Excerpts: By the late 1960's, the various research activities began to bear fruit. They also began to coalesce into what was to become the framework of an international agricultural research system focused upon food needs of the developing nations. There were three major components to this system: 1) international agricultural research centers (lARC's), 2) national research systems in developing nations, 3) national systems in developing countries. The lARC's play a key role in this system. As of 1981, there were 13 international centers and programs sponsored by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and several other international centers outside of this group. Together, they cover nearly all the major food commodities and ecological zones in the developing world. The CGIAR, an informal affiliation of donors of many types, is the principal sponsoring group. Its principal purpose is to stimulate and coordinate funding, and provide general guidance for the lARC's under its aegis. CGIAR was established in 1971 under sponsorship of the World Bank, the United Nations Development Program, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). It is serviced by a secretariat at the World Bank in Washington, and by a Technical Advisory Committee whose secretariat is located at FAO in Rome.