Agricultural research for development is not basic research. The goal is to translate research results into strategies, technologies or policy recommendations. These may be interim findings, which are still being researched in the centres themselves or the national research systems in the developing countries. The results may also involve innovations that can be applied directly and benefit the target groups or are adopted by policymakers. These impacts are, however, subject to a range of other influences, so that they cannot always be directly attributed to the project. The same applies to developmental benefits such as raising agricultural productivity, reducing hunger and poverty and conserving biodiversity and productive resources.

• Establishing Plausability in Impact Assessment
  Workgroup on Asessing the Impact of Agricultural Research in Development. Eschborn 2001.
  en-beaf-establishing-plausability-in-impact-assessment.pdf, 0.15 MB (english)
• Snapshot of CGIAR Impacts
  A recently published study estimating the value of the CGIAR’s activities since its inception reports a benefit-cost ratio of 9.0 for the $7.12 billion (1990 US dollars) invested. Thus, for every dollar invested in the CGIAR, $9 worth of additional food has been produced in the developing world, catalysing substantial additional “multiplier effects” for poor producers and consumers in the process.
  en-beaf-snapshots-cgiar-impact-2004.pdf, 0.15 MB (english)