International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). Core contribution 2022 - 2024


CGIAR’ is a global research for development partnership for a food secure future in the fields of agriculture, nutrition, environment and their adaptation to climate change and the enhancement of ecosystem resilience. With its new strategy, governance and research portfolio, the CGIAR has a singular role in providing international and global public goods through high-quality agricultural research, partnership, and leadership in the areas of poverty and hunger reduction.  Switzerland is a founding member of the CGIAR and many Swiss scientific institutions are involved in common research programs. 

Región/País Tema Período Presupuesto
A nivel mundial
Agricultura y seguridad alimentaria
Investigación agrícola
Política agrícola
Desarrollo agrícolo
01.01.2022 - 31.12.2024
CHF  54’000’000
Área de competencias

The CGIAR is a global research partnership established in 1971 with support of FAO and the World Bank (WB). The CGIAR is dedicated to science and innovation that advance the transformation towards sustainable food, land and water systems in a climate crisis. It contributs to the global efforts to address poverty, hunger, major nutrition related challenges, and environmental degradation. It is the only worldwide agricultural research partnership that has the capacity in terms of people, partners, infrastructure and a presence on the ground in over 70 countries to work on breakthrough discovery research all the way to integrated delivery to millions of smallholder farmers.  CGIAR has also the unique role, in research for development and in managing and preserving mankind’s largest gene banks of food crops, critical to advancing and sustaining productivity for the world’s smallholders in the 21st century.

The new CGIAR research and innovation strategy, the new portfolio of initiatives and the results framework address the world’s most pressing food systems challenges and hence explain how the CGIAR contributes to the SDGs.

The CGIAR System organisation has its office in Montpellier, France, is managed by an Executive Management Team and governed by the System Management Board in collaboration with the System Council, representing the donors. Switzerland is member of the System Council.

Prioridades estratégicas de Suiza y de la organización

The clear mandate of the CGIAR is reflected in the organization’s approach to reach impact on poverty reduction, in creating jobs, in improving nutrition, health and food security by increasing resilience of disadvantage people to climate and other shocks, while preserving environmental health.

The CGIAR is one of the 16 multilateral priority organizations of Switzerland’s International Cooperation Strategy (ICS) 2021-24, as i) its objectives and areas of work are all central to the implement the ICS mandate; and ii) the CGIAR has specific focii on promoting innovation (including digitalization) and increasing the engagement with the private sector.

More specifically CGIAR represents one of the key multilateral partners of the Global Programme Food Security (GPFS), with fully compatible objectives promoting agroecology, healthy nutrition, inclusive markets, especially in favor and empowering women and youth.

A number of Swiss scientific institutions are collaborateing with the CGIAR and were involved in the definition of the new research initiatives (e.g. ETH Zürich, TPH Basel, University of Bern, HAFL Zollikhofen, Syngenta Foundation).

Resultados del compromiso de la organización hasta la fecha

Impacts from the last 10 years:

Improved climate resilience in farming communities in 21 countries through the establishment of Climate Smart Villages which test and scale resilient food system innovations.

Improved nutrition for 20 million people in low-income countries through increased access to critical nutrients via micronutrient fortified crops with higher content of vitamin A, iron, and zinc.

Increase rice yield in 13 countries in sub-Saharan Africa by 0.5 to 1 ton per hectare and profitability by US$200 per hectare through a smart mobile crop management tool called ‘RiceAdvice’.

Lead responses to urgent and emerging crop and livestock diseases with global experts, including Fall Armyworm outbreak in Africa, Wheat Blast epidemic in Bangladesh, and East Coast fever a deadly cattle disease in East Africa.

Hundreds of other varieties are being developed by the Pan Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA), a bean research network established in 1996 as collaborative, multi-stakeholder platform of research for rural transformation that develops improved beans and complementary technologies. More than 27 million farmers in Africa have beneficiated from PABRA’s innovations

Resultados del compromiso suizo hasta la fecha

The CGIAR agroecology coalition (scientists and represent-tatives of donors, including CH) was mobilised to develop a specific research program. The ‘’Transformational agro-ecology across food, land and water systems’’ program has been successfully developed and will be one of the flagship programs of the new portfolio.

