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Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research

CGIAR Centers and Research Programs

The CGIAR ( Link ) is a strategic alliance of members, partners and international agricultural centers that mobilizes science to benefit the poor. Their mission is to achieve sustainable food security and reduce poverty in developing countries through scientific research and research-related activities in the fields of agriculture, forestry, fisheries, policy, and environment.

The following CGIAR Center web sites offer access to extensive collections of resources of potential interest and benefit to development practitioners in Asia.

  • Biodiversity International - BI is the operating name of the International Plant Genetic Resource Institute (IPGRI) and the International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain (INIBAP). The organization is "dedicated solely to the conservation and the use of agricultural biodiversity.” The website offers free downloads of its latest publications, including Geneflow, a magazine about agricultural biodiversity.
  • International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) – CIAT’s mission is to reduce hunger and poverty, and improve human health in the tropics through research aimed at increasing the eco-efficiency of agriculture. CIAT offers an extensive catalogue of publications (for purchase as well as free downloads) accessible via.
  • CIAT’s Asia regional page,  Link, provides access to an extensive holding of free downloads covering a wide range of health and poverty/hunger alleviation topics with an Asian focus.

    Previously, CIAT offered the CIAT in Asia Research for Development Series (CARDS), a book series aimed specifically at providing research information to agricultural development workers in a format that is readily accessible to them. According to CIAT, all language versions of the books (currently English, Indonesian, Lao Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese and soon to include Burmese and Khmer) are available from the CIAT office in Vientiane. Individuals and organizations from both developing and developed countries may request a free hardcopy of each of the books. Orders for multiple copies are sold at US$5 per copy (which includes postage).Downloadable English versions of the CARDS series include:

    • Developing agricultural solutions with smallholder farmers — How to get started with participatory approaches Link
    • Developing forages with smallholder farmers - how to grow, manage and use forages Link
    • Developing forages with smallholder farmers - how to select the best varieties to offer farmers in Southeast Asia Link
  • International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) – Philippine-based IRRI and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) offer the Cereal Knowledge Bank (CKB), 
  • Link. Advertised as "the world’s leading repository of extension and training materials related to cereal and cereal production,” the CKB provides an on-line service to people working to improve the well-being of poor cereal farmers and consumers.
  • World Agroforestry Centre – The mission of the World Agroforestry Centre, Link, is to "generate science-based knowledge about the diverse roles that trees play in agricultural landscapes, and use its research to advance policies and practices that benefit the poor and the environment.” Based in Nairobi, the World Agroforestry Centre also has five regional offices located in Africa and Asia. WAC’s Southeast Asia web page offers a collection of regionally relevant publications ( Link ), including Kiprah Agroforestri ( Link ), an Indonesian-language agroforestry periodical.


  1. 2004-04-20 Did you know that there is a network of agricultural research centers, each specializing in just a few areas of tropical or subtropical agriculture? The network has an awkward name, CGIAR (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research). Most of the network’s members also have long...
  2. CIAT, our researchers, and staff are committed to creating and sharing knowledge openly and globally with partners. We do so through truly collaborative research as well as through the sharing of our research outputs,data, and information products. All our publications, tools, and datasets are...
  3. 2020-01-20 This handbook is a companion to Vernooy, R., Sthapit, B. and Bessette, G. (2020). Community seed banks: concept and practice. Facilitator handbook (updated version). Bioversity International, Rome, Italy (https://hdl.handle.net/10568/81286). The three booklets making up this handbook were written...
  4. Alternate wetting and drying (AWD) is a management practice in irrigated lowland rice that saves water and reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while maintaining yields. The practice of AWD is defined by the periodic drying and re-flooding of the rice field. While AWD requires a specific water...
  5. Generating Evidence and New Directions for Equitable Results (GENDER) isCGIAR’s platform designed to put gender equality at the forefront of global agricultural research for development. The Platform is transforming the way gender research is done, both within and beyond CGIAR, to kick-start a...
  6. Pig rearing is the main focus of two of our value chain projects – inUgandaandVietnam. Here we provide links to some useful manuals and guides to raising pigs. Add your resource by clicking the ‘comment’ feature on this post.
  7. CGIAR’s first results-oriented Strategy and Results Framework (SRF) was developed in 2010, providing for first time an overarching structure for the combined work of CGIAR Centers delivery through 16 CGIAR Research Programs (CRP),steering the CGIAR system to overall delivery of impact. The 2010 –...
  8. This is a repository of agricultural research outputs and results produced by different parts of CGIAR and partners. It indexes reports, articles, press releases, presentations, videos, policy briefs and more. Visit the community of your choice; search across the whole site; sign up for email...
  9. The International Potato Center (CIP) was founded in 1971 as a research-for-development organization with a focus on potato, sweetpotato and andean roots and tubers. It delivers innovative science-based solutions to enhance access to affordable nutritious food, foster inclusive sustainable...
  10. The CGIAR (Link ) is a strategic alliance of members, partners and international agricultural centers that mobilizes science to benefit the poor. Their mission is to achieve sustainable food security and reduce poverty in developing countries through scientific research and research-related...
  11. Pork production and consumption have risen rapidly in Uganda over the past decade, driven by population growth, urbanization, increasing incomes, and changing tastes. In 2011, Uganda had the highest per capita consumption of pork in East Africa (3.4 kg/person per year). The number of pigs has...
  12. Land degradation has spread to two-thirds of sub-Saharan Africa due, in part to the increased pressure ofagriculture to meet the food needs of a growing population and variabilities caused by climate change. But smallholder farmers are fighting to reclaim and revitalize the land, and their...
  13. Cassava has a low multiplication ratio compared with other crops, especially seed-propagated crops. Rapid multiplication techniques are available to increase the multiplication ratio. Three types of ministem cuttings can be produced from a cassava stem. After sprouting in nursery beds, or...
  14. The CGIAR Research Program on Livestock (Livestock CRP) provides research-based solutions to help smallholder farmers, pastoralists and agro-pastoralists transition to sustainable, resilient livelihoods and to productive enterprises that will help feed future generations. It aims to increase the...
  15. 2022-01-01 This book is open access under a CC-BY 4.0 license. This open access book describes recent innovations in food systems based on root, tuber and banana crops in developing countries. These innovations respond to many of the challenges facing these vital crops, linked to their vegetative seed and...
  16. At the Alliance, we strive to make food and agriculture systems more sustainable, efficient and inclusive,through sustainably funded science,research-based solutionsand inclusive knowledge generation. OurStrategy 2020-2025 sets out how we work and accelerate impact towards tackling four...
  17. This platform is intended to link solution holders to their perspective clients, particularly investors and large-scale adopters. Solution holders are invited to submit their solutions and management innovations to the platform. Clients are then encouraged to seek information on needed solutions...
  18. The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing countries. Established in 1975, IFPRI currently has more than 600 employees working in over 50 countries. It is a research...