CGIAR International Centers Week Washington, DC October 25–29, 1999 Summary of Proceedings and Decisions Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science A CGIAR Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research CGIAR Centers Centro lnternacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT) • Cali, COLOMBIA Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) • Jakarta, INDONESIA Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maïz y Trigo (CIMMYT) • Mexico City, MEXICO Centro Internacional de la Papa (CIP) • Lima, PERU International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) • Aleppo, SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management (ICLARM) • Makati City, PHILIPPINES International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF) • Nairobi, KENYA International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) • Patancheru, INDIA International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) • Washington, DC, USA International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) • Ibadan, NIGERIA International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) • Nairobi, KENYA International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) • Rome, ITALY International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) • Los Baños, PHILIPPINES International Service for National Agricultural Research (ISNAR) • The Hague, NETHERLANDS International Water Management Institute (IWMI) • Colombo, SRI LANKA West Africa Rice Development Association (WARDA) • Bouaké, CÔTE D'IVOIRE CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week Washington, DC, October 25-29 Summary of Proceedings and Decisions Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science A Issued by the CGIAR Secretariat The World Bank 1818 H Street, NW, Washington, DC 20433 • USA Telephone: 1-202-473-8951 • Fax: 1-202-473-8110 E-mail: cgiar@cgiar.org or cgiar@worldbank.org www.cgiar.org Contents I. II. Major Decisions .....................................................................................................3 Summary of Proceedings .......................................................................................7 Chairman's Opening Address....................................................................................7 Chairman's Announcements ................................................................................... 16 Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science..................................................... 20 f Impact of CGIAR Research on Poverty .......................................................... 20 • Overview of the World Food Situation....................................................... 20 • CIAT-CGIAR Workshop on Poverty Impact of Agricultural Research ........ 22 • IAEG Studies on the Impact of CGIAR Research ...................................... 23 f Efforts to Sharpen the Science Practiced by CGIAR Institutions ...................... 25 • Centers Forum ......................................................................................... 25 • Research Partnerships............................................................................... 48 -- Global Forum on Agricultural Research................................................ 48 -- African Research Strategy for the CGIAR ............................................ 49 -- CGIAR Commitments in Latin America and the Caribbean.................... 50 -- Funding and Management of Systemwide Program ............................... 51 -- Managing Research Partnerships: Lessons from Experience................... 52 f Efforts to Explore New Scientific Directions to Impact Poverty ....................... 53 • Integrated Natural Resources Management ................................................ 53 -- First Review of Systemwide Programs with an Ecoregional Approach.... 53 -- CGIAR Research Priorities for Marginal Lands ..................................... 54 -- CDC Initiatives on Integrated Natural Resource Management ................ 55 • Climate Change ...................................................................................... 56 • Integrated Gene Management.................................................................. 57 -- Intellectual Property Rights.................................................................. 57 -- International Undertaking on Plant Genetic Resources........................... 58 -- Conference on the Role of Biotechnology ............................................. 59 Vision, Structure and CGIAR Leadership ................................................................ 62 CGIAR Business Matters....................................................................................... 65 f Reports from CGIAR Cosponsors and Committees.......................................... 65 f 1999 Funding Update ................................................................................... 70 f The 2000 Financing Plan .............................................................................. 70 f Longer Term Financing ................................................................................ 71 f Setting the 20001 Research Agenda ............................................................... 72 f Future Meetings ........................................................................................... 73 Chairman's Closing Remarks.................................................................................. 74 iii III. Annexes ...............................................................................................................83 (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) ICW99 Agenda .............................................................................................. 85 List of Documents.......................................................................................... 87 List of Participants ......................................................................................... 88 Summary Record of Cosponsors' Meeting...................................................... 107 Committee Reports f Oversight Committee ............................................................................... 111 f Finance Committee.................................................................................. 115 f Technical Advisory Committee ................................................................. 120 f Private Sector Committee......................................................................... 123 f Non-Governmental Organization Committee............................................. 127 IV. Acronyms and Abbreviations ...................................................... inside back cover iv CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week A MAJOR DECISIONS Major Decisions 1. CGIAR Leadership. The Group welcomed a proposal from the World Bank's senior management that Ismail Serageldin continue serving as CGIAR Chairman for two more years. (See pages 62-65.) 2. CGIAR Vision. The Group agreed that the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) will lead a visioning exercise to define where the CGIAR should be, what the CGIAR should be doing and producing, how the CGIAR should be doing it, and with whom. In so doing, TAC will involve the Centers, seek views from CGIAR members and all stakeholders, draw on previous work, and move quickly to ensure that its recommendations can be discussed at MTM2000. (See pages 62-65.) 3. CGIAR Structure. The Group agreed that TAC will work with the Centers and others to identify the direction and scope of organizational changes needed to deploy the future resources of the CGIAR in the most effective way. This work will build on the visioning exercise and be completed so that decisions can be made by the CGIAR at ICW2000. (See pages 62-65.) 4. Consultative Council. The Group agreed that the Consultative Council will be the instrument to review the options on vision and structure developed by TAC. The Consultative Council should make its recommendations with a view toward enabling decisions to be reached by the CGIAR at MTM2000 and ICW2000. (See pages 6265.) 5. Impact Assessment and Evaluation. The Group endorsed the preliminary findings of the Impact Assessment and Evaluation Group studies on the impact of the Centers on poverty reduction, germplasm improvement, integrated pest management, and the environment and urged the IAEG to move quickly into the next phases of these studies. (See pages 23-25.) 6. Inter-Center Collaborations. The Group reviewed and commended the initiatives of the sixteen Centers to combat poverty through interCenter collaborations. (See pages 26-49.) 7. Systemwide Programs The Group endorsed the preliminary findings of the Committee of Board Chairs (CBC) report on the funding and management of systemwide programs and the recommendation that the operation of systemwide programs be an important component of the review of the CGIAR's vision, structure, and strategy. The Group endorsed the TAC panel report on systemwide programs with an ecoregional approach and requested TAC to report at MTM2000 on progress in addressing the issues raised by the review. (See pages 52 and 55.) 8. Integrated Natural Resources Management. The Group endorsed the Center Directors' Committee (CDC) proposal to constitute a task force to work with TAC to strengthen the CGIAR's INRM agenda at the system level. (See page 56.) 9. Climate Change. The Group welcomed the report of the Inter-Center Working Group on Climate Change and endorsed the TAC view that the CGIAR should not expand its objectives to include specific attention to climate change mitigation. It also endorsed the TAC proposal for a workshop to ascertain the current state of knowledge and identify areas where the CGIAR can best complement ongoing climate change work. TAC will report on the workshop at MTM2000. (See pages 57-58.) 10. Integrated Gene Management. The Group received the progress report on the Centers' integrated gene management activities, noted that the Central Advisory Service is operational, and urged completion of the IPR audits by MTM2000. (See pages 58-59.) 11. Plant Genetic Resources. After receiving the FAO and Genetic Resources Policy Committee (GRPC) reports on the status of the International Undertaking on Plant Genetic Resources, the Group endorsed the statement of the Panel of 3 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science MAJOR DECISIONS Experts on Access and Benefit-Sharing of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture convened by the Secretariat of the Convention of Biological Diversity that: "In developing national legislation on access, parties should take into account and allow for the development of a multilateral system to facilitate access and benefit sharing for plant genetic resources for food and agriculture." (See pages 59-60.) 12. Membership Committees. The Group endorsed the renewal of the Oversight Committee membership, the Finance Committee recommendation that its membership and chairmanship should be rotated, and the election of Canada as the new Chair of the Finance Committee for one year. (See pages 66-68.) 13. Partnership Committees. The Group endorsed the restructuring of the Private Sector and NGO Committees, and the progress toward establishment of the Science Partnership Committee. (See pages 68-69.) 14. Reports from CGIAR Cosponsors and Committee. The Group received and endorsed the reports and recommendations of the Cosponsors, the Oversight, Technical Advisory, Private Sector, Non-Governmental Organization and Center Directors Committees, and the Committee of Board Chairs. (See pages 66-70.) 15. The 2000 Financing Plan. The Group endorsed the Finance Committee's recommendation that the financing plan for the 2000 research agenda be set at $340 million. (See page 71.) 16. Longer-Term Financing Strategy. The Group endorsed the Finance Committee's recommendation that the CGIAR longer-term financing strategy be based on the continuation of Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding with some proportion being supported by nonODA funding from DAC countries, expansion of Southern financial participation, and a special effort to solicit private philanthropy. The Group agreed that the proposed single mechanism for harmonizing the numerous and multi-level public awareness and resource mobilization activities should be explored, and that the working group should continue until MTM2000, with Alex McCalla continuing to chair it. (See pages 71-72.) 4 17. Setting the 2001 Research Agenda. The Group commissioned the preparation of the 2001 research plans by the centers, which will be viewed in the context of the 1999–2001 medium term plans endorsed by the Group. (See page 73.) 18. IAEG/TAC. The Group confirmed the appointment of IAEG chair Hans Gregersen as TAC member (ex-officio member) and approved the appointment of Hirofumi Uchimiya as a new TAC member effective January 1, 2000. It also endorsed the extension of the terms of five TAC members for two years—Usha Barwale Zehr, Alain de Janry, Michael Cernea, Elias Fereres, and Maria Antonia Fernandez Martinez. (See page 66.) 19. Genetic Resources Policy Committee. The Group endorsed the restructuring of the Genetic Resources Policy Committee (GRPC), confirmed the appointment of Dr. M. S. Swaminathan as GRPC Chair for one year, and endorsed the appointment of the following GRPC members— Carl-Gustav Thornström, Christine Grieder, Robert Bertram, Godwin Y. Mkamanga, José EsquinasAlcazar, Carmen Felipe-Morales, Bernard le Buanec, Usha Barwale Zehr, Marcio de Miranda Santos, Ronald Cantrell, Timothy Reeves, and Geoffrey Hawtin (Secretary). (See page 70.) 20. CGIAR Executive Secretary. The Group agreed that the proposed search and recruitment process for the CGIAR Executive Secretary should follow the same consultative and transparent process that was followed for the selection of the TAC Chair. The Cosponsors will serve as the search committee with the World Bank representative as chair. (See pages 64.) 21. Special Honors. The Group unanimously approved resolutions to honor Alexander McCalla and Donald Winkelmann for their contributions and service to the CGIAR. (See pages 79-81.) 22. Future Meetings. The Group agreed on the following dates and locations of future CGIAR meetings. (See pages 73.) MTM2000 May 22–26 .......................Dresden, Germany (in conjunction with the Global Forum) ICW2000 October 23–27 .................... Washington, DC MTM2001 May 21–25 ..........................To be determined ICW2001 October 29–November 2..... Washington, DC MTM2002 May 27–31 ..........................To be determined ICW2002 October 28–November 1..... Washington, DC CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week A SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS Chairman’s Opening Address Introduction A Personal Comment Good morning, friends and colleagues. Welcome to International Centers Week 1999 (ICW99). Allow me to begin this opening statement with a brief, personal comment. At ICW98 I confirmed to you that I was a candidate for the position of Director General, UNESCO. I said at the time that I entered the contest because the nobility of UNESCO’s mission and purpose, as spelled out in its charter, inspired and challenged me. I had hoped to be elected as UNESCO’s Director General largely with a view to challenge the world from that forum, the only UN agency with Science in its name, to focus more on the public goods aspects of science, on the need to mobilize science to serve the poor and the environment, and to address the ethical, safety and proprietary aspects of the new scientific revolution, especially in the biological sciences. But it was not to be. As you no doubt know, the votes favored another candidate. However, I am still dedicated to these concerns, and I can think of no better instrument to serve them than the CGIAR. We have all been dedicated for a very long time to resolving the issues that I raised as part of my candidacy. Their solution is what the CGIAR stands for. It is, as always, a privilege to be here with you. Now, on to Centers Week. Centers Week Friends and colleagues. In my Chairman’s letter of October 8, I recalled that when we concluded a program of renewal and launched a regenerated CGIAR, we agreed that “the success of every program we espouse, every project we undertake, every endeavor we support, has to be measured by the extent of their contribution toward alleviating poverty.” The international community re-committed itself to the same approach at the annual meetings of the Bank and Fund held last month. So we too return to this theme at ICW99, our last meeting of the century, an appropriate occasion for reflection on the past, present, and future. “Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science,” the focus of ICW99, is a goal that resonates strongly across the CGIAR system. The founders of the CGIAR created this unique institution because they were committed to fighting hunger, combating its cause, poverty, and inhibiting the wider consequences of both. We have deepened our understanding of these issues over time, and confronted their ever-increasing complexity. Today we must clarify that understanding into a new vision as we confront the challenges of a new millennium, indeed, a new age. Where the marvels of science are exploding in a myriad of ways, and yet our ability to harness them to end human misery, promote sustainable development and empower the weak and the marginalized is a task that will require redoubled efforts. The CGIAR must continue to evolve if it is to remain a strategic factor in the harnessing of the best of science for the needs of the world's poor. In responding to this challenge, I will try to address two aspects that are on the minds of many: CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 7 SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS First: How to go forward from the System Review recommendations and tackle the unfinished agenda of institutional change that we must undertake if the CGIAR is not to become marginal in a decade or so. Second: to address the issues of continuity and change in the leadership of the CGIAR. Onwards from the System Review Facing the Future The third System Review provided us with a number of suggestions for the future, provided us with some ideas as to where the new science might take us, and reemphasized and detailed with more precision what our mission is and should be. It suggested a range of changes, most of which we adopted, rejecting only the proposed incorporation of the CGIAR, and the creation of a central executive board. But the hints embedded in the System Review speak clearly of the need for deeper changes in the CGIAR to face the needs of a rapidly changing world. It is those changes that I will raise with you today. The new breakthroughs that we have been witnessing in the domains of biotechnology involve more than just the ever increasing speed and accuracy of genomic sequencing techniques or a deepened understanding of the functioning of ever more genes, or the systematic unraveling of the encoding of proteins. Exciting as all these developments are, the world of science is changing dramatically in the very way that science is being done, and will probably be done in the future, and by whom and in what circumstances. Far more than any single discovery, the changing face of the new science needs to be taken into account as we map our future course. This will involve coping with the positive and the negative aspects of the new science, many of these being just two sides of the same coin. Today, the new science is more and more the preserve of the private sector in the industrialized North. The CGIAR spends some $30 million annually on biotechnology-related research, while the private sector invests billions. Global sales from transgenic crops have increased from $75 million in 1995 to an estimated $2.3 billion in 1999. Moreover, the commodity crop focus of research by the private sector is shifting, and is heavily focused on crops such as maize, rice, and wheat that are important to food security in the South. It mobilizes undreamed of amounts for research money, and it rapidly accelerates the pace of new discovery. But it does it in a way that is increasingly going to be difficult for us to deal with in terms of IPR and the needs that we have to access the toolkit of the new science in a meaningful way and sill hold our output available to all. Resolving these issues will require imagination that transcends the mere attempt at some partnerships here and there. Some of these challenges, I fear, are becoming systemic. Issues connected with the FAO Undertaking and the Convention on Biological Diversity continue to bedevil the international community. Battles loom over WTO discussions about genetically modified organisms (GMOS). The debates are hectic, and often inconclusive. Driven by concerns about IPR and bio-prospecting, some 50 governments are presently considering national legislation, which could lead to total stoppage of all germplasm flow between countries. We must try to convince them that they should leave a window for multilateral exchanges in those new legislative regimes. Without that, it will be impossible to maintain the many germplasm improvement programs that we are all hoping for. Unless these issues are addressed adequately it is not just a matter of how we will be doing our work at the CGIAR Centers, it is whether we will be able to do any work at all. But biotechnology and germplasm improvement is only a part, a small part at that, of the CGIAR agenda. Furthermore, beyond crops, to tackle poverty, there is a crying need for continuing attention to 8 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS policy, to environmental issues, including water and soils, and to the livestock, forestry and aquatic sectors. Attention to the capacity building of the weakest NARS, recognizing the enormous variability in NARS, excludes any simple unified approach for the CGIAR that does not contextualize research within the ecological and socio-economic context of the various countries. Attention to gender issues and to participatory methods will be needed. Imaginative approaches that adequately involve all other actors, including ARIs, NARS, the private sector, NGOs and the farmers themselves into thematically and locationally variable and effective coalitions will be needed. The rapidly changing nature of the situation will require a CGIAR that is flexible, efficient and responsive. It must be focused and this will require re-thinking what we do, how we do it and with whom we do it. Criteria We have tended to accept as part of the justification for the CGIAR the following objectives, some of which can also be used as criteria for selecting research topics. These objectives/criteria, which I am not listing in any particular order, would include: • • • • • • • • • High rates of return; Reducing poverty; International public goods research; Protecting the environment; Protecting biodiversity; Promoting food security; Capacity building in NARS; Comparative advantage of the IARCs; and Attention to orphan crops. And there are doubtless more. I have purposely not ranked them, because I believe that we may well have different rankings in mind. I think that we should be clearer on the issues of what are objectives and what are criteria. Then, if we map these objectives and these criteria we should in theory get the optimal plan of the CGIAR activities, except that the comparative advantage criterion is a dynamic one that might require investing in changing our current structure and staffing as well as making maximum use of the great configuration of talent that we have today. I submit that since the 94/95 renewal program of the CGIAR, we have focused too much on the latter and have not given enough thought to the former. As I recall, we have only done one partial exercise in the last five years. Following on the McCalla TAC exercise of the early nineties, we did this in the TAC report and discussions of 1995/6. These were, to my mind, inadequate discussions in so far as we ducked some hard choices by saying “both” and letting the balance emerge out of the funding decisions that increasingly became the result of the interaction of donor interests and DG entrepreneurial talents rather than any real thoughtful choices. This, I believe, will no longer be tenable in the new decade, as public funds become ever more scarce, and where we must ensure that the whole of what we do is more than the sum of our individual actions. Hard choices will have to be made. Major changes will have to be introduced. Restructuring will come, and possibly in unconventional ways. 9 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS This is no cause for either alarm or despondency. Change can be exhilarating and transformation, even if painful, can be vivifying. Using new skills and addressing new vistas can be even more challenging than plowing old fields with finely honed skills. Looking at the familiar in a novel way can be the catalyst to bring the creative breakthrough that is the true moment of discovery which motivates all science. Fundamental Questions The first question for the CGIAR, therefore, is to define its domain vis-à-vis the other actors. The ground on which it will stand four-square and from which it will build its alliances. Second, is to discuss how it will function in this domain, and with whom. Third, is to foresee this in a dynamic fashion to ensure that the shifting world situation is not just reflected in what the CGIAR does, but is anticipated by the CGIAR system. Fourth, is to draw the conclusions of that analysis in terms of organizational, administrative and financial terms. In defining the domain of the CGIAR, I ask for greater clarity in our thinking. We tend to use many different criteria that frequently may lead to contradictory recommendations without accepting that we have real hard choices to make. Thus let me spell out the complexity of our mission in terms of expectations for defining the domain of the CGIAR: If we are to address the triple challenge of poverty reduction, food security and environmental protection, we have to focus on increasing the productivity, efficiency and profitability of the small holder farmer in developing countries. So far all agree that this will require actions on policy, on institutions and on many fronts, with a focus on the complex farming system of the small holder, along with the target of increasing biological yield. Now come the hard parts. Do all the criteria take us in the same direction when we discuss the objectives? Let’s take the poverty criterion for a moment. The desire to help the poor has to be translated in two concurrent and complementary ways: • Lowering the price of food for the rising urban poor who have to purchase it, and this means greater attention to the overall production in the developing countries and the trade aspects of the challenge as well; and Increasing the income of the poor small-holder farmers in the low-potential areas. • We have always responded that we must do both. Given that resources are finite and will become even more constrained in the future, the first hard question becomes: what is the best balance between these two endeavors? How much to allocate to each? The second hard question becomes, how do we best impact on the incomes of the very poor in the low-potential areas? Do we improve their current farming systems and their crops, the orphan crops? Or do we adapt higher value crops and products to the specificities of the farming system and raise the income of the farmers? This last is important not only in terms of the research strategy, e.g., introducing drought resistant maize further north in the Sahel rather than increasing yields of the millet or sorghum that is grown there, 10 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS but also in the definition of the domain of the CGIAR itself, e.g., introducing fruits and vegetables into the mandate crops that we are studying, in terms of adaptability to ecological and social characteristics of small-holders that the private sector is not interested in and that some poor country NARS are not able to respond to. What is the adequate balance between upstream and downstream activities? Further, where is our comparative advantage? Vis-à-vis NARS, ARIs, NGOs and the private sector? And given the evolving world situation and the dynamic nature of the concept of comparative advantage, can we remain on the course of the past or must we change that course? Traditionally, the CGIAR has had some of its greatest successes and still is best known in many circles for its work on the largest crops: Rice, Wheat, Maize and Potatoes. The institutes dealing with these crops are some of the best known Centers, and arguably some of the best talent in the CG system is found in them. Yet if the commercial picture is changing with more and more private money going into those crops does this remain the long-term comparative advantage of the CGIAR? Or is it some specific aspects of the research on those crops that will remain our comparative advantage? And if so which aspects? Orphan crops have been easily identified as an important part of the fundamental mandate of the CGIAR, but the time has come to ask the key questions: how important are they in terms of the diet of the people concerned? Of the biodiversity we are committed to protect? Of the sustainable farming practices that we are determined to promote? Of the impact that we will have on the world food situation and poverty reduction globally if we continue to devote a substantial part of our efforts to these crops? The holistic, environmental approach has been also identified as a central part of the CGIAR mandate. Yet we do not have a comparative advantage vis-à-vis NARS in dealing with location specific issues of NRM. We may have more to contribute on the methodological front, but here, we need to answer to our own satisfaction whether the NRM approach is a lens through which we define a problem and research topics or a research program in its own right or both. Further, assuming that the findings of the study reported on by Pardey and others are correct, and that rates of returns (RORs) on environmental research are about 50 percent lower than RORs for conventional crop-based research, and if that is not the result of measurement or design factors in the evaluation studies—then if we concern ourselves more and more with the ecoregional and environmental research, do we have a problem with declining RORs on the research dollar? With increasingly limited public funds, would that be a problem for the funders? The economic—not financial—return on investment of the research dollars that we use could lead us to rethink all these questions in a different light. I believe that if we are to address these issues adequately we must think about the future first. Not think from where we are. A time horizon of 5–10 years is appropriate as it allows to abstract out of where we are is close enough for perspectives to be grounded in the reality of current trends. Looking at that world, and keeping in mind the comparative advantage and the meaning of international public goods in that new context we can think more clearly about where the CGIAR should be positioned to remain a strategic factor in international agricultural research as it is likely to be at that time, in order to fulfil its mission of poverty reduction, food security and environmental protection. Proposition 1: To address these issues, we need to get a working group from the Centers themselves to work with TAC in a fast paced mode to prepare short pithy notes that are discussed with CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 11 SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS the CG members and all the stakeholders and that get sharpened as we move along, so that by MTM2000 we would have a broad vision of where we should be in 2005–2010, what we should be doing, how we should be doing it and with whom. Thinking about Structural Change Let me now broach that most sacred of sacred cows in the CGIAR system, the question of restructuring. Do we need 16 Centers? Should they be 10? Or 25? I do not know, and I have no particular answers up my sleeve. But I believe that the time has come to address the issue and thus go forward from the System Review. I am convinced that this discussion cannot start from what is today, but must start with what we would like to be like within ten years. I think that the Centers must rethink the way we work. One way of restructuring is to have a much more flexible set of institutional arrangements that allow the Centers to think in terms of “Centers without walls,” a concept that drew considerable support during discussion of the proposed expansion of the CGIAR. To think in terms of much more joint research and grant-getting with NARS and ARIs than in the past. After all, most of the research done in universities and ARIs tends to be collaborations with scientists from many other institutions. I know that this is already happening in the CGIAR system. My question is to what extent is it going to be the main form of research in the future rather than one aspect of the way we do our work. The advantages of that, with the new technologies of the Internet and the E-mail is that we can also arrange to have many researchers part time from around the world on specific topics working for the CGIAR system without having to recruit any of them. Strategic deployment of some of our funds to leverage a global research program for a particular topic wold enable us to drive the agenda around that topic and to get some of the best people on some methods to address that topic without having in fact to give up on their specialties. There is a lot to be done there. This then raises another form of partnership—not the institution to institution type which invariably proves costly in transaction time and frequently bureaucratic, but a very open-ended type of collaboration with which scientists will feel at ease. To the extent that we have put our IPR house in order that can also be extended to the private sector, although there it is more likely that the institution would be involved. I recognize that for some, including some of the very best, this is not the mode in which they feel they can operate. In many cases it can prove even more difficult to launch than the tried and true approaches that we have now mastered. But it does hold promise, and could be very useful in building new alliances and tapping new sources of funding. That may prove more directly relevant in some areas of research, e.g., livestock, than in some others. But my plea is that we should look beyond what we have been doing till now and be ready to explore new avenues. Focus on comparative advantage, a strategic agenda, and fewer well-defined projects have to be our watchwords on what we do. Flexibility, imagination, efficiency, effectiveness. These will have to be our watchwords on how we approach it. Partnerships for specific work, with people from all backgrounds with all institutions from the NARS, the ARIs, the private sector, the NGOs, the regional organizations and the IARCs must be the way we will do it. Partnerships have developed well in the CGIAR, but primarily in the area of dialogue. It is time to move from dialogue alone to product-oriented partnerships. 12 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS In this context of defining comparative advantage and new modes of collaboration, we must recall the Global Forum for Agricultural Research (GFAR), the only forum that brings all the actors together: ARIs, IARCs, NARS, regional organizations, the private sector, NGOs, and farmers. There is a need now to move from talk of the desirability of partnerships to helping provide the space for brokering concrete collaboration. We look forward to hearing more about GFAR’s plans during ICW. If we think in these terms, then the nature of the required changes will gradually emerge. The work program would drive the agenda. The work would bring people together or drive them apart. Changes in the work we do and how we do it would precede the administrative changes. Like companies that may go to outsourcing and then gradually build partnerships with particular suppliers or distributors, and then find themselves divested of the earlier outsourced parts while merging with their new partners. The evolution is bringing change driven by substance not by administrative concern or budgetary fears. Centers like any institutions in any industry today, would look to the issues of consolidation and mergers as natural ways of evolving, not as threats to their existence. Proposition 2: To address these issues, we need to get the same or another working group from TAC and the Centers themselves to work in a fast paced mode to prepare short pithy notes that are discussed with the CG members and all the stakeholders and that get sharpened as we move along, so that by MTM2000 we would suggestions as to how we should be organizing ourselves for 2005–2010. Financing Issues These recommendations should also be addressing how we fund our work, with a view to reduce overhead and transactions costs. We still have much to do there. Last year, the CGIAR secured funding of $340 million for the agreed research agenda. A similar level is anticipated in 1999. The Bank has maintained its support at $50 million, and has approved multiyear funding for the CGIAR. These are welcome developments. However, financing issues have not simply disappeared. ODA by OECD/DAC countries fell by some 21 percent in 1992–1997. An increase was noted in 1998 but, given domestic trends and necessities it is far too early to say whether the downward trend has been fully revised. The long-term strategy for the CGIAR that is being prepared by the Finance Committee is therefore critically important. The innovative, product-oriented partnerships of the future could have an important impact on funding. However, keeping in mind the anti-poverty orientation of the CGIAR, and its public goods orientation, it is clear that the system will have to depend on a mix of old and new funding sources for many years. This is a members-owned institution, with primary investment from members. Governance and Leadership Governance Friends, we must also address the governance of the CGIAR. We cannot ignore it. We must address it. The Consultative Council, that interim measure we adopted when we rejected the idea of a central board, is not likely to respond to the needs of a flexible responsive and efficient organization over the longer term. This must also be addressed. CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 13 SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS But the Consultative Council can be useful in the short to medium term as we digest the thinking emerging from the working groups and as we allow our vision of the future 5–10 years hence to shape our actions. Proposition 3: I suggest that over the coming year, we use the interim mechanism that we adopted—the Consultative Council—to bring to bear the wisdom of all on the issues and move us at a faster pace that we could by staying with a rhythm dictated by relying on only the MTM and ICW meetings. Continuity and Change in Leadership The governance issues cannot be divorced from another issue on the minds of many: Continuity and change in the leadership of the Organization. When we last met in Beijing in May, the situation was troubling. Concerns were rightly stirred by the prospect of the possible departure of four key actors from the scene. The TAC chair, Don Winkelmann was retiring, then within a matter of a year, we would have had the retirement and departure of Alex McCalla, Finance Committee Chair and World Bank cosponsor, and Alexander von der Osten, the Executive Secretary. In addition, there was the possibility of my own imminent departure from the Chair had I won the UNESCO elections. The TAC Chair replacement has been resolved to the satisfaction of all in terms of both process and outcome. The same process would be used for the selection of the next Executive Secretary. The Finance Committee Chair will be resolved within this ICW. The Bank cosponsor, who should be the new Director of RDV in the World Bank to maintain that important link to the Bank’s mainstream operations, will be known when the Bank will make its decision in a matter of weeks. I am now here and willing to work for the CG system on a more than 50 percent time basis for the next two or three years. But should you desire a different arrangement, I am equally willing to step down within a transition period of one year. I would like to put before you two clear choices: Option 1: I stay as an activist chair for two or more years, and help in addressing the issues that I have just been discussing. Option 2: Acting as a chair for the next 12 months, I would hand over formally after or at next ICW, to another Vice President of the World Bank as the new chair. Since that new chair would not devote the same amount of time to the CGIAR as I would, he or she would be supported by a Vice Chair. The responsibilities of the Executive Secretary position would be accordingly reduced, with new terms of reference. The selection of the Vice Chair and the Executive Secretary (with reduced terms of reference) would both be done transparently. Proposition 4: We will have a session of the Consultative Council to discuss the leadership question during this ICW and recommend to the plenary the preferred option. That session will be chaired by Henri Carsalade. Appropriate time is being set aside on the agenda to allow for that consultation. 