While the contribution of the CGIAR and its national partners to food production is well established, the extent to which the poor have benefited from their research remains more controversial. Have farmers with smallholdings or less-favored land been able to increase their production and wellbeing or have they been excluded from the benefits? To what extent have the poor benefited as consumers of cheaper foods, or through increased employment and other income earning opportunities in the farm and non-farm sectors that agricultural growth can induce? The CGIAR system is particularly asking these questions at a time when its investments must be judged in terms of their poverty impacts. Addressing these critical questions requires the CGIAR to develop a stronger capacity to undertake poverty impact assessments on a continuing basis, not only to show whether agricultural research is a sound investment for helping the poor, but also for better targeting of research priorities to the changing needs of the poor.
Impact of Agricultural Research on Poverty