ABSTRACT
Apart from the private sector there are various actors in international agricultural research. The specialized Future Harvest Centers of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) play a major role. Even though the CGIAR is a significant global actor, its budget is only slightly larger than that of a single private agricultural corporation. Prior to the formation of the CGIAR, the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations had established several international agricultural research institutes. Great confidence in the CGIAR system and its approach led to an exceptional growth. As a financial crisis loomed in the early 1990s, the Technical Advisory Committee of the CGIAR carried out an extensive study on both an expansion into new research areas and preliminary ideas for restructuring. The CGIAR Chair also launched a range of new committees in addition to the CGIAR Secretariat. Several CGIAR members expressed concerns about the implications of the vision strategy for CGIAR governance and structure.
