Germany strengthens global food security via international agricultural research

In 1974, Germany was one of the first countries to support sustainable funding of agricultural research and one of the founders of the CGIAR network. Since then, it has been possible to breed new varieties adapted to climate change, among which alone the latest maize varieties in African cultivating countries contribute an annual economic benefit of around a billion US dollars. 

Cultivating methods which are kind to natural resources, maintain soil fertility and simultaneously reduce CO₂ emissions are being applied by 36 million farmers. Yields enhanced in the long term by sustainable cultivation practices and new plant varieties currently amount to a corresponding value of an estimated 47 billion USD a year. They have contributed to world-wide global food security and to better living standards for millions of farmers.

As State Secretary for Development Jochen Flasbarth noted in a press release relating to this topic in December 2024, the international partnership to research and develop innovations in agriculture has contributed to countering major global challenges such as hunger and climate change through joint efforts, and based on scientific insights. This was what partner countries, supporters like Germany and internationally renowned agricultural research institutes were working on together in CGIAR (Global research partnership for a food-secure future, formerly the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research), Flachsbarth further explained. In a joint effort by this international partnership, it had been possible to breed new varieties adapted to climate change, develop natural resource-friendly cultivation methods and enhance yields in the long run. These were important contributions to combating hunger world-wide, conserving fertile soils and protecting the climate. In this way, millions of people’s livelihoods could be safeguarded, he pointed out.

CGIAR – the largest international research network

CGIAR, the global partnership for a food-secure future consisting of 15 international agricultural research centres and supported by more than 60 donors world-wide, is the largest global network for innovations in agriculture and food security. With a clear focus on sustainability, the partnership contributes to creating resilient agricultural systems, greater food security and better living conditions for millions of people.

In the course of its 50-year partnership with CGIAR, Germany has had a crucial influence on the network’s activities and has, in particular, promoted progress in research on climate-adapted varieties and sustainable cultivation practices.
Achievements emerging from CGIAR research:

• Innovations in plant development: With German support, CGIAR has developed 230 maize varieties adapted to climates. More than 52 million people are benefiting from their development, and farmers are achieving significant increases in yield with them. Thus the latest new varieties contributed to an annual economic benefit of roughly one billion USD in the African countries they were grown in. And salt-tolerant rice varieties have helped millions of farmers in South and Southeast Asia as well as Africa to safeguard the productivity of their soils even in harsh conditions.
   
• Protecting the climate in agriculture: With Germany’s support, CGIAR has implemented programmes on the development of low-emissions cultivation methods. These include certain crop rotation or sowing practices which preserve soil fertility while reducing CO₂ emissions. To date, 36 million farmers have adopted these technologies on 69 million hectares of land.
   
• Safeguarding natural resources: CGIAR research has contributed to keeping 25.6 million hectares of forest from being cut down or damaged – for example, by advising governments on adapting legal framework conditions in a manner that they have better harmonised forest conservation or by training farmers in cultivation methods enabling agriculture without deforestation and making use of positive impacts of forest conservation and agriculture. In this way, forest directly contribute to maintaining fertile soils for crop farming by offering protection against erosion and raising groundwater levels. With these measures, a crucial contribution is made to climate protection and conserving global biodiversity.
   
• Overall economic benefit: Sustainable technologies as well as environmentally friendly measures to protect plants against pests and new plant varieties developed by CGIAR are being used and applied world-wide on more than 221 million hectares. Annual increases in yield based on these achievements amount to an estimated 47 billion USD. 

(BMZ/wi)

More information:
Visit the BMZ website
Visit the CGIAR website
BMZ activities on global food security