Press Releases – 2006

1. ICRISAT and DBT partner to establish a Center of Excellence in Genomics ( 14 December 2006)

2. International conference focuses attention on indigenous vegetables and legumes (12 December 2006)

3. First international conference on indigenous vegetables and legumes next week 4. CGIAR research vital for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (14 November

2006) 5. ICRISAT and partners launch initiative on open access information on agricultural

research ( 8 November 2006) 6. ICRISAT sorghum for ethanol now a sweet reality (11 October 2006) 7. ICRISAT launches agro-ecotourism complex at Manmool in Patancheru campus (13

September 2006) 8. ICRISAT and University of Florida launch partnership for flexible online courses (23

August 2006) 9. ICRISAT consortium's watershed projects improve farmers' income ( 20 July 2006 ) 10. Global initiatives to combat drought and desertification (23 June 2006) 11. Agri-product venture launched from Agri-Science Park@ICRISAT (6 June 2006) 12. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister presents ICRISAT groundnut variety to Anantapur

farmers (1 June 2006) 13. ICAR and ICRISAT Research Partnership Highly Successful (25 May 2006) 14. Farmer participatory research creates big impacts in four Asian countries (15 May 2006) 15. ICRISAT maps out vision and strategy to 2015 (12 May 2006) 16. ICRISAT receives the best technology incubator award (11 May 2006) 17. ADB and ICRISAT partner in alleviating poverty through science (5 May 2006) 18. Small fertilizer doses yield big impact in sub-Saharan Africa (28 April 2006) 19. ICRISAT's Agri-Business Incubator selected as best technology incubator for 2005 (27

March 2006) 20. ICRISAT strengthens partnerships with the private sector (2 March 2006) 21. CII and ICRISAT to collaborate on natural resource management (27 February 2006) 22. ICRISAT initiates groundnut revolution in Anantapur 23. Indian President hands over ICRISAT seeds to the Philippines 24. ICRISAT to host international virology symposium 25. ICRISAT honors FAO Director General

25)ICRISAT and DBT partner to establish a Center of Excellence in Genomics

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) is partnering with the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India to establish a Center of Excellence in Genomics (CEG) at ICRISAT with financial support from DBT.

A Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) signed by Dr William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT, and Dr MK Bhan, Secretary of DBT, were exchanged yesterday at a function organized at ICRISAT headquarters at Patancheru, India.

Through the MoA the Center of Excellence in Genomics project was launched at ICRISAT. The project will result in the establishment of the CEG, which will strengthen the existing molecular breeding facilities at ICRISAT to a high throughput, cost-effective facility, which can be used for crop improvement research. The facility, which is expected to be fully operational over the course of 2007, will also be available for researchers from other agricultural research institutes.

The CEG will provide:

High-throughput, low-cost, allele detection platforms, to help with molecular-marker assisted selection and breeding.

Access to large-scale field screening for abiotic stresses, such as drought and salinity. Biometrics (agricultural statistics) and bioinformatics support. Fellowships and training courses for scientists and students from the Indian institutes in

the use of high-throughput methods in breeding and research.

According to Dr William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT, the partnership with DBT will help in improving agricultural productivity using improved tools cost-effectively. This will help in alleviating the poverty of smallholder farmers in the dryland areas of India and rest of the developing world.

Dr Dar added that the CEG will be a model of growth for enhancing South-South cooperation, since its results will be beneficial for India and other developing countries where ICRISAT works. The CEG will provide new technological options, build capacity of scientists and also accelerate crop improvement by reducing the time required to develop new varieties by half.

According to Dr MK Bhan, Secretary of DBT, the partnership is significant since it links international research and national research. As a partner, ICRISAT understands the national goals in India and also has the ability to share the products of research with other developing countries.

Dr Bhan added that the CEG is also significant since it focuses on molecular breeding techniques, which have the potential of giving returns soon enough in terms of improved agricultural productivity.

Plant breeding relies on the ability of the breeder to identify individual crop plants with superior characteristics for traits of interest. This often requires taking extensive and complex measurements of crops plants under specific field conditions. This makes the selection process slow, since the breeder often has to wait until the plants grow to make the selection. Molecular marker-assisted selection reduces this selection time, since selection can be based on DNA analysis of the plants in the lab, without waiting for each generation to grow in the field.

Cost-effective techniques based on molecular markers have many applications in plant breeding, and the ability to detect the presence of a gene (or genes) controlling a particular desired trait has given rise to marker-assisted selection and marker-assisted breeding. The approach makes it possible to speed up the selection process and to increase its efficiency.

For example, a trait may only be observable in a mature plant, but MAS allows scientists to screen for the trait at the much earlier plantlet or even seed stage by analyzing its DNA.

For further information contact, Dr David Hoisington, Global Theme Leader on Biotechnology, ICRISAT, at d.hoisington@cgiar.org .

24)International conference focuses attention on indigenous vegetables and legumes

The First International Conference on Indigenous Vegetables and Legumes, jointly organized by AVRDC-The World Vegetable Center, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-

Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Bioversity International, the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS) and the Global Horticulture Initiative, was inaugurated today at ICRISAT campus, Patancheru, by eminent agricultural scientist Dr MS Swaminathan

More than 220 scientists working on indigenous vegetables and legumes in 42 countries are participating in this Conference. The Conference aims to create awareness on the importance of indigenous vegetables and legumes to food security, crop and food diversification, and improvement of nutrition and health (of both humans and livestock).

Dr William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT, said that by focusing scientific research on indigenous vegetables and legumes, agricultural scientists have the opportunity to develop a diversified basket of crops for the farmers, and a diversified food basket for the consumers. This will strengthen the farmers' ability to withstand risk and improve incomes, and the consumers will have increased choice of vegetables and legumes for an improved and healthy world.

According to Dr Thomas Lumpkin, Director General of AVRDC, growing indigenous vegetables and legumes can provide both livelihood and nutritional security to the smallholder farmers in developing countries.

Dr MS Swaminathan, Chairman of the Indian National Commission on Farmers, said that indigenous vegetables and legumes help women farmers improve their incomes, in addition to fighting malnutrition and providing health benefits.

Indigenous vegetables and legumes are the lesser-known crops grown by farm communities in developing countries across the world. These are underutilized, locally adapted crops that have the potential for raising income of farm families and improve their nutrition.

The indigenous vegetables are mostly leafy greens that are easy to grow, are more resistant to pests and diseases, and are acceptable to local tastes. They help diversify production systems, income and diets for year-round nutrition. Some of the indigenous crops have medicinal properties, such as the presence of antioxidants, which can remove cancer-causing free radicals from the body.

However, these indigenous vegetables and legumes are at risk in many countries, where they are being replaced by a few high-yielding commercial varieties. Once an indigenous variety is lost, it is lost forever.

International agricultural research institutes, such as the organizers of this Conference, have been collecting, characterizing, preserving indigenous germplasm from developing countries in Asia and Africa. This is being further strengthened with research to improve the crops, and improve their utilization and market access.

The International Conference will help focus the attention of the scientists and policy makers on indigenous vegetables and legume crops. The four-day Conference is expected to create a forum of experts in the field of indigenous vegetable and legume research and development. This forum will develop strategies and work to promote the use of indigenous vegetables and legumes worldwide.

The technical sessions during the Conference will include discussions on genetic conservation, biodiversity conservation, breeding and biotechnology for crop improvement, farming systems, seed production technologies, post-harvest processing, value addition, marketing, and the development of research strategies and policies.

For further information, contact Dr ML Chadha, Director, AVRDC Regional Center for South Asia, ICRISAT campus, at Mchadha@cgiar.org ; or Dr CLL Gowda, Global Theme Leader – Crop Improvement, ICRISAT at c.gowda@cgiar.org .

23)First international conference on indigenous vegetables and legumes next week  For the first time an International Conference on Indigenous Vegetables and Legumes is being jointly organized by AVRDC-The World Vegetable Center, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Bioversity International, the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS) and the Global Horticulture Initiative, at ICRISAT's Patancheru campus from 12 to 15 December.

More than 220 scientists working on indigenous vegetables and legumes are participating in this Conference. The Conference aims to create awareness on the importance of indigenous vegetables and legumes to food security, crop and food diversification, and improvement of nutrition and health (of both humans and livestock).

Eminent agricultural scientist, Dr MS Swaminathan will be the Chief Guest at the inaugural function to be held on 12 December morning. Dr Mangala Rai, Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research; Dr William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT; Dr Thomas Lumpkin, Director General of AVRDC; and Dr Emile Frison, Director General of Bioversity International, will also be present for the inaugural session and the Press Meet that follows the session.

The International Conference will help focus the attention of the scientists and policy makers on indigenous vegetables and legume crops. The four-day Conference is expected to create a forum of experts in the field of indigenous vegetable and legume research and development. This forum will develop strategies and work to promote the use of indigenous vegetables and legumes worldwide.

