts fertilizer actually hastens crop maturity and stimu-

being destroyed. lates root growth, increasing the yield and quality of millet.

Using a commonly found object—a soda bottle cap—farmers

M O H A M E D T. E L - A S H R Y drop a dose of six grams of fertilizer into a planting hole with

CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER,

G L O B A L E N V I R O N M E N TA L FA C I L I T Y

the seed. This technique, tested on 5,000 small farms, has

increased yields by 50 to 100 percent.







24 CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

ICRISAT’s partners in the millet fertilization initiative are ers’ perceptions and behavior are assessed using simple,

the University of Hohenheim (Germany), the International clear, ranking criteria identified in interviews. Farmers are

Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), the National Agricul- excited about this creative new approach. As one described

tural Research Institute of Niger (INRAN), the FAO, and a it, “Groundnuts doubled-up [intercropped] with pigeonpea is

number of NGOs. my new basal fertilizer. I grow them before my maize crop and

Declining soil fertility is also a problem in southern Africa. I get a strong crop. I only have to apply a small amount of

ICRISAT and its partners are working together closely in urea as a side dress.”

Botswana, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and Malawi to A sophisticated computer simulation tool is also making a

meet the challenges through imaginative new approaches. contribution to development in the dryland tropics. National

research teams in Africa and Asia are field-testing the Agri-

NEW PARTNERSHIPS MAKE cultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM), which was

THE DIFFERENCE developed in partnership with Australia. APSIM weighs

NARS/ICRISAT research teams are working with 300 farm- tradeoffs in given scenarios for production of various crops. It

ers in villages representing the five major agroecosystems in convinced one collaborating research team to test extra weed-

Malawi. Researchers explain to farmers, most of whom are ing as a way to enhance crops’ response to fertilizer. It con-

women, that the trials are organized like mothers and babies. vinced another team to test the application to sorghum of

The “mother trials” are larger and involve more factors than nitrogen fertilizer at low rates. In Tamil Nadu, India, APSIM

the “baby trials”: they are designed and managed by helped convince farmers to try alternative sowing dates and

researchers to gather benchmark information for rigorous more efficient water management for groundnut.

analysis. The baby trials, managed by farmers themselves, An integrated approach to soil-water-nutrient interactions—

are geared to serve farmers’ immediate interests: the testing one including the participation of local farmers and the use of

of just a few practical, high-impact options in which the technological innovations and experimental agricultural tech-

farmers have an interest. A typical village participating in niques—is imperative. ICRISAT is promoting such an

the trials may have one mother trial with 20 baby trials. approach. Its research is helping to change the landscape from

Biological and socioeconomic data, including profitability gray to green, making agriculture a viable enterprise for mil-

and cost-benefit ratios, are collected. Most importantly, farm- lions and improving the management of natural resources.









RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS NOURISHING A PEACEFUL EARTH: THE CGIAR’S CONTRIBUTIONS 25

Sustainable Food Security in Africa









illions of Africans are ravaged by chronic





M hunger and malnutrition. For the past several

decades, food production in the region has

failed to keep pace with population growth. In

1998 an estimated 50 percent of people in Sub-Saharan

Africa were undernourished, and in the absence of major

changes, this share is projected to rise in the years ahead.

Researchers at the CGIAR’s International Food Policy

Research Institute (IFPRI) are working to identify the

policies and strategies that will lead to sustainable food

security for Africa. IFPRI’s work takes place on many fronts,

since sustainable food security is a complex goal that

requires multidimensional solutions.



FOOD SECURITY IS A COMPLEX GOAL

Because most people in Sub-Saharan Africa derive their

livelihood from agriculture, achieving sustainable food secu-

rity for all Africans requires strengthening the agricultural

sector and reversing the degradation of the natural resources

upon which agriculture depends. IFPRI researchers study, management practices require long-term investments, and

for instance, how countries can sustainably intensify agricul- farmers will make these investments only if they have suffi-

ture on less-favored lands—that is, lands that suffer from dif- ciently secure and long-term rights to their land so that they

ficult agroclimatic conditions such as poor soils and low rain- know they will reap the benefits of their investment. In addi-

fall, or that are inadequately linked to infrastructure and tion, many natural resource management practices require

services such as irrigation, roads, markets, and health cen- farmers and communities to work together to manage

ters. These conditions affect many parts of Africa, including resources. IFPRI research in Africa and elsewhere high-

the semi-arid lands of West and North Africa, and the high- lights the importance of property rights and collective action

lands of East Africa, where IFPRI studies community expe- institutions for natural resource management, and shows

riences in finding successful or unsuccessful development how different types of institutions—such as individualized

pathways, and where it creates bioeconomic models of water- property rights as opposed to common property rights—

sheds and communities to simulate the consequences of affect the livelihoods of people engaged in small-scale farm-

alternative policies and technologies. This research is help- ing and pastoral activities.

ing policymakers at local, national, and international levels

set priorities for investments in less-favored areas. STRONG, EFFICIENT AGRICULTURAL

Why don’t African farmers more commonly adopt new MARKETS ARE ESSENTIAL

technologies and natural resource management practices Sustainable food security in Africa will require the develop-

that will help reduce environmental degradation? One ment of private, efficient, and competitive agricultural mar-

important reason may be lack of property rights and collec- kets. Despite more than a decade of market reform and lib-

tive action institutions. Many improved natural resource eralization efforts in Africa, such markets are still lacking in







26 CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

many countries. IFPRI conducts research aimed at identify-

ing how governments can best contribute to the development

of the institutions necessary for promoting agricultural mar- Pinstrup-Andersen

kets and rural income growth. Such institutions include mar- 2001 World Food Prize Laureate

ket-related institutions such as cooperatives and farmers’

and traders’ associations; infrastructural institutions such as Per Pinstrup-Andersen, Director General of IFPRI, is

roads, communication networks, and storage facilities; regu- the 2001 World Food Prize Laureate. The prize was

latory institutions such as laws on market conduct and conceived by Nobel Prize winner Norman Borlaug

enforcement of contracts; and governmental and political as the equivalent of a Nobel Prize for food. This

institutions that can monitor the emergence of markets and award recognizes a lifetime of achievements in food

support their development. policy research to help poor and malnourished peo-

Strong and efficient markets for agricultural goods are ple in developing countries. For nearly a decade,

essential to a strategy of agricultural diversification, in which Pinstrup-Andersen has led IFPRI to become the

farmers expand the range of agricultural goods they produce, world’s leading think tank on hunger and food pol-

including high-value crops that can earn them more income. icy issues. He was cited for having led research

Researchers at IFPRI have conducted extensive studies on efforts that enabled the governments of several devel-

how marketing policies and public investments can encourage oping countries to transform their food policies, thus

farmers in African countries to invest in growing high-value dramatically increasing the amount of food available

exportable crops. Their findings should help these countries to their poorest people. He has also been the driving

integrate poor households into profitable markets for their force in pressing forward IFPRI’s 2020 Vision Initia-

high-value products, promote agricultural exports, and raise tive, a global effort to move food security issues to

overall employment and income growth in rural areas. the forefront of the international agenda.





FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL POLICIES

MUST BE REALISTIC

To be successful and sustainable, food and agricultural poli- increased maize production from hybrid maize across Africa,

cies must also take into account the reality of how males and increased cassava production from virus-resistant cassava,

females within households interact and allocate their rice and cotton production in West Africa, and horticultural

resources. Other work at IFPRI is designed to generate infor- exports in Kenya.

mation to help develop policies, programs, and projects that In addition to research on appropriate policies, sustainable

perform well at improving food security precisely because food security also requires collaboration with local

they are based on an understanding of these processes. For researchers and policy analysts to help set priorities and

instance, how has the evolution of women’s land rights in build national research institutions. IFPRI therefore works

Ghana affected the planting of trees and the yields obtained closely with African colleagues on ways to improve the liveli-

in agroforestry? How have social networks of families and hoods of the poor. IFPRI’s 2020 Vision Network for East

friends in South Africa helped households cope with periods Africa helps achieve these goals at the regional level, by

of economic hardship? IFPRI research is addressing these linking national and regional organizations for the purpose of

and many other questions. achieving sustainable growth and reducing poverty. The Net-

To help map a path to sustainable food security for Africa, work promotes informed dialogue, trains researchers, and

IFPRI is also undertaking a broad examination of past suc- builds institutional capacities to design effective policies.

cesses in African agriculture. By looking at cases in which a These wide-ranging activities should help African

significant, durable, change in agriculture has raised researchers, policymakers, and donors achieve a greater con-

incomes for rural people, or has improved environmental sensus on strategies for accelerating agricultural growth in

quality, researchers can begin to identify the factors that con- the future and identify research priorities for IFPRI and other

tribute to such successes. Their case studies include the CGIAR-supported Centers that work in Africa.









RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS NOURISHING A PEACEFUL EARTH: THE CGIAR’S CONTRIBUTIONS 27

Integrated Pest Management for a

Healthier Environment









emographic pressures, increasing food demands, experiments and





D and rising pestilence are major agricultural

challenges. Integrated pest management (IPM)

offers new opportunities for resource-limited

farmers to address the age-old problem of pest attacks. By

using IPM strategies, farmers can maintain and sustain high

promote under-

standing of the

pest problems

under investiga-

tion. Lead farm-

agricultural productivity in environmentally benign ways. ers and field

The Systemwide Program on IPM (SP-IPM) reflects the staff educate

CGIAR’s recognition of the need to do something radically dif- cluster farmers

ferent if IPM is to improve rural livelihoods and increase food about the sci-

security. SP-IPM is a global network of CGIAR-supported Cen- ence underlying

ters and other international agricultural research partners, the IPM options

IPM development agencies, NGOs, and the private crop-pro- that the farmers

tection industry. It is coordinated by the CGIAR’s Interna- are testing. This

tional Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). The net- interaction cre-

work’s objectives are to encourage IPM-related consultative ates opportunities for the farmers to choose from an array of

partnerships; enhance coordination of activities to develop options to meet their needs.

effective IPM strategies; and increase awareness to promote

greater adoption of IPM strategies for sustainable agriculture. PEST CONSTRAINTS

In dry savannah and Sahel sites in Sub-Saharan Africa, par-

SEEKING SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS ticipants agree that Striga (a parasitic weed), stemborers,

Scientists are convinced that a participatory approach to and poor soil fertility wreak serious havoc in cereal-based

research on sustainable options to meet growing food cropping systems. In the Arab Republic of Egypt and

demands will increase the usefulness of that research. In Morocco, the major constraints are Orobanche (a parasitic

2000 SP-IPM took that approach by introducing IPM at pilot weed) in faba bean, Hessian fly (Mayetiola destructor) in

sites as part of its strategy to increase understanding and bread wheat, the fungal disease Ascochyta blight, and leaf

adoption of IPM and to help participating organizations gain miners (Liriomyza cicerena) in chickpea. Traditional meth-

experience in building effective farmer-scientist-extension ods of pest control are ineffective against these particular

(FSE) partnerships. pests, but research conducted by several institutes has sug-

gested some promising methods of control.

APPROACH

At each pilot site, FSE teams analyze production problems, ACHIEVEMENTS

identify farmers’ coping strategies, and decide which In Kenya, pilot-site farmers are fighting Striga and stem-

researcher-recommended IPM options to evaluate. Lead borers by combining Striga-tolerant maize variety KSTP-94

farmers select one or more of these options to test on their (from the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute) with the

farms, in collaboration with neighboring farmers. A pilot site fodder legume Desmodium in an intercropping and habitat

therefore encompasses land on which different sets of exper- management system that includes the use of Napier grass (a

iments are undertaken. Pilot-site technicians and extension system developed by the International Center of Insect

agents are trained in field plot techniques to facilitate these Physiology and Ecology). The Centre for Agriculture and







28 CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

Biosciences International (U.K.—CABI)–Africa Regional Research Center, have increased their yields of faba bean by

Centre, the Kenya national extension service, and the NGO 60 percent compared with the yields of non-pilot-site farm-

CARE guide the training of farmers in the use of this sys- ers. The pilot-site farmers combined the growth of varieties

tem. CIMMYT leads assessment of the impact of this sys- Giza 429 and Giza 83 (tolerant to Orobanche) with improved

tem, in which Desmodium suppresses Striga and improves agronomic practices.

soil fertility while Napier grass traps stemborer moths. In central Morocco, farmers, working with extensionists

More than 100 pilot-site farmers have experienced a 20 and researchers from ICARDA and the Institut National

percent increase in de la Recherche Agronomique, are reversing previous

maize yields as a result losses in bread-wheat production by combining growth of a

of the system, and have wheat variety resistant to Hessian fly with improved agro-

a new market opportu- nomic practices.

nity for sale of Desmod-

ium and Napier grass. A POSITIVE OUTLOOK

In Nigeria, 58 farmers Achievements at the IPM pilot sites are attracting the atten-

are learning how to bet- tion of policymakers. In Morocco, a pilot-site visit led by the

ter manage weeds and Minister of Agriculture was a prelude to the undertaking of

simultaneously improve IPM activities nationally. In Egypt, pilot-site results have

soil fertility by combin- strengthened farmers’ confidence in the viability of faba bean

ing Striga-tolerant cereal production. In Nigeria and Kenya farmers’ field days have

varieties with Striga-suppressing grain legumes in cropping publicized the benefits of IPM.

systems proposed by IITA researchers. The farmers are work- IPM pilot sites will be needed in key agroecologies around

ing with IITA, national scientists of the Institute of Agricul- the tropical world to discover and promote “best-bet”

tural Research at Ahmadu Bello University, and the NGO IPM options. The major challenges for these sites will be

Sasakawa Global 2000 to test (1) development of nonchem-

cropping patterns in which the ical pest control and soil

open-pollinated maize variety Economic growth in all parts of management options; (2)

is intercropped with Striga- engagement of farmers in

suppressing varieties of soy- the world is essential to improve research to cost-effectively,

bean, groundnut, or cowpea. the livelihoods of the poor, to sus- quickly, and widely dissemi-

Compared with the traditional nate research results; and (3)

practice of growing one maize tain growing populations, and assessment of site-specific

crop after another, these crop- IPM impacts.

eventually to stabilize population

ping patterns have increased

suppression of the emergence levels. New technologies will be FUTURE SP-IPM

of Striga by 63 percent. Part- ACTIVITIES

needed to permit growth while SP-IPM task forces will

ners at the pilot site are partic-

ipating in a program to using … resources more efficiently explore opportunities to

develop IPM distance-learning enhance inter-Center collab-

materials under U. S. Agency

and producing less pollution. oration on the production and

for International Development regulation of biopesticides;

STEPHAN SCHMIDHEINY

(USAID) funding to Nigeria. FOUNDER, WORLD BUSINESS COUNCIL the incorporation of biotech-

In Egypt, Orobanche seri- O N S U S T A I N A B L E D E V E L O P M E N T nology/transgenic crops in

ously undermines faba bean IPM; and the development of

production. The area under IPM options to address prob-

faba bean in Beni Suef Governorate, for example, had lems associated with soil-biota, thrips, and pod borers in

declined from 17,600 hectares in 1991 to 800 in 2000, and chickpea, pigeon pea, and cowpea. In addition to broader

lack of pest control methods had caused total crop failures in awareness and adoption of the CGIAR’s IPM policy, SP-IPM

1992. Twenty pilot-site farmers, working with ICARDA and partners are successfully collaborating to bring their bur-

national researchers and extensionists from the Agricultural geoning ideas to fruition.









RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS NOURISHING A PEACEFUL EARTH: THE CGIAR’S CONTRIBUTIONS 29

Fever, Genes, and Malaria









esearchers at the CGIAR’s International Live-





R stock Research Institute (ILRI) in Kenya

have joined forces with The Institute for

Genomic Research (TIGR) to decode the DNA of

one of Africa’s most destructive cattle parasites—Theileria

parva (T. parva)—which causes the deadly disease East

Coast fever.

Transmitted by ticks, the single-celled parasite invades a

host animal’s white blood cells and induces the cells to

multiply like cancer cells. East Coast fever, which some

farmers combat with expensive anti-tick chemicals or

antibiotics, kills two cows every minute (an estimated one RESEARCHERS COLLABORATE TO FIND

million cows annually) and causes $200 million in annual B A D LY NEEDED CURES

losses in some of the poorest countries in Africa. It denies Once the T. parva parasite is decoded, researchers believe

poor farmers not only milk and meat, but also cash income they will be in a better position to understand the parasite

needed for school fees and medical care. Because the that causes malaria. The East Coast fever and malarial para-

absence of healthy cattle forces farmers to prepare their sites share certain basic features. Both are transmitted by

fields by hand, the disease is an especially heavy burden. blood-sucking animals, for example, and both invade a mam-

malian host cell rather than remain in the bloodstream.

