A key pillar of the 2001 CGIAR reform program, the launching of Challenge Programs (CPs) concept was the CGIAR’s first attempt to adopt a programmatic approach to address its research agenda. A CP is a time-bound, independently-governed program of high-impact research that targets the CGIAR goals in relation to complex issues of overwhelming global and/or regional significance, and requires partnerships among a wide range of institutions in order to deliver its products.

The first CPs, namely Water and Food, HarvestPlus, and Generation, were launched in 2003 with selected CGIAR centers as coordinating institutions.

They were followed in 2005 by the Sub-Saharan Africa CP, a regional program coordinated by the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), a CGIAR partner organization.  The Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) CP was launched in 2009 and coordinated by a unit hosted by the University of Copenhagen (Denmark).

The 2010 CGIAR reform program is enabling a full shift from a center-based to a program-based model, organized around a portfolio of CGIAR research programs (CRPs) which are the primary mechanisms for implementing an agreed CGIAR Strategy and Results Framework (SRF). The existing CPs are currently being integrated into the CRPs. CCAFS is the first CP that has been fully integrated into a new CRP. Adopting the same name as the CP, CCAFS is one of two CRPs that have been approved for funding by the CGIAR Fund Council. Click here to read more about the CRPs.

Useful Links:

	The Water and Food Challenge Program creates research -based knowledge and methods for growing more food with less water, and develops a transparent framework for setting targets and monitoring progress.
	The Generation Challenge Programme uses advances in molecular biology and harnesses the rich global stocks of crop genetic resources to create and provide a new generation of plants that meet farmers' needs.
	HarvestPlus is an international, interdisciplinary, research program that seeks to reduce micronutrient malnutrition by harnessing the powers of agriculture and nutrition research to breed nutrient dense staple foods.
	Sub-Saharan Africa Challenge Program: This Challenge Program's purpose is to address the most significant constraints to reviving agriculture in Africa, i.e., failures of agricultural markets, inappropriate policies and natural resource degradation with a new paradigm, Integrated Agricultural Research for Development (IAR4D). This will foster synergies among disciplines and institutions along with a renewed commitment to change at all levels from farmers to national and international policy makers.
	Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) This Challenge Program's purpose is aimed at overcoming the additional threats posed by a changing climate to achieving food security, enhancing livelihoods and improving environmental management in the developing world. Read more.