Program/accelerator:

Policy Innovations

We deliver evidence-based recommendations to strengthen policies, markets and institutions, thereby improving millions of lives.

We leverage our expertise in analyzing policy trade-offs and co-creating solutions in partnership with policymakers, think tanks, and other stakeholders in the Global South.

CGIAR Policy Innovations Program

Our work contributes through

  • co-developing & strengthening the analytical and institutional capacity of 25+ national think tanks
  • introducing 50+ cutting-edge knowledge products on foresight, impact assessment, and governance
  • informing–with partners–100+ policy responses to local, national, regional, and global challenges

      Where will we work in

      • Bangladesh, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Sri Lanka and 10+ other countries in the Global South

        Challenges we’ll address

        • Rising Poverty: Increases in poverty & inequality exacerbated by growing uncertainties and poly-crises
        • Failing Food Systems: Difficult trade-offs across multiple development objectives coupled with malfunctioning markets and underperforming institutions
        • Knowledge gaps: Lack of credible and timely evidence for decision making to transform food, land and water systems

            Sign up for news and updates

            Subscribe

            Areas of Work

            • Foresight and Prioritization
              We will work with partners to develop advanced foresight modeling and data systems and use these to inform decisions on policies, budgets, and investments to drive transformation in food, land, water, and economic systems to enhance nutrition, livelihoods, gender equity, social inclusion, climate resilience, and environmental sustainability.
            • Market-led Food System Transformation
              We identify and test innovations for transformative change in food systems. We focus on innovations in policies, institutions, and technologies that bring greater efficiency, inclusive economic benefits, resilience to shocks, and environmental sustainability.
            • Governance and Political Economy
              We will address governance and political economy challenges in strengthening food, land, and water systems amid global mega trends. We will collaborate with partners to provide advanced insights on the governance and institutions that best promote integrated food systems, the political economy of policymaking and implementation, and policy coherence and metrics.
            • Nexus Policy gains
              We will tackle fragmented policy approaches that disproportionately burden the poorest and most marginalized communities and foster the development and implementation of policies and institutions that enable more integrated management of water, energy, food, and environmental systems.
            • Country Strategy and Engagement
              We work closely with national governments, think tanks, and regional organizations throughout the policy cycle, from agenda setting and policy design to policy adoption, implementation and reform. We co-create knowledge products with national and regional think tanks to rapidly respond to policy demand and enhance institutional capability, and foster regional and crosscountry learning.
            • Policy Knowledge Brokering Hub
              We will aim to integrate CGIAR’s policy research capabilities by translating, synthesizing, and packaging key knowledge for external policy audiences with an all-CGIAR primary focus on poverty, inequality, employment and livelihoods.

            Gender & Social Inclusion

            This research program will ensure that women, youth and other often marginalized groups participate meaningfully in policy processes and that public policies advance progress towards gender equality, youth empowerment and social inclusion.

            Our Approach

            Interlinked support across CGIAR’s portfolio

            Our program will complement the Better Diets and Nutrition, Breeding for Tomorrow, Sustainable Animal and Aquatic Food Systems, and Sustainable Farming programs, as well as the Capacity Sharing and Gender Equality & Inclusion Accelerators.

            Working to share our capacity with

            • government, national agricultural research systems, and civil society partners
            • academia
            • professionals

            Built on CGIAR’s proven expertise

            • Our commitment to providing food system-related public goods at multiple geographic and time scales for low- and middle-income countries
            • A locally informed and embedded research staff with access to state-of-the-art analytical tools and capacity in multiple disciplines
            • Our global linkage to key research and policy-making partners with complementary research and institutional capacities

            Publications