The Challenge Program on Water and Food: A new paradigm for research in the CGIAR - Water Scarcity, Livelihoods and Food Security - page 5

Box 1.2 The five original research themes of CPWF Phase
1 (lead Center)
Theme 1: Improve crop water productivity (IRRI).
Theme 2: Multiple use of upper catchments (CIAT).
Theme 3: Aquatic ecosystems and fisheries (WorldFish).
Theme 4: Integrated basin water management systems (IWMI).
Theme 5: The global and national food and water system (IFPRI).
Note: IRRI = International Rice Research Institute; CIAT = Centro
Internacional de Agricultura Tropical; IWMI = International Water
Management Institute; IFPRI = International Food and Policy Research
Institute.
The research themes were given a geographic focus carrying out research in
one or more of nine benchmark basins.
The theme to improve crop water productivity included a wide range of
crops, environments, scale levels, and methodologies varying from bio-
technology to geographic information systems, and remote sensing.
Multiple use of upper catchments explored ways to improve the use of water
and other resources by understanding the relationships between water, liveli-
hoods and poverty at multiple scales. The objective was to design interventions
that are both sustainable and equitable.
Aquatic ecosystems and fisheries are important in the livelihoods of many of
the world's poor, for example supplying 60 percent of dietary protein in
Cambodia. The theme focused on assessing the economic value of aquatic
ecosystem goods and services; integrating crops with aquaculture, and
improving the management of fisheries in reservoirs.
The theme on basin-level water management focused on analysis of water
productivity in rain-fed and irrigated farming systems. The objective was to
identify basin-level interventions that enhance human and ecological well-
being by increasing water productivity.
The theme on global food and water systems developed a conceptual
framework to analyze food production systems at national and global scales to
identify strengths and weaknesses in the use of green and blue water. It used
two approaches: (a) scenario analysis, including drivers and development goals;
and (b) stakeholder participatory research and institutional analysis.
Following a worldwide call, over 400 research project proposals were
received of which 55 were finally approved, following a stringent evaluation
process. Five Theme Leaders and nine Basin Coordinators based in different
institutions acted as the management team, providing oversight to link tech-
nical quality with support for out- and up-scaling and to ensure the quality of
the contracted projects in the nine benchmark basins (Box 1.3). The purpose