The technical sessions during the Conference will include discussions on genetic conservation, biodiversity conservation, breeding and biotechnology for crop improvement, farming systems, seed production technologies, post-harvest processing, value addition, marketing, and the development of research strategies and policies.

For further information, contact Dr ML Chadha, Director, AVRDC Regional Center for South Asia, ICRISAT campus, at Mchadha@cgiar.org ; or Dr CLL Gowda, Global Theme Leader – Crop Improvement, ICRISAT at c.gowda@cgiar.org .  

22)CGIAR research vital for achieving the Millennium Development Goals Science-based agricultural research being carried out by the 15 international agricultural research centers under the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) is the backbone of the international efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of reducing global poverty by half by 2015.

According to Dr William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT and former Chair of the Alliance Executive of the Alliance of the CGIAR Centers, the CGIAR's new research priorities are fully

aligned with the MDGs. The research activities of the CGIAR Centers are particularly effective in helping achieve reduction of poverty and hunger through increased agricultural productivity.

“CGIAR research helps empower poor households to escape poverty, improve their livelihoods and make them competitive in a globalized market,” Dr Dar said, speaking at the global conference of the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR) and the Asia Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI) at New Delhi recently.

The role of the CGIAR Centers is critical since agricultural growth is critical to achieving the MDGs. Agricultural growth has a multiplier effect in reducing poverty. In sub-Saharan Africa, a 10% increase in yields brings a 9% decrease in the number of people living on less than $1 a day. The new technologies of Green Revolution in India in the 1960s increased the average income of the poor farmers by 90% and that of the landless laborers by 125%.

The relationship between improvement in agricultural productivity and decrease in poverty is strong since 50% of the global poor are smallholder farmers and 22% are landless rural poor, who derive their income from agricultural activities. About 8% are pastoralists, fisherfolk and forest dwellers, who too in some way are benefited by improved agricultural productivity.

Investment in international agricultural research also has a multiplier effect on agricultural productivity. For every dollar invested in international agricultural research, nine dollars worth of additional food is produced in developing countries where it is needed the most.

With a combined force of 8,500 scientists and support staff in over 100 countries, the CGIAR Centers are generating cutting-edge science to help achieve the MDGs. These Centers evolved from a commodity-based approach in the 1960s, where they worked on increasing the productivity of rice, wheat and maize to a more holistic and problem-oriented approach currently.

The new CGIAR research priorities include sustaining biodiversity for current and future generations; producing more and better food at lower cost through genetic improvements; diversifying crop basket with high-value commodities; promoting sustainable natural resource management; and improving policies and institutional innovations to reduce poverty and hunger.

In addition to working with national and regional agricultural research systems, the CGIAR Centers also collaborate with network of agricultural research institutions, such as GFAR and APAARI.

Dr Dar represented the Alliance of the CGIAR Centers at the global conferences of both GFAR and APAARI organized at New Delhi recently. At the GFAR conference he said that the CGIAR and GFAR must collaborate with relevant stakeholders to improve genetic resources management, natural resources management, commodity chains and policy management in geographical areas of mutual interest.

At the APAARI conference he said that the overall goal is help smallholder farmers to benefit from the improved value chain of agricultural markets. An enhanced public, private, people partnership (PPPP) can lead into the development of the three I's –incentives, institutions and infrastructure.

Dr Dar reiterated that the Alliance of the CGIAR Centers is committed to substantially contribute to the attainment of MDGs through science with a human face and strategic partnerships.

21)ICRISAT and partners launch initiative on open access information on agricultural research  

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), in collaboration with the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, has launched an

initiative to promote open access information sources in agricultural sciences and technology in India.

The initiative was launched at the First AGRIS workshop on open access in agricultural sciences and technology: Indian initiatives organized at ICRISAT headquarters at Patancheru on 6 and 7 November.

The workshop brought together library and documentation specialists from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) institutes, state agricultural research universities. There were also representatives from specialized institutions such as the National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) at Bangalore, and the National Informatics Center (NIC).

Launching the first phase, the participants of the workshop decided to suggest the establishment of the two pilot open access information repositories in the agricultural domain within the first year. One would be in Delhi with support from ICAR, and the other in Hyderabad with support from ICRISAT and MANAGE.

According to Dr Dyno Keatinge, Deputy Director General of ICRISAT, speaking on behalf of Director General William Dar, the new initiative will create a new platform for information sharing on agricultural research in India.

Dr P M Bhargava, Vice Chair of Indian National Knowledge Commission, participated in the workshop, and said that the technology and application can take agricultural information sharing into a new paradigm.

Though open access documentation systems have been popular in many other areas of science communication in India, it is not being used in agricultural research documentation. The initiative has been launched to bridge this gap. It will also implement lessons learnt from existing global open access systems such as AGRIS, the international information system for the agricultural sciences and technology, initiated by FAO.

The AGRIS Secretariat in Rome has taken up several new initiatives in the last few years in face of the exponential growth in available information on agricultural research. Development of new metadata (information that describes how, when and by whom data has been collected and formatted) standards to share information coupled with open source software now in use can ensure open access for users worldwide.

The new open access agriculture information will enable agricultural scientists to obtain information through the Internet that are more searchable, more value added information such as who is the writer, citation and source credibility.

For further information, contact Mr S Srinivas at s.srinivas@cgiar.org .

20)ICRISAT sorghum for ethanol now a sweet reality The project to convert the juice from the sweet sorghum stalk into bio-ethanol, which was initiated by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and Rusni Distillery, was inaugurated recently. ICRISAT Director General William Dar commissioned the 40,000-liter per day fuel ethanol and extra-neutral alcohol re-distillation plant at Mohammed Shahpur village in Medak district, Andhra Pradesh, India.

With the commissioning of the distillery costing US$ 7 million, ICRISAT will become among the first institutes in the world that has facilitated a project that links a distillery producing ethanol from sweet sorghum to the poor and the marginal farmers of the semi-arid tropics.

With the fuel prices skyrocketing, there is increasing demand for bio-fuels like ethanol, an alternative fuel for blending with petroleum products in many countries. Sweet sorghum being a water-efficient crop grown in the semi-arid tropics, can serve as an excellent source for ethanol while still meeting the food, feed and fodder needs of the small farmers.

According to Dr Dar, the project succeeds in using ICRISAT's ability in breeding varieties of sorghum that have a higher content of sugar in their stalk. Through the Agri-Business Incubator (ABI), the technology commercialization arm of ICRISAT, the institute built a successful partnership with Rusni Distillery, a private-sector partner, to produce ethanol from sweet sorghum.

“By linking the distillery with the sorghum farmers we have helped empower small farmers to realize an additional end use and thereby increase their income and improve livelihood security,” Dr Dar said.

Dr Dar added that the news of ICRISAT's breakthrough on producing ethanol from sweet sorghum is creating ripples internationally being a pioneering venture. “Soon this ethanol from sweet sorghum project will benefit not only the 3,000 farmers of Medak district who grow the crop, but also generate employment for many more farm families.

Mr A R Palaniswamy, Managing Director of Rusni Distilleries thanked ICRISAT for developing sweet sorghum varieties with higher juice content and also for building bridges with the private sector through the ABI at ICRISAT. The project has become a commercial reality because of this end-to-end planning and implementation.

Mr Palaniswamy holds the patent for the technology for producing ethanol from sweet sorghum stalk. This technology is being used for the Rusni plant.

The success of the ICRISAT-facilitated project in India has encouraged delegations from other countries to study and evaluate it for replication. Two Filipino delegations were recently at ICRISAT to understand and study the successful model in India so as to replicate it in the Philippines.

A team led by Hon Benedicto V Yujuico, Special Envoy of the President of the Philippines for Trade Relations visited ICRISAT to understand the model. An impressed Hon Yujuico said that he would recommend the replication of the model in the Philippines.

Another Filipino delegation, jointly led by Mr Nicomedes P Eleazer, Director, Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR), and Dr Roberto F Rañola, Vice-Chancellor for Administration of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) was at ICRISAT to study in depth the Indian model and the feasibility of developing it for replication in the Philippines.

The delegation has been tasked by the Government of Philippines to develop a road map and a feasibility plan for promoting ethanol as a biofuel in the Philippines.

A project has also been initated in Kampala, Uganda, by a private sector company, J N Agritech International Ltd. The partnership with the Ugandan company was built by Rusni Distillery with support of ABI at ICRISAT.

For further information, contact Dr Belum V Subba Reddy at b.reddy@cgiar.org , or Dr Kiran Sharma at k.Sharma@cgiar.org

19)ICRISAT launches agro-ecotourism complex at Manmool in Patancheru campus  

An agro-eco-tourism complex has risen within the grounds of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). Launched on 11 September by Dr William Dar, ICRISAT's Director General, the agro-ecotourism complex is located at the site where formerly Manmool village stood and consists of a castle, temple, mosque, chapel, a golf driving range and a running track.

Dr Dar inaugurated the agro-ecotourism complex by unveiling a plaque at a simple function at Manmool on 11 September. All members of ICRISAT staff participated in a jog along the newly opened track at the site.

