CGIAR-supported research aimed at confronting the disastrous impacts of global climate change.

During the 13 th UN Climate Change Conference in Bali, Indonesia, CGIAR Chair Katherine Sierra, speaking at a press briefing on December 8, announced a new strategic initiative for stepping up CGIAR-supported research aimed at confronting the disastrous impacts of global climate change.

Under this new initiative, the CGIAR is calling on the international community to boost investment in research that is vital for enabling rural people to cope with the rising threat. In 2006, the CGIAR’s combined expenditures on research related to climate change amounted to nearly US$70 million, or 15 percent of its total budget of $470 million. But now, under a policy formulated during the CGIAR’s 2008 Annual General Meeting, held at Beijing in early December, it is seeking to at least double that amount.

In support of Sierra’s call for a major increase in research investment, the Alliance of the Centers, together with the CGIAR and Science Council Secretariats, prepared an overview of the CGIAR’s current work related to climate change. As the overview document points out, all 15 CGIAR Centers have assigned climate change a central place in their research efforts, and some have set up programs dealing exclusively with this theme. Through these efforts, the Centers have built strong capabilities and comparative advantages in three main areas:

• Gauging the vulnerability of agriculture, natural resources and rural communities
• Breeding crops for stress tolerance, while developing better practices for sustainable crop and environmental management
• Supporting the development of policies that are conducive to sustainable agricultural growth

As a result, the Centers are now poised to expand current research and undertake new collaborative efforts that are fundamental for enabling developing country agriculture to adapt to and mitigate the expected impacts. --> More information