In 2017, CGIAR produced 616 ‘innovations’ (significant products or findings), including 348 in a stage available for uptake (for example, a variety released, or a technique ready to scale up). Table 1 summarizes the types and stages of innovations reported, while some examples of innovations are available here. The complete list of innovations available for uptake in 2017 is in Annex Table C and the full database of innovations at all stages can be found in CGIAR Innovations in 2017. Of the innovations available for uptake, 67% were reported as novel and 33% were reported as adaptive (adaptations of previous innovations for new areas, situations, etc.).
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Table 1. CGIAR innovations reported for 2017, by stage of research and type of innovation
| STAGE OF INNOVATION |
METHODS AND TOOLS |
PRODUCTION SYSTEMS |
GENETIC | SOCIAL SCIENCE |
BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH |
TOTAL |
| 1-Research/proof of concept | 50 | 13 | 57 | 6 | 8 | 134 |
| 2-Piloting | 45 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 66 |
| 3-Available for use | 68 | 32 | 228 | 11 | 9 | 348 |
| 4-Taken up by ‘next users’ | 38 | 10 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 68 |
| Total | 201 | 64 | 302 | 27 | 22 | 616 |
Source: CRP annual reports and evidence presented to support claims. A list of innovations available for use in 2017 is in Annex Table C, and a full database is available in CGIAR Innovations in 2017.
Examples of CGIAR innovations by CRP and Platform for 2017
| CRP | INNOVATION |
| A4NH | Spatial, seasonal and climate predictive models of Rift Valley fever disease across Africa (affects domestic animals and humans) |
| A4NH | Project-Level Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (pro-WEAI), a new survey-based index. |
| CCAFS | Climate Smart Agriculture Country Profiles |
| CCAFS | Farm record keeping: A women-targeted practice accounting and farm management tool supporting climate smart agriculture practice |
| FISH | Business models for smallholder fish farmers |
| FISH | Life Cycle Assessment tool for analyzing future environmental impacts of aquaculture |
| FTA | LUMENS (Land-use Planning for multiple Environmental Services) to develop green growth scenarios for sustainable land use planning |
| FTA | Online decision-support tool to help in the selection of tree species and seed sources for restoration of Dry Forests |
| LIVESTOCK | CLEANED tools: Comprehensive Livestock Environmental Assessment for Improved Nutrition, a Secured Environment and Sustainable Development |
| LIVESTOCK | New drought resistant tropical forage: Brachiaria hybrid “Camello” |
| MAIZE | Improved maize germplasm through ‘temperate introgressions’, with selection for key traits relevant for smallholders in Sub-Saharan Africa |
| MAIZE | A low-cost Unmanned Aerial Vehicle to speed up the selection of maize varieties |
| PIM | Improved methodology to aggregate trade distortion measures across commodities within countries |
| PIM | Rural Investment and Policy Analysis (RIAPA) model: Economy-wide model that evaluates alternative policy and investment options |
| RICE | High zinc rice: new segregating F4 lines with nutritional values greater than 24 ppm (50% above baseline) and four lines selected by partners for variety release |
| RICE | Novel tools to assess milling and cooking quality, for screening breeding materials |
| RTB | Triple S – Storing Sweetpotato Roots in Sand and Sprouting: a system of conserving planting material in time for the rains |
| RTB | Youth agri-preneurs: a vehicle to make Roots Tubers and Bananas innovations an attractive business for the next generation |
| WHEAT | Fhb1/Sr2 recombinant to facilitate breeding wheat cultivars with improved resistance to diseases of Fusarium head Blight and stem rust simultaneously. |
| WHEAT | Raised bed technology – An improved, more efficient surface irrigation technique |
| WLE | Online water planning tool |
| WLE | ‘Contour bunding’ shown to preserve soils and boosts farmers’ incomes |
Source: CRP Annual Reports 2017
Note: this is not a “top thirty” but a selection of 2017 innovations, nearly all in Stage 3, ‘Available for use’ (with the exception of high zinc rice, in multiple stages), chosen to demonstrate the range.
Photo by M. Major/Crop Trust.
