In collaboration with national agricultural research systems, civil society and the private sector, the CGIAR fosters sustainable agricultural growth through high-quality science aimed at benefiting the poor through stronger food security, better human nutrition and health, higher incomes and improved management of natural resources.

Five areas of focus

- Sustainable production (of crops, livestock, fisheries, forests and natural resources)
- Enhancing National Agricultural Research Systems NARS (through joint research, policy support, training and knowledge-sharing)
- Germplasm Improvement (for priority crops, livestock, trees and fish)
- Germplasm Collection (collecting, characterizing and conserving genetic resources - the CGIAR holds in public trust one of the world’s largest seedcollections available to all)
- Policy (fostering research on policies that have a major impact on agriculture, food, health, spread of new technologies and the management and conservation of natural resources) .