In a broader context, a new platform (TPP) to identify knowledge gaps in agroecology and to propose trans-disciplinary research programs has been created by CGIAR scientists and donor representatives and launched in 2021. Switzerland is represented on the Steering Committee by SDC and on the advisory board by Biovision.

The CGIAR was heavily involved in the preparation of the UN Food System Summit in 2021. CGIAR research centres and programmes were hosting, contributing and participating i) in a number of dialogues, ii) in the science group and iii) in the action tracks leading to the summit.  With the support of the TPP, the prominence of ‘agroecology’ as an approach, a method and a movement for the transformation towards sustainable food systems and its visibility have been strongly enhanced.  

Switzerland acted as Chair of the European group (EIARD) for two years (2019-2020), a period which was critical for the negotiations and the implementation of the reforms towards OneCGIAR. The positions taken by EIARD were crucial, constructive and decisive for the success of CGIAR reform, and served as a counterweight to the role and agenda of important donors such as USAID and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF).

Efectos a medio plazo del compromiso actual de la organización

The newly approved CGIAR research portfolio (2022-2024) supports 34 initiatives targeting multiple benefits across 5 impact areas defined in the new strategy: 1) nutrition, health and food security, 2) poverty reduction, livelihoods and jobs, 3) gender equality, youth and social inclusion, 4) climate adaptation and greenhouse gas reduction and 5) environmental health and biodiversity. The CGIAR will contribute to collective global targets (SDGs) for the transformation of food, land and water systems across local, regional and global levels. In support of the SDGs, specific impact pathways, and indicators are being identified for each CGIAR investment plan.

This new portfolio of initiatives has a strong focus on systems research, on agroecology, on healthy diets with the inclusion of fruit and vegetables research, on protecting Human Health through a One Health Approach, on building systemic resilience against climate variability and extremes, all themes that fully correspond to those of the SDC. 

Efectos a medio plazo del compromiso actual de Suiza

In addition to general portfolio monitoring and active participation in the System Council, Switzerland will focus its dialogue on monitoring themes that are important for the achievement of the Swiss cooperation objectives in coherence with the GPFS framework.

A special focus will be placed on 1) agroecology and healthy diet for nutrition, 2) poverty reduction and resilience of the poor to climate change, 3) partnerships, in particular with the private sector and producer-consumer organizations; and 4) gender and youth issues.

Within SDC and its partners, the work of the CGIAR shall be more widely disseminated and recognized cooperation with Swiss, national and international institutions and networks enhanced, in particular in fields in which Swiss scientific institutions have specific expertise. A regular dialogue and information exchange with all Swiss scientific institutions, the Federal Office of Agriculture and SDC is taking place at the Swiss Forum for International Agriculture Research (SFIAR). Synergies with the research programmes financed under the collaboration between SDC and the Swiss National Science Foundation exists and will also be strengthened.

Dirección / Officina Federal responsable COSUDE
Contrapartes del proyecto Contraparte del contrato
Institución académica y de investigación extranjera
  • Grupo Consultivo sobre Investigación Agrícola Internacional


Presupuesto Fase en curso Presupuesto suizo CHF    54’000’000 Presupuesto actual suizo ya emitido CHF    36’000’000
Pedido/orden de donador

As per 2020: 9 

Donantes

Total of 64  donors, of which major donor countries are: USA, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Sweden, Australia, Canada, Norway,  Mexico, Germany, Belgium, France, China India, Japan, BMGF, the World Bank, the European Commission, African Development Bank, International Fund for Agriculture development.

Switzerland is the 9th largest donor.

Coordinación con otros proyectos y actores

Switzerland is an active member of the European Initiative for Agriculture Research for Development (EIARD), which includes European Union Member countries, the European Commission, Norway and Switzerland), a mechanism that allows for a coordinated European voice at the System council. Switzerland holds one of the 10 donor seats of the System Council.

Fases del proyecto Fase 10 01.01.2022 - 31.12.2024   (Fase en curso) Fase 9 01.01.2020 - 31.12.2021   (Completed) Fase 8 01.01.2017 - 31.12.2019   (Completed) Fase 7 01.01.2016 - 31.12.2016   (Completed) Fase 6 01.01.2013 - 31.12.2015   (Completed)