In an attempt to tackle the ongoing global food and climate crisis, CGIAR, the worlds largest publicly-funded agricultural research network has secured more than US$890mn to accelerate progress
With this funding, CGIAR will expand its work supporting smallholder farmers in low- and middle-income countries to shape more resilient, sustainable, and equitable food systems, reduce emissions from farming, and boost access to nutritious, healthy diets. Investments in support of CGIAR’s new investment case were announced at COP28, which for the first time ever placed the future of agriculture at the heart of climate discussions.
A US$200mn partnership was announced to accelerate action on climate and strengthen food systems through investment in agricultural innovation by the UAE and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.The announcement was followed by a pledging event where a number of countries including the UAE, the Netherlands, the UK, the US, the World Bank and Norway shared their commitments.
CGIAR also released a comprehensive new case for US$4bn in investments toward the organisation’s 2025-2027 research portfolio, laying out the scope of the food and climate crises and the vital importance of increased investment in agricultural R&D. To meet the size and scale of the overlapping food and climate crises, CGIAR’s portfolio will support scientists, experts, and partners in hundreds of countries to expand and scale world-changing innovations – from new tools and technologies for food producers, such as AI-enabled apps to diagnose diseases in plants, to more nutritious and climate-resilient crops like bio-fortified sweet potatoes, next-generation cassava, and scuba rice.
“As the world faces interconnected food and climate crises, we need CGIAR research and innovation today more than ever,” said CGIAR’s executive managing director, Dr. Ismahane Elouafi. “With growing investment and a strong focus on partnership, we can harness the power of science to solve the climate crisis for a food and nutrition secure future.”
For more information, visit: https://www.cgiar.org/
