Your search found 37 records
1 Fisher, M. J.; Harding, Amanda; Kemp-Benedict, E. 2014. The Challenge Program on Water and Food [CPWF]: a new paradigm for research in the CGIAR. In Harrington, Larry W.; Fisher, M. J. (Eds.). Water scarcity, livelihoods and food security: research and innovation for development. Oxon, UK: Routledge - Earthscan. pp.1-14. (Earthscan Studies in Water Resource Management)
Research programmes ; Research organizations ; Development ; Water productivity ; River basins ; Agriculture ; Living standards ; Food security ; Poverty ; CGIAR
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: 333.91 G000 HAR, e-copy SF Record No: H046783)
2 Staiger-Rivas, S.; Le Borgne, E.; Victor, M. 2015. Group facilitation in CGIAR: experiences and lessons from international agricultural research organizations. Knowledge Management for Development Journal, 11(1):77-90.
Agricultural research ; Research institutions ; International organizations ; CGIAR ; Participatory approaches ; Decision making ; Stakeholders ; Knowledge management ; Development plans ; Case studies
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H047005)
http://journal.km4dev.org/index.php/km4dj/article/viewFile/211/350
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H047005.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H047005.pdf
(0.25 MB) (258 KB)
This article describes CGIAR’s experience with group facilitation over 10 years. CGIAR is a global partnership that unites organizations engaged in research for a food-secure future. Including 15 research centers with a total of nearly 9,000 staff, CGIAR embarked a decade ago on an effort to improve how teams meet, think collectively, and make decisions. Inspired by participatory approaches, which had been used since the 1980s to involve farmers in research, the leaders of this effort aimed to tackle challenges faced by research teams and partnerships, and since then, the need for more effective stakeholder engagement and the consequent demand for group facilitation have steadily increased. Based on the experiences of the co-authors, a survey, complemented by follow-up conversations with CGIAR in-house facilitators and researchers, as well as professional consultant-facilitators and partners, this case study analyzes the evolution of facilitation, its added value, and current trends. In addition, the authors discuss the different ways and contexts in which facilitators have worked in CGIAR and some of the facilitation essentials that emerge from the author’s enquiry. This article should be of particular interest to knowledge management practitioners working in research and development, as it offers hints on how to position facilitation as an essential tool for stakeholder engagement and participatory decision-making in research-for-development organizations.
3 Drechsel, Pay; Keraita, B. 2015. Agriculture in the rural-urban continuum: a CGIAR research perspective. Agriculture for Development, 26:14-19.
Urban agriculture ; Periurban agriculture ; Rural areas ; Peri urban areas ; Urban areas ; CGIAR ; Research institutions ; Food security ; Food supply ; Irrigated farming ; Urban wastes ; Water pollution ; Sanitation ; Ecosystem services ; Vegetables ; Environmental health / Ghana / Kumasi
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H047347)
http://www.taa.org.uk/assets/pubs/Ag4Dev26%20_Winter_for_Web.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H047347.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H047347.pdf
(0.38 MB) (6.71 MB)
Thirsty and hungry cities are posing significant challenges for the urban-rural interface ranging from food security to inter-sectoral water allocation. Not only is the supply of resources to urban centres a growing challenge in low-income countries, but even more is the urban return flow, as investments in waste management and sanitation, ie the ‘ultimate food waste’, are not able to keep pace with population growth. And where polluted water is used in irrigation to feed the cities, food safety is becoming a crucial component of food security. Most affected by resource competition and pollution are the urban and peri-urban farming systems which are often driven by the informal sector. Urban waste is not only a challenge but also offers opportunities. It is in this interface between agriculture and sanitation where the CGIAR operates through its research programme on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE), addressing both the challenges and opportunities of urbanisation: by exploring novel perspectives and solutions to respond to changing population dynamics, resource demands, centralised water and nutrient flows, and ecosystem services under pressure.
