(Members of a women’s group in Nigeria deposit money into a shared savings box. Photo by C. De Bode/CGIAR.)
Investments in CGIAR research generate returns of 10 times the amount invested, a new report has found. The report, commissioned by the Supporters of Agricultural Research (SoAR) Foundation, found a 10 to 1 benefit-cost ratio on CGIAR investments of $60 billion in present value terms over almost five decades.
Titled The Payoff to Investing in CGIAR Research, the report was co-authored by Julian M. Alston at the University of California, Davis; Philip G. Pardey at the University of Minnesota; and Xudong Rao at North Dakota State University.
The researchers found that not only did CGIAR research deliver high returns, but that the organization was uniquely positioned to benefit smallholder farmers and protect food systems through embedded partnerships in low-income countries. They noted that additional investments in CGIAR can be expected to perform exceptionally well, and urged accelerated funding for CGIAR to meet the world’s goals on ending poverty and hunger.
Read the full blog here
Download the SoAR report here