I think Andrew is spot-on: we see lots of rhetoric from donors, IFIs, NGOs, and -- dare I say it? -- CGIAR centers. My take is that the CGIAR centers could possibly make a difference if they concentrated their efforts on low-cost rapid-return innovations, and helping to implement the policies and investment resources that could kickstart things. But in my experience to date (nearly 30 years with CGIAR centers) the efforts are too fragmented and resources are spread too thinly among too many projects, dragged down further by high overhead and transaction costs.
I think Andrew is spot-on: we see lots of rhetoric from donors, IFIs, NGOs, and -- dare I say it? -- CGIAR centers. My take is that the CGIAR centers could possibly make a difference if they concentrated their efforts on low-cost rapid-return innovations, and helping to implement the policies and investment resources that could kickstart things. But in my experience to date (nearly 30 years with CGIAR centers) the efforts are too fragmented and resources are spread too thinly among too many projects, dragged down further by high overhead and transaction costs.