4 Schut, M.; van Asten, P.; Okafor, C.; Hicintuka, C.; Mapatano, S.; Nabahungu, N. L.; Kagabo, D.; Muchunguzi, P.; Njukwe, E.; Dontsop-Nguezet, P. M.; Sartas, M.; Vanlauwe, B. 2016. Sustainable intensification of agricultural systems in the Central African Highlands: the need for institutional innovation. Agricultural Systems, 145:165-176. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2016.03.005]
Sustainable agriculture ; Farming systems ; Intensification ; Agricultural research ; Participatory approaches ; Innovation ; Institutional development ; Nongovernmental organizations ; CGIAR ; Stakeholders ; Constraints ; Farmers ; Highlands / Africa South of Sahara / Central Africa / Democratic Republic of the Congo / Rwanda / Burundi
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H047848)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308521X16300440/pdfft?md5=5be37a48e32bcbda5ad290093053ebe8&pid=1-s2.0-S0308521X16300440-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H047848.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H047848.pdf
(0.81 MB) (828 KB)
This study identifies entry points for innovation for sustainable intensification of agricultural systems. An agricultural innovation systems approach is used to provide a holistic image of (relations between) constraints faced by different stakeholder groups, the dimensions and causes of these constraints, and intervention levels, timeframes and types of innovations needed. Our data shows that constraints for sustainable intensification of agricultural systems are mainly of economic and institutional nature. Constraints are caused by the absence, or poor functioning of institutions such as policies and markets, limited capabilities and financial resources, and ineffective interaction and collaboration between stakeholders. Addressing these constraints would mainly require short- and middle-term productivity and institutional innovations, combined with middle- to long-term NRM innovations across farm and national levels. Institutional innovation (e.g. better access to credit, services, inputs and markets) is required to address 69% of the constraints for sustainable intensification in the Central Africa Highlands. This needs to go hand in hand with productivity innovation (e.g. improved knowhow of agricultural production techniques, and effective use of inputs) and NRM innovation (e.g. targeted nutrient applications, climate smart agriculture). Constraint network analysis shows that institutional innovation to address government constraints at national level related to poor interaction and collaboration will have a positive impact on constraints faced by other stakeholder groups. We conclude that much of the R4D investments and innovation in the Central Africa Highlands remain targeting household productivity at farm level. Reasons for that include (1) a narrow focus on sustainable intensification, (2) institutional mandates and pre-analytical choices based project objectives and disciplinary bias, (3) short project cycles that impede work on middle- and long-term NRM and institutional innovation, (4) the likelihood that institutional experimentation can become political, and (5) complexity in terms of expanded systems boundaries and measuring impact.
5 Hiwasaki, L.; Bolliger, L.; Lacombe, Guillaume; Raneri, J.; Schut, M.; Staal, S. (Eds.) 2016. Integrated systems research for sustainable smallholder agriculture in the Central Mekong: achievements and challenges of implementing integrated systems research. Hanoi, Vietnam: World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF). Southeast Asia Regional Program. 178p.
Integrated management ; Sustainable agriculture ; Smallholders ; Farmers ; Humid tropics ; River basin management ; Crop management ; Plantation crops ; Livestock ; Soil fertility ; Soil conservation ; Water availability ; Rainwater ; Water harvesting ; Water storage ; Watersheds ; Living standards ; Land use ; Highlands ; Landscape ; Land degradation ; Land cover ; Nutrition ; Nongovernmental organizations ; Research institutions ; CGIAR ; Natural resources management ; Systems analysis ; Environmental management ; Marketing techniques ; Economic aspects ; Food security ; Food production ; Empowerment ; Research and development ; Agricultural research ; Gender ; Case studies / Southeast Asia / Myanmar / Lao People's Democratic Republic / Thailand / Cambodia / Vietnam / China / Yunnan / Nan Province / Xishuangbanna / Mekong River Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H047858)
(3.82 MB)
6 Douthwaite, B.; Apgar, J. M.; Schwarz, A.-M.; Attwood, S.; Senaratna Sellamuttu, Sonali; Clayton, T. 2017. A new professionalism for agricultural research for development. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 15(3):238-252. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2017.1314754]
Agricultural research ; Research and development ; Professionalism ; Research organizations ; CGIAR ; Research programmes ; Aquatic environment ; Agricultural systems ; Participatory approaches ; Community involvement ; Partnerships ; Stakeholders ; Scientists ; Farmers ; Capacity building ; Gender equity ; Green revolution ; Case studies ; Monitoring ; Evaluation
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048130)
(1.39 MB)
There have been repeated calls for a ‘new professionalism’ for carrying out agricultural research for development since the 1990s. At the centre of these calls is a recognition that for agricultural research to support the capacities required to face global patterns of change and their implications on rural livelihoods, requires a more systemic, learning focused and reflexive practice that bridges epistemologies and methodologies. In this paper, we share learning from efforts to mainstream such an approach through a large, multi-partner CGIAR research program working in aquatic agricultural systems. We reflect on four years of implementing research in development (RinD), the program’s approach to the new professionalism. We highlight successes and challenges and describe the key characteristics that define the approach. We conclude it is possible to build a program on a broader approach that embraces multidisciplinarity and engages with stakeholders in social-ecological systems. Our experience also suggests caution is required to ensure there is the time, space and appropriate evaluation methodologies in place to appreciate outcomes different to those to which conventional agricultural research aspires.
