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Canadian International Food Security Research Fund
Hunger is a global issue that threatens the well-being of those living in the developing world. In 2008, the world faced a food crisis which continues to be challenging today. In 2011, the humanitarian crisis in East Africa has demonstrated the need to address the high price of food, the shortage of stocks in many countries and the importance of good nutrition.
The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) has adopted a Food Security Strategy designed to contribute to the global efforts to meet these challenges. The support for agriculture is a key part of Canada’s strategy, however new crops, new tools and innovation need to be developed to meet the needs of the millions who are going hungry today and in the future.
As part of Canada’s 2009, G-8 L’Aquila commitment on food security, the Canadian International Food Security Research Fund (CIFSRF) was created to support partnerships between Canadian and developing country research organizations to carry out applied research to improve food security in developing countries.
The three objectives of the CIFSRF are to:
- Increase food security in developing countries by funding applied research in agricultural development and nutrition
- Apply Canadian science and technology expertise in collaboration with developing-country partners to address food security
- Use research results to inform food security policies and programs
CIFSRF-funded projects aim to put research into practice in sustainable agricultural development and nutrition. Examples of CIFSRF investments include diversification of crops and livestock to adapt to harsh and changing climates, and supporting smallholder farmers (including women) to improve the management of natural resources and productive inputs in order to maximize food production, dietary diversity, food safety, and nutritional quality.
Today’s announcement will build on the success of the first phase of the joint initiative originally announced in October 2009. This new phase, which will begin in 2012-13, will focus on building effective agricultural systems that would help to scale-up individual CIFRSF research projects to a sufficient size to achieve the results required to meet future global food demand. The new contribution of $62 million over five years is provided from CIDA ($50 million) and from the International Development Research Centre ($12 million).
