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Root and tuber crops have complex roles to play infeeding the developing world in the coming decades. By2020 more than two billion people in SIa Africa andLatin America will depend on these crops for food feedand Income. Many of them will be among the poorest ofthe poor Current decisions about research investment onroot and tuber crops in the CGIAR and the strategychosen for this rese rch will have profoundimplications for people around the world now and fordecades to come.

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Report to the Technical Advisory Committee TAC of the ConsultativeGroup on International Agricultural Research CGIAR) by theCommittee on Inter-Centre Root and Tuber Crops ResearchCICRTCR)

International Potato Center CIP)r Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical CIAT)I International Food Policy Research Institute IFPRI)I PRI

~ T S NDTUBERS INTH GLO L

FOOD SYST M

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Gregory Scott is Senior Economist, International Potato Center CIP .Rupert Best is Postharvest Specialist and Project Manager, Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical CIAT .Mark Rosegrant is Senior Research Fellow, International Food Policy Research Institute IFPRI .Mpoko Bokanga is Research Scientist. Biochemistry and Food Technology, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture UTA .

International Potato CenterAv. La Universidad 795 La MolinaP.O. Box 1558Lima 12. PeruE-Mail: [email protected] line at: www.cipotato.orgRoots and tubers in the global food system: vision statement to the year 2020Lima, Peru.ISBN: 92-9060-203-1Press run: 3400 copiesJuly 2000

Correct citation:Scott. G.J., R. Best, M. Rosegrant. and M. Bokanga. 2000. Roots and tubers in the global food system: vision statement to the year inclUding Annex . co-publication of the International Potato Center CIP , Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical CIAT . InternationalFood Policy Research Institute IFPRI , International Institute of Tropical Agriculture UTA , and International Plant Genetic Resources InstituteIPGRI . Printed in Lima. Peru: International Potato Center.

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ontents

cknowledgmentsExecutive SummaryPreface 1Roots and tubers in the global food system: A vision statement to the year 2020 1Mission of the CGIAR 1Multipurpose commodities 1The beneficiaries 1What the CGIAR brings to the vision 2Need for a systems approach 2Conclusions _ 3Recommendations 3nnex

Section 1 - Introduction and background 3Section 2 - Global development trends 3Section 3 - Characteristics trends and projections for roots and tubers .4

ppendix - The structure and operation of IFPRI s IMPACT 5Section 4 - Opportunities for roots and tubers 5Section 5 - Constraints to the development of roots and tubers 6Section 6 - Current research in and with the CGIAR on roots and tubers 7Section 7 - Alternative scenarios for future synergy in research on roots and tubers 9cronyms and abbreviations 9ibliography 1 Tables

1 Production edible energy and protein and value of major roots tubers and cereals in developingcountries 1995-97 1

2 Production of roots and tubers in 1993 and projections and growth rates to 2020 13 Projected regional distribution root and tuber production in 2020 1

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4 Selected markets for roots and tubers in 2020 and their associated traits 225 Total value of selected food commodities for developing countries, 1993 and 2020 236 CGIAR research projects on roots and tubers and their budgets, 1998 257 CGIAR networks, initiatives, and programs that include work on roots and tubers 28A1 Common and scientific names of edible roots and tubers 42A2 Main agronomic characteristics of the principal roots and tubers 44A3 Top ranking food crops in developing countries in terms of dry matter production/ha and edible energy

and protein production/ha/day 45A4 Raw material characteristics of roots and tubers 45A5 Nutritional composition of a 100g edible portion of various foods 46A6 Trends and projections for roots and tubers in developing countries, 1983-1996 and 1993-2020 according

to two different scenarios 48A7 Domestic utilization of roots and tubers by region, 1983 and 1996 49A8 Per capita utilization as food and feed, and percentage of calories and protein from roots and tubers as

food, 1983 and 1996 50A9 Estimated world prices for roots and tubers, and selected other commodities, late 1980s, 1993, and 2020 baseline and HOP scenarios 52

A10 Selected parameters of IFPRI s IMPACT 55A11 Selected opportunities for expanding utilization of roots and tubers and their relative potential in developing

countries, by commodity and by region 57A12 Attributes of Andean roots and tubers 71A13 Constraints to roots and tubers, by commodity 72A14. Current research on roots and tubers in the CGIAR, by commodity 75A15 Projects, collaborators, and countries engaged in research on roots and tubers 83A16 Complementarity and synergy among organizations in research on roots and tubers 91A17 Strengths and vulnerabilities of the present organization research on roots and tubers in the CGIAR 95igur s1 Projected growth rates for major food crops in developing countries, 1993-2020 182 Production of edible energy from roots, tubers, and major cereal crops 193 Annual total CGIAR b udget and percent spent on roots and tubers, 1972-1998 27

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knowledgments

We are grateful to the numerous individuals both in andoutside of the CGIAR who have commented on some or of the earlier versions of this document. In particular, theauthors would like to thank Malachy Akoroda U. ofIbadan), Robert Asiedu IITA , Lukas Brader IITA , JamesCock (Cenicafla, Colombia), Pablo Eyzaguirre (IPGRI),Shaun Ferris IITA , Francesco Goletti (IFPRI), MariaVeronica Gottret (CIAT), Anton Haverkort (AB-DLO), GuyHenry (CIRAD), Clair Hershey (consultant to CIAT ,Reinhardt Howeler CIAT , Masa Iwanaga (IPGRI), JohnLynam (The Rockefeller Foundation, Kenya), RebeccaNelson (CIP), Felix Nweke (Visiting Scholar, Department ofAgricultural Economics, Michigan State University), InnoGnwueme (University of Technology, Lae, Papua NewGuinea), Douglas Pachico (CIAT), Judith Thompson(IPGRI), Imke Thormann ( PGRI), Tom Walker (CIP),Andrew Westby (NRI), Jenny Woolfe (MAFF), MaheshUpadhya (CIP), Christopher Wheatley (CIAT), and DapengZhang (CIP). We specifically acknowledge C.M. SourangIFAD for his permission to cite the Global developmentstrategy for cassava report (Plucknett, Phillips, and

Kagbo, 1998) and the Global cassava market study (dTpStudies, Inc., 1998); the reader s attention is drawn to thefact that these are both works in progress.The authors would also like to thank Anna Coccia and

Concha Calpe of FAG s Commodities and Trade Divisionfor their sharing of information and documentation on rootand tuber crops. Greg Scott would also like express hisgratitude to Nikos Alexandratos and Jelle Bruinsma ofFAG s Global Perspectives Studies Unit for their providingthe opportunity for interaction on the trends andprojections for root and tuber crops through FAG sprogram for cooperation with academic and researchinstitutions.A special acknowledgment is due to Fred Powledge forhis work editing the final version of the document, to JoSears for her copy editing, to Luis Maldonado and VictorSuarez for their support in data analysis, and to JohnStares for his support in getting the manuscript to press.

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xe utive umm ry

In 1995, TAC commissioned an Inter-Centre Review ofRoot and Tuber Crops Research in the CGIAR, and thatgroup s final report was submitted In April 1996. Amongits findings, the review recommended that the Centersworking on these crops prepare, in consultation With nonCGIAR members, a comprehensive, documented text thatsets out a Vision for root and tuber research employingInter-Centre collaborations and institutionalpartnerships.... TAC 1997). At International CentersWeek 1996, representatives of CIAT Clp IFPRI IPGRI, andIITA met, formed an informal committee, and established atask force to prepare such a report, with CIP and CIATrepresentatives acting as co-convenors. This documentsynthesizes the principal findings of the subsequent work.

Roots and tuber crops have myriad and complex rolesto play in feeding the world in the coming decades. Farfrom being one sort of crop that serves one specificpurpose, they will be many things to many-vel} manypeople. By 2020, roots and tubers Will be integrated intoemerging markets through the efficient andenvironmentally sound production of a diversified range ofhigh-quality, competitive products for food, feed, andindustry. These crops adaptation to marginalenvironments, their contribution to household foodsecurity, and their great flexibility in mixed farming systemsmake them an important component of a targeted strategythat seeks to improve the welfare of the rural poor and tolink smallholder farmers with these emerging growthmarkets. We estimate that by 2020 well over two billionpeople in Asia, Afnca, and Latin America will use roots andtubers for food, feed, and income. Many of these peoplewill be among the poorest of the poor. The CGIAR Centers,With their partners, will contnbute to achieVing thiS visionthrough the application of science; dissemination ofinformation, tools, and methodologies; poliCY support;and, strengthening of national research and developmentsystems.

Roots and tubers deserve particular attention becausemany of the developing world s poorest and most foodinsecure households look to these crops as a contnbuting,

Previous Paae :Blank 9

if not the principal, source of food, nutrition, and cashincome. Among other things, farm households see thevalue of roots and tubers in their ability to produce moreedible energy per hectare per day than other commoditiand in their capacity to generate yields under conditionswhere other crops may fail. In 1995-97, farmers indeveloping countnes harvested 439 million metnc tons othe major roots and tubers-cassava potato, sweetpotaand yam-with an estimated annual value of more thanUS 41 billion, nearly one-fourth the value of the majorcereals.