7 Douthwaite, B.; Hoffecker, E. 2017. Towards a complexity-aware theory of change for participatory research programs working within agricultural innovation systems. Agricultural Systems, 155:88-102. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2017.04.002]
Agricultural research ; Participatory research ; Research programmes ; Agricultural innovation systems ; International organizations ; CGIAR ; Aquatic environment ; Agricultural systems ; Fisheries ; Stakeholders ; Scientists ; Farmers ; Evaluation ; Empowerment ; Case studies ; Plant fibres ; Abaca ; Models / Zambia / Philippines
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048508)
(0.83 MB)
Agricultural innovation systems (AIS) are increasingly recognized as complex adaptive systems in which interventions cannot be expected to create predictable, linear impacts. Nevertheless, the logic models and theory of change (ToC) used by standard-setting international agricultural research agencies and donors assume that agricultural research will create impact through a predictable linear adoption pathway which largely ignores the complexity dynamics of AIS, and which misses important alternate pathways through which agricultural research can improve system performance and generate sustainable development impact. Despite a growing body of literature calling for more dynamic, flexible and “complexity-aware” approaches to monitoring and evaluation, few concrete examples exist of ToC that takes complexity dynamics within AIS into account, or provide guidance on how such theories could be developed. This paper addresses this gap by presenting an example of how an empirically-grounded, complexity-aware ToC can be developed and what such a model might look like in the context of a particular type of program intervention. Two detailed case studies are presented from an agricultural research program which was explicitly seeking to work in a “complexity-aware” way within aquatic agricultural systems in Zambia and the Philippines. Through an analysis of the outcomes of these interventions, the pathways through which they began to produce impacts, and the causal factors at play, we derive a “complexity-aware” ToC to model how the cases worked. This middle-range model, as well as an overarching model that we derive from it, offer an alternate narrative of how development change can be produced in agricultural systems, one which aligns with insights from complexity science and which, we argue, more closely represents the ways in which many research for development interventions work in practice. The nested ToC offers a starting point for asking a different set of evaluation and research questions which may be more relevant to participatory research efforts working from within a complexity-aware, agricultural innovation systems perspective.
8 Dorai, K.; Hall, A.; Dijkman, J. 2015. Strategic study of good practice in AR4D [Agricultural Research for Development] partnership. Rome, Italy: CGIAR Independent Science and Partnership Council (ISPC). 111p.
Agricultural research for development ; Good practices ; Strategy planning ; International organizations ; CGIAR ; Research programmes ; Multi-stakeholder processes ; Innovation platforms ; Agricultural innovation systems ; Partnerships ; Frameworks ; Policies ; Sustainable Development Goals ; Monitoring and evaluation
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049065)
https://ispc.cgiar.org/sites/default/files/ISPC_StrategicStudy_Partnerships.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049065.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049065.pdf
(1.51 MB) (1.51 MB)
9 Stevenson, J.; Vanlauwe, B.; Macours, K.; Johnson, N.; Krishnan, L.; Place, F.; Spielman, D.; Hughes, K.; Vlek, P. 2019. Farmer adoption of plot- and farm-level natural resource management practices: between rhetoric and reality. Global Food Security, 20:101-104. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2019.01.003]
Natural resources management ; Farmer participation ; Agricultural practices ; On-farm research ; Fields ; Smallholders ; Agricultural research ; Sustainability ; CGIAR ; Scientists
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049104)
(0.18 MB)
There is a significant gap between the rhetoric of claims about adoption of farm-level natural resource management practices and the reality. New empirical evidence of low adoption from several developing countries suggests that on-farm natural resource management practices face significant constraints to adoption, and that they deliver heterogeneous private and public benefits. Five recommendations are given to the research community related to: targeting; scaling-up; the proper role of research; trajectories of diffusion; and measurement of environmental impacts.
10 Lobell, D. B. 2020. Viewpoint: principles and priorities for one CGIAR. Food Policy, 3p. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2020.101825]
International organizations ; Research organizations ; CGIAR ; Agricultural research ; Prioritization ; Crop production ; Breeding ; Precision agriculture ; Climate change
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049483)
(3.18 MB)
11 Haddad, L. 2020. Viewpoint: a view on the key research issues that the CGIAR should lead on 2020-2030. Food Policy, 4p. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2020.101824]
Research organizations ; International organizations ; CGIAR ; Research programmes ; Agricultural research for development ; Food systems ; Food consumption ; Nutrition ; Public health ; Income
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049484)
(1.82 MB)
How should the CGIAR's research programme be focused to make it as impactful as possible given the changes being faced by the world's population over the next 10 years? This viewpoint suggests a firm emphasis on research needed to unlock the potential of food systems to deliver improved nutrition, environmental sustainability and stronger livelihoods, with a focus on the tradeoffs and synergies therein.
