Asia 2011-2015

CIAT Asia’s research activities stretching back 30 years
highlights significant research outcomes that have
contributed to improve the livelihoods of many marginalized
poor communities in the region. The current content and
diversity of CIAT activities in Asia, the nature of its funding,
and the major programmatic shifts within the Consultative
Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR),
provide an excellent opportunity to reconsider the future of
CIAT research in Asia. The strategy is based on the
assessment from the Center Commissioned External
Review (CCER), consultations with partners in China,
Vietnam, and Laos, and 6 months of internal discussion in
CIAT.
The strategic framework endorsed by the CIAT Board of
Trustees has three major components:
1.
Focus research on
cassava
and on
forages
for
livestock systems, seeking a direct involvement with
three forthcoming CGIAR Research Programs (CRPs):
Roots and Tubers, Livestock and Fish, and Climate
Change.
2.
Increase the profile of research activities in
tropical soil
fertility
particularly on cassava and forage systems with
a direct link with two other forthcoming CRPs:
Integrated Systems for the Humid Tropics and Water,
Land and Ecosystems.
3.
Strengthen the
research capacity
of CIAT and partners
by achieving a critical mass of staff in the region, be
they permanent, visiting, or seconded staff, by
continuing to improve linkages with headquarters, and
by refocusing staff management and funding
approaches. With reallocation and hiring of new staff
and exploration of new partnerships, the aim would be
to achieve much stronger linkages with regional and
national partners in emerging economies, such as
Vietnam, Thailand, and China, which will translate into
benefits for the region as a whole.