14 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS Conclusion Friends and colleagues. What I have described provides the basis for a new vision and its fulfillment. My intention has been to raise the issues, including those that we have ducked, so that together we might further examine what precisely is at stake, what exactly is doable, and decide how best to move ahead. Developments are moving fast in the world of science. If we temporize, lacking the courage to serve as both provider and catalyst so that the benefits of cutting-edge science reach the poor, we will lose our way and be simply left behind. So let us move forward to meet the future. That is the challenge before us this week, as we examine the issues I have outlined against the background of the many related presentations we will hear. The report from the CIAT workshop, the IAEG evaluations, and reports from the Centers will remind us of how effectively the CGIAR has mobilized science to meet the needs of the poor in recent years. We applaud all those who have participated in those efforts, or made them possible. But the job is by no means ended. Many uncertainties await those who have benefited least from the glories of the period now ending. They have waited…and waited, long enough, for better days, better times. Will they ever reach that elusive tomorrow? We cannot guarantee that they will. But we can do all within our power to help. Robert McNamara, a founder of the CGIAR, said that “absolute poverty is a condition beneath any definition of human decency.” Let us be stirred by the same sense of moral outrage as we recommit ourselves to fulfilling our vision of the future. CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 15 SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS Chairman’s Announcements Ladies and gentlemen. I now move on to the Chairman’s Announcements and the adoption of the draft agenda. This is the point at which information about the wider CGIAR family is communicated to all who are assembled here. At this time, we take the opportunity to welcome old and new friends, record achievements and, inevitably, because life never runs an even course, sometimes share the burden of sorrow as well. Condolences With regret, I have to place on record the deaths of colleagues and friends. Jack Doyle died last June. He was truly a friend of us all, a caring person who combined a deeply held sense of compassion with strong intellectual capacity. He devoted his life to the alleviation of poverty, malnutrition, and environmental degradation in developing countries. John was a founding staff member of ILRAD, and was appointed the Institute’s first Deputy Director General in 1991. We shall miss his vision, energy, kindness and dedication. Sir Ralph Riley died in August. For nearly 25 years, the CGIAR system benefited from his scientific advice, and his pleasant company, as a member of TAC and in several other capacities. We appreciate his efforts, and will always cherish the memory of this very gifted colleague. We mourn as well the untimely death of Patricia Reeves, a source of strength and inspiration to Tim. Our thoughts are with all those who feel the pain of intensely personal grief. I request the Secretariat to record our condolences in the summary report of this meeting, and to send copies of the report to the families concerned. Congratulations I am delighted to inform you that M. S. Swaminathan was acclaimed by “Time” magazine as one of the twenty most influential Asians of this century. “Time” said that the key to his influence and, therefore, his position in this very select group is that he used his skills and his powers of persuasion to make famine an unfamiliar word in Asia. That is high and richly deserved praise. He has, in addition, been awarded the 1999 Volvo Environment Prize for his “international leadership in agriculture and resource conservation.” Perez de Cuellar, a former Secretary General of the UN, described him as a “living legend who will go into the annals of history as a world scientists of rare distinction.” We join in that tribute and in celebrating the many ways in which he has helped to ease the burden of the disadvantaged and disconnected. Per Pinstrup-Andersen, who received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University in India, and John Ryan of ICARDA, who has been selected as one of the 1999 Fellows of the Soil Science Society of America, lead the list of Center scientists who have received honors and awards. We share their joy in the recognition they have received. It is their continued striving for excellence that makes the CGIAR system what it is. 16 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS Please join me in a round of applause for all of them. Committees The Oversight Committee, Finance Committee, Genetic Resources Policy Committee, and Partnership Committees have all gone through rotation or reconstitution of membership. Committee chairs will report the details when they report in plenary. At this point, however, let me thank all those who have served on these committees and welcome new members. Their contributions to the effectiveness of the CGIAR system are invaluable. Departures/Appointments At MTM in Beijing I had only a list of farewells. This year, we take note of both farewells and arrivals. Members In the category of CGIAR members, Teresa Fogelberg has been appointed to head the Climate Change Program at the Department of Air and Energy, in the Netherlands Ministry of Environment. We will miss her sorely. She has been a tower of strength, adding a special blend of practicality and a sense of vision to all the discussions in which she participated. We wish her the very best in her new assignment, and look forward to hearing more from her in the future. Yasuhiro Mitsui, Japan's representative to the CGIAR has moved to the Secretariat of the G-8 summit which will take place in Japan next year. We thank him for his vigorous support of the CGIAR, and wish him well in his new responsibilities, as we welcome Tetsushi Kondo who comes to the CGIAR after a tour of duty in Syria. We welcome as well Mr. Isobe who has taken over from Mr. Hanatani as the Director of Multilateral Division in the Economic Cooperation Bureau of Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We also welcome Akira Seki, Director, Agriculture and Social Sectors Department (West), who is attending his first CGIAR meeting for the Asian Development Bank. Cosponsors Now, the cosponsors. Alex McCalla is due to retire from the World Bank at the end of this year. I do not believe that persons associated with the CGIAR actually ever leave it, so we will not assume that Alex is closing a door behind him. I will say more about him later in the week. TAC Chair From one past TAC chair I move to others of the present. Don Winkelmann's term as TAC Chair ends in December. I will have more to say about Don later in the week. I am pleased to welcome Emil Javier, TAC Chair-designate. Emil is too well known to us to need any introduction. He will begin a five-year term as TAC Chair on January 1, 2000. Let us wish him all success in his new responsibilities. CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 17 SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS Board Chairs At the Centers, there have been some changes among Board chairs. We welcome Bob Havener, again. He has taken over from Alfred Brönnimann at ICARDA. John Vercoe replaces Neville Clarke at ILRI. Moise Mensah replaces Amir Muhammad at ISNAR. Klaus Beek takes over from Zafar Altaf at IWMI. Wally Falcon of CIMMYT, Yemi Katerere of ICRAF, and Martin Piñeiro of IFPRI are due to end their current terms as board chairs after ICW99 but before next year’s Mid-Term Meeting. Center Directors Among Center Directors, we welcome an old friend Les Swindale, who returned home—as Interim Director General of ICRISAT until the end of the year. In January, Willy Dar, another wellknown and respected colleague will begin his term as the new Director General. At CIAT, Aart van Schoonhoven is currently acting Director General until Grant Scobie’s successor is selected. David Seckler is due to leave IWMI next year and the selection process for choosing his successor is now underway. CDC/CBC Chairs Wally Falcon is due to relinquish duties as chair of the CBC. He has been an active and influential chairman. His wisdom and his commitment to the CGIAR system have inspired all of us. He will report later this week, when he will announce the name of his successor. Pedro Sanchez ends his terms as CDC chair. He, too, has been an active chair, who was interested himself deeply in furthering the interests of the CGIAR system. Pedro will be succeeded by Per PinstrupAndersen. I express my gratitude to all those who are leaving their positions. They have rendered great service to the Centers concerned, to our partners and beneficiaries, and to the CGIAR system as a whole. On your behalf and on mine as well, I wish them the very best in their future undertakings, fully expecting that we will hear more from them. At the same time, I offer a very hearty welcome to the newcomers. Our appreciation is due to all of them. Please express it in the usual CGIAR manner. Other Matters I have two more announcements. The well-established collaboration of the CGIAR and the World Bank with the Epcott Center is featured in the ICW exhibit area outside the auditorium. Nabil Trabulsi of ICARDA will make presentations several times a day—at coffee breaks, immediately before lunch, and at the end of the day. Some of the props created for Orlando will be used, against a backdrop similar to the actual exhibit at the Epcott Center. I hope you will find the time to visit the mini-exhibit and encourage all those engaged in this activity. 18 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS Finally, you will be pleased to learn that Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa has joined Future Harvest’s expanding group of ambassadors. Adoption of the Agenda The group approved the draft agenda with two deletions and one addition. • At the request of the TAC, two items from the original draft agenda were postponed to next year’s Mid-Term Meeting. These are the ICARDA EPMR and the ILRI strategic plan which is a follow-up to the ILRI EPMR. An item was added on the “Status of the Negotiations for the Revision of the International Undertaking on PGR” as part of Agenda Item 4 (c)—Integrated Gene Management. There had been a suggestion to add to the agenda a report on the “Impact of Participatory Approaches to Plant Breeding.” As TAC is undertaking a comprehensive review of plant breeding in the CGIAR, the Group agreed to cover the subject in conjunction with its consideration of the TAC review when that is ready. • • CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 19 SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science The principal theme of ICW99 was the critical role of scientific research in the worldwide fight to eliminate poverty. The major portion of the meeting focused on the impact of CGIAR research on poverty, efforts to sharpen the science practiced by CGIAR institutions through enhanced research partnerships, and efforts to explore new scientific directions to impact poverty. Impact of CGIAR Research on Poverty The Group discussed the impact of CGIAR research on poverty from a conceptual perspective and in terms of the specific evidence required to establish the agricultural research/poverty reduction link. Overview of the World Food Situation Henri Carsalade, Assistant Director General of the Sustainable Development Department, FAO, briefed the Group on the follow up to the World Food Summit. Progress toward the goals of the World Food Summit has been uneven and insufficient, he said, and investments in agriculture remain way below what is needed to speed up production and reduce the number of people who are underfed. In order to reach the target of reducing the number of underfed people by 400 million by 2015, the yearly reduction should be approximately 20 million. In fact, the yearly decrease in underfed people is 8 million, far below the level called for by the Summit. The international community has an intergovernmental agency, the Food Security Committee, which is charged with following implementation of the World Food Summit objectives at the international level. Mr. Carsalade outlined the comprehensive action plan developed by the Food Security Committee to help implement the World Food Summit goal of reducing the number of underfed people. Among the Food Security Committee's priorities are vigorous reviews of the various initiatives and progress toward meeting Summit commitments. Mr. Carsalade introduced Per Pinstrup-Andersen, Director General of IFPRI, who presented an overview of the world food situation based on World Food Prospects: Critical Issues for the Early Twenty-first Century, a new report published by IFPRI. Mr. Carsalade noted that FAO provided support and collaborated with IFPRI on the report's preparation, and pledged FAO's continued resolve to help IFPRI and other Centers in their important work. Mr. Pinstrup-Andersen said that nearly 75 million people will be added to the world's population every year from now until 2020. During that time, rising incomes in the hands of millions of developingcountry people will spur a large increase in global demand for food. To close the large gap between food supply and demand projected for 2020: • 20 The world's farmers must produce 40 percent more rice, wheat, and other grains; CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS • Developing countries will need to double their cereal imports, with sixty percent of the developing world's cereal imports likely come from the United States. Poor countries and poor people risk losing out on the economic benefits of more open global trade. International trade liberalization must go hand in hand with national policy reforms, investments in the agriculture sector, access to developed country markets, and the elimination of export subsidies in industrialized countries. A demand-drive in "livestock revolution" is underway, and demand for meat is expected to double in the developing world by 2020. In fact, developing countries are likely to have to import eight times more meat in 2020 than they did in 1995. China alone will account for more than 40 percent of this increase in demand for meat products. In response to strong demand for meat products, demand for cereals for feeding livestock will double in developing countries. Demand for maize in developing countries will increase much faster than any other cereal and will overtake demand for rice and wheat by 2020. Net cereal imports by developing countries will almost double to fill the gap between food production and demand. Demand for root and tuber crops will increase 40 percent by 2020—almost half of the increase will be in Sub-Saharan Africa. Roots and tubers are more than just a basic food staple for the poor; they represent an actual and potential cash crop for small farmers in developing countries. They are also used in industry, as a vegetable, and in a variety of other ways. Food prices will remain steady or fall slightly between 1995 and 2020. The much slower decrease in food prices compared with past trends is due to the continued slowdown in crop yield increases, as well as strong growth in demand for meat in developing countries. It is likely that food insecurity and malnutrition will persist in 2020 and beyond. Projections are that 135 million children under age five will be malnourished in 2020, a decline of only 15 percent from 160 million in 1995. Child malnutrition is expected to decline in all major developing regions except SubSaharan Africa, where the number of malnourished children is forecast to increase by about 30 percent to reach 40 million by 2020. Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia will be home to more than 77 percent of the developing world's malnourished children in 2020. A key issue is the role of biotechnology in helping provide food security for all. If focused on solving developing country problems, biotechnology may help farmers reduce production risks and increase productivity. According to IFPRI's findings, using biotechnology in the developing world could make food grains more nutritious and help combat widespread nutrient deficiencies, which lead to diseases and premature deaths for millions of poor women and children every year. Biotechnology, with strict bio-safety and ethical considerations, offers opportunities for small farmers in developing countries. Plenary Discussion The Group endorsed the IFPRI report on the World Food Situation and acknowledged FAO's contribution. Members agreed with the FAO conclusion that solutions to pressing hunger and nutrition problems are possible, but action to reach the poor and food insecure is needed. The discussion covered a number of key points: • The findings and issues raised in the IFPRI report are critical for planning for the 21st century. To minimize the risk of food shortages, policymakers must begin taking steps now. The outlook for Africa is of special concern. • The opportunity to raise these issues in international forums should not be overlooked. The next round of trade negotiations sponsored by the World Trade Organization will begin in CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 21 SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS November, and the ability of developing countries to participate effectively in the negotiations is a concern. • The potential of using agroecological approaches to increasing productivity on small-scale farms in developing countries should be taken into account. CIAT-CGIAR Workshop on the Impact of Agricultural Research on Poverty Doug Pachico of CIAT presented a report on the international workshop, "Assessing the Impact of Agricultural Research on Poverty Alleviation," sponsored by CIAT and the CGIAR September 14–17 in San José, Costa Rica. Eighty researchers from around the world presented papers before an audience of nearly 200, including representatives from the donor community, national agricultural research systems, academia, the NGO community, the private sector, and international organizations. The workshop was conceived and organized by former CIAT Director General, Grant Scobie. Among the key findings: • Research has increased productivity and incomes for millions of small farmers; • Employment generation in agriculture has benefited the poorest of the poor; • Future employment growth may come more from high value crops and post harvest processing than from production of staples; and • Cheaper food creates large widespread benefits to the poor; however, cheaper food by itself will lift few out of poverty. The most well known and best-documented cases of the relation between research and poverty alleviation are the massive impacts of improved rice and wheat varieties. Other lesser-known examples were also presented at the workshop: • Poor hillside farmers in China have increased their income from virus free sweet potato germplasm; • In Central America, there is evidence that the use of multi-purpose forages has reduced resource degradation and raised the incomes of poor farmers; and • In Colombia, the effectt on poverty reduction of post harvest processing innovations for cassava has been demonstrated. The international agricultural research system generates outputs on a wide variety of crops, on policy and research management, and on water, forest, livestock, and aquatic resources. This diversity of instruments can effectively address interrelated goals of poverty reduction, natural resources management, and food security. In sum, research produces diverse outputs that can contribute to multiple goals and research priorities can be shaped to target poverty reduction. Plenary Discussion The Group welcomed the presentation on the CIAT-CGIAR poverty workshop and the workshop findings. The Group discussed how research can improve productivity in stressed environments, often on different crops, than in favored environments. Poverty is not the major cause of resource degradation, it was noted, but reversing resource degradation can help reduce poverty. Members focused on the issue of more careful and more precise targeting and appraisal of alternative research projects. In some cases, it was noted, investments in less favored areas has a higher payoff than investments in other areas, both in terms of poverty alleviation and of economic growth. The 22 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS poor are very diverse and different research outputs have a variety of different effects. It was proposed that further research is needed on the issue of how to better target research to the poor. IAEG Studies on the Impact of CGIAR Research on Poverty Reduction, Germplasm Improvement, Environment, and Integrated Pest Management Hans Gregersen, IAEG Chairman, presented a report on recent IAEG activities, including the series of IAEG impact studies on poverty, germplasm, environment, and integrated pest management. The studies are part of IAEG's mandate to provide timely, objective, and credible information on the impacts of CGIAR outputs, and to support Centers in their ex post impact assessment activities. Poverty Reduction Peter Hazel of IFPRI reported the preliminary results of IAEG’s impact study on poverty reduction. An extensive review and synthesis of the literature on the links between agricultural research and poverty has confirmed that agricultural research can have very favorable impacts on the poor, but that this is not an inevitable outcome and depends on several enabling conditions. These conditions include an equitable distribution of land, secure ownership and tenancy rights, efficient inputs and output markets that serve all types of farmers, research and extension systems that are not biased towards large farms, and scale neutral technologies. The team conducting this study has agreed on a portfolio of country case studies and methodological best practices for quantitative impact assessment. These will incorporate complementary institutional and social analysis of the context of the new technologies to better understand how agricultural research impacts on broader definitions of poverty and social outcomes, and how research might be better targeted within the context of social development for sustainable rural livelihoods. Crop Germplasm Under the direction of Robert Evenson of Yale University, the IAEG has undertaken a study of crop germplasm impacts covering ten crops for which the international and national research systems have been engaged. The studies cover crops that constitute 80 percent of the area planted in developing countries. Mr. Evenson presented the preliminary findings on investments in crop genetic improvement, varietal production, IARC content and indirect IARC impacts on varietal production, measuring production impacts of improved varieties, and economic effects. --Investment in Crop Genetic Improvement (CGI) a) For the more developed country and crop programs, virtually all were strengthened in response to the establishment and strengthening of international research programs. b) For national programs with little capacity in the 1960s, the international programs effectively supplied much of the genetic material on which these programs were subsequently based. --Varietal Production a) The continued high level of NARS and IARC production of improved varieties appears to be the result of improved access to genetic resources in NARS and the cumulation of traits and landrace content in more recently released varieties. CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 23 SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS --IARC Content and Indirect IARC Impacts on Varietal Production a) The direct contribution of IARC programs is impressive. In the 1980s and 1990s, they were producing proportions of varieties that were well above their scientist and investment proportions. In a number of crops, IARC programs were continuing to contribute more than half of all improved released varieties into the 1990s. --Measuring Production Impacts of Improved Varieties a) The proportion of area planted to improved varieties has grown steadily in all crops and in the 1990s, improved varieties are the dominant crops. Farmers have placed value on improved varieties because they have adopted them. Had the IARCs not been established (even while NARS were built to within 10 percent of their late-1990s levels), varietal production would have been 35 to 50 percent lower. --Economic Effects Investments in IARC germplasm improvement have produced low food prices and massive gains to consumers, who are the largest beneficiaries of IARC programs. Poor consumers have benefited most of all. For the world’s smallest farm producers, the total producer and consumer gains are large. Environment Details of the IAEG's study on the impact of CGIAR activities on the environment were provided by Mike Nelson of New Zealand. Given the complexity of tracing these linkages between research and environmental impacts, the Panel decided to focus initially on the land-saving implications of productivityenhancing innovations, fully recognizing that the whole range of positive and negative impacts will need to be included eventually. The preliminary analysis revealed that land saved from deforestation as a result of productivity research in seven key mandated food crops was in the range of 170 to 420 million hectares, with another 50 million hectares in reduced requirements for permanent pasture attributable to forage/livestock research. Assuming that average carbon storage per hectare is 100 tons and has a value of $1 per ton, the environmental savings may be placed at $10-25 billion over 2 decades. Also assuming that 40 percent of the lands developed would have been cleared forests with an average value in biodiversity of $5 per hectare, additional environmental savings amount to $200-500 million. The environmental benefits associated with a reduction of deforestation of this magnitude— biodiversity, carbon storage, erosion or downstream damage—can reasonably be expected to be highly significant and important from a global perspective. Integrated Pest Management Herman Waibel of Hannover University provided highlights of IAEG’s study on the impact of research on integrated pest management. He noted that research on IPM has been underway in all Centers for a long period, and that the technological paradigm of IPM is dominant and there is also increasing appreciation given to treating IPM in a social science context. The future of IPM is heavily dependent on developments in biotechnology that will determine the nature of future partnerships. Finally, the study clearly shows that CGIAR’s investments have been profitable, and that even in the long term, the rate of return to investment in IPM research is in the magnitude of 15 to 40 percent. 24 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS Plenary Discussion The Group endorsed the IAEG's preliminary reports on the CGIAR's impact on poverty eradication, food security and environmental protection, and urged the IAEG to move quickly into the next phases of these studies. IAEG was commended for its work on the impact reports, which are seen as a significant step forward. Special thanks was given to Hans Gregersen for his leadership in directing the IAEG's solid, scientifically rigorous, and transparent studies to produce information on CGIAR impacts. Centers are playing a key role in the impact assessment activities, and both IAEG and the Centers are benefiting through the interactions. Members praised the studies for including the viewpoints of NGOs, multi- and bi-lateral donors, and the private sector. Members also agreed that the linkage of IAEG's evaluation work with TAC's overall priority setting and overall evaluation is a positive development. CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 25 SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS Efforts to Sharpen the Science Practiced by the CGIAR Institutions through Enhanced Research Partnerships The Group focused on how the CGIAR has redoubled its efforts to strengthen its scientific capacity (and thereby create a larger impact on poverty) by broadening its partnerships with other scientific institutions. Centers Forum The focal point of the Centers Forum was "Inter-Center Collaboration to Combat Poverty." All sixteen Centers made presentations under the broad headings of integrated gene management, productivity and natural resources management, systemwide ecoregional programs, and policies. ICRAF’s Director General, Pedro Sanchez, presented a historical overview of the Centers' evolving relationships. Overview: A New Era of Research Partnerships ICRAF During the 1960s and 1970s the CGIAR Centers operated quite independently. The following decade saw the emergence of “crop wars,” as Centers struggled over responsibility for maize, cassava, and other commodities. Those were the days of large budgets and physical plant expansion for the big commodity Centers. The CGIAR Secretariat was very strong, the TAC was very influential, and the Centers were very independent. Landmarks in Collaboration By the early 1990s the Centers had expanded into natural resource management, the TAC had become dominant in scientific leadership, and the CGIAR Secretariat had developed a strong role in allocating funds. Systemwide and ecoregional approaches were being discussed. By the time budget crunches began to be felt in the mid-1990s, Centers were aware of their responsibilities for collaboration, but had little authority to do so. Nonetheless, inter-Center collaborations emerged. For example, the African Highlands Initiative, an ecoregional program convened by ICRAF, was launched by CIAT’s director. Since 1994, with the renewal of the CGIAR, enlightened leadership, and elimination of perverse incentives, the donor of last resort mechanism began to take proper hold across the Centers. As funding responsibility was largely devolved to the Centers, their outlook gradually changed from independence to interdependence. And as the Centers’ authority grew, they became more collaborative. ICRAF, for example, developed a proposal for the Desert Margins Initiative, but several director generals agreed that ICRISAT was better positioned to implement that effort. ICRAF and CIP agreed that CIP would leader the Global Mountain Program and that ICRAF would lead the initiative to find alternatives to slash-and-burn. These were landmarks in collaboration. The 1998 CGIAR System Review recommendation for increasing the authority of the Centers gave a further boost to collaboration and strong scientific leadership. Today collaboration includes logistical 26 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS support, facilities sharing, and joint efforts on systemwide ecoregional programs. Inter-Center working groups of scientists, usually headed by a director general, work together on information technologies, intellectual property rights, genetic resources, climate change, and similar issues. Leadership is often shared. Directors who are responsible for some Center subcommittees have increased authority and responsibility for activities in Sub-Saharan Africa, for example. ILRI is developing a joint strategy with African partners. Centers are also forging practical collaborations with national agricultural research systems, nongovernmental organizations, advanced research institutions, and other international Centers that are not part of the CGIAR system. Collaborative Clusters are Proliferating The ICRAF and ILRI headquarters in Nairobi host the regional programs of ICRISAT, CIMMYT, IPGRI, IWMI, CIP, and other research institutions in the “Nairobi cluster.” This is probably the largest concentration of CGIAR scientists anywhere in the world. The Centers regularly host programs in support of other Centers. CIFOR hosts ICRAF’s Southeast Asia Regional Program in Bogor, Indonesia. ICRISAT in Mali hosts ICRAF’s, IITA’s, and ILRI’s regional programs for the Sahel. CIP supports the Pucallpa Center in the Amazon of Peru, a creation of ICRAF, CIAT, and CIFOR. CIMMYT in Zimbabwe hosts ICRAF’s southern Africa program. IPGRI regional offices are all headquartered at CGIAR Centers at CIAT, ICRAF, ICARDA, and IITA’s Benin campus. WARDA hosts IWMI and IITA scientists. IITA hosts ILRI’s West African programs and WARDA and CIFOR staff in Cameroon. CIP hosts ICARDA staff. ILRI has joint appointments with IITA, IFPRI, CIAT, and CIP. IPGRI has a joint appointment with CIAT. Collaboration has increased dramatically, but it could still benefit from further nurturing by the CGIAR leadership, the CGIAR Secretariat, the Technical Advisory Committee, and Center members. And the next step is for Center leadership to find innovative ways to extend the successful results of collaboration to numerous clients around the world. Marking Progress—Collaboration to Improve Cassava CIAT Collaborative research on cassava improvement, involving CIAT, IITA, and other partners, demonstrates particularly well how biotechnology can be targeted specifically to the poor. The crop is widely regarded as a staple of the poorest, providing food and a livelihood for about a half billion people in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. It is grown mainly by small farmers in marginal environments, such as semi-arid regions and the margins of tropical forests. Cassava is beset by numerous problems, including the wide range of pests that attack the crop during its long growth cycle. Some of these pests may also transmit disease, as does the cassava whitefly (Bemisia tabaci), which is the vector of the African cassava mosaic virus. Other constraints include farmers' difficulty in securing healthy planting material and intensive postharvest processing, most often performed by women, to convert the highly perishable roots into storable forms. CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 27 SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS Biotechnology for Better Results Since the 1980s CIAT has worked to realize the potential of biotechnology for solving problems in cassava, especially those that cannot be dealt with effectively through conventional approaches. One of the most promising applications is a molecular genetic map of the crop—the first such map to be constructed entirely at a CGIAR Center . By providing markers associated with genes that control useful traits, it can greatly increase the efficiency of cassava improvement. A second version of the map is now under construction, with funding from the Rockefeller Foundation. Scientists are using simple sequence repeat markers (SSRs), which are easier to use than the markers employed in the first-generation map and also lend themselves to automation. So far, 186 SSR markers have been developed, and more than 80 of these have been placed on the cassava map. Molecular genetic mapping opens up new possibilities for improving the efficiency of cassava breeding generally and for realizing particular goals, such as resistance to the African Cassava Mosaic Disease (ACMD) in Latin American germplasm. Already the most serious constraint of the crop in subSaharan Africa, ACMD is also a potential threat in tropical America. The whitefly biotype that serves as the virus's vector has been found in the Caribbean and Brazil, so it is just a matter of time before the virus appears in tropical America as well. To deal more effectively with the ACMD threat, CIAT and IITA began 3 years ago to map resistance genes. Two mapping populations have been developed and field tested. The second, involving new, durable sources of resistance from Nigeria, has shown high resistance to ACMV. Marker-aided analysis of the population shows that the resistance is controlled largely by a single gene, CMD1. An important goal now is to introduce this gene into susceptible varieties through marker-assisted breeding. This will take time, though, because of cassava's long growth cycle. A faster way to introduce this gene is through genetic transformation. CIAT has already developed protocols for genetic transformation of cassava and is now assembling the tools needed to clone the ACMD resistance gene. They include a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) "library" for cassava, which was constructed in cooperation with the Clemson University Genomics Institute in the USA. This tool is essential for mapbased cloning of the resistance gene, which in turn is a prerequisite for genetic transformation. Two other libraries are being developed with support from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) for cloning resistance to whitefly and the new source of ACMD resistance. In addition to their joint work on ACMD, CIAT and IITA are characterizing cassava landraces in Africa and Latin America, using SSR markers. With support from the Swedish Development Agency (SAREC), they hope to find new ways of raising yields, possibly by exploiting hybrid vigor between genetically diverse gene pools. Progress through Partnerships CIAT and IITA are engaged in other partnerships as well whose aim is to bring biotechnology tools to bear on the problems of the world's poorest people. One of these is the Cassava Biotechnology Network (CBN), which has been funded by the Netherlands Development Assistance (NEDA). CBN has involved farmers directly in decision making about cassava research priorities, and several biotechnology tools have been applied to cassava through the Network's efforts. Under a project in Colombia, for example, an NGO and farmer groups are using rudimentary in vitro techniques to multiply healthy planting materials of their favorite varieties. In a second CBN-sponsored project, scientists at the University of Bath in the UK, with support from the country's Department of International Development (DFID), are searching for genes that reduce postharvest deterioration of cassava. 28 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS Another, newer partnership is the Latin American and Caribbean Consortium to Support Cassava Research and Development (CLAYUCA). It is a self-financing consortium that unites private and public sector organizations in support of cassava research. CLAYUCA should be a powerful mechanism for ensuring that biotechnology is used effectively to remove the constraints of cassava and make the crop more competitive, both as a source of food and as raw material for animal feed and other industrial uses. Such alliances are the best hope for benefiting millions of poor producers and consumers through cuttingedge cassava research. Cooperation Yields Gains for Rice IRRI The International Network for the Genetic Evaluation of Rice (INGER) has demonstrated that Centers can benefit through cooperation with each other. It has also provided ample evidence of the importance of a long-term commitment in the fight against poverty. Since INGER’s inception in 1975, 1,500 scientists from the national agricultural research systems of 95 countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America have worked on cooperative projects and shared genetic resources. Nurseries and New Parents INGER, launched with funding from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is the result of successful collaboration among four CGIAR Centers—IRRI, CIAT, IITA, and WARDA. Although INGER adapts its focus to the needs of each region, the basic exchange mechanism is the same. Scientists and researchers from national agricultural research systems and international agricultural research Centers are asked each year to nominate the best varieties and breeding lines for testing in INGER's 110 nurseries around the world. The four Centers act as hubs for the exchange of rice germplasm supplied by the scientists. These breeding lines and varieties are then included in INGER's observational yield and screening nurseries and evaluated. The 21 types of INGER nurseries study irrigated, lowland, upland, and floodprone ecosystems and major biotic and abiotic stresses. The results of INGER's evaluations are supplied to participating scientists. Scientists select material from the nurseries for release as new varieties or for use in breeding programs. INGER has also ensured that the best performing rice germplasm is freely shared and used. However, because of the growing interest in plant variety protection and patenting, such sharing is unlikely to continue much longer. Over the past 20 years more than 21,000 breeding lines and varieties of rice from around the world have been exchanged and evaluated through INGER. More recently about 350 breeding lines have been released for over 530 varieties of rice in about 62 countries. An estimated 290 modern varieties of rice released through INGER are expected to generate $725 million a year. Thousands of rice germplasm lines have been used as parents in hybridization to diversify and improve rice germplasm in cooperating countries. Global germplasm collaboration has accelerated the development of improved varieties of rice and enhanced farmer access to a much larger range of pedigrees. The genetic material made available through INGER has contributed significantly to increased rice production in many countries and, therefore, to greater food security. The value of the donor parents is enormous because they help protect crops, stabilize yields, and save on pesticides and other agrochemicals, thereby protecting the environment and human health. In many cases the poorest countries have benefited most from the varieties introduced by INGER. These varieties have had their largest impact on the rural and urban poor, through a steady decline in the CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 29 SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS real price of rice. Since INGER began there has been a steady increase in rice production and a steady decrease in price. Evolving Responsibilities; Devolving Organization The roles of the four Centers in INGER have changed somewhat over the years. IRRI first established the international rice testing program with funding from the UNDP. INGER has been able to successfully evolve in several areas of the world because of sharing, collaboration, and the involvement of new organizations, such as the Latin American Fund for Irrigated Rice (FLAR). As FLAR became involved in the funding and operation of INGER in Latin America, CIAT’s responsibilities shifted somewhat, but it has retained its influential and important role in the region. In Africa, WARDA took over operation of INGER from IITA in 1997 and has ensured that the benefits are widely dispersed across the continent. INGER’s continuing devolution is evidenced in the growing involvement of the Asia Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutes (APAARI). As an umbrella organization, APAARI provides a coordinated voice for the national agricultural research systems in Asia in working with organizations such as the CGIAR. Despite the emergence of new players, however, it is still the four CGIAR Centers that ensure that INGER maintains its unique regional focus and global perspective. INGER’s success is made possible by the active participation and commitment of cooperating countries and scientists and the support of the four CGIAR Centers and the UNDP. Like the Centers, national coordinators and scientists play a vital role in INGER’s work, further highlighting its cooperative and sharing nature. Conserving Genetic Resources IPGRI More than 70 percent of the poor in developing countries live in rural, marginally productive areas largely untouched by modern technology. They depend for their livelihoods on indigenous genetic resources developed and nurtured for hundreds of years. This genetic diversity is important for increasing productivity and improving stability. It is also the basis of new products—foods, medicines, fibers—and can contribute to the development of production systems that are less dependent on external inputs. Proper management of genetic resources is the foundation of the CGIAR's mission. The Centers maintain the largest collections of agricultural genetic resources in the world (about 600,000). The Systemwide Genetic Resources Programme (SGRP) underpins much of the CGIAR’s efforts to eradicate poverty and protect the environment. Shifting Paradigm The global paradigm for genetic resources has shifted in recent decades from an international undertaking on plant genetic resources to a new model exemplified by the Convention on Biological Diversity. Genetic resources, previously considered the common heritage of humanity, have been subjected to ownership claims by the private sector through intellectual property protection. With new technologies, the private sector has been increasingly able to capture the benefits of agricultural research, particularly research on plant improvement. This change has also precipitated a dramatic shift in work from the public to the private sector, along with greater use of intellectual property protection based on plant breeders' rights and, more recently, patents. 