While the versatility of all the root and tuber crops Interms of why they are grown and how they are used Willremain an enduring attraction for producers andconsumers alike, we envision an overall trend towardgreater specialization in end use, in the locat ion ofprOduction, and in the types of production systems inwhich these crops are cultivated. From a globalperspective, potato and yam Will be used largely as foodand primarily in fresh form. The nse in consumption ofpotato, though, will involve more processed prOducts,made possible largely by more environmentally friendlyvarieties with the appropriate processing characteristicsCassava, sweetpotato, and other roots and tubers will bincreasingly used In processed form for food, or feed anstarch-derived products. Non-food, non-feed uses willgrow in volume as a result of research that enhancesvarietal characteristics (as through biotechnology) andlowers their cost as a source of raw material.

Our collaborative work on projections for roots andtubers to indicates continued positive growth ratesoutput, but noticeably higher for some crops than otherCassava, potato, sweetpotato and yam production Willincrease 1.74, 2.02, 0.8, and 2.7 percent annually,respectively, between 1993 and 2020, according tosimulations based on more conservative estimates of keparameters. A second set of simulations gives greateremphaSIS to recent trends In production and use for rooand tubers. They show that productIOn growth rates willparticularly strong for potato 2.7 percent per year) and

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Executive Summary

yam (2.9 percent per year). Growth for cassavaas well assweetpotato will expand at a more modestpace 1 95and 1.0 percent per year respectively-although in SubSaharan Africa their growth rates in production will becomparable to those for potato and yam. Moreover, theprojected growth rates for cassava, potato, and yamindeveloping countries exceed those projected for the majorcereal crops such as rice and wheat. While these growthrates may appear high, they actually represent aconsiderable slowdown in the recent rates of expansionfor these roots and tubers and from that historicalperspective are quite reasonable.

Our projections also indicate increased regional and/orcontinental concentration of production.By 2020, over 60percent of global cassava production will be in SubSaharan Africa. Potato production in West, South, andEast Asia will account for nearly80 percent of developingcountry totals. Sweetpotato will be heavily skewed towardChina with over 82 percent, with the bulk of the remainderin Central, East, and Southern Africa. Yam will be evenmore highly concentrated, over 90 percentin West Africa.

To add to this complex portrait of diversity is adichotomous set of supply-side versus demand-sideconstraints. Each of the commodities faces constraintsfrom both sides and the CGIAR contributions are bestconsidered in a systems framework covering productionthrough to uti lization and policy. But, potato and yam aremore vulnerable to supply-side problems, while broadlyspeaking cassava, sweetpotato, and other roots andtubers face more demand-side limitations.Research, of the sort at which the CGIAR systemexcels, can cope with both kinds of constraints. Researchand development can remove or reduce barriers toincreased output, and such techniquesas germplasmimprovement to lower raw material costs and enhancequality can deal with demand-side constraints.Strengthening grower-processor linkages and small- tomedium-scale enterprises, as well as improved policies,can also remove constraints.Our projections of the economic value of thesecommodities indicate that these commodities are likely tosustain their importance in the decades ahead. It isnoteworthy that these calculations take into considerationthe production of nearly all the major food commoditiesin

the global food system: cereals, roots and tubers,soybean, and meat. Our set of more conservativecalculations estimates roots and tubers share of the totalvalue of these products IS projected to drop from 10.5percent in 1993 to 8.8 percent in 2020. Our simulationsgrounded more in recent trends project roots and tubers

share will remain at 10.5 percent of that total, identical tothe estimated value in the base period 1993.The three principal Centers working on roots andtubers account for over95 percent of the total CGIAR

budget for these commodities.CIAT with headquarters inColombia, works on cassava for Latin America and Asia;Clp in Peru has the global mandate on potato,sweetpotato, and Andean roots and tubers; and,IITA inNigeria, works primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa on cassavaand yam. Additional, complementary work on food policyresearch is done by IFPRI with headquarters in the UnitedStates. IFPRI s mandate is not specific to roots andtubers, but it places those crops In the wider context ofproduction, utilization, and trade. IPGRI, in Italy, focuseson genetic resources. In 1998, these activities werecarried out In some 35 projects at a cost of about US 44million. This figure represented 14 percent of the totalCGIAR budget, a percentage that has remained fairlyconstant since 1972. A series of Impact studies has foundthat investments in research on roots and tubers have paidvery high rates of return.

Given the projected increases in supply and demand,the importance of roots and tubers in developing countriesis unlikely to diminish by 2020 or long afterward.In orderto attain the objectives of improving food security anderadicating poverty, it is fit, proper, and necessary for theCGIAR as well as other national, bilateral, andmultinational organizations to retain these crops asanintegral part of a global strategy to increase foodproduction and utilization in Asia, Africa, and LatinAmerica in the decades ahead.Having considered a variety of alternativeorganizational arrangements for root and tuber researchinthe CGIAR, the task force identified the following threefuture scenarios: 1 continued informal collaboration, 2 aglobal collaborative root and tuber program, and3 a rootand tuber Center. At their annual meeting in Washingtonduring International Centers Week 1999, Centerrepresentatives reviewed these options and recommendedthe System-wide Root and Tuber Crop Program for furtherconsideration. This recommendation is now beingconsidered by the Centers and their respective governingbodies.The Annex to this document consists of supporting

information, commodity statistics, a synthesis of numerousreports, and organizational schema intended to provide asubstantive justification for this vision. It includes adetailed review of constraints and opportunities for thesecrops as well as a synthesis of current research in andwith the CGIAR on roots and tubers.

10

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ref ce

This document and associated ones evolved from a seriesof discussions and papers dating to International CentersWeek ICW 1993, when the Consultative Group onInternational Agricultural Research (CGIAR) requested itsTechnical Advisory Committee TAG to conduct a criticalexamination CGIAR programs in the context of a longterm vision, taking into account current and future trendswith options for structural change within the system.Subsequently, at the CGIAR s mid-term meeting in 1994,TAC presented the paper, h CGIAR in the 2 st Century:Options for Structural Change In that paper, TAC noted theurgent need to define a strategy for roots and tubersresearch in the medium-term and to explore alternativemechanisms... TAC, 1994).In 1995, TAC commissioned an Inter-Centre Review ofRoot and Tuber Crops Research in the CGIAR, and thatgroup s final report was submitted in April 1996 TAC,1997). While the review noted the wide variety of previousand ongoing collaborative activities involving the differentCenters engaged in research on roots and tubers, itconsidered that there were still gains to be capturedthrough a slightly more formalized, comprehensive, andforward looking approach. Among its recommendationswas the formation of an Inter-Centre ConsultativeCommittee on Root and Tuber Crops Research ICRTCRthat would advise on system-wide planning, coordination,and operation. The review further recommended that atask force, including consultation with non-CGIARmembers, be convened to prepare a comprehensive,documented text that sets out a vision for root and tuberresearch employing Inter-Centre collaborations andinstitutional partnerships... TAC, 1997).

* ISNAR was also invited to attend, but declined to participate.

In response to the recommendations of the InterCentre review, the International Potato Center proposed ameeting CIAT, Clp, IFPRI, IPGRI, and IITArepresentatives at ICW 1996 for the purpose of formalizingthe ICRTCR.* That meeting took place and the task forcewas established, with CIP and CIAT representatives actingas co-convenors, with the following terms of reference: ato provide a vision the potential for root and tuber cropsand how they can make a fuller contribution to the food,feed and industrial requirements of developing countriesin the 21st century; b to identify the factors that constrainthe development of root and tuber crops and that limit therealization of their full social and economic potential; and(c) to formulate a set of recommendations for thedevelopment of a coherent research and developmentstrategy for root and tuber crops. At ICW 1997, apreliminary set of projections for root and tuber crops waspresented by the task force to the ICRTCR. At ICW 1998,the ICRTCR was re-christened the Committee on InterCentre Root and Tuber Crops Research (CICRTCR) and acomplete draft of the vision statement was circulated forinternal review and subsequently sent out to a group ofnon-CGIAR scientists for their inputs. These commentsserved as the basis for a series of revisions. Thisstatement synthesizes the principal findings thesubsequent work.

For additional information on trends and projectionsfor roots and tubers, see Scott, Rosegrant, and Ringler(2000,2000a).

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Roots and tubers in the global food system vision statement to the year

Roots and tubers have myriad and complex parts to playin feeding the world in the coming decades. Far frombeing one sor t o f crop that serves one specific purpose,they will be many things to many very many people Insome cases, they will mean the difference betweensubsistence and achieving a leg up on the economicladder; in others, they wil l mean the difference betweensurvival and starvation. In all Instances, their potential tohelp improve food security and eradicate poverty will beImportant. We propose, therefore, a vis ion for thecontribution that these crops wil l make to the global foodsystem by the year 2020. This vision can be summarized asfollows:

By 2020 roots ndtubers will be integrated intoemerging markets through the efficient ndenvironmentally sound production of diversifiedrange of high quality competitive products for foodfeed nd industry. These crops adaptation tomarginal environments their contribution tohousehold food security nd their great flexibility inmixed farming systems make them an importantcomponent of a targeted strategy that seeks toimprove the welfare of the rural poor nd to link

vision th utur

smallholder farmers with these emerging growthmarkets.

h CGIAR Centers with their partners will contributeto achieving this vision through the application ofscience; dissemination of information tools ndmethodologies; policy support; and strengthening ofnational research nddevelopment systems.

Mission of the CGI RThe mission of the Consultative Group on InternationalAgricultural Research (CGIAR) is worthy and farreaching with profound implications for humanity s mostbasic necessities now and for generations to come. TheCGIAR seeks To contribute to food security and povertyeradication In developing countries through research,partnership, capacity-building, and policy support,promoting sustainable agncultural development based onthe environmentally sound management of naturalresources (CGIAR, 1998: Viii).