In inaugurating the agro-ecotourism complex, Dr William Dar said that the facility demonstrates a fine blending of agriculture and environmental conservation. With protection and conservation measures implemented at the 3,500-acre ICRISAT campus at Patancheru, the place offers a placid ambience amidst a scenic dryland agrarian environment to visitors. To this, ICRISAT has added a few modern facilities such as a golf driving range.

Dr Dar added that the agro-ecotourism complex provides opportunities for staff members of ICRISAT to rejuvenate their physical and spiritual health. This in turn will help them to be more productive in improving agricultural productivity and strengthening the livelihoods of the poor and marginal farmers in the semi-arid tropics.

The location of the complex at Manmool is historic, since it is the original site where ICRISAT's research activities began. A ccording to Hindu legends, Manmool is believed to have been a town called “Mandagola”. Etymologically, folklore has it that “Manmool” is adapted from the original village name "mandu-moola", where 'mandu' stands for 'medicine' (cure and healing) and 'mool' means 'roots'. Manmool, in this context, could mean the "roots of healing."

18)ICRISAT and University of Florida launch partnership for flexible online courses  

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and the University of Florida (UFl) at Gainesville, Florida, USA, launched a partnership with a short course on applications of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in land resource management for practicing professionals, extension officers and students.

The partnership between ICRISAT and UFl is unique since it is envisaged to offer courses for working professionals and students in a flexible mode, allowing them to accumulate credits at their pace, and pay fees that are affordable in their national currencies. ICRISAT and the UFl jointly award the certificates for short courses. Though many universities in the USA have similar courses for students in the USA, this unique partnership takes the benefits to the professionals and students in developing countries.

According to Dr William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT, the collaboration brings new strengths to delivering short courses offered by a leading American university. The earlier trend in collaboration was to exchange students and faculty. The new and emerging trend emphasizes using technology to help students learn from off-campus and remote locations.

“Technology-mediated and collaborative learning would be the major trend in higher and continuing education in agriculture in the future,” Dr Dar said.

The partnership between ICRISAT and UFl will develop collaborative educational programs using innovative e-technologies to:

Support extension, outreach, certificate and in-service training programs.

Build individual and institutional capacity through scientists and student exchange and training programs.

Provide locally/regionally relevant interdisciplinary short courses for professionals.

The partnership will sow the seed that can grow into a global network that fosters agricultural and environmental education. Some examples of educational activities include: watershed management, ground water remediation technologies, environmental management; water treatment technologies; soil- and water-borne pathogens; integrated pest management; integrated nutrient management; agricultural communication; agribusiness; agro-ecology; techniques in molecular biology; bioremediation; GIS applications to land resource management; remote sensing technologies; precision farming technologies; soil ecosystem services; and soil management.

This collaborative effort is to strengthen the capacity of the institutions in countries of South and Southeast Asia. Locally, ICRISAT and UFl are also developing close working relationship with the Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University (ANGRAU) to develop capacities of the professionals in the university.

In the first course arising from the partnership, organized recently at the Patancheru headquarters of ICRISAT, UFl delegation included Prof K Ramesh Reddy, Chairman of the Soil and Water Science Department and Dr Wendy Graham, Director of the UFl Water Institute. Dr Sabine Grunwald, Associate Professor in the Soil and water Sciences Department was the faculty in-charge of the course. ICRISAT's GIS technical team supported her.

ICRISAT developed a training laboratory with adequate computing facilities to support this course, which provided training on the use of geospatial technologies and spatially explicit analyses related to land resource management.

The course participants included 16 scientists from research centers of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, agricultural universities and NGOs. ANGRAU sent a delegation of four people. Senior technologists from the International Water Management Institute at Colombo also attended the course. Every participant was either self-financed or was supported by the employers. Analysis of feedback from the participants revealed very high levels of satisfaction and there is demand for similar courses.

Dr William Dar is scheduled to visit the University of Florida during the month of November 2006 to meet with the administration and the faculty to explore ways to further strengthen the collaborative programs. Dr Rex Navarro (Director of Communication Office) and Dr V Balaji (Head of the Knowledge Management Systems Office) would also be visiting UFI to strengthen the collaboration.

For further information, please contact Dr V Balaji at v.Balaji@cgiar.org .

17)ICRISAT consortium's watershed projects improve farmers' income  

The watershed development program of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and consortium of partners is reaching out to the world as a model of integrated genetic and natural resource management (IGNRM). After India, China, Vietnam and Thailand, ICRISAT's watershed development model has recently reached East Africa.

In India, ICRISAT's watershed development model received the official acceptance at the highest level. The President of India, His Excellency APJ Abdul Kalam, has often recommended ICRISAT's innovations for dryland agriculture as a model to be used in the drier areas of the country. The National Commission on Farmers, chaired by the eminent agricultural scientist, Dr M

S Swaminathan, recommended an ICRISAT model consortium approach for integrated watershed management to improve rural livelihoods in drought-prone districts throughout India.

According to Dr William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT, the Institute's watershed model has become popular since it brings together as a package for rural development the best of expertise available with ICRISAT and all the consortium partners. “While using the micro watershed as a geographical unit for soil and water conservation and management, the impact is strengthened with improved agronomical practices and diversified income generation activities,” adds Dr Dar.

Dr Suhas P Wani, ICRISAT's Principal Scientist on watersheds, says that the consortium's approach aims to showcase increased incomes for villagers. Once they are convinced that the innovations improve their livelihood security, they become ambassadors to the cause, convincing neighboring villages to practice watershed development technologies.

Strengthening IGNRM While the activities initiated by ICRISAT and partners started with soil and water conservation, the watersheds became the site for implementing IGNRM. In Kothapally watershed in Andhra Pradesh, India, the package of interventions included introducing broad-bed and furrow cultivation, planting Gliricidia on the bunds for green manure, introducing new crops and cropping systems, innovating with pest management techniques and developing micro-enterprises for additional income generation.

Choosing appropriate cropping sequence and matching crop rotation with the soil profile and changing rainfall patterns helped minimize the impact of drought in Kothapally. A combination of maize-pigeonpea and maize followed by chickpea proved to be most beneficial as these crops could utilize the soil moisture more efficiently.

Moreover, studies showed that soils in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan were deficient in micronutrients such as boron and sulphur. Adding these micronutrients to the soil resulted in 28 to 70% increase in the yields of crops.

In Tad Fa and Wang Chai watersheds in Thailand, and Thanh Ha and Huong Dao watersheds in Vietnam, the package of practices included introduction of improved crop varieties, construction and rehabilitation of farm ponds, introduction of legumes in the cropping systems, contour cultivation on mild slopes, vegetative bunds with vetiver plantation, introduction of innovative integrated pest management (IPM) techniques and diversifying cultivation with horticultural crops.

In China, farmers from Lucheba and Xioaoxincum watersheds have harvested rainwater in underground cisterns and surface tanks, diversified the systems growing high-value vegetables and fruits along with innovative IPM options such as light traps and tobacco waste, and earned additional income from allied activities such as rearing of pigs, rabbits and biogas production. Leujiagh village in Lucheba watershed has become a model biogas village for the country using plant and animal wastes for biogas production, meeting the needs of sanitation and energy self-sufficiency.

Innovative interventions diversity income generation activities Many innovations are being implemented with success in the watersheds. In Thailand, an innovative IPM technique – mixing molasses with water and storing in open bottles to trap adult moths before they lay their eggs – has practically eliminated the use of chemical pesticides in vegetable crops.

The innovative activities also give income-generating activities to women's' self-help groups (SHG) and landless farmers. In Kothapally, the members of the SHG feed parthenium weed to earthworms, generate valuable vermicompost, and earn about Rs 500 per person per month from its sale. The SHG also produced and sold biopesticide made from neem and Gliricidia plant leaves using earthworms. Catering to the needs of generating biodiesel plantations, the SHG members started a nursery to raise seedlings of Jatropha and Pongamia .

Likewise, the women's SHG in Goverdhanpura in Bundi district of Rajasthan, India has taken to manufacturing washing powder as an income generating activity. They buy the raw materials

from Bundi town, mix it into washing powder and sell within the village. The small profit helps run the SHG and give an income to women members.

Through improved yields and income-generating opportunities, the families in the watershed projects have more money in their hands. For instance, in Kothapally, the average income (including livestock and non-farming sources) was Rs 37,240 (US$ 795.56) in 2001. In comparison, the average income in the neighboring non-watershed villages was Rs 29,140 (US$ 622.52). Even in the drought year of 2002, Kothapally farmers got more from crop cultivation when compared to the farmers in the neighboring villages, enabling them to prevent migration from the village.

In the Tad Fa and Wang Chai watersheds in Thailand, there was a 45% increase in farm income. On the whole, the farmers earned an average net income of 45,530 baht (US$ 1194.69) per cropping season.

