CGIAR Central Asia and the Caucasus

Lookig Ahead

The CGIAR Consortium on Eco-Regional Program for Sustainable Agriculture in CAC has made a good beginning. Strong partnership for ARD has been built among all the stakeholders. All this was achieved through research collaboration between the national scientists working and those of different CG centers and ARIs involved. The Program also helped in strengthening the National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS), especially the human resource development.

As a bottom-up initiative, the research priorities for the CAC region have been identified and initiatives taken to address those in a collaborative mode, with greater emphasis on system's approach involving an inter-disciplinary and inter-institutional approach. In future, the existing partnership will be extended to ensure active involvement of other stakeholders, especially the non-government organizations (NGO's), farmers' associations, private sector and the advanced research institutions (ARI's), and various research institutions.

The results so far achieved have also encouraged the Consortium members to expand their activities to meet specific chal-llenges of food security, poverty, and the conservation of natural resources in the CAC region.

The CGIAR centers, policy makers as well as many donors are looking forward to strengthen the program activities.

For required continuity and growth of this important and rather only regional agricultural research program, it is envisaged that the NARS, CG centers, ARIs and other stakeholders, including donor organizations, would continue strengthening their support for the on-going efforts under this initiative. Efforts so far have helped in catalyzing the process. Hence, continued support by all concerned would accelerate the process for achieving the main goal of sustainable agriculture in Central Asia and the Caucasus.