Vision comes from the Latin to see A modern dictionary demonstrates the term s several meanings: I t can be somethingthat is seen to convey a revelation Alternatively it can be the act or power of imagination Or and this is the sense inwhich we look ahead and try to glimpse the future of an important component of the foods that keep people alive it canmean an unusual discernment or foresight. Here that foresight is based on the accumulated knowledge of hundreds ofscientists and policymakers at CGIAR and allied organizations

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Roots and tubers in the global food system

The questions addressed in this statement concern anextremely important element in that battle for food securityand poverty elimination: How can the CGIAR best ensurethat the different species of roots and tubers cassavapotato, sweetpotato, yam, as well as the aroids andAndean roots and tubers each make the greatestcontribution to its overall mission, and, in so doing, to theglobal food system? And how will these crops rolesevolve by the year 2020, when the world will be quite adifferent place, filled with many more people, all of themneeding to be fed?

These questions deserve particular attention becausemany of the developing world s poorest and most foodinsecure households look to roots and tubers as acontributing, if not the principal, source of food, nutrition,and cash income (Alexandratos, 1995). Among otherthings, farm households see the value of roots and tubersin their ability to produce large quantities of dietaryenergy and in their stability of production under conditionswhere other crops may fail (Alexandratos, 1995:189). In1995-97, farmers in developing countries produced 439million metric tons (mt) of the major roots and tubers-cassava, potato, sweetpotato and yam with an estimatedannual value of more than US 41 billion, nearly one-fourththe value of the major cereals (Table 1).* The different species are cassava Manihot esculenta , potatoes Solanumspp.), sweetpotato Ipomoea batatas , and yams Dioscorea spp.). Otherroots and tubers Includes aroids such as taro Colocasla esculenta andAndean roots and tubers such as ulluco Ullucus tUberosus , arracachafJ,rracacla xanthorrhlza , maca Lepidium meyeni/ , and oca Oxallstuberosa .

The answers are complex, covering a diversity ofareas, activities, and actors, each of which is in constantflux and each of which affects the others. They includepopulation growth; nutntion; protection of theenvironment; the evolution of farming systems; traditionaland emerging research technologies; tastes that changeas income rises and people throng to urban areas; andthe opportunities as well as sometimes traumaticalterations brought about by falling trade barriers and theincreaSing globalization of economic activity.

Perhaps the most influential of these trends for rootand tuber crops are those noted by Pinstrup-Andersen,Pandya-Lorch, and Rosegrant (1999) in their recentassessment of the world food situation to 2020: The increase in global population from 5.7 to 7.5 bil lionpeople (United Nations, 1999), more than 95 percent ofwhich will take place in developing countries. Hence,

the proportion of the world s population liVing indeveloping countries will increase from nearly 80percent to 84 percent. The growing urbanization of the developing world; thedeveloping world s urban population is expected todouble to 3.4 billion (United Nations, 1996). The differentiated growth rates in income in particularwith higher per capita incomes in Asia andconsiderably lower levels in Sub-Saharan Africa.

As a result, tremendous pressure will be placed on theglobal food system to produce more food and to provide

Table 1. Production, edible energy and protein, and value of major roots, tubers, and cereals in developing countries, 1995-97.Price Production Edible energy Edible protein ValueCommodity US /mt) million mt) trillion million mt) US billion)kilocalories)

Cassava 53 165.3 142 0.7 8.8Potato 157 105.3 65 1.8 16.5Sweetpotato 88 137.0 127 1.9 12.1Yam 130 31.5 28 0.5 4.1Major roots/ tubers 439.1 362 4.9 41.4Wheat 146 272.2 687 27.4 39.7Maize 126 257.6 786 20.1 32.5Milled rice 284 350.0 851 15.7 99.4Major cereals 879.8 2,324 63.2 171.6Source: Scott, Rosegrant, and Ringler (2000)Note: Production data based on O (1998 June, accessed July): coeffiCients for calculating edible energy and protem are based on Horton (1988),prices are based on estimates for 1993 and 2020 baselme scenario interpolated for 1995-97, see Table A9, totals may not sum due to rounding., Milled rice is more readily comparable to the other commodities for the purposes of calculating utilization, hence the production figures are presentedhere in comparable Units

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A vision statement to the year 2020

oo security nd insecurityWhat is food security and its opposite, food insecurity ? Here are some recent definitions, gathered from the literature oninternational agricultural research: People suffer from food insecurity when they do not get enough food to lead healthy, active lives. Healthy, active lives is acomponent of virtually all definitions of the term. Insecurity often applies to the majority of people in a region, but it alsocan refer to individuals who live in an otherwise affluent area.

When food security is lacking, people have a reduced capacity to cope with unexpected setbacks in their economic ornatural environments. Food security. .. exist[s] when all people at all times have physical and economic access to sufficient food to meet theirdietary needs for a productive and healthy life. Food insecurity exists when the availability of nutritionally adequate and safefoods, or the ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways, is limited or uncertain. United States ofAmerica General Accounting Office, 1999:1-2).

Food security means access by all people at all times to the food needed for a healthy life. Sustainable food security aimsto achieve this goal without compromising the productive capacity of natural resources, the integrity of biological systems,or environmental quality. FAO and UN p 1994.)

increasing percentages of that output to urban as well asrural areas. Furthermore, agriculture and food systems willremain the principal means for income generation amongthe rural poor in Asia, Afr ica, and Lat in America in thedecades ahead.

The decisions and research investments that theCGIAR and its partners make today wil l strongly affect therole of roots and tubers in the global food system over thenext fifteen or twenty years and as a resu lt the potential ofthese crops to help improve food security and eradicatepoverty. Our underlying hypothesis is that the developingcountries benef its from root and tuber crops In 2020 wil lbe strongly related to the strength of the support theCGIAR provides at the beginning of the new century-rightnow. We further believe that these commodities, oftenunderestimated in accountings of the crops that feed theworld, are vital elements in carrying out the CGIAR smiSSion. Over two bil lion people in the tropics andsubtropics depend on roots and tubers for theirsustenance and livelihood.

Multipurpose commoditiesMore than IS the case with most of the commodities in theCGIAR s repertoire, roots and tubers mean different thingsto different people in different regions of the wor ld , and atdifferent levels of economic wel l-being. Far from beingsimply bulky, perishable starchy staples produced for onfarm consumption, the crops fulfill a number of baSIC roles

15

in the global food system, all of which have fundamentaimplications for meeting food requirements, increasingfood security, and reducing poverty. Demographicchanges and the evolution of per capita incomes wil lcontinue to differentiate those roles by commodity andregion. Thus, we est imate that by 2020 wel l over twobillion people in Asia, Afr ica, and Lat in America will useroots and tubers for food, feed, or sources of income.Many of these people wil l be among the poorest of thepoor. Here are some examples: In Sub Saharan Africa where economic growth wi

be slow but population growth fast, cassava will befavored source of cheap carbohydrates in thecount ryside and also continue to serve as a foodsecurity crop (Scott, Rosegrant, and Ringler, 2000a)Furthermore, as urbanization continues in the regiomore people in cit ies and towns wil l purchase theirfood, rather than grow i t themselves. That wil l contito give small farmers a source of cash income fromcassava; some of it wil l reach the market in processform (Nweke, 1992). The resul ting gains in povertyeradication and greater food security will depend inpar t on an integrated set of research outputs thatinclude higher-yielding, pest-resistant varieties;Improved crop management as well as processingequipment and procedures; better linkages amongproducers, processors, and consumers throughcapacity-building in market analysis and enterprisedevelopment; and improved policies that facilitatedevelopment and adoption of these innovations.

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West frica yam will be a preferred local vegetablein some locations a staple) and will be increasinglyimportant as a source of cash income; in parts ofCentral Eastern and Southern frica sweetpotatowill playa supplementary role to cassava and maize asa seasonal source of food, food security, and cash.Both sweetpotato and yam can help eliminate povertyand improve food security in their respective areas ofgreatest concentration. Research is needed todevelop pest-resistant varieties, improve the availabilityof planting material, and explOit the growing demandfor inexpensive nutritious foods and processedproducts.In sia generally, faster economic growth and slowerpopulation expansion will shape the future of roots andtubers. Higher Incomes will bring less dependence oncereals and greater demand for potatoes in fresh andprocessed form FAG 1995). Potato will be the mostimportant vegetable in Asia with increased productionproviding more food, Income, and employment. Thecrop s expansion will be speeded by development andadoption of yield-increasing technology and policiesaimed at continuous improvement of storage andmarketing.In China higher incomes and increased urbanizationwill stimulate further increases in the demand for meatand prepared foods. This will translate into greater useof sweetpotato as a source of starch for processedfood and other starch-derived products and as aninexpensive source of animal feed particularly inpoorer, more isolated areas and hence into higherincomes for less well-off households engaged insweetpotato processing. Again, research will helpproduce the most useful type of roots, commerciallyviable procedures and products as well as policies toinduce adoption of improved production andpostharvest technologies. Southeast sia there will be demand for cassava,also, for use as processed food and feed, and forspecialized starch products dTp Studies, Inc., 1998).The competitiveness of these pr,oducts, and theresulting benefits to low-income households, will beassured by the continued reduction of productioncosts through the diffusion of higher-yielding vanetieswith higher dry matter content so as to maximizeconversion rates from raw material to processedproduct, the adoption of fertility and erosionmanagement practices, and the incorporation ofimproved processes and management practices byagro-enterprises.

