Gordon attended a G20 meeting on agricultural research for development in Montpellier, where the CGIAR Consortium office is located, on the 12-13th September.

Promoting Scientific Partnerships for Food Security

Gordon Conway of Agriculture for Impact attended a G20 meeting on agricultural research for development in Montpellier, where the CGIAR Consortium office is located, on the 12-13^th September.

The conference was opened by Marion Zalay, General Director of Education and Research, French Ministry of Agriculture, Food, Fisheries, Rural Affairs and Land Use Planning, and closed by Henri de Raincourt, French Minister of Cooperation.

Andrew Westby, Director of the Natural Resources Institute in the UK, gave a presentation on ‘Capacity Development in ARD: point of view from Agrinatura on critical issues for the G20’.

The objectives of the meeting were to:

• promote scientific partnerships between agricultural research institutions of the G20;
• mobilize agricultural research systems of the G20 to enhance political coherence by a better global coordination and a more efficient contribution to CGIAR research programmes;
• develop a G20 viewpoint for agricultural research for development, in order to prepare for GCARD 2, to be held in Uruguay in 2012.

The agenda and the background concept paper provide more information about the content of the meeting.

Outcomes of this meeting will feed into the food security pillar of the G20 Cannes Declaration in November 2011.

The meeting was hosted by Languedoc-Roussillon Region; Agreenium; CIRAD; Agropolis International; and IRD.