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| Reducing future vulnerability
to conflicts and disasters |
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It is human
nature to think of disasters and conflicts as unique events, hoping
they will never happen again; but the unfortunate reality is that
they will. How are the CGIAR Centers helping aid agencies prepare
for the inevitable?
The drama that provided the impetus for the very creation of the CGIAR—the
race to prevent massive famine in Asia in the 1970s, which succeeded
brilliantly through the new crop varieties and management practices
known as the Green Revolution—is a striking example of how preventative
investments in research can pay off spectacularly. The same South
Asia zone is currently the subject of another forward-looking effort,
the Rice-Wheat Consortium for the IndoGangetic Plains, convened by
CIMMYT and IRRI and also engaging CIP, ICRISAT and IWMI—made
possible through support from ACIAR, the Asian Development Bank, DFID,
IFAD, Japan, The Netherlands, and USAID. It aims to forestall the
next productivity plateau by finding more sustainable and productive
ways to crop these areas, such as precision farming and crop diversification.
Disaster and conflict elevate the risk of malnutrition, since
refugees inevitably face restricted food choices. CIP is seeking to
increase dietary vitamin A through the introduction of orangefleshed
sweetpotato for refugees in Uganda. A CGIAR-wide effort on `biofortification'—breeding
crops for increased vitamin and nutrient content—has recently
been launched. This work will take time, but the benefits will be
especially great for peoples suffering in the wake of catastrophe.
Helping countries and regions with long-term strategic planning
to reduce the likelihood and impact of crises is another important
role the Centers have played. For example, through support from the
Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development and IFAD, ICARDA and
IFPRI have helped the West Asia/ North Africa region by convening
international conferences and research on drought preparedness, coping
and recovery strategies. Steps such as the establishment of early-warning
systems, institutions and systems for the efficient stocking and de-stocking
of animal herds in synchronization with drought cycles, policies such
as drought insurance, livelihood diversification, and crop growth
models to advise farmers on the best coping strategies have been identified
as potentially high-payoff investments.
Another forward-looking type of Center assistance has been in building
agricultural systems and institutions. In addition to examples
mentioned earlier, ICARDA, with support from the Asian Development
Bank, GTZ, IFAD, USAID, and the World Bank, and in partnership with
eight other CGIAR Centers (CIP, CIMMYT, ICRISAT, IFPRI, ILRI, IPGRI,
ISNAR and IWMI) is convening a Central Asia and the Caucasus (CAC)
Consortium to help these new nations chart the course ahead. The region
is beset by a sobering array of challenges: widespread poverty, environmental
degradation, the need for transitioning to a new set of social systems
and institutions, the loss of support services and infrastructure
formerly provided by the Soviet Union, and many more. A long-term
effort is clearly required.
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