In parts of Oceania yam and other roots and tuberssuch as taro wil l continue to be uti lized in morelocalized production and consumption systems.In Latin merica production of cassava and potatowill remain important in quantitative terms butWillbecome less and less important from a globalperspective. Pnvate sector investment will make anincreasing contribution to research and developmentof cassava for use as processed food and feed.Sweetpotato, yam, and Andean roots and tubers suchas achira or canna), ulluco, and arracacha willcontinue to be Important to poor households in muchmore speCifiC locations. Once the properties of theseroots and tubers are better understood by science,they too may become candidates for specializedmarkets.Thus, any projections of consumption and output

patterns for roots and tubers in developing countries mustpay careful attention to the different ways in which thecrops are used. While the versati lity of all the root andtuber crops in terms of why they are grown and how theyare used will remain an enduring attraction for producersand consumers alike, we envision an overall trend towardgreater specialization in end use, in the location ofproduction, and in the types of production systems inwhich these crops are cultivated.From a global perspective, cassava and sweetpotatowill be increasingly used in processed form for food, feedand starch-derived products, e.g. high fructose syrup,monosodium glutamate. Non-food, non-feed uses will

grow in volume as a result of research that enhancesvarietal characteristics as through biotechnology) andlowers their cost as a source of raw material. Potato andyam will be used largely as food and pnmarily in freshform. The rise in consumption of potato, though, willinvolve more processed products, made pOSSible largelyby more environmentally friendly varieties with theappropnate processing characteristics. Research on thequality characteristics of yam starch may Identifyadditional market segments beyond those for fresh roots Berthaud, Bricas, and Marchand, 1998).Our collaborative work on projections for roots andtubers to 2020, using IFPRl s IMPACT model see box, p.

17), Indicate continued positive growth rates in output Table 2), but noticeably higher for some crops thanothers. They will be particularly strong for potato 2.7percent per year) and yam 2.9 percent per year). Growthfor cassava as well as sweetpotato Will expand at a moremodest pace 1 95 and 1.0 percent per yearrespectively-although in Sub-Saharan Africa the growthrates in production for cassava and sweetpotato Will be

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vision statement to the year 2020

IFPRl s IMP CT modelGlobal projections of root and tuber supply and demand were based on an updated version of IFPRI s International Model forPolicy Analysis of Agricultural Commodities and Trade (IMPACT). IMPACT covers 37 countries and regions and 18commodities, including all cereals, soybean, roots and tubers, meats, and dairy products (accounting for virtually all of theworld s food and feed production and consumption). The model is specified as aset of country-level demand and supplyequations linked to the rest of the world through trade (see Rosegrant, Agcaoili-Sombilla, and Perez, 1995).The results presented here are from a revised and updated version of IMPACT These projections attempt to go beyond pastestimates of future root and tuber supply and demand in a number of important respects, including disaggregating roots andtubers in amulti-commodity model (see Scott, Rosegrant and Ringler, 2000, 2000a for details).

Table 2. Production of roots and tubers in 1993, and projections and growth rates to 2020.Cassava Potato Sweetpotato and yam

Country/regionProduction

1993 2020Growth rate1993-2020

Production1993 2020

Growth rate1993-2020

Production1993 2020

Growth ra1993-202

(million mt) (percenVyr) (million mt) (percenVyr) (million mt)China 4.8 6.6 1.21 42.5 87.8 2.72 108.5 136.0Other East Asia na na na 2.4 3.3 1.18 0.8 1.1India 5.8 7.1 0.76 16.3 43.3 3.67 1.2 1.3Other South Asia 0.8 1.3 1.61 3.5 7.7 2.98 0.5 0.7Southeast Asia 42.0 48.2 0.51 1.3 2.3 2.08 5.3 8.0Latin America 30.3 42.0 1.22 12.6 20.2 1.76 2.6 3.7W Asia/N. Africa 0NANA) 0.1 0.2 1.61 13.0 23.4 2.21 0.1 0.2Sub-Saharan Africa 87.8 183.8 2.77 2.6 6.0 3.06 36.0 78.0Developing 172.4 290.3 1.95 94.3 194.0 2.71 155.9 230.2Developed 0.4 0.4 0.67 191.0 209.5 0.34 2.1 2.3World 172.7 290.8 1.95 285.3 403.5 1.29 158.0 232.5

(percenVy0.841.360.441.271.491.411.552.901.450.361.44

Source: IFPRI s IMPACT simulations, high demand/production growth scenario, as presented in Scott, Rosegrant, and Ringler 2000 .Note: 1993 signifies the three-year moving average for 1992-94; na signifies not applicable; totals may not sum due to rounding. Other East Asia coverHong Kong, Macau, Mongolia, North Korea, and South Korea. Other South ASia covers Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, aSri Lanka. Southeast Asia covers Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.Latin America covers Central and South America plus Mexico. West Asia/North Africa (WANA) covers Algeria, Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Gaza Strip, Iran,Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Western Sahara, and Yemen.Sub-Saharan Africa covers Central, West, Eastern, Northern, and Southern Sub-Saharan Africa. These figures are for cassava and other roots and tubers such as taro. For developing countries, cassava alone accounts for over 9 percent ofthe total.b Estimates for Sub-Saharan Africa are largely for yam, given the 80/20 distribution of production in the region of the two crops according to FAO 199June); in ASia and WANA for sweetpotato only as FAO 1999 April) indicates only the Philippines produces yam and less than 30,000 mt on 5900 haand, n Latin America 68/32 for sweetpotato versus yam.FAO indicates very high yields in Egypt for a small area.

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comparable to those for potato and yam. Moreover, theprojected growth rates for cassava, potato, and yam indeveloping countries exceed those projected for the majorcereal crops such as rice and wheat Figure 1).While these growth rates may appear high for potatoand yam as well as cassava in Sub-Saharan Africa, theyactually represent a considerable slowdown in the recentrates of expansion and from that historical perspective arequite reasonable. According to FAO 1999 April), growthrates for potato, yam and cassava in Sub-Saharan Africa)production in developing countries over the last decadehave been 4.7 percent, 8.7 percent, and 3 5 percent.Farmers worldwide are increasingly aware of the capacityof roots and tubers to out-produce the cereals in terms ofquantities of edible energy harvested per hectare per day Figure 2). To cite but one of a series of recent examples,according to FAO 1999 April) India now produces over 25million mt of potato nnu lly upfrom 16 million mt in

1992 94 Table 2 . IFPRl s IMPACT model shows thatproduction rising to 43 million mt by 2020.Our projections also indicate increased regional and/orcontinental concentration of production Table 3). By2020, over 60 percent of global cassava production will bein Sub-Saharan Africa. Potato production in West, South,and East Asia wil l account for nearly 80 percent ofdeveloping-country totals. Sweetpotato will be heavilyskewed toward China with over 82 percent; with the bulkof the remainder in Sub-Saharan. Yam will be even morehighly concentrated, over 90 percent in West Africa.There wil l be strong differences, too, in the productionsystems in which these commodities are cultivated. Thus,while the diversity among roots and tubers means thatdifferent crops are capable of contributing to different

developing-country food systems in different ecologicalregimes, potato will increasingly be dominant in twosystems the subtropical lowlands in Asia and NorthAfrica, and the subtropical highlands throughout thedeveloping world where s cassava and sweetpotato willincreasingly achieve prominence in several other, quitedistinct systems.

To add to this complex portrait of diversity is adichotomous set of supply-side versus demand-sideconstraints. Each of the commodities faces constraintsfrom both sides, but potato and yam are more vulnerableto supply-side problems, while broadly speaking cassavaand sweetpotato face more demand-side limitations.Research, of the sort at which the CGIAR system excels,can cope with both kinds of constraints. Research anddevelopment can remove or reduce barriers to increasedoutput, and such techniques as germplasm improvementto lower raw material costs and enhance quality can dealwith demand-side constraints. Strengthening growerprocessor linkages and small- to medium-scaleenterprises, as well as improved policies, can also removeconstraints.

he benefici riesWith the help of the kind of technological expertise that theCGIAR system can provide to overcome these constraints,the beneficiaries of roots and tubers in terms of povertyeradication and greater food security can cover a range asbroad as the crops uses. When research is orientedtoward development, as it is in the CGIAR, by definition ithas an overriding focus on people. Thus it is appropriateto consider who the intended beneficiary groups are; whattheir needs are for improved income and food security;

igur 1. Projected growth rates for major food crops in developing countries, 1993-2020.

PotatoMaize

CassavaWheat

Sweetpotato and yamRice

i I Ii I I

I II II I

5 1 1.5 2 2 5 3Average annual growth rate percent)

Source: IFPRI s IMPACT simulations, high demand/production growth scenario, as presented in Scott, Rosegrant, and Ringler 2000).a Disaggregated growth rates for sweetpotato 1.0) and yam 2.9) are estimated outside IFPRI s IMP CT but calculated based on those Simulations and

historical trends.

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Avision statement to the year 2020

Figure 2. Production of edible energy from roots, tubers, and major cereal crops.

121

Cassavaiceaize Sweetpotato Wheatamotatoo

250216

200 182:;::::: 159I>0 1500o C i>.C l .

C l j)-C ___100J

050

Source: Horton and Fano (1985).

