"Promoting Scientific Partnerships for Food Security"

The French Presidency of the G20 took the initiative to convene in Montpellier a conference on Agriculture Research for Development, promoting scientific partnerships for food security. This G20 conference aims at:

• promoting scientific partnerships between agricultural research institutions of G20 members
• mobilizing agricultural research systems of G20 countries in order to enhance the coherence of politics by a better global coordination and a more efficient contribution to CGIAR research programmes
• developing a G20 viewpoint for agricultural research for development, in order to prepare the GCARD2, to be held in Uruguay in 2012.

It will gather, upon invitation of the French Ministry of Cooperation, policy/decision makers and heads of agricultural research institutions from the 20 most industrialized and high economic growth countries.The conference will be opened by the the French Minister of Agriculture, Food, Fischeries, Rural Affairs and Land Use Planning, Bruno Le Maire and closed by the French Minister of Cooperation, Henri de Raincourt.

Outcomes of this Montpellier Conference will feed the pillar on Food Security within the Cannes Declaration in November 2011.

Hosting this conference in Montpellier is a major asset for the image of the town recognized as a "world capital of agricultural research". It is one of the consequence of the GCARD 2010 conference and the decision of the Board of the CGIAR Consortium to set up its headquarters in Montpellier (effective settlement since March 2011 at Agropolis International).