Together for the food-secure future: The crop improvement strategy for 2020's and beyond - SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL

Supplementary Material for manuscript: Together for the food-secure future: The crop improvement strategy for 2020's and beyond.

Abstract: The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) crop improvement (CI) programs, unlike commercial CI programs, which are mainly geared profit though meeting farmers’ needs, are charged with meeting multiple objectives with target populations that include both farmers and the community at large. We evaluate the role of various research disciplines in CI, their current stage of integration, maturity and relevance to the wide range of goals on the CGIAR agenda. First, we obtained the opinions from more than thirty experts, from many disciplinary areas, associated with crop improvement in the private and public sector. We summarized this information and identified the key activities and methodologies that could improve the CGIARs capacity to fulfill its mission. The issues we highlight are presented within the framework of: (1) human nature; (2) focus; (3) rapidly evolving technology; and (4) management and policies. We use the experience of the past to guide future efforts to accelerate our interpretation of the CGIAR´s vision of not only a well-fed world but also a prosperous and sustainable rural landscape.