EAST COAST FEVER D E VA S TAT E S Malaria, which scientists considered to be no longer a threat

AFRICAN LIVESTOCK some 40 years ago, is making an alarming comeback, espe-

The sequenced genome of T. parva will help scientists iden- cially in Sub-Saharan Africa. The World Health Organization

tify the genes that can be used to develop a new vaccine to (WHO) estimates that up to 300 million people a year are

protect cattle against the disease. ILRI and TIGR intend to stricken with the disease. Children suffer the vast majority of

place the information on the Internet, making it accessible to malaria-related deaths—about one million children died last

researchers working on closely related diseases—such as year alone.

malaria and sleeping sickness—that affect people as well as

livestock. HOPE FOR POOR AFRICAN FARMERS

Researchers familiar with the project say that decoding T. AND FOR HUMAN HEALTH

parva’s genetic structure will reduce the time needed to pro- Scientists also plan to use the parasite code to understand

duce a cost-effective vaccine by 10 years. A vaccine would cancer biology. When East Coast fever strikes, the cattle par-

inject up to $300 million annually into the economies of the asite instructs the cow’s cells to divide indefinitely. Knowl-

11 countries where the disease is widespread and where edge of the genes that the parasite uses to start this lethal cell

ILRI scientists estimate 24 million head of cattle are at risk division may shed light on the mechanisms that cause some

of contracting East Coast fever. The research should help human tumors to grow. Research on the East Coast fever par-

immunologists identify parasite proteins for development of a asite has already led to the identification of a previously

vaccine. Over the longer term, the research may also assist unknown mechanism that causes leukemia in mice.

researchers working to develop a vaccine against malaria and The TIGR-ILRI collaboration is a good example of how

improve science’s understanding of human cancers. creative public-private partnerships can catalyze modern







30 CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

science for the benefit of the poor. Although malaria kills 2.7 ences are at the brink of a revolution, entering the most cre-

million people a year, research on a cure has been notori- ative phase in human history. Whole genomes of diverse

ously under-funded. Because malaria is a tropical disease, organisms—from the microbe that causes influenza to the

drug companies have no incentive to make the sizeable fruit fly and the humble mouse—have been sequenced. The

investment necessary to develop a vaccine. The new East idea that African cattle and this tiny parasite may help in the

Coast fever control methods arising from the TIGR-ILRI search for a malaria cure or unlock the mysteries of cancer

research not only will contribute to rolling back malaria, but is a powerful reminder that we must grasp the opportunities

also will lead to a better grasp of the molecular basis of offered by new science. Hope for poor African farmers and

human cancers, especially leukemia. for human health are compelling reasons to increase public

Modern science is expensive and remains well beyond the investment in scientific partnerships. There is no mistaking

reach of most people in the world’s poorest countries. Yet the lessons to be learned from the TIGR-ILRI partnership.

creative partnerships could enable the benefits of modern Without similar partnerships, the enormous potential

science to reach the poor through more nutritious food and spillover benefits from scientific breakthroughs such as the

better health care for themselves and their livestock. Sci- human genome project could never be captured for human-

ence is advancing at a breathtaking pace. Biological sci- ity’s benefit.









Africa’s gross domestic product

(GDP) would probably be about

$100 billion higher now if

malaria had been tackled 30

years ago, when effective control

measures first became available.

GRO HARLEM BRUNDTLAND

D I R E C T O R - G E N E R A L , W O R L D H E A LT H

O R G A N I Z AT I O N









RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS NOURISHING A PEACEFUL EARTH: THE CGIAR’S CONTRIBUTIONS 31

Farming for Biodiversity









n-farm conservation is generally used to





O describe a process by which farmers maintain

the traditional crop varieties that they have

developed and that they continue to manage

and improve. During the past several years, the CGIAR’s

International Plant Genetic Resources Institute

(IPGRI) has evolved an approach to on-farm conservation household, market, and seed system surveys; field trials on

that encompasses the entire agricultural and environmental stations and farms; and genetic diversity measurements in

system occupied by the farm and that includes both immedi- the field and in laboratories.

ately useful species (such as cultivated crops, forages, and Although the actual approach to crop diversity manage-

agroforestry species) and their wild and weedy relatives. ment tends to be site-specific, research methods have a more

Special techniques are needed to make full use of farmers’ widespread application. The creation of strong institutional

knowledge, which is unique in its relation to knowledge held linkages among countries and with international organiza-

by the community, the ways and reasons that it changes over tions is an important goal of the IPGRI project. These link-

time, and the ethical issues involved in its collection and ages allow partners from different regions of the world to

analysis. IPGRI promotes an approach that ensures that exchange knowledge and experience, helping them to further

farmers are fully and actively involved in the research develop and define their research methods.

process. This approach requires an understanding of the The employment of empirical—including participatory—

environmental, biological, cultural, and socioeconomic fac- approaches has yielded a wealth of information on local

tors influencing a farmer’s decision to select, maintain, or social-cultural, economic, and agroecological conditions in

discard a particular crop variety. As a result, the approach the partner countries, as well as on farmers’ crop and seed

has implications not only for the conservation of plant genetic management practices and the characteristics and origins of

diversity, but also for ecosystem health, human well-being, farmers’ preferred varieties. The key actors in on-farm con-

and the reinforcement of cultural values. servation are better understood now, as is the use of agricul-

tural biodiversity, and the specific roles of particular gender,

MAKING FULL USE OF age, and ethnic groups.

FARMERS’ KNOWLEDGE

IPGRI is working with rural communities, researchers, IDENTIFYING THE BEST

processors, and marketing agents in nine countries to develop C O N S E RVAT I O N STRATEGIES

and refine participatory methods to collect, analyze, and use The information links farmers’ selection and maintenance of

the most critical information on conservation of on-farm crop landraces to measures of genetic diversity. In addition to

genetic resources. Key questions concern the amount and helping us to better understand the structure of agricultural

distribution of agricultural biodiversity maintained on farms, biodiversity and the forces, human and otherwise, that act on

the processes (human and natural) involved in maintaining it, such information can be used to identify the best conser-

this diversity, and the characteristics (such as rich, poor, vation strategies for particular areas and crops. Analysis of

male, or female) of the people involved in these processes. the information suggests uses of local crop genetic resources

Participatory methods for gathering information include that could improve ecosystem health and accelerate discov-

interviews, focus group discussions, spatial mapping, matrix ery of factors limiting the maintenance of local on-farm crop

ranking, and transects. This information is supplemented by diversity. Moreover, the information helps breeders to







32 CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

improve varieties for marginal environments and to link

breeding efforts with farmers’ needs. Sample Research Findings

In 2000, IPGRI published A Training Guide for In Situ

Conservation On-Farm. The guide was written to provide ■ Farming system practices were shown to improve

national programs with the basic skills and tools to build the the productivity of local crop varieties. In Jumla,

institutional capacities and partnerships needed to imple- Nepal, farmers re-route cold water from high

ment an on-farm conservation program. It draws heavily on mountain streams to be warmed by the sun before

knowledge gained through development and testing of irrigating their rice crops; the warmed water

research methodologies in partner countries. The guide cov- induces flowering, thus enabling timely maturation

ers disciplines ranging from genetics to ecology to anthropol- and harvesting of the crop.

ogy, and topics such as sampling, data analysis, and partici-

patory methods. It includes an extensive bibliography. The ■ In Mexico, the turnover of the early maturing vari-

guide will be produced in multiple languages. eties of maize, which are sown in small areas, is

The impact of the IPGRI project has already been sub- high; by contrast, the late-maturing varieties tend

stantial. The project helped put on-farm conservation onto to be conserved for many years. This finding sug-

the national policy planning agendas in Burkina Faso, Viet- gests the need for policy that could support infor-

nam, Morocco, and Nepal. It has sensitized national institu- mal seed systems.

tions, local communities, and consumers to the value of local

crop varieties in all of the participating countries. The part- ■ In parts of Morocco, farmers sometimes call all

ners are searching for new market outlets for these varieties. local varieties of barley by a single name, even

The project has also made agricultural extension workers though they clearly distinguish and manage

understand that local crop resources are a worthwhile addi- differently subunits of this “named variety.”

tion to modern variety packages. Finally, the project has These farmer-managed “units” are distinguished

begun to increase gender awareness in national in situ con- by a set of traits rather than by separate names.

servation programs and to create a push to increase the num- The global project team calls them “farmers’ units

ber of women participating in decisionmaking, training, and of diversity.” The team is using the concept to

data collection. enhance the value of genetic resources to benefit

farming communities.





On-farm conservation can:



■ Maintain the processes of evolution and adap-

On-farm Project Partners

tation of crops to their environments

■ Conserve agricultural biodiversity at the ecosys-

■ Burkina Faso

tem, species, and intra-species levels

■ Ethiopia

■ Ensure that farmers’ efforts are an integral part

of national plant genetic resources systems ■ Hungary



■ Conserve ecosystem services critical to the func- ■ Mexico



tioning of the earth’s life-support system ■ Morocco

■ Improve the livelihood of resource-poor farmers ■ Nepal

through economic and social development ■ Peru

■ Maintain or increase farmers’ control over and ■ Turkey

access to crop genetic resources ■ Vietnam









RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS NOURISHING A PEACEFUL EARTH: THE CGIAR’S CONTRIBUTIONS 33

Healthier Farms, Healthier Farmers









educing the use of pesticides has become an





R urgent issue in many rice-growing countries, and

the scientists at the CGIAR’s International Rice

Research Institute (IRRI) have developed

some unusual but extremely successful approaches to the

problem. They are working against a background of official

and scientific reports that continue to outline a horror story

of misuse, widespread sickness among farmers, and lax reg-

ulation and enforcement of regulatory controls.

