The CGIAR, whose member organizations host and manage ReSAKSS, and its donors, namely the [[Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation]] have been criticized for their connections to Western governments and multinational [[agribusiness]] for furthering a technology-driven agenda that favors large agribusiness at the expenses of small farmers.<ref>SciDev Net. 2010. [http://www.scidev.net/en/features/are-gates-and-cgiar-a-good-mix-for-africa-.html Are Gates and CGIAR a good mix for Africa?], accessed on July 4, 2012</ref><ref>Lobbywatch Profile [http://www.lobbywatch.org/profile1.asp?PrId=295 CGIAR - Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research], accessed on July 4, 2012</ref> However, many mainstream sources recognize CGIAR as having support of smallholders and poor farmers central to its mission.<ref>The Economist. (2-18-2012) [httphttps://www.economist.com/node/21547771/ “The nutrition puzzle: Why do so many people in poor countries eat so badly—and what can be done about it?”] “Marie Ruel, of the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington, DC, ticks off some of the tasks: focus on the first 1,000 days of life (including pregnancy); scale up maternal-health programmes and the teaching of good feeding practices; concentrate on the poor; measure and monitor the problem.”</ref><ref>Tran, Mark. (2011-09-02) [https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2011/sep/02/east-africa-crisis-investment-pastoralists? “Investment in pastoralists could help combat east Africa food crisis”] The Guardian. "The ILRI, based in Nairobi, is a proponent of pastoralism and asserts that herding in dry areas makes better economic sense than irrigation."</ref><ref>The Economist (4-23-2000) [httphttps://www.economist.com/nodespecial-report/2957082000/03/23/biting-the-silver-bullet “Biting the silver bullet”] “CGIAR… help poor farmers”</ref><ref>New Agriculturist (1-2007) [http://www.new-ag.info/en/view/point.php?a=1 “Confronting the Challenges of Change”] “The CGIAR has a very long and successful history of providing agricultural science for the benefit of poor people across the world, and that remains our core mission.”</ref><ref>New Agriculturist (1-2005) [http://www.new-ag.info/en/pov/views.php?a=1268 “The CGIAR: A Bridge to the Future?”] “Tropical agriculture has benefited very significantly from the work of the CGIAR (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research)….the CGIAR's impact, since its founding in the 1970s, is an estimated US$9 return on every US$1 invested.”</ref>
