December 2017: The 2016 Annual Report of the CGIAR Consortium titled, ‘Innovations for Global Food Security,’ highlights some “big wins” attributed to a renewed research portfolio and partnerships focused on aligning the Center’s strategic objectives more closely with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The report discusses the role that the Consortium’s 15 Research Centers collectively play in reducing poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security, and improving natural resources and ecosystem services.

Among relevant SDG targets, the report highlights achievements related to nutrition and health, climate change, soils and degraded land, food systems waste, food safety and the global stewardship of genetic resources. It lists these as, inter alia: increased resilience to climate-related risks for four million farm households; five million tons of farmed fish produced more sustainably; and improved food security for 7.5 million farmer households through the introduction of drought-tolerant, disease-resistant and nutrient-efficient maize varieties. Other successes mentioned in the report include: access to improved livelihood opportunities for 2.3 million poor men, women and youth; and avoiding the deforestation of two million hectares of forests through the implementation of sustainable forest management practices across 25 million hectares of tropical forests; and an additional US$1.5 billion invested in agricultural science in Sub-Saharan Africa

Discussing the Consortium’s high impact research, the report highlights the Global Nutrition Report 2016, produced by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), noting that the report “is in the top five percent of all research outputs ever tracked,” according to altmetric data. The first-ever global mapping of antimicrobial use in livestock by the International Livestock Research Institute and partners is also highlighted.

The CGIAR Consortium is a global partnership of 15 research centers working in the area of agricultural research for development. Among its 2030 strategic goals, the Consortium’s portfolio aims to contribute to, inter alia: 150 million fewer hungry people, 100 million fewer poor people – at least 50% of whom are women; and 190 million hectares of less degraded land. CGIAR Consortium research centers partner with farmers in developing countries, national and regional research institutes, academic institutions, development organizations and the private sector. They benefit from financial, technical, and operational support from a range of governments, private foundations, and regional and international organizations. [Publication: Innovations for Global Food Security – CGIAR Annual Report 2016]