The damage is being compounded by the fact that many

pesticides commonly available in Asia are classified by the

WHO as extremely hazardous, and are either banned or

severely restricted for use in the developed world.



FARMER EDUCATION IS CRITICAL

Repeated calls have been made for a tightening of regulatory

controls and increased farmer education and, these days,

these tend to be based on economic issues, rather than on the

more obvious environmental costs of pesticide use.

For instance, a report prepared for the Institute of Agri-

cultural Economics in Hanover, Germany, estimates that

nearly 40,000 farmers in Thailand suffer from various parency for users and monitoring and control by government

degrees of pesticide poisoning every year, and that their agencies nearly impossible.

associated health costs amount to more than $300,000. It The effects on the Thai environment are equally dramatic.

goes on to estimate that the external costs of pesticide use Studies have shown that there are pesticide residues in more

in Thailand, including health, monitoring, research, regula- than 90 percent of samples taken of soil, river sediment, fish,

tion, and extension amount to as much as $127.7 million and shellfish. Seventy-three percent of tangerines tested in

per year. one survey contained pesticide residues, and more than a

A similar report called The Impact of Pesticides on Farmer third of all vegetables were contaminated with organophos-

Health: A Medical and Economic Analysis in the Philippines phorus insecticides.

claims that the value of crops lost to pests is invariably lower

than the cost of treating diseases caused by pesticides. It A NEW APPROACH TO

says that the health costs incurred by farmers exposed to pes- PEST MANAGEMENT

ticides are 61 percent higher than those of farmers who are Against this backdrop, an IRRI team is helping to introduce

not exposed. to Thailand an education program that has already proven

The Thai report details the proliferation of trade names very successful in Vietnam. As in Vietnam, the new Thailand

used there in marketing agricultural chemicals. One chemi- campaign will involve cartoon characters, billboards, infor-

cal is marketed under 296 different trade names, another mation handouts, and, most importantly, brief and humorous

under 274, and, as the report points out, this makes trans- radio programs. Local actors will play out a series of brief







34 CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

Golden Rice and the Promise of Research



Rice is a staple food for half the world’s population. There-

fore, the news that a new rice—Golden Rice—was devel-

oped by Swiss researchers sparked banner headlines.

Rich in beta carotene (the precursor of Vitamin A) and

other carotenoids, the new rice could be more effective in

combating Vitamin A deficiency, a condition estimated to

cause half a million cases of irreversible blindness, and

up to one million deaths, worldwide every year.



IRRI scientists have now embarked on a major effort to

investigate the safety and efficacy of the new rice.

Although the work could be tagged “high science,” the

IRRI effort began by going back to the basics: seeking a

better understanding of the relationship between plants

and their environment, exploring which areas in Asia

need a Vitamin A dietary boost, and gaining in-depth

comedies, using rustic situations and solid scientific facts, to knowledge about the natural, social, and commercial

make their audience laugh. The basic premise is that farm- environments in which rice is grown.

ers’ perceptions, rather than economic rationale, are used in

most pest management decisions. IRRI researchers chose BR29, a rice variety that is pop-

“We want to motivate farmers to think of the benefits of not ular and agronomically well-adapted in Bangladesh. It

using pesticides,” says IRRI entomologist Dr. K. L. Heong. symbolizes a triple win: farmers, consumers, and the

“Most of the farmers in the project area spray their rice crops market are happy with it. IRRI’s thorough knowledge of

three or four times. In fact, some of them are not even using this variety will come in handy when scientists attempt to

insecticides against insects. They’re using them to kill snails, engineer the BR29 with the new beta-carotene pathway,

because they believe they’ve got no other option. Pesticide and thoroughly analyze the outcome of the genetic mod-

use is regarded as a big problem in the Thai countryside. We ification, ensuring that nothing else has changed. The

are trying to reduce it by one half.” pathway for producing beta carotene already exists in

Dr. Heong will be helping local researchers to develop the the rice plant. IRRI scientists are hoping to meet the chal-

antipesticide campaign. It will be centered on the town of lenge of redirecting the pathway to accumulate beta

Singburi, north of Bangkok, in Thailand’s famous “central carotene in the rice seeds of BR29, IR64, and other pop-

rice bowl.” ular rice cultivars. Later, they would like to enrich the plant

further by boosting its iron, zinc, and protein content.



The challenge before us is to find “Safety concerns are paramount,” says Swapan Datta,

ways to meet the needs of human an IRRI scientist who is leading the research effort.

“The eyes of the world are watching, and IRRI has a

development while protecting fundamental responsibility to ensure that the best of sci-

the ecosystems that are the ence is marshaled to serve the food, nutrition, and

income needs of millions of poor rice farmers all over

foundation of all life. the world.”



JONATHAN LASH

This research is a public-private partnership that offers

P R E S I D E N T, W O R L D R E S O U R C E S I N S T I T U T E

one potential solution to the problem of Vitamin A defi-

ciency. Through their work, and an unremitting commit-

ment to achieving the highest biosafety standards, IRRI

scientists hope to be able to deliver on the promise

offered by Golden Rice.









RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS NOURISHING A PEACEFUL EARTH: THE CGIAR’S CONTRIBUTIONS 35

The Power of Partnerships









PARTNERSHIPS

he contributions of CGIAR scientists to increas-





T ing the productivity of the world’s staple food

crops are remarkable. Through partnerships,

those contributions can be equitably distributed.

The partnership of the CGIAR’s International Service

for National Agricultural Research (ISNAR) with

national agricultural research centers to provide support for

countrywide programs is an example of successful collabo-

ration. In 1988 ISNAR began supporting capacity building

for agricultural research in Uganda. It helped create the making an enabling disclosure. By holding the intellectual

National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO), a property rights, Centers can provide assured access to out-

semi-autonomous agency. puts developed by Center staff. With laws, regulations, and

ISNAR lent assistance in a sweeping program to practice in intellectual property changing rapidly in both

strengthen research planning, budgeting, monitoring and industrialized and developing countries, agricultural

evaluation, management information systems, and human researchers must fully understand and manage intellectual

resource development. The program is now entering its sec- property issues.

ond phase with a new strategy and midterm plan designed to A number of Centers, including CIAT, CIMMYT, CIP ,

help modernize the country’s agricultural sector. Revitalizing ICLARM, ICRISAT, IITA, ILRI, IPGRI, IRRI, and WARDA,

agricultural support services is imperative if food security is to have for many years been involved in acquiring, developing,

be safeguarded as Uganda recovers from years of civil strife. and using proprietary technologies—and at least four Cen-

ISNAR played a lead role in formulating NARO’s first ters have even initiated statutory protection for their techno-

strategy, but NARO now has the strength to act on its own. logical developments. Too often managers at the Centers have

NARO has generated new crop varieties, agronomic recom- had to “learn by doing,” in a vacuum, a resource-expensive

mendations, and new tools and methods for postharvest pro- approach. The implications of research diffusion will be

cessing. In the area of aquaculture, it developed technologies greatly enhanced if scientists are aware of the intellectual

for fishing gear and pond management. And in the area of property issues concerning their discoveries.

forestry, it developed forest management methods and fast- The mission of CAS is to provide and facilitate delivery of

growing tree species. Particularly successful have been high- expert advice on intellectual property issues to the Centers

yielding varieties of cassava, beans, potatoes, and maize, as and to enhance the exchange of knowledge and experience

well as weevils introduced in Lakes Kyoga and Victoria to regarding those issues. CAS assists Centers with coordina-

control water hyacinth. tion and implementation of invention identification and

reporting and advises Centers on the use of proprietary tech-

PROTECTING OUR DISCOVERIES nologies. Among other services, CAS maintains a register of

The Central Advisory Service on Intellectual Property (CAS), experts who can assist in patent and technology transfer

hosted by ISNAR, has been developed to address intellectual issues and produce Web-based and printed informational

property issues that many CGIAR-supported Centers face. In materials for workshops on intellectual property, proprietary

agricultural research, intellectual property enables an inven- technology rights, and technology transfer.

tor to hold exclusive, time-limited rights in exchange for Guided by an expert advisory group that includes CGIAR







