The CGIAR applauds the leadership of the G8 Food Security Initiative and the approach set out in the L’Aquila Statement on Food Security to deliver on the group’s commitment to combating hunger and poverty.

We especially appreciate the support expressed in the statement for CGIAR reforms, which will better prepare our organization to meet the challenges highlighted by the G8, notably high and volatile food prices, global climate change and increasingly scarce natural resources. A stronger, more efficient and results-oriented CGIAR committed to working closely with partners will provide farmers in developing countries, especially smallholders and women, with science-based tools to strengthen their food production and improve their livelihoods.

We also welcome the G8’s call for increased investment in agricultural research at the national, regional and international levels. This is essential for increasing agricultural productivity, improving access to more nutritious food and promoting sustainable agricultural practices, as called for by the G8 initiative. In the wake of the 2008 food crisis, the CGIAR identified a set of “best bets” for investment in agricultural research, which have the potential to reach billions of people. The best bets are illustrative of how the CGIAR can help improve crop and livestock productivity, enhance the nutritional quality of food and make ecosystems more resilient. The CGIAR, as part of the reform process, is developing a series of major programs that will bring such solutions to scale.

The CGIAR is committed to working together with the G8 and the broader global community toward our shared vision of reducing poverty and hunger.

Katherine Sierra
CGIAR Chair

Ren Wang
CGIAR Director

Washington, DC, July 10, 2009