An Ecoregional Approach to Research within the CGIAR System: Summary of the TAC Concept

Paper by TAC member Michael Arnold, prepared as agreed at TAC 58, for submission to a meeting of the joint Center Directors/TAC Working Group on the Ecoregional Approach to Research in the CGIAR, at TAC 59.The paper describes the origins of the ecoregional concept, and identifies three aspects of it. These are agroecological issues focused on sustainable production; the global aspect, economies of scale and spillovers; and the regional aspect, focused on collaboration with national programs. TAC's synthesis of these three aspects is described, as are operational implications and plans for further elaboration.