36 CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

staff from four Centers, CAS is also linked to the Centers

through the Center Directors Committee. The Senior

Global Public

Research Officer is an observer at Genetic Resources Policy

Committee Meetings. Collaborators include the Queen Mary

Goods and Human

Intellectual Property Research Institute in Australia, British

Technology Group International Ltd., the International Union

Well-Being

for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants, the European

The benefits of CGIAR research—both

Patent Office, the World Intellectual Property Organization,

products and processes inherent in that

and other regional intellectual property or technology trans-

research—are “global public goods”

fer offices.

that are in the public domain and freely

available to all. This is especially signifi-

SHARING OUR KNOWLEDGE

cant given recent developments that are

ISNAR’s Global Associates Program forges lasting partner-

creating new opportunities for knowl-

ships in developing countries. Through the program, ISNAR

edge sharing and problem solving.

recruits national experts with sound knowledge about ways to

improve some aspect of research policy or management. These

Along with its research partners, the

experts remain in the employ of their own national institutes

CGIAR provides global public goods for

but work part-time with ISNAR on projects in other organiza-

poverty relief, sustainability, and environ-

tions and countries. Consequently, ISNAR associates acquire

mental protection. Some examples of

expertise and cross-country experience that they can use to

global public goods from the CGIAR are:

strengthen their own organizations. In 2000, ISNAR’s associ-

ates included 16 professionals from China, India, Pakistan,

■ NERICA (New Rice for Africa), a

the Philippines, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Swaziland, Brazil,

higher-yielding, drought-resistant, less

Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru. Half of the associates are women.

labor-intensive upland rice that com-

bines the best of African and Asian

varieties for use in Africa.



■ A vaccine being developed for East

Coast fever, a cattle disease that

causes losses of $200 million each

year in Africa. The vaccine promises

spillover benefits for malaria and can-

cer research.



■ Testing and evaluation of “Golden

Rice,” a rice rich in beta carotene

that can help to prevent Vitamin A

deficiency, an illness that is responsi-

ble for 500,000 cases of irreversible

blindness and up to one million

deaths each year.









RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS NOURISHING A PEACEFUL EARTH: THE CGIAR’S CONTRIBUTIONS 37

The Global Water Crisis









he food supply and livelihoods of nearly one-





T third of the earth’s population is at risk because

of increasing water scarcity. At the same time,

wetlands, other ecosystems, and the people and

animals who depend on them, are threatened by lack of

water. If we want to preserve the environment and ensure

food for the billions on this planet, we must find new and

better ways to manage water resources. led by 10 of the most influential organizations in irrigation,

The focus of the CGIAR’s International Water Manage- nature conservation, and rural development.

ment Institute (IWMI) over the The Dialogue’s objective is to

next five years is to contribute influence policymakers to encourage

research-based knowledge to meeting We need a blue better investments in water develop-

the global challenges of water revolution in agricul- ment infrastructure that support

scarcity, groundwater depletion, envi- countries’ food security requirements

ronmental degradation, malaria, and ture that will increase and preserve natural ecosystems for

the particular challenges of small- productivity and bring future generations. It will do this by

holder agriculture. It has become bringing to the debate a new body of

increasingly clear that the greatest more crop per drop. science-based information that will

impact comes from organizations help reach consensus on the water

working together to address a common KOFI ANNAN

needs for food and nature in the

S E C R E TA R Y- G E N E R A L ,

problem. In 2000, IWMI served as the U N I T E D N AT I O N S decades to come. This knowledge

catalyst for three major international base draws upon a series of inde-

initiatives: the Dialogue on Water, pendently run development and

Food and Environment; the Comprehensive Assessment of research activities that address the water-food-nature gap

Water Management in Agriculture; and the Systemwide Ini- from different perspectives.

tiative on Malaria and Agriculture.

These partnerships, which include CGIAR-supported Cen- H O W M U C H I R R I G A T I O N D O W E

ters and other leading organizations active in irrigation, R E A L L Y N E E D ?

nature conservation, and agriculture, allow IWMI to maxi- The CGIAR-supported Centers will make a significant con-

mize the value of previous work and get the most out of future tribution to the Dialogue’s knowledge base through the Com-

research. To these initiatives IWMI is bringing its energy, prehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture

expertise, and 18 years of experience in addressing water (the Comprehensive Assessment). This is a broadly based

and food security issues in developing countries across Asia, water resources and agricultural research initiative that is

Africa, and Latin America. investigating questions of water use in agriculture—from the

1950s until now.

WAT E R , F O O D , A N D E N V I R O N M E N T The overall aim of the Comprehensive Assessment is to

IWMI is a founding member and a catalyst behind the cre- create a new base of useful knowledge on all aspects of water

ation of the Dialogue on Water, Food and Environment (the management in agriculture, for donors and others investing

Dialogue)—an international policy and research coalition in water and agriculture solutions, and to help policymakers







38 CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

to create positive change. This knowledge base is largely

nonexistent today, yet it is urgently needed to help water From Research to Impact: Highlights from

stakeholders make the right water development choices to IWMI Achievements in 2000

help poor rural areas—for sustainable food production,

nature conservation, and people’s health. ■ The IWMI Policy Dialogue Model (PODIUM) was used

to explore potential impacts of the water and food

SYSTEMWIDE INITIATIVE ON MALARIA security scenarios developed for the Second World

AND AGRICULTURE Water Forum (2000). It was also used to generate dis-

IWMI is leading the CGIAR Systemwide Initiative on cussion in the eight regional dialogues held as a part

Malaria and Agriculture (SIMA). This research initiative is of the Vision 2025 exercise.

bringing together the agricultural research community,

malaria programs, NGOs, and governments in Africa and ■ IWMI’s draft report on Wells and Welfare in the

Asia to study water- and land-use practices across a range of Ganga Basin was used as the basis to modify a 1.5

crops and ecosystems. By better understanding this situation, billion Indian rupees scheme to promote small pumps

SIMA research will propose new ways to reduce malaria in for smallholder farmers in North Bihar, India.

high-risk areas.

For the past two decades, chemicals, pesticides and drugs ■ Pedaling out of Poverty: Social Impact of a Manual Irri-

have been the weapons of choice in the battle against gation Technology in South Asia (IWMI Research

malaria. As mosquitoes are becoming more resistant to pesti- Report 45) helped the NGO International Develop-

cides and many drugs are losing their effectiveness against ment Enterprises rethink the treadle pump–marketing

the malaria parasite, affected communities are ready for new strategy in Bangladesh and India.

approaches—ones that are cost-effective and that do not

■ South Africa’s Department of Water Affairs and

Forestry (DWAF) requested IWMI to review the

process of establishment of a Catchment Management

Agency in the Olifants River Basin. In addition to

assessing the water resources information and

resource management issues arising from the catch-

ment overview, IWMI advised on mechanisms for the

poor to participate meaningfully in consultation

processes for establishment of the Catchment Man-

agement Agency and on a future catchment manage-

ment strategy. In follow-up, DWAF and IWMI will col-

laborate on pilot testing the establishment of

small-scale water-user forums in the basin.



■ Due to the International Development Research Centre

(IDRC)–funded project “Agro-ecosystem Management

for Human Health in the Uda Walawe Irrigation

Scheme, Sri Lanka,” the concerns of nonagricultural

involve harmful pesticides. Building on research by IWMI users of irrigation water have been put on the agenda

and others, the initiative is developing a portfolio of better of the agencies that are implementing the expansion

water- and land-management practices that tackle malaria at of the area.

the source.

The current collaborating Centers in addition to IWMI ■ IWMI organized a study mission to Zambia and

include: the International Food Policy Research Institute, Kenya for South African professionals working with

The International Plant Genetic Resources Institute, the West smallholders. The mission evaluated low-cost irrigation

Africa Rice Development Association, and the International technologies (specifically, treadle pumps and low-

Centre for Research in Agroforestry. head drip irrigation technologies) currently being used

in these countries, for use in the South African context.









RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS NOURISHING A PEACEFUL EARTH: THE CGIAR’S CONTRIBUTIONS 39

The “Right” Rice for Africa









oday rice contributes more calories and protein





T than any other cereal in humid West Africa,

and about the same calories and protein as all

roots and tubers combined. Demand for rice is

growing faster in that region than anywhere else in the

world. In fact, the region now must import about half its

rice supply—about 3.5 million tons at a cost of almost $1

billion annually.

“Bintu” is typical of West Africa’s 20 million rice farm-

ers. She clears brush from new land, then plants rice seeds

of the Asian rice species that entered Africa about 450

years ago. But Asian rices, developed for high-input, irri-

gated farming, cannot compete with weeds, which soon

take over Bintu’s rain-fed farmland. So, after a crop or two,

she must clear more land. She would rather plant the tra-

ditional African rice that her ancestors grew. It has wide,

droopy leaves that smother weeds and has thrived in harsh

environments for 3,500 years. The African rice also toler-

ates drought, acid soils, and local pests—threats that would

decimate the Asian rices. But Bintu cannot plant her tradi- donors and direct involvement by the Rockefeller Founda-

tional African rice because it does not produce enough to tion, the United Nations Development Programme, the Japan

feed her family. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and major collaborators in the

Interspecific Hybridization Project, were crucial to the suc-

NEW RICE FOR AFRICA cess of the NERICA project.

