Breeding for Tomorrow
We aim to develop and deliver a portfolio of climate-resilient, market-preferred, and nutritious crops, livestock, and aquatic species that make food systems more productive, resilient, inclusive, and sustainable.
By leveraging breeding modernization, market intelligence, and strengthened partnerships, we will improve seed systems, boost agricultural productivity and resilience, reduce hunger, and enhance sustainability, particularly in the Global South.

Our work aims to help
- Reduce chronic hunger by 29%
- Address hidden hunger by 21%
- Create an economic surplus of US$ 182 billion
Where we will work in
Central and West Asia and North Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, South and Southeast Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa
Challenges we’ll address
- Optimizing crops for mechanization, longer shelf-lives, simpler processing, and climate resilience to provide for the Global South’s growing populations
- Lowering agricultural costs without sacrificing nutrition
- Improve environmental sustainability
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Areas of Work
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Market IntelligenceWe will optimize the return on investment by driving institutional innovation in product design and investment prioritization, which will support the development and delivery of climate-resilient, nutritious, and market-preferred products.
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Accelerated BreedingWe will accelerate the development of a new generation of climate-resilient, nutritious, and market-preferred varieties. We will also steer efficient, sustainable, and fair breeding processes and collaborations.
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Inclusive DeliveryWe will accelerate the delivery of genetic gain to farmers’ fields in the Global South through robust, equitable and scalable dissemination systems resulting in strengthened food systems and improved livelihoods
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Breeding ResourcesWe will work to empower interconnected breeding programs by providing a portfolio of services, that enables breeders to access global technologies, knowledge, and innovations for maximum impact.
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EnableWe will address the complex challenge of designing an effective and efficient coordination and support system across different functions, diverse partners, and dynamic priorities within global, national, and regional breeding and product delivery pipelines.
Gender & Social Inclusion
Breeding for Tomorrow will proactively engage women and other socially disadvantaged groups – such as the youth and indigenous communities – in their multiple roles as smallholders, seed-entrepreneurs, food producers, processors, traders, and consumers.
Our Approach
Interlinked support across CGIAR’s portfolio
We will work closely with the Better Diets and Nutrition, Climate Action, Genebanks, Policy Innovations, Scaling for Impact, Sustainable Animal and Aquatic Foods, Sustainable Farming programs, and the Capacity Sharing, Digital Transformation, and Gender Equality & Inclusion accelerators.
Working to share our capacity with
- National partners
- Non-partner countries, regions, and global platforms
- Scientists
Built on CGIAR’s proven expertise
- A global research infrastructure with an improved and diverse germplasm and direct access to its genebanks
- Established advanced breeding technologies
- A growing transdisciplinary expert network of globally renown international scientists, economists, breeders. climate change experts, and agronomists
- A trusted partner for local stakeholders across regions
- A strategic edge in delivering high-level outputs aligned with market and social needs
- A global, multi-product and multi-Impact Area mandate that allows us to set global standards for market intelligence and
- market-driven design of breeding products
News
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Next-gen rice lines top check varieties at 7.5 t/ha in ESA
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)11.11.25-
Food security
MOROGORO, Tanzania (8 October 2025) — Elite rice lines are outperforming the current popular varie…
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QTL Profiling Now Live on EBS
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)11.11.25-
Food security
QTL profiling is now integrated into the EBS Platform’s MDA module. Teams across CGIAR research…
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CGIAR and HarvestPlus support national policy change to embed nutrition in every seed
CGIAR Initiative on Breeding Resources06.11.25For over two decades, biofortification has helped make staple crops more nutritious for more than…
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Less Is More in India’s Upcoming Rice Breeding Strategy
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)04.11.25-
Food security
Hyderabad, India (25 October 2025)—India is redefining how rice breeding responds to consumer and …
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Farmers take the lead in shaping CGIAR crop innovations through the Tricot methodology
Breeding for Tomorrow27.10.25When the rain finally came to her village in Tanzania, Mariam didn’t just plant her…
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Getting quality seeds of improved varieties to every farmer: A conversation on CGIAR’s Inclusive Delivery approach
CGIAR Initiative on Seed Equal27.10.25How can we ensure that the improved, climate-resilient varieties developed by CGIAR and partners rea…
Read more