12 Nelson, R. 2020. Viewpoint: international agriculture’s needed shift from energy intensification to agroecological intensification. Food Policy, 3p. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2019.101815]
International organizations ; CGIAR ; Agricultural research systems ; Agroecology ; Energy ; Intensification ; Sustainable Development Goals
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049485)
(0.16 MB)
13 International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 2019. IWMI Annual report 2018. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 42p. [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2019.215]
Water management ; Sustainable agriculture ; Sustainable Development Goals ; CGIAR ; Research programmes ; Food security ; Solar energy ; Irrigation management ; Groundwater irrigation ; Water law ; Water governance ; Water accounting ; Resource management ; Water pollution ; Pollution by agriculture ; Soil conservation ; Water conservation ; Water user associations ; Smallholders ; Farmers ; Wetlands ; Flood control ; Disaster prevention ; Resilience ; Investment ; Financing ; Infrastructure / Africa / Asia / Ethiopia / Kenya / Sri Lanka / India / Lao People's Democratic Republic / Colombo
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H049534)
(4.35 MB)
14 Sanchez, P. A. 2020. Viewpoint: time to increase production of nutrient-rich foods. Food Policy, 91:101843. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2020.101843]
Food security ; Food production ; Nutrients ; Nutritive value ; Health foods ; Food consumption ; Diet ; Food systems ; Iodine ; Aquaculture ; Livestock ; Fisheries ; CGIAR ; Policies
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049523)
(0.45 MB)
15 Barrett, C. B. 2020. On research strategy for the new one CGIAR: editor’s introduction. Food Policy, 91:101844. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2020.101844]
Research organizations ; International organizations ; CGIAR ; Institutional reform ; Agricultural research
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049530)
(0.45 MB)
16 Aryal, J. P.; Farnworth, C. R.; Khurana, R.; Ray, S.; Sapkota, T. B.; Rahut, D. B. 2020. Does women’s participation in agricultural technology adoption decisions affect the adoption of climate-smart agriculture?: insights from Indo-Gangetic Plains of India. Review of Development Economics, 18p. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/rode.12670]
Climate-smart agriculture ; Gender ; Women's participation ; Technology transfer ; Farmers ; Climate change ; Agricultural production ; Wheat ; Rice ; Farm inputs ; Zero tillage ; Decision making ; Households ; Socioeconomic environment ; CGIAR ; Research programmes ; Policies ; Models / India / Indo-Gangetic Plains / Bihar / Haryana / Karnal / Vaishali
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049728)
(0.34 MB)
Increased participation of women in the agricultural technology adoption decision by farm households is one of the key indicators of gender empowerment in the agricultural sector. This study examines whether women’s participation in the household decision to adopt agricultural technology affects the adoption of climate-smart agriculture (CSA), using data collected from 1,267 farm households from two Indian states of Bihar and Haryana. When we considered the sex of the household head (using a dummy variable for male-headed vs female-headed household) as a basis of analyzing the role of gender in the adoption of CSA, we found that women in Haryana had no role in the adoption of CSA. On the contrary, when we considered women’s participation in technology adoption decisions as a basis of gender analysis, we found that women’s participation in technology adoption decisions in Haryana is much higher as compared to Bihar. Consequently, the likelihood to adopt CSA is higher in Haryana than in Bihar. We also found that wealth, training, and access to extension and market positively influenced CSA adoption. Qualitative analysis shows that women farmers prioritize family food security rather than farm income, and therefore, they are more likely to focus on CSA to ensure food security.