Scaling up and out The success of the Kothapally example led to the acceptance of the ICRISAT model by the Government of Andhra Pradesh for scaling up into 150 watersheds through the Andhra Pradesh Rural Livelihoods Program, supported by the Department of International Development of the UK Government. Observing this success, the Government of Karnataka has requested ICRISAT to establish pilot watershed sites and scale out through the World Bank-funded Sujala Watershed Project.

With the financial support from the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, the ICRISAT-led consortium of partners has implemented watershed projects in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan in India. Watershed projects are also being implemented in Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu states in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Coca Cola Foundation.

With funding from the Asian Development Bank, ICRISAT's model of watershed development was implemented in selected villages in India, China, Thailand and Vietnam.

Reaching out to East Africa ICRISAT's watershed research has also become the reason for the South-South cooperation between countries of different continents – Asia and Africa. Considering the long time lags between NRM research and subsequent impact, ICRISAT and the Soil and Water Research Management Network (SWMnet) leveraged benefits by adapting existing knowledge, rather than initiating new research.

Following visits to India by African officials, an MOU between the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA) and the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) to facilitate long-term collaboration is being prepared.

In the meanwhile, Rwanda has formalized its partnership with ICAR. The government of Rwanda, through its agricultural research institute (ISAR), is working with ICAR to implement pilot sites for the adaptation and demonstration of Indian experiences in integrated management of watersheds. These will also serve as learning sites under SWMnet for the whole sub-region.

Doubly secured As the monsoon clouds cover the Indian sub-continent, villages that have adopted ICRISAT-led consortium's watershed approach are doubly secured. If the rains are adequate then they will be able to take a higher yield. And if the rains fail, the IGNRM innovations will ensure that their crops will succeed.

For further information, contact Dr Suhas P Wani at s.wani@cgiar.org .

16)Global initiatives to combat drought and desertification

 

The 15 international agricultural research institutes under the Alliance of Future Harvest Centers of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)

strengthen the global campaign against drought and desertification through research-for-development.

[New Delhi, 23 June 2006.] For more than 35 years, the Alliance of Future Harvest Centers of the CGIAR and their partners have been globally mobilizing science to combat drought and desertification. Working towards international public goods, CGIAR scientists and partners have been developing a range of agricultural and institutional innovations that address the multifaceted challenges posed by drought and desertification. These science-based efforts are yielding results in the form of innovations that enable more prudent use of natural resources, and foster pro-poor policies that help people cope with desertification. The achievements have been worldwide, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Breeding for drought-tolerance. The Alliance of Future Harvest Centers of the CGIAR has been using a portfolio of breeding methods to develop drought-tolerant crops for the drylands. For instance, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has achieved important gains in improving drought and disease resistance in millet and sorghum, as well as in the leguminous crops chickpea, groundnut and pigeonpea. These are hardy crops that are a bulwark against hunger and a major source of livelihoods in the drylands. Moreover, India, Nepal, Pakistan and China are rapidly taking up improved pigeonpea and chickpea varieties sourced from ICRISAT. The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) has been developing resilient rice varieties that can withstand drought yet give high yields. The Institute also introduced aerobic zero-tilled rice. Through this intervention, the highly water- and labor-demanding conventional puddle transplanting is replaced with zero-tilled direct-sowing systems of rice. This saves 35 to 40% irrigation, without decreasing yields. IRRI's projects are helping dryland farmers in the Indian subcontinent to improve productivity and fight drought.

The International Potato Center (CIP) is working through conventional breeding and biotechnology to improve drought resistance in potato and sweetpotato. Likewise, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and ICRISAT, in collaboration with partners, are working to improve the digestibility of stalks by animals in millet and sorghum. This helps dryland farmers have better fodder for their cattle during drought.

Sustainable soil management. In the drylands of sub-Saharan Africa, many farmers are so poor that they cannot afford to buy and apply appropriate doses of fertilizers. A collaborative research between ICRISAT, the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and their partners is encouraging farmers to apply small doses of the most essential fertilizer directly to the plant at the right time. Called 'microdosing,' this method helps thousands of farmers in Western and Southern Africa to get their crops to mature faster and overcome the worst effects of drought.

Sustainable water management. ICRISAT's watershed technologies have helped improve agricultural productivity, farmers' income and ability to cope with drought through IGNRM. The success of the interventions has resulted in the model being replicated in hundreds of villages in India, China, Thailand and Vietnam. Through an innovative scheme of South-South cooperation, these innovations are also being shared with East African countries. The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) is combining satellite technology with on-the-ground assessments, for drought monitoring and impact management in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and in Central Asia. It is also working at policies for improve groundwater governance and the use of water harvesting as a strategic tool for drought mitigation.

Sustainable use of biodiversity. A project being implemented by the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) with NGOs and other partners in Mali and Zimbabwe demonstrates how dryland farmers manage and conserve their plant genetic resources to resist drought and desertification. In India, IPGRI's farmer-participatory selection work on small millets in the Kolli Hills (Tamil Nadu), Dharwad and Bangalore (Karnataka), in collaboration with the International Fund for Agricultural Development and the MS Swaminathan Research Institute, led to the identification of high-yielding cultivars of finger millet, Italian millet and little millet for sustainable cultivation in the dryland/low rainfall situation. Since communities have the greatest stake in biodiversity conservation and management, and have the best knowledge of their lands, International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA) is implementing Mashreq and Maghreb projects in eight countries in the Middle East and North Africa. These projects empower local land-users to co-manage their lands with the national governments in such a way that the livelihood needs and the desire to improve long-term sustainability are harmonized.

Resource conservation technologies in the Indo-Gangetic Plain: Reduced and zero-till technologies developed and introduced by the Rice-Wheat Consortium consisting of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), IRRI, ICRISAT, CIP and IWMI, and national partners from India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh, are radically transforming the rice-wheat fields of the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP). More than 3 million hectares (Mha) out of the total 13.5.Mha area under rice-wheat systems in the IGP is estimated to have adopted these technologies. Wheat yields have improved on average by 247Kg/ha by reducing moisture loss and improving soil health, and water-wise practices have helped save1.5 to 3 billion cubic meter less of water. Oasis in the International Year of Deserts and Desertification (IYDD) The Alliance of Future Harvest Centers of the CGIAR (the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research) has endorsed a collective initiative called ‘Oasis' to combat drought and desertification in the drylands of the developing world. The Future Harvest Alliance Executive, comprising the Directors General of the fifteen Centers took the decision in late April in their meeting in Cali, Colombia. Oasis will link, synergize and synchronize the research-for-development activities of the Alliance of Future Harvest Centers of the CGIAR.

Dr William Dar, Director General of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), speaking on behalf of the Future Harvest Alliance Executive, said that Oasis will build synergies among the dryland agricultural research efforts of eight Future Harvest Centers in partnership with national, regional, international, civil society, and private sector partners across the developing world. By sharing knowledge, resources, skills and facilities, and blending it with the global campaign against desertification, Oasis will help mobilize science towards sustainable development.

“Desertification is like a skin disease on the earth's surface, erupting in patches that grow and merge over time if not treated,” Dr Dar said. “The poor are hurt most, because they depend on the land for a living. The Future Harvest Centers are very active in this area, and Oasis will accelerate that further.”

Oasis is being launched as a CGIAR contribution to the International Year of Deserts and Desertification (2006) declared by the United Nations. Through its partnership with the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Oasis will link the research-for-development partnerships of the Future Harvest Centers with the global anti-desertification framework of the UNCCD. Around 250 million people in more than 110 countries are estimated to have been affected by desertification, resulting in economic losses totaling US$ 42 billion per annum.

The Future Harvest Centers have long recognized the importance of research to combat desertification. Desertification results from a host of interacting factors, including social, economic, policy, agricultural, ecological, climatic and other drivers. By linking their capabilities,

the Centers and their partners will be able to combat desertification in a more holistic, integrated way that reflects the complexity of the issue.

Oasis will be jointly convened by ICRISAT and ICARDA, and linked with the work of Future Harvest Centers including the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), the International Maize and Wheat Center (CIMMYT), World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF), the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), and the Africa Rice Center (WARDA). The longstanding participation by ICRISAT and ICARDA in the UNCCD process has created a better understanding and appreciation of research-for-development in the dry areas and semi-arid tropics among the UN members.

Oasis will focus on understanding and arresting land degradation; mitigating drought; restoring and stabilizing dryland ecosystems; developing policy and institutional options to encourage sustainable land use and greater investments in drylands; diversifying agricultural systems and livelihoods; and sharing knowledge and technology.

15)Agri-product venture launched from Agri-Science Park@ICRISAT  

The Agri-Science Park (ASP) at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) notched a milestone with one of the private sector partner, Nandan Biomatrix Limited, opening a research and development, process and formulation, and biodiesel facility housed within the ASP within the Institute campus at Patancheru, Andhra Pradesh, India.