30 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS Since the Convention on Biological Diversity came into force in 1993, national access legislation has been increasingly regulating the movement of genetic resources. In 1994, the CGIAR Centers signed agreements with FAO attesting to their status as trustees, not owners, of genetic resources on behalf of the world community. Shortly thereafter the SGRP was created to help countries conserve and use genetic resources and to help the Centers manage those resources. Strategic Agenda A 1998 review of the SGRP led to the articulation of five key thematic areas of focus: policy, public awareness, information, knowledge and technology generation, and capacity building. In the area of policy, an inter-Center working group has developed material transfer and other agreements related to genetic resources. The working group also monitored the in-trust agreements, and, as a result, gene banks are being upgraded to internationally accepted standards. To raise public awareness, SGRP has worked closely with Future Harvest, another organization created by CGIAR to promote creative links among research communities and other interested groups and to conduct studies on agriculture’s relationship to the environment, economic growth, violent conflict, public health, and world population. The two work together to raise concerns among policymakers and the general public about the loss of genetic resources, the value of genetic resources to development, and the role of CGIAR in the conservation and use of genetic resources. Information is critical to the conservation and use of genetic resources. In 1997, the Systemwide Information Network on Genetic Resources (SINGER) was established to share data standards. It allows researchers to search for genetic resources information across all Center databases. SINGER will be linked with other national, international, and regional databases and is operating closely with the FAO and the clearinghouse mechanism of the Convention on Biological Diversity. In the area of knowledge development and technology, the SGRP promotes strategic research to improve the management of genetic diversity and acts as a forum for the exchange of ideas on new areas of research. The program has been particularly active in setting standards for seed regeneration, work on cryopreservation of roots and tubers, economic analysis of gene bank operations, and the effects of forest fragmentation on genetic diversity in forests. SGRP promotes a coordinated approach to training and capacity building among the Centers. It also works closely with the FAO to support the global action plan for plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, develop a global strategy for farm animal genetic resources, and develop a genetic resources action plan for forests of Sub-Saharan Africa. Genetic resources are central to CGIAR's mission to help eradicate poverty. The basis of the system's work on genetic resources is the material that has been developed, selected, nurtured, and conserved by generations of farmers around the world. SGRP is essential to ensuring that the world’s rich natural reservoir serves the interests of the poor in the developing world. Rice-Wheat Consortium and the Benefits of Regional Cooperation CIMMYT The Rice-Wheat Consortium is an international research partnership that fights poverty on the Indo-Gangetic Plains, a part of South Asia that is home to about 40 percent of the world's poorest people. The region’s rice and wheat cropping system provides food security, employment, and income for over CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 31 SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS 350 million rural and urban poor of South Asia (Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan). The system feeds more people than any other farming system in the world. Food demand in South Asia is growing at a tremendous rate; India’s food demand is expected to increase greatly—by about 40 million tons for wheat and 35 million tons for rice. Yet there are few options for expanding the cultivated area, and yield growth is beginning to slow. Traditional sources of productivity growth are exhausted in the high-productivity areas as resource degradation in the system continues. The consortium partners include the national agricultural research systems of South Asia, five CGIAR Centers—CIMMYT, IRRI, IWMI, ICRISAT, and CIP—the International Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences, Institute of Arable Crops Research-Rothamsted, University of Adelaide, University of Cornell, University of Melbourne, Michigan State University, Wageningen Agricultural University, the research systems of South Asia, and the investors in this work—the Asian Development Bank, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States Agency for International Development, the World Bank, CGIAR technical advisory committee funds, unrestricted Center funds, and national agricultural research system funds. Beyond Commodities—A Whole System Approach Besides addressing rice- and wheat-related issues, the consortium conducts research to enhance system productivity and resource quality, diversify the system, foster farmer experimentation, provide extension and family training, and develop data and geographic information systems and decision-support tools. The consortium examines new systems, such as reduced or zero-tillage systems that allow for more timely sowing. With a zero-tillage drill made in India, farmers are able to sow wheat directly into the rice stubble when the soil conditions are optimal for germination. More timely sowing and improved water and fertilizer use increase yields, reduce costs, and create space for new rotations, system diversity, and cash crops. System diversity, in turn, can improve soil fertility and facilitate integrated management of nutrients, pests, and diseases. The Chinese hand tractor is another innovation that can help reduce tillage and increase timeliness. It can accommodate a shift from draft livestock to dairy livestock, power irrigation pumps and threshers, and serve as transportation. The tractor is used in Bangladesh, where minimum tillage and timely sowing have contributed to recent bumper crops of wheat. The country’s 1998 wheat production of 2 million tons was almost double the 1994 level. Surface seeding of wheat is another important new technology in South Asia. Presoaked seeds that are spread by hand and given the proper conditions can result in an excellent wheat crop that is inexpensive and timely. Still other advances are being made in weed control and integrated pest management, reducing significantly the use of herbicides and pesticides. And the consortium is examining integrated nutrient management as a means for developing site-specific soil fertility management strategies, including the adoption of simple, advanced nitrogen-gauging techniques (such as the chlorophyll meter). The consortium also conducts research on fodder crops, pasture for animals, and diversification with livestock. It provides better options for transport so that fresh products, like milk, can be produced and delivered to market in a timely and efficient manner. 32 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS National Agricultural Research Systems Are at the Helm The Henzell review of ecoregional programs noted that the consortium is "clearly NARS-driven" and that it "raises awareness in South Asia of the benefits of a whole system perspective and of integrating natural resource management and production research." The Rice-Wheat Consortium aims to integrate the appropriate genotype in the best environment with good management and extensive involvement of people. The consortium owes its success to commitment and sharing among national systems and the ability to identify and prioritize problems and to suggest appropriate interventions and research sites, and the existence of. Also critical has been the involvement of people—national coordinators, steering committee members, chief executives at national agricultural research systems in South Asia, director generals of the Centers, and staff from the World Bank. The Rice-Wheat Consortium is not one of the ecoregional or multi-Center activities that gets priority funding , yet the Henzell report gave it a top rating. The consortium, a sustainable partnership driven by the national agricultural research systems, needs sustained investment in its efforts to improve the lives of the resource-poor in South Asia. The Global Mountain Program CIP A large concentration of rural poor live in mountainous regions of high agricultural and biological diversity that are major sources of water for the world. Changes in mountain natural resources and ecosystems have the potential for affecting nearly half the world's population. People, Resource Protection, and Productivity The global significance of mountain ecosystems was reflected in the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development’s Earth Summit Agreement on Sustainable Mountain Development. The agreement seeks to promote environmentally sustainable development of mountain areas through the conservation of resources and the use of environmentally friendly technology. A key goal of the program is to develop a knowledge and information center on mountain ecosystems. The CGIAR responded by establishing the Global Mountain Program (GMP) in 1997. Since its inception the GMP has addressed the complementary functions of knowledge and information sharing and research for development. It is working to improve the management of resources in mountain agroecosystems, to contribute to the well-being of mountain populations, and to increase agricultural productivity. GMP participants have agreed to serve as a global forum for supporting research on natural resource management and sustainable agriculture in mountain regions and to provide an institutional mechanism for increasing the exchange of knowledge and experience among national research systems. Their work reflects both common concerns and issues that cut across mountain ecoregions and the diversity and distinctions of mountain regions. Both CGIAR Centers and non-CGIAR organizations are part of the GMP, including national agricultural research systems, nongovernmental organizations, national agricultural research institutes, universities, and the private sector. The GMP is structured so that an implementing agency is working with national research systems in each region: Latin America, Africa, and Asia. CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 33 SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS Year of the Mountain The GMP is a new tool for sharing ideas about sustainable development of mountain agriculture systems and poverty alleviation in mountain regions with the broader global community through increased partnerships. It also offers the opportunity to raise the visibility and impact of CGIAR investments in fragile mountain agroecosystems. Reflecting this heightened recognition of the importance of mountain ecosystems, the United Nations General Assembly designated the year 2002 as "The Year of the Mountain." The CGIAR is poised to play a key role through the GMP and is collaborating closely with the Food and Agriculture Organization on this effort. Cross-cutting Issues in Research for Development The GMP’s research for development function is handled by the Mountain Forum. The independently governed Mountain Forum was established with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and other donors. Its collaborative efforts respond directly to the needs and interests of each of the three major tropical mountain systems. InfoAndina, the information arm of CONDESAN, the Andean ecoregional program, serves as the Latin American-Caribbean node of the Mountain Forum. The African node is now just getting under way with the African Highlands Initiative of ICRAF. The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) operates the Asian node for the Hindu Kush Himalayas. The Mountain Forum links individuals and organizations concerned with mountain cultures, environment, and sustainable development worldwide. It provides a forum for the exchange of ideas and experience to empower participants to raise mountain issues on local, national, regional, and international agendas and to promote policies and actions for equitable and ecologically sustainable mountain development. The Mountain Forum has established a set of crosscutting themes and joint working programs, closely linked to agriculture and natural resources: characterization of mountain regions, intensification of land use and natural resource management, agrobiodiversity, policy, and private sector investment. The mountain characterizing activities are intended to develop methods and tools for use in comparing land use patterns and identifying technology options. The GMP develops the required models and databases for this work. Studies on land use and natural resource management have been conducted to improve knowledge of the driving forces that cause land use intensification, such as population increases, markets, and changes in political and economic stability. The result will be management strategies for improved land use, including the integrated management of soil nutrients. The Mountain Forum is also is seeking ways to use sustainable biological diversity for economic growth, especially ways to maintain diversity as agricultural intensification and development progress. Policy and public sector investment activities synthesize and analyze information to define the global policy issues that most affect land use intensification and the maintenance of the natural resource base in mountain regions. ICIMOD recently concluded seven country studies to review policies and the role that they play in land degradation in the region. Mountain Forum has reached many people, particularly those in national agricultural research systems in mountain areas. The Latin American node has moderated five electronic conferences, linking researchers, farmers, business people, and development workers for discussion on how to encourage agroindustries in the Andean ecoregion as an important tool for maintaining biodiversity and alleviating 34 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS poverty. The Andean group is also exploring ways in which communities can be rewarded for maintaining biodiversity or, more generally, for providing environmental services. It has also developed new methods and tools, such as decision-support systems in natural resource management. Crop and Livestock Synergies ICRISAT Most farmers in the semi-arid tropics practice mixed crop-livestock farming systems. To be relevant to this group, research needs to explore the interactions of crops and livestock. The International Livestock Center for Africa, a predecessor of ILRI, and ICRISAT initiated studies at ICRISAT’s Sahelian Center in Niger in the 1980s to better understand the role of livestock in mixed farming systems in the semi-arid tropics of West Africa. This collaborative nucleus also included contributions from IFDC, ICRAF, IPGRI, and IITA. Joined by national agricultural research systems and farmers, this cooperation between ICRISAT and ILRI has become a dynamic partnership aimed at exploiting crop-livestock synergies in both Africa and Asia. Recent collaborative thrusts include the Desert Margins Program in Africa, sustainable management of vertisols in Ethiopia, the Systemwide Livestock Program led by ILRI, and joint studies on fodder quality-livestock interactions for Asia, based in India. Participatory Collaboration in Africa and Asia With the endorsement of the host countries, ICRISAT has been able to provide ILRI with access to research station facilities in Niger, in the driest part of the semi-arid tropics, and in India, in the heart of the semi-arid tropics. ICRISAT-ILRI cooperation over the years has been multidisciplinary. It has investigated nutrient management for crops, feed management for animals, and animal traction issues. Technical, economic, institutional, policy, and environmental aspects have all been addressed. In 1997, ILRI began planning its Asia strategy by surveying livestock in collaboration with the national agricultural research systems of six countries. The survey confirmed that crop residues were major components of livestock feed in the mixed farming systems of hundreds of millions of poor smallholders. ILRI’s work has since targeted poverty alleviation in the semi-arid tropics by focusing on fodder and livestock systems. Shortly thereafter ILRI proposed basing its efforts in India, a move welcomed by both ICRISAT and the government of India. Once the institutional framework was established, ILRI and ICRISAT researched the use of genetic manipulation to improve the digestibility and the feed value of stover, an advance that would greatly assist small farmers. A rigorous impact assessment carried out in 1997–98 estimated the net present value of a 1 percent increase in stover digestibility at $42–$208 million, depending on adoption rates. The internal rate of return to this research investment was about 28 to 43 percent. The potential returns were sufficient to convince partners to pursue this line of research further. The first activity was a joint ILRI-ICRISAT and national agricultural research systems participatory rural appraisal to explore farmers’ perceptions about what traits convey high consumption and digestibility of fodder. An ILRI scientist led this program. Samples of farmers’ seeds and seeds from the local village stores with contrasting characteristics are being grown at ICRISAT to determine the mechanisms underlying the identified traits. Following the Science Opportunity CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 35 SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS Significant progress is being made with partners in the United Kingdom on developing a skeleton marker map of pearl millet. If a map of quantitative trait loci can be developed, traits could then be applied to the millet breeding program. This work is receiving financial support from the Australian Council for International Agricultural Research under the umbrella of the Systemwide Livestock Program. Crop-livestock synergies may provide an important avenue through which CGIAR can help poor farmers extract more benefit from their own on-farm resources. Cooperation has been most effective when driven by a science opportunity, rather than by supply-driven partnerships for their own sake. Careful analysis is a disciplined starting point for a new collaborative venture that would generate partner and donor confidence that the work is relevant and on track. Participatory planning and execution— including national agricultural research systems, farmers, local seed suppliers, and village store owners— are crucial to the success of these endeavors. Agro-Ecology and Pest Management in Africa IITA IITA’s inter-Center collaboration is best illustrated by two programs—the Systemwide Program for Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and the Ecoregional Program for the Humid and Sub-Humid Tropics in Sub-Saharan Africa (EPHTA). The objective of the IPM program is to develop the resources of the CGIAR Centers and cooperating institutions to identify serious pest problems, looking at both economic and environmental concerns. For each area of focus task forces, led by a CGIAR Center, were established to review research needs and to develop options for increased collaboration. The program focused on problems on which there has been little research—and limited progress. Controlling Whiteflies and Other Pests The benefits of the IPM program are well illustrated by the successful efforts to develop diseaseresistant varieties of cassava and to find biological controls for the cassava mealybug and the green mite. These successes resulted from joint research efforts of CIAT, IITA, and national and international partners. Farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa are growing healthy cassava crops that give them at least a 50 percent increase in yield without extra cost and inputs, an increase worth about $1 billion a year. The IPM task force on sustainable integrated management of whiteflies as pests and vectors of plant viruses is also exemplary of the program’s benefits. The IPM annual report notes that: When whiteflies and the viruses they carry threatened the profitability of vegetable growers in the southern United States, a massive research and control effort was mounted. When tropical whiteflies threatened glass-house-grown vegetables in Europe, consumers clamored for alternatives to pesticides. When the same pests wiped out bean-growers in Central America and threatened cassava farmers in Africa with famine, the world tried to look the other way. But now a more complete response is being organized. Thanks to the IPM program and collaboration among Centers like CIAT, ICIPE, Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center (AVRDC), CIP, IITA, and many other partners, research was brought to bear on the whitefly problem in Africa, bringing substantial benefits to farmers. A large number of cassava farmers in Uganda have enough food to eat for the first time in many years. Other collaborative efforts, such as on cereal stemborers and other pests in Africa, have also begun. CIMMYT, ICIPE, ICRISAT, and IITA are collaborating on the stemborer task force. Plant breeders and 36 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS other specialists from research Centers will pool their efforts for the first time within a coordinated conceptual and organizational framework. Several Centers and partner institutes have also developed a strategy of integrated management of soilborne pathogens of food crops. New options for controlling parasitic flowering plants have evolved through field testing of an IPM package. Because of the success of these and other projects, CGIAR is the recognized leader of research on IPM and plant health matters in the tropics that are critical to the rural poor. Agroecological Research for Africa EPHTA is another example of the benefits of increased collaboration among Centers and national and regional partners. The EPHTA was established by 11 countries in the humid forest and moist savanna zone of West and Central Africa. IITA is leading the project with the support of ICRAF, IFDC, ILRI, and WARDA (members), FAO and CIRAD (associated organizations), and CIFOR and ICLARM. Benchmarks developed and established under the program provide an excellent basis for joint planning and implementation of collaborative research activities for both ongoing and new initiatives. The forest margins benchmark, developed around IITA's Humid Forest Ecoregional Center near Yaounde in southern Cameroon, informs the Alternatives to Slash and Burn Program and allows for more effective development and use of databases and appropriate technologies through complementary research. Centers like ICRAF, CIFOR, IITA and many others, including CIRAD, work closely together on benchmarking. Crop and livestock integration has been identified as one of the priority areas for research in the Northern Guinea Savanna benchmark area. ICRISAT, ILRI, IITA, and the Institute of Agricultural Research in Nigeria developed a joint research plan that focused on a limited set of the best technologies, including the most promising sorghum and cowpea varieties. Fodder will be evaluated for its contribution to increased livestock production and the animal manure for its benefits in the production phase. Real breakthroughs are being made toward more sustainable production systems for a potentially large group of poor farmers in the dry savanna zone of Sub-Saharan Africa. The Systemwide IPM program clearly shows the increased opportunities for of inter-Center collaboration at local and global level—and the benefits. The EPHTA program demonstrates that different Centers and partners can effectively complement each other’s efforts to progress toward sustainable resource management and income generation at the regional level. IITA research activities have gained significantly from these new programs, and IITA intends to make them an even stronger part of the research agenda under the new strategic plan. Resolving the Forests-Agriculture Dilemma CIFOR The humid forest zone of Cameroon is part of the Central African humid forest, the second largest after the Amazon. It makes up about 16 percent of the forest mass and is considered the most biodiverse forest in the region. Key issues of strategic importance to the CGIAR system affect this part of Cameroon: poverty, food security, and equity, particularly the role of women in markets, in agricultural production, and in forest products. Deforestation is a central problem, and it is related closely to the agriculture-forest dilemma. While the agricultural base must be developed for food security, most modern agricultural development has come at the expense of natural forests. These forests are needed for the large range of social and environmental benefits they provide and for the economic value of their food and non-food production. The symbiosis of agriculture and forests has given impetus to a new research partnership in the humid forest zone of Cameroon. The core research area is 1.5 million hectares of forests that reveal a CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 37 SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS gradient of demographic and agricultural pressure increasing from South to North. The scope of the field research has widened to include additional agricultural factors, such as logging, nontimber forest product markets, and regional markets. IITA's study of food crop systems focuses mainly on short fallows, agroecosystem development strategies, and diversification of agroforestry systems. ICRAF’s research on agroforestry systems focused first on hedgerow intercropping and now on domestication issues. CIFOR's work on forest ecosystems and policies has included studies of fuelwood, nontimber forest products markets, macroeconomic policies, land use and biodiversity, and criteria and indicators of sustainable forest management. Forest research partners include the Institut de Recherches Agronomiques pour le Développement (IRAD), the Office National de Développement des Fôrets (ONADEF), and a range of NGOs, governmental and farm organizations, and confederations. Other partners include the Ecoregional Program for the Humid and Sub-Humid Tropics of Africa (EPHTA) and the Alternatives to Slash-and-Burn Program (ASB), which have provided a framework for sharing insights and experiences with other programs. Critical Triangle The relationships among farms, forests and agroforests constitute a critical triangle for research. Research on this critical triangle is driven by the relationships between production institutions and policies. The central question is how changes in one of these research areas affect what is happening in other areas. The effects are often direct and dramatic. A household economy uses products from different parts of the landscape—forests, agroforests, farms, swamps, and rivers. The farming system is subsistence, relying mainly on shifting cultivation. An agricultural plot in a managed forest yields a variety of products, particularly food, timber, cash, fisheries, and wildlife. It has a life cycle that reveals the possibilities and paths of agricultural and land conversion. The typical progression is from forest to forest field to bush fallow to a mixed-crop field based on groundnuts, usually managed by women. The cycle of conversion can follow one of three paths: a shortfallow rotation cycle, an agroforest plantation, or a long-fallow rotation cycle. Economic Crisis and Deforestation Cameroon’s oil boom of the late 1970s ended a decade later in a severe economic crisis, triggered by the fall of foreign exchange earnings from cocoa, coffee, and oil. A structural adjustment program mitigated the effects of the crisis and coincided with a democratization movement. In the mid-1970s seven percent of the people of the humid forest zone of Cameroon considered themselves as cultivators and 83 percent as planters who relied on the cocoa agroforest for their livelihood. By 1997 nearly five times the number of people defined themselves as cultivators and fewer defined themselves as planters. During the same period cultivation of food crops increased dramatically, as did the reliance on forest products, which increased 30 percent in 30 years. Following the devaluation in the mid-1990s, local produce became extremely advantageous for pharmaceutical products, beer, whiskey, and groundnuts. Resulting pressure on forests has created a type of unsustainable exploitation. Entire trees have been cut for their bark (the Garcinia species and others) and lost completely. Over the past decade there has also been a dramatic increase in the use of fuelwood, especially in areas with access to urban markets. Satellite imagery and field surveys confirm the dramatic loss of forests at the end of the oil boom. 38 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS Recent research has focused less on commodity management and more on landscape-level collaboration as a result of the lessons learned from past experiences. Researchers now have a common vision of landscape mosaic and integrated natural resource management. New Tools, New Hope New tools for natural resource management are being adopted, such as the criteria and indicators toolbox being used by the African Timber Organization. A national group on certification in Cameroon is also basing its work on principles of management. A close relationship has developed between national and regional partners in the forestry sector. Reforms of the forestry sector are being undertaken in collaboration with local institutions in community forestry, the World Bank, and the World Resources Institute (WRI). Thirsting for Solutions: Managing and Developing Dry Areas ICARDA One billion people live in the world’s dry areas; about 700 million of them survive on less than $2 a day. Over 70 percent of them live in rural areas and depend largely on agriculture for their livelihood. Applying the CGIAR principles—the fundamental role of research, people-Centered technologies, the application of new science, and maximizing outputs through partnerships—can help reduce poverty in these dry areas. Partnerships among CGIAR Centers have used a holistic approach to increase food availability and alleviate poverty. ICARDA has partnerships with 12 CGIAR Center s. Its partnership with CIMMYT has matured into a collective effort with national agricultural research systems in the dry areas. Through the Cereals International Nursery Network, ICARDA and CIMMYT provide 50 countries with improved germplasm for developing improved varieties. This joint program has led to the release of 85 durum wheat varieties in 18 countries and 139 bread wheat varieties in 20 countries in Africa. Based on production increases of the new durum wheat varieties, research systems have gained an estimated $2 billion from the varieties over the last decade. The first durum wheat varieties resistant to Hessian fly were developed in collaboration with Morocco; they have the potential for increasing the income of dry-area durum farmers in Morocco by an $20 million annually. Adding value to food crops Adding value to cereal products can reduce poverty at the village and community levels. ICARDA is using biotechnology tools to improve the nutritional and processing quality of durum. Molecular markers have been identified for traits adding value to durum products such as pasta, bulgar, and couscous. The added value generates three to four times more cash income, which has a great impact on the poor, particularly on rural women. ICARDA is also collaborating with CIMMYT to extend barley production into areas of Latin America with relatively favorable environments. Over 13 improved barley varieties have been released. ICARDA was recently involved in a cooking workshop for women from rural communities in Ecuador. The recipes encouraged a food processing company to put barley flour on sale. Barley malt is also an important component of the cereal diet for infants and children. The benefits of the joint ICARDACIMMYT research extend beyond Latin America. The scab-resistant cultivar of barley, Zhenmai-1, is grown in eight Chinese provinces. CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 39 SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS The joint ICRISAT-ICARDA chickpea improvement program has successfully developed new kabuli chickpea varieties that can be grown in winter to take advantage of rainfall. Traditionally springsown chickpeas gave an average yield of 0.7 tons per hectare, but this new winter chickpea technology produces up to 2.5 tons per hectare. Winter chickpeas in Mediterranean countries are planted on 150,000 hectares and generate an additional $52.5 million a year. ICARDA and IPGRI share the mandate on biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources in the West, Central, and Northern Africa region. ICARDA takes the lead on activities related to its mandate crops—wheat, barley, chickpea, lentil, fava bean, and forages. ICARDA and IPGRI are cofounders of two regional networks—WANANET for the West Asia and North Africa, and CAN-PGR for Central Asia and the Caucasus. Both networks are supporting national agricultural research systems in shaping national policies on genetic resources. ICARDA collaborates with IFPRI on policy issues and hosts two IFPRI scientists at its headquarters in Aleppo. Joint research with IFPRI and national partners has underscored the importance of policy research for achieving efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability in low-rainfall areas. Many policy and macroeconomic issues have substantially affected technology adoption and its impact on the poor. Confronting Water Poverty Water is at the heart of ICARDA's research mandate. “Water poverty” drives the other types of poverty in harsh environments. Within the Systemwide Water Resources Management Program, ICARDA leads an ecoregional program on On-Farm Water Husbandry in West Asia and North Africa that links national program researchers. The research program addresses four main themes—indigenous systems with a focus on the human dimension, methods for appraisal of water harvesting sites, optimization of the use of harvested water, and dissemination of new techniques to land users. The Systemwide Initiative on Soil, Water, and Nutrient Management led by CIAT, ICARDA, and ICRISAT includes joint conveners of the Optimizing Soil Water Use Consortium. This consortium is devising effective and practical solutions for resource-poor farms through improved water use efficiency. ICARDA is pioneering the introduction of geographic information system (GIS) techniques in Africa for identifying areas for potential water harvesting and monitoring biodiversity distribution. Researchers from ICARDA and CIAT have also worked together on techniques for participatory research and gender analysis. ICARDA collaborates with ILRI on livestock nutrition and integration into farming systems. The two Centers are also developing and using molecular marker techniques for enhancing the nutritional value of cereal crop residues for small ruminants. ICARDA is working with ILRI and ICRISAT on production and use of multipurpose fodder shrubs and trees in West Asia and North Africa. ICARDA and ISNAR have been collaborating to improve research organization and management for national agricultural research systems in CWANA. ICARDA is collaborating with IITA on parasitic weeds within the systemwide program on Integrated Pest Management. The two Centers are also collaborating on the CGIAR Systemwide Microbial Genetic Resources Database, aimed at improving soil fertility and crop productivity in the dry regions. A world mandate for barley and fava beans drives ICARDA’s partnership with CIP because these two crops are important to poor farmers in the Andean agroecologies. The membership of ICARDA and ICRAF in the Systemwide Fodder Shrubs and Trees Program is an important aid to the production of animal fodder and improved land quality. 40 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS Since the emergence from the Soviet Union of the newly independent countries of Asia and the Caucusus, CGIAR Centers have formed a consortium for the region that provides assistance for problems associated with agricultural research. Raising the Lowlands: A Green Revolution for Africa WARDA Bintu is a West African rice farmer whose life depends on meager subsistence from cultivating fragile soils. In partnership with other Centers, agricultural research institutes, NGOs, and national research and extension services, WARDA is encouraging farmers like Bintu in the forest and moist savanna zones to intensify their farming of the valley bottoms. Likewise, WARDA is encouraging farmers in the drier savanna zones to further develop their rice cropping systems. WARDA has established an inter-Center project to develop noncompetitive farming into a profitmaking enterprise. WARDA is also using its institutional modalities to effectively address farmers’ concerns over the intensification of their activities and the potential effects of those activities on the environment. The Systemwide Ecoregional Program for Inland Valley Development in West and Central Africa dovetails with the emerging CGIAR strategy for Sub-Saharan Africa. Inland valleys are an underutilized asset covering between 20 and 50 million hectares in West and Central Africa. The valleys could easily yield 30 percent more rice than a similar area of uplands. Lowlands offer the options of double-cropping or crop-livestock diversification—rice, cassava, livestock—which increase overall farm productivity. Lowlands would produce almost three times as much rice as a similar upland area by using double-cropping. Uplands could avoid expanded cultivation through lowland cropping. The Inland Valley Consortium—Harnessing the Power of Research and Cooperation The Inland Valley Consortium (IVC), established in 1993, builds on the experience of two earlier projects in the region—the Wetland Utilization Research Project and the CORAF-R3S Project on Inland Valley Use in the Sahel. The consortium responds to the opportunities in the ecoregion and addresses problems with a programmatic focus. Four CGIAR Centers, three agricultural research institutes, the FAO, programs of 10 West African countries, and NGOs are members of the consortium. In addition, CORAF-WECARD networks, Integrated Rural Development (IRD, formerly ORSTOM), the International Program for Technology Research in Irrigation and Drainage (IPTRID), ICLARM, and AVRDC have provided technical support through participation in various IVC meetings and reviews. Phase one of the IVC will develop the capacity of national agricultural research systems, agroecological characterization, and technology testing and transfer. Inter-Center collaboration has been pivotal; no Center alone could have provided sufficient expertise for dealing with this huge land resource. The scope of the four CGIAR Centers has been broad, encompassing crop and livestock improvement and natural resource management. The Centers have focused on livestock integration (ILRI), diversification of the crop portfolio (IITA), and superior water management (IWMI). Through the leadership and coordination provided by the Centers, national and international members have shared responsibilities in decisionmaking, resulting in a strong feeling of ownership among the IVC members and contributing to the success of the consortium. The Centers of the IVC have coordinated and regionalized research activities. Research conducted in one member country is made available to other members through meetings, visits and publishing programs, workshops, and training activities. The scientific capacity of IVC members has been CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 41 SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS strengthened through knowledge exchange mechanisms, most of them organized by the Centers. One major achievement has been the establishment of national coordinating units, which have brought together members of national research programs, universities, extension services, NGOs, development agencies, and international partners to coordinate IVC activities. Agroecological characterization is a prerequisite to the efficient development of inland valleys. By identifying links between the characteristics at the reconnaissance level and specific farm attributes, the technology identification process can move quickly to evaluation in the field. The characterization of work in key sites and watersheds is nearly complete. National teams have been trained in survey techniques through the activities of the regional and national coordination units and standard methodologies. These teams are now empowered to move further during the technology targeting phase. Suitable Technologies Stabilize Crop Environments, Boost Yields The proper identification of suitable technologies will improve the rice farming capacity of Bintu and her daughters and many more farmers like them. Simple water control techniques improve rice yield stability when applied to a farm or watershed. With improved control over her water supply, Bintu can stabilize her crop environment, consequently increasing and stabilizing her rice yields. Increased yields result in increased food, local market opportunities, national production, and income and eventually the reduction of expensive rice imports. While retaining its overall objective of inland valley development through intensification and diversification, the IVC moves into phase two with a renewed structure and revised priorities. Efficiency, a transparent governance structure, coordination, and reduced transaction costs will be ensured by a sound strategic plan highlighted clearly by national agricultural research systems and by the high-quality research and processes of the CGIAR. Several of the 16 key sites will be promoted to benchmark sites. Their promotion will be influenced by their use in the Ecoregional Program for the Humid and Sub-Humid Tropics of Africa (EPHTA), another CGIAR program. A robust new rice and the untapped potential of the inland valleys have given rise to a green revolution in Africa. Building Policy Dialogue and Analysis IFPRI IFPRI works with the other CGIAR Centers on 25 collaborative arrangements and 6 systemwide programs. Four of these activities best illustrate the benefits and costs of inter-Center collaboration. What drives collaboration? ICARDA and national agricultural research systems in a number of countries in West Asia and North Africa are collaborating with IFPRI to find ways to lessen the heavy pressures placed on the environment and reducing poverty (especially in neglected areas) through technological advances and policy changes. Biophysical research is combined with socioeconomic and policy research to develop new technologies and policies. ICARDA has tremendous expertise in the biophysical sciences and knowledge of the regions; IFPRI has expertise in policy research. The complementary strengths of the two Centers have contributed to the project’s success. A livestock policy project in Sub-Saharan Africa was undertaken jointly with ILRI. The project is examining policy and technology options for neglected areas. Property rights are extremely important in natural resource management. The project is developing proposals for governments that would improve policies, change institutions, and help governments deal with drought and other externally imposed factors. Studies on similar problems in different locations can help to generate international public goods. 