17 International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 2020. IWMI Gender and Inclusion Strategy 2020-2023: new landscapes of water equality and inclusion. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 16p. [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2020.205]
Gender equality ; Inclusion ; Strategies ; Organizational change ; Water security ; Water systems ; Digital innovation ; Data management ; Sustainable Development Goals ; Social inequalities ; Equity ; Women ; Social development ; Empowerment ; Structural change ; Climate change ; Resilience ; Risk reduction ; Food systems ; Ecosystems ; Water use ; Multiple use ; Agricultural research for development ; Research programmes ; CGIAR ; Research institutions ; Intervention ; Stakeholders ; Policies ; Knowledge management ; Capacity building
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H049876)
(1.16 MB)
18 Byerlee, D.; Lynam, J. K. 2020. The development of the international center model for agricultural research: a prehistory of the CGIAR. World Development, 135:105080. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105080]
Agricultural research for development ; CGIAR ; International organizations ; Research networks ; Research systems ; Natural resources management ; Farming systems research ; Agricultural sciences ; Crop improvement ; Green revolution ; Funding ; International cooperation ; Political aspects ; Sustainability
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049900)
(0.82 MB)
On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the CGIAR, this paper revisits the genesis of the international center model for agricultural research (IARC). This model became fashionable in the 1960s and was arguably the major institutional innovation of the 20th century for foreign assistance to agriculture. While the founding of the first IARCs is universally attributed to the Rockefeller and Ford Foundations, we argue that based on new evidence, the creation of the IARCs was a logical conclusion of a process involving many actors that began immediately after World War I. First, we review FAO efforts to build regional and global research networks for the major cereals in the immediate post-WWII period. These networks linked closely to USDA and its legacy of scientific collaboration across US states that together with the Foundations, strongly influenced the design of the first two international centers for the major cereals. In Latin America, the various efforts by the US National Academy of Sciences, the US government and the countries of the region resulted in the creation of three centers for tropical agriculture, (only two of which exist today) with a broader research focus on farming systems and natural resources. Finally, we show how the establishment of four IARCs in Africa in different ways drew on a colonial legacy that had moved toward centralization of research across colonial territories since before WWII. All of these efforts over many decades involved a good deal of experimentation in organization, funding and governance to arrive at the standard IARC model that emerged. By the late 1960s, the genesis of another six IARCs was already in place stimulating the creation of the CGIAR to fund and coordinate the IARCs. The review concludes with a brief reflection on the successes and challenges of the IARC model over 50 years, and its relevance today.
19 International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 2020. IWMI Annual report 2019. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 60p. [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2020.208]
Water management ; Sustainable Development Goals ; Food security ; Ecosystems ; Climate change adaptation ; Resilience ; Gender ; Inclusion ; Women ; Digital innovation ; Water resources ; Groundwater management ; Wastewater ; Irrigation programs ; Resource recovery ; Water use ; Smallholders ; Farmers ; Farm income ; Disaster risk management ; Crop insurance ; Agriculture ; Economic aspects ; CGIAR ; Research programmes ; Collaboration ; Partnerships / Africa / Central Asia / South Asia / South East Asia / Myanmar
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H049940)
(3.65 MB)
20 CGIAR System Organization. 2020. Responding to COVID-19: CGIAR's contribution to global response, recovery and resilience. Montpellier, France: CGIAR System Organization. 48p.
COVID-19 ; Pandemics ; CGIAR ; Research programmes ; Agricultural research ; Food security ; Nutrition security ; Resilience ; Food systems ; Value chains ; Water systems ; Livelihoods ; Poverty ; Gender equality ; Public health ; Environmental health ; Social protection ; Inclusion ; Sustainability ; Policies ; Investment ; Income ; Strategies ; Economic impact
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049854)
https://cgspace.cgiar.org/bitstream/handle/10568/108548/CGIAR-Responding-to-COVID-19.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049854.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049854.pdf
(2.81 MB) (2.81 MB)
The COVID-19 pandemic, itself likely the result of unsustainable food, land and water systems, is exposing weaknesses in food systems, societies and economies around the world. The health risks of the pandemic, combined with the social and economic impacts of measures to stop the spread of the disease (e.g. social isolation directives, travel bans, border closures) are posing threats to food, nutrition and water security, as well as continued progress on global goals to end poverty and hunger, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Without substantial emergency relief, 140 million people could fall into extreme poverty, potentially increasing hunger and malnutrition for millions. Women, youth, migrant workers and poor urban populations are among those most significantly impacted. The global response to the pandemic must be swift and science-based, harnessing new and existing knowledge. Solutions need to be coordinated across sectors to provide immediate response and assistance for those most in need, ongoing and inclusive support in recovery and, perhaps most importantly, future resilience to all shocks–including climate extremes. The COVID-19 crisis presents an unprecedented opportunity for humanity to “build back better,” particularly in the food systems at the root of the pandemic. The crisis has demonstrated how quickly society can fail – but also that collective positive change in human behavior is possible at scale and speed. CGIAR will join its network of partners to co-lead global debate and action on what “building back better” looks like for food, water and land systems.
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