According to Dr William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT, with Nandan Biomatrix setting up the unit in the ASP, ICRISAT has strengthened its public-private partnership for improving agricultural productivity in the semi-arid tropics. The partnership will give an opportunity to take a scientific look at biofuel cultivation in the drylands. Dr Dar inaugurated the facilities of Nandan Biomatrix at ASP on 30 May.

The biofuel demonstration unit established by Nandan Biomatrix at ASP will be able to use multiple feedstocks such as Jatropha , Pongamia , etc. The integrated facilities are also expected to be able to standardize herbal extracts, produce standardized bulk extracts and develop specialty formulations.

The R&D wing consisting of drug development, quality control, instrumentation and microbiology units, is equipped with sophisticated facilities that would enable for novel drug discovery and analysis of the herbal products at every stage i.e. from raw materials to finished products.

The processing plant has been designed for extraction of Aloe Vera , Safed Musli and various other medicinal herbs. Organically certified materials are processed in a chemical free way for protecting the active ingredient. The facility brings the chain of cultivation, processing and marketing under a single umbrella.

The Agri-Science Park is the means by which ICRISAT facilitates technology commercialization to help farmers in the Semi-Arid Tropics (SAT) through partnerships with the private and public sectors. The Agri-Science Park brings together the expertise available at ICRISAT, the State Government and renowned and start-up private sector companies.

For further information, contact Dr Farid Waliyar at f.waliyar@cgiar.org .

14)Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister presents ICRISAT groundnut variety to Anantapur farmers  

The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, presented the groundnut variety ICGV 91114 developed by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) to the farmers of Anantapur district at a function organized at the Patancheru campus of ICRISAT today.

Dr Reddy The Honorable Chief Minister symbolically handed over the seeds of ICGV 91114 to a group of farmers from Anantapur district. Congratulating ICRISAT for developing ICGV 91114, Dr Reddy said that the new variety will help the Anantapur farmers obtain a higher groundnut yield even while withstanding a longer drought. The new variety will improve the income of the farmers of the district, while protecting them from drought risk.

According to Dr William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT, the development of ICGV 91114 highlights the commitment of the ICRISAT scientists to reach the most appropriate seeds to the farmers. “It is a strong example of science with a human face, where the farmer of the semi-arid tropics decides what research product he wants from us.”

Trials conducted by ICRISAT scientists with farmers' participation show that ICGV 91114 yields on an average around 10% (range 5%-26%) more than TMV 2, the variety currently popular in Anantapur and released in the 1940s. The average yield of TMV 2 under rainfed condition during on-farm trials between 2002 and2005 (four years) was 1 ton per hectare. Under good management conditions in the rabi season, ICGV 91114 can yield 2.5 to 3.0 tons per hectare. ICGV 91114 matures early, is tolerant of mid-season and end-of-season droughts, has an average shelling turnover of 75%, has an average oil content of 48%, and has better digestibility for livestock.

ICGV 91114, on average, gives 10% more yield than TMV 2. For the farmers from Anantapur, groundnut is a preferred crop since it survives the rough terrain and the uncertainty of rainfall. Though the average rainfall is around 550 mm per year, some parts of the district have recorded as low as 200 mm in bad years and as high as 900 mm in good years.

Every year, on an average, farmers grow groundnut over 800,000 hectares in the district, and in good years, this can go up to one million ha, accounting for nearly 70% of the cultivated area in the district, and making groundnut cultivation a pillar of strength for the rural economy. The crop can withstand up to 50 days of dry spell, yielding farmers nuts for the market and fodder for their animals.

However, for the Anantapur farmer the choice of variety was limited. Since the 1940s the farmers have been planting TMV 2 since they felt that the improved varieties selected for propagation did not satisfy the very specific needs of the district.

ICRISAT started the process in the reverse. The groundnut breeding team from the Institute worked with the farmers to select the most suitable varieties, and together they selected ICGV 91114. The other partners in the project were the Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural Research University and the Rural Development Trust, an NGO.

To strengthen the delivery mechanism for ICGV 91114, the Agri-Business Incubator (ABI) at ICRISAT is partnering with Aakruthi Agricultural Associates of India (AAI) – a group of entrepreneurs operating agri clinics – and the Andhra Pradesh State Seed Development Corporation (APSSDC), the state government institution mandated to reach seeds to farmers. The APSSDC has bought 10 tons of breeder seed of ICGV 91114 from ICRISAT for further multiplication and popularization.

ICRISAT has submitted a proposal to the Andhra Pradesh Government to officially notify ICGV 91114 variety for promotion in Anantapur district.

For further information, contact Dr Shyam N Nigam at s.nigam@cgiar.org .

13)ICAR and ICRISAT Research Partnership Highly Successful  

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) have had a research partnership since ICRISAT was established in 1972 at Patancheru, near Hyderabad. In 1976 an MoA for collaborative research was signed and a joint ICAR-ICRISAT Policy Advisory Committee (JIIPAC) was constituted to identify areas of collaboration for research. The Directors General of ICAR and ICRISAT, Dr Mangala Rai and Dr William D Dar, are joint chairpersons of this extremely effective committee.

“The research partnership between ICAR and ICRISAT has been highly productive,” said Dr Rai. Since 1982 there have been releases of improved pearl millet varieties, early-maturing and wilt resistant chickpea varieties were released in 1990 and 2004, and pigeonpea and groundnut varieties that have been adopted by many farmers in many states. “Greater successes have come from the development and releases of cultivars of these crops developed by the Indian program scientists using improved germplasm supplied by ICRISAT,” said Dr Dar.

In recent years, the research partnership has expanded to include both strategic and applied research. During 2002-2005 there were 25 projects – seventeen dealing with genetic resources, crop improvement, and integrated disease and pest management, two with natural resource management, five with socio-economics and policy, and one with Information and Communication Technologies. In the strategic research areas, prominent fungi causing grain mold and two major quantitative trait loci for shoot fly resistance in sorghum were identified; breeding efficiency of alternative cytoplasmic male-sterility (CMS) systems was investigated and two improved CMS systems were identified in pearl millet; commercially viable CMS systems were identified in pigeonpea; a consortium model of participatory watershed development and management was developed and implemented; a joint vision document targeting research for development in rainfed agriculture was prepared, and the Virtual Academy of Semi-Arid Tropics (VASAT) was established.

High in the applied research areas was the development and release of a downy mildew resistant hybrid of pearl millet (HHB67-2), the first crop product of molecular marker assisted technology in India. Pigeonpea hybrids with 30-50% grain yield advantage over varieties were identified; practices to reduce aflatoxin levels in groundnut were tested; and short-duration, large-seeded kabuli chickpea varieties were adopted by farmers. Village Level Studies were expanded to cover more villages in partnership with NCAP and SAUs. Valuable baseline village-level data, and baseline data for the whole SAT soil series in India for their potential to sequester carbon was documented. The impacts of these researches have been felt in other countries of Asia and Africa, thus raising this partnership to one of a global significance. “Valuable recognition was reflected in the King Baudouin Award to ICRISAT, ICARDA and NARS (including India) Chickpea Team in 2002; and through the Chaudhary Devi Lal Award to the AICPMIP (including ICRISAT) outstanding AICRP in 2003,” chorused Drs Rai and Dar.

During the present meeting, 32 partnership projects (2 continuing and 30 new) were presented and approved. These projects will strengthen evaluation within ICRISAT's core collection; screening of wild species of all three legumes for resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses; development of improved breeding lines and hybrid parents with high yield potential; and resistance to biotic stresses by integrating conventional and molecular breeding approaches; nucleus and breeder seed production in legumes; carbon sequestration in SAT drylands; participatory integrated water management; livelihood enhancement through bio-diesel plantation and mixed crop-livestock systems; synthesis of village level studies data and meta-analysis of impact assessment studies; rural household strategies to adapt to climate change; and development of weather data capture and storage system to enhance agricultural advisory in rainfed areas.

The solidity of the ICAR-ICRISAT partnership was strikingly evident as both Drs Rai and Dar agreed that such research collaboration is solid and at its peak for the benefit of the dryland farmers of India.

12)Farmer participatory research creates big impacts in four Asian countries  

The ‘Farmer Participatory Improvement of Grain Legumes in Rainfed Asia', a project funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), was launched in 2002 in China, India, Nepal and Vietnam to improve the stability and productivity of rainfed agriculture through the introduction of the legumes in the system. The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, ICRISAT, was the project implementation agency along with national partners including NGOs in each country.

Speaking at the ‘Project Completion Meeting' held at ICRISAT Center, Patancheru from 8 to10 May 2006, Dr William D Dar, Director General, ICRISAT, highlighted the achievements of the project. He said that besides improving legumes productivity in marginal areas through introduction of farmer preferred varieties and integrated crop management technologies, the major achievement of the project was to sensitize policy makers and help develop local capacity in a farmer participatory research and extension approach. Using the example of China, where local and provincial governments have now changed their approach from doling out cash under a poverty alleviation program to capacity building to bring out sustainable rural development, he advocated that other countries should follow a similar approach to derive long-term, sustainable benefits of agricultural research and development. Enthusiastic participation of the farmers in all project activities and their taking over the role of an extension agent in promoting project generated/refined technologies among other farmers from the partner and nearby villages, was a welcome sign of rural empowerment, he stated. Linkage with markets, value addition at the local level and micro-financing were some of the issues that emerged during the project implementation and these needed more attention in future, he emphasized.

