Crops to End Hunger
Early Commencement of CtEH
The Crops to End Hunger (CtEH) initiative emerged from a series of assessments conducted between 2016 and 2018 on CGIAR breeding programs. These assessments, using the Breeding Program Assessment Tool (BPAT) and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), revealed both strengths and common weaknesses across around 20 CGIAR programs. The key findings showed that CGIAR programs were slow to adopt modern breeding methods, were underfunded, and struggled to deliver optimal genetic gains. In response, CtEH was officially launched in 2018 as a pooled funding mechanism to modernize plant breeding and address issues like reduced genetic gain and variety adoption rates. It was initiated with support from key funders including USAID (United States), BMGF, DFID (United Kingdom), BMZ (Germany), and ACIAR (Australia). In 2019 CtEH became a time-limited, two-year funding support module within the Excellence in Breeding Platform.
Current CtEH Project
Phase III of CtEH (2023-2025), managed by CIMMYT in collaboration with GIZ, focuses on upgrading breeding facilities, enhancing staff capacity, and advancing breeding technologies. With a total investment of $33.5M USD, this phase aims to accelerate the development of improved crop varieties, ultimately benefiting smallholder farmers. Fourteen sub-grants were awarded to CGIAR Centers and national partners, with priorities set in alignment with CGIAR’s Genetic Innovation strategy. Proposals for modernization were evaluated based on their potential to deliver on CtEH’s objectives of increasing genetic gains and reducing the time it takes for farmers to access new varieties.
Technical support during subproject implementation has been provided by the Accelerated Breeding and Breeding Resources Initiatives.
Timeline
| 2016 | EiB Platform approved by System Council | ||
| 20 Independent assessments of CGIAR breeding programs funded by BMGF using the Breeding Program Assessment Tool (BPAT) led by University of Queensland Australia (2016-2018) | |||
| 2017 | USAID tasked the International Food Policy Research Institute and United States Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service to estimate the impacts of faster productivity growth on 20 food crops | ||
| 2018 | Multi-donor agreement with USAID (USA), BMGF, DFID (UK), BMZ (Germany) and ACIAR (Australia) to modernize breeding | ||
| Summary of BPAT results presented to BPAT/BMGF team April 2018 | |||
| CtEH Phase I Action I: Modernization agenda for Funder-led initiative CtEH proposed to System Council SC7 Meeting, Agenda Item 4
Requires development of Breeding Improvement Plans – builds on BPATs and 20 food crops
Late 2018 Implementation Plan for CtEH put forward to System Management Board (SMB12-02) – System Management Board to undertake collective engagement/ agreement with the funders for W1 and W2 investment. Operational accountability assigned to Centre senior management with annual progress reports to System Management Office alongside annual EiB reporting. Full comprehensive plans due by Sept 2019 |
GIZ committed $7.38m USD through a W3 allocation to CIMMYT (host of EiB)
UK announced possible additional funding of $1.94m USD in September through W2 |
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| 2019 | |||
| SC8 Agenda Item 7 Proposal for a funding module in CtEH, as part of EiB – to administer and disburse funds as sub-grants on behalf of Funders according to framework for 2019-2021 | Funding module in Excellence in Breeding to disperse $10 m per annum of funding according to an annual plan approved by funders, as a flow through mechanism for non-scientific investments (i.e. would not require review by the System’s Independent Science for Development Council. | ||
| October – Elwyn Graingner-Jones, Executive Director of the CGIAR System Organization, announces the new initiative at the 2019 World Food Prize in Iowa | |||
| CtEH Phase II Action Plan II
Development of research hubs
January – sub-grant to IITA for $1,575,000 February – EiB subgrants for mechanization support network in Africa $1,176,000 and aggregated demand and centralized procurement of digitization equipment $1,115,000 |
2020 | 6 funder requests issued
Covid-19 pandemic and associated travel and supply issues commence |
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| April – subgrant to CIMMYT $740,600
Subgrant to IRRI being processed expected start date 1 June $738,300 |
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| Total of $5,344,900 in subgrants to IITA, EiB, CIMMYT, IRRI for AfricaRice | |||
| 2021 | |||
| One CGIAR formed | |||
| EiB Evaluation published | 6 Funder requests updated | ||
| Approved CtEH module within EiB, System Council decision reference SC/M8/DP5 | One CGIAR Initiative proposals due | ||
| CtEH Action Plan III
Capacity and infrastructure investments administered through sub-grants with BMZ funding, hosted by CIMMYT Previously center developed improvement plans being standardized through AB and BR workplans |
2022 | 33 Initiatives across 3 Action Areas – CGIAR 2022-24 Investment Prospectus
EiB ended as an official CGIAR platform in January 2022 |
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| Approved for CIMMYT to continue expending $3m USD remaining funds to end 2022 | |||
| 3 page concept notes due October 2022 with 27 concept notes to total value of $49,941,605 received | Side agreement for W3 funding of 29,701 EUR (approx. $30m USD), with criteria and scorecards | ||
| Full proposals November 2022 and approvals | |||
| 2023 | Technical advice on modernization shifted to Breeding Resources Initiative | ||
| Full proposals | CGIAR Integration Framework Agreement approved February 2023 | ||
| Head agreement between GIZ and CIMMYT finalized March 2023 | |||
| Contracting commenced May 2023 | |||
| Sub-project contracting completed Q4 2023 | |||
| January sub-project year 1 progress reports received | 2024 | ||
| 2023 CtEH progress report completed | |||
| Projects to be completed by Dec 2024 | |||
| Final CtEH report due | 2025 | ||