Scaling-up CGIAR Investments Could Prevent Future Food Crises

An advance copy of a report entitled "International Agricultural Research for Food Security, Poverty Reduction, and the Environment: What to Expect from Scaling Up CGIAR Investments" has recently been put up at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) website. The report co-authored by Joachim Von Braum and colleagues models the potential impact of doubling research investment on agricultural production, poverty reduction, and international food prices, and also provides a compilation of “best bets” for large-scale research investments which were identified from a survey done by CGIAR centers.

The report suggests that, “a high-investment scenario could reduce the price of maize by 67 percent in 2025, wheat by 56 percent, and rice by 45 percent, while reducing unit costs of production to main farm income”. Expanding the R&D investment in agriculture may therefore be critical in preventing future global food crises. The 14 examples of “best bets” for large-scale research investments on the other hand, ranging between about US$10–150 million each over five years should encompass the broad areas of increasing the agricultural productivity of crop and livestock systems, reducing risks, improving the nutritional quality of food, mitigating climate change and improving ecosystem resilience, enhancing germplasm exchange, and improving market information and value chains.

The report can be downloaded at  http://www.ifpri.org/pubs/books/oc58.pdf