Canada and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research
The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) is a global partnership that unites organizations engaged in research for a food secure future. It works with partners to reduce rural poverty, increase food security, improve human health and nutrition, and ensure more sustainable management of natural resources. It is the world's largest international agricultural research organization, with 15 international research centres spread around the world working in more than 100 countries.
Canada is one of the founding members of the CGIAR and has been a strong supporter since 1971. Canada recognizes that agricultural research is critical to addressing hunger and poverty in developing countries. Canada is one of the top donors to the CGIAR and a member of the .
Canada’s support for CGIAR
Between 1995 and 2012, Canada supported the CGIAR-Canada Linkage Fund, which provided annual grants for research projects jointly carried out by Canadian and CGIAR researchers. The linkage fund enabled 16 universities from across Canada to partner with 15 CGIAR research centres on projects aimed at helping solve the global problems of food and nutrition insecurity.
In October 2009, Canada announced it would in new funds to support two CGIAR programs that focus on micronutrient deficiencies and climate change using knowledge, technology and resources to solve related problems.
Achievements
Over a period of 40 years, the CGIAR system, with the support of Canada and other donors, has:
- Improved wheat, maize and rice crops in developing countries, resulting in benefits of more than US$10 billion annually
- Triggered the production of additional food in developing countries—$9 worth of additional food for every $1 invested in CGIAR research
- Increased average per capita food consumption
- Prevented malnutrition in at least 13 million children, predominantly in South Asia
- Increased food production in developing countries
- Lowered world grain prices
- Supported crop genetic improvement
- Produced average yield gains of 20 percent in drought-tolerant maize grown on 1 million hectare of land in Africa
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