42 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS IFPRI, the lead Center for nutrition since 1982, has a systemwide program of projects on agricultural research and human nutrition. IFPRI is collaborating with CIAT, CIMMYT, and IRRI in work to alleviate micronutrient deficiencies by improving the micronutrient content of staple foods. Specifically, the Centers are examining dietary composition and alternatives to plant breeding in the alleviation of deficiencies. A systemwide, natural resource management program is another IFPRI-led collaborative arrangement. Collective action and property rights are important for reaching sustainable natural resource management. The program has conducted comparative studies and is generating valuable new international public goods. There are 52 ongoing natural resource management projects in the Centers under this program. In addition to fostering collaboration among the Centers and promoting nutritional goals, IFPRI also facilitates interaction between professionals within the CGIAR system and nutritionists and others outside the system. A recent conference at ILRI brought together plant breeders and other agricultural scientists with human nutritionists and social scientists for discussions on problems of common interest. Lessons in Collaboration Inter-Center collaboration can expand the expertise on projects, especially when Centers are shortstaffed. While gaining access to earmarked resources is not a good motivation for collaboration, if programmatic needs for interaction can be matched with earmarked funds, the results can be beneficial. Compatible organizational cultures and priorities are also important to effective partnerships. Programmatic needs, not forced collaboration, must drive interaction among Centers. Expectations must be reasonable, goals must be clear, and discussions must revolve around substantive issues. Poor governance can add to the transaction costs. If inter-Center collaboration is imposed for the wrong reasons, the transaction costs will be high and the programmatic output will be low. More Crop Per Drop—Water Scarcity or Security? IWMI Under the auspices of the Systemwide Initiative for Water Management, IWMI is collaborating with IFPRI, the World Water Council, and other organizations on the development of a world water vision for the 21st century. The results of their work will be presented at the World Water Forum in The Hague in March 2000. (Support for the work of IWMI and IFPRI is from the CGIAR.) PODIUM: An Interactive Food and Water Model IFPRI is using its established impact model to project scenarios for food security in 2025. IWMI has used its global water supply and demand model to create a user-friendly, interactive Policy Dialogue Model (PODIUM). Each model integrates the results of the other to develop likely scenarios, including the implications of water scarcity, for achieving food security. The work of IWMI and IFPRI provides the scientific basis for developing alternative visions or scenarios as inputs to a global, participatory, visioning process. PODIUM has three drivers—cereal demand, cereal production, and water balance—and provides a user-friendly interface to examine alternative scenarios. The model is transparent in its underlying logic and uses data from WRI, FAO (a collaborator in this venture), and others. CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 43 SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS If, for example, India sought to achieve complete food self-sufficiency in 2025, the model would show the implications for groundwater based on assumptions about yield and productivity and water demand. A global water scarcity map shows that several countries face absolute water scarcity and will not have enough water to meet projected demand in 2025 without making major changes in water allocation. In most cases that means moving water away from irrigated agriculture. Global projections based on optimistic assumptions about yield improvements indicate that cereal production will have to increase about 45 percent and gross irrigated area about 31 percent to meet demand in 2025. To make that happen water diversion for irrigation will have to increase 17 percent— more than 400 cubic kilometers of water. These calculations indicate the critical importance of finding ways to increase crop yields to avoid the need to build more large dams. One Country’s Food and Water Challenges IWMI has a large residential program in Pakistan, a water-scarce country. Over half the population works in the agriculture sector and lives on less that $1 a day. Yields are low per hectare and per unit of water consumed. By 2025 Pakistan will have roughly doubled its population. The PODIUM model projects a doubling of national cereal requirements by 2025. The linear trend line in cereal production suggests only a moderate increase in production, however, for a deficit of roughly 16 million tons (one-third of demand). Water balance may also be a problem. The Indus Basin irrigation system—the largest in the world, covering roughly 16 million hectares—may be inadequate for meeting future demand. IWMI studies also suggest that there is not enough water to reach all of the land that is irrigated today. Either the irrigated land or the cropping intensity or both may have to be reduced (by 10 to 15 percent) to maintain the leaching fraction. Many foreign experts have compared the Indus Valley to the Imperial Valley in California in terms of potential productivity. But Pakistan would have to more than double its yield per hectare to warrant comparison with the Imperial Valley. A more serious problem is crop per drop. The Imperial Valley produces 1.19 kilograms of wheat per cubic meter of water. Pakistan’s crop per drop is less than 0.6 kilogram. Pakistan would need to raise it to about 1.34 kilograms per cubic meter of water by 2025 to avoid a water shortfall—clearly a daunting challenge. Pakistan has initiated a radical—and controversial—reform program to restructure its 100-year-old line irrigation departments into autonomous irrigation authorities and to create area water boards (members would include users) to manage the large canals. The reform program, which is supported by the World Bank and other investors, seeks to create more effective water user organizations and to federate them at the large distributary level. The objectives are to shift from a supply-oriented to a demand-driven system, to increase the accountability to customers, and to achieve financial viability thereby making the system more sustainable. The CGIAR has provided input into the reforms. IFPRI conducted a study on groundwater markets, and IWMI conducted action research to develop a model and strategy for creating water user federations. This research has resulted in a model that has been adopted by all four provinces and is being modified for implementation on a wider scale. Pakistan’s system will continue to deteriorate if reforms are not implemented. If implemented successfully, the reforms will increase the reliability of water delivery, a key prerequisite for farmers’ investment in better technologies and improved production. Reforms would also enable better management of salinity for increased responsiveness of crops to these investments, raise user awareness of the value of water, and give users a voice in the management of the system. 44 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS Lessons from Collaboration IWMI’s efforts to address Pakistan’s food and water challenges show clearly that inter-Center work is an integral, not a separate or subsidiary, component of IWMI's program. By working with national partners, CGIAR Centers can effect change even in a large country like Pakistan. Livestock: The Next Food Revolution ILRI There is growing worldwide demand for livestock products, milk, and meat—a “livestock revolution.” If this revolution is to also serve the needs of the poor in developing countries—to become a cash cow for the poor—research will need to point the way to appropriate policies. Over the last 25 years dietary additions from animal products have accounted for three and a half times the additions from grain in developing countries. Over the next decade calories from animal products will exceed calories from the principal grains. Driven by Rising Demand Unlike the green revolution, the livestock revolution is demand driven. In 1992 IFPRI and ILRI began collaboration with a livestock policy research workshop to identify priorities and plans for policy research. The workshop brought together scientists and economists from FAO, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the Organization of African Unity (OAU), and the then Director General-designate, Per Pinstrup-Andersen, of IFPRI. IFPRI was the logical partner in this type of policy research. ILRI uses microeconomic data collected in the home, on the farm, and at the watershed as part of its benefit, cost, and impact assessment research. This data can be scaled up to inform policy analysis. One policy study (“Livestock to 2020: The Next Food Revolution”), a collaborative effort of IFPRI, ILRI, and FAO, sets out ILRI’s new strategy and medium-term plan. Using the impact model developed by IFPRI, ILRI projects a 60 percent increase in world meat and milk consumption by 2020. Per capita consumption of meat and milk will rise to 30 kilograms in developing countries. However, that amount is still below per capita consumption in industrial countries and below the minimum needed for adequate intake of bioavailable iron. Expanding Markets for Feedgrain By 2020 an estimated 70 percent increase in meat and milk consumption will come from nonruminant animals, eggs, and dairy products. The study projects an almost 50 percent increase in annual use of feedgrain overall, despite a decrease in industrial countries. The study predicts little change in animal product prices and a 20 percent increase in cereals prices. The study found, surprisingly, that animal science and research investments in feed conversion have a large impact on cereal prices, but not on animal prices. The livestock revolution has been powered largely by a shift from undiversified, starch-based diets to more diversified diets. This shift will affect countries’ economic power; developing countries are expected to produce the bulk of meat and milk products by 2020. Livestock production is changing from a subsistence activity to a global food activity. Governments will have little control over this revolution, which is expected to include rapid increases in feedgrain imports, stress on extensive grazing systems and periurban areas, rapid concentration of production, and rapid growth of industrial systems of production. In Asia industrial systems of livestock production grew at 15 percent a year in the 1980s. 45 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS Fate of Smallholders Hangs in the Balance What the growth of industrial systems of livestock production means for the future of smallholders is unclear. In Asia and Africa, livestock sales account for a larger share of the income of the poor than of the rich. Asset-poor farmers are searching for opportunities, and this places new demands on research. There are opportunities for helping smallholders. Small farms in developing countries are short of organic materials and benefit from mixed crop-livestock farming. And economies of scale occur primarily in processing and less so in production. Smallholders will have to be vertically coordinated into more industrial forms of processing and distribution of perishable products, such as through contract farming and outgrower schemes. These arrangements involve a series of institutional innovations and complicated incentive issues. As large numbers of animals are moved from small farms into larger herds or industrial herds, many health problems emerge, from disease (nepavirus, Asian flu) to pollution. These problems (in the public goods sector for now) can be overcome by a combination of technology and policy changes. The livestock revolution, driven by consumers, is inevitable, but its effects—for good or ill—on smallholders and the environment will depend to a large extent on the work of researchers. Environmental sustainability and the future of smallholder farming is at risk. Improving Research Capacity through Training and Learning ISNAR Demand for training in science and capacity building is strong in the national agricultural research systems. They also require new knowledge and attitudes to strengthen their research. To reach these goals the national research systems must make research more effective and efficient in meeting the needs of the rural poor. Training must be based on local conditions, but also on the comparative advantages of the international Centers. The Inter-Center Training Program (INTG, or the IARC-NARS Training Group) was established in the 1980s in response to demand for training. Three Centers—WARDA, IITA, and ICRAF—pursued this initiative in Sub-Saharan Africa. By the mid-1990s the group had reformed and renamed itself, focusing more attention on the role of the national agricultural research systems and the regional associations in training and capacity building. The aim of INTG is to expand the capacity for conducting research that will contribute to poverty reduction. This means paying attention to the people and processes behind good-quality research and recognizing that individual researchers and managers work within an organization whose performance is also important. INTG works to enhance national research and training capacity in three ways. It focuses on building capacity (training of trainers) in African national agricultural research systems, developing training modules to support the training, and monitoring and evaluating the training programs that are conducted in Africa. INTG also seeks to coordinate its activities (to avoid duplication) and to mobilize and share resources in training and capacity-building. Rapid Advances in Sub-Saharan Africa Although INTG membership is global, it has grown most rapidly in Sub-Saharan Africa. Its 45 members include international agricultural research Center s, donors, research institutes, and universities worldwide. INTG has an convener who manages and oversees the yearly meeting. 46 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS INTG collaborates on areas of mutual concern, including participatory research and gender analysis (with CIAT and ICRAF) and improved training modules and material development (with ITTA and ICRAF). To improve coordination, INTG has collaborated with ICRISAT to developed specialized databases on training modules and materials produced by international agricultural research Centers and national agricultural research systems. In 1977 ILRI produced a database on trainees from Sub-Saharan Africa. Another database on training facilities in Africa was produced by IITA, ICRAF, and the African Association of Universities. One of INTG’s major activities is the Agricultural Research Management Training Program, led by ISNAR because of its comparative advantage in research management training. Prior to the start of this program four years ago, many of the commodity and natural resource management Centers were doing research management training across Africa. The Centers decided to coordinate activities and offer at least one training course yearly in both English and French. INTG now trains more research program leaders in research management than any other program on the African continent. Training concentrates on research program formulation, improved project management, decisionmaking, communications in research, leadership to advance team building, and financial management to improve resource allocation. Positive Response, Positive Results In 1996, the first year that the research management training course was offered, every participant was supported by the international Centers. By 1999, about 60 percent of the participants were supported by the national agricultural research systems and regional associations, such as INERA in Burkina Faso and SACCAR. Although less than 1 percent of the top research managers in African national agricultural research systems are women, women made up 30 percent of course participants this year. The Research Management Training Program has had a positive impact. Follow-up with participants is good. Rates of response and participation among the national agricultural research systems are high (100 percent in 1997). New research management tools have been put to use. In The Gambia INTG is tracking a participatory, priority-setting process established in the local institutes. In Nigeria client evaluation techniques have been applied in the formation of research programs. In Burkina Faso INTG is directly involved with farmers and farmer organizations in formulating INERA programs. Program leaders who are being trained in the INTG research management course are using the material to provide informal and formal training opportunities in their organizations without input from the international Center s. The INTG seeks to produce a multiplier effect for its capacity building. This year the course was offered without the involvement of ISNAR management training specialists and was delivered by Africa specialists. Training and learning, both in research organizations and individually, are the foundation of quality research. Protecting and Developing Marine Resources ICLARM Fish fights. Water wars. Land losses. These terms convey the intensity of the conflicts arising from increasing water scarcity, degradation of aquatic resources and habitats, water pollution, and sedimentation. ICLARM has expanded CGIAR partnerships into fisheries and aquatic resources systems research and policy agencies, bringing about an important unification of natural resource issues. ICLARM intends to build even greater collaboration with other CGIAR Centers and national agricultural research systems into its core plans for its future work on aquatic resource systems. CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 47 SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS Surprisingly, none of the major world food models incorporate fish. Yet 130 million tons of fish were produced in 1997, making them an important source of animal protein. And while the price of beef has dropped in the last few decades, the price of fish has been rising. Fish exports from developing countries have increased dramatically, contrary to the trends for cereals, meat and livestock products, and milk and milk products. ICLARM is working closely with IFPRI and FAO to add fish to the impact model. Including fish in the food models will bring greater awareness, improve policymaking for the sector, and show the implications for investment. IFPRI and ICLARM have developed a pilot study to begin implementation in 2000. Fish Fights, Water Wars, and Land Losses A food for peace study commission by Future Harvest (an organization created by CGIAR to promote creative links among research communities and to conduct studies on agriculture’s relationship to the environment, economic growth, violent conflict, public health, and world population) has revealed that people who are barely surviving in marginal areas are coming into conflict with each other over rights and access to natural resources. Conflicts are occurring over large and small fish, competing uses of coastal land for shrimp aquaculture or natural fisheries, and competing use of land for agriculture, fisheries, and industry. In many of these conflicts, the roles of women and marginal people are overlooked and access rights are lost. Water wars are on the rise as well. IFPRI’s water policy study reveals a need for better water allocation policies, which are essential to fisheries and aquatic resources. An IWMI study has shown that in 2025 one-third of developing countries will experience absolute water scarcity in. Water is increasingly viewed and priced as an economic good. For example, the utility company Enron values the present water market at about $300 billion a year. This valuation may be good for agents in the water market, but not for aquatic wildlife. Fish tend to lose out in the price wars over water. Land losses are another important factor in the aquatic environment. Farm runoff is severe in many areas, with global soil losses of nearly 7 million hectares a year, most of it lost to aquatic systems. Erosion resulting from widespread deforestation and logging increases sedimentation, leading to degraded aquatic habitats, unhealthy fish, and unhappy fishers. Building the Collaboration Portfolio ICLARM's new strategic plan takes all these factors into account and is built on an aquatic resource systems approach. Two systems illustrate the relationship between ICLARM and the other CGIAR Centers. The first is the pond system, which has unexploited potential for low-input aquaculture. It is one of the most manageable aquatic resource systems in the world because of the on-farm rights farmers have over the ponds. ICLARM has been working with IRRI in the Philippines, Bangladesh, and Vietnam on rice fish systems. ICLARM is also developing water proposals in the Inland Valleys Consortium to bring fish into the rice systems of Africa. The second area for collaboration is the rivers and flood plain system. ICLARM is working with IWMI on modeling in the Mekong River Basin, in collaboration with the basin countries. There are many serious cross-border issues in the basin. Most important, the poor people who depend on fish for their livelihood, even during the flood season, are often unrecognized. ICLARM is modeling the effects of flooding at different water management regimes while considering the aquatic habitat and the importance of fish production to the incomes and livelihoods of the people. The aim of the project is to gain more attention for the living aquatic resources in that extremely vital system. 48 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS ICLARM is also engaged in a co-management project focusing on fisheries in Africa and Asia. More recently this work has been closely integrated into the common property and collective action initiative, an inter-Center initiative of the CGIAR. ICLARM is involved in institutional and legal analyses of fisheries management in several regions, including the Mekong River Basin. Research is also under way to improve compliance with fisheries management arrangements. ICLARM is concentrating on the economic value of aquatic resources as a way of giving greater attention to those resources and assessing the impacts of fisheries research. ICLARM is launching new research work with IFPRI and the International Fisheries Management And Coastal Resources Center of Denmark. Plenary Discussion The Group reviewed and commended the initiatives of the sixteen Centers to combat poverty through inter-Center collaborations. Members noted the high level of cooperation among CGIAR Centers, the consistent emphasis on partnerships to enhance the Centers' science, and the establishment of "true" partnerships with national agricultural research systems. Research Partnerships A major thrust of the partnership topic was the evolving vision of partnership-driven agricultural research, covering both global concerns and regional priorities in Africa and Latin America. Another thrust, exploring how the CGIAR could improve the mechanics of partnering, focused on the CGIAR's systemwide programs, its experiences with other research organizations, and ways of linking with the private sector. Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR) R. S. Paroda, GFAR Chair, presented an update on major developments since MTM99 including the status of preparations for the May 2000 Global Forum meeting in Dresden, Germany. GFAR was established in 1996 to address challenges of agricultural research for development that the CGIAR could not address alone. GFAR's recent achievements include development of constituencies with agricultural research institutes, farmers organizations, NGOs, private sector, and donor community; convening a consultation on information, communications, and technology at FAO in Rome, an important step in building the regional and national agricultural information systems; and cosponsoring the CGIAR/NAS International Conference on Biotechnology and the NGOC International Workshop on Approaches to Scaling-up the Impact of Sustainable Agricultural Projects. GFAR is collaborating on various Center activities including work with IPGRI to develop commodity chains on underutilized or "orphan" crops, with IRRI on IPR-related issues, with ISNAR on information/communication technologies and IPR, with WARDA on a research partnership workshop, and with the TAC Secretariat on the impact of training programs for NARS. Preparations for GFAR 2000 are well underway, including development of the meeting agenda and participants list, and extensive discussion of the design of the "research partnerships" session. A second draft of the "global shared vision" has been approved by the Global Forum and is being circulated for comments. An implementation strategy for the global shared vision is under preparation. CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 49 SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS Plenary Discussion The Group welcomed the GFAR report and progress being made on the Global Forum. The Group noted GFAR's emphasis on building an enabling global framework for agricultural research information for development and the importance of such knowledge systems, given the explosion of available information and the opportunities for connectivity even in remote areas. In partnership with regional organizations, GFAR could play a meaningful role as an information gateway, a reference point to help sort and vet the information, and ensure its relevance and quality. GFAR's cooperation with the Centers was commended and follows on the System Review recommendation that Centers should make their research results available in user-friendly fashion to a wider constituency. The challenge is to become more flexible, speedy, responsive and selective in pulling together the results of CGIAR research and making those results available to decisionmakers and networks. African Research Strategy for the CGIAR Hank Fitzhugh of ILRI gave a progress report on development of an African research strategy and vision for the CGIAR. The Third System Review emphasized the tremendous needs and challenges for agricultural research in sub-Saharan Africa. Following up on that recommendation, the CDC has been working in partnership with the Special Program for African Agricultural Research in Africa (SPAAR), the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), CGIAR members based in Africa including the African Development Bank, Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa, and the CGIAR Centers. Center Directors contributed to the development of the SPAAR/FARA Vision for African Agricultural Research and participated in the SPAAR annual meeting where the vision was approved. The vision aims to meet long-term goals for food security and poverty alleviation, improve the competitiveness of African agriculture to support economic development, and improve the sustainability of the natural resource base. Technologies for sustainable development, technology dissemination and farmer employment, policy research, and capacity building have been identified as the foundations. The Vision has an ambitious goal of achieving 6 percent annual growth in agricultural productivity by 2020. The CDC has convened three "meetings of minds" with African partners to jointly develop a strategy for the CGIAR in sub-Saharan Africa that fits into the SPAAR/FARA vision. The CGIAR's African partners support the CGIAR's mission as being fully congruent with and supportive of the vision. The jointly developed strategy calls for the CGIAR to work in partnership with the African agricultural research community, with particular focus on food security and poverty alleviation, through research, policy support, and capacity building, and environmentally sound natural resource management. The process of developing the vision and a shared strategy has already strengthened CGIAR-African partnerships to serve the needs of research-based agricultural development to benefit Africans. A working group will finalize the strategy based on comments at ICW99 and in concert with the overall vision for African agricultural research. The Organizational Change Program will provide assistance. A final draft strategy will be submitted for endorsement at the SPAAR/FARA meeting in Guinea in February and for commentary by TAC. The Group will be asked to endorse it at MTM2000, with the expectation that the strategy will be incorporated into Center strategies and medium-term plans, and making it operational through shared priorities and partnerships. 50 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS Plenary Discussion The Group commended the progress report on a jointly developed African Research Strategy for the CGIAR. Members discussed several related issues including: • The critical importance of agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa. The continent produces far too little food for its population and agriculture plays a crucial role in the economy of the various countries. The issue is how to overcome constraints to effective use of science to solve food security problems in sub-Saharan Africa. The CGIAR's role in building the policy research capacities of national agricultural research systems. The challenge is how to best coordinate the efforts of international agricultural research Center s, African NARS, and donors, and strengthen partnerships with organizations like SPAAR and FARA. • CGIAR Commitments in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Edgardo Moscardi of Fontagro presented a report on CGIAR commitments in LAC on behalf of Lucio Reca, who chaired the panel. The panel was charged principally with identifying opportunities for improving the CGIAR's involvement in LAC in light of the major economic, institutional, political, and social changes that have taken place in the region since the early 1980s. The panel sought to assess opportunities for enhancing complementarities between CGIAR and others with a view to ensuring a coordinated approach to priority setting and implementation. The CGIAR has been involved in LAC agricultural development since its inception, allocating about 18 percent of its resources to this region. CIAT, which was created with a regional mandate, has the largest involvement, allocating 71 percent of its resources to LAC. The changes that have characterized LAC over the last 20 years have deeply redefined the actual or potential purposes of agricultural research, the ways in which it is organized, and the mechanisms through which it is funded. These developments have had considerable impact on the region's national agricultural research systems, which have been affected by reduced state allocations to finance agricultural research. While private sector agricultural research has grown in parallel and increasingly complements NARS activities, the challenge remains to identify new sources of support in partnership with others. The panel found that the CGIAR has an important new role to play in LAC. Countries highly value the CGIAR as a provider of upstream research by virtue of the capacities of its Centers to undertake basic research, particularly in germplasm enhancement and biotechnology. LAC's market-oriented economies place high value on competitiveness in world markets, both as producers of traditional CGIAR commodities as well as niche crops such as tropical fruits. In this regard, LAC countries place high importance on developing appropriate legal frameworks, for example on IPR, to protect the research products of both private and public sectors. The CGIAR system can provide strategic advice on IPR and natural resource management issues. The panel's recommendations call for more upstream research, in cooperation with regional organizations and networks, more transparent NARS participation in Centers' regional research priority setting, stronger partnership and cooperation with NARS, and more emphasis on natural resource management. TAC Chair Donald Winkelmann told the Group that the report raises issues which should be addressed as the CGIAR assesses its priorities, strategies, and resource allocation. At the strategic level, TAC agreed with the suggestion that the CGIAR should move more upstream, in cooperation with regional organizations and networks broadly representative of the region and with institutions that have capacity to undertake such research. TAC endorsed greater transparency in priority setting in partnership arrangements, agreed that cooperation with NARS should be strengthened, emphasized the need for CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 51 SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS balance in public-private sector collaborations, encouraged a more proactive role than the panel did for NRM research, capitalizing on the successful work of CONDESAN and the Central America Hillsides initiative. Plenary Discussion The Group acknowledged the potential for expansion of CGIAR commitments in LAC, noting that the growing membership of LAC countries is a reflection of their interest in the CGIAR. Smaller LAC countries with weaker NARS, or no NARS at all, are unable to join the CGIAR in a similar way and must participate through regional and sub-regional fora. LAC faces an ever-increasing level of urban poverty, but the importance of rural poverty should not be underestimated. Thus it is critical that the CGIAR, GFAR and NARS better define poverty, food security and environmental degradation and what is required to deal with it in such a heterogeneous environment. Funding and Management of Systemwide Programs Wally Falcon, CBC Chair, presented the CBC's preliminary recommendations on the management of systemwide programs. There was unanimous agreement that systemwide programs are vital for broadening CGIAR objectives and analyzing different levels of aggregation, and for solving vexing problems associated with sustained productivity increases, improved food security, and diminished poverty. The evolution of systemwide programs in the CGIAR has been complex and there is resulting confusion. The terminology regarding systemwide activities is ambiguous, and a common understanding on assumptions, rationale, and definitions is necessary. This is complicated further because there are a number of important multi-Center activities that are not formally designated as systemwide programs. The CBC felt that properly organized systemwide programs have an important role in the CGIAR, and that some ecoregional systemwide programs have worked better than others have. However, governance of the eight ecoregional initiatives is not well defined and there must be more systematic benchmarking. The CBC recommended an independent analysis by TAC, or a group commissioned by TAC, to evaluate the CGIAR portfolio of systemwide activities, including a comparative analysis of ecoregional and non-ecoregional programs, and a list of best practices. Problems with the governance of systemwide programs derives from the way the CGIAR is structured. Systemwide programs are horizontal, and are imposed on a system that is vertically structured and financially competitive. Board responsibilities are not well defined, and require clarification. Regarding governance, CBC recommended that for existing and future systemwide programs either an existing Center Board be designated as having supervisory responsibility or a supervisory/governance committee be drawn from Centers and possibly other organizations to act as an ad hoc policy body. The Executive Secretary of the CGIAR Secretariat, working closely with the CGIAR Chairman, should have the responsibility of ensuring that each systemwide program has Board supervision and that the selected Board or ad hoc governance committee is well informed about its responsibilities. The CBC also called for better alignment of objectives, funding, and governance for the systemwide activities. The CBC concluded that systemwide programs are an important mechanism and have already shown their worth in the fields of genetic resources and integrated nutrient management. Future systemwide initiatives would benefit from further clarification of concepts, rationales, expectations, and governance. An analysis of CGIAR's operation of systemwide programs should be an important component of the CGIAR's forthcoming review of its vision, structure, and strategy. 52 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS Plenary Discussion The Group endorsed the preliminary findings of the CBC report on the funding and management of systemwide programs and the recommendation that the operation of systemwide programs be an important component of the review of the CGIAR's vision, structure, and strategy. Members agreed with the CBC that systemwide programs are an important mechanism for helping the CGIAR fulfill its mission and provide value added for dealing with cross-cutting, high priority issues. Systemwide programs, it was noted, provide crossCenter knowledge sharing and opportunities for scientists at different Centers to interact with each other and with outside partners. More emphasis must be placed on clarifying governance definitions, methodologies, responsibilities, finances, administration, and other issues. Managing Research Partnerships: Lessons from Experience The Consultative Council recommended that TAC conduct a review of partnerships to draw lessons from its own and others' experiences. TAC Chair Donald Winkelmann reported to the Group that TAC is working with the CGIAR Secretariat on a range of activities. As part of "learning from others' experiences," Mr. Edward Penhoet, Dean of the School of Public Health at the University of California-Berkeley, was invited to share his experiences in managing research partnerships in the biotechnology/health sector. He has had extensive experience managing research partnerships as CEO of Chiron, a company featuring molecular biology in the pursuit of pharmaceuticals for cancer. Mr. Penhoet told the Group that the biotech field is a model of partnership-intensive relations. Among the characteristics of a successful partnership are synergies between partners, commitment to come together face to face, and explicit definition of roles. Four key factors contributed to the rise of the health biotech industry—university-based biomedical research, knowledge-based drug development, venture capital, and NIH/public financing. The biotech industry is intertwined with the productivity of universities through informal relationships that include joint research and licensing agreements. Plenary Discussion The Group discussed the changing nature of research partnerships in light of the revolution in science and information technology, and increasing globalization. Regarding partnership between "empowered" and "less empowered" partners, it was noted that there are many examples in the private sector of partnerships between institutions that are unequal in terms of their strengths and other characteristics. CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 53 SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS Efforts to Explore New Scientific Directions to Impact Poverty Building on the recommendations of the third System Review, the Group explored new thinking in the areas of integrated natural resource management (INRM), climate change, and integrated gene management (IGM). Integrated Natural Resource Management At MTM99, the Group endorsed the importance of integrated natural resource management to the CGIAR's mission and the need to move toward stronger programs. At ICW99, the Group received follow up reports on the INRM-related activities. First Review of Systemwide Programs with an Ecoregional Approach Ted Henzell, chair of the panel commissioned by TAC to review CGIAR systemwide programs with an ecoregional approach, presented the findings and recommendations of the panel's review of eight programs. The Panel's most important conclusion was that the principles underlying the ecoregional approach are valid and of continuing high priority for the sustainable improvement of agricultural productivity. The longer-established ecoregional programs have conducted significant research related to the problems of tropical deforestation, sustaining high production of food grains in Asia, and providing more sustainable management practices for endangered environments like the hillsides and mountains of Latin America. The Alternatives to Slash and Burn Agriculture program has gone farthest in utilizing the holistic ecoregional approach to research. There has also been excellent progress in developing partnerships with national agricultural research systems. However, several areas of natural resource management require improvement, including broadening and strengthening the holistic frameworks and increasing the commitment to strategic dimensions. The panel offered a number of recommendations. Mr. Henzell highlighted the following: • • Research on sustainable improvement of productivity should remain a high priority for the CGIAR. The revised framework for natural resources management research should be organized around major problems of international relevance, use holistic systems approaches that combine human and technical elements to address the problems on multiple scales, and measure progress against specific performance indicators. Systemwide activities should be subject to special reviews and in-depth "sunset" reviews. Systemwide programs should be selected according to the following criteria: the problem (or opportunity) is of major importance to CGIAR goals; no single Center has a natural advantage in terms of its mandate; and there is high potential for efficiency gains from combined Center efforts. • • Speaking on behalf of TAC, Elias Fereres praised the panel for assuming such a challenging task. TAC regards the findings useful for its overview of the diversity and strengths of approaches used as well as areas requiring change. TAC recommended greater attention should be placed on poverty and human aspects in research geared toward the sustainable improvement of productivity. 54 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS Plenary Discussion The Group endorsed the TAC panel's report on systemwide programs with an ecoregional approach and agreed with TAC that the ecoregional approach remains valid for the CGIAR and its partners. Members felt that such research should be focused on major problems of international significance which are related to sustainable improvement of productivity. They also noted that procedures for monitoring progress and performance indicators should be strengthened; and that program governance is not well defined. While broad support for the approach and its principles is evident, the earlier presumption that problems be defined in terms of established agroecological zones (ecoregions) has been supplanted by one that features problem identification and selection (with the criteria recounted earlier) but keeps the existing agro-ecological zones for reference purposes. The Group requested TAC to follow up on issues raised by the review and report to the Group on progress in addressing them at MTM2000. CGIAR Research Priorities for Marginal Lands Mike Nelson, chair of the panel commissioned by TAC to study CGIAR research priorities for marginal lands, presented the panel's findings and recommendations. The panel reviewed the conventional thinking about the nature of marginal lands, the concentration of rural poverty on such lands, the linkage between poverty and accelerated resource degradation, and the CGIAR's role in poverty alleviation on these lands. The panel did not have the data to quantify the numbers of rural poor on areas specified by the sets of elements which explain why they are marginal. Thus the panel's conclusions are general and no specific inferences are drawn on potential gains in poverty alleviation from research investment on marginal lands to develop new technologies, understand farm and off-farm linkages in family survival strategies, and assess constraints and opportunities for changes in policies and institutions seen as hindering poverty alleviation. The panel made four recommendations regarding CGIAR work in marginal areas: • The CGIAR should sharpen its strategic focus on poverty alleviation, particularly in setting priorities for research related to marginal rural areas. • • • Centers should establish new partnerships to effectively address their roles in a broader poverty alleviation strategy for those who live in marginal areas. The CGIAR should develop improved mechanisms to generate and interpret scientific evidence on the extent and magnitude of agriculture's impact on resource degradation or enhancement and the linkage between poverty and resource degradation. Centers and their partners should expand collaborative mechanisms to adapt and utilize heretofore-unused research results. TAC Chair Donald Winkelmann presented the TAC commentary. TAC's overall conclusion is that the information is generally lacking to support the presumption that the character of marginal lands could be used to set research priorities that focus clearly on poverty alleviation. The evidence neither confirms nor rejects the conventional wisdom that most of the rural poor are located in areas characterized by marginal lands and that marginal lands are more susceptible to resource degradation. it is simply inconclusive. More research, sometimes specific to a target area, is needed before marginal areas can be targeted to achieve CGIAR objectives and before research allocation schemes are developed that take land types into account. CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 55 SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS Plenary Discussion Members noted the panel's difficulties in showing causal links between poverty and land degradation and whether targeting degraded land selectively also targets poverty. It was noted that the panel's analysis indicates that some marginal lands have significant potential for research-driven productivity increases, so that returns on investment in those areas could surpass the short-term potential in more favored areas. CDC Initiatives on Integrated Natural Resource Management Jeff Sayer, chair of the CDC subcommittee on NRM, reported on the CDC-sponsored "Bilderberg Workshop on INRM" held on September 3–5 in The Netherlands. Participants included specialists on integrated natural resources management from the Centers, TAC, NARS, NGOC, IAEG, non-CGIAR research institutes, advanced research organizations, and funding agencies. The Third System Review reinforced the conclusions of earlier internal CGIAR studies that research on commodity crops should be set in a broader context of integrated research that encompasses the social and environmental dimensions of agro-ecological systems. Further, there has been a recognition within the CGIAR since the mid-1980s that to help the poor, agricultural research must deal more broadly with how the rural environment can be better managed to achieve poverty eradication, food security, and environmental sustainability. The workshop established principles and criteria on the role and application of INRM methods which will determine the extent to which CGIAR projects fully integrate the scientific, social, and ecological dimensions of INRM. It was accepted that CGIAR research should seek to achieve holistic understanding of agro-ecological systems, rather than focusing narrowly on increasing the productivity of commodity crops. The overall conclusion of the workshop was that the need for INRM research exists and Centers have made major advances in the application of INRM principles in certain areas and in response to certain problems. However, the CGIAR's performance as a whole is variable and the practical application of INRM has fallen short of potential. The CDC will constitute a task force to strengthen the CGIAR's INRM agenda at the system level. The task force will focus on three initiatives: maintaining and further developing the INRM web site developed for the workshop; working to convene a scientific meeting of leading INRM scientists from the CGIAR and NARS in 2000; and working with TAC to develop methodologies for priority setting and impact analysis of INRM research. TAC member Elias Fereres presented the TAC commentary. TAC applauds the CDC initiatives and views INRM as providing new opportunities for Centers to identify problems and priorities, and to monitor progress on adoption of practices, technologies or concepts. Plenary Discussion The Group endorsed the CDC proposal to constitute a task force to work with TAC to strengthen the CGIAR's INRM at the system level. There was discussion of the emerging issues that are driving INRM. These include market-driven biotechnological developments and trade liberalization leading to more intensive and specialized agriculture; the increasing scarcity of water; changes that make climate more unpredictable and variable in relation to agriculture production; changing patterns of land use; and the growing need for effective management of pests, soil nutrients, and organic matter. A particular challenge to the Centers is engaging NARS in a meaningful way and defining roles for national and regional organizations. 