Table 3. Projected regional distribution of root and tuber production in 2020.Cassava Potato Sweetpotatob

Country/region 2020 ( ) 2020 ( ) 2020 ( )(million mt) (million mt) (million mt)China 6.6 2.3 87.8 45.3 136.0 82.2Other East Asia 0.0 0.0 3.3 1.7 1.1 0.7India 7.1 2.4 43.3 22.3 1.3 0.8Other South Asia 1.3 0.4 7.7 4.0 0.7 0.4Southeast Asia 48.2 16.6 2.3 1.2 8.0 4.8Latin America 42.0 14.5 20.2 10.4 25 1.5W. Asia/N. Africa 0.2 d 0.1 234 12.1 0.2 d 0.1Sub-Saharan Africa 183.8 63.3 6.0 3.1 15.6 9.4All Developing 290.3 100.0 194.0 100.0 165.4 100.0

2020 ( )(million mt)

2 1.962.4 98.163.6 100.0

AIIR T2020 ( (million mt)

230.4 32.4.4 0.51.7 7.9.7 1.58.5 8.65.9 9.23.9 3.267.7 37.

714.6 100.Source: IFPRI's IMPACT simulations, high demand/production growth scenano, as presented In Scott, Rosegrant, and Ringler (2000). See also notes cd, and e below.Note: R&T= roots and tubers; ellipses ... Signify negligible data; na signifies not available; totals may not sum due to rounding. For country/regiondefinitions see note, Table 2.aThese figures are for cassava and other roots and tubers such as taro. For developing countries, cassava alone accounts for over 97 percent of the toThefigures for 2020 for sweetpotato and yam are estimates calculated outSide IFPRI's IMPACT, but based on those simulations and hlstoncal trends Salso note b Table 2.cAccording to F (1999 April), only the Philippines produces yam and less than 30,000 mt on 5900 ha.d F Indicates very high yields In Egypt for a small area.'According to F O (1999 Apnl), West ASia/North Afnca (WANA) produces no yam and In 1992-94, Egypt produced some 128,000 mt of sweetpotato o

5100 ha.

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how other, unintended groups might be affected; and, howthese groups are linked in ways that should influence aresearch strategy.There are several actors in the global food system thatbenefit from the sort of advances in roots and tubers thatresearch can provide.

Producers constitute the largest group of peopledirectly affected by research and development outputs.Their diets, health, and incomes are the principal focus ofthese endeavors. They are typically farmers with smallholdings, on less-favored or marginal lands, and at thelower end of the economic scale, but also include farmworkers and their families who help cultivate and transformthese crops.Processors manufacturers and traders are fewer innumber, compared to producers and consumers, but theyhave important links to those who grow and those whouse these crops. Furthermore, they manage many of theresources that can influence demand for the productsfarmers can offer in the marketplace. They are catalysts in

roduction systems for roots n tubers

the global food system, and they should be integrated intoa research and development strategy. onsumersof roots and tubers include those whomake traditional use of food and feed as well as those who

use products derived from processing, such as starchBricas and Attaie, 1998; Hermann and Heller, 1997;Nweke, 1992; Woolfe, 1987, 1992 in one way or another.The consumer market includes practically everyone, forstarch from roots and tubers is used in pharmaceuticals,paper, and textiles dTp Studies, Inc., 1998 . We focushere though solely on the consumer benefits fromresearch at the direct-use or basic processing levels.Research and development has the potential tostrongly impact the providers of products and servicesthat surround the world of roots and tubers. Employmentof landless labor, for example, is critical for potatoproduction in South Asia; the starch industry in southernBrazil is a growing market for manufacturers of Industrialmachinery; women in Sub-Saharan Africa in particularoften look to root and tuber crops as a source of foodand income. Agricultural research can shape its products

Hoots and tubers are found in awide variety of production systems and do well under various levels of management, fromlow-input systems to high-input systems. This is adistinctive feature of roots and tubers which makes them important forimproving the productivity and richness of agro-ecosystems. Some prominent examples include the following. assava in Sub-Saharan Africa is often grown on marginal soils, under hot, rainfed conditions. Few purchased inputs areapplied. Cassava is most often grown in association with other commodities such as maize or groundnuts. The crop takesfrom 8 to 2 months to mature and the roots may be left in the field for months after that as a form of in-ground storage. Theroots are often processed prior to use or sale for human consumption. otato production has expanded most rapidly in the subtropical lowlands, e.g. West Bengal in India during the cool, dry,winter months, where the crop is grown as amonoculture under irrigated conditions, utilizing hefty doses of chemicalfertilizers and pesticides, and in tight crop rotations with rice. The tubers are harvested 11 13 days after planting with thebulk of the output sold fresh for cash. Sweetpotato in Asia is cultivated predominantly under lowland conditions. One common system involves avariety ofdifferent rotations with rice. In this system, the crop is irrigated and harvested at maturity after four to five months. Longgrown as a food security or famine crop, sweetpotato is increasingly cultivated for cash where both vines and roots areprocessed into feed or starch prior to sale. Taro is locally important in many parts of the humid tropics and subtropics. Taro is often intercropped with corn, beans,sugarcane, fruit trees, and vegetables in the rainfed and irrigated uplands, or with rice in the paddy fields, or is rotated withwinter crops such as garlic and broad bean. Yam is cultivated predominantly in the humid forest, forest/savanna transition, and the southern Guinea savanna SGSzones ofWest Africa with most of the current production in the SGS. It is grown the sole crop or in various combinationswith maize, vegetables, cassava, plantain, sorghum, or coffee. The crop matures in 7 to 2 months, depending on speciesand cultivar, and the tubers may be stored in fresh form for over six months under ambient conditions.

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to explicitly influence the service sector, and thatinfluences the relationship between this sector andproducers and consumers.

It is dif ficult to make generalizations about theinteraction between roots and tubers and thnvironm nt but one common feature is the need for soildisturbance at harvest, which in some cases canencourage erosion. Cassava can be and is grown onlow-fertility, erodible hillsides Howeler, Oates, and CostaAllem, 1999 , potato on highland slopes in fragileecosystems. Potatoes may also and do need frequentapplications of pesticides, with exposure to thesechemicals a concern for human health Crissman, Antle,and Capalbo, 1998 . As roots and tubers are sought moreas sources of starch, the risk of pol lution from a highconcentration of small processing plants in particularlocations increases Goletti, Rich, and Wheatley, 1999 .Some root crops, most notably sweetpotato, offer thepromise of environmental benefits in this case by beingplanted as quick cover crops to reduce soi l erosion.

All food crops are constantly evolving, not only interms of their genetic makeup but also their SOCial,economic and environmental relationships with thepeople who grow, sell, and consume them. That truismapplies even more emphatically to cassava, potato,sweetpotato, yam, and other roots and tubers. Theseplants play multiple, changing roles as food and industrialeconomies evolve in response to population growth and

relocation, changes for better or worse in financial wellbeing, pressures on the environment, and claims forrecognition from women community groups, and farmerinsisting on a role in the research process.

Roots and tubers will continue to provide basic foodsecurity as in Africa , but they increasingly will function asources of income as in par ts of Asia, Africa, and LatinAmerica . As foods of the new urban majority, they wil lprovide diversity in the diet : as a vegetab le for some, abasic calorie source for those less affluent, and anadditional source of essential vitamins vitamins A and Cand minerals for many. Producers are increasinglyinclined to exploit their potential as animal feed, assources of starch and special ty foods, and as competitofor grains Best, 1996 . All this requires integration ofsupply and demand as wel l as capital iz ing on growingcommercial demand for processed food feed andintermediate products such as starch. Ensuring that foodsecurity and income benefits reach all the target groupsrequires a careful integration of research, and that mustinclude the non-target groups who serve as importantcatalysts the processors and traders. All these needs fomultifaceted research are especially important because,with few noteworthy exceptions in the case of potato, theprivate sector has demonstrated a relatively low level ofinvolvement in roots and tubers.

As a complement to the projections of future aggregsupply, Table 4 presents an overview of selected, major

n overview o c ss v in fric by elix NwekeIn 1993 1995 84 million mt of cassava were produced per year in Sub-Saharan Africa. Of this, percent was produced infour countries: Nigeria, 31 million mt; the Democratic Republic of Congo, 19 million mt; Tanzania, 7 million mt; and, Ghana, 6million mt. In the same period, 9 percent of cassava production after discounting for waste) was used for humanconsumption, according to FAG. The remaining 5 percent was u se d for feed; use for industrial raw material or export wasminimal.The Collaborative Study of Cassava in Africa COSCA)* shows that cassava serves mUltiple roles: it is a family food staple inproducing countries; it is a famine-reserve crop in countries such as Tanzania, where rainfall is uncertain; and, is a cash cropin Ghana and Nigeria, where improved processing and food preparation methods are used to prepare the cassava roots forsale in urban markets. In both Nigeria and Ghana, an average of 45 per cent of total cassava fields are planted for sale, whichis higher than the percentage for other staples. The remaining percent of the cassava fields are planted for homeconsumption. Cassava production is the most important source of incom e in the cassava-growing areas of Nigeria andGhana. To realize cassava s potential as an income-generating crop in Africa, opportunities now exist for diffusing the bestpractices for cassava processing and food preparation found in Ghana and Nigeria to other countries in order to satisfy themushrooming demand for food in urban and rural areas.*The OS study was a multinational and multHnstltulional study carned out dunng 1989-1997 under the leadership of the InternatIOnal Institute of TropicalAgriculture IITA) and funded by the Rockefeller Foundation and IIT

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Table 4. Selected markets for roots and tubers in 2020 and their associated traits.

