ABSTRACT
The world faces a major challenge of doubling food production within the next 25 years and tripling it in the next 40 years to feed and clothe a population of >9 billion. Scientists in the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) system, in collaboration with national breeding programs (centralized breeding) and with local farmers (participatory breeding), have helped develop modern varieties of major food staples (wheat, rice, maize, etc.). Increased crop production has helped reduce food prices and achieve a small measure of sustainable food security in developing countries, where farmers cannot afford varieties developed by private companies. Gene banks (e.g., CGIAR and Wheat Genetic and Genomic Resources Center at Kansas State University) provide genetic resources for future variety development.
