The impact of the International Agricultural Research Centers : measurement, quantification, and interpretation (Anglais)

The mission of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), with its seventeen international agricultural research centers, is to improve the welfare of poor people in developing countries in ways that also improve the future...  Voir la suite The mission of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), with its seventeen international agricultural research centers, is to improve the welfare of poor people in developing countries in ways that also improve the future productive capacity of their natural resources while protecting the quality of our wider environment. Impact studies help us to understand how technology influences agricultural production and the welfare of agricultural producers and consumers. This information, in turn, can be used to improve the efficiency of resource allocation for research at the international agricultural research centers (IARCs). Evidence of success, provided by impact studies, helps donor representatives defend CGIAR funding in their domestic budget process in times of recessions. The centers are facing two challenges: First, it is difficult to link research to the market. Research cannot be planned with certainty. Serendipity remains an important element. The second challenge is the diversity of IARCs' products with a clientele that is scattered across the developing world. Better market information will enhance the efficiency of the research process. This can be done by wide promotion of and support for adaptive research, and by rationalization of the organization of field-level staff working in research, extension, and evaluation.  Réduire