Market

RuraVurban starchystaple; leaves forprotein b

Region crop

Sub-Saharan Africacassava ; West Africayam ; West, South andEast Asia (potato); Oceaniaother roots and tubers

FactorsdrivinggrowthPopulationgrowth

Priority areas forresearchStability in marginalareas; yield; processing;policy

Beneficiaries

Poor farmersand consumers

CGIAR mission

Food security;income

Metropolitan areas close to Urbanizationproduction all cropsCompetitor with grains Asia, Latin Americafor starch, flour, cassava, sweetpotato animal feed

Urban vegetable

Specialty marketsspecialized starch,snack foods, leaves

Asia, Latin America, WestAfrica all crops

Incomegrowth

Incomegrowth

Product quality; Farmers and Incomemarketing consumersYield efficiency; soil Farmers; Incomemanagement; industry; non-processing; marketing; farm laborpolicyProduct quality; Farmers; Income;processing; product industry; non- biodiversitydevelopment; marketing farm labor

Source: Compiled for this study.Note: For country/region definitions s note, Table 2.a In addition to these more market-specific research needs, there are research thrusts that go across all markets, such s integrated pest and diseasemanagement, or environmentally sound crop production practices.b For cassava leaf primarily for parts of West. Central, and Southern Africa, Brazil, and Indonesia and sweetpotato stems, petioles, and leavesprimarily parts of West Africa and East Asia .cPrimarily for China and Vietnam.

markets for roots and tubers in 2020. This representationof the uti lization of roots and tubers shows how their manydimensions relate to one another and to the CGIARmission.

urprojections of the economic value of thesecommodities (Table 5 indicate that, based on the bestavailable information to date, they are likely to sustain theirimportance in the decades ahead. It is noteworthy thatthese calculations take into consideration the productionof nearly all the major food commodities in the global foodsystem: cereals, roots and tubers, soybean, and meat.Roots and tubers share of the total value of theseproducts in 2020 is projected to remain at 10.5 percent ofthat total, identical to the estimated value in the baseperiod 1993.

What the CGIAR brings to the visionIf roots and tubers are already projected to remain animportant component in the global food system, it mightbe asked, why is the CGIAR s help needed? The answerl ies in the unique set of assets and activit ies of the CGIAR.When the CGIAR s founders looked around the world of30 years ago, they saw a place that faced the d is tinct

possibility of widespread famine. They also saw loominggaps in agricultural research and development that had tobe fil led. Their vision to alleviate poverty and improve foodsecurity resulted in the justly celebrated assets of theCGIAR today: well-characterized germplasm collections plant var ieties with value-added traits collections of the major pests and pathogens and the

beneficial organisms that control them databases and other accumulated knowledge on fieldproduction and management, and on postharvest

processing and market development innovative research facil it ies that range from the wel l

lighted laboratory to the tiniest village s communitymeeting hall from the latest techniques in molecularbiology to the newest methods of farmer participationin research

a dedication to scientific excellence and fairmindedness that have given the CGIAR and itsconstituent organizations reputations as honest

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Table 5. Total v lu of selected food commodities for developing countries, 1993 and 2020.1993 2020

Price Production Value (%) Price Production Value (%)Commodity (million (million(USS/mt) (million mt) US ) of total (US /mt) (million mt) US ) of totaPotato 160 94.3 15,094 4.1 145 194.0 28,131 4.9Sweetpotato and yam 91 155.9 14,185 3.9 82 230.2 18,879 3.3Yam 135 31.2 4,209 1.1 115 66.9 7,693 1.4Cassavad 54 172.4 9,307 2.5 48 290.3 13,937 2.4All roots and tubers 422.6 38,586 10.5 714.6 60,946 10.5Wheat 148 249.3 36,901 10.0 133 372.7 49,575 8.6Maize 126 231.6 29,181 7.9 123 390.1 47,977 8.3Other grains 122 105.9 12,912 3.5 106 171.1 18,133 3.1Rice' 286 341.4 97,628 26.5 266 475.6 126,510 21.9All cereals 928.1 176,622 48.0 1,409.5 242,195 41.9Soybean 263 57.7 15,176 4.1 235 106.2 24,958 4.3Sub total 230,384 328,099Beef 2,023 22.1 44,583 12.1 1,771 43.9 77,805 13.4Pork 1,366 39.3 53,624 14.6 1,212 81.3 98,594 17.0Sheep and goat meat 2,032 6.0 12,225 3.3 1,845 10.7 19,815 3.4Poultry 1,300 21.0 27,321 7.4 1,159 46.8 54,253 9.4All meats 88.3 137,752 37.4 182.8 250,467 43.3Total 368,136 100.0 578,567 100.0Percent share of R&T in all commodities 10.5 10.5Percent share of R&T in cereals R&T soybean 16.7 18.6Source: IFPRI's IMPACT simulations, high demand/production growth scenario, as presented in Scott, Rosegrant. and Ringler (2000a).Note: R&T = roots and tubers; totals may not sum due to rounding.'Average for the three years; 1993 equivalent to 1992-94. Composite price.e Prices, production, and growth rates for yam alone are estimated outside IFPRI s IMPACT but based on TAC (1996, 1997a), IMPACT simulations andhistorical trends.dThese figures are for cassava and other roots and tubers such as taro. For developing countries, cassava alone accounts for over 97 ercent of the t'Production figures for rice have been multiplied by 0.65 to estimate the quantities of milled rice listed. Milled rice IS more readilycomparable to the other commodities for the purposes of calculating production. Similarly, these prices are for milled rice.

brokers and capacity-builders among its partnerorganizations t he ability, t hank s t o t he CGIAR s ys tem s uniquelyinternational nature, to serve as the transfer point forinformation across frontiers between developingcountries and advanced laboratories in developedcountries.

23

These assets pertain to any of the commodities withwhich the CGIAR organizations are associated-roots ant ubers among t hem. Our best att em pt at a vision f or rooand tubers, however, clearly shows that the well-being othese crops and their contribution to future food securitand poverty elimination can benefit most from the CGIAcontinued and enthusiastic involvement.

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Need for a systems approachIn roots and tubers perhaps more than other commodities,these contributions are best considered in a systemsframework covering production through to utilization andpolicy. The backbone of the CGIAR is the value addedgermplasm that it conserves and maintains. It is thisgermplasm that can stabilize or increase yields orquality, and that leads directly to greater food securityand income. The CGIAR Centers hold in trust, for thepublic good, the world s largest collections of cassava,potato, sweetpotato, and yam. CIP also holdscollections of several other root and tuber crops. Theseresponsibilities should continue to 2020 and beyond.Nevertheless, the collections are still incomplete,and collection and characterization especi llyof thecrops wild rel tives needs to continue. Compared to

cereals and some grain legumes, roots and tubers,with the possible exception of potato, lag behind interms of our basic knowledge and exploitation of theirgenetic diversity. It is likely, too, that by 2020 there willbe a wide range of commercially available transformedand patented genotypes. Their availability indeveloping countries may depend on negotiatedagreements in which the CGIAR plays important parts. Certainly by 2020 there will be advances in moleculartechniques that will make it possible to better managepests and diseases and practice environmentallysound production methods But history has shownthat pests and pathogens have a near-perfect record of

outwitting whatever science can throw at them.Maintaining crop competitiveness, yield sustainability,and adequate environmental protection will requirecontinued investment in pest and disease research.The CGIAR Centers, with their sources of geneticdiversity, their location in the crops centers of origin,and their scientists who are expert in pest and diseaseresearch, are well placed to undertake such research.Important here also is the CGIAR s ability todisseminate the results of its research among nationalagricultural research systems.Post production research on roots and tubers is arecent but important addition to the CGIAR agenda,albeit at relatively low levels of investment comparedto production-related research. The linking of root andtuber farmers and processors to growth markets is akey to achieving our vision for these crops, particularlyfor cassava and sweetpotato. This is especially true inthe more isolated, marginal areas of the developingworld, situated far from growing urban markets.Exploiting market opportunities for cassava- andsweetpotato-based products through new product

development research will be fundamentalrequirements of our global research strategy. There isa need for the parallel dissemination of business andmanagement skills for root- and tuber-basedenterprises. It is l ikely that by 2020, these opportunitieswill be recognized by the private sector, and researchand development will enjoy private funding. Given thelimited resources in this area in national agriculturalresearch institutes, what is needed now are catalystsand champions to, as Plucknett, Phillips, and Kagbo(1998:12) indicate, keep the needs of industry beforethe public and decision makers... [and] ...for researchand development, provision of infrastructure andinvestments, and changes in policies to grasp the newopportunit[ies].

