Blog Colombia, a priority country in the new CGIAR Research Initiatives, the largest global agri-food research network

The new CGIAR portfolio will be presented this October 10-11 in Bogota. The research initiatives are focused on: emissions mitigation, sustainable livestock, positive nature solutions, excellence in agronomy, breeding, genebanks, plant health and policies around these topics.

In days when the effects of climate change are already evident, science not only seeks to find ways for the world to halt accelerated global warming, but also to discover the definitive alternatives for agricultural systems to adapt to the new conditions. This is the only way to ensure the survival of humanity and what the planet is proposing for the year 2030: to improve food security, increase biodiversity, boost economic growth and strengthen resilience to the climate crisis.

In this context, CGIAR, the largest global agri-food research network, has designed a new portfolio of research initiatives that will be presented on 10 and 11 October in Bogota.

In the new CGIAR Research and Innovation Strategy 2030, in which eleven of its research centers will participate, including the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, located in Palmira (Valle), Colombia, seeks to strengthen cooperation with partners in the countries in which it operates across five continents, where Colombia is a priority.

"The process of designing CGIAR's new portfolio of initiatives has been participatory and in consultation with our strategic partners. In the case of Latin America and the Caribbean, the AgriLAC Resiliente Integrative Regional Initiative is an example of this, and the fact that we are now holding these workshops in the different countries where different thematic initiatives will also be implemented between now and 2024, is part of the consultative process to strengthen them and to respond increasingly effectively to the demands and challenges we have in the agrifood sector, and to which we contribute from science and research, listening and working with public and private sectors, academia and research, international cooperation and, of course, with farmers," said Joaquín Lozano, CGIAR Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean.

One of these initiatives is called AgriLAC Resiliente. It is a project that provides technological tools to smallholder farmers in Latin America and the Caribbean, which will increase the resilience, sustainability and competitiveness of crops in countries such as Colombia, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru, countries that have the largest reserves of arable land on the planet (30%).

Along with AgriLAC, nine Global Thematic Initiatives will also be working in Colombia, focusing on: emissions mitigation, sustainable livestock, positive nature solutions, excellence in agronomy, breeding, genebanks, plant health and policies related to these issues.

Another initiative has to do with the most important race in the world today: Mitigation+: Low Emission Food Systems. This aims to reduce annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in food systems by 6.5% by 2030. The planet is set to reach zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The Genebanks initiative, which seeks to support the global system for the conservation and use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, will also be presented. CGIAR manages collections of more than 20 staple crops in ten locations on five continents, including the global collections of common bean, cassava and tropical forages safeguarded at the Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT America hub in Palmira.

For its part, the National Policies and Strategies initiative will identify ways to develop stronger policies and strategies around food, land and water systems, aiming for greater coherence and improved stakeholder capacity. This will contribute to addressing current crises and future development needs within the countries in which it will operate.

Other research initiatives are related to:

- Plant health and rapid response to protect food security and livelihoods

- Nature-positive solutions for shifting agri-food systems towards more resilient and sustainable pathways

- Excellence in agronomy for sustainable intensification and climate change adaptation

- Livestock, climate and system resilience

- Accelerated genetic breeding

- Resources for genetic improvement

 

The event, to be held at the Radisson Hotel, will also be attended by government entities, NGOs, international cooperation programs, private sector, producer associations, and other key stakeholders from the host country.

"The key to the success of the new CGIAR research initiatives in Colombia and the region will lie in forging stronger ties between all the actors that participate and have influence in the agrifood systems, thus allowing a more cohesive work towards achieving the goals established as part of the SDGs," said Jesús Quintana, Managing Director for the Americas of the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT.

About CGIAR

CGIAR is a global research partnership for a food-secure future dedicated to transforming food, land and water systems in a climate crisis. Its research is conducted by 13 CGIAR Centers/Alliances in close collaboration with hundreds of partners, including national and regional research institutes, civil society organizations, academic institutions, development organizations and the private sector. www.cgiar.org

CGIAR thanks all funders who support this research through their contributions to the CGIAR Fund.