The institutional history of the CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food - Water Scarcity, Livelihoods and Food Security - page 79

based on independent peer-review mechanisms to determine merit and
alignment with thematic and basin priorities; and

5 Global change agenda: linking to and building on the water-related global

change research agenda, primarily through advanced research institute
partners (CPWF Consortium, 2002, p. vii).

Phase 1 explored a range of methods to define and solve problems of water
and food. It cast its net widely, hoping to identify new means to achieve its
objectives. Lessons from Phase 1 were to serve as the basis for the next phases
of the CPWF (CPWF Consortium, 2002, p. v).
The CPWF's new approaches for organizing and managing research
included “a new quality of partnership” (CPWF Consortium, 2002, p. vi). It
posited that collaboration among diverse partners would “lead to break-
throughs in how knowledge [solves] problems at basin and field levels.” Phase
1 was therefore designed to encourage partnerships beyond the normal
CGIAR Center networks. Each of the CPWF's 18 partners, including five
CGIAR Centers, was a voting member of the steering committee that took
strategic decisions. Three-quarters of the CPWF funding was distributed
through competitive grants, which encouraged a broad partnership base. A
minimum of one-third of funds for each project was earmarked for NARES
partners (CPWF Consortium, 2002, p. vi).
In November, 2002 the CGIAR Executive Council approved the first,
5-year phase of the CPWF, which ran from 2004 to 2008. 1

Phase 1

Over 200 research and development institutions with natural and social
scientists, development specialists and river basin communities participated in
Phase 1. Research was focused on five themes in nine benchmark river basins 2
in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Each theme was led by a CGIAR Center. Themes addressed issues affecting
water and food at different scales with different perspectives (CPWF, 2005,
p. 6). Themes sought to understand how the main drivers that affected water
and food security evolved, and how they might be changed. The five themes
and their respective lead Centers were:

• Crop water productivity (IRRI);

• Water and people in catchments (CIAT);

• Aquatic ecosystems and fisheries (WorldFish);

• Integrated basin-level water management systems (IWMI); and

• Global and national food and water systems (IFPRI).

The CPWF proposal hypothesized that research on water and food was best
conducted in the context of an entire river basin (Harrington et al., 2006).