The ideas represented in this TAC assessment of natural resources management research in the CGIAR, with a focus on soil and water resources, have been evolving over a considerable period of time. When the study started, the SWNM and Systemwide water initiatives were merely ideas in the minds of a few people. The System has been moving very rapidly in natural resources management research, searching for the important researchable issues and for those for which the CGIAR has a competitive advantage in terms of international research. The TAC study has taken this rapid transition into account. The study attempts to assess the direction of change that is in fact taking place in the System, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of past and current activity.
As such, this study represents TAC's evolving ideas on soil and water research priorities and strategies for the System; and the study results will be fully integrated into TAC's current priorities and strategies activity. Further, TAC will use the study as a framework against which to judge future work on soil and water research in the CGIAR.
