The CGIAR's knowledge-based approach, referred to as `smart aid' makes relief assistance more efficient, effective and targeted. It helps aid agencies to achieve more relief per dollar, reach the truly poor and avoid counterproductive outcomes such as the undermining of local mechanisms of resilience. The CIAP effort to rebuild Cambodia's rice economy, for example, generated an internal rate of return of 32% per annum on the humanitarian investment, worth US$1.3 billion (Young et al. 2001)^a. The entire CGIAR System's three-decade (1971-2001) cost of US$7.1 billion was vastly exceeded by an estimated $65 billion in benefits (Raitzer 2003)^b related to the prevention of food insecurity crises. Clearly, smart aid pays.

In addition to providing relief from disasters and conflicts when they occur, it is important to attack their root causes for the longer term. Poverty breeds desperation that can cause some of the poor to resort to violence. Poverty also prevents investments in structures and systems that could help protect them from disasters such as storms, droughts and earthquakes. Most of the rural poor are involved in agriculture. Steady, long-term support to agricultural research such as that conducted by the CGIAR Centers contributes to poverty reduction, and therefore to reducing human suffering from conflicts and natural disasters.

CGIAR Center partnerships with aid agencies should be continuous and organic, not formed only in haste after emergencies strike. Ongoing partnerships will help prepare for, mitigate, and accelerate recovery from disasters and conflicts. Major institutions such as the United Nations, the World Bank and many donor agencies are now convinced that it is more cost-effective and humanitarian to invest in preventive steps to mitigate the effects of disasters and conflicts, rather than just dealing with their aftermath. Research is essential for devising these preventive, coping and recovery solutions. The CGIAR Centers will continue to contribute importantly to this endeavor.

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^aYoung, D., Raab, R., Martin, R., Sin, S., Leng, B., Abdon, B., Mot, S. and Seng, M. 2001. Economic impact assessment of the Cambodia-IRRIAustralia Project. Phnom Penh: Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute.

^bRaitzer, D. A. 2003. Benefit-cost meta-analysis of investment in the international agricultural research centres of the CGIAR. Rome: CGIAR Science Council Secretariat, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. http://www.cgiar.org/pdf/bcmeta.pdf