56 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS Climate Change Louise Fresco, director of the Research, Extension and Training Division, FAO, presented an overview on "Climate Change and the CGIAR: Setting the Priorities." Ms. Fresco summarized the conclusions of the climate change presentations that she and Robert Watson, Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Director of the World Bank's Environment Department, made at MTM98. Those conclusions are that interactions between agriculture and climate are multiple and complex; much more is known about the impact of climate change at the global level than at the regional level. She stressed the uncertainties about climate change and the weaknesses of current global climate change research, including climate modeling. The role of public research is to help increase the spectrum of options available to poor farmers. Key elements of a possible climate change strategy for the CGIAR could include improving climate risk preparedness and providing options for adaptation to variability. Improved tools for assessing climate change impact are also necessary; these should target extreme events and the combination of biophysical and social sciences; data collections needed for improved climate impact assessments and monitoring; and a systemwide approach to optimize resources and efficiency of the research effort. Pedro Sanchez, chair of the Inter-Center Working Group on Climate Change, provided a progress report on the working group's activities. The CDC established the working group at MTM98 to assess the impact of the CGIAR and its partners on carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions, and to develop an integrated research strategy for the CGIAR in accordance with its mission statement. An impact study, which will be presented at MTM2000, will assess changes in ecological states for the developing world as a result of CGIAR interventions, based on case studies submitted by the Centers. The working group feels that global climate change is inexorably linked with CGIAR goals of food security, poverty reduction, and environmental protection. As a strategic research organization, the CGIAR should incorporate climate change issues in its research agenda. In terms of priorities, the working group concluded that the CGIAR should focus its work on areas where it has a clear competitive advantage, namely adaptation and mitigation research in the developing countries. The working group spelled out the CGIAR's collaborative advantage in the areas of adaptation and mitigation research. Strengths include scientists based in the developing world, expertise in human dominated ecosystems, multidisciplinary character and broad range of research—from forests to marine systems to desert margins, access to relevant research sites and national agricultural research systems throughout the developing world, and access to policymakers in the South. Next steps are to incorporate feedback from the CDC and CGIAR members, finalize the strategy at the next working group meeting, present the proposal at the next TAC meeting, and present the final report at MTM2000. TAC member Elias Fereres reported on recent CGIAR activities on climate change including an inventory of Center research projects dealing with climate change. The CGIAR has already made significant contributions concerning adaptation and mitigation—for example, through yield and productivity increases that have reduced the pressure on forests and marginal lands. The question of what the CGIAR can do to contribute more to global climate change efforts must be evaluated from two perspectives: the current objectives of the CGIAR system and where those objectives have been expanded to include climate change as well as poverty and natural resources conservation. Regarding the former, many—if not all—CGIAR activities enhance the capacity of the poor to adapt to climate change and that work will continue. Regarding the latter, expanding CGIAR objectives to include specific attention to climate change mitigation could draw resources away from current activities. Given the concern for emerging climate change issues, a workshop could be organized to ascertain the current state of knowledge and identify areas the CGIAR can best complement ongoing climate change work. CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 57 SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS Plenary Discussion The Group welcomed the report of the Inter-Center Working Group on Climate Change and endorsed the TAC view that the CGIAR should not expand its objectives to include specific attention to climate change mitigation. It also endorsed the TAC proposal for a workshop to ascertain the current state of knowledge and identify areas where the CGIAR can best complement ongoing climate change work. Members discussed the importance of the climate change issue and how to balance efforts in that area with the CGIAR's strategic focus and research priorities, especially in the context of finite resources. Concerns were expressed that the CGIAR not "drift" and that a decision be taken regarding the CGIAR's future role in climate change. TAC will further explore the issues and report on the workshop at MTM2000. Integrated Gene Management At MTM99, the Group endorsed the use of an integrated gene management approach at CGIAR Centers. The Group received the report on results and progress of IGM-related activities at ICW99. Intellectual Property Rights Timothy Reeves, chair of the CDC subcommittee on intellectual property rights, presented a report on the strengthening and development of integrated gene management research at the Centers, in keeping with the recommendation of the Third System Review. Significant progress has been made since MTM2000. IPR Audits. Three Centers—CIMMYT, CIP, and ICLARM—have completed their IPR audits; results show that the Centers have used IP appropriately. Ten other Centers have completed phase I of their audits. The remaining three Centers will commence their audits in the near future with completion expected by MTM2000. All the Centers have reported that the IPR audits are most useful as far as developing better management procedures and processes for IPR. Central Advisory Service for Proprietary Science (CAS). The service has been established at ISNAR as a "one-stop-shop" for technical advice to the Centers on proprietary science and related IP issues. It will report to the CDC. The Expert Advisory Committee for CAS held its first meeting in September to shape and prioritize the activities of CAS; a search is underway for a Senior Intellectual Property Officer. Progress on these activities was discussed at a stakeholders meeting before ICW99. Among the issues was whether CAS can also address the needs of NARS. Integrated Gene Management Progress at Centers. Centers are making significant and continuing progress on integrated gene management through new strategic alliances, new breakthroughs, and generation of new knowledge. A high level "think tank" on the privatization of agricultural research will be held at CIMMYT in November. Senior professionals will focus on issues arising from the rapidly expanding role of the private sector, and frameworks and modalities for strategic alliances between the public and private sectors to benefit resource-poor farmers. 58 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS Plenary Discussion The Group received the progress report on the Centers' integrated gene management activities, noted that the Central Advisory Service is operational, and urged completion of IPR audits by MTM2000. The Group acknowledged the extent to which Centers are embracing genomics, molecular breeding, and bioengineering in their research, as well as Center efforts to develop collaborative research agendas and strategies. International Undertaking on Plant Genetic Resources Louise Fresco, Director of the Research, Extension and Training Division, FAO, reported on progress in the current negotiations for the revision of the FAO International Undertaking on Plant Genetic Resources and the implications for the CGIAR. The International Undertaking was adopted by the 1983 FAO Conference. The Undertaking, with its agreed interpretations, was the first comprehensive international agreement in the field of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, and sought to "ensure that plant genetic resources of economic and/or social interest, particularly for agriculture, will be explored, preserved, evaluated, and made available for plant breeding and scientific purposes." Through a process of intergovernmental negotiation, the Undertaking is being revised in harmony with the Convention on Biological Diversity, within the FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Two issues are of direct interest to the Centers: the International Network of Ex Situ Collections under the Auspices of FAO and the Global Plan of Action for the Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. At the request of the Chairman, FAO prepared a report on the major points of the ongoing discussion, which was made available to the Group. Geoff Hawtin, speaking on behalf of IPGRI and the Genetic Resources Policy Committee, summarized the matters of relevance for the CGIAR System: • Decisions made regarding the Convention on Biological Diversity, in particular the work on access and benefit sharing, and the World Trade Agreement, and in particular the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, could affect food security and agricultural development by conditioning access to and use of plant genetic resources essential for food and agriculture. These are forums where the agricultural community has limited influence. Thus it is urgent that the agricultural sector find specific solutions to its need in relation to plant genetic resources for food and agriculture in the context of the current negotiation on the Undertaking, before decisions are taken elsewhere. The conference of parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity has already recognized the special nature of agricultural biodiversity and a timely conclusion to the negotiations will provide an agreed international policy and legally binding framework for multilateral access to plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. A governing body from the agricultural sector will be responsible for policy direction, plans and programs, and monitoring implementation of the Undertaking. The Centers will have an important role in contributing to the implementation of the International Undertaking, in line with priorities of the Global Plan of Action which call for "fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, inter alia." The status of the Centers' ex situ collections is expected to be regularized and internationally agreed within the framework of the revised Undertaking. This will allow the CGIAR and the Centers to continue their current work in a framework that all countries have agreed, free of burden of many current political controversies. • • • CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 59 SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS • The mandate for the current negotiations for the revision of the Undertaking covers not just Centers' collections but also national collections and plant genetic resources for food and agriculture generally. A successful outcome could be expected to establish harmonious international agreements which would facilitate Centers' genetic improvement and distribution activities. Failure of the current negotiations for revision of the Undertaking could have major implications for the Centers and the CGIAR system in general. The legal status of the collections would again be in question and remain an outstanding issue in terms of the Convention on Biological Diversity. This renewed climate of uncertainty could also have negative impacts on long-term donor support. It is urgent that the revision of the Undertaking be completed because of the risk that access legislation under consideration in a number of countries might foreclose or restrict the option of multilateral approaches that those same countries may be pursuing in international forums. The Panel of Experts on Access and Benefit-Sharing, convened by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, have concluded that "in developing national legislation on access, Parties should take into account and allow for the development of a multilateral system to facilitate access and benefit sharing for plant genetic resources for food and agriculture," being developed within the negotiations for the revision of the Undertaking. • • Plenary Discussion Members discussed the urgent need to assure that national governments include a "window" in national legislation for a potential multilateral system. The CGIAR could play a leadership role, primarily through the GRPC, in bringing this to the attention of the world's legislators and governments. The Group endorsed the statement of the Panel of Experts on Access and Benefit-Sharing of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture convened by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity that: "In developing national legislation on access, parties should take into account and allow for the development of a multilateral system to facilitate access and benefit sharing for plant genetic resources for food and agriculture." There was further discussion of the need for proactive CGIAR action to remind national policymakers that they should not preclude the possibility of participation in a future multilateral system as they pass national access legislation. Conference on the Role of Biotechnology in Ensuring Food Security, Protecting the Environment, and Reducing Poverty in Developing Countries Wanda Collins of CIP presented a summary report on the international biotechnology conference cosponsored by the CGIAR and the US National Academy of Sciences, held on October 21-22 at the World Bank. More than 400 people attended, including representatives of the public and private sectors, the NGO community, civil society organizations, researchers, senior policy makers from developing countries, and the media. The conference objectives were to broaden awareness of how developing countries view biotechnology and hear about their experiences using it, to better understand the scientific evidence about the issues which can be scientifically addressed, and to identify public policy issues relevant to the CGIAR system and NARS. The conference explored a diverse range of issues, covering the scientific, technological, environmental, ethical, economic, and social issues related to the use of modern biotechnology and the needs of small farmers and poor urban consumers in developing countries. The CGIAR was seen as a vehicle for providing the kind of scientific, factual information necessary to sort through the myriad of specific problems which have to be addressed to instill confidence in biotechnology solutions—these include scientific, policy, risk, and intellectual property issues, among others. 60 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS The Conference made specific suggestions for CGIAR leadership. These include facilitating information gathering and information sharing; identifying problems and setting priorities; building national capacity, with other partners; helping ensure compliance with biosafety standards; and managing intellectual property where appropriate. This should be done with the understanding that such steps will enhance the CGIAR's ability to help others, build public private partnerships, and communicate and address public concerns. Plenary Discussion The CGIAR welcomed the summary report of the biotechnology conference and congratulated the organizers for breaking new ground by promoting a dialogue in which a diversity of perspectives were presented, and a wealth of knowledge, information, and experience was exchanged. A number of members felt that the international scientific community was enriched by the event. The Group looks forward to receiving the full report of the meeting as soon as possible, and trusted that the suggestions made would be drawn to the attention of the relevant components of the CGIAR system for future action and to the attention of other international agencies whose programs in biotechnology complement those of the CGIAR. It was felt that the constructive synthesis that can grow out of the conference will be invaluable in helping to bring about responsible use of the new developments in science and technology to benefit the poor and protect the environment. Members commended the US National Academy for joining the CGIAR in convening the conference and recognized the important contributions of the co-sponsoring organizations: Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR), International Council for Science (ICSU), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), U N Development Programme (UNDP), UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), UN Environment Programme (UNEP), UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 61 SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS Vision, Structure and CGIAR Leadership In his opening address, "Toward a New Vision for the Future," the Chairman said that the third System Review provided the Group with a number of suggestions for the future, some ideas about the potential of the new science, and a range of suggested changes to enable the CGIAR to face the needs of a rapidly changing world. The founders of the CGIAR created this unique institution, he said, because they were committed to fighting hunger, combatting its cause, poverty, and inhibiting the consequences of both. Over the years, the CGIAR has deepened its understanding of these issues and their ever-increasing complexity. Today, the CGIAR's challenge is to clarify that understanding into a new vision for the new millennium. The marvels of science are exploding in a myriad of ways, Mr. Seregeldin told the Group, and the ability to harness them to end human misery, promote sustainable development, and empower the weak and the marginalized will require redoubled efforts. The Chairman challenged the Group to rethink what the CGIAR does, how it does it, and w ith whom, in the context of what the CGIAR should be ten years from now. The tasks ahead are enormous and the CGIAR must continue to evolve in order to strategically utilize the best in science to serve the needs of the disadvantaged and disconnected. The CGIAR must review and redefine its vision, agree on how that vision can be fulfilled, and make whatever changes are required towards that end, he said. To help facilitate the Group discussion and decision making, the Chairman formulated four propositions in the course of his opening address at ICW99. The first three propositions were discussed by the Consultative Council with the CGIAR Chairman presiding. The fourth proposition, regarding leadership succession, was discussed by the Consultative Council with Mr. Carsalade presiding. The propositions were reformulated by the Consultative Council and were submitted to the Group for adoption. The first three reformulated propositions are as follows: Proposition 1: To help us address the future (horizon 2005–2010) TAC will lead an exercise to define: • • • • Where we should be; What we should be doing and producing; How we should be doing it; and With whom. In so doing TAC will involve the Centers and seek views from the CGIAR members and all stakeholders. TAC will draw on previous work and move quickly to ensure that its work will be completed for consideration and adoption at MTM2000. 62 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS Proposition 2: Form follows function. To deal with how to deploy the future resources of the CGIAR in the most effective way, TAC will work with the Centers and others to identify the direction and scope of the needed institutional changes. This work will be done as rapidly as possible, and no later than to get decisions made by the CGIAR at ICW2000. Proposition 3: For this whole process over the coming year, the Consultative Council will be the instrument to bring to bear the wisdom of all on the issues, review the options, and make recommendations with a view to enable decisions to be reached at the MTM and ICW meetings. Following meetings of the Consultative Council which Mr. Serageldin chaired, the first three reformulated propositions were discussed in plenary. The Group expressed appreciation to the Chairman for the way he addressed the outstanding issues from the System Review and outlined the possible options through formulation of the propositions. There was agreement that the process allowed a candid and unrestrained discussion. Several members commented on the complexity of the issues, particularly questions of institutional changes, and expressed concern about the proposed timeframe for the TAC visioning and structure exercises. In discussing use of the Consultative Council as a mechanism, members emphasized the importance of making the process inclusive and providing opportunity for everyone to comment on the issues. In line with this, TAC will take into full account the presentations and discussion at ICW99 as it conducts the visioning and structuring exercises. The Oversight Committee is expected to take a stronger role in the discussions of vision and structure in the months ahead . The Group adopted the three propositions with the following clarifications: • • • TAC will set out its work program for implementing the propositions and circulate it to all as soon as possible; The Group accepts that the complexity of the issues may require more time than is presently anticipated but it is the decision of the Group to move with all deliberate speed; The Group requests that the MTM Agenda be structured to allow adequate time for a full discussion of the TAC report. Proposition 4: The fourth proposition dealt with leadership succession in the CGIAR. In his opening remarks, the Chairman reviewed various options on leadership succession and suggested that the Consultative Council meet, under the chairmanship of Mr. Carsalade, to discuss the fourth proposition. (See page 14.) During the plenary discussion, Mr. Carsalade informed the Group, as he had informed the Consultative Council, that prior to the Consultative Council meeting he and CBC Chair Wally Falcon had met Mr. Sven Sandstrom, Acting President of the World Bank, to seek clarification of the World Bank’s CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 63 SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS position on issues connected with the succession and leadership of the CGIAR. Mr. Carsalade reported that Mr. Sandstrom had informed them as follows: • • The World Bank is fully committed to providing the CGIAR with continuing support, and with leadership at the level of Vice-President; The Bank proposes that Mr. Ismail Serageldin, the Bank’s Vice-President for Special Programs, should continue as CGIAR Chairman for up to 2 years, with full institutional backing from the Bank; Mr. Serageldin will spend 50 percent of his time as Vice-President with the CGIAR, and the rest of his time on World Bank responsibilities; At the end of his term, Mr. Serageldin will be succeeded by Mr. Ian Johnson, Vice-President for Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development (ESSD), who is not available at the present time to assume duties with the CGIAR; During the remainder of Mr. Serageldin’s chairmanship, the new Executive Secretary will be recruited and will be more closely integrated with the ESSD Vice-Presidency. The Bank wishes the recruitment process to be transparent and favors a process similar to what was followed in the recent selection of the TAC Chair; and The successor to Mr. Alexander McCalla, Director of Rural Development Department (RDV) will be named shortly, and will function as the Bank’s Cosponsor. • • • • The Group expressed confidence and trust in Mr. Serageldin's continued Chairmanship for two more years, and commended the open and transparent process for leadership succession of the CGIAR. Members welcomed the strong reaffirmation of World Bank support to the CGIAR, noting the Bank's commitment at the institutional level and a shift to approval of funding for a three-year period. The Group agreed that the proposed search and recruitment process for the CGIAR Executive Secretary should follow the same consultative and transparent process that was used for the selection of the TAC Chair. The Cosponsors will serve as the search committee with the World Bank representative as Chair. After a full and frank discussion of different aspects of leadership and succession issues, the Group reached the following consensus: • • The Group welcomed the proposal from the World Bank's senior management that Ismail Serageldin continue serving as CGIAR Chairman for two more years; The Group agreed that TAC will lead a visioning exercise to define where the CGIAR should be, what the CGIAR should be doing and producing, how the CGIAR should be doing it, and with whom. In so doing, TAC will involve the Centers, seek views from CGIAR members and all stakeholders, draw on previous work, and move quickly to ensure that its recommendations can be discussed at MTM2000; The Group agreed that TAC will work with the Centers and others to identify the direction and scope of organizational changes needed to deploy the future resources of the CGIAR in the • 64 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS most effective way. This work will build on the visioning exercise and be completed so that decisions can be made by the CGIAR at ICW2000; and • The Group agreed that the Consultative Council will be the instrument to review the options on vision and structure developed by TAC. The Consultative Council should make its recommendations with a view toward enabling decisions to be reached by the CGIAR at MTM2000 and ICW2000. CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 65 SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS CGIAR Business Matters Reports from CGIAR Cosponsors and Committees The Group received reports from the Cosponsors, and the Oversight, Finance, Technical Advisory, Non-governmental Organizations, Private Sector and Center Directors Committees and the Committee of Board Chairs. Cosponsors UNDP Representative Roberto Lenton presented the report of the Cosponsors—Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), UN Development Programme (UNDP), UN Environment Programme (UNEP), and the World Bank. The Cosponsors have endorsed the TAC chair's recommendation for a one-term extension of five TAC members: Usha Barwale-Zehr, Elias Fereres, Michael Cernea, Alain de Janvry, and Maria Antonia Fernandez. In line with the TAC/IAEG integration endorsed at MTM99, the Cosponsors recommended confirmation of the current IAEG Chair, Hans Gregersen) as a member of TAC. The Cosponsors also recommended the appointment of Hirofumi Uchimiya as a new TAC member. Two other new appointments are pending and approval will be sought on a "no objection basis" as soon as the candidates' availability is confirmed. The Cosponsors endorsed the implementation arrangement for the integration of TAC/IAEG. The TAC/IAEG work program and budget proposal of $3 million for the year 2000 and $2.85 million for 2001 were approved. This is based on the expected annual contribution of $750,000 from each of the cosponsors, although the level of UNEP's contribution is uncertain. Recognizing GFAR's continuing importance to the CGIAR, the Cosponsors recommended that this be reaffirmed at ICW99 and noted that the Finance Committee has allocated $380,000 to support GFAR through June 2000. Further discussion on the modality and level of future support was deferred pending the implementation arrangement for the merger of the GFAR Secretariat (currently hosted by the World Bank along with EGFAR) and the NARS Secretariat (currently hosted by FAO). Regarding the recruitment process for CGIAR Executive Secretary, the Cosponsors noted that they were finalizing the search process and job description/terms of reference in consultation with the Oversight Committee. The same consultative and transparent process that was used for the TAC Chair recruitment would be followed. (See Annex 4 for the full report.) Oversight Committee Andrew Bennett presented the report on behalf of the Oversight Committee, which met regularly during ICW99. The Oversight Committee welcomed and endorsed the reaffirmation of Ismail Serageldin as the CGIAR Chair and the strong support of the World Bank for the system. The Oversight Committee looks forward to working closely with Mr. Serageldin for the next two years and then helping to ensure a smooth transition to the Vice Presidency of Ian Johnson. 66 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS The Committee welcomed new members Bongiwe Njobe, Ruth Haug, Gilles Saint-Martin, Emmy Simmons, and Juan Restrepo, and thanked departing members William Dar, John Lewis, and Theresa Fogelberg. Regarding the roles, functions, and future priorities, the Committee recommended that the Group agree on its future role of "due diligence" regarding governance issues and its focus on specific governance issues such as Center and Board Management relations, Board composition and competencies, Center-host country agreements, and lessons learned from the System Review. On the follow up to the System Review, the Committee noted that good progress is being made and recommended that a short strategic review of the organization and lessons learned from the System Review be carried out; the results of this study would be made available for the work on the vision and structuring of the CGIAR. The Committee congratulated the new TAC Chair, Emil Javier, and praised the open and transparent process that had been followed during the recruitment. The Oversight Committee welcomed the commitment of the World Bank and Cosponsors to an inclusive and transparent process in the search for an Executive Secretary, and requested the Cosponsors to develop and circulate revised terms of reference for the post, including clarification on the relationship of the Secretariat with the World Bank. (See Annex 5 for the full report.) Finance Committee The Group received a report from Alex McCalla, Finance Committee Chair, on the expected 1999 financial outcome, 2000 financing plan, and longer term financing strategy. (For details on the 1999 funding update, 2000 financial plan and longer-term financing strategy, see pages 71-73.) Mr. McCalla also reported on membership and chairmanship of the Committee. The Finance Committee noted that effective management of CGIAR finances requires implementation of appropriate financial policies. As part of its oversight on CGIAR financial policy issues, the Finance Committee—through the CGIAR Secretariat—is collaborating with Center finance professionals, and outside experts as necessary, to pursue a program of financial issues underpinning prudent and cost effective use of resources by Centers; implementation of some of the issues requires action by the Group as well. Specific aspects of the program include: • • • • Internal Audits. The Finance Committee considers the jointly sponsored (ICLARM, IRRI, IPGRI, and the Secretariat) internal audit team, initially based in Asia, an innovative approach that deals with issues of fiduciary importance; Financial Reporting Systems. The CGIAR Secretariat is launching a survey of Center financial systems to position the CGIAR to benefit fully from advances in information technology and improvements in financial processes and procedures; Financial Management Guidelines. The Financial Management Guidelines, one of four issued by the CGIAR Secretariat, is being updated and the Finance Committee has authorized distribution of the Financial Management Manual when ongoing consultations are completed. Indirect Costs. Under guidance of an inter-Center working group led by ICRISAT, Ernst & Young, India, surveyed Center practices and proposed adoption of a "value chain" framework for indirect cost calculations and their recovery from providers of restricted funding. Pilot approaches will be tested at five Centers and a progress report made at MTM2000. Regarding Committee composition, the Finance Committee proposed that rotation of members is timely and that caucuses be held to replace the three DAC members (European Commission, Australia, and Sweden) who have announced their intention to retire from the Committee. Caucuses should also be held by the developing countries since India is serving as a member of the Global Forum and hence is unable to serve on the Finance Committee. As a result of the caucuses, Switzerland was elected to a threeCGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 67 SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS year term while Australia and Sweden were re-elected. The developing country caucus elected Brazil and Nigeria to replace India and Egypt. Regarding the Committee chairmanship, the Finance Committee unanimously elected Canada to serve an interim one-year term starting January 1, 2000, upon retirement of Alex McCalla of the World Bank. The interim selection reflects members' assessment that the CGIAR would be best served by ensuring continuity until completion of the major tasks on the Finance Committee's agenda over the next twelve months. The Finance Committee will revisit the chairmanship issue at ICW2000 to elect a new chair for a full three-year term. The Group commended the Finance Committee's work, endorsed the recommendation that Committee chairmanship and membership should be rotated, and endorsed the election of Canada as the new Chair of the Finance Committee for one year. (See Annex 5 for full report.) Technical Advisory Committee TAC Chair Donald Winkelmann reported on TAC activities since MTM99 and new activities TAC will launch. TAC praised the first External Review of Systemwide Programs with an Ecoregional Approach and implementation of the various findings is proceeding. Because of illness among panel members, TAC considered the External Program and Management Review of ICARDA incomplete relative to its terms of reference; the report should be ready for MTM2000. Other EPMRs include IWMI and WARDA, currently being reviewed, CIAT scheduled for ICW2000, and CIP and IITA for 2001. The overview of plant breeding methodologies in the CGIAR is also underway, with the report scheduled for presentation to the Group at ICW2000. With the rapid developments in science, technology, economics, and related fields, TAC has initiated planning for the revision of the 1997 Report on CGIAR Priorities and Strategies as a guide to future allocation of CGIAR resources. The planning discussions benefited from the CDC initiative on INRM, the report of the FAO/Netherlands Conference on the Multifunctional Character of Agriculture and Land, and the findings of the CIAT workshop on poverty. TAC is also forming panels of consultative experts to assess the external environment and identify concerns that could influence the content of the CGIAR research portfolio. TAC expressed concern that Center financing plans for the 2000 research agenda suggest that the current strategy of allocating funds among Centers has a limited capacity to deliver the endorsed portfolio. Regarding the monitoring of implementation, progress is being made on incorporating the Logframe vocabulary in Center financing plans, but both the five Undertakings and the five Logical Framework outputs will be used during the 2000-2002 planning period to allow comparisons of system allocations during the transition and beyond. TAC and CGIAR Secretariat are collaborating on a strategic study of CGIAR partnerships which will evaluate Center experience with research and research related partnerships. Two other TAC commissioned studies, on CGIAR commitments in Latin America and the Caribbean, and on marginal lands, were discussed at ICW99. (See Annex 5 for the full report.) Non-Governmental Organization Committee On behalf of Chair Miguel Altieri, Assetou Kanoute presented a report on NGOC activities, collaboration with GFAR, and committee restructuring. 68 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS Since MTM99, the NGOC has been involved in a series of activities, including publication of several reports and participation in workshops in China, Costa Rica, the Netherlands, Germany, and the US. Future NGOC activities include publication of the proceedings of the "scaling up successful agriculture" workshop, involvement in workshops at IRRI and the University of California-Berkley, and implementation of an African IPM Plan of Action. The NGOC is working closely with GFAR and is represented on GFAR's Executive Committee. Among the priorities are increasing NGO membership in the GFAR Assembly. Regarding restructuring, the NGOC will achieve the desired number of eight members with the following representations: two each from LAC, Africa, and Asia, and one each from North America and Europe. By the end of MTM2000, a new chair and co-chair will be selected. The committee paid tribute to the four members who will complete their terms by the end of 1999—Carlos Perez, Assetou Kanoute, Yuexin Du and Carmen Felipe-Morales. (See Annex 5 for the full Committee report.) Private Sector Committee Chair Sam Dryden presented the report of the Private Sector Committee. Following the Group's decisions at MTM99, the Committee restructuring has been completed. The PSC has eight members, including the chairman. The committee welcomed the newly appointed members—Claudio Barriga , Badrinarayan Barwale, Robert Horsch, Barry Thomas, and Florence Wambugu—and bid farewell to those whose terms had ended—Assia Bensalah Alaoui, Pramod Agrawal, Carol Mallette Amaratunga, Bernard Auxenfans, Susan Crisp-Jungklaus, Mohamad Adel El Ghandour, Alejandro Rodriguez Graue, Donguri Nick Mwaniki, and Alberto Rubenstein. The PSC raised concerns about several issues: the potential conflict between the CGIAR's traditional public goods concept and intellectual property rights, public acceptance of the new technologies, and the need for interaction with the private sector. The importance of the IP audits, the PSC noted, will be apparent when the Centers begin to disseminate materials based on proprietary technology. The CGIAR's stand on international public goods needs to be revisited in that context. Currently, it is a potential barrier to access to technology. The PSC recommended that the CGIAR consider two options: redefining the position on international public goods or stopping work on germplasm improvement. Finally, the PSC emphasized the need to explore alternative organizational models to improve the efficiency of technology acquisition. A possible option is to set up an intermediary organization or foundation to act as a global agent for the CGIAR (and possibly its partners). Regarding interaction with the private sector, the PSC recommended that the CGIAR Chair engage in an ongoing high level policy dialogue with the private sector as preparation for a high level meeting with CEOs. The PSC will work with the Chairman to facilitate various meetings. (See Annex 5 for the full Committee report.) Committee of Board Chairs The Group received a report from Wally Falcon, Chair of the Committee of Center Board Chairs. The CBC activities have focused on compensation schedules, management-board boundaries, and the CGIAR gender strategy. At ICW99, the CBC analyzed systemwide activities and their governance, concluding that systemwide programs in general and systemwide programs on ecoregional activities in particular require comparative assessment in terms of governance and continued relevance. On the issue of CGIAR restructuring, the CBC is committed to help with the process. On financial issues, the CBC has been looking at indirect costs and cautioned that any changes in financial management and financial reporting systems realistically reflect true costs. CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 69 SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS Mr. Falcon announced that Kurt Peters, chairman of the ICLARM board, will replace him as CBC chair, and that Robert Havener will replace Martin Piñeiro as Vice Chair. Center Directors Committee The Group received a report from Pedro Sanchez, Chair of the Center Directors Committee. On the issue of System Review follow up, the CDC reported that IPR audits are progressing well, the Central Advisory Service is operational at ISNAR, and the issue of a wholly owned subsidiary is under study. There has been excellent progress on an African Strategy for the CGIAR, based on extensive dialogue and collaboration with African partners. On the issue of integrated natural resource management, a set of INRM principles was developed at the Bilderberg Workshop and the draft report of the InterCenter Working Group on Climate Change has been endorsed. The CDC welcomed the Finance Committee's leadership in developing a longer term financing strategy for the CGIAR, which includes broadening the Future Harvest effort within the CGIAR. The new CDC chair is Per Pinstrup-Andersen of IFPRI. CDC committees have been reconstituted as the following task forces: Intellectual Property and Germplasm Resources, Ron Cantrell, IRRI; Integrated Natural Resource Management, Jeff Sayer, CIFOR; Public Awareness and Resource Mobilization, Hubert Zandstra, CIP; Information and Training, Stein Bie, ISNAR;-Sub-Saharan Africa, Hank Fitzhugh, ILRI; and FAO Liaison, Meryl Williams, ICLARM. The Inter-Center Working Groups on Genetic Resources and Climate Change will continue. CDC representation on boards or executive bodies are: AIARD, Lukas Brader, IITA; GRPC, Geoff Hawtin, IPGRI; Future Harvest, Hubert Zandstra, CIP; Gender and Diversity Program, Meryl Williams, ICLARM; and SPAAR/FARA, Lukas Brader, IITA. Plenary Discussion The Group adopted the reports and recommendations of the Cosponsors, the Oversight, Technical Advisory, Private Sector, NGO, and Center Directors Committees, and the Committee of Board Chairs. Following the Chairman's report, the Group endorsed the progress toward establishment of the Science Partnership Committee. The Group also endorsed the restructuring of the GRPC, confirmed the appointment of Dr. M. S. Swaminathan as GRPC Chair for one year, and endorsed the appointment of the following GRPC members—Carl-Gustav Thornstrom, Christine Grieder, Robert Bertram, Godwin Y. Mkamanga, Jose Esquinas-Alcazar, Carmen Felipe-Morales, Bernard le Buanec, Usha Barwale Zehr, Marcio de Miranda Santos, Ronald Cantrell, Timothy Reeves, and Geoffrey Hawtin (Secretary). 