Exploiting untapped potential of roots,tubers and bananas to improve nutrition and food security,increase income generation,foster improved livelihoods for women, youth, children & other vulnerable groups for global food security.

1. CRP 3.4 Roots, Tubers and Bananas for Food
Security and Income
Goal:
Sustainable productivity increases for global food security
by exploiting untapped potential of roots, tubers, and
bananas (RTB) to:
• Improve nutrition and food security
• Increase income generation
• Foster improved livelihoods for women, youth, children &
other vulnerable groups
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture – Institut international d‟agriculture tropicale – www.iita.org

2. CRP 3.4 RTB
Untapped potential:
• RTBs are grown by 500+ million farmers
• Major staples (among 10 most consumed crops)
• Excellent sources of energy and some key nutrients
• Locally produced and traded; complement cereals in robust
and diverse world food system
• Often the backbone of food & income security
• Frequently neglected by policy makers and R&D agencies
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture – Institut international d‟agriculture tropicale – www.iita.org

3. CRP 3.4 RTB
Expected impacts:
120 million direct and indirect beneficiaries in the next five
years among small-scale RTB farmers, families, &
communities in some of the poorest regions of Asia, Africa,
Pacific, Latin America, & Caribbean
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture – Institut international d‟agriculture tropicale – www.iita.org

4. CRP 3.4 RTB
The Crops:
• Banana and plantain
• Cassava
• Potato
• Sweetpotato
• Yam
• “Minor” roots and tubers
– Tropical (e.g. cocoyam)
– Andean roots and tubers
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture – Institut international d‟agriculture tropicale – www.iita.org

5. CRP 3.4 RTB
Partners:
• CIP (lead)
• IITA
• CIAT
• Bioversity International
• Other research-for-development stakeholders
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture – Institut international d‟agriculture tropicale – www.iita.org

6. CRP 3.4 RTB
Why a CRP for RTB?
• RTBs have similar breeding systems for trait improvement
and some critical traits in common
• RTBs are clonally propagated leading to similarities in
seed multiplication systems
• RTBs often play a similar role in food systems as starchy
and perishable non-cereal crops
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture – Institut international d‟agriculture tropicale – www.iita.org

7. CRP 3.4 RTB
Why a CRP for RTB?
• CRP RTB will create economies of scale and scope as
scientists involved in the conservation and use of RTB:
– explore common research questions,
– share labs
– develop common tools and methods
– coordinate work at common sites, for example, by
supporting seed systems with two or more RTB crops
– build capacity together
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture – Institut international d‟agriculture tropicale – www.iita.org

8. CRP 3.4 RTB
Themes:
1. Conserving and accessing genetic resources
2. Accelerating the development and selection of varieties
with higher, more stable yield and added value
3. Managing priority pests and diseases
4. Making available low cost, high quality planting material
for farmers
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture – Institut international d‟agriculture tropicale – www.iita.org

9. CRP 3.4 RTB
Themes:
5. Developing tools for more productive, ecologically robust
cropping systems
6. Promoting postharvest technologies, value chains, and
market opportunities
7. Enhancing impact through partnerships
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture – Institut international d‟agriculture tropicale – www.iita.org

10. CRP 3.4 RTB
Theme 1. Conserving and accessing genetic resources
• PL 1. Ex‐situ and in‐situ conservation methodologies
optimized
• PL 2. Increased coverage of gene pools in global
genebanks
• PL 3. International collections of RTB phenotyped and
genotyped for important traits
• PL 4. International collections of RTB documented and
information freely accessible to users
• PL 5. Safe exchange of RTB genetic resources
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture – Institut international d‟agriculture tropicale – www.iita.org

11. CRP 3.4 RTB
Theme 2. Accelerating the development and selection of
varieties with higher, more stable yield and added
value
• PL 1. Breeding tools, strategies, and approaches
• PL 2. Trait capture and gene discovery
• PL 3. Population development and pre‐breeding
• PL 4. Variety development
• PL 5. Aligning research with farmers‟ and end‐users‟
priorities
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture – Institut international d‟agriculture tropicale – www.iita.org

12. CRP 3.4 RTB
Theme 3. Managing priority pests and diseases
• PL 1. Detection, surveillance, and mapping
• PL 2. Ecology, biology, and epidemiology of pests and
diseases
• PL 3. Ecology and management of beneficial organisms
• PL 4. Specific management strategies
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture – Institut international d‟agriculture tropicale – www.iita.org

13. CRP 3.4 RTB
Theme 4. Making available low‐cost, high‐quality
planting material for farmers
• PL 1. Policies, strategies, and decision support tools to
improve effectiveness of seed systems
• PL 2. Lower cost, more effective mass propagation
methods
• PL 3. Farmer‐based quality seed production and
management methods
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture – Institut international d‟agriculture tropicale – www.iita.org

14. CRP 3.4 RTB
Theme 5. Developing tools for more productive,
ecologically robust cropping systems
• PL 1. Ecological and physiological understanding of RTB
crops and cropping systems
• PL 2. Increasing productivity in RTB cropping systems
through nutrient/water/light management practices
• PL 3. Integrated decision and management tools for RTB
crops
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture – Institut international d‟agriculture tropicale – www.iita.org

15. CRP 3.4 RTB
Theme 6. Promoting postharvest technologies, value
chains, and market opportunities
• PL 1. Postharvest approaches to improve food security
• PL 2. Improving linkages to markets for environmentally
friendly income generation activities
• PL 3. Marketing strategies and policies to add value and
promote RTB consumption
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture – Institut international d‟agriculture tropicale – www.iita.org