The CGIAR excels at dealing with institutions andpolicy across a wide range of actors, includinggovernmental, nongovernmental, and private sectors,and gathering those actors around a commonresearch and development agenda. This is an assetthat needs to be strengthened in the future. Forexample, recent research has highlighted theimportance of policies in both developed anddeveloping countries to catalyze continued increasesin production and uti lization of root and tuber crops inAsia, Africa, and Latin America (dTp Studies, Inc.,1998; Scott, Rosegrant, and Ringler, 2000a; Spencerand Associates, 1997). For example, developedcountries should eliminate trade barriers to root andtuber imports from developing countries, who in turnshould remove subsidies on substitute products indomestic markets. ta minimum, the CGIAR shouldbe able to draw upon expertise from within and outsideits own doors; develop relevant strategic researchprojects that seek solutions to common problems; andanalyze and synthesize across cases for thedevelopment of tools that can be used by partners todesign and execute successful research anddevelopment projects.In the current configuration, five different CGIARCenters undertake root and tuber research. The threeprincipal root and tuber Centers account for over 95percent of the total CGI R budget for these commodities.They are: CI T with headquarters in Colombia, whichworks on cassava for Latin America and Asia; Clp in Peruwhich has the global mandate on potato, sweetpotato,

and Andean roots and tubers; and, IIT in Nigeria, whichworks primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa on cassava andyam. Additional, complementary work on food policyresearch is done by IFPRI with headquarters in the UnitedStates. IFPRI s mandate is not specific to roots andtubers, but it places those crops in the wider context ofproduction, utilization, and trade. IPGRI in Italy, focuseson genetic resources. This includes research on Andeanroots and tubers in Latin America and the Caribbean,

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vision statement to the year 2020

Table 6. G I R research projects on roots and tubers and their budgets 1998.

Genter project title

GIATIntegrated conservation of neotropical plant genetic resourcesAssessing and using agro-biodiversity through biotechnologyGenetic enhancement of cassavaIntegrated pest and disease management in major tropical agro-ecosystemsAssessment of past and expected impact of agricultural researchLinking smallholders to growth markets for improved resource managementIntegrating improved germplasm and resource management for enhanced crop and livestockproduction

GIPIntegrated control of late blightIntegrated control of bacterial wiltControl of potato virusesIntegrated management of potato pestsPropagation of clonal potato planting materialsSexual potato propagationGlobal sector commodity analysis and impact assessment for potatoPotato production in rice-wheat systemsConservation and characterization of potato genetic resources

Control of sweetpotato virusesIntegrated management of sweetpotato pestsPostharvest utilization of sweetpotatoBreeding for high dry matter in sweetpotatoGlobal sector commodity analysis and impact assessment for sweetpotatoConservation and characterization of sweetpotato genetic resources

Conservation and characterization of Andean roots and tubers

T bCassava productivity in the lowland and mid-altitude agro-ecologies of Sub-Saharan AfricaIntegrated management of cassava pests and diseases

Improvement of yam-based production systems

25

BudgetCommodity USmillion

CassavaCassavaCassavaCassavaCassavaCassavaCassava

6.96

PotatoPotatoPotatoPotatoPotatoPotatoPotatoPotatoPotato

15.9weetpotatoSweetpotatoSweetpotatoSweetpotatoSweetpotatoweetpotato

5.0Andean roots and tubers

0.8

CassavaCassava

9.4Yam

8Co

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Contd.Improving postharvest systemsMolecular and cellular biotechnology for crop improvementConservation and genetic enhancement of plant biodiversityShort fallow stabilizationAgro-ecosystems development strategiesFarming systems diversification

IFPRICGIAR micro-nutrients projectStarch industry development as a strategy for agro-food based rural industrializationPolicy options for using livestock as a strategy for rural income diversificationPolicies for improved land use management in UgandaEnding hunger in the st centuryGlobal water resources and food security2020 vision for food agriculture and the environment

P RldSupport to plant genetic resources programs and regional networks in the AmericasSupport to plant genetic resources programs and regional networks in EuropeSupport to plant genetic resources programs and regional networks in Asia the Pacific and

OceaniaSupport to plant genetic resources programs and regional networks in Sub-Saharan AfricaCGIAR genetic resources support program s tu conservation technologies and strategies

Locating and monitoring genetic diversityn s tu conservation of crop plants and their wild relativesHuman and policy aspects of plant genetic resources conservation and useSupport to plant genetic resources programs and regional networks in West Asia and NorthAfricaGlobal capacity-building and institutional supportPromoting sustainable conservation and use of genetic resourcesLinking conservation and useInformation management and servicesPublic awareness and impact assessment

Total

Cassava and yamCassava and yam Cassava and yamCassava and yamCassava and yamCassava and yam

CassavaCassava and sweetpotatoCassava and sweetpotatoCassava and sweetpotatoAll roots and tubersAll roots and tubersAll roots and tu bers

Andean roots and tuberscassava and potatoPotato

Sweetpotato taro and yamYamCassava potatosweetpotato and yamCassava potatosweetpotato taro andyamTaroTaroTaroRoots and tubersRoots and tubersRoots and tu bersRoots and tu bersRoots and tubersRoots and tubers

0.24

9

44Source: Compiled for this study. Based on 1998 Center budgets; includes overheads.b These figures are estimates drawn from different research projects as IITA does not break down its budget by commodity. hisfigure is an estimate as IFPR I does not break down its budget by commodity.d Some of these projects include work on aroids such as taro and Andean roots and tubers.

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aroids in East Asia and the Pacific region, and sweetpotatoin Asia. These activities are currently carried out in some35 projects at a cost of about US 44 million Table 6). Thisfigure represented 14 percent of the total CGIAR budget in1998, a percentage that has remained fairly constant since1972 (Figure 3). A series of impact studies have foundthese investments have paid very high rates of return(Fuglie et aI., 1999; Johnson, 1999; Norgaard, 1988;Walker and Crissman, 1996).

To these contributions must be added another that isdistinctively fundamental to the CGIAR s modus operandiand infrequently found elsewhere: working together.CGIAR scientists do this in two ways that are centralcomponents to our vision. First, they participate in anumber of research and development networks, consortia,and initiatives alongside scientists from nationalagricultural research institutes and collaborators fromorganizations in developed countries (see also Annex,Section 6 : These organizations cover a broad range oftopics and geographic regions Table 7). Prominentexamples are the Cassava Biotechnology Network (CBN);the User s Perspective with Agricultural Research andDevelopment network (UPWARD); the Eastern AfricaRootcrop Research Network (EARRNET); the System-wideGenetic Resources Programme (SGRP); and, the recentlylaunched CGIAR initiative on Urban Agriculture.** In addition, the Centers support and participate in a number ofprofessional societies to encourage research on roots and tubers indeveloping countnes. Prominent examples include the InternationalSociety for Tropical Root Crops ISTRe) with its regional branches, theAfrican Potato Association APA), and the Asociaci6n Latinoamericanade la Papa ALAP).

Second, complementarity and synergy among theCGIAR staff and the private sector is a key to bringing thebest of science to the beneficiaries we seek to assist.Activities where complementarity and synergy alreadymake the CGIAR system more effective in root and tuberresearch include (but certainly are not limited to)germplasm management (ranging from seed generation ofvegetatively propagated crops to v trocollectiontechniques) at IPGRI, CIAT, Clp, IITA, and their partners;genetic improvement at CIAT, Clp, IITA, and members ofdifferent biotechnology networks; studies of starch, thecarbohydrates which roots and tubers produce veryefficiently, at CIAT, Clp, IITA, and IFPRI; and, integratedpest management (from whitefly to soil pathogens tocassava bacterial blight) at CIAT, IITA, Clp, InternationalCentre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), AsianVegetable Research and Development Center (AVRDC),International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-AridTropics (ICRISAT), and other Centers.

There are four major areas covering interrelatedaspects of the food systems for these commodities withinwhich the Centers expertise, channeled throughpartnerships and collaborative efforts, can be particularlyuseful in realizing the future potential of roots and tubers. The vegetative propagation of the root and tuber cropspresents a wide range of common problems, but alsosome opportunities. The problems includetransmission of many pests and pathogens from onegeneration to another; quarantine complications; lowrates of multiplication; bulkiness; and, perishability ofplanting material. Cryopreservation of germplasm isone common area of work with similar techniques

applicable to all these crops. Collaboration on the igure3. Annual total G I R budget and percent spent on roots and tubers, 1972-1998.

US million Percent400 20300 15200 10100 50 01972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000

Source GI R Secretariat.

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Table 7. CGIAR networks, initiatives, and programs that include work on roots and tubers.etwork ommodity enters

Asian Cassava Research Network Cassava ClAPANSWER Asian Network on Sweet Potato Genetic Resources) Sweetpotato IPGRI, CIPAHI African Highlands Ecoregional Program) Potato CIPCBN Cassava Biotechnology Network) Cassava CIATo IlTACMPGR Caribbean Committee for the Management of Plant Genetic Roots IPGRlcResources)CONDESAN Consortium for the Sustainable Development of the Andean Potato and Andean roots CIPEcoregion) and tubersEARRNET Eastern Africa Rootcrop Research Network) Cassava IITAEPHTA Ecoregional Program for the Humid and Sub-humid Tropics of Africa) Cassava, yam and other IITNrootsFOODNET Postharvest and Marketing Research Network for Eastern and Cassava and sweetpotato IITAd CIPCentral Africa)Global experiment on in vitro slow growth of sweetpotato Sweetpotato IPGRIGILB Global Initiative on Late Blight) Potato ClpbThe Global Mountain Program Potato and Andean roots Clpband tubersGRENEWECA Genetic Resources Network for West and Central Africa) Roots and tubers IPGRI anihotGenetic Resources Network Cassava ClAPCGIAR Micro-nutrients Project Cassava IFPRlb CIATPan-American Network for Cassava Improvement Cassava ClAPPRAPACE Regional Potato and Sweetpotato Improvements Program for Potato and sweetpotato ClpbEastern and Central Africa)PRECODEPA Programa Regional Cooperativo de Papa) Potato ClpbPRGA Program on Participatory Research and Gender Analysis for Roots and tubers CIAT Clp IFPRI,IITA,Technology Development and Institutional Innovation) IPGRIRECSEA-PGR Regional Collaboration in Southeast Asia on Plant Genetic Roots and tubers IPGRIResources)REDARFIT Andean Network on Plant Genetic Resources) Roots and tu bers IPGRlc CIPREMERFI Mesoamerican Network of Plant Genetic Resources) Roots and tubers IPGRICSARRNET Southern Africa Rootcrop Research Network) Cassava and sweetpotato IITAb CIP

Contd.

