A CGIAR Challenge Program (CP) is a time-bound, independently-governed program of high-impact research, that targets the CGIAR goals in relation to complex issues of overwhelming global and/or regional significance, and requires partnerships among a wide range of institutions in order to deliver its products.
 

Current Challenge Programs

Water and Food

The Water and Food Challenge Program creates research -based knowledge and methods for growing more food with less water, and develops a transparent framework for setting targets and monitoring progress.

Generation

The Generation Challenge Programme uses advances in molecular biology and harnesses the rich global stocks of crop genetic resources to create and provide a new generation of plants that meet farmers' needs.

Harvest Plus

Harvest Plus is an international, interdisciplinary, research program that seeks to reduce micronutrient malnutrition by harnessing the powers of agriculture and nutrition research to breed nutrient dense staple foods.
 

The first CPs, namely, Water and Food, HarvestPlus, and Generation , were launched on a pilot basis in 2003 following a CGIAR-approved process and guidelines for developing and implementing CPs. The first two years of experience in implementing the three programs provided some initial indications of the CP objectives being met and a number of lessons learned for improving program design and development. At the CGIAR Executive Council's (ExCo's) request , the Science Council and the CGIAR Secretariat undertook a study synthesizing lessons learned from the abovementioned CPs. The report was presented and discussed at the CGIAR's Annual General Meeting in 2004 (AGM04). Click here to read the report.

Also at AGM04, a fourth CP, the Sub-Saharan Africa Challenge Program (SSA CP), was approved by the CGIAR, conditional on successful implementation of an 18-month inception phase beginning in January 2005.
This Challenge Program's purpose is to address the most significant constraints to reviving agriculture in Africa, i.e., failures of agricultural markets, inappropriate policies and natural resource degradation with a
new paradigm, Integrated Agricultural Research for Development (IAR4D). This will foster synergies among disciplines and institutions along with a renewed commitment to change at all
levels from farmers to national and international policy makers. Read more

In 2008 the CGIAR Challenge Program "Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security" (CCCP) was approved and will be launched in 2009. This program is a major collaborative endeavour between the CGIAR, its partners and The Earth System Science Partnership (ESSP). This Challenge Program's purpose is aimed at overcoming the additional threats posed by a changing climate to achieving food security, enhancing livelihoods and improving environmental management in the developing world. Read more

For more details on the CGIAR Challenge Programs please click here