16. CRP 3.4 RTB
Theme 7. Enhancing impact through partnerships
• PL 1. Targeting and setting priorities
• PL 2. Building effective partnerships
• PL 3. Communication and knowledge sharing
• PL 4. Capacity strengthening
• PL 5. Outcome and impact assessment
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture – Institut international d‟agriculture tropicale – www.iita.org

17. CRP 3.4 RTB
Fig. 1 Organization
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture – Institut international d‟agriculture tropicale – www.iita.org

18. CRP 3.4 RTB
Steering Committee (SC):
• provide strategic oversight of the overall performance
• approve the strategic and annual plans and budget
allocations
• oversee annual performance of the PD
• arbitrate disputes as the last instance before these are
brought to the Consortium Board.
• Composition: DGs of the four CGIAR founding partners
of the CRP, a representative of the Lead Center Board
(LCB), possibly two independent members, and the PD
as an ex‐officio member. The DG of the lead center will
chair the SC.
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture – Institut international d‟agriculture tropicale – www.iita.org

19. CRP 3.4 RTB
Management Committee (MC):
• The MC will be the key strategic and executive entity and
will be responsible for the establishment, execution, and
monitoring of the full CRP‐RTB research portfolio,
including the development of strategy, work plans and
business plans, and annual budgets.
• Composition: DDGs-Research of Bioversity, CIP, CIAT
and IITA, as well as the Program Director. A DDG-R may
delegate their representation to „ another high‐level
research officer‟ of their Center. The Program Director
(PD) will chair the MC
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture – Institut international d‟agriculture tropicale – www.iita.org

20. CRP 3.4 RTB
Program Management Unit (PMU)
• The PD will be assisted by a small PMU, composed of a
group of staff fully dedicated to support the CRP‐RTB
management.
• The PMU will consist of one high‐level research officer
(RO), one contract and finance officer (C&FO), and a
communications officer (CO)
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture – Institut international d‟agriculture tropicale – www.iita.org

21. CRP 3.4 RTB
Theme Leaders:
• Leadership of the seven themes will be distributed
among the four centers. Theme leaders will be elected
according to a set of criteria agreed by the MC and
approved by the SC. The MC will ensure an equitable
distribution of roles among the four centers based on
competencies and the level of investment in a particular
theme.
• IITA will lead one or more themes. The DG or DDG‐R4D
will propose one candidate for any theme for which we
believe we should play a theme leader role.
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture – Institut international d‟agriculture tropicale – www.iita.org

22. CRP 3.4 RTB
Theme leaders, reporting to the MC, will:
• Identify and promote cross‐cutting synergistic research
activities for their theme.
• Ensure integration across themes.
• Facilitate preparation of annual or medium‐term research
plans, budgets, and annual reports for their theme in
coordination with focal points for the theme in the other
centers and the PMU.
• Contribute to midterm and final evaluations at three and
six years.
• Respond to other requests for support related to the
appropriate functioning of the CRP from the PD
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture – Institut international d‟agriculture tropicale – www.iita.org

23. CRP 3.4 RTB
Theme Investments by Center (US $ millions)
Research Theme Base Scenario
2011 - 2013
BI CIAT CIP IITA Total
T1 Genetic resources - conservation & access 4.7 3.1 1.9 9.9 19.6
T2 Varieties - high, stable yield & added value 1.4 4.6 28.1 13.8 47.9
T3 Managing priority pests and diseases 4.5 2.2 5.2 8.0 19.9
T4 High-quality planting materials 2.3 1.8 6.0 7.4 17.5
T5 Ecologically robust cropping systems 4.5 2.5 2.6 3.0 12.5
T6 Postharvest tech., value chains, markets 2.9 1.8 3.3 6.8 14.7
T7 Impact through partnerships 5.2 1.3 5.1 4.0 15.6
Sub total 25.4 17.3 52.2 52.8 147.7
Institutional overhead 5.1 3.0 9.1 10.5 27.7
Total before CRP Management Cost 30.5 20.3 61.3 63.3 175.4
CRP Management Cost (4%) 1.2 0.8 2.4 2.6 7.0
Total 31.7 21.1 63.7 65.9 182.4
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture – Institut international d‟agriculture tropicale – www.iita.org

24. CRP 3.4 RTB
Theme Investments by Crop (US $ millions)
Research Theme Base Scenario
2011 - 2013
Other
Potato SWP Banana Cassava Yams RTB Total
T1 Genetic resources 0.3 0.2 7 8 2.6 1.5 19.6
T2 Varieties 12.3 14.3 4.6 11.4 3.6 1.7 47.9
T3 Pests and diseases 3.2 2 6.4 6 2.1 0.1 19.9
T4 Planting materials 3.5 2.5 4 5.4 1.9 0.1 17.5
T5 Cropping systems 1.3 1.2 5.2 3.8 0.8 0.1 12.5
T6 Postharvest tech. 1.9 0.5 4.5 5.1 1.8 1.1 14.7
T7 Impact 1.2 3.9 6.1 3.3 1.0 0.1 15.6
Sub total 23.7 24.7 37.9 43.0 13.8 4.6 147.7
Institutional overhead 4.1 4.3 7.7 8.0 2.7 0.8 27.7
Total before Mgt. Cost 27.8 29.0 45.6 51.0 16.5 5.4 175.4
CRP Management Cost 1.2 1.1 1.8 2.1 0.7 0.2 7.0
Total 29.0 30.1 47.4 53.1 17.2 5.6 182.4
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture – Institut international d‟agriculture tropicale – www.iita.org