The one-of-a-kind CGIAR Science Week brought with it a wealth of insights as experts, scientists, and government representatives convened for a week-long meeting, emboldening agricultural research to attain food security.
The CGIAR Science Week was held at UNEP headquarters in Gigiri, Nairobi, Kenya. The gathering, which brought together a diverse pool of voices, aimed at deepening collaborations and amplifying collective action.
With a mission to transform food, land, and water systems through innovative, sustainable, and equitable solutions, CGIAR made a global call to action. Hosted under the slogan “With science we can,” the convention echoed a strong conviction: that science can help build climate-resilient agri-food systems, improve livelihoods across the value chain, and ensure more affordable, nutritious food while safeguarding the environment.
Focused on tackling the major challenges facing the sustainability of food, land, and water systems, CGIAR explored strategies for scaling up innovations so they can effectively reach both farmers and consumers worldwide.
Experts emphasized the critical role of science in promoting climate-smart agriculture, soil health, water conservation, and diversification. According to CGIAR Executive Managing Director Dr. Ismahane Elouafi, science provides the insights in agricultural research that enable real-world impact.
“Food security cannot happen without science, without research, without data, without analysis, without information, without intelligence, and without thought,” she said.
Drawing on CGIAR’s research, Dr. Elouafi stressed that investing in agricultural research isn’t just necessary, it’s economically wise. She noted that for every one US dollar invested in agricultural research and development, there’s a return of ten dollars.
“In the face of slow productivity and rising risks, the case is clear. Investing in agricultural research is one of the smartest and most future-proof decisions that anyone can make,” she added.
This aligns with CGIAR’s bold mission to lift 31 million people out of extreme poverty by 2030, with the potential to create up to 92 million jobs, most of which would benefit farmers. CGIAR views farmers as key enablers of food security, provided they are equipped with modern, actionable data and technology.
Dr. Eliud Kiplimo Kireger, Director General and CEO of the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), highlighted that food security is attainable under the framework of the 10-year Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Strategy and Action Plan, as well as the Kampala CAADP Declaration on resilient agrifood systems.
He noted that KALRO is supporting farmers in Kenya by aligning them with emerging technologies, innovations, and best practices to improve productivity and resilience.
“We’ve digitized most of our technologies and made them available via mobile platforms to support e-extension services, the weakest link between research and farmers. Researchers can’t reach every farmer physically,” Dr. Kireger explained.
He added that several KALRO apps are now available on the Google Play Store. “So, if you’re a coffee farmer, for example, you can simply download a guide to your phone,” he said.
Echoing the importance of digitization in agriculture was Eliud Rugut, a youth agri-champion at the Ban Ki-moon Centre and founder of Silo. He shared how the use of technology on his family’s farm, like drip irrigation, water pumps, and drought-tolerant seeds, helped earn his father’s support for his farming journey.
On the subject of opportunity, Dr. Elouafi emphasized the value in tapping into agricultural value chains. She gave the example of wheat, which has the potential to increase in value from USD 300 to USD 3,000 through pasta production.
Similarly, crops like quinoa, millet, and sorghum, which typically fetch USD 4 in raw form, can rise to USD 50–100 per kilogram when processed. She called on policy-makers to intervene and foster such value chain transformations by bridging the gap between farmers and agribusinesses.
