CGIAR July 2017

Figure: Credit: C. Pradhan/IWMI

Ecosystems and landscapes offer significant opportunities to reverse environmental degradation and enhance the sustainable intensification of production.

Our research priorities for natural resources and ecosystem services are captured in the work of our Research Centers and Programs as they work to improve dietary diversity, improve nutritional content and safety of foods, and improve value chains for nutrition of poor consumers. CGIAR focuses on ecosystems and landscapes that offer significant opportunities to reverse environmental degradation and enhance the sustainable intensification of production.

CGIAR recognizes that we need agricultural systems that are diversified in ways that protect soils and water – helping to control soil erosion and improving its organic content, while also ensuring biomass for storing carbon and mitigating climate change. Natural capital must be enhanced and protected, from climate change as well as from overexploitation and other forms of abuse. In high-risk areas, enhanced conservation of habitats and resources is needed. Finally, we will restore degraded agro-ecosystems, and more sustainably manage them for increased resilience of those ecosystems and the communities that depend on them.

The new portfolio, consists of:

• - Eight Agri-Food Systems CGIAR Research Programs: Fish; Forests, Trees and Agroforestry; Livestock; Maize; Rice; Roots, Tubers and Bananas and Wheat
• - Four cross-cutting Global Integrating Programs: Agriculture for Nutrition and Health; Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security; Policies, Institutions, and Markets and Water, Land and Ecosystems
• - Three research support platforms which underpin the research of the whole system: Platform for Big Data in Agriculture; Excellence in Breeding Platform and the Genebank Platform.

By 2030, the action of CGIAR and its partners will result in 150 million fewer hungry people, 100 million fewer poor people – at least 50% of whom are women, and 190 million HA less degraded land. The #CGIARgoals contribute strongly to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals: no poverty, zero hunger, good health and well-being, gender equality, clean water and sanitation, climate action and life on land. They also moderately contribute toward quality education, good jobs and economic growth, reduced inequalities, responsible consumption, life below water, peace and justice and partnerships for the goals.

See: http://www.cgiar.org/natural-resources-and-ecosystem-services/