Senior IFAD officials, Ms Chase Palmeri, Asia and Pacific Division and Dr Doug Wholey, Advisor, attended the meeting and expressed their satisfaction over the progress made in the project, which has largely achieved its objectives. They commended the linkages developed through this project with IFAD-loan Projects in partner countries impacting on the livelihoods of the poorest among the poor.

In China, introduction of pigeonpea in mountainous areas in Yunnan and Guangxi provinces, helped not only in aforestation of bare mountains and in arresting soil erosion, but also provided food, feed, fodder and fuel to poor farmers in the region. New groundnut varieties alone could increase yield by up to 30% and integrated crop management technologies along with polythene mulch up to 70% in Hubei and Guangdong provinces. In India, the project activities were carried out at selected locations in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Some of the technologies adopted by the farmers and now being promoted by them are improved varieties of groundnut, chickpea, pigeonpea, lentil and blackgram and their integrated crop management technologies and seed production, groundnut + pigeonpea intercropping in Gujarat and Orissa and groundnut and simple agronomic practices in tribal areas in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand among others. Groundnut variety ICGV 91114 has won the hearts of farmers in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh. It is also finding acceptance in Karnataka and Gujarat because of its early maturity and ability to withstand long dry spells. The same success story is repeated in Nepal and Vietnam.

11)ICRISAT maps out vision and strategy to 2015

 

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has mapped out a new v ision and strategy to 2015 for the improved well-being of the poor of the semi-arid tropics (SAT) in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

The new vision and strategy is aligned to the new systemwide priorities of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), the network of 15 international agricultural research institutes. It takes into account the emergence of the Future Harvest Alliance as the third pillar of the CGIAR to enhance effectiveness and efficiency through collective action. It also aims at achieving the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals, with its primary objective of halving the number of poor and hungry by 2015.

According to Dr William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT, the new vision and strategy fine-tunes the research-for-development strengths of the Institute within the framework of the changing global scenario in the coming decade.

“With ICRISAT being at the apex of global agricultural research for the SAT, we are sensitive to the need for delivering high-impact research products that will improve livelihoods by increasing agricultural productivity,” Dr Dar said.

ICRISAT's Governing Board approved the vision and strategy document recently, and the Institute's management has started work on implementing its objectives.

The document articulates ICRISAT's vision as “Improved well-being of the poor of the semi-arid tropics.” The mission is “To reduce poverty, enhance food and nutritional security and protect the environment of the SAT by helping empower the poor through science with a human face.”

While the goal is to mobilize cutting edge science and institutional innovations with partners, this will be through integrated genetic and natural resource management (IGNRM). The document states: “ICRISAT adopts integrated genetic and natural resource management (IGNRM) as its overarching research strategy to attain scientific excellence and relevance in agriculture in the semi-arid tropics.”

IGNRM maximizes the synergies among the disciplines of biotechnology, plant breeding, agronomy, agro-ecosystems and social sciences with people empowerment at its core. Through these synergies, ICRISAT will be strategically positioned to act regionally and yet produce high-impact international public goods.

ICRISAT's new vision and strategy is anchored on concrete action built around five new CGIAR systemwide research priorities. They are:

Sustaining biodiversity for current and future generations.

Producing more and better food at lower cost through genetic improvements. Reducing rural poverty through agricultural diversification and emerging opportunities for

high-value commodities and products. Promoting poverty alleviation and sustainable management of water, land and water

resources. Improving policies and facilitating institutional innovation to support sustainable reduction

of poverty and hunger.

The document envisions ICRISAT strengthening linkages with a wide range of strategic partners including the Future Harvest Alliance, advanced research institutes, regional and sub-regional organizations, national agricultural research systems, the private sector and the civil society organizations. ICRISAT will intensity innovative public-private partnerships through its Agri-Science Park.

Partnerships will also strengthen ICRISAT's strategy for knowledge sharing, which will be aligned to CGIAR's priority on facilitating institutional innovations to support sustainable reduction of

poverty and hunger. The ICRISAT-led Virtual Academy for the Semi-Arid Tropics will strengthen the knowledge linkages with diverse partners.

ICRISAT will be implementing the vision and strategy through a series of medium term plans, the first one of which has been prepared for 2007-2009.

10)ICRISAT receives the best technology incubator award  The Director General of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Dr William D Dar, today received the Best Techology Incubator 2005 Award from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India. Dr Dar received the Award for the Agri-Business Incubator (ABI) at ICRISAT, which was adjudged the Best Technology Incubator in the country during 2005.

Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, presented the award to Dr Dar, in the presence of Mr Kapil Sibal, Honorable Minister of Science & Technology and Ocean Development. The award was presented at a function organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology, at New Delhi, to celebrate the National Technology Day on 11 May.

The ABI was selected for the award in recognition of the “excellent work done in promoting technology-based ventures in the agri-biotechnology sector.”

According to Dr William Dar, the selection of ABI at ICRISAT for the Best Technology Award is a testimonial to the institute's success in attracting public-private sector partnerships for developing agricultural technologies into successful agri-business ventures. “It has been proved that a strong and dynamic agri-business substantially contributes to growth in agricultural production and employment,” Dr Dar said.

The ABI has been established with financial support from the National Science Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board (NSTEDB) within the Ministry of Science and Technology. Through the ABI, ICRISAT is promoting several technologies ranging from farm-based to advanced biotechnologies.

The agri-business products and technologies incubated through the ABI are: sweet sorghum for ethanol production; Helicoverpa -resistant transgenic cotton; biofermenter for biopesticide production; drought-resistant groundnut variety ICGV 91114; better-yielding chickpea varieties JG-11 and KAK-2; biopesticide formulations for controlling crop pest; pesticide-free crops and produce through organic farming.

The enterprise partners of ABI include Rusni Distilleries; Bioseed Research India; Seed Works India; Slesser and Tom Electronics; Hyglass and Chemicals; Aakrruthi Agricultural Associates of India; Mekins Biotech; G-Tech Seeds Exports; AG Biotech Research; Agro-Biotech Research; Ecosense; Biotech Internationals; Indore Biotech; Multiplex Biotech; Navayuga; Romvijay; and Nirmal Seeds.

For further information, contact Dr Kiran Sharma at k.Sharma@cgiar.org .

9)ADB and ICRISAT partner in alleviating poverty through science  

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) is representing the research work of the international agricultural research institutes in the exhibition at the 39th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of Asian Development Bank (ADB) at Hyderabad.

On behalf of the 15 international agricultural research institutes under the Future Harvest Alliance of Centers of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), ICRISAT has erected a booth at HITEX, the meeting venue. The booth displays the research work of the Future Harvest Centers to meet the Millennium Development Goals of reducing hunger and poverty, which includes ADB-funded ICRISAT projects to improve agriculture productivity in the semi-arid tropics (SAT).

According to Dr William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT and member of the Alliance Executive of the Future Harvest Centers, ADB's Board of Governors meeting at Hyderabad – where the international headquarters of ICRISAT is located – has given the opportunity for showcasing the impact of Bank's funding for agricultural research.

“The ADB is one of ICRISAT's most trusted donors,” said Dr Dar. “The two organizations have been partners in research and development in the Asian semi-arid tropics. The ADB has been a member of the CGIAR since 1971, and began funding ICRISAT projects from 1984.”

In the last two decades, ADB has supported several ICRISAT projects through Regional Technical Assistance (RETA) grants, which are in accordance with its own objectives: economic growth, reducing poverty, supporting human development, improving the status of women and protecting the environment. Thus ADB and ICRISAT have similar agendas.

Currently, ADB is funding an ICRISAT project for tackling land degradation in China, India, Vietnam and Thailand through participatory watershed management. The project focuses on consolidating the lessons and benefits of the project on Improving Management of Natural Resources for Sustainable Rainfed Agriculture and extending them to large areas in the eco-region.

The project evaluates various institutional, socioeconomic and technical models that work through sharing knowledge and strengthening on-farm participatory interactions. Reducing land degradation and improving soil quality sustains productivity, thereby increasing rural incomes of the people who depend on these fragile lands.

ADB's financial support to ICRISAT in the area of integrated watershed management has triggered investments by a number of other donors in India for scaling out the model developed with ADB assistance. ICRISAT's watershed projects also facilitate South-South collaboration between the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa.

ICRISAT and ADB have a strong history of partnership. ICRISAT's state-of-the-art applied genomics facility has its roots in the biotechnology infrastructure established with ADB support. The Cereals and Legumes Asia Network (CLAN) is generously backed by ADB. CLAN supports and enhances technology exchange in Asia involving sorghum, pearl millet, chickpea, pigeonpea and groundnut, with a mission to improve crop production and productivity.

