Further reform needed in global agriculture research say scientists

Global agricultural research is failing to improve conditions for farmers in poor countries despite numerous reforms to improve its ability to deliver that very thing.

Global agricultural research targeting developing countries need further reform. This is a message put forward by three Netherlands-based scientists, which is due to appear in an upcoming issue of the journal Global Food Security.

In the paper Cees Leeuwis, Laurens Klerkx and Marc Schut from Wageningen University’s knowledge and innovation group highlight the unsuitability of the current structure of the 15-member global CGIAR agricultural research centre grouping for the growing pressures on it to create “development impact”.