CGIAR Breeding for Tomorrow showcase Market Intelligence as a catalyst for inclusive and impactful crop breeding

Written by Ruvicyn Bayot

CGIAR Science Week highlights how combining crop breeding with market intelligence from the very start of the process can contribute to identifying opportunities, promoting equity, and achieving greater impact.

NAIROBI, Kenya (11 April 2025) — At the sidelines of the 2025 CGIAR Science Week, the CGIAR Market Intelligence Team shared their latest research findings with the theme Harnessing Market Intelligence to Shape CGIAR Breeding for Greater Impacts . The presentations drew attention to the critical role of market and behavioral intelligence in guiding global crop breeding programs.

The side event brought together leading crop and animal breeders and social scientists to explore latest innovations in crop breeding. The first hour of the event was a deep dive into forward-looking insights from seed producers, processors and consumers to help CGIAR breeding programs address pressing global sustainability issues such as poverty, malnutrition, food insecurity, gender inequality, and climate change.

“What is important is that Market Intelligence is a pipeline in itself that feeds into the Breeding for Tomorrow pipeline.”, IRRI Principal Scientist for Market and Food Systems Research Dr. Matty Demont stated. He elaborated that the integration of Market Intelligence in crop breeding starts with a steering package of digital tools centered around the Global Market Intelligence Platform (GloMIP) , where market intelligence datasets are collected, shared, and exchanged. GloMIP interacts directly with the Breeding Portal where all the breeding management decisions are made.

IFPRI Senior Research Fellow Dr. Berber Kramer presented findings on how breeding professionals currently use and value market intelligence. She highlighted priority areas for breeding programs and discussed the barriers hindering the effective use of market intelligence. Dr. Kramer emphasized that while tools and standard protocols are essential to…