ADB also supported ICRISAT on projects strengthening grain legume research in Asia; legume based technologies for rice and wheat production systems in South and Southeast Asia; and rapid crop improvement through genetic marker technologies.

For further information, contact Dr S P Wani at s.wani@cgiar.org .

8)Small fertilizer doses yield big impact in sub-Saharan Africa

Less can have more impact if appropriate fertilizer is applied to the crops at the right time, in the right quantity, at the right spot. In sub-Saharan African countries, the fertilizer microdosing technique developed by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and partners is helping farmers to increase agricultural productivity. Microdosing has reintroduced fertilizer use in Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa in the southern part of African continent; and Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso in western Africa. And through this intervention, ICRISAT and partners have surmounted the barrier to productivity increase which even crop improvement could not overcome.

In 2006, which has been declared as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification by the United Nations, ICRISAT's microdosing initiative is improving the livelihood of the poor and marginal farmers of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) through enhanced agricultural productivity in the drylands.

According to Dr William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT, the strength of the microdosing initiative has been the strong partnerships with donors, international and national agricultural research and extension systems, NGOs and farmer communities. “Microdosing permits small farmers to get good impact by adding affordable quantities of fertilizer to the fields. And through the warrantage credit scheme in western Africa, the farmers are effectively linked with the markets,” Dar added.

Farmers in the project countries have developed innovative techniques to apply microdoses of the appropriate fertilizer. While the farmers in southern Africa use fertilizer measured out in an empty soft drink or beer bottle cap, in western Africa the farmers measure fertilizer with a three-finger pinch and apply it in the same hole in which the seed is sown.

 Linking microdosing to relief in southern Africa ICRISAT's programs in southern Africa initially emphasized the development of more drought tolerant varieties of sorghum and pearl millet. A combination of international and national crop breeders selected earlier maturing varieties with good food and feed qualities. These offered large yield gains in drought years when the rainy season ended early. But yield gains during normal or longer rainy seasons were smaller. Dr Steve J Twomlow, ICRISAT's Global Theme Leader on Agro-Ecosystems and the leader of the microdosing project in southern Africa, explains “though there was good adoption by farmers of improved varieties, we realized that we did not get the expected yield increase. There had to be some other limiting factor.” The idea of microdosing derived from the recognition that nitrogen was often in shorter supply than water.

The problem was that few small-scale farmers in these drought-prone regions used any fertilizer. For instance, surveys in southern Zimbabwe showed that less than 5% of the farmers used chemical fertilizers. And even more unexpectedly 60% of the households owning livestock did not even use available cattle manure as soil amendment. Farmers argued that these inputs were too risky. Despite years of extension advice, they did not understand the value of fertilizer.

“We began from the realization that poorer farmers in drought-prone areas will not invest in fertilizer – or at most, only in very small quantities,” says Twomlow. “The question was not what quantity of fertilizer will maximize yields, but rather how to maximize returns from a small investment in fertilizer.”

ICRISAT challenged an international workshop of scientists to assess how best to allocate two 50 kg bags of fertilizer on a small-scale farm through a crop systems simulation exercise. Again, the key question was not how to maximize yields, but how to maximize the returns to a severely resource-constrained investment. The simulation allowed options of concentrating the fertilizer on one plot or spreading this. Labor resource constraints highlighted the farmer's problems of weed control. To the surprise of many, the largest gains were achieved by spreading the fertilizer broadly.

ICRISAT worked with the Zimbabwean Department for Agricultural Research and Extension (AREX) and several non-government organizations to implement on-farm participatory trials where a limited number of farmers experimented with the application of small quantities of ammonium nitrate through a method later called microdosing. These results confirmed the simulation results.

ICRISAT then challenged the larger donor and NGO community to promote application of these findings in their post-drought recovery programs. In 2003/04 cropping year, 170,000 farmers were provided 25 kg bags of ammonium nitrate with advice on how to apply this on an acre of grain crop. Virtually every farmer achieved a significant yield gain – with most obtaining a 30-50 percent improvement in harvest. More than 40,000 tons of additional grain was produced and ultimately consumed by many of then poorest farmers in the country. This additional production reduced the costs of Zimbabwe's food aid imports by more than US$ 8 million.

The success of this initiative has encouraged growing interest in neighboring countries. Microdosing is now being tested in Mozambique and South Africa. In addition, fertilizer companies are starting to take note. Companies in Zimbabwe and South Africa have agreed to support the distribution of smaller fertilizer packs with the advance on how best to apply them.

 A pinch of fertilizer supported with “ warrantage” in western Africa ICRISAT scientists working in the Sahelian region adjacent to the Sahara Desert realized that to improve productivity of pearl millet and sorghum at least 100 kg of Compound Nitrogen-Phosphorus-Potassium (NPK) fertilizer is required per hectare. It was so since the region had received minimal or almost no fertilizer application over decades.

According to Dr Ramadjita Tabo, ICRISAT's Deputy Director for West and Central Africa and Regional Coordinator, Desert Margins Program (DMP), the poor farmers in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso would have needed to spend around US$40 per hectare to follow the recommendation on NPK use. “We could not recommend something that we were sure the farmers would not be able to afford. So we had to find a way to reach the right component to the right spot at the right time,” adds Tabo.

Since much of the soil in the Sahelian region is sandy it was realized the most limiting factor was phosphorus. “Initially we used 6 gms of NPK (15:15:15) per hill for a total of 60 kg NPK per hectare. We then searched for a fertilizer with a higher concentration of phosphorus and decided to use Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP), which means that only 2 grams of fertilizer is required per plant, reducing the total fertilizer use to 20 kg per hectare,” says Tabo.

DAP or NPK is placed along with the seed and covered with soil. The West African farmers found a labor-saving method for microdosing. While one farmer goes about making holes the second follows him or her with two vessels: one with the seed and the other with DAP or NPK. He plants the seed and puts a three-finger pinch (sufficient for 2 gm) of fertilizer and pushes the soil over the hole with his feet. This microdosing is supplemented with 1 gm of urea per plant three weeks after sowing.

On an average, microdosing has resulted in yield increases between 44 and 120% for pearl millet and sorghum. However, even with increased production, the market dynamics is such that the farmers do not get the right price for the produce since they do not have the ability to store grain, which they sell to middle men at low prices during harvest. The project, through the warrantage or inventory credit system system overcame this problem.

The first step was the creation and strengthening of farmers' associations in the project villages. These associations built warehouses for grain storage. The farmers keep their grain for safekeeping in the warehouses immediately after the harvest, when the grain price in the market is the lowest due to high supply. The associations give a credit of 80% of the grain price to the farmers, which the farmers use for dry-season activities such as raising Africa Market Garden (AMG) with fruit and vegetable trees rearing and fattening sheep or extracting groundnut oil.

When the price for sorghum and millet improves, the farmers return the credit taken from the association, retrieve their grain and sell it in the market.

The associations also use their economies of scale to purchase fertilizers and other inputs in bulk and store them in input shops in the villages. This is broken down into smaller packets and sold to farmers. Microdosing when combined with warrantage has resulted in 52 to 134% improvement in income for 12,650 farm households in the three countries.

The project is supported by the United States Agency for International Development and implemented by ICRISAT and a broad consortium of partners. They include the Institut de l'Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles du Burkina Faso, the Hunger Project, the Institut d'Economie Rurale du Mali, Sasakawa Global 2000, Winrock International, the Institut National de Recherche Agronomique du Niger, Project Intrants FAO, the International Fertilizer Development Center, the Tropical Soils Biology and Fertility Institute of the International Center for Tropical Agriculture, NGOs, and farmers' organizations.

For further information, contact Dr Steve Twomlow at s.twomlow@cgiar.org or Dr Ramadjita Tabo at r.tabo@cgiar.org.

7)ICRISAT's Agri-Business Incubator selected as best technology incubator for 2005   The Government of India has selected the Agri-Business Incubator (ABI) at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) for the National Award for the Best Technology Incubator 2005.

Dr HK Mittal, Advisor and Head of the National Science and Technology Entrepreneurial Development Board (NSTEDB), Ministry of Science and Technology, informed this in a communication to the Director General of ICRISAT, Dr William Dar, on 24 March. The formal announcement will be made at the function on 11 May.

The ABI has been selected for the award in recognition of the “excellent work done in promoting technology-based ventures in the agri-biotechnology sector.”

According to Dr William Dar, the selection of ABI at ICRISAT for the Best Technology Award is a testimonial to the institute's success in attracting public-private sector partnerships for developing agricultural technologies into successful agri-business ventures. “It has been proved that a strong and dynamic agri-business substantially contributes to growth in agricultural production and employment,” Dr Dar said.

The ABI has been established with financial support from NSTEDB. Through the ABI, the institute is promoting several technologies ranging from farm-based to advanced biotechnologies.

