For more than fifty years, international aid for agricultural research has been shaped by an unusual partnership: an ad-hoc consortium of national governments, foreign aid agencies, philanthropies, United Nations agencies, and international financial institutions, known as CGIAR. Formed in 1971 following the initial celebration of the so-called Green Revolution, CGIAR was tasked with extending that apparent transformation in production to new countries and crops. In this volume, leading historians and sociologists explore the influence of CGIAR and its affiliated international research centres. Traversing five continents and five decades of scientific research, agricultural aid, and political transformation, it examines whether and how science-led development has changed the practices of farmers, researchers, and policymakers. Although its language, funding mechanisms, and decision-making have changed over time, CGIAR and its network of research centres remain powerful in shaping international development and global agriculture. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

‘At long last, historians now have a substantive guide to the history and work of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). It is impossible to make sense of contemporary agriculture without understanding this organization, an essential node in post-war crop research in the Global South especially, but very little is known of its gigantic reach, its commitments, and its vision. Thanks to Curry and Lorek, this gangly institution comes into view.’

Deborah Fitzgerald - MIT

‘A long-awaited critical history of CGIAR, this is also the first book to examine its numerous centers in Asia, Latin America, and Africa in one place. Under coherent themes, contributors provide rich analysis of local, regional, and geopolitical dynamics that have constituted the world’s largest agricultural development partnership. A perfect book for anyone interested in critical development studies, agricultural research, and global food security issues!’

Hiromi Mizuno - University of Minnesota