Publications / Annual Report 1998
The CGIAR
CGIAR’s mission is to contribute to food security and poverty eradication in developing countries through research, partnership, capacity-building, and policy support.
The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) promotes sustainable agricultural development based on the environmentally sound management of natural resources. The CGIAR’s mission is to contribute to food security and poverty eradication in developing countries through research, partnership, capacity-building, and policy support.
Established in 1971, the CGIAR is an informal association of 58 public and private sector members that supports a network of 16 international agricultural research centers. The CGIAR’s budget for 1998 was fully funded at US$345 million.
The World Bank, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) are cosponsors of the CGIAR. Ismail Serageldin, Vice President for Special Programs at the World Bank, serves as the Group’s Chairperson.
Challenges posed by the interrelated global issues of poverty, hunger, population growth, and environmental degradation confront the world as it approaches the 21st century. Sustainable agriculture must be part of the response to these challenges as agriculture is the cornerstone of development in poor countries, where over 70 percent of the people depend on the land for their livelihood. Experience shows that agriculture is a powerful engine for development, helping to: increase food security and lower food prices; create employment and generate income for the rural poor; alleviate rural and urban poverty; protect and conserve the environment; stimulate development in the rest of the economy; and ensure overall prosperity through the stimulation of global trade and greater global political stability.
Agricultural growth has to be achieved with methods that preserve the productivity of natural resources, without further damage to the Earth’s precious life support systems—land, water, flora, and fauna—that are already under stress. Research is the means by which the world’s knowledge of agriculture is increased and improved. Agricultural research, conducted to help the world’s poorest people make lasting improvements in their lives, and in the lives of their children, is, therefore, critical to human progress.
CGIAR centers conduct research programs in collaboration with a full range of partners in an emerging global agricultural research system. Food productivity in developing countries has increased through the application of research-based technologies. Other results include reduced prices of food, better nutrition, more rational polices, and stronger institutions.
Future Harvest
"Our hopes for the next century depend on a green and prosperous Earth that provides abundance, health, and peace to its people. This vision can only be realized if we devote attention and resources to scientific research for food, the environment, and the world's poor."
Future Harvest is a public awareness campaign created by the 15 centers of the CGIAR to build understanding of the importance of agricultural issues and international agricultural research. Future Harvest links respected research institutions, influential public figures, and leading agricultural scientists to underscore the wider social benefits of improved agriculture: peace, prosperity, environmental renewal, health, and the alleviation of human suffering.
