CGIAR
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Search complete. 7 mentions across 4 episodes found for "CGIAR".
Sep 16, 2026
speaker_5HOST
But it received almost zero funding.
speaker_5HOST
Instead, the Gates Foundation gave $1.3 billion to an entity called CGIR.
speaker_4HOST
CGIR? What is that?
speaker_5HOST
It's a global agricultural research network.
speaker_5HOST
Critics cited in the report argued this massive grant was a coercive move to centralize control over global agricultural research.
Tom VilsackHOST
Doctor, thank you so much for joining us today.
Tom VilsackHOST
There is so much to cover in what CGIAR does every single day.
Tom VilsackHOST
To try to do it in a half an hour or so, I think it's going to be a real test to both of us.
Tom VilsackHOST
But let me start with a really simple question.
Tom VilsackHOST
If you were to stop a person on the street and try to explain to them the mission of CGIAR and what it does, how would you explain it?
Ismahane ElouafiGUEST
I would say, first, we have way too many people that are going to bed hungry.
Ismahane ElouafiGUEST
So the number is struggling.
Cary FowlerGUEST
We contracted with the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research.
Cary FowlerGUEST
It goes by the acronym CGIR.
Cary FowlerGUEST
We worked particularly closely with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center.
Cary FowlerGUEST
And they got on the ground really quickly in Africa reaching in pretty short order, six million farms there.
Jehiel OliverGUEST
And I'm like,
Emily JanockHOST
but but the CGIAR says or, you know, UNFAO
Jehiel OliverGUEST
or, you know, Cornell University researchers say that you should be using this.
Jehiel OliverGUEST
And I'm like, OK, fine, but we're not going to buy this.
7 MINS LATER
Jehiel OliverGUEST
So one of the things that we had to learn pretty early was to listen to our customers because despite what the external experts were saying, our actual customers in the countries we were serving were telling us that tractor does not work in our fields.
Jehiel OliverGUEST
And I'm
Emily JanockHOST
like, but But the CGIAR says, or, you know, UNFAO
Jehiel OliverGUEST
or, you know, Cornell University researchers say that you should be using this.