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A vision statement to the year 2020

Contd.SGRP System-wide Genetic Resources Programme)

SPGRC Southern African Development Community [SADCj Plant GeneticResources Centre)UPWARD User s Perspective with Agricultural Research andDevelopment)Urban Agriculture Initiative

CassavaPotato, sweetpotato andAndean roots and tubers.

Cassava and yamRoots and tubers

Potato and sweetpotato

IPGRlb,CIATCIPIITAIPGRI

Source: CDmplled fDr this study. Many f these netwDrks, Initiatives. and programs include participatiDn by ne Dr mDre CGIAR Centers than thDse listed here. ThiS list isIntended t indicate thDse Centers whD participate In these activities fDr wDrk specifically n roDt and tuber crops.b CDnVenIng Center. SubregiDnal netwDrks n plant genetic reSDurces In the Americas. MDst f them are the result f cDllabDratiDn between IPGRI. InstltutDInteramericanD de la CDDperaclDn para la Agncultura lICA). and Dther partners including CentrD AgrDnDmlcD Tropical de InvestlgaclDn y Enselianza CATIE).d Executing Center.

documentation associated with germplasmCharacterization, the movement of germplasm acrossinternational borders, and the development of effectivepolicies to help protect the property rights of nationalprograms while facilitating the exchange of materialsmerits a continued, coordinated effort.The root and tuber crops produce large quantit ies ofstarch edible energy) in relatively less time than othercrops, although each of them also provides otherImportant nutrients. ThiS starch content endows thesecrops with an extraordinary range of potential enduses; already It is employed in manufactunngmonosodium glutamate and plywood in Thailand, andsorbitol, manitol, and noodles in China. Pnorityareasfor coordinated future investigation Include I) root andtuber processing and enterprise development involvingCIAT, Clp, and IITA in Sub-Saharan Africa; II) cassavaand sweetpotato for processed food, animal feed, andstarch in East and Southeast ASia involving CIAT, Clp,and IFPRI. In the former Instance, over 80 percent ofthe total increase in supply and demand for cassava indeveloping countries is projected to occur In SubSaharan Africa Table 2). Virtually all of the increase inyam output, a large share of the increase Insweetpotato production, and a sizeable proportion ofthe additional supply of other roots and tubers e.g. taroand cocoyam, are also projected to occur In thisregion.Achieving or surpassing that projection Will dependcertainly in part on the ability of farmers andentrepreneurs to prOVide more processed food

products to meet growing food requirements in boththe countryside and towns. East and Southeast Asiathe second largest area for cassava production in thedeveloping world, and the largest by far forsweetpotato. Combining limited resources andcomparative areas of expertise within CIAT, Clp, andIFPRI to exploit commercial opportunities for starchbased and animal feed products plus capacity-buildin the area of small agro-enterpnse development, andrawing in additional partners S highlycomplementary.Many of the tools of biotechnology are broadlyapplicable across speCies, including the aroids andAndean roots and tubers. Molecular research Intotomatoes, for example, is expected to increasinglybenefit their relatives In the potato fields; a Similarlinkage exists between research on Hevea brasiliens natural rubber) andManihot eSGulenta It Sincreasingly obVIOUS that the sort of biotechnologyresearch that is being done by industry In thedeveloped countries does not see the developingworld as its primary beneficiary. There is, and Willcontinue to be, a need for researchers such as thosethe CGIAR who appreciate the needs of the lessaffluent world. An example S the late blight pathogein potato. The CGIAR s approach to Phytophthorainfestans which emphasizes Integrated pestmanagement, is qUite different from that of themultinational seed and chemical companies. Byworking together in genomlcs new scienceapplicable to humans, livestock, and plants thatpermits sequencing and mapping of the genome a

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genetic map of a living organism the Centersworking on roots and tubers can capture economies ofscale in developing the basic tools in this fast-movingand costly area of research. Institutional and policy issues, including those relatedto commodity projections, the underlying databaseson which those calculations are based, as well as workin the area of market analysis and trade policy,constitute another area for synergy among the Centers,drawing upon their respective areas of expertise thateach Individually cannot afford. From the institutionalperspective, the Global Cassava Development Strategythat International Fund for Agricultural DevelopmentIFAD has been leading, with the very activeparticipation of the cassava IARCs (internationalagricultural research centers), is an example of tryingto gather actors around a common agenda. Thisprocess of consensus building might be adopted for

root and tuber crops as a whole through the work ofthe Committee on Inter-Centre Root and Tuber CropResearch (CICRTCR - see Preface) itself.We believe that there are other areas that will continueto emerge in the future that will justify closer interactionbetween two or more Centers (see Annex, Section 7 .However, we believe that the above-mentioned deservetop priority.

onclusionsIt is clear from our vision that the root and tuber crops willremain a vital component of the global food system in theworld of 2020. All the trends show this. It also is clear thatthese commodities, the farming systems in which they areproduced, and the people who produce, process, andconsume them will value and depend on roots and tubersin the decades ahead. This is particularly true for many ofthe world s poorest and most food-insecure households.

Root and tuber crops provide a wide variety ofbeneficiaries with the basic needs: food, employment, andincome. Continuing to meet these needs will becomemore of a challenge in the future as more people populatethe Earth. However, as the roles of these commodities inthe global food system evolve, the differences acrosscrops (such as potato and yam for food in fresh formversus sweetpotato and cassava for processed foods,starch-based products, and feed; cassava production inSub-Saharan Afnca versus potato in Asia) will becomemore conspicuous. Specialization in end use, i.e. freshversus processed, will become more pronounced bycommodity.

Production of roots and tubers will increase, and theywill maintain their relative economic Importance versus theother major food commodities. The growth ratesprojected for cassava, potato, and yam actually exceedthose for the major cereals such as rice and wheat. Withcontinued population growth and partly as a result of foodsystems in poorer areas of Asia, Africa, and Latin Americacoming under increasing stress, considerations like thecapabil ity of roots and tubers to produce morecarbohydrates per hectare per day than other food crops,and also to yield well even under adverse growingconditions, Will loom all the more important In the decadesahead. These projections therefore engender a real senseof the value of continued support to realize that potentialand to capture the projected benefits for developingcountries, most notably poverty eradication and improvedfood security. Consequently, support from the CGIAR toenable the member Centers to help realize the associatedbenefits becomes all the more critical in terms of theimplications for the global food system. With thatcontinued support comes the challenge to the Centers toprioritize and exploit synergies.

ecommendationsGiven the projected increases in supply and demand, theimportance of roots and tubers in developing countries isunlikely to diminish by 2020 or long afterward. In order toattain food security and the eradication of poverty, it is fit,proper, and necessary for the CGIAR as well as othernational, bilateral, and multinational organizations to retainthese crops as an Integral part of a global strategy toimprove food production and utilization in Asia, Africa, andLatin America in the decades ahead.

Having considered a variety of alternativeorganizational arrangements for research on roots andtubers, we have identified the following three futurescenarios. Continued informal col laboration. The first of ourscenarios would build on the existing organization butmodify it to reduce the effects of its vulnerabilities. Therole of the CICRTCR would be strengthened,converting it to a permanent mechanism forincorporating the views and needs of our partners.Each Center would dedicate resources to a commonfund for financing or seeding projects of commoninterest in program areas that had been assigned highpriority. The collaborative projects could either becommissioned by the CICRTCR itself or generatedthrough a competitive bidding mechanism. Under thisscenario, there would be organizational adjustmentswithin the individual Centers in terms of both interCenter relations and the costs of projects.

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Avision statement to t year

global collaborative root and tuber programconvening Center would oversee a wide range ofglobal collaborative root and tuber research that wouldconstitute the System-wide Aoot and Tuber CropProgram SATCP). The SATCP would be governed bya directing committee drawn from the participatingCenters and from non-CGIAA organizations andnational and regional representatives with interests inroot and tuber research. This committee wouldconstruct a common planning, prioritizing, andevaluating framework that would be used to developglobal, high-priority research projects in those specificareas where past experience has shown that individualCenters, and organizations outside the CGIAA, lacksufficient expertise or infrastructure to undertakesinglehandedly, let alone capture, the gains from suchendeavors. This would include work on biotechnology,post-production research e.g. research on starch,feed, and agro-enterprise development), andinstitutions and policy.The specific intent would be to realize efficiencies andachieve greater impact by closer collaborationbetween Centers in these fields, as well as between theCenters and their collaborators in developed anddeveloping countries. The SATCP would provide anorganizational mechanism whereby the potentialbreakthroughs related to research on root and tubercrops could be more effectively captured, to the benefitof small farmers and low-income consumersworldwide. These projects would constitute the globalprogram. The projects would be funded by coreresources from each participating Center, andmanaged by the global program. In this scenario, theSATCP would not represent the totality of root andtuber research. Individual Centers would continue tomount their own projects in those areas wherecollaboration provides no benefits.

root and tuber Center This is the most ambitious othe scenarios: unifying all research on roots and tuberin the CGIAA under the man

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