1999 Funding Update The Group received a report from the Finance Committee Chair on the expected 1999 financial outcome. At the aggregate level, the 1999 financial outcome of $340 million is in line with the level approved at ICW98. Fourteen Centers will be fully funded in 1999. Lagging disbursements, however, continue to be cause for concern. The 2000 Financing Plan 70 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS TAC reviewed the Centers' 2000 financing plans to determine their consistency with the Centers' medium-term plans, conformity with the 2000 research agenda, and programmatic implications of potential financing gaps. TAC noted general consistency at the System level between Centers' financing plans and the resource allocations approved by the Group for CGIAR undertakings and activities in 2000. TAC remained concerned about the persistent relative underinvestment in livestock research and water management, and about the continuous reduction of the share of unrestricted funding for most Centers. Departures from the endorsed MTM99 plans, both with respect to reduced overall funding levels and to changes in priorities as reflected in shifting allocations to projects, raise questions about whether the current strategy for funding Centers has a limited capacity to deliver what the Group has endorsed. Finance Chair Alex McCalla announced that the Bank's senior management has authorized continuation of the Bank's support at current levels for three years, subject to annual Board approval, which is a vote of confidence in the CGIAR. The Group adopted the Committee's recommendations on the financing plan for the 2000 research agenda. Center financing plans were endorsed at identified levels and an overall CGIAR financing plan of $340 million was approved. Regarding the World Bank's contribution of $45 million, the Group adopted the following recommendations: • $37.2 million will be used as matching funds to Centers. Ninety percent of the matching amount will be disbursed in January 2000. The Group will authorize disbursement of the remaining 10 percent at MTM2000; $1 million will be used for CGIAR partnership committees; $3.4 million will be allocated to support systemwide programs. Of this, $1.5 million will be allocated for ICRAF, IITA, and IPGRI. Decisions on allocating the balance of $1.9 million will be made at MTM2000 in consultation with TAC; and $3.4 million will be set aside to cope with unexpected problems in 2000. Of this, $0.25 million is allocated to CIMMYT to rebuild the tropical maize station. Decisions on allocating the balance of $3.15 million will be made at MTM2000. • • • Longer Term Financing At MTM99, the CGIAR endorsed the proposal by the Consultative Council to prepare a longer term financing framework and resource mobilization/public awareness structure for its implementation. The CGIAR Finance Committee Chair, Alex McCalla, is leading the effort. The Finance Committee has engaged John Riggan, President of the Conservation Company, whose work is guided by a working group representing key constituencies. CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 71 SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS The working group has met several times and endorsed the broad thrust of the proposals presented in the progress report of the Conservation Company. Mr. Riggan has initiated consultations with a representative group of CGIAR stakeholders to seek their views and guidance regarding the recommendations a final report is expected by MTM2000. After an introduction by Mr. McCalla, Mr. Riggan presented the draft report to the Group. The report proposed that the CGIAR longer term financing strategy should be based on the continuation of ODA funding with some proportion being supported by non-ODA funding from DAC countries, expansion of Southern financial participation, and a special effort to solicit private philanthropy. The report also proposed that a single mechanism, such as a foundation, be established to harmonize, but not centralize, the numerous and multi-level public awareness and resource mobilization activities and to implement new initiatives. This would build on the existing strengths and collaborations such as Future Harvest. A final report is expected at MTM2000. The Finance Committee noted that excellent progress has been made in developing the framework for longer term financing and resolving some long-standing organizational issues. The Finance Committee proposed the following: • The CGIAR longer term financing strategy should be based on the continuation of ODA funding with some proportion being supported by non-ODA funding from DAC countries, expansion of Southern financial participation, and exploration of mutually beneficial relationships with the private sector, including philanthropy; A single mechanism, such as a foundation, is proposed for harmonizing the numerous and multi-level public awareness and resource mobilization activities and for implementing new initiatives. This would build on the existing strengths and collaborations such as Future Harvest. The CGIAR should move toward a harmonized, but not centralized, approach for resource mobilization and public awareness; The working group should continue until MTM2000; and Alex McCalla should continue to chair the working group until MTM2000. • • • The Group discussed different aspects of the proposed strategy as well as the underlying assumptions. The need for a more flexible, comprehensive strategy to market the CGIAR to new audiences was affirmed, as well as the need for rules of engagement for approaching funders. While there are costs associated with fund raising, the emphasis must be on the returns. There was agreement that since the CGIAR is multi-layered, a mix of mechanisms and a harmonized approach to resource mobilization are desirable. The Group felt that the difficulties of explaining the CGIAR to nondevelopment sources should not be underestimated. Comparison was made to UNICEF, which has one of the most successful campaigns based on pithy, clear messages. The need for an expanded public awareness effort in the CGIAR and its relevance to resource mobilization was recognized. The tentative name for the harmonized public awareness/resource mobilization effort is Future Harvest: The CGIAR Foundation. The Group endorsed the Finance Committee's recommendations that the CGIAR longer term financing strategy be based on the continuation of ODA funding, that the proposed single mechanism for harmonizing the numerous and multi-level public awareness and resource mobilization activities be explored, that the working group should continue until MTM2000, and that Alex McCalla should continue to chair it. 72 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS Setting the 2001 Research Agenda The TAC Chair gave a preliminary report on research directions for the year 2001. The Group will consider and make decisions on the 2001 research agenda at MTM2000. Center program and budget proposals for 2001, prepared using the CGIAR Logical Framework approved at ICW98, will be viewed in the context of the 2001-2003 medium-term plans. TAC will compare the proposals to ensure consistency with the Group-endorsed recommendations on CGIAR priorities and ensure that change is taking place in the broad strategic directions that have been endorsed. Centers will be asked to submit their proposals by the first week of March 2000 to enable the TAC and CGIAR to undertake an initial analysis in advance of the TAC meeting. TAC plans to work on the basis of an assumed $400 million budget for the 2001 agreed research agenda. The CGIAR Secretariat will send out guidelines and budget information for the preparation of 2001 proposals. TAC noted continued progress in improving the presentation of the research agenda and monitoring achievement of system outputs, as reflected in the CGIAR logframe vocabulary incorporated in Centers' March 1999 proposals. The logframe will become operational in 2001. Following discussion in plenary, the Group commissioned the preparation of the 2001 research agenda by the Centers. Future Meetings MTM2000 ICW2000 MTM2001 ICW2001 MTM2002 ICW2002 May 22–26..........................................Dresden, Germany (in conjunction with the Global Forum) October 23–27 ......................................Washington, DC May 21–25............................................To be determined October 29–November 2...................Washington, DC May 27–31............................................To be determined October 28–November 1...................Washington, DC CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 73 SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS Chairman’s Closing Remarks Friends and Colleagues: We have reached the end of another Centers Week. Our discussions have been intense, rich in substance, conducted in a spirit of mutual respect, and highly productive. A full summary of decisions reached here is available in the end-of-meeting report that you can pick up on your way out. I will, however, reiterate some of the highlights of ICW99 in my customary Chairman’s Summation. But first, let me thank: •All members of the CGIAR system, who participated in what has been a rich and rewarding set of discussions; •Henri Carsalade who presided over a session of the Consultative Council, and all members of the Council, who have helped the Group as a whole to sharpen their debate; •The chairs and members of all the committees whose work is an integral component of ICW; •The Bank-Fund conference staff who worked so hard to provide us with the logistics and setting for decision making; •The interpreters who helped us understand each other; and, •Alexander von der Osten and the Secretariat team who, as always, worked unstintingly before and during ICW99. Please join me in thanking all concerned with a resounding round of applause. Leadership Friends: On Monday, I said that there were several matters that required resolution at ICW99, and I presented these to you in the form of four propositions. One of them concerned chairmanship of the CGIAR. It was referred to the Consultative Council under the chairmanship of Henri Carsalade, and you have adopted the Council’s submission based on a proposal from the Bank’s senior management. I will be your chairman for two more years. The chairman of the CGIAR holds office at the pleasure of the Bank President. But the chairman requires the confidence and trust of this body as well if the CGIAR system is to function effectively and with a true sense of purpose. I appreciate the confidence that Mr. Wolfensohn and you have placed in me. I accept that as a sacred trust and pledge to you that I will continue to carry out my responsibilities with the same dedication, the same belief in the values of the CGIAR, that I brought to the table when I assumed duties as chairman in January 1994. Propositions We are all here because of a shared commitment to harness the best in science to serve the needs of the poor and the vulnerable. Despite all the battles already won, the tasks ahead are enormous. To enable us to meet those tasks, I suggested that we should review and redefine our vision, agree on how that vision can best be fulfilled, and make whatever changes are required towards that end. I stated my views in 74 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS the form of three propositions which were subsequently modified by the Consultative Council and have been adopted by you with the following clarifications: • TAC will set out its work program for implementing the propositions and circulate it to all as soon as possible; • The Group accepts that the complexity of the issues may require more time than is presently anticipated but it is the decision of the Group to move with all deliberate speed; and • The Group requests that the MTM Agenda be structured to allow adequate time for a full discussion of the TAC report. Global Context The exercise to be undertaken by TAC will take full account of the presentations made and discussed at ICW99. Per Pinstrup-Andersen’s analysis of world food prospects, for instance, sets the context in which all our work will take place. As usual his tour d’horizon was a tour de force. So much of what he pointed out reminded us of the extent of human suffering that will endure without a concerted effort by the international community to combat poverty, hunger, and environmental degradation. In assessing the role of agricultural research in such an effort we are fortunate that we can work with the GFAR from whom we heard at ICW99. GFAR has been promoting innovative research partnerships to develop knowledge management capacity and new forms of research organization, and TAC will no doubt examine the manner in which CGIAR Centers can enhance its participation in those arrangements. A large part of my opening address was devoted to the need for clearer thinking about the ways in which the research we do will benefit the poor. Michael Lipton’s excellent Crawford Lecture underscored that need. Partnerships against Poverty From the global context, we can move direct to a brief recapitulation of how the Centers function within that context. The theme for this year’s Centers Forum was “Inter-Center Collaboration to Combat Poverty”. Presentations were made in four connected segments: • An overview of inter-Center collaboration, followed by highlights of their collaborative work in integrated gene management; • Collaborative efforts in several areas including productivity and natural resources management; • Systemwide/ ecoregional programs; and • Collaborative work on policy questions. The high standard of the presentations was most impressive. Several of you commented to me, as well, that they were delighted to find Center directors sharing or handing over the responsibility of presentation to young scientists. Three defining characteristics were established by the substance of the presentations. First, a high level of cooperation is being established among CGIAR Centers, and it can be said with satisfaction that the system is moving toward an operating mode where the whole is more than the sum of its parts. Second, the Centers have obviously been consistently seeking to enhance their science, and thus their impact on poverty, by drawing a whole range of partners into their activities. CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 75 SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS Third, the relationship between Centers and national agricultural research systems has been welded into a true partnership based on mutual commitment to a common enterprise. No longer are we prepared to cop out as we did some years ago by claiming that this relationship can never be satisfactorily settled. The spirit in which the Centers have been collaborating with their partners in Africa and Latin America was also clearly demonstrated. The discussion suggested that many options needed to be sorted out in Latin America, and that more work remains to be completed on the African initiative before specific proposals are considered by the Group. I encourage all those involved to pursue their activities so that we can receive more definitive information at MTM next year. I also expect TAC to follow-up on that work and link it to the tasks we have given it, and to link both to the MTP being discussed with the Centers. Another thrust of partnerships was explored when we examined how the CGIAR could improve the mechanics of partnering. This exploration focused on the CGIAR’s systemwide programs, and on the experiences of other research organizations in managing partnerships. There are problems still to be overcome in our own experience and some lessons to be learned from outside the system. Research Impact The work of the Centers was validated by the impact reports from IAEG on poverty reduction, the impact of germplasm improvement, IPM, and on the impact of CGIAR activities on the environment. Credible impact evaluation produced within a reasonable time frame are required to enable our scientists to know how effective their work has been, and to persuade members that their investments represent value for money. The IAEG reports we received at ICW99 show that we are moving in the right direction. I urge IAEG to continue on this path; in particular, to move fairly quickly into the next phase of their environmental impact assessment. We also received a report of workshop organized by CIAT on the impact of agricultural research on poverty. Underlying the broad patterns discerned, were numerous examples of research making a difference in the livelihoods of the poor. Among the key findings and issues: • Research has increased productivity and incomes on millions of small farms; • Employment generation in agriculture has benefited workers, among the poorest of the poor; • Future employment growth may come more from high value crops and post harvest processing than from staples; and • Cheaper food creates large widespread benefits to the poor; however, cheaper food by itself will lift few out of poverty. Agriculture remains the most important element of rural livelihoods. Research that improves productivity and employment in the most important element of rural livelihoods is a powerful means to reduce poverty. These points are congruent with Michael Lipton’s Crawford Lecture presentation. With these reports we have established an important trend. I hope that we will hear more and sharper assessments at future meetings, and that they will serve as the basis on which we shape and strengthen our research agenda. Research Issues Following from the CGIAR System Review, we received reports outlining new thinking in the areas of integrated natural resource management, climate change, and integrated gene management . These included a review 76 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS of CGIAR’s systemwide ecoregional programs, a study on marginal lands, and presentations by FAO, CDC and TAC on climate change. We heard of the recent meeting of the panel of experts on Access and Benefit-Sharing of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture convened by the Secretariat of the CBD. I believe we can fully endorse the view that “in developing national legislation on access, parties should take into account and allow for the development of a multilateral system to facilitate access and benefit sharing for plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.” We received a report as well of the international conference on biotechnology co-convened by the CGIAR and the US National Academy of Sciences. All aspects of the conference have been highly commended, and special mention was made at ICW99 of the contribution of CGIAR Science Adviser Manuel Lantin to the success of this conference. The conference provided a forum for the exchange of a wealth of knowledge, information and experience, and a variety of perspectives which will be valuable as we seek to move ahead in the responsible use of the new developments in science and technology for the benefit of the poor and the environment. Senior policymakers from the South were fully represented. We learned from them that there is much biotechnology research going on in national systems, which is being funded by both national governments and development agencies. At least twice as much R&D is being funded by national governments as by the international development community. Candid discussions at the conference touched on ethical, safety, and proprietary issues as well. In relation to proprietary science, ICW99 was briefed on the results of IPR audits organized by the Centers. Business Matters In addition to the matters I have outlined, we also handled a number of business items including reconstitution or rotation of the membership of committees, Center financing plans of $340 million for 2000, and research directions for 2001. You have heard from committee chairs, and I want to welcome the incoming new chair of the Finance Committee, Iain MacGillivray. Please endorse his election in the usual way. Alex McCalla will continue to serve as chair of the working group that is drafting a longer term financing strategy and public awareness program. Conclusion Colleagues and Friends: We are a research organization, and will always be so. To change our focus could well be to court irrelevance. Similarly, our research will be marginalized and the impact of the work of our Centers eroded, if we do not utilize the best in science to serve the cause of the poor. If we don’t, nobody else will. Research purely for its own sake is a luxury beyond us. Earlier, I had expressed the view that the kind of research we do is reflecting a double shift in the research paradigm. The first is the contextualization of crop specific research: ecoregional, based on farming systems, and emphasizing socio-economic issues particularly including those that are genderrelated. The second recognizes the new breakthroughs in the biological sciences. CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 77 SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS We have reoriented and reorganized ourselves in many ways in recent years. That sense of renewal cannot be abandoned. For it is only by re-energizing, revitalizing, and renewing ourselves constantly that we can always be ahead of the curve in our endeavors. So let us recommit ourselves to the tasks ahead. Let us soar to the loftiest heights that science can reach. And so equipped let us reach out to help those who live condemned lives in the lowest depths of society. Mahatma Gandhi said that development requires a commitment to wipe every tear from every eye. Let that be our commitment for the new millennium and beyond. Thank you. 78 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS Chairman’s Remarks at Farewells to Don Winkelmann and Alex McCalla Ladies and Gentlemen: The time has come for us to say a special farewell to two trusted friends of long standing. In doing so, I would much rather think of the privilege we have enjoyed in knowing and working with them, than dwell on the sadness of their departure. For, truly, it has been a privilege for all of us to have worked with these two stalwarts, each of whom adorned the TAC chair—Don Winkelmann and Alex McCalla. I say these farewells on your behalf subject to the caveat that such talent will never be allowed to actually leave the CGIAR. Don: The Group has adopted a resolution recording its appreciation of your contribution to the effectiveness of the CGIAR, but before reading out the text, I think we should remind ourselves of your long and illustrious career with the system. When the CGIAR was formed, the young Winkelmann was a member of CIMMYT’s directing staff of six key scientists. Norman Borlaug was one of them. Their combined professional experience added up to some 140 person-years, more than half of them spent in countries of the South. In that select cluster of experts, Don had three special distinctions. First, he was the “baby” of the group, seven years younger than the next youngest. Second, he was an outsider, the only social scientist among them. The rest were all plant breeders. That must have given you a very lonely feeling, Don. And third, the most important distinction, he went on to become Director General of CIMMYT. Don came to CIMMYT from the world of teaching, after holding senior academic positions at universities in the US and Mexico. At CIMMYT, he displayed knowledge, a sense of practicality, and impressive qualities of leadership. Undoubtedly, being bilingual was an additional plus point. He rose through the ranks to become Director General in 1985. He provided CIMMYT with vigorous and inspiring leadership for almost a decade. His legacy is the foundation on which CIMMYT is today building new structures of effort and enterprise. He moved over from CIMMYT to the TAC chairmanship. In that role, he has diligently safeguarded the scientific excellence of the system, provided us with strategic guidance, and introduced innovative thinking into TAC’s approach. What is not so well known, however, is that throughout most of his time with the CGIAR he has as well been an outstanding spokesman for the system. Many years ago, he set himself the personal task of determining what specific approaches would persuade the policy makers of member countries that the CGIAR deserved continued support, and honed a series of convincing policy statements that responded to those needs. He used those policy statements himself on behalf of the system, and urged the information professionals of the system to follow his example. CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 79 SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS But most of all, however, as much as his qualities as a leader, his acumen as a thinker, and his communications skills have served the system so well, we will remember Don as a colleague with a heart. It will always be said of him: Don cares. You have our respect and our affection, Don, in the future as in the past and present. And now, let me read the text of the resolution the Group has adopted in your honor: “The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) meeting on Friday, October 29 at International Centers Week in Washington D.C., unanimously resolved as follows: The CGIAR records its appreciation of the outstanding service to the CGIAR system of Donald L. Winkelmann, through his strong commitment to the mission of the CGIAR system, his contributions to the development of the CGIAR research agenda, his leadership as Chairman of the Technical Advisory Committee and as Director General of CIMMYT, and his role as an international spokesman for the CGIAR Centers. The CGIAR offers him warm felicitations and good wishes for the future.” It is my pleasure to hand over to you this scroll on which the text of the resolution has been printed. Next, we turn to another TAC Chair who has served the CGIAR in multiple capacities. He has, indeed, been the recipient of multiple farewells. This is the second time in recent years that the CGIAR bids him au revoir . Alex McCalla is due to retire from the position of Director of the Rural Development Department or RDV at the Bank at the end of this year. I was pleased to bring him on board, and therefore am particularly delighted by the strong influence he has wielded in that position. He raised the Bank’s interest in agriculture to new heights by defining a new vision of rural development and leading the Bank’s efforts to translate that vision into action. But, of course, the CGIAR knew Alex McCalla long before the Bank did. He entered the CGIAR family twenty years ago, when he agreed to head a team of four independent scientists who worked with the first System Review panel of the CGIAR. He has remained either within the CGIAR system or connected with it ever since. Alex hails from Canada, and has joined that ever-expanding group of who have adorned life in the United States by their presence. He is Professor Emeritus of Agricultural Economics at the University of California at Davis, and has held numerous other prestigious position in US universities. He was TAC chair from 1988–1994. He demonstrated both vision and powerful qualities of leadership in that position. He held TAC to high standards of intellectual rigor. He also developed innovative penalties for lack of punctuality and other infractions of the McCalla Code. One of my predecessors described Alex as “a class act.” Indeed, he is, and always will be. 80 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS Alex guided the CGIAR as it reoriented its research program to include both productivity and natural resource management. He presided over the meticulous studies that led to the expansion of the CGIAR. He predicted that the CGIAR would first expand and, later contract, as it redefined its role. It did—we moved from 18 to 16 Centers. So we have to honor him as a prophet as well as a scientist. Alex is a widely published author, and a popular speaker. His Crawford Lecture was exemplary for its research, analysis, and clarity—and we still get requests for reprints. Alex: The CGIAR thrives because people of your caliber give it your best—your knowledge, your intellect, your integrity, and your deep concern for the poor. I have no doubt that, beyond the Finance Committee’s request for your guidance in the preparation of a longer term financing strategy, the CGIAR will call on you again, and yet again, to support it with your wisdom. It is now my pleasure to read the text of a resolution adopted in your honor, and to deliver the scroll on which the text of that resolution has been printed: "The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) meeting on Friday, October 29 at International Centers Week in Washington D.C., unanimously resolved to honor and felicitate Alexander F. McCalla for his steadfast commitment to the mission and goals of the CGIAR, and his outstanding contributions for over two decades to its effectiveness and impact. The CGIAR appreciates the exemplary manner in which he carried out a wide range of responsibilities including leadership of the Technical Advisory Committee, service as a cosponsor representing the World Bank, and chairmanship of the Finance Committee. The CGIAR offers him warm good wishes for the future, and looks forward to his continuing role as a member of the CGIAR family.” CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 81 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week A ANNEXES ICW99 Agenda Monday, October 25 – Friday, October 29 1. Opening Session (a) Chairman’s Opening Address: Towards a New Vision for the Future (b) Chairman’s Announcements (c) Adoption of the Agenda 2. Confronting Poverty: The Critical Role of Science (a) Overview of World Food Situation i. Introductory Statement by FAO ii. Presentation by the Director General of IFPRI (b) Report from a CGIAR Conference on the Impact of Agricultural Research on Poverty Alleviation—Report by CIAT (c) Preliminary Results from IAEG Studies on the Impact of CGIAR Research on: i. Poverty Reduction ii. Germplasm Improvement iii. Environment iv. Integrated Pest Management 3. Confronting Poverty: The Role of Research Partnerships (a) Centers’ Forum (Theme: InterCenter Collaboration to Combat Poverty) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) GFAR: Evolving Global Vision for Agricultural Research Funding and Management of Systemwide Programs—CBC Report Managing Research Partnerships—Lessons from Experience—Report by TAC Proposals for an African Research Strategy—CDC/SPAAR/FARA CGIAR Commitments in Latin America—Report by TAC High-level Meeting with Private Sector—Report by CGIAR Chairman Chairman's Science Awards 4. Confronting Poverty: Exploring New Directions (a) Integrated Natural Resources Management (INRM) i. Ecoregional Review—Report by TAC ii. Study on Marginal Lands—Report by TAC iii. CDC Proposal on INRM (b) Climate Change i. Presentations by FAO, ICWG-CC and TAC (c) Integrated Gene Management (IGM) i. Report from the Biotechnology Conference on the Role of Biotechnology in Ensuring Food Security, Protecting the Environment, and Reducing Poverty in Developing Countries ii. IPR Audits—Progress Report by CDC CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 85 ANNEXES 5. Confronting Poverty: The CGIAR Research Agenda (a) 2000 Financing Plan (b) 2001 Research Directions 6. Business Matters (a) CGIAR Longer Term Financing Strategy and PA/RM Structures (b) Committee Reports (c) Composition of CGIAR Committees i. TAC-IAEG Integration ii. OC, FC iii. PSC, NGOC, SPC iv. GRPC (d) Future CGIAR Meetings 7. Other Business 8. Closing Session (a) Chairman’s Closing Remarks 86 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science ANNEXES List of Documents Preliminary End-of-Meeting Report ICW/99/00: Administrative Arrangements and Participant Registration ICW/99/01/Rev.1: Draft Agenda ICW/99/01/Rev.1: Indicative Timed Agenda ICW/99/02/Rev.1: Schedule of Events ICW/99/03: List of Documents ICW/99/06: Financing of the 2000 CGIAR Research Agenda (report of the 16th of the Finance Committee) ICW/99/07: 1999 Financing Plan—TAC Observations ICW/99/08/a: Report on IAEG Activities ICW/99/08/b: The IAEG Crop Germplasm Impacts Study: A Provisional Report ICW/99/08/c: Evaluation of the Impact of Integrated Pest Management Research at the IARCS ICW/99/08/d: Environmental Impacts of the CGIAR: An Initial Assessment ICW/99/09: Integrated Natural Resources Management (INRM)—The Bilderberg Consensus. Draft Summary Report ICW/99/10: The CGIAR and Climate Change—Progress Report of the InterCenter Working Group on Climate Change ICW/99/11: Focus on Africa—Strategy for the CGIAR in Africa—Executive Summary of Report by the CDC ICW/99/12: Future CGIAR Meetings ICW/99/13: Toward a Long-Range Financing Strategy for the CGIAR ICW/99/14: Climate Change—Case Study Posters ICW/99/15: Summary Report of a CGIAR/NAS International Conference on Biotechnology ICW/99/16: Climate Change and the CGIAR—Setting the Priorities SDR.TAC:IAR/99/8: First Review of Systemwide Programs with an Ecoregional Approach SDR/TAC:IAR/99/12: CGIAR Research Priorities for Marginal Lands SDR/TAC:IAR/98/18/Rev.1: Study of CGIAR Commitments in Latin America and the Caribbean Other documents: Climate Change and the CGIAR: TAC's Progress Report to the CGIAR TAC Chair's Report Information Note on the Status of the Negotiations for the Revision of the International Undertaking on Plant Genetic Resources Centers' Forum: "InterCenter Collaboration and the Sharing of Rice Genetic Resources", by Ronald Cantrell (IRRI) Centers' Forum: "InterCenter Collaborations" by Per Pinstrup-Andersen (IFPRI) Center Directors Committee Report to ICW99 Center Directors' View on the CGIAR Longer Term Financing Strategy Speeches: CGIAR Chairman Ismail Serageldin's Opening Address CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 87 ANNEXES List of Participants Chairman Ismail Serageldin Chairman, CGIAR, and Vice President, Special Programs The World Bank Washington DC DELEGATIONS OF MEMBERS OF THE CONSULTATIVE GROUP African Development Bank Akililu Afework Principal Agricultural Economist Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development Mervat W. Badawi Director, Technical Department Asian Development Bank (ADB) Akira Seki Agriculture and Social Sectors Department (West) Australia Ian Bevege Principal Adviser Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) John Skerritt Deputy Director, R&D Austria Ralph F. Gretzmacher Head of Department, University of Agricultural Sciences Werner Betzwar Consultant, Wintersteiger Research 88 Martin Mayer Consultant, Wintersteiger Research Bangladesh Zahurul Karim Executive Chairman Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) Brazil Francisco J. B. Reifschneider Head, Secretariat for International Cooperation Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (Embrapa) Elisio Contini Advisor to the President Vania Maria G. Fukuda Plant Breeder, Embrapa-CNPF Jamil Macedo Coordinator, Multilateral Cooperation Canada Bruce Howell Project Officer, Food Aid Centre (MFA) Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) Brad Fraleigh Special Advisor Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Iain C. MacGillivray Senior Advisor Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Branch, CIDA China ZHAO Longyue Deputy Director-General Department of International Cooperation (DIC) Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science ANNEXES CHEN Zhi Xin Deputy Division Chief, DIC, MOA GONG Xifeng Deputy Division Chief, DIC Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) HU Dingjin First Secretary for Agriculture Embassy of People's Republic of China Colombia Juan L. Restrepo Ibiza Director, Sector Policy, Ministry of Agriculture Côte d’Ivoire Kassoum Traore Director General Adjoint Centre National de Recherche Agronomique (CNRA) Koffi Ngoran Director of Station, CNRA Denmark Klaus Winkel Head of Department, Danish International Development Assistance (Danida) Ministry of Foreign Affairs Janie Eriksen Deputy Head of Research Department Egypt Magdy A. Madkour Director Agriculture Research Center (AGERI) European Commission (EC) Uwe Werblow Head of Unit VIII/A/1 Division of Rural Development and Food Security Alain Darthenucq Principal Scientific Officer Hans-Jörg Lutzeyer EIARD Executive Secretary Finland Esko Poutiainen Director General Agricultural Research Centre of Finland Aino Elfvengren Program Officer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Anna-Liisa Korhonen Minister-Counselor/Finance and Development Embassy of Finland Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations Henri Carsalade Assistant Director-General Sustainable Development Department Louise O. Fresco Director, Research, Extension and Training Division Ford Foundation Michael E. Coroy Program Officer John Amblee Consultant for CGIAR Social Science Research Council France Gilles Saint-Martin Head of Delegation Ministère de l’education nationale, de la recherche et de la technologie Maurice Izard Chargé de Mission Ministère des Affaires Etrangères, SUR/R CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 89 ANNEXES Pierre-Luc Pugliese Delegue Partenarots Scientifiques Organisations Internationales Centre de Cooperation Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Developpement (CIRAD) Germany H.-Jochen de Haas Head, Agriculture and Rural Development Division Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation (BMZ) Cornelis van Tuyll Head, Rural Development Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH Marlene Diekman Advisor Beratungsgruppe Entwicklungsorientierte Agrarforschung (BEAF) Reinhild Ernst Coordinator GFAR 2000, GTZ/BEAF Stephan Krall Officer, Agricultural Research Policy, GTZ Jürgen Richter Program Director German Foundation for International Development (DSE) Yvonne Mabille India R. S. Paroda Secretary, Department of Agriculture, Research, and Education (DARE), Ministry of Agriculture and Director General, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Indonesia Pasril Wahid Director General, FERDA Ministry of Forestry and Estate Crops 90 P. Natigor Siagian Agriculture Attaché, Embassy of Indonesia Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Edgardo Moscardi Executive Secretary, Regional Fund for Agricultural Technology (FONTAGRO) International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Joachim Voss Senior Research Manager Ralph E. Cotterill Consultant, Canadian NSO Tim Dottridge Senior Policy Analyst Chusa Ginés Team Leader International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Abdelmajid Slama Director, WANA and East Europe Shantanu Mathur Technical Adviser Research Grants Coordinator Douglas W. Wholey Technical Adviser, Agronomy Ireland Nick Chisholm Lecturer, Department of Food Economics University College Italy Gioacchino Carabba Senior Expert, Technical Unit Office Directorate General for Development Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Marina Puccioni Agricultural Director CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science ANNEXES Instituto Agronomico per l’Oltremare Ministry of Foreign Affairs Japan Tetsushi Kondo Official, Multilateral Cooperation Division Ministry of Foreign Affairs Tsukasa Chiba Deputy Director, International Cooperation Planning Division Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) Nobuyoshi Maeno Director General Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) Chigusa Masuda Official, International Cooperation Planning Division, MAFF Kanusuka Okada International Res. Coordinator, JIRCAS Hideyuki Takuma International Research Coordinator Agriculture, Forestry and Research Council Secretariat, MAFF Kenya Cyrus G. Ndiritu Director Kenya Agricultural Research Institute Ratemo W. Michieka Chair, KARI Board of Management Vice-Chancellor, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology Korea Seong-Hee Lee Director, International Cooperation Division Rural Development Administration (RDA) Luxembourg Arsene Jacoby CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science Executive Director for Luxembourg The World Bank/International Monetary Fund Mexico Jorge Kondo-Lopez Director General Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias (INIFAP) Rodrigo Aveldano-Salazar Director General, Agricola Jesus Moncada Executive Secretary Coordinadora Nacional Fundaciones Produce AC Armando Paredes-Arroyo President Coordinadora Nacional Fundaciones Produce AC Elsa B. von Scheven Technical Secretary of the Director in Chief INIFAP Netherlands, The Hans Slot Senior Project Officer Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ronald Goldberg Policy Officer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Frans Neuman Netherlands CGIAR-Liaison International Agricultural Centre (IAC) Klaas Tamminga Senior Expert Ministry of Foreign Affairs Rob. A. van Raalte Senior Policy Adviser Ministry of Agriculture Margaret van den Berg Senior Staff Officer Sander E. Mager Staff Officer 91 ANNEXES Francisco Bagulho Station Director National Plant Breeding Station Augusto M. Correia Professor Associate, Tapada da Ajuda Instituto Superior de Agronomia Rockefeller Foundation Robert W. Herdt Director for Agricultural Sciences Russia Victor Shevelukha Deputy, State Duma Federal Assembly of Russian Federation Herman V. Reznyov Embassy of Russia South Africa Bongiwe Njobe-Mbuli Director General National Department of Agriculture Shadrack Ralekeno Moephuli Director, Genetic Resources M. E. Mogajane Chief Director Agricultural Production and Health Spain Jose L. Milas Counselor for Institutional Affairs National Institute for Agricultural Research and Food Technology (INIA) Pilar M. Castro-Martinez International Science Cooperation, INIA Sweden Berit Olsson Director, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida)/SAREC New Zealand Dimitri Geidelberg Multilateral Development Programs Manager Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Michael W. Dunbier Chief Executive New Zealand Institute for Crop and Food Research Nigeria Umaru A. Alkaleiri Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Agriculture Olatunde Adeyemi Oloko Director, Agricultural Sciences Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Norway Ruth Haug Director of Research Agricultural University of Norway (Noragric) Trond Jørgen Gronstad Executive Officer Ministry of Foreign Affairs Peru Elvira Velasques Counselor, Embassy of Peru Javier Castro Assistant, Embassy of Peru Philippines Eliseo R. Ponce Director, Department of Agriculture Bureau of Agricultural Research Portugal Joao Melo Borges Senior Officer, ICCTI Ministry of Science and Technology 92 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science ANNEXES Carl-Gustaf Thornström Senior Research Adviser, Agriculture Sida/SAREC Marten Carlsson Professor, Sida/SAREC Switzerland Paul Egger Head, Agricultural Division Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Christine Grieder Deputy Head, Agricultural Division, SDC Barbara Becker Executive Manager Swiss Centre for International Agriculture (ZIL) Dora Rapold Head of Technical Department Thailand Ananta Dalodom Director General Department of Agriculture Prakarn Virakul Minister Counselor, Agriculture Embassy of Thailand Uganda Joseph K. Mukiibi Director General National Agricultural Research Organization United Kingdom Andrew J. Bennett Chief, Natural Resources Adviser Natural Resources and Research Department Department for International Development (DFID) John C. A. Moncrieff Higher Executive Officer, DFID Paul Harding Senior Natural Research Advisor, DFID John Witcombe Manager, Plant Sciences Research Programme, University of Wales United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Roberto L. Lenton Director, SEED/BDP Peter Matlon Chief, Food Security and Agriculture Programme Cecile Collas Project Management Officer, UNOPS United States Emmy B. Simmons Director, Center for Economic Growth and Agricultural Development, Global Bureau Agency for International Development (USAID) John Van D. Lewis Director, Office of Agriculture and Food Security, Global Bureau, USAID Robert Bertram Chief, Multilateral Program Division Global Bureau, USAID Dana Dalrymple Research Advisor, Global Bureau, USAID Christine Bergmark Science Advisor, Global Bureau, USAID Carole Levin Agricultural Research Advisor Global Bureau, USAID Eric Witte International Affairs Specialist Global Bureau, USAID CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 93 ANNEXES William Segrue Director, Office of Environment and Natural Resources, Global Bureau, USAID Dennis Weller Chief, Agriculture Natural Resources and Rural Enterprise Division Africa Bureau, USAID World Bank Alex F. McCalla Director, Rural Development Department (RDV) Shawki Barghouti Adviser, RDV REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES Representing Asia and the Pacific (Sri Lanka and Fiji) S. D. G. Jayawardena Director General of Agriculture Department of Agriculture, Sri Lanka Representing Africa (Ethiopia and Burkina Faso) Michel P. Sédogo Director General, CNRST, Burkina Faso Representing Europe (Hungary and Slovenia) Ervin Balazs Director-General Agricultural Biotechnology Center, Hungary Representing Latin America and the Caribbean (Trinidad/Tobago and Paraguay) Compton L. Paul Executive Secretary, PROCICARIBE Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute, Trinidad Ricardo R. Pedretti Coordinator 94 Institutional Modernization Program Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganaderia, Paraguay Representing Middle East and North Africa (Sudan and Syria) Osman A. A. Ageeb Director General Agricultural Research Corporation, (ARC), Sudan Ali Shafic Shehadeh Agricultural Scientific Research Directorate Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, Syria ADVISORY BODIES AND PARTNERSHIP COMMITTEES Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Donald Winkelmann Chair Emil Q. Javier Chair Designate Members Michael Cernea Elias Fereres TAC Secretariat Shellemiah Keya Executive Secretary Timothy C. Kelley Senior Agricultural Officer Sirkka T. Immonen Senior Officer, Agricultural Research Consultant Edward Penhoet Impact Assessment and Evaluation Group (IAEG) Hans M. Gregersen Chair CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science ANNEXES Guido Gryseels Executive Secretary Members Cristina C. David Frans L. Leeuw Consultants Robert Evenson Mywish K. Maredia Michael Nelson Hermann Waibel NGO Committee (NGOC) Miguel A. Altieri Chair Members Christian Castellanet Yuexin Du Assetou Kanouté Jean Marc von der Weid Private Sector Committee (PSC) Sam Dryden Chair Members Florence Wambugu CGIAR System Review Panel Mahendra M. Shah Executive Secretary OBSERVERS Ghana Seth Evans Abdo Head Trade and Investment Office Embassy of Ghana INVITED GUESTS AND AWARD WINNERS Chairman's Science Awardees Paul E. Ilona International Institute of Tropical Agriculture Amos Omore International Livestock Research Institute James Legg International Institute of Tropical Agriculture David Bergvinson Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maiz y Trigo Crawford Memorial Lecture Michael Lipton Professor, Institute of Development Studies University of Sussex External Review Panels Edward F. Henzell Chair Review of Systemwide Programs with an Ecoregional Approach INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH CENTERS SUPPORTED BY THE CGIAR Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT) James W. Jones Board Member Teresa Fogelberg Board Member Elizabeth M. Sibale Board Member Aart van Schoonhoven Interim Director General CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 95 ANNEXES Jacqueline Ashby Director for Research Natural Resources Management (NRM) Douglas H. Pachico Director, Strategic Planning Rafael Posada Director, Regional Cooperation Nathan C. Russell Head, Communications Pamela K. Anderson Senior Scientist Anthony C. Bellotti IPM Project Manager-Entomologist Rupert Best Manager, Agro Enterprise Project Jorge A. Beltran Liaison Officer Martin Fregene Juan Antonio Garafulic Finance Manager Segnet Kelemu Senior Scientist Christine Schreuder Executive Assistant to the Director General Louise J. Sperling Senior Scientist/PRGA Richard J. Thomas Convenor, SWNM Program Alexandra Walter Executive Assistant to Director, NRM Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) Gill Shepherd Chair Pekka Patosaari Board Member Jeffrey A. Sayer Director General Mafa E. Chipeta Deputy Director General Sharmini Blok Director of Communications Michel Hailu Director, Information Science Group Kenneth Macdicken Director of Research Robert Nasi Program Leader Laura Snook Project Leader Chimere Diaw Scientist Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maiz y Trigo (CIMMYT) Walter P. Falcon Chair Carlos Felipe Jaramillo Board Member Timothy Reeves Director General Claudio Cafati Deputy Director General Finance/Administration David Hoisington Director, Applied Biotechnology Shivaji Pandey Director, Maize Program Prabhu Pingali Director, Economics Program 96 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science ANNEXES Sanjaya Rajaram Director, Wheat Program Anne S. Acosta Donor Relations Officer Peter R. Grace Patricia Lopez-M Executive Assistant to the Director General Peter Ninnes Executive Officer, Research Centro Internacional de la Papa (CIP) David R. MacKenzie Chair Hubert G. Zandstra Director General José Valle-Riestra Deputy Director General Wanda Collins Deputy Director General for Research Roger Cortbaoui Director International Cooperation Marc Ghislain Biotechnology Adviser Christine E. Graves Senior Advisor to the Director General Richard L. Sawyer Director General Emeritus International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA) Robert D. Havener Chair Adel El-Beltagy Director General John H. Dodds Assistant Director General, Research Mohan Chandra Saxena Assistant Director General Mahmoud B. Solh Assistant Director General, International Cooperation Surendra P. S. Beniwal Regional Coordinator, Tashkent Salvatore Ceccarelli Barley Breeder A. Khalixulov CG Inter-Facilitating Unit Officer Houda Nourallah Administrative Officer Tidiane Nagaido Economist Suresh Sitaraman Acting Director of Finance Mohamed H. Traboulsi Assistant National Research Coordinator Surendra Varma Head, Information Services (CODIS) Wayne Powell Principal Investigator, DuPont Agric. Biotech Imad Eujayl Visiting Scientist International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management (ICLARM) Kurt J. Peters Chair Joan H. Joshi Board Member Robert E. Kearney Board Member Aprilani Soegiarto Board Member 97 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science ANNEXES Meryl Williams Director General Roger Rowe Deputy Director General Peter R. Gardiner Deputy Director General - Programs Edward Sayegh Associate Director General/Corporate Services Philip A. Bontuyan Project Development Coordinator International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF) Yemi Katerere Chair Pedro A. Sanchez Director General Glenn Denning Director of Development Tiff Harris Director for Management Services Anne Marie Izac Director of Research Laksiri Abeysekera Financial Controller Fiona Chandler Executive Officer Ann Stroud Coordinator, AHI International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) Ragnhild Sohlberg Chair Gladys Mutukwa Board Member 98 Leslie D. Swindale Interim Director General William Dar Director General Designate Dr. Rodomiro Ortiz Director, Genetic Resources Enhancement Program Barry I. Shapiro Director Natural Resources Management Program ICRISAT Mali Jugu J. Abraham Head, Donor Relations Saidou Koala Coordinator, Desert Margine Program ICRISAT Sahelian Center, Niger International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) Martin Piñeiro Chair Per Pinstrup-Andersen Director General Raisuddin Ahmed Director, Lawrence Haddad Director, Food Consumption and Nutrition Division Peter R.B. Hazell Director, Environment and Production Technology Division Klaus von Grebmer Director, Communications Sherman Robinson Director, Trade and Macroeconomic Division Christopher L. Delgado Senior Research Fellow CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science ANNEXES Don Lippincott Head, Information Program Stacy C. Roberts Special Assistant to the Director General International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Enrico Porceddu Chair Joy C. Kwesiga Board Member Lukas Brader Director General Robert H. Booth Deputy Director General Robert P. Eaglesfield Head, Information Services and Training International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) John E. Vercoe Chair Neville P. Clarke Former Chair Hank Fitzhugh Director General Hugo Li Pun Resident Director, ILRI Ethiopia Bruce Scott Director of Administration Ralph von Kaufmann Director, External Relations Vishvanath M. Nene Scientist Jimmy H. Smith Coordinator Systemwide Livestock Program International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) Marcio de Miranda Santos Chair Nohra Junguito Board Member Geoffrey Hawtin Director General Masaru Iwanaga Deputy Director General, Programme Lyndsey Withers Assistant Director General Koen Geerts Director Finance and Administration Emile Frison Director International Network in Banana and Plantain Research (INIBAP) Cary Fowler Senior Adviser to the Director General Ruth Raymond Public Awareness Officer Bhowon Sthapit In Situ Crop Conservation Specialist Jane Toll Coordinator Systemwide Genetic Resources Program (SGRP) Trevor Williams Consultant, SGRP International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) Roelof Rabbinge Chair Ronald P. Cantrell Director General CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 99 ANNEXES William G. Padolina Deputy Director General for Partnerships Mahabub Hossain Deputy Director General for Research Gordon B. MacNeil Treasurer and Director of Finance Duncan Ian MacIntosh Head of Public Awareness Thelma Romero Paris Affiliate Scientist Mercedita A. Sombilla Affiliate Scientist Gelia T. Castillo Consultant International Service for National Agricultural Research (ISNAR) Amir Muhammed Chair Stein W. Bie Director General Howard Elliott Deputy Director General Francis Idachaba Deputy Director General Coenraad A. Kramer Director, Administration and Finance Joel Cohen Program Director Information and New Technologies Helen Hambly Odame Associate Research Officer Johannes Bouma Professor Wageningen Agricultural University International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Klaas Jan Beek Co-Chair and Chair Designate David Seckler Director General David A. Governey Deputy Director General, Operations Douglas J. Merrey Deputy Director General, Programs Michael Devlin Head, Donor Relations and Communications Robert Ayling Consultant West Africa Rice Development Association (WARDA) Just Faaland Chair Kanayo F. Nwanze Director General Michael Goon Deputy Director General Administration and Finance Amir Kassam Deputy Director General, Programs P. Justin Kouka Executive Assistant to the Director General CGIAR CENTER ACTIVITIES AND PROGRAMS Future Harvest Barbara Rose Director of Operations 100 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science ANNEXES Geralynn Batista Information Analyst Gender and Diversity Program Vicki Lynn Wilde Program Leader CGIAR Gender and Diversity Program Roselyne Lecuyer Board Member Joy Tukahirwa Board Member Sara J. Scherr Adjunct Professor, Agricultural and Resource Economics Department University of Maryland Helena Tatiana Consultant Organizational Change Program Deborah Merrill-Sands Advisor Linda Spink Program Leader Scientific Director Henri Rouille D’Orfeuil Director, External Relations Pierre-Luc Pugliese Délégué Jill H. Barr Principal Consultant CIRAD-Washington --ECART Jeremy C. Stickings Executive Secretary --IARD Ekkehard Kürschner Director --INRA, France Jean Mamy Directeur de Recherche Ferlin Philippe Director of International Relations Laurence Garmendia International Relations, INRA --NRI, UK Malcolm J. Iles Secretary, IPM Forum University of Greenwich George H. L. Rothschild Principal Policy Adviser --ORSTOM, France Marie-Anna Aufeuvre Relations avec les organisations internationales --Wageningen University and Research Centre Eric M. A. Smaling Professor, Wageningen University and DLO CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science CGIAR PARTNERS Agricultural Research Institutes (ARIs) --AGROPOLIS, France Michel de Nucé de Lamothe President Guy Hainnaux Research and International Cooperation Officer --CIRAD, France Bernard Bachelier Director General Michel Dron 101 ANNEXES Africa Regional Centre Julie Flood Cocoa Coordinator --Technical Centre for Agriculture and Rural Cooperation (CTA) Rodney D. Cooke Director --International Board for Soil Research and Management (IBSRAM) Steve Thompson Board Chair Board Members Chaiyasit Anecksamphant Barbara Becker Robert Rhoades Eric Craswell Director General Jutima Anumatratchakit Assistant to Director General --International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) N. Lindsay Innes Chair Board Members Nancy Andrews Walter Masiga Dunstan Spencer Niklaus Weiss Hans R. Herren Director General Barbara Ekbom Chair, Program Committee Chris Hill Financial Controller Christiane Weigand Special Assistant to the Director General Foundations Don Mentz Executive Director The Crawford Fund Klaus M. Leisinger Executive Director Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development Other International Agricultural Research Centers (IARCS) or International Bodies --Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center (AVRDC) Guy C. Camus Chair Ming-Shien (Paul) Sun Vice Chair Declan J. Walton Board Member Chih-Sheng (Samson) Tsou Director General Jürgen Friedrichsen Deputy Director General Chungchi George Kuo Program III Director S. Shanmugassundaram Secretary to the Board --BioNET International Tecwyn Jones Director Technical Secretariat of Bionet-International --C.A.B. International Robert J. Williams Deputy Director General (Bioscience) Dennis K. Rangi Regional Representative 102 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science ANNEXES --International Foundation for Science (IFS) Björn Lundgren Director --International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) E. T. York Chair, Board of Directors Amit H. Roy President and CEO Ann Hamblim Board Member Henk Breman Director, IFDC-Africa Ludwig Schatz Director Human Resource Development Lawrence J, Klaas Media Specialist Daniel F. Waterman Development Officer --INBAR Ian Hunter Director General --International Trypanotolerance Centre (ITC) Dieter Mehlitz Director General --Special Program for African Agriculture Research (SPAAR) Moctar Touré Executive Secretary Harry Palmier Institutional Development Specialist --Tropical Agriculture Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE) Victor M. Villalobos Chair Ruben Guevara Director General and CEO Maria Eugenia Pineda National Coordinator --Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility Programme (TSBF) Michael John Swift Programme Director --Rodale Institute Amadou Makhtar Diop Regional Organizations/Fora --AARINENA Mohammad H. Roozitalab President --ASARECA Geoffrey C. Mrema Executive Secretary --Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD) Yahia Bakour Director General --CORAF/WECARD Adama Traore Chairman Ndiaga Mbaye Executive Secretary Marcel Nwalozie Scientific Coordinator CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 103 ANNEXES --FARA Lucas Gakale Permanent Secretary Ministry of Agriculture --Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR) Alain G. Derevier Executive Secretary Rashid Pertev Assistant Secretary General International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP) Najmetdin Makhmudkhodjaev Director General Uzbek Scientific Production Center for Agriculture François Rasolo Director General Centre National de la Recherche Appliquée au Développement Rural (FOFIFA) --NARS Secretariat, GFAR Fernando Chaparro Osorio Executive Secretary Christian H. Hoste Senior Adviser Oliver Oliveros Associate Professional Officer (APO) --IAI Armando Rabuffetti Director --IICA Jorge Ardila Research Specialist Guillermo Grajales Regional Coordinator, Northern Regional Center --SACCAR Keogile Molapong Executive Secretary --SEARCA Ana Gracia G. Abejuela Head, Consulting Services Universities W. Ronnie Coffman Associate Dean and Director Office for Research, Cornell University Winfrey S. Clarke Interim Associate Dean for Agriculture, and Director of Research Virginia State University John L. Dillon Professor University of New England Carl K. Eicher University Distinguished Professor Department of Agricultural Economics Michigan State University Albert E. Ernste Managing Editor University of Amsterdam Lindsay Falvey Dean’s Office, Land and Food University of Melbourne Russell Freed Director, Institute of Int. Agriculture Michigan State University Peter J. Gregory Deputy Chair, ECTE Global Change and Terrestrial Ecosystems The University of Reading Lowell Hardin Emeritus Professor, Purdue University Harold E. Kauffman 104 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science ANNEXES Professor and Assistant Dean University of Illinois Cyrus A. MacFoy Adjunct Professor, University of Maryland Karim M. Meredia Technology Transfer Coordinator Institute of International Agriculture Michigan State University Vittorio Santaniello Professor, University of Rome "Tor Vergata" Nicolette H. Schmidt Finance Officer, University of Amsterdam Willem van Vuure General Advisor for International Relations Wageningen University and Research Centre L. George Wilson Coordinator of International Programs North Carolina State University OTHER PARTICIPANTS Mohammed Hosni Al-Saied Manager, Guarantees and Foreign Loans Department Central Bank of Syria Robert Blake Chairman Committee on Agricultural Sustainability for Developing Countries World Resources Institute Christian H. Bonte-Friedheim Germany Flavio Capettini Researcher, INASE, Uruguay Judith A. Chambers Director International Government Affairs Monsanto Dennis P. Dykstra President, World Forest Center Curtis Farrar Former CGIAR Executive Secretary Arthur Getz-Escudero Associate, World Resources Institute Amy J. G. Freise Program Associate International START Secretariat Maria G. Guerrera Executive Director, AIARC John S. Ingram Programme Officer, IGBP/GCTE NERC Institute of Hydrology Jean-Pierre Jacqmotte Executive Secretary, Center Directors Committee George N. Lindsey President, CGNET Services International Roger R. B. Leakey Head of Tropical Ecology NERC Institute of Terrestrial Ecology Ann J. Miles Vice President, Citibank, N. A. Claude Nankam International Program Officer World Vision Kristin R. Penn Director Land O’Lakes, Inc. Gabrielle J. Persley Senior Agricultural Biotechnologist World Bank Mary Ann Priester Technical Support Specialist CGNET Services John E. Riggan President and CEO Conservation Company Catalina Ruiz-Healy Conservation Company CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 105 ANNEXES George A. Schaefers Associate Director Consortium for International Crop Protection Susan G. Schram Consultant, TBR International, Inc. Jennifer Sosonko Citibank, N. A. Deborah Strauss Executive Manager, GRCS, Inc. Lori Ann Thrupp Director of Sustainable Agriculture World Resources Institute Filemon Torres ISAC Member, Consultant Edward W. Tyrchwiewicz Senior Fellow International Institute for Sustainable Development Bobby Venugopal Conservation Company John A. Wightman Advisor, International Pest Management Montague Yudelman Senior Fellow, World Wildlife Fund Paul Zuckerman Chairman, Zuckerman and Associates United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Richard Affleck International Research Administrator Andrew D. Brubaker International Affairs Specialist Calvina A. Dupre Agricultural Research Advisor Foreign Agricultural Service Paul R. Adler Research Scientist CGIAR SECRETARIAT Alexander von der Osten Executive Secretary Salah Brahimi Cofinancing Officer Ernest Corea Consultant - Information Uttam Dabholkar UNEP Director on Special Assignment Shirley Geer Senior Information Officer William Grundy Conference Officer Frona Hall Conference Officer Sarwat Hussain Information Officer David Kinley Information Officer Manual Lantin Science Adviser Danielle Lucca Information Analyst Gerard O’Donoghue Senior Financial Officer Selçuk Ozgediz Management Adviser Ravi Tadvalkar Principal Financial Officer Shey Tata Financial Officer Feroza Vatcha Administrative Officer Waltraud Wightman Program Officer 106 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science ANNEXES Summary Record of Cosponsors Meeting 1. Venue and Attendance CGIAR Cosponsors met in conjunction with International Centers Week at the World Bank Headquarters in Washington, D.C. on October 24, 1999. Participants were: Chairman Cosponsor s Others Ismail Serageldin Henri Carsalade (FAO); Roberto Lenton (UNDP); Alexander McCalla (World Bank); Donald Winkelmann (Chair, TAC); Hans Gregersen (Chair, IAEG); Emil Javier (Chair-designate, TAC); Alexander von der Osten (Executive Secretary, CGIAR); Shellemiah Keya (Executive Secretary, TAC); Guido Gryseels (Executive Secretary, IAEG); Peter Matlon (UNDP); Manuel Lantin (CGIAR Secretariat) 2. Adoption of Summary Record and Agenda The summary record of the previous meeting held on May 23 and 25, 1999 in Beijing, China was adopted. The proposed agenda for the meeting was also adopted. 3. TAC Matters a. Report on Activities. The Cosponsors received Don Winkelmann's report on the committee's activities since MTM99. Highlights of the report were as follows: • The committee has advanced its discussion in assessing the elements in the external environment (developments in science, technology, economics, developing country markets and income, alternative sources of supply, etc.) that have implications on CGIAR's priorities and research portfolio in the next ten years. • The studies on marginal lands and on CGIAR commitments in Latin America and the Caribbean have been finalized. The reports and TAC commentaries will be presented at ICW99. • The committee discussed the 4th EPMR of ICARDA but considered the report incomplete. A plan of work was laid out with the review panel chair to ensure that the report is completed for consideration in the next TAC meeting. • The report of the Review of Systemwide Programs with an Ecoregional Approach was considered at TAC 77 and will be presented at ICW99. • TAC has appointed Don Duvick as chair of the Review of Plant Breeding Methodologies. A progress report will be presented to the Group at MTM 2000 and the final report at ICW2000. • On resource allocation to the CGIAR supported programs and Centers, the Committee noted the following: CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 107 ANNEXES Ø continuing slide in investment in germplasm improvement and underinvestment in livestock and water research; Ø continuous reduction in unrestricted funding; Ø departures from the endorsed MTM99 plans with respect to reduced overall funding; and Ø Limited capacity of the current strategy for funding Centers to deliver what the Group has endorsed. TAC has worked closely with the CDC task force on INRM in developing a framework for INRM research. A report on progress will be presented at ICW99. A set of criteria for the assessment of systemwide programs has been developed in consultation with Center Board Chairs. The committee recommends a broad-based meeting in 2000 to develop further the CGIAR's potential contributions to the issue of global climate change. The Standing Committee on External Reviews has instituted measures aimed at improving the review process, quality and consistency. • • • • b. Membership. The Cosponsors endorsed the recommendation from the TAC chair for a oneterm (two-year) extension of the following TAC members: Usha Barwale-Zehr, Elias Fereres, Michael Cernea, Alain de Janvry, and Maria Antonia Fernandez. In accordance with the TAC/IAEG integration arrangements endorsed by the CGIAR at MTM99, the Cosponsors recommended the confirmation of Hans Gregersen (current IAEG Chair) as a member of TAC. With the extension of five TAC members for another two-year term and the confirmation of Hans Gregersen’s membership, TAC would have 11 members. This would still be short of the target membership of 12. Further analysis of the present composition showed that it would be desirable to increase the size beyond 12. (A size of 10-14, excluding the Chair, was recommended by the Cosponsors and endorsed by the Group at MTM99). This is to improve the balance of membership in terms of nationality or regional origin and discipline. This will also result in a more gradual turnover of TAC members, i.e. with about three members completing their term in any given year in the future. The Cosponsors agreed to recommend three new appointments in 2000 to fill the gaps in three disciplines: basic science, applied biological science, and natural resource management. For the basic science, the Cosponsors selected Prof. Hirofumi Uchimiya, Professor of Biosynthesis, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Bioscience, University of Tokyo. He has indicated his availability and willingness to serve as member of TAC. The Cosponsors decided to defer selection of two other candidates (one from West Africa and the other from East/Southeast Asia) and asked the TAC Chair and the CGIAR Secretariat to consult with colleagues at ICW on the candidates' qualifications, and to add names to the list of candidates presented at the meeting. Recommendations for appointment would be presented to the Cosponsors during the course of or immediately following ICW. Approval of appointment of selected candidates would be sought from the Group as soon as their availability to serve as TAC members is confirmed. [At ICW99, the CGIAR approved the extension of the membership of Usha Barwale Zehr, Elias Fereres, Michael Cernea, Alain de Janvry, and Maria Antonia Fernandez; the confirmation of Hans Gregersen's membership, and the appointment of Prof. Hirofumi Uchimiya as a new member. Following ICW99, the appointments of Dr. Oumar Niangado (Mali) and Dr. Vo-Tong Xuan (Vietnam) as new 108 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science ANNEXES members were submitted to the CGIAR for approval on a "no-objection" basis. The various appointments would bring the total membership of TAC to 14 (excluding the Chair).] 4. IAEG Matters a. Report on Activities. The Cosponsors received Hans Gregersen's report on IAEG's impact assessment studies. Highlights of the report were as follows: • Impact of CGIAR germplasm improvement on food production. Results to date have shown quantitatively that CGIAR's crop germplasm improvement work has had and continues to have substantial positive impacts on crop production. The System's research program has led to lower prices for consumers, benefiting particularly the low income consumers, and to less land being cleared for crop production. The final report will be presented at MTM2000. Impact of integrated pest management (IPM) research. Results of the study clearly show that the CGIAR investments have been profitable with return to investment in the magnitude of 15 to 40 percent, even in the long term. The report will be finalized following its discussion at ICW99. CGIAR contributions to poverty alleviation. Phase I of the study has been completed. Activities included a review and synthesis of literature on the links between agricultural research and poverty and a design workshop held at IFPRI. More funds need to be raised to meet the requirements of Phase II. Impacts of CGIAR innovations on the environment. A concept note has been prepared and a state-of-the-art paper has been commissioned. A substantial progress report on Phase I will be presented at ICW99. CGIAR contributions to strengthening scientific capacity and partnerships. This is one of the studies that will be initiated in the coming year. In relation to this, the IAEG Secretariat has prepared a desk study that provides an overview of the current Center activities in training and human resource development. This is expected to be completed by ICW2000. • • • • b. Membership . Per recommendation of the IAEG Chair, selection of a third member of the impact assessment and evaluation panel was deferred. Total membership will remain at three (including the chair) for the time being. 5. Implementation of TAC/IAEG Integration The Cosponsors endorsed the implementation arrangement for the TAC/IAEG integration. The key features of the arrangement are: • • • Functions of the IAEG would be integrated into a new standing panel on impact assessment which would be directly linked to TAC’s subcommittee on priorities and strategies (SCOPAS); Membership in the panel would consist of a TAC member as chair and two external experts in impact assessment (with a third slot remaining vacant for the time being); Linkages with EPMRs would be maintained through interaction between the panel and TAC's sub-committee on external reviews (SCOER); CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 109 ANNEXES • • • Independence of outputs and reporting would be ensured; Recognition of the panel's expert role in choosing topics and planning assessments; and TAC secretariat will have a special wing to cover the full range of activities of the panel and the SCOPAS. 6. TAC/IAEG Budget and Funding of Work Program The Cosponsors approved the TAC/IAEG’s integrated work program and budget proposal of $3.0 million for the year 2000 and $2.85 million for 2001. This was based on the expected annual contribution of $750,000 from each of the cosponsors. However, the level of UNEP's contribution is still uncertain. The budget will be revisited at MTM2000 and examined if adjustments need to be made. 110 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science ANNEXES 7. Support for the Global Forum on Agricultural Research The Cosponsors recognize the continuing importance of the GFAR for the CGIAR and recommend that this be reaffirmed at ICW99. They note that the CGIAR, through the Finance Committee (FC), has allocated $380,000 to support GFAR’s activities through June 2000. Further discussion on the modality and level of support in the future was deferred pending the implementation arrangement for the merger of the GFAR Secretariat and NARS Secretariat. The GFAR Secretariat, along with the Electronic Global Forum (EGFAR), is currently hosted by the World Bank, while the NARS Secretariat is hosted by FAO. 8. Search and Recruitment Process for CGIAR Executive Secretary The Cosponsors deferred the discussion of the proposed search and recruitment process for the CGIAR Executive Secretary until after the question of future CGIAR chairmanship has been clarified. [Following CGIAR's endorsement of the recommendation of the Consultative Council on the question of CGIAR Chairmanship at ICW99, the Cosponsors finalized the document describing the search process and the job description/terms of reference for the Executive Secretary in consultation with the Oversight Committee. The same consultative and transparent process that was employed in the case of the TAC Chair will be followed. Serving as the Search Committee with the World Bank representative as Chair, the Cosponsors launched the search in early December, 1999.] 9. Cosponsors Report It was agreed that Roberto Lenton would present the Cosponsors Report at ICW99. 10. Other Business a) Roberto Lenton briefed the Cosponsors on a problem that had arisen regarding UNDP's co-sponsor contribution for 1998. Given the sharp reductions in core support that UNDP was currently experiencing, UNDP's management had made an across-the-board decision not to allow any funds unexpended in 1998 to be rolled over to 1999. This decision had implications for UNDP's 1998 Cosponsor contribution, since only some $150,000 of the total $750,000 had been expended by the IAEG in that year. He and Peter Matlon were following up this matter actively in an effort to find an acceptable solution. The Cosponsors unanimously expressed the wish to see the totality of UNDP's contribution for 1998 paid, as normal, to finance TAC and IAEG. b) The Cosponsors paid special tribute to Alex McCalla who attended his last meeting as Cosponsor representative. The Chairman expressed his gratitude to Alex for his outstanding contributions to the deliberations in the Cosponsors meetings and wished him well in his retirement. CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 111 ANNEXES Report of the 18th Meeting of the CGIAR Oversight Committee The CGIAR Oversight Committee (OC) held its 18th Meeting at the World Bank in Washington between 23 to 29 October 1999 in conjunction with the CGIAR’s 1999 International Centers Week Meeting. Participating in the meeting were: Andrew Bennett (Chair), Bongiwe Njobe-Mbuli, Mervat Badawi, Teresa Fogelberg, John Lewis and Selçuk Özgediz ( Secretary). The OC noted that William Dar had recently been appointed to the post of Director General at ICRISAT. The OC interacted with the Chairman, the FC, the Chairman designate of TAC, the Centre Board Chairs and the Centre Directors’ Committee. The Chairman of the OC interacted with the acting-President of the World Bank—Sven Sandstrom—on World Bank support for and leadership of the CGIAR, and attended the two meetings of the Consultative Council. The OC invited the prospective new members of the OC to its meeting on 28 October. The OC agenda consisted of the following items: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Role of the OC Follow-up to the System Review System Governance Centre Governance Future priorities and Work Programme for OC Membership and rotation Any other business. The Chairman and Members welcomed Bongiwe Njobe-Mbuli to the OC and reminded the members of the roles, functions and future priorities of the OC, as agreed at MTM 1999 in Beijing. 1. Future Role of the OC The OC recalled that it sees its future role of ‘due diligence’ as asking the questions: • • • Is the governance system working? What adjustments might be made to make governance systems and processes more effective? What lessons can be learnt, what is good practice and are current instruments and guidance adequate? It was noted that at MTM99 the OC had reported to the CGIAR that it should be: • • a Committee of the Group, reporting to plenary meetings of the CGIAR; purposeful and systematic in its interactions with other committees of the CGIAR – particularly with the Chair, Secretariat and the Finance, Center Boards Chairs, Center Directors and TAC Committees; 112 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science ANNEXES • made up of a cross section of members that contribute funding to the CGIAR, but serving in their own right; • composed of six members drawn equally from developed and developing country members or organisations. It should seek to have members that are able to devote their full attention to the work of the OC. It should also have the authority to co-opt other members in the system, when specific issues are being considered; • more active in commissioning reviews and studies on governance issues, while continuing to work informally through interaction during CGIAR meetings. While continuing to focus on ‘due diligence’ and governance issues, the OC would also devote some time to working with TAC and FC on the longer-term strategic and viability issues. On future priorities the OC would continue to carry out its functions of 'due diligence' but proposes also to focus on some specific governance issues: • • • • Lessons learnt from the management and conduct of the System review; Centre Board and Management relations and working practices; Board Composition and competencies; and Centre/Host country agreements in a rapidly changing world. 2. Follow-up to the System Review The OC noted that good progress is being made in following up actions agreed on the conclusions and recommendations of the System Review. The Review had been lengthy and expensive but it was too early in the process to judge the impact of this work. However, it was important to draw out and record for future reference the lessons learnt in the organisation and conduct of the Review. The OC recommends that a short strategic review is carried out and that the results of this study should be made available to the forthcoming work on the vision and restructuring of the CGIAR. Draft terms of reference and approach will be circulated to members for comment. 3. System Governance CGIAR Chair The OC welcomes and whole-heartedly endorses the reaffirmation of Ismail Serageldin as the Chairman of the CGIAR and the strong support of the World Bank for the system. The OC looks forward to working closely with him over the next two years and will do all it can to ensure a smooth transition between him and his successor. TAC Chair The OC congratulates Professor Emil Javier on his appointment and welcomed the opportunity to meet with him at ICW. It hopes that such meetings will continue to be a regular event. The OC considers that the open, inclusive and consultative process that had been followed in the identification for a new Chair of TAC to be an example of good practice. It recommends that the process and procedures followed be documented by the Secretariat for future reference and guidance. CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 113 ANNEXES Executive Secretary of the CGIAR The OC considered draft terms of reference for the recruitment of a new Executive Secretary. It welcomed the commitment of the World Bank and other Cosponsors to an inclusive and transparent process. It noted also that the World Bank wished the new Executive Secretary to be more closely integrated with the ESSD. The OC will clear the Terms-of-Reference for the post before the Cosponsors carry out the recruitment process. Future Vision and Structure The OC endorses the conclusions and recommendations of the Consultative Council on the timing and process to be followed. It looks forward to working with TAC in any way in which it can help. Organisation of Meetings One of the functions of the OC is to work with the Chairman and Secretariat on the agenda for the MTM and ICW meetings. It believes that it is important for the agenda to be carefully prioritised and for the Members to be given adequate time to prepare for the meetings. The Chairman's letter prior to the meeting is a valuable way to draw attention to priority items, propositions and the decisions that we need to reach during the meeting. The OC recognises the special circumstances surrounding this ICW, but hopes that, in future, the CGIAR will set and adhere to an agreed meeting agenda. The OC has found its meetings with the CBC/CDC and the TAC Chairman particularly useful and productive, it believes that these interactions should become more systematic across the CGIAR and that time should be factored into future meetings to facilitate such interactions during the week of the meetings. At MTM2000 we will have the challenge and opportunities created by the Global Forum as well as the outcomes of TAC's work on the future focus and priorities of the CGIAR. The meeting will need careful structuring and clear priorities. Adequate time will be needed to discuss the key issues and for possible meeting(s) of the Consultative Council. Biotechnology Conference The OC notes the successful outcome of the CGIAR/NAS International Conference on Biotechnology. It congratulates the Secretariat on the work it did to ensure the success of the meeting. The OC recommends that the conclusions and recommendations of the conference should be an input into the TAC-led work on the future focus and priorities of the CGIAR. 4. Centre Governance The OC sees its main role as examining whether the governance processes in the system are working. Good and effective relationships between the Boards and Senior Management of the Centres are essential to the health and effective working of the CGIAR. 114 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science ANNEXES Had these recent events arisen from stresses and stains in the relationships between the Boards and senior management of the Centres and/or from different interpretations of their respective roles and responsibilities? Are these events to be expected at a time of change or do they indicate a need to define more carefully or fully the respective roles and responsibilities of the various players? Outcome of interactions with CBC/CDC The OC found its interactions with the CBC and CDC valuable and intends to repeat these meetings. However, given the TAC reviews it feels that some of the specific issues it discussed with the CBC/CDC should be made part of and taken up in this process, e.g.: • • Board/Senior Management interface Board membership - competencies and composition The OC applauds the orientation program being run this week for new Board Members. ICRISAT - succession The OC congratulates William Dar on his appointment. CIAT - succession The OC commends the open and transparent process being followed in the search for the new Director General. ILRI Vision The OC notes that ILRI is making good progress with its response to the challenging conclusions and recommendations of its EPMR . 5. Future Priorities . • • Terms of reference for the lesson learning review of the Third System Review Terms of reference for the new Executive Secretary for the CGIAR 6. Membership of the OC The OC is renewing its membership. We are sorry to see the departure of William Dar, John Lewis and Teresa Fogelberg, but thank them for their valuable contributions and wish them all the best for the future. We are sure that we will see them again. We welcome Bongiwe Njobe-Mbuli. With help from the membership we have identified an impressive list of new members to replace those [of us] who will be standing down over the coming year. Given the role and mode of working of OC, continuity is important. We look forward to welcoming Ruth Haug, Gilles Saint Martin, Emmy Simmons and Juan Restrepo to our next meeting. We hope also to be able to announce the name of one further member at MTM2000, once the invitation is formally accepted. CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 115 ANNEXES 16th Meeting of the CGIAR Finance Committee The CGIAR Finance Committee (FC) held its 16th meeting in Washington D.C. on October 23, 1999 and October 28, 1999. It held a joint session, chaired by CGIAR Chairman, with the Oversight Committee on October 24, 1999. Members participating were: Australia (Bevege), Canada (MacGillivray/Howell), European Commission (Werblow), Germany (de Haas), IFAD (Slama/ Mathur), Japan (Kondo), Sweden (Thornström). Regrets were received from Egypt and India. USA (Dalrymple) and United Kingdom (Harding) observed the meeting. Item 1: 1999 Funding Update The FC reviewed the status of 1999 funding and considered a request by ICRAF for special funding caused by unexpected funding shortfalls. At MTM99, the overall CGIAR financing plan projections were estimated to be at the ICW98 approved plan level of $340 million. Current projections confirm this outcome. Funding from individual members is in line with ICW98 commitment The funding picture at the Center level is also consistent with their MTM99 projections. CIMMYT, CIAT, CIFOR, CIP, ICARDA and ILRI project funding to be 1 to 5 percent lower than their approved financing plans. All others expect to be above the financing plan. Pace of disbursements continues to be dismal. 44 percent of the projected funding was in hand at end September, no better than in 1998 which was the worst year, in disbursement terms. Difficulties faced by the European Commission (EC) in disbursing their funds are not fully resolved. Several Centers have yet to receive their 1997 funds. The FC wants to reaffirm the policy announced in 1997 that it will not provide World Bank funding for gap filling unless there are truly exceptional circumstances. Hence, the FC has decided to turn down the requests for gap filling funding from ICRAF. Item 2: Financing Plans for the 2000 CGIAR Research Agenda a. Process observations • Following CGIAR endorsement, at MTM99, of their 2000-2002 MTPs, Centers prepared financing plans for 2000 by mid-September. • • • These plans were consolidated by the Secretariat and shared with TAC, FC and the Centers. TAC reviewed the program implications of the financing plan at their meeting in September 1999 and confirmed that (with the exceptions noted by the TAC Chair); the plans are broadly in line with those approved at MTM99. FC met with the TAC Chair on Saturday and discussed TAC's observations on the Center financing plans. 