CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH
TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Alex F. McCalla
Chair
3 April 1992
Dear Mr. Rajagopalan,
It is my pleasure to submit to you TAC's Report on CGIAR Priorities and Strategies. The report is composed of two parts. Part I (containing Chapters 1-12) deals with TAC's current views on CGIAR priorities, while Part II (Chapters 13 and 14) covers the implications of revised priorities for the strategies and structure of the CGIAR and for resource allocation.
While Part I is very similar to the draft report that was discussed at International Centres Week '91, several changes have occurred reflecting the comments we received from members of the CGIAR, representatives of national research systems, centres and other stakeholders, and the outcome of further discussions by TAC at TAC 56 and 57. While we would, of course, encourage you and others to read through the entire document, we recognize that due to time limitations this may not be possible. Readers should, therefore, give particular emphasis to a careful reread of Chapter 12 which summarizes TAC's recommendations with respect to CGIAR priorities. Other important changes from the previous draft can be found in Section 2.2 on CGIAR activities and Section 4.6 where we have expanded the commodity coverage and have updated the data on prices and value of production. Due to the latter efforts, the outcome of the quantitative analysis reported in Chapter 9 is also slightly different, although the analytical approach has remained the same. In Chapter 9 we have also added new sections on the importance of particular commodities for the poor, and on spillover effects.
Part II of the Report is new. Chapter 13 builds on Chapters 8 and 11 of the report "A Possible Expansion of the CGIAR" (AGR/TAC:IAR/90/24) and contains TAC's views on future alternatives for strategies, and the structure of the CGIAR.
Mr. Visvanathan Rajagopalan
Chairman
Consultative Group on International
Agricultural Research
World Bank
1818 H Street, N.W.
Washington D.C. 20433
USA
Mail address: Technical Advisory Comm/CGIAR, University of California, Davis, CA 95616
Tel: (916) 752-8648/8649 - Telex: 4900010239 UCD UI - FAX (916) 752-8572
Office Location: 219 E St., Suite 2C, Davis, CA
Chapter 14 considers the implications of TAC's current views on CGIAR priorities for resource allocation, with particular reference to the medium-term programme and budget process. TAC discussed Part II for the first time at TAC 57 in March 1992 in Aleppo and we subsequently needed more time to revise this section than Part I. Part II is therefore being forwarded under separate cover.
Mr. Chairman, in transmitting this report, TAC completes the current round of analysis of CGIAR priorities as requested. We recognize however that priority setting is a continuing activity in the CGIAR. Over the next 12 months we will start monitoring the implementation of these revised priorities through the assessment of centres' medium-term proposals. With respect to Part II of the document, TAC recognizes that it would benefit from further inputs from members of the CGIAR and its stakeholders in the process, so a final version will be submitted to ICW'92.
The paper is a report from TAC as a whole, but I must pay special thanks to several people without whose hard work the task would not have been completed. Professor C.T. de Wit and the members of the TAC Standing Committee on Priorities and Strategies developed the methodology and proposed alternative approaches to TAC. John Monyo, Amir Kassam, Eric Craswell and the other staff of the TAC Secretariat have provided continuing and valuable support. Particular thanks must go to Guido Gryseels whose efforts were invaluable and far beyond the call of duty. Special thanks must also be given to the CGIAR Secretariat for their significant inputs in several sections of the report. Finally, we gratefully acknowledge the assistance received from FAO, ACIAR and many CGIAR institutes, particularly ISNAR and IFPRI.
We look forward to a stimulating discussion of the report at the Mid-Term Meeting of 1992 in Istanbul.
Yours sincerely,
Alexander F. McCalla
Chairman, TAC
