By 2050, it is predicted that the global population will have surpassed the nine billion mark. That means an increase of almost two billion people who will need to be fed. Current agricultural production levels will need to show a global increase of between 50 and 70 percent to meet the growing demand for food, with developing countries needing to almost double their production.
In a bid to improve farm production and ensure food security for all, the Mexican Presidency of the G20 assessed certain initiatives that resulted in G20 member countries acknowledging the importance of research and development (R&D), technology sharing and extension in overcoming the agricultural challenges posed by the world’s growing population. Indeed, the G20 countries made a commitment during the June 2012 G20 Leaders Summit, held in Los Cabos, Mexico, to support “meetings of G20 Agricultural Chief Scientists (MACS) or high-level agricultural research officials from G20 member countries, other interested countries, and International Research Organizations such as CGIAR, with the goal of identifying global research priorities and targets, facilitating collaboration between public and private sector organizations in the key areas most likely to drive sustainable productivity gains, and tracking progress on established goals over time”.
First MACS in Mexico
The first MACS took place in Guadalajara, Mexico, in September 2012. During the four-day event, participating scientists voiced the need for urgent actions to be taken to address the challenges of both current and long term agricultural R&D – while also making sure that the resulting production increases are achieved through sustainable, environmentally sound practices that improve livelihoods and provide healthy diets.
By building upon existing collaborative mechanisms, including, but not limited to, CGIAR, the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR) and the Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development (GCARD), the MACS aim to strengthen international cooperation with these and other suitable mechanisms to help achieve specific R&D goals of the G20 and associated countries.
Pooling resources
Five Global Research Collaboration Platforms (GRCPs) involving the scientists’ respective national agricultural research for development strategies and capacities were proposed by the meeting. If approved, these MACS initiatives will promote global collective action through:
- Access to scholarly publications and other technical documentation
- Access to germplasm collections and related information
- Access to genetic and genomic data, and the establishment of public databases for agricultural research and development projects
- Improved agricultural innovation system and agricultural statistics systems
The scientists also encouraged communication and, where appropriate, coordination between the various national research programs and those of other interested countries, the CGIAR Research Programs (CRPs) and the GRCPs.
Global Research initiatives
The meeting also reviewed the status and progress of the Global Research Initiatives endorsed by the G20, and the ongoing funding and collaborative mechanisms of the International Research Initiative for Wheat Improvement, the CGIAR Research Program on Rice (or Global Rice Science Partnership, GRiSP), the CGIAR Research Program on Maize, the CGIAR Research Program on Livestock and Fish, and the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases. The scientists expressed strong support for these initiatives and their novel partnerships for implementation, and encouraged G20 member countries to actively participate in and align their national policies and research agendas with these endeavors.
Thomas Fitz Randolph, Director of the CGIAR Research Program on Livestock and Fish, had this to say about the meeting: “What impressed me was the general consensus and several interventions confirming that the CGIAR Research Programs and CGIAR as a whole are clearly seen as the central mechanism for the G20 to support international agricultural research addressing global food security.”
Future MACS
It was agreed to hold the MACS annually as part of G20 activities, with the goal of building agreement on agricultural R&D priorities and targets, monitoring progress, and establishing policies to support GRCPs. The next meeting will be scheduled by Russia, the next Presidency of the G20.
The results of the first MACS will be presented at the Second Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development (GCARD II), to be held in Punta del Este, Uruguay, from 29 October to 1 November 2012.
For more info:
G20 Mexico 2012. Meeting of Agricultural Chief Scientists, Communiqué
Pic by Neil Palmer (CIAT)