Message from the Chair and Director

Dear Colleagues:

The 2007 Annual General Meeting, hosted by the government of the People’s Republic of China and attracting more than 800 participants, will most likely be remembered as a landmark occasion for the CGIAR and its stakeholders.

Practically every session and presentation conveyed a sense of urgency about changing conditions that are rapidly redefining agriculture and raising serious new concerns about the future well-being of rural people and urban consumers. But our discussions also reflected the CGIAR’s determination, with the support of Members and other stakeholders, to rise to new challenges, particularly global climate change and increasingly volatile grain markets.

Many of our discussions centered on the Facilitated Change Management Process begun earlier this year. This inclusive process, together with the upcoming External Review, represent valuable opportunities – ones we simply cannot afford to waste – for better preparing the CGIAR to help cope with a highly uncertain outlook for agriculture.

In this issue of e-CGIAR News, we are pleased to present a series of articles describing how AGM07 addressed the new world food situation that is emerging around us and how the diverse talents and capacities of CGIAR-supported scientists are being brought to bear on this and other challenges.

Clearly, robust partnerships are a key requirement for the success of our efforts. That’s why it was especially fitting for us to organize AGM07 jointly with a major Asian partner, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS). Our collaboration with institutions in this country has grown steadily in recent years, and this meeting marked the beginning of new efforts to broaden and strengthen our partnerships.

Another central prerequisite for dealing effectively with the new world of agriculture – as described in the recently launched World Development Report: Agriculture for Development – is creative and practical application of advanced science. For that reason, AGM07 featured a day-long Science Forum, which brought together CGIAR researchers, Members and other stakeholders. Participants identified a wide range of opportunities as well as concrete measures to better mobilize science from within and outside the CGIAR.

In closing, we wish you all the best for the holiday season and for the coming year. It promises to bring exciting new developments in our shared endeavor to make science-based solutions work for the poor.

Cordially,