Details for Introducing GCP (E-brochure. May 2012)

Partnerships in modern crop breeding for food security

For millennia, generations of farmers have known about – and used – plant genetic diversity. Farmers identify plants with particular traits, or plants that thrive in unfavourable conditions. Seeds and cuttings from these selected plants are carefully preserved for the next sowing season. This ancient and time-tested breeding strategy is now the root of novel plant science in our time.

The Generation Challenge Programme (GCP) is a 10-year initiative of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), focusing on crop improvement in developing countries with an emphasis on drought tolerance. Designed in two five-year phases (2004–2008 and 2009–2013, with 2014 as a transition year for orderly closure), its mission is to use genetic diversity and advanced plant science to improve crops by adding value to conventional breeding for drought-prone and harsh environments.