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Research

Research for Development

The learning-oriented CPWF portfolio of research illustrates the Program's focus on up- and out-scaling its successful site-specific research, on the engagement of multiple stakeholders, and on the creation of cross-disciplinary partnerships - all to produce meaningful and impact-oriented International Public Goods on water productivity in developing countries. 

The CPWF supports and conducts work that is a mixture of basic, applied, and adaptive research linked to dissemination of results. CPWF research occurs at three main levels of analysis. :

At its broadest scale, the CPWF emphasized its Phase 1 research - projects commencing before 2008 - at thematic and basin levels. The Program’s Phase 1 Themes provided focus to ensure that research carried out addresses those disciplinary areas where CPWF believes it will achieve the greatest impact. The CPWF's 10 Benchmark Basins of Phase 1 served as real-life laboratories within which its research is conducted and where its outputs will eventually be applied and achieve impact.

PHASE 1 [2003-2008]

Research Priorities

The widely-respected Comprehensive Assessment (CA) of Water Management in Agriculture  delivered key input into the CPWF's research priority setting process. The research priorities identified by the CA can be found here. You can also visit the Comprehensive Assessment website.

Research Activities

Basin Focal Projects

The 10 Basin Focal Projects, and one BFP coordination project, add value to individual research projects' outputs, yielding deeper understanding of water poverty and water productivity at the basin level.

Competitive Call Projects 

CPWF's first competitive call for project proposals yielded a portfolio of 50 high quality projects, of which, 33 currently receive funding. In 2007, the Program issued a second call for competitive projects, resulting in an additional eight exciting new ventures. Phase 2 research - restructured to focus upon Basin Development Challenges - begin contracting projects in August 2009.

Small Grants for Impact Projects

These 14 projects aimed to identify existing local community water and/or agricultural management strategies or technologies that had the potential to improve agricultural water productivity at a higher, broader scale. Most projects concluded in 2007, with many encouraging results from the initiative successfully workshopped with small producers around the developing world.

Synthesis

The Challenge Program on Water and Food deals with complex, diverse and dynamic systems for which there are a growing number of stakeholders generating information. Synthesis research is needed to make sense of the large body of dispersed and disciplinary literature and data that accumulates over time, and to package it in ways that meet the needs of different users.

Knowledge Sharing in Research project

Appropriate and effective knowledge sharing is important across all the CGIAR centers and their partners, and the Challenge Program on Water and Food are working toward a better understanding and wider utilization of knowledge sytems, knowledge sharing approaches, and innovation mechanisms in research for development. Committed to the dissemination of research outputs from its projects, the CPWF is a strong contributor to the Knowledge Sharing and Innovation project.