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| CGIAR Research Program on Roots, Tubers and Bananas | |
|---|---|
| Name | CGIAR Research Program on Roots, Tubers and Bananas |
| Abbreviation | RTB |
| Established | 2012 |
| Headquarters | Lima, Peru |
CGIAR Research Program on Roots, Tubers and Bananas is an international agricultural research initiative that organized multi-institutional efforts to improve productivity, resilience, and market integration for starchy staple crops including cassava, sweetpotato, potato, yam, and banana. It combined crop improvement, pest and disease management, postharvest innovation, and value-chain development to influence food security, livelihoods, and nutrition across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The program operated within the broader network of CGIAR research centers and collaborated with national research systems, donors, and private-sector actors.
The program was launched amid global dialogues involving World Bank, Food and Agriculture Organization, International Fund for Agricultural Development, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation priorities to address chronic hunger in regions affected by the Global Food Crisis of 2007–2008, Millennium Development Goals, and later the Sustainable Development Goals. Its objectives included raising yields for smallholder producers of cassava, sweet potato, potato, yam, and banana; reducing crop losses from pests such as Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense; enhancing nutrient density to address micronutrient deficiency; and improving market access for rural enterprises in contexts shaped by policies from institutions like World Trade Organization and Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa.
Research themes combined plant breeding with pathology, postharvest technology, and value chain development to produce integrated solutions. Activities included genomic selection programs using platforms from CGIAR Research Program on Roots, Tubers and Bananas partners, participatory variety selection with national partners such as International Center for Tropical Agriculture and International Potato Center, and diagnostics development using collaborations with John Innes Centre and IRRI. Disease surveillance networks engaged institutions like Food and Agriculture Organization and national ministries, while postharvest and processing work partnered with FAO, World Vegetable Center, and private firms to reduce losses and add value for export-oriented chains governed by African Continental Free Trade Area. Cross-cutting themes included gender analyses influenced by United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women and climate resilience aligned with Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change scenarios.
Governance combined CGIAR centers including International Potato Center (CIP), International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Bioversity International, and World Agroforestry Centre with national agricultural research systems such as National Agricultural Research Organisation (Uganda) and Instituto Nacional de Innovación Agraria (Peru). Donor coordination involved UK Department for International Development, United States Agency for International Development, and philanthropic actors. Advisory oversight engaged experts from Royal Society, National Academy of Sciences, and regional bodies like African Union and Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Private-sector linkages included multinational firms, seed companies, and processors active in commodity chains regulated by agencies such as European Commission trade directorates.
Funding combined core CGIAR budget lines with project grants from organizations including Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Global Environment Facility, and bilateral donors like Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation. Resource allocation prioritized breeding, disease diagnostics, and scaling activities with monitoring and evaluation designs influenced by Development Assistance Committee norms. Investments targeted upstream genomic resources housed at partner genebanks such as International Potato Center collections and material transfer through networks associated with International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.
Major outputs included release of improved varieties with traits for disease resistance and enhanced beta-carotene content, diagnostic protocols for pests like banana bunchy top virus and Cassava Mosaic Virus, postharvest storage technologies, and value-chain toolkits used by development agencies and companies. Impact assessments reported contributions to yield gains, income increases for smallholders in Uganda, Peru, and Philippines, and nutrition improvements in regions with vitamin A deficiency. Scientific outputs appeared in journals alongside capacity building through training with institutions such as Makerere University and University of the Philippines Los Baños.
Regional implementation adapted global research to contexts in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. In Africa, projects targeted Nigeria, Ghana, and Democratic Republic of the Congo for cassava and yam interventions; in Asia, banana and sweetpotato programs engaged Philippines, Indonesia, and India; in Latin America, potato and cassava work focused on Peru and Colombia. Implementation used partnerships with regional organizations like Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa agencies and national extension services such as Kenya Agricultural & Livestock Research Organization.
Challenges included shifting pest dynamics exemplified by Fusarium wilt Tropical Race 4, constraints in seed and planting material systems, intellectual property and germplasm access framed by the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, and funding volatility amid changing donor priorities such as reorientation by Gates Foundation or DFID successors. Future directions emphasized climate-smart breeding linked to COP commitments, private-sector engagement in seed systems, digitization and remote sensing with partners like NASA and European Space Agency, and stronger linkages to national climate adaptation plans to scale resilient varieties and supply chains.
Category:Agricultural research