The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) was founded in 1971 to improve food production in developing countries. Research into agricultural productivity and the management of natural resources are the two goals of this organization, and it is dedicated to making the scientific advances of industrialized nations available to poorer countries. The CGIAR emphasizes the importance of developing sustainable increases in agricultural yields and creating technologies that can be used by farmers with limited financial resources.

Membership consists of governments, private foundations, and international and regional organizations. The goals of this association are carried out by a network of International Agricultural Research Centers (IARCs). There are currently 18 such centers throughout the world, all but four of them in developing countries, and they are each legally distinct entities, over which the CGIAR has no direct authority. The group has...