For years, scientists have dreamed of combining the rugged-

ness of the African species with the productivity of the Asian A BOOST FOR WOMEN FARMERS

species. But the two are so different that attempts to cross Weeding—performed mostly by women and children—

them have failed…until now. Using a technique called accounts for 30 to 40 percent of all labor invested in a West

embryo-rescue, scientists from the CGIAR’s West Africa African rice crop. NERICA’s wide, droopy leaves, which

Rice Development Association (WARDA) have devel- smother weeds, not only reduce weeding, but also allow farm-

oped the new upland rice varieties, dubbed NERICAs (New ers to work a parcel of land longer than they would if the land

Rice for Africa), which, like their African parent, smother were planted with rices other than NERICAs. Consequently,

grain-robbing weeds and tolerate drought, pests, and prob- farmers do not constantly need to clear new land.

lem soils. NERICAs inherited higher productivity traits from The panicles, or grain heads, of NERICAs are held higher

the Asian species and can double yields with just a few than those of most rices, which makes harvesting easier,

inputs. Today the new rices are being grown throughout especially for women with babies strapped to their backs.

Africa, and for its efforts WARDA won the CGIAR King Bau- Moreover, the new rices grow better than other rices on infer-

douin Award, a prestigious and well-deserved honor. tile, acidic soils, which make up 70 percent of West Africa’s

WARDA’s numerous partnerships, including support from 16 upland rice area. In addition, the new rices have about 2 per-







40 CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

cent more bodybuilding protein than either their African or Development Programme, Japan, the World Bank, the

Asian parents. The new rices mature in 90 to 100 days, some African Development Bank, the Rockefeller Foundation, and

30 to 50 days earlier than other varieties, freeing up fields for the U.S. Agency for International Development), nongovern-

planting of additional vegetables. mental organizations (including Sasakawa Global 2000),

More than 1,300 farmers participated in a 1998 program to farmers’ organizations, and the private sector. The consor-

start the new rices in Guinea. In 1999, a national seed tium intends to widely and rapidly disseminate the NERICA

increase and farmer awareness program began. In 2000, rice varieties to poor farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa, increas-

some 8,000 hectares of the new rices were planted, and ing farmers’ incomes, meeting nutritional needs, and eventu-

WARDA projects that farmers will plant nearly 90,000 ally reducing rice imports. In this effort, the consortium will

hectares of those rices in Guinea by 2001. The increased mobilize political commitment and resources as well as facil-

tonnage will save Guinea $13 million in import costs. itate operational activities, monitor progress, share informa-

According to one estimate, adoption by 2004 of NERICAs on tion, and ensure the participation of all stakeholders.

25 percent of the land now planted in other rices in Guinea, NERICAs are now a key component of WARDA’s research

Côte d’Ivoire, and Sierra Leone would return an extra $20 strategy to tackle poverty, ensure food security, and promote

million to farmers per year. environmental conservation in West and Central Africa.

WARDA is developing a range of germplasm, profiting from

NEW PARTNERSHIPS CAN MAKE the African rice gene pool, to address the challenges pre-

IT HAPPEN sented by each of Africa’s rice-growing environments. Com-

As a result of the success of NERICAs, the NERICA Consor- bined with natural resource–management techniques,

tium for Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa was formed WARDA’s work will give farmers highly promising options for

in April 2001. The consortium is made up of networking improving their livelihood by increasing local rice production

institutions and stakeholders: national agricultural research and reducing rice imports while conserving natural resources

and extension systems, donors (including the United Nations and biodiversity.









Gender equality is a prerequisite

for any strategy aimed at

eradicating poverty, enhancing

productivity through technology,

or improving the well-being of

communities and countries.

NOELEEN HEYZER

E X E C U T I V E D I R E C T O R , U N I T E D N AT I O N S

DEVELOPMENT FUND FOR WOMEN









RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS NOURISHING A PEACEFUL EARTH: THE CGIAR’S CONTRIBUTIONS 41

A Special Message About

HIV/AIDS and Agriculture in Africa



In the year 2000, 25.3 million Africans in the Sub-Saharan region

were estimated to be living with human immunodeficiency

virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), of which

1.1 million are children under 15. These terrible conditions have

resulted in the orphaning of 12.1 million children in this region

alone. The absence of good health care in most regions of Africa

means that a devastating disease is made even more severe with-

out palliative care and treatment for opportunistic infections.



The effects of HIV/AIDS on African agriculture, and thus Africa's

ability to feed its people, make the disease even more damaging.

Attacking in the prime of the population's working and parenting

lives, HIV/AIDS decimates the workforce, rips families apart,

orphans millions, and inhibits the transmission of agricultural skills

from one generation to the next. The costs it imposes force coun-

tries to make heartbreaking choices between today's and future

lives, and between health and dozens of other vital investments

for development.



In the first round of impact during sickness, the farm labor supply

decreases; assets such as farm animal stocks are depleted

because of high health-care costs; malnutrition increases; and chil-

dren are withdrawn from schools.



In the second round of impact, households are reconfigured or dis-

solved, and the number of orphans increases. Aggregate effects

include higher dependency rates, a depleted and undernourished

labor force, more environmental damage, and incalculable social

effects. The full implications for agricultural research are far-reach-

ing, as are the social effects for the farming enterprise.



Given these realities, African governments and their partners must

act now to prevent further HIV infections and to care for and sup-

port the millions of Africans already infected and affected. Agri-

cultural research and extension systems must start providing

advanced antiretroviral treatment to their employees and families,

as these have now become affordable and cost-effective.







H A N S P. B I N S WA N G E R

S E C T O R D I R E C T O R , E N V I R O N M E N TA L , R U R A L ,

A N D S O C I A L D E V E L O P M E N T, A F R I C A R E G I O N ,

THE WORLD BANK









42 CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

About Our Research Centers







Founded: 1993 Harare, Zimbabwe.

Joined the CGIAR: 1993 Focus: CIMMYT is an international, non-

Regional Offices: Belem-Para, Brazil; profit, agricultural research and training

Harare, Zimbabwe; Yaounde, Cameroon. Center dedicated to helping the poor in

CIAT—Centro Internacional de Focus: CIFOR was established in 1993 as low-income countries. CIMMYT helps allevi-

Agricultura Tropical part of the Consultative Group on Interna- ate poverty by increasing the profitability,

(International Center for Tropical tional Agricultural Research (CGIAR) in productivity, and sustainability of maize

Agriculture) response to global concerns about the and wheat farming systems. Work concen-

www.ciat.cgiar.org social, environmental, and economic conse- trates on maize and wheat, two crops

Headquarters: Cali, Colombia quences of forest loss and degradation. vitally important to food security. These

Director General: Joachim Voss CIFOR research produces knowledge and crops provide about one-fourth of the total

Board Chair: Lauritz B. Holm-Nielsen methods needed to improve the well-being food calories consumed in low-income

Founded: 1967 of forest-dependent people, and to help countries, are critical staples for poor peo-

Joined the CGIAR: 1971 tropical countries manage their forests ple, and are an important source of income

Regional Offices: Quito, Ecuador; Awassa, wisely for sustained benefits. This research for poor farmers.

Ethiopia; Tegucigalpa, Honduras; Nairobi, takes place in more than two dozen coun-

Kenya; Vientiane, Lao People’s Democratic tries, in collaboration with numerous part-

Republic; Lilongwe, Malawi; Managua, ners. Since its founding, CIFOR has also

Nicaragua; Pucallpa, Peru; Arusha, Tanza- played a central role in influencing global

nia; Bangkok, Thailand; Kampala, and national forestry policies.

Uganda.

Focus: To reduce hunger and poverty CIP—Centro Internacional de la Papa

in the tropics through collaborative (International Potato Center)

research that improves agricultural produc- www.cipotato.org

tivity and natural resource management. Headquarters: Lima, Peru

Research focuses on developing germplasm CIMMYT—Centro Internacional de Director General: Hubert Zandstra

of beans, cassava, and tropical forages Mejoramiento de Maïz y Trigo Board Chair: David R. MacKenzie

worldwide and of rice in tropical America; (International Maize and Wheat Founded: 1971

and on improving natural resource man- Improvement Center) Joined the CGIAR: 1973

agement in tropical American hillsides, for- www.cimmyt.org Regional Offices: Quito, Ecuador; Nairobi,

est margins, and savannas, as well as East Headquarters: Mexico City, Mexico Kenya; Kampala, Uganda; New Delhi,

African midaltitudes and Southeast Asian Director General: Timothy Reeves India; Islamabad, Pakistan; Bogor, Indone-

uplands. Board Chair: Alex McCalla sia; Los Baños, Philippines; Beijing, China;

Founded: 1966 Hanoi, Vietnam.

