Consultative Group on International Agriculture Research (CGIAR)

The CGIAR Mission
To achieve sustainable food security and reduce poverty in developing countries through scientific research and research-related activities in the fields of agriculture, forestry, fisheries, policy, and environment.

Introduction
The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) is a strategic alliance of countries, international and regional organizations, and private foundations supporting 15 international agricultural Centers, that work with national agricultural research systems and civil society organizations including the private sector.

The alliance mobilizes agricultural science to reduce poverty, foster human well being, promote agricultural growth and protect the environment. The CGIAR generates global public goods that are available to all.

Agriculture, the key to development In a world where 75 percent of poor people depend on agriculture to survive, poverty cannot be reduced without investment in agriculture. Many of the countries with the strongest agricultural sectors have a record of sustained investment in agricultural science and technology.

The evidence is clear, research for development generates agricultural growth and reduces poverty. Agricultural research benefits people and the planet Agricultural research for development has a record of delivering results. The science that made possible the Green Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s was largely the work of CGIAR Centers and their national agricultural research partners. The scientists' work not only increased incomes for small farmers, it enabled the preservation of millions of hectares of forest and grasslands, conserving biodiversity and reducing carbon releases into the atmosphere.

CGIAR's research agenda is dynamic, flexible, and responsive to emerging development challenges. The research portfolio has evolved from the original focus on increasing productivity in individual critical food crops.

Today's approach recognizes that biodiversity and environment research are also key components in the drive to enhance sustainable agricultural productivity. Our belief in the fundamentals remains as strong as ever: agricultural growth and increased farm productivity in developing countries creates wealth, reduces poverty and hunger and protects the environment.