Bioversity International Annual Report 2011

Bioversity International  [1] is the only global non-profit research organization that places the use and conservation of agricultural biodiversity in smallholder farming systems at the center of its work.
Throughout the Bioversity International 2011 Annual Report, you will find examples of our work to improve sustainability, nutrition, livelihoods and conservation. You will also find information about the Board of Trustees, supporters and 2011 publications.

2011 was a year in which agricultural biodiversity received increasing recognition in terms of its value to help provide a food secure future in a sustainable way. Key events this year included the launch of the UN Decade of Biodiversity (2011-2021)  [2] and the start of preparations for the 2012 UN Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development  [3]. It was also a year which saw the completion of the CGIAR  [4] reform, a global partnership that unites organizations engaged in research for a food secure future, and of which Bioversity International is a member.

These key influencing events in 2011, and an increased realization that past models of agricultural intensification are not sustainable, prompted Bioversity International, working with our partners and donors, to develop a new set of strategic priorities and a new research agenda to help achieve our vision—a world in which smallholder farming communities in developing countries are thriving and sustainable.

The report divides our research into four themes—sustainability, nutrition, livelihoods and conservation—highlighting just some of the different ways that the use of agricultural biodiversity can improve nutrition, improve smallholders’ livelihoods and enhance agricultural sustainability.

For more information or to share your comments, email  bioversity@cgiar.org  [5].