The agri-business products and technologies incubated through ABI are: sweet sorghum for ethanol production; Helicoverpa -resistant transgenic cotton; biofermenter for biopesticide production; drought-resistant groundnut variety ICGV 91114; better-yielding chickpea varieties JG-11 and KAK-2; biopesticide formulations for controlling crop pest; pesticide-free crops and produce through organic farming.

The enterprise partners of ABI include Rusni Distilleries; Bioseed Research India; Seed Works India; Slesser and Tom Electronics; Hyglass and Chemicals; Aakrruthi Agricultural Associates of India; Mekins Biotech; and G-Tech Seeds Exports.

For further information, contact Dr Kiran Sharma at k.Sharma@cgiar.org .

6)ICRISAT strengthens partnerships with the private sector

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has strengthened its partnerships with the private sector through its recent understanding with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to work together on improved natural resource management for sustainable rural development. This will strengthen ICRISAT's initiative for partnerships with the private sector through its Agri Science Park.

ICRISAT and CII had organized a joint workshop on 27 February for finding ways to collaborate on sustainable rural development. The Andhra Pradesh Agriculture Minister, Mr N Raghuveera Reddy , participated in the workshop and promised the state government's support for the partnership.   

According to Dr William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT, the institute was the first among the 15 international agricultural research centers under the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) to initiate partnerships with the private sector. And this initiative has yielded successful results benefiting the poor and marginal farmers of the semi-arid tropics.

“We strongly believe that collaborative arrangements and strategic alliances are the ways of winning organizations. Our collaborations are geared towards helping mobilize cutting edge science and technology for the well-being of the poor in the semi-arid tropics of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa,” said Dr Dar.

As an innovations- and impact-driven organization, ICRISAT is proactively attuned to external changes. The institute's strategic partnerships with the public and private sectors, NGOs, civil society and international bodies are meant to develop novel approaches that aid the transition from traditional production practices to sustainable systems that are more aligned with current markets.

The Agri-Science Park at ICRISAT is the ‘hub' for public-private partnerships that enhance the development and commercialization of science-generated technologies and knowledge through market mechanisms. It consists of the Agri-Biotech Park (a part of the Genome Valley Initiative of the Andhra Pradesh government); the Agri-Business Incubator with eight private sector partners as incubates; a seeds consortium; and the SAT Eco-Venture ( the agricultural eco-tourism initiative being developed in collaboration with the Andhra Pradesh Department of Tourism).

The recognition of the private sector as a valuable research for development partner led to the formation of the Sorghum and Pearl millet Hybrid Parents Research Consortia with 16 private seed companies becoming consortia members for sorghum, 18 for pearl millet, and 11 being common for both the crops. Products developed with consortia grants are available freely to the public sector.

The Biopesticides Research Consortium (BRC) with 11 biopesticide manufacturers as members, is meant to develop, promote and commercialize the use of biopesticides by farmers. The partnership research will validate protocols for low-cost, commercial-scale production of microbial biopesticides developed at ICRISAT, and will promote agricultural practices that enable low-cost crop protection. The private sector partners will market the biopesticides.

ICRISAT is already partnering with private sector partners for natural resources management (NRM) through watershed development. The institute has been working with Sir Dorabjee Tata Trust to scale-up farmer's participatory watershed development in Guna district of Madhya Pradesh and Boondi district of Rajasthan. In a recently initiated project, ICRISAT is working on an NRM project in Eruvadi village of Tirunelveli district in Tamil Nadu, in collaboration with the TVS Agri-Sciences Research Institute.

Further, ICRISAT has also been collaborating with private sector companies to achieve crop diversification and market linkages and employment generation in the watersheds. This is by growing medicinal and aromatic plants, developing commercial products and marketing them. Biodiesel plantations are also being incorporated in ICRISAT-led watershed projects.

The collaboration with CII will greatly enhance ICRISAT's collaboration with the private-sector. Initially ICRISAT will be involved with the NRM component of CII's project in Dungarpur district of Rajasthan. The CII-industry group on Dungarpur is taking up business initiatives, which would lead to overall sustainable development of the district. CII also hopes to start a similar project in Andhra Pradesh, an initiative in which ICRISAT could participate.

5)CII and ICRISAT to collaborate on natural resource management

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) organized a workshop on Corporate and science technology institutions partnership for inclusive and sustainable development and economic growth on 27 February.

The workshop, held at the Patancheru headquarters of ICRISAT, is expected to pave the way for collaboration between CII and ICRISAT on natural resource management. Among the earliest collaborative projects being considered is one to improve agriculture for sustainable development through natural resource management in Dungarpur district of Rajasthan.

The Honorable Minister for Agriculture, Government of Andhra Pradesh, Mr N Raghuveera Reddy attended the workshop and spoke at the special session on Public-private partnership for inclusive and sustainable development of backward districts in Andhra Pradesh. In his presentation, he said that the AP Government is very keen on promoting public-private partnership in agriculture.

Inaugurating the workshop, Dr William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT, said that as an innovations- and impact-driven organization, ICRISAT is proactively attuned to external changes. ICRISAT's strategic partnerships with the public and private sectors, NGOs, civil society and international bodies are meant to develop novel approaches that aid the transition from traditional production practices to sustainable systems that are more aligned with current markets. ICRISAT's partnerships with the private sector companies have resulted in the Hybrid Parents Research Consortia, the Agri-Science Park, the Agri-Business Incubator and the Biopesticide Research Consortium.

Mr S Sen, Deputy Director General of CII, said that a positive collaboration project between CII and ICRISAT could be at Dungarpur project in Rajasthan, where CII is working to catalyse the development of a backward district through business linkages. Through this initiative, the CII-industry group on Dungarpur is taking up business initiatives, which would lead to overall sustainable development of the district.

Mr SP Tucker, Principal Secretary, Government of Andhra Pradesh, said that the private sector can contribute to sustainable development in the rural areas by providing decision and management support systems. Effective rural development activities require competent and professional inputs.

4)ICRISAT initiates groundnut revolution in Anantapur

  Groundnut grows where other crops fail. And when farmers in a tough terrain select a groundnut variety, they know what is best for their needs.

Improved groundnut variety ICGV 91114 from the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has initiated a revolution in the dry, rocky Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh in India. The choosy farmers of the district are multiplying ICGV 91114 seeds with alacrity, helped by an ICRISAT-initiated public-private seed partnership.

ICRISAT's intervention has helped in designing an end-to-end solution to improve the groundnut variety in Anantapur district, according to Dr William D Dar, Director General of ICRISAT. “We have blended our scientific excellence with the strengths of our partners to improve the productivity of the farmers working in a difficult environment.”

Situated in the southern part of Andhra Pradesh, Anantapur district is known for groundnut cultivation. For the farmers from Anantapur, groundnut is a preferred crop since it survives the rough terrain and the uncertainty of rainfall. Though the average rainfall is around 550 mm per year, some parts of the district have recorded as low as 200 mm in bad years and as high as 900 mm in good years.

Every year, on an average, farmers grow groundnut over 800,000 hectares in the district, and in good years, this can go up to one million ha, accounting for nearly 70% of the cultivated area in the district, and making groundnut cultivation a pillar of strength for the rural economy. The crop can withstand up to 50 days of dry spell, and when the rain comes phoenix-like the crop rises from under the gravelly soil, yielding farmers nuts for the market and fodder for their animals.

Selecting the variety with farmers According to Dr Shyam N Nigam, Principal Groundnut Breeder at ICRISAT, farmers of Anantapur have changed the cropping pattern over the decades due to poor rains, prolonged dry spells and frequent crop failures. “About 45 years ago it used to be 80% cereals and 20% groundnut. Today it is 80% groundnut and 20% other crops,” explains Nigam.

It is not that only the choice of crop is limited, but also the choice of variety within the crop. Since the 1940s the farmers have been planting TMV 2, though improved varieties were available. The Anantapur farmers felt that the improved varieties selected for propagation in peninsular India through the formal system did not meet the very specific needs of the district.

ICRISAT started the process in the reverse. The groundnut breeding team from the Institute worked with the farmers to select the most suitable varieties. With financial support from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the project was launched in 2002 rainy season, in the fields of the ten farmers who volunteered to participate. Ten new varieties were grown along with the longstanding TMV 2 in Dhanduvaripalli and Rekulakunta villages. The other partners in the project were the Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural Research University and the Rural Development Trust, an NGO.

After the first harvest, the search for new improved varieties was narrowed down to two varieties – ICGV 91114 and ICGV 89104. During the next rainy season, in 2003, the selected varieties were grown in slightly larger plots in West Narsapuram and Rekulakunta villages. The severe drought that year put all the varieties to test and ICGV 91114 produced a significantly higher pod yield, haulm (stem or top part of the plant) and a higher shelling turnover (the percentage weight of the seeds against the total weight of seeds and the shell) than ICGV 89104 and TMV 2.

“Under such severe conditions any increase in productivity is of great benefit for the farmers,” comments Nigