ISPC commentary on the proposal CRP 3.1: “WHEAT - Global Alliance for Improving Food Security and the Livelihoods of the Resource‐poor in the Developing World”

Wheat is a commodity of great social and economic importance, equal to rice as a global food security crop. The proposal for CRP 3.1, WHEAT, argues convincingly for a collaborative international research effort to achieve sustainable wheat production systems and improve access to and affordability of wheat as a major food for poor consumers while reversing environmental degradation. To this end, the proposal brings together CIMMYT and ICARDA with other major players in a comprehensive global research program. The track record of these partners is impressive. The proposed program, however, takes on too large an agenda without sufficient supporting analysis of constraints and opportunities for wheat research. It does not sufficiently prioritize activities in order to focus on areas where plausibility of impact is greatest.