IDRC - International Development Research Centre

Published purpose

The Canadian International Food Security Research Fund (CIFSRF) supports applied research projects that address food security challenges in the developing world. It is jointly funded, coordinated, and implemented in collaboration with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and uses the combined expertise of both organizations to maximize the impact of the projects funded. Through investments in applied research, the CIFSRF contributes to the development of more productive, sustainable, and gender-sensitive agricultural techniques for women subsistence farmers, with the ultimate goal of making food sources more secure and accessible, and the food produced more nutritious, for poor households. Women and girls are particularly targeted by this project since they face the heaviest burden of chronic hunger and malnutrition in developing countries. The objectives of the CIFSRF are: (1) to increase food security in developing countries by funding applied research in agricultural development and nutrition; (2) to apply Canadian science and technology expertise in collaboration with developing country partners to address food security; (3) to use research results to inform food security policies and programs; and (4) to identify innovations and scale up the most promising research from both Phase I and Phase II of the Fund to help meet future global food demand. Phase II focuses geographically on the 20 countries already targeted under Phase I as well as all other official development assistance-eligible countries in Africa. Project activities for phase II include: (1) developing farming methods that can better withstand the effects of climate change; (2) developing environmentally sustainable gender-sensitive, farmer-led research models for breeding and distribution of new crops or underutilized traditional crops and consumption of sufficient, safe and nutritious food; (3) improving family-based aquaculture; (4) decreasing domestic animal losses through development of vaccines; and (5) reducing post-harvest losses through adaptable and affordable technologies. Partnership is an important aspect of the CIFSRF and all the research projects funded are jointly conducted by Canadian and developing country-based organizations, such as academic institutions, private sector organizations, civil society organizations, or research institutions. These partnerships harness Canada's expertise in agriculture and nutritional science and combine it with first-hand knowledge and expertise in developing countries, to maximize the benefit for development activities.