Joined the CGIAR: 1971 Focus: The International Potato Center

Regional Offices: Dhaka, Bangladesh; (CIP) seeks to reduce poverty and achieve

Santa Cruz, Bolivia; Beijing, China; Cali, food security on a sustained basis in

Colombia; San José, Costa Rica; Addis developing countries through scientific

CIFOR—Center for International Ababa, Ethiopia; Guatemala, Guatemala; research and related activities on potato,

Forestry Research New Delhi, India; Almaty, Kazakhstan; sweet potato, and other root and tuber

www.cifor.cgiar.org Nairobi, Kenya; Kathmandu, Nepal; Metro crops, and on the improved management

Headquarters: Bogor, Indonesia Manila, Philippines; Aleppo, Syrian Arab of natural resources in the Andes and

Director General: David Kaimowitz Republic; Bangkok, Thailand; Ankara, other mountain areas.

Board Chair: Jagmohan S. Maini Turkey; Montevideo, Uruguay;









RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS NOURISHING A PEACEFUL EARTH: THE CGIAR’S CONTRIBUTIONS 43

ICARDA—International Center for ICLARM—The World Fish Center ICRAF—International Centre for

Agricultural Reseach in the Dry Areas www.iclarm.org Research in Agroforestry

www.icarda.org Headquarters: Penang, Malaysia www.icraf.org

Headquarters: Aleppo, Syrian Arab Director General: Meryl J. Williams Headquarters: Nairobi, Kenya

Republic Board Chair: Kurt J. Peters Director General: Dennis Garrity

Director General: Adel El-Beltagy Founded: 1977 Board Chair: Lucie Edwards

Board Chair: Robert D. Havener Joined the CGIAR: 1992 Founded: 1977

Founded: 1977 Regional Offices: Dhaka, Bangladesh; Joined the CGIAR: 1991

Joined the CGIAR: 1978 Zomba, Malawi; Tortola, British Virgin Regional Offices: Nairobi, Kenya; Pucallpa,

Regional Offices: Damascus, Syrian Islands; Giza, Arab Republic of Egypt; Los Peru; Bamako, Mali; Bogor, Indonesia;

Arab Republic; Beirut, Lebanon; Baños, Philippines; Nha Trang, Vietnam; Harare, Zimbabwe.

Cairo, Arab Republic of Egypt; Nusa Tupe, Solomon Islands; Yaoundé, Focus: To conduct innovative research and

Tunis, Tunisia; Rabat, Morocco; Cameroon. development in agroforestry, strengthen the

Amman, Jordan; Ankara, Turkey; Focus: To promote sustainable development capacity of our partners, enhance world-

Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran; and use of living aquatic resources wide recognition of the human and envi-

Dubai, United Arab Emirates; based on environmentally sound man- ronmental benefits of agroforestry, and pro-

Dhamar, Republic of Yemen; Lima, agement. About 1 billion people rely on vide scientific leadership in the field of

Peru; Tashkent, Uzbekistan. fish as a source of animal protein, and integrated natural resource management.

Focus: ICARDA serves the entire 150 million people depend on fish for ICRAF will do this by combining the best of

developing world for the improvement of employment. There are 80 or 90 million science with farmers’ knowledge in a wide

lentil, barley, and faba beans; all more people in the world every year to range of strategic alliances across the

dry-area developing countries for be fed, most of them in poor and devel- research-development continuum.

the improvement of on-farm water- oping countries. Natural fish stocks are

use efficiency, rangeland, and small- being severely depleted and are under

ruminant production; and the Central and serious threat. Many forms of aquacul-

West Asia and North Africa region ture have yet to prove their sustainability

(CWANA), for the improvement of and become accessible to the poor. The

bread and durum wheat, chickpea, declining state of aquatic resources and

and farming systems. ICARDA’s threatened sustainability of fisheries calls ICRISAT—International Crops

research provides global benefits of for research to raise and sustain the pro- Research Institute for the

poverty alleviation through ductivity of fisheries and aquaculture sys- Semi-Arid Tropics

productivity improvements integrated tems, protect the aquatic environment, www.icrisat.org

with sustainable natural resource save aquatic biodiversity, improve poli- Headquarters: Patancheru, Andhra

management practices. ICARDA cies for sustainable development of Pradesh, India

meets this challenge through research, aquatic resources, and strengthen the Director General: William D. Dar

training, and dissemination of information, capacity of national programs to support Board Chair: Martha B. Stone

in partnership with national agricultural sustainable development. Founded: 1972

research and development systems. Joined the CGIAR: 1972

Regional Offices: Niamey, Niger; Bamako,









44 CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

Mali; Kano, Nigeria; Bulawayo, Zim- Regional Offices: Ibadan, Nigeria; Lima,

babwe; Nairobi, Kenya; Lilongwe, Peru; Cali, Colombia; Niamey, Niger;

Malawi; New Delhi, India. Andhra Pradesh, India; Bobo-Dioulasso,

Focus: To help developing countries apply Burkina Faso; Makati City, Philippines.

science to increase crop productivity and Focus: To increase animal health, nutrition,

food security, reduce poverty, and protect IITA—International Institute of and productivity, and to protect environ-

the environment. ICRISAT focuses on the Tropical Agriculture ments supporting animal production by tai-

farming systems of the semi-arid tropical www.iita.org loring production systems and developing

areas of the developing world, where low Headquarters: Ibadan, Nigeria technologies that are sustainable over the

rainfall is the major environmental con- Director General: Peter Hartmann, Lukas long term. ILRI works to characterize and

straint to agriculture. Special emphasis is Brader (through November 2001) conserve the genetic diversity of indigenous

placed on five crops that are particularly Board Chair: Enrico Porceddu tropical forage species and livestock breeds

important in the diets of the poor: sorghum, Founded: 1967 and to promote equitable and sustainable

millet, groundnut, chickpea, and pigeon- Joined the CGIAR: 1971 national policies for animal agriculture and

pea. ICRISAT forms research partnerships Regional offices: Kano and Onne, Nigeria; related natural resource management.

with governmental, nongovernmental, and Cotonou, Benin; Yaoundé, Cameroon;

private sector organizations in developing Namulonge, Uganda.

countries, and links these partners to Focus: To enhance the food security,

advanced research institutions worldwide. income, and well-being of resource-poor

ICRISAT’s vision is “Science with a Human people (primarily in the humid and subhu-

Face,” tailoring research to address real mid zones of Sub-Saharan Africa) by con-

human needs across the semi-arid tropics. ducting research and related activities to IPGRI—International Plant Genetic

increase agricultural production, improve Resources Institute

food systems, and sustainably manage nat- www.ipgri.org

ural resources in partnership with national Headquarters: Rome, Italy

and international stakeholders. IITA under- Director General: Geoffrey C. Hawtin

takes crop improvement activities on cas- Board Chair: Marcio de Miranda Santos

sava, yam, soybean, cowpea, maize, plan- Founded: 1974

IFPRI—International Food Policy tain, and banana. The Institute pays Joined the CGIAR: 1974

Research Institute attention to low external input strategies Regional Offices: Nairobi, Kenya; Cotonou,

www.ifpri.org and other alternatives to shifting cultivation, Benin; Cali, Colombia; Serdang, Malaysia;

Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United and works actively on the biological con- Beijing, China; New Delhi, India; Aleppo,

States of America trol of pests. Syrian Arab Republic; Rome, Italy; Ibadan,

Director General: Per Pinstrup-Andersen Nigeria; Lima, Peru; Niamey, Niger;

Board Chair: Geoff Miller Andhra Pradesh, India; Bobo-Dioulasso,

Founded: 1975 Burkina Faso; Makati City, Philippines.

