31 May 2013: The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) released its 2012 Annual Report on ‘Forests, Trees and Agroforestry,’ which highlights activities carried out under the Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (CRP-FTA) through the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), Bioversity International, the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), and Agricultural Research for Development (CIRAD).

The report points to a number of firsts, including the launch of the gender strategy, the completion of the monitoring, evaluation and impact assessment strategy (MEIA), the selection of ‘sentinel landscapes,’ and increased focuses on cross-sector collaboration and synergies. It reports on Forest Day 6 activities, as well as research programmes on the impacts of rural resource centres, the contribution of on-farm trees to crop yields and household incomes, and comparisons between different REDD+ initiatives.

The report looks at impacts under five themes: production systems and markets; conservation and management; landscape management; climate change adaptation and mitigation; and trade and investment. With regard to publications, the report lists significant peer-reviewed publications, technical reviews, policy briefs, and assessments on issues ranging from gender and non-timber forest products, national timber markets, biodiversity and REDD+.

In addition to emphasizing successes, the report highlights possible challenges, including uncertainty with regard to core funding for the programme and difficulties reporting on multi-year research projects.

The report also contains financial information on the US$74 million spent on the programme by the partners. [Publication: Annual Report 2012: Forests, Trees and Agroforestry]