116 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science ANNEXES • FC has reviewed the financing plans. The financing plans are meant to guide the preparation of realistic operational plans by the Centers. Hence, the FC urges Centers to be realistic in their funding projections. Members need to be aware of their own responsibility in providing appropriate guidance to Centers. b. Financial dimensions • Centers propose 2000 financing plans requiring funding of $360 million, lower than the $370 million projected by them at MTM99, but higher than the CGIAR endorsed planning level of $340 million. In context of current 1999 estimate of $340 m, proposals represent an increase of $20 million or 5 percent. (Centers’ own estimate for 1999 is $355 million). c. Center perspectives • • With few exceptions, individual Center financing plans are consistent with their 2000 proposals and, as well, with their 1999 estimates. Since the submission of its financing plan in mid-September, CIP has reduced its 2000 financing plan by $3 million or 13 percent and has requested a $1 million special allocation. CIMMYT has requested $0.35 million to rebuild a new site for its tropical maize, as its current site was devastated due to tropical storms. ICRAF, IITA and IPGRI have flagged gaps amounting to $1.5 million in the systemwide programs convened by them. IFPRI/ISNAR have also alerted the FC that the systemwide program on generating baseline information (Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators) is presently underfunded. • d. Member perspectives • Most members are yet to confirm their allocations for 2000. Of those, who have made the decisions already, in two cases (Germany and Sweden) financial support is lower by about $5 million from their 1999 levels, largely a consequence of fiscal policy measures by the respective governments. Denmark does not expect to regain in 2000 the recent 10 percent reduction, about $1 million, that it was forced to impose for 1999. • Rapid improvement in clearing the EC's backlog of undisbursed contributions, dating to 1997 in some instances, is not likely. A strong message should be conveyed to the senior leadership of the EC pointing out the severe financial difficulties resulting from the present backlog of over $32 million. Centers are advised to seek current information of prospective EC funding for 2000 and proceed cautiously. e. Proposed decisions: • • • • • 2000 financing planning target should be maintained at no more than $340 million, in context of likely 1999 outcome at about the same level. Center plans should be adjusted to fully incorporate member decisions known this week. The Centers should be especially cautious in planning 2000 expenditures against EC support until the present disbursement backlog is cleared. World Bank funding policy. Approved allocation of $45 million represents about 15 percent of non-Bank funding for the CGIAR. Center projections include about $34 million corresponding to 11 percent of non-Bank funding; consistent with FC's MTM99 decision. The ratio is proposed to be increased to 12 percent amounting to $37.2 million. Support for CGIAR committees, and related tasks, will be continued at $1 million. As in the past, detailed allocations will be made at MTM2000 based on detailed budgets. CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 117 ANNEXES • Systemwide programs/activities ($3.4 million): The FC proposes to cover the following gaps identified by TAC in systemwide programs: ICRAF ($0.6 million Alternatives to Slash and Burn), IITA ($0.3 million for Integrated Pest Management) and IPGRI ($0.6 million for Systemwide Genetic Resources Program). Decisions on allocating the remainder ($1.9 million) would be made at MTM2000 in consultation with TAC. The Central Asia and Caucasus program and the Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators program would be two possible candidates. Set aside to cope with unexpected problems during 2000 ($3.4 million): FC proposes to allocate 0.25 million to CIMMYT to rebuild the tropical maize station. Decisions on the remaining $3.15 million would be made at MTM2000. The FC wants to reaffirm the policy announced in 1997 that it will not provide World Bank funding for gap filling unless there are truly exceptional circumstances. Hence, the FC has decided to turn down the requests for gap filling funding from CIP for 2000 and from ICRAF for 1999. The FC will, however, monitor CIP's financial situation to determine, at MTM2000, whether crisis funding may be necessary. • The remainder of $5 million, after the proposed allocations, will be held in reserve until MTM2000. [This is in addition to the existing CGIAR reserve of $4.2 million.] f. Process steps following the meeting • Centers will prepare operational plans in context of the guidance provided by the FC; • • • 90 percent of the World Bank funds will be disbursed on January 1, 2000; Members will take steps to confirm their allocations and proceed with disbursements as soon as possible; and FC will review the status of 2000 financing plans at its MTM2000 meeting. Item 3: Longer Term Financing Strategy for the CGIAR At MTM99, the CGIAR endorsed the proposal by the Consultative Council to prepare a longer term financing framework and resource mobilization/public awareness structures for its implementation. The CGIAR FC Chair is leading the effort. He has engaged John Riggan, President, The Conservation Company whose work is guided by a working group comprising members (Canada, Sweden), Centers (CDC, CBC) and PARC/PAA. [The Conservation Company is also employed by the Ford Foundation to assist Centers develop marketing strategies.] The working group has met several times (May, August, October) and has endorsed the broad thrust of the proposals presented in the progress report of The Conservation Company. (A Longer Term Financing Strategy for the CGIAR, ICW/99/13 dated October 26, 1999). John Riggan has initiated consultations with a representative group of CGIAR stakeholders (Members, Cosponsors, and Centers) to seek their views and guidance regarding the recommendations. A final report is now expected by MTM2000. The FC notes that excellent progress has been made so far both in developing the framework for longer term CGIAR financing and in resolving some long-standing organizational issues. The FC therefore proposes the following: • CGIAR Longer Term Financing Strategy should be based on the continuation of ODA funding with some proportion being supported by non-ODA funding from DAC countries, expansion of Southern financial participation and exploration of mutually beneficial relationship with the private sector including philanthropy. • A single mechanism, such as a foundation, is proposed for harmonizing the numerous and multi118 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science ANNEXES level public awareness and resource mobilization activities and to implement new initiatives. This would build on the existing strengths and collaborations such as Future Harvest. The CGIAR should move towards a harmonized, but not centralized, approach for resource mobilization and public awareness. • • The working group should be continued until MTM2000. It would be expanded to ensure full representation of information/resource mobilization professionals at Centers and the Secretariat. Alex McCalla should continue to chair the working group until MTM2000. Item 4: Financial Policy Issues The FC also provides oversight on CGIAR financial policy issues. Under its guidance, the CGIAR Secretariat is collaborating with Center finance professionals, and outside experts as necessary, in pursuing a program on financial issues underpinning prudent and cost effective use of resources by Centers. Implementation of some of the issues requires action by the membership as well. At MTM99, the FC reviewed items related to accounting policy, exchange rate management and indirect costs. At this meeting the FC reviewed the following items: Indirect costs, internal audit, financial management guidelines and financial systems. Center professionals, external experts and secretariat staff presented the items to the FC. The FC noted that these items were also discussed with Centerstaff and Center board chairs. The FC believes that this collaborative approach in addressing financial policy issues of concern to all components of the system is sound and encourages the Secretariat to continue to pursue this program. • Specifically: Internal Audit: There is a strong perception that internal audit functions in many, if not most, CGIAR Centers are not as effective as they can be. To make internal audit an effective function, Centers are exploring various business models including outsourcing to their external auditors. ICLARM, IRRI, IPGRI and the Secretariat are experimenting with a new approach by jointly sponsoring an internal audit team, initially based in Asia. The FC considers the proposal to be an innovative approach that deals with issues of fiduciary importance but where an individual Center is hard pressed to make the necessary budget available to support the required expertise. Financial Systems: The CGIAR Secretariat is launching a survey of Center financial systems to position the CGIAR to fully benefit from advances in information technology (IT) and to process improvements in financial processes and procedures in the past few years. A working group being assembled from the financial and IT staffs of the Centers, which will guide the work of external consultants. The survey will lead to the design of appropriate information architecture based on an information warehouse concept. Under this concept, financial information required by all components of the system would be easily available through the Internet. The FC encouraged the working group to proceed with its work with due haste. Financial guidelines: The Secretariat issues four guidelines: financial management, accounting, auditing and resource allocation to guide the financial conduct of Centers, which are periodically updated. The financial management guideline, which serves as an apex guideline and hence is possibly of special interest to a broad audience, is being presently updated. The FC reviewed a presentation of the financial management manual and authorized its distribution after completing the ongoing consultations with components of the system. Indirect Costs: Guided by an inter Center working group led by ICRISAT, Ernst and Young, India have surveyed Center practices and are proposing that CGIAR Centers consider adopting a "value chain" framework for indirect cost calculations and their recovery from providers of restricted funding. Pilot approaches will be tested at five Centers over the next four months. A progress report CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science • • • 119 ANNEXES is expected at MTM2000 to help determine whether the proposed approach is practicable for the CGIAR. Item 5: Finance Committee Composition and Chairmanship Membership Members of the FC are elected through membership caucuses, in principle, with three year staggered terms. The present composition is as follows: DAC countries – six; developing countries – two; institutions/foundations – two, one of which is World Bank.). Membership of the FC rotates between individual caucus members on a three-year cycle. This process has been on hold for the past two years on account of the System Review. The FC membership is also linked with the membership of the Oversight Committee (OC) to avoid overlapping memberships on FC and OC. (The CGIAR Chairman in consultation with the OC appoints members of the OC.) The FC believes that rotation would now be timely as the System Review has been completed. Based on its own consultations, FC proposes that caucuses be held to replace three DAC members (European Commission, Australia and Sweden) who have announced their intention to retire from the Committee. To ensure an orderly transition, the rotation should take place over the next twelve months. Caucuses should also held by the developing countries as India, a member, is presently serving as the Chair of the Global Forum and hence is unable to serve on the FC. Chairmanship After serving an initial term of three years, (1993-96), the World Bank has been annually reelected to chair the FC. The FC believes it would be helpful to rotate the chairmanship among its members. The members of the committee have unanimously elected Canada to serve an interim one-year term starting January 1, 2000 upon retirement of the present chair Alex McCalla from the World Bank. The interim selection reflects the assessment of the members that the CGIAR would be best served by ensuring continuity until the completion of the major tasks on the agenda of the FC over the next twelve months. The FC intends to revisit the chairmanship issue at ICW2000 to elect a new chair for a full three-year term. 120 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science ANNEXES TAC Chair's Report 1. This TAC Chair's report brings the Group up to date on the Committee's activities since MTM'99, highlighting progress or accomplishments in the three principal areas of TAC's responsibility: (a) assuring the quality and relevance of Centerscience; (b) developing priorities and strategies, recommending resource allocation, and monitoring program implementation; and (c) reviewing strategic considerations within the external environment. (a) Assuring the quality and relevance of Center Science External Reviews 2. First, it should be noted that the Group has had the opportunity to consider at this meeting the report of the External Review of Systemwide Programs with an Ecoregional Approach, as well as TAC's Commentary on that report prepared at TAC 77. There is, therefore, no need to discuss this review further here except to say that, as expected, it will provide valuable lessons for future reviews of systemwide programs having a thematic focus—i.e., integrated pest management, gender analysis, property rights and collective action, water management, livestock, and soil, water and nutrient management. In proceeding with these reviews, TAC will incorporate what it has learned, in particular about which incentives work best in orienting Centers towards the pursuit of complementarities in systemwide work. 3. The report of the Fourth External Program and Management Review (EPMR) of ICARDA was discussed at TAC 77, but the Committee considered it incomplete relative to its terms of reference. Illness among the Panel seems to have been a large factor. TAC is working with the Panel Chair and Members to ensure that the report is ready for consideration at TAC 78 and submission to the Group at MTM2000. 4. The EPMRs of IWMI and WARDA are underway and their reports will be considered at MTM2000. A Panel Chair has been selected and prospective panel members identified for the review of CIAT, to be implemented in 2000. The results will be reported at ICW2000. As well, planning has advanced for the future EPMRs of CIP and IITA, to be conducted during 2001. A progress report on implementation of the recommendations of ILRI's First EPMR received consideration at TAC 77. 5. Finally, the Review of Plant Breeding Methodologies in the CGIAR is underway pursuant to the terms of reference endorsed by the Group at MTM99. TAC has appointed a Panel Chair, the TAC Secretariat is administering a survey of Center activities, and sub-panels are being formed to visit selected crop programs representing an array of taxa, breeding systems, and opportunities for biotechnology. The final report of this review will be considered at TAC 79 and ICW2000. (b) Developing priorities and strategies, recommending resource allocation, and monitoring implementation Priorities and strategies 6. At TAC 77, the Committee revisited in greater depth developments in science, technology, economics, and related fields that have prompted it to initiate planning for the revision of its 1997 Report CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 121 ANNEXES on CGIAR Priorities and Strategies as a guide to future allocation of CGIAR resources. Consideration was given to the themes of germplasm improvement, integrated natural resources management, biotechnology, and poverty. These discussions benefited substantially from inputs by the CDC initiative on NRM, a TAC-sponsored analysis of the implications of climate change for agricultural research, a report on the results of the FAO Netherlands Conference on the Multifunctional Character of Agriculture and Land, and the findings of the CIAT workshop on poverty. TAC's discussions were informed as well by the results of its recent strategic studies and reviews, treated elsewhere on the ICW Agenda, which have suggested modifications in its analytical framework to better target research to poverty reduction, taking into account biophysical, economic, and institutional factors which influence probabilities of success. TAC currently plans to present an initial version of a revised priorities paper at MTM2001. Resource allocation 7. TAC 77 considered financing plans from the 16 Centers for the 2000 CGIAR Research Agenda. The Committee's report to the FC analyses the implications of the plans for CGIAR priorities and strategies. The specifics will not be treated here. However, emphasis should be given to two of the broad messages that emerged from TAC's analysis: • There is a continuing shortfall in the share of CGIAR resources allocated to germplasm improvement compared to the level endorsed by the Group; • For some commodities and sectors, particularly water and livestock, the trends in support are not towards the levels endorsed by the Group. 8. As in previous years, these trends suggest to TAC that the current strategy for funding Centers has a limited capacity to deliver what the Group has endorsed. Monitoring implementation 9. Center financing plans for 2000 have incorporated the logframe vocabulary. As well, Center activities and proposed allocations for 2000 have been presented in two formats—by the five Undertakings and by the five Logical Framework Outputs. While a changeover to the logframe approach for planning and reporting purposes is anticipated in 2001, both formats will be employed during the 2000–2002 planning period to permit comparisons of system allocations during the transition and beyond. To facilitate this transition, TAC sponsored the development of a manual for logframe planning and reporting which is currently being tested at selected Centers. (c) Reviewing Strategic Considerations within the External Environment 10. At TAC77, the Committee advanced its discussion of the system's likely research portfolio in 2010, starting with an assessment of the elements in the external environment that promise to most influence the portfolio's content. The 1997 Report on CGIAR Priorities and Strategies had identified five such elements: advances in science, alternative sources of supply, goals of the CGIAR, support for the system, and developing country income and markets. As noted earlier, however, developments in the external environment led TAC to conclude that the 2010 portfolio must be considered in the broader context of a revised priorities and strategies paper. Among other things, the list of strategic concerns emanating from the external environment needs to be expanded, e.g., to include developments in intellectual property rights. 122 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science ANNEXES Monitoring external environments 11. At MTM99, the Group endorsed TAC's plan to strengthen the Committee's capacity to monitor the major environments within which the CGIAR operates by forming panels of consultative experts. These will, initially, focus on the implications for the System's priorities and strategies of likely developments in molecular biology and biotechnology relevant to germplasm, the science related to production ecology, selected national and international regulations with consequences for intellectual property rights, and developments in information and communications. As well, but less external to the System, TAC will convene a panel on factors influencing poverty. Over the course of two to three years each of these major environments will be treated, assisting the CGIAR to stay current with developments critical to its planning. The first panel will be convened at TAC 78 and deal with the evolution of the basic science and technology underlying INRM. Strategic studies 12. This report closes with a brief overview of TAC-commissioned strategic studies that have a bearing on CGIAR priorities, including those in process and others that have been recently completed. 13. A strategic study of CGIAR partnerships is being undertaken collaboratively by TAC and the CGIAR Secretariat. The proposed terms of reference for this study were endorsed by the Group at MTM99. Its overall objectives are to evaluate Center experience with research and research related partnerships, determine the relative importance of various types of partnerships, assess the degree to which different factors contribute to the success of partnerships, and suggest which types of partnerships might be most effective in the future in achieving CGIAR goals. The study is being conducted in three stages with outputs targeted to successive CGIAR meetings: development of a typology (ICW99); inventory of current partnerships via a questionnaire (MTM2000); and evaluation and recommendations (ICW2000). The CGIAR would be informed of the progress of the study at the completion of each stage. 14. TAC77 gave final consideration to and prepared commentaries on the reports, respectively, of the Study of CGIAR Commitments in Latin America and the Caribbean, led by Dr. Lucio Reca, and of the CGIAR Study on Marginal Lands led by Dr. Mike Nelson. Both studies, together with the Committee's commentaries, are considered elsewhere on the ICW Agenda. CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 123 ANNEXES Report of the Eleventh Meeting of the CGIAR Private Sector Committee The 11th meeting of the CGIAR's Private Sector Committee (PSC) was held at the World Bank in Washington DC, USA on October 23, 1999 under the chairmanship of Sam Dryden. Members Claudio Barriga, Badrinarayan Barwale, Wallace Beversdorf, Barry Thomas and Florence Wambugu attended. Robert Horsch and Seizo Sumida could not attend. Selçuk Özgediz and Waltraud Wightman represented the CGIAR Secretariat. The committee also interacted with Dr. Per Pinstrup-Andersen, Director General of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and incoming Chair, Center Directors Committee (CDC). Agenda: 1. Opening Session 2. The Impending Impasse in Advanced Breeding and Use of Proprietary Technology 7.3. Other Business 8.4. Future Meetings 1. Opening Session Sam Dryden opened the meeting by welcoming the new members to the Private Sector Committee (PSC). Members adopted the proposed agenda. Selçuk Özgediz provided a brief history of the PSC since its founding in 1995, concentrating on the committee's raison d'être, and the development of its mission statement and work program. He then explained that the structure of the partnership committees had changed as a result of the findings of the Third System Review, and subsequent discussions by the CGIAR at ICW98 and the Consultative Council meeting last January. During its last meeting in March in Hattersheim, Germany, the PSC had discussed these issues extensively (see Report of the Tenth Meeting for details) and made suggestions to the CGIAR about the committee's future role, composition, size, and working procedures. Members agreed that the PSC should provide policy advice to the CGIAR based on its members’ experience of private sector views and practices. The committee has since been reconstituted, according to these suggestions. The PSC now consists of 8 members; 5 of whom were appointed recently: Barriga, Barwale, Horsch, Thomas, Wambugu. For the benefit of the new members, Özgediz explained the committee's mode of operation, i.e.: Ø Members are appointed by the CGIAR Chairman on a personal capacity for a 3-year (renewable) term; Ø Attendance at meetings is required; 124 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science ANNEXES Ø Meetings are convened as and when needed, and based on a specific theme; Ø Participation in CGIAR meetings is welcomed; Ø Expenses are covered on request; Ø Committee Chair attends CGIAR meetings and reports to the Group; and Ø Minutes are distributed to the CGIAR.. Özgediz provided a brief overview of developments in the CGIAR, and informed members of the outcome of the search for a new chair of the CGIAR's Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), and the CGIAR/ NAS biotechnology conference that was held on October 21-22. The private sector was adequately represented, both as presenters and conference participants. 2. The Impending Impasse in Advanced Breeding and Use of Proprietary Technology Dryden introduced the main theme for this meeting of the PSC, .i.e., "The Impending Impasse in Advanced Breeding and Use of Proprietary Technology". This theme was a logical follow-up to the discussions held in previous meetings and the committee's concern that Centers could easily face litigation if the proper licensed use of proprietary technologies (PT) is in question. Understanding the impasse. The committee then analyzed the impending impasse, based on a recently conducted survey by ISNAR (published by CAB International1). It appears that: Ø 8 CGIAR Centers are involved in breeding activities; Ø Centers use a total of 166 applications of proprietary technologies and materials; Ø For many applications of PT, written agreements were lacking and Centers were unable to obtain clear knowledge or information regarding the type of IPR provided for a particular proprietary tool; Ø Even if Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs) were obtained, they normally only secure permission for research, not subsequent dissemination; and Ø Centers could inadvertently infringe upon legal conditions regarding the dissemination of future products derived from these inputs (possibly as early 'down the road' as 2 years? Dryden, personal information). The committee was concerned that the lack of clear legal arrangements may pose a 'contributory infringement' problem for CGIAR investors. It recommended that the System should urgently develop guidelines which could be adopted across the board. Per Pinstrup-Andersen expressed his concern that the current public debate in Europe on genetically modified plants might spill-over to developing countries, resulting in reduced funding of biotech research, and impact export policies. Pinstrup-Andersen was particularly worried that further biotech research may be stalled and that new crops, dealing with Vitamin A and iron deficiency, drought or insect resistance etc. will no longer be produced. He noted the need to improve public awareness (based on best evidence) and concluded that CGIAR biotechnology research should develop products that the private sector is currently not interested in (e.g., varieties with traits of particular interest to small farmers or specific regions). Pinstrup-Andersen hoped that there would be a way whereby the CGIAR 1 See Joel I. Cohen et al: Managing Proprietary Science and Institutional Inventories for Agricultural Biotechnology, pp. 249-260 in: CAB International. 1999. Managing Agricultural Biotechnology? Addressing Research Program needs and Policy Implications (ed. J.I. Cohen) CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 125 ANNEXES could collaborate with the private sector in releasing new varieties of particular interest to small farmers. This would facilitate the building up of markets that would be available for products produced by the private sector at some time in the future. Such an approach could prevent 'flow-back' to the industrialized world and thus result in the private sector companies willing to permit dissemination. Policy Implications . During the discussion it was pointed out that, in practice, such approaches may be difficult, even with best intentions on either side. Committee members pointed out that, for example, patents are individual documents that are governed by the laws of the countries in which they apply. In addition, titles to PT are not clear, and technology tools often involve sub-titles claimed by different companies. Also, several Centers may work on the same commodity (e.g., IRRI, WARDA, CIAT and IITA carry out research on rice). The PSC concluded that, at present, both bi-lateral and/or multilateral agreements between the private sector and CGIAR Centers would be difficult to obtain. If the private sector was to provide royalty-free licenses for proprietary tools to benefit research that would help resource poor farmers, a 'waiver clause' would have to be included in the underlying agreements so that donating company could not be sued. Ways to overcome the impasse. The committee explored several potential solutions to overcome the impending impasse, but there were flaws in each, i.e.: Ø A 'foundation' could be created that could act as an intermediary between the private sector and Centers, i.e., companies could provide royalty-free licenses to particular technologies to the foundation and Centers could place their intellectual property. Problem: patenting laws depend on jurisdiction; now 65, from 2002 onwards 130 countries will issue licenses/patents; ownership of technologies not clear in foreseeable future; Ø Licenses could be based on geographic areas (market segmentation). Problem: commodities are traded and may be exported from a particular area. Ø Licenses for PT could be tied to end-users (subsistence farmers) Problem: Few farmers are entirely disconnected from markets. Ø CGIAR's stand on international public goods would need to be revisited, since this most likely acts as a barrier to access to technology. One possibility is to define a new category of goods, such as 'International Proprietary Goods.' The PSC concluded that despite the uncertainties pointed out, fast action on the CGIAR's behalf was absolutely essential to avoid a serious risk of litigation. Centers should undertake a complete inventory of the PT used, find out who owns these tools, and determine what action is needed to be able to disseminate products. Committee members agreed that there was a need to explore alternative organizational models to improve the efficiency of technology acquisition. The planned 'high level' dialogue (following preparatory meetings) between the Bank's president, the CGIAR Chairman and major CEOs would help in finding ways to move forward. The PSC would be ready to assist in setting up such a dialogue. Public acceptance of biotechnology was considered another key dimension that required urgent action. The CGIAR could assist the private sector by providing public endorsements for biotechnology products and stress the common goal of ensuring food security and alleviating poverty in the developing countries. Dryden agreed to discuss these issues in his meeting with the CGIAR Chairman. 126 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science ANNEXES 3. Other Business Nomination for the Genetic Resources Policy Committee (GRPC). The PSC nominated Dr. Bernard Le Buanec, Secretary General, FIS/ASSINEL, Switzerland, to represent the private sector on the GRPC. Joint-sponsorship of case study on the impact of IPR on rice research. The PSC was invited by John V. D. Lewis of USAID to sponsor, jointly with the Global Forum, a workshop by IRRI and the Council for Partnership on Rice Research in Asia (CORRA). Using rice as a case study, the workshop is meant to offer an opportunity to dissect the management challenges of IPR at each step in the research and extension process through practical illustration. PSC and Global Forum representatives would work together in shaping the agenda and selecting the participants for this workshop. The PSC thought that this would be a good opportunity to demonstrate common goals and partnerships between the public and private sectors and accepted Lewis' invitation. Action: Dryden. 4. Future Meetings The theme, date and place of the next meeting will be decided later. CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 127 ANNEXES Report of the CGIAR NGO Committee The CGIAR NGO Committee (NGOC) held its 9th meeting at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. in conjunction with International Centers Week 1999. Participants in the meeting were Miguel Altieri (Chair), Christian Castellanet, Yuexin Du, Julian Gonsalves, Assetou Kanoute, Carmen Felipe Morales, Dwi Muhtaman, and Jean Marc von der Weid. Ann Waters-Bayer, who is affiliated with ETC Netherlands, attended the meeting as an observer. 1. Activities since MTM99 The NGOC was involved in two types of activities since MTM99: publication of reports and participation in workshops and conferences. Publications: • Proceedings of the workshop “Research partnerships: issues and lessons from collaboration of NGOs and agricultural research institutes” held at IRRI, Philippines, September 1998. This report contains description of research partnerships in several countries and analyses lessons learned in order to improve research collaboration through involvement of NGOs. Report of international workshop on Natural Resource Management (NRM) held in Yanqing County, China, before MTM99. This report describes activities and recommendations emerging from the joint NGOC-Center for Integrated Agricultural Development (CIAD) workshop with the participation of 25 Chinese colleagues from several provincial academes involved in NRM work in rural communities. Report of the workshop “Partnerships of CGIAR Centers, NGOs and the community: threat or opportunity towards collaboration?” held in Bogor, Indonesia, March l999. This workshop involved members of rural communities along with NGOs in a dialogue with CGIAR Center representatives (CIFOR, ICRAF). Proceedings of the workshop “Agrobiodiversity in Andean and Amazonian regions”, held in Lima, November l998. This report includes the papers delivered by members of NGOs and local universities from Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Brazil, along with those of members of CIP, on agrobiodiversity issues. Contribution to the publication of the report “Alternatives to conventional modern agriculture for meeting world food needs in the next century” summarizing conclusions of Bellagio conference Sustainable Agriculture: Evaluation of New Paradigms and Old Practices, April l999. Published by CIIFAD with inputs from NGOC and representatives of CGIAR Centers. • • • • Workshop and conferences: • Participation of NGOC chair at the CGIAR-sponsored INRM workshop held at Bilderberg, September 1999. At this meeting, the NGOC re-emphasized the points and guidelines contained in the NGOC sponsored NRM workshop proceedings such as the use of agroecology as an integrative science, and the use of participatory research methods that involve community members from the start. 128 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science ANNEXES • Participation of NGOC member Julian Gonsalves at the workshop “Research against hunger: international agricultural research from a critical NGO perspective” organized by the Forum Environment and Development, Mulheim, Germany, September 1999. In addition to discussing how NGOs can better influence the CGIAR research agenda to benefit the poor farmers, participants emphasized the need to support and strengthen the CGIAR as one of the only existing international public goods research organization. • Participation of NGOC Chair at CIAT-sponsored workshop “Assessing the impact of agricultural research on poverty alleviation” held in Costa Rica, September 1999. Given the immensity of the problem, and strategically thinking about the impact of research on poverty, the Chair emphasized the urgent need for the CGIAR to focus on the poor smallholders in marginal environments. NGOC Chair and member Jean Marc von der Weid participated as discussants in two sessions at the international biotechnology conference convened by the CGIAR and NAS prior to ICW99. Both NGOC members emphasized that many of the biotechnological innovations available today in the market were not developed to solve the needs of the rural poor, and that many of the transgenic crops deployed present environmental risks. Such risks can be even greater in centers of origin given the higher probability of gene flow to and from wild relatives. Holding of the workshop on “Scaling up successful sustainable agriculture (SA) and NRM initiatives to benefit poor farmers”. Washington DC, October 22-23. Participants concentrated on four major themes: a. What are the factors and principles explaining success of local SA initiatives? b. How can these principles be extrapolated to scale up such initiatives? c. What factors may impede the scaling-up of SA initiatives and what types of interventions (creation of markets, institutional coalitions, policy changes, political support, farmer to farmer networks, multifunctional technologies, etc.) are necessary to overcome such limitations? d. What are the methodological issues underlying the scaling up process? • • 2. Planned Activities for the Period from ICW99 to MTM2000 The NGOC will work closely with the German Forum of Environment and Development to make sure that effective and useful communication bridges are built between the various NGOs and farmers organization representatives attending Dresden. The Committee will also collaborate with International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM) in organizing a post-MTM field trip to expose interested CGIAR members to organic farming operations and research projects. The NGOC will also assist African NGO partners to implement, in collaboration with IITA, the IPM training of trainers workshop and also the various on the ground biopesticide testing activities that will be conducted as part of the training program. The NGOC will produce by March 2000 the proceedings of the workshop on scaling-up successful SA and NRM initiatives which will be widely distributed at Dresden in May 2000. The NGOC will also co-sponsor a workshop on the "Ecological impacts of transgenic crops" to be held at Berkeley in March 2000. The objective of the workshop is to bring together a number of scientists conducting field research on the ecological consequences of the deployment of transgenic crops from a CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 129 ANNEXES variety of disciplines. Key CGIAR scientists working on biotechnology will be invited to the workshop. The report of the workshop will be available at MTM2000. 3. Committee Restructuring As presented at MTM99, by keeping with the same allotted budget and within a year from ICW99, the NGOC will achieve a desired number of 8 members with the following representation: 2 from Asia, 2 from Africa, 2 from Latin America, 1 from North America and 1 from Europe. Four members of the Committee, Carlos Perez, Assetou Kanoute, Yuexin Du and Carmen Felipe-Morales, will complete their term by the end of l999. The Committee paid tribute to these outgoing members for their contributions to the deliberations in the NGOC meetings, and encouraged them to maintain their linkages, not only with the current members of the Committee but also with the various components of the CGIAR System. The Committee will convey to the CGIAR Chairman its recommended list of candidates for membership before November 1999. The NGOC expects to attain the desired ratio of 6 members from the South and two from the North, including gender balance by MTM2001. Its objective is to bring in members with diverse but complementing backgrounds and expertise. By the end of MTM2000, the NGOC will also have a new Chair and a co-Chair. 4. The NGOC and Global Forum on Agricultural Research Through Jean Marc von der Weid, the NGOC is collaborating with the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR) by providing ideas and specific proposals for case studies on successful research partnerships and also pilot projects for scaling up sustainable agriculture initiatives. The NGOC also supports the proposal to increase the number of NGO and farmers representatives in the GFAR from 15 to 30 and has agreed to act as a facilitating mechanism for the selection and nomination of candidates proposed by the regional NGO organizations, such as Environment and Development in the Third World (ENDA), Asian NGO Coalition for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ANGOC), Consorcio Latino Americano de Agroecologia y Desarrollo (CLADES), International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) Pesticide Action Network (PAN), Movimiento Agroecologico LatinoAmericano( MAELA), PELUM, etc. and farmers organizations such as La Via Campesina and the International Union of Farm Workers, in addition to International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP). 5. Perspectives The NGOC believes that both the CIAT poverty workshop and the CGIAR-NAS biotechnology conference have provided important information for the CGIAR to sharpen its pro-poor research mission. Although there are millions of poor people both in urban, and endowed and marginal rural areas, it is critical that the CGIAR focuses its research activities on the development of agricultural technologies suitable to the poor farmers living in marginal environments. Recent data suggest that there are at least 350 million poor farmers living and farming in hillsides, semiarid and other fragile ecosystems. In some areas these farmers make a substantial contribution to the production of staple crops critical for national and regional food security. 130 CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science ANNEXES As the private sector moves into some of the mandate crops of the CGIAR, it is possible that most farmers in the favored areas (including poor farmers) will be served by technological innovations resulting from partnerships between private sector (including biotechnology and seed companies and commercial farmers organizations) and NARIs. Such partnerships will not focus on the needs of poor farmers in marginal environments. It is then of crucial importance that the CGIAR focuses on such neglected but important group of farmers. To address the needs of these farmers a true integration of the NRM and integrated gene management (IGM) approaches will be needed. However it must be understood that although biotechnology can be directed to produce varieties suitable to poor small holders (i.e. drought tolerant, acid soil adaptable crops, etc.), such products will not be available for at least 10 years, given that such traits are generally more complex to engineer. Current transgenic crops (i.e., Bt crops or herbicide resistant crops) were not developed for poor farmers in developing countries and there are questions regarding their environmental safety. But even if more drought tolerant crops were available ( i.e. C3 plants engineered to become C4 plants with improved water use efficiency) it is estimated that such new traits would only contribute to 20-30 percent yield increase. The rest of the yield improvement would come from environmental and agricultural management techniques. While such biotechnological innovations are developed (and which would complement and not replace a NRM approach) it is urgent that the CGIAR devote its efforts to mobilize the existing agroecological technologies available (i.e., green manures and cover crops, agroforestry, crop-livestock mixtures, soil conservation and water harvesting techniques, etc) to immediately impact the productivity of smallholders systems. It has been proven that such technologies can significantly enhance the production and sustainability of small farming systems. Doubling the yields of about 350 million marginal farms ( which is equivalent to tripling the yields of fewer farmers in favored areas) would be of great significance in securing food production for millions of poor people throughout the developing world. CGIAR 1999 International Centers Week — Reducing Poverty through Cutting-Edge Science 131 Acronyms and Abbreviations ARI CBC CDC CGIAR DAC EC EPMR FAO FARA FC GFAR GFSC GRPC IAEG ICW IFAD IGM INRM IPR IT MTM MTP NARI NARS NGO NGOC OC ODA PAA PAC PARC PSC SPAAR SPC TAC UNDP UNEP USAID UNESCO $ P Advanced Research Institute Committee of Board Chairs, CGIAR Center Directors Committee, CGIAR Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research Development Assistance Committee European Commission External Program and Management Review Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa Finance Committee, CGIAR Global Forum on Agricultural Research Global Forum Steering Committee Genetic Resources Policy Committee, CGIAR Impact Assessment and Evaluation Group, CGIAR International Centers Week, CGIAR International Fund for Agricultural Development Integrated Gene Management Integrated Natural Resources Management Intellectual Property Rights Information Technology Mid-Term Meeting, CGIAR Medium-Term Plan National Agricultural Research Institute National Agricultural Research System (s) Non-Governmental Organization NGO Committee, CGIAR Oversight Committee, CGIAR Official Development Assistance Public Awareness Association, CGIAR Public Awareness Campaign, CGIAR Public Awareness and Resource Mobilization Committee, CGIAR Private Sector Committee, CGIAR Special Program for African Agricultural Research Science Partnership Committee, CGIAR Technical Advisory Committee, CGIAR United Nations Development Programme United Nations Environment Programme United States Agency for International Development United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization All financial data are given in US dollars Printed on recycled paper CGIAR Secretariat The World Bank A 1818 H Street, NW, Washington, DC 20433 • USA Telephone: 1-202-473-8951 • Fax: 1-202-473-8110 E-mail: cgiar@cgiar.org or cgiar@worldbank.org Internet: http://www.cgiar.org