Seeding excellence through breeding excellence

From
CGIAR Excellence in Breeding Platform (EiB)
Published on
05.04.21
Impact Area
Food security, Nutrition
Funders
Australia, Gates Foundation, Germany, United Kingdom, United States of America

When parts of Asia looked to be on the brink of famine in the 1960s, scientists transformed agriculture through the Green Revolution. Catalyzed by the research-for-development network CGIAR, new wheat and rice varieties changed the destiny of food production.

But approaches that delivered those life-saving seeds are now surpassed by more advanced methodologies and technologies. And adoption of these has moved too slowly in public sector breeding. This has deprived farmers in lower-income countries, and the seed providers that serve them.

CGIAR Excellence in Breeding (EiB) is tackling this head-on by working across CGIAR and national agricultural research services (NARS) to accelerate the modernization of breeding programs across the developing world.

EiB aims to increase the rate of genetic gain in productivity on-farm by 1.5% annually, at least doubling current levels. Innovative practices have been developed by advanced public- and private-sector breeding organizations. Now, EiB is ensuring these are implemented in programs serving farmers in lower-income countries.