Credited with saving hundreds of millions of people from hunger, international ag research organizations will need to change their focus, funding base and partnerships to survive in coming years, says economist Derek Byerlee in a paper prepared for the 50th anniversary of one of the groups. The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), based in Mexico, plans a three-day conference next week to mark its milestone.
CIMMYT is one of 15 members of the CGIAR, a network of ag research centers. The World Bank, a longtime donor, cut its support of CGIAR to $30 million in 2015, down from $50 million, and said it plans to end support altogether in the future. The network also is supported by nations, foundations and other funders. Some of the countries that support CIMMYT are embroiled in civil war, making research and funding more tenuous.
“National research systems will need to take on more of what CIMMYT and other CGIAR centers do today,” said Byerlee in a CIMMYT release. In addition, he said, CIMMYT must respond to rapid urbanization of many developing countries and the concomitant loss of rural labor to produce staple crops. Productivity growth will keep food prices down, he said, but in the cities, “much will depend on targeted food distribution and social safety nets. Empowering women will be critical,” he said.