Joined the CGIAR: 1980 Focus: IPGRI and its partners conserve and

Focus: To identify and analyze policies for use the genetic variation in plants to create

sustainably meeting the food needs of the crop varieties that are more productive,

developing world. Research at IFPRI con- stronger, and more nutritious. These vari-

centrates on economic growth and poverty ILRI—International Livestock eties contribute to better agriculture that

alleviation in low-income countries, Research Institute can help sustain our families, build

improvement of the well-being of poor peo- www.ilri.org prosperity, improve our health, and renew

ple, and sound management of the natural Headquarters: Nairobi, Kenya; Addis the earth.

resource base that supports agriculture. Ababa, Ethiopia

IFPRI seeks to make its research results Director General: Carlos Seré, Hank

available to all those in a position to use Fitzhugh (through December 2001)

them and to strengthen institutions in devel- Board Chair: John E. Vercoe

oping countries that conduct research rele- Founded: 1995

vant to its mandate. Joined the CGIAR: 1995









RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS NOURISHING A PEACEFUL EARTH: THE CGIAR’S CONTRIBUTIONS 45

lenges. To expand global knowledge on

agricultural research policy, organization,

and management. To improve developing

countries’ access to knowledge on agricul-

IRRI—International Rice Research tural research policy, organization, and

Institute management.

www.irri.org WARDA—West Africa Rice

Headquarters: Los Baños, Philippines Development Association

Director General: Ronald P. Cantrell www.warda.org

Board Chair: Sjarifudin Baharsjah Headquarters: Bouaké, Côte d’Ivoire

Founded: 1960 IWMI—International Water Director General: Kanayo F. Nwanze

Joined the CGIAR: 1971 Management Institute Board Chair: Lindsay Innes

Regional Offices: Dhaka, Bangladesh; www.cgiar.org/iwmi Founded: 1970

Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Beijing, China; Headquarters: Battaramulla, Sri Lanka Joined the CGIAR: 1975

New Delhi, India; Bogor, Indonesia; Director General: Frank Rijsberman Regional Offices: St. Louis, Senegal;

Ibaraki, Japan; Vientiane, Lao People’s Board Chair: Klaas Jan Beek Ibadan, Nigeria.

Democratic Republic; Antananarivo and Founded: 1984 Focus: WARDA’s mission is to contribute to

Mahajanga, Madagascar; Yangon, Myan- Joined the CGIAR: 1991 food security and poverty alleviation in

mar; Bangkok and Ubon Ratchathani, Thai- Regional Offices: Battaramulla, Sri Lanka; poor rural and urban populations, particu-

land; and Hanoi, Vietnam. Bangkok, Thailand; Lahore, Pakistan; larly in West and central Africa, through

Focus: To improve the well-being of low- Pretoria, South Africa; and Patancheru research, partnerships, capacity strength-

income rice producers and consumers by and Gujarat, India. ening, and policy support on rice-based

generating and disseminating rice-related Focus: Improving water and land resource systems, and in ways that promote sustain-

knowledge and technology while conserv- management for food, livelihoods, and able agricultural development based on

ing the natural resource base, taking full nature. The Institute’s research is done environmentally sound management of

advantage of the advancement of science through five themes: Integrated Water natural resources. To achieve this,

to address emerging development con- Management for Agriculture; Sustainable WARDA aims at three complementary

cerns, and to build a stronger linkage of Smallholder Water and Land Management ecological goals: (i) stabilization and

IRRI’s research with its outreach staff as Systems; Sustainable Groundwater intensification of rainfed upland rice-

well as with national agricultural research Management; Water Resources Institutions based systems; (ii) diversification and

and extension systems to fast-track impact. and Policies; and Water, Health, and Envi- intensification of rainfed lowland rice-

ronment. The Institute’s research program based systems; and (iii) improving

is put into action through a network of resource use efficiency in irrigated

regional offices in Africa and Asia. This rice-based systems.

work is complemented by a series of Bench-

ISNAR—International Service for mark Basins that serve as IWMI’s field labo-

National Agricultural Research ratories. River basins in Sri Lanka, Pakistan,

www.cgiar.org/isnar and southern Africa have been identified as

Headquarters: The Hague, Netherlands the first Benchmark Basins. Others will be

Director General: Stein W. Bie selected over the coming five years. A prior-

Board Chair: Moïse C. Mensah ity for the Institute is to do action research,

Founded: 1979 much of which can be translated into practi-

Joined the CGIAR: 1980 cal advice and tools that partners and

Regional Offices: San José, Costa Rica; developing countries can use to better

Washington, D.C., United States of understand their water and land situations.

America; Ibadan, Nigeria; Los Baños,

Philippines.

Focus: To enhance the capacity of agricul-

tural research organizations to respond to

their clients’ needs and to emerging chal-









46 CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

Annex: The Johannesburg Earth Summit







he World Summit on Sustainable Development is THE COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABLE









T scheduled to be held in September 2002 in Johan-

nesburg, South Africa. Governments, civil society

institutions, concerned citizens, United Nations

agencies, multilateral financial institutions, intergovernmen-

tal agencies, and others will meet to assess the impact of

DEVELOPMENT

A key institutional outcome of UNCED was the establishment

of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) in

December 1992, to ensure effective follow-up of UNCED;

and to monitor and report on implementation of the Earth

UNCED of 1992. Summit agreements at the local, national, regional, and inter-

UNCED, also known as the “Earth Summit,” which was national levels. The CSD is a functional commission of the

held at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from June 3–14, 1992, com- United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC),

mitted the international community to the concept of sustain- with 53 members. The CSD serves as the preparatory com-

able development. A major achievement of UNCED was mittee for the Johannesburg Summit.

Agenda 21—a broad-ranging action program requiring new

ways of investing in our future to reach global sustainable GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT FACILITY

development in the twenty-first century. The Global Environment Facility (GEF), established in

1991, was restructured after the Rio Earth Summit to serve

OTHER UNCED OUTCOMES as a multilateral funding mechanism promoting global envi-

■ The Rio Declaration: A set of 27 universally applicable ronmental protection within a framework of sustainable

principles to help guide international action on the basis of development by providing new and additional grant and

environmental and economic responsibility. concessional funding. The projects it supports are mainly in

■ The Framework Convention on Climate Change the following areas: biodiversity; climate change and

(FCCC): A legally binding agreement, signed by more than energy; international waters; ozone depletion; and multifo-

150 governments at Rio. Its ultimate objective is the “sta- cal. The GEF Assembly consists of more than 160 partici-

bilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmos- pants who meet every three years. GEF’s 32-member gov-

phere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthro- erning council meets twice a year. Each council meeting is

pogenic (man-made) interference with the climate system.” preceded by an NGO consultation. The World Bank is

trustee of the GEF’s funds.

■ The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD): A

legally binding agreement signed, so far, by more than 160

EXPECTED OUTCOME OF THE

countries. This agreement represents a dramatic step for- JOHANNESBURG SUMMIT

ward in the conservation of biological diversity, the sustain- The World Summit on Sustainable Development will seek

able use of its components, and the fair and equitable shar- consensus on priorities for fully achieving the goals of

ing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources. Agenda 21, and of other outcomes of the Rio Earth Summit.

■ The Statement of Forest Principles: A set of 15 nonle- A focused agenda will foster discussion of findings in partic-

gally binding principles governing national and interna- ular environmental sectors (forests, oceans, climate, energy,

tional policymaking for the protection of, and a more sus- fresh water, and so on) as well as in key areas, such as sus-

tainable management and utilization of, global forest tainable agriculture, economic conditions, new technologies,

resources. These principles are significant because they and globalization. The Summit will also review the impact of

represent the first major international consensus on better the revolutions in technology, biology, and communications

usage and conservation of all kinds of forests. that have changed most of the world since 1992.









RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS NOURISHING A PEACEFUL EARTH: THE CGIAR’S CONTRIBUTIONS 47

Photo Credits

Cover: top—CIMMYT; bottom, left to right—

ICRISAT; CIP; WARDA.

Inside front cover: Kay Chernush.

Table of contents: bottom left—ICRISAT; top right—CIMMYT;

bottom right—IPGRI.



Page 7: left —CIMMYT; right—IPGRI. Page 8: IRRI.

Page 9: top—ICRISAT; bottom—IRRI. Page 10: CIAT.

Page 11: both—CIAT. Page 12: CIFOR. Page 13: CIFOR.

Page 14: both—CIMMYT. Page 15: CIMMYT. Page 16: CIP.

Page 17: CIP Page 18: ICARDA. Page 20: ICLARM.

.

Page 21: ICLARM. Page 22: ICRAF. Page 23: ICRAF.

Page 24: ICRISAT. Page 25: ICRISAT. Page 26: CIMMYT.

Page 28: IITA. Page 29: IITA. Page 30: ILRI. Page 31: ILRI.

Page 32: CIP Page 34: IRRI. Page 35: IRRI. Page 36: ISNAR.

.

Page 37: ISNAR. Page 38: IWMI. Page 39: IWMI.

Page 40: WARDA. Page 41: WARDA.



Inside back cover: CIMMYT. Back cover: CIMMYT.







Paper: recycled paper with soy inks.

Typography: Bitstream Bodoni, Adobe Futura and OneIoda.

Design: Patricia Hord Graphik Design.

Printed by: Jarboe Printing.





November 2001









48 CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

www.cgiar.org



CGIAR Secretariat

The World Bank

1818 H Street, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20433 USA

Telephone: 1-202-473-8951

Fax: 1-202-473-8110

E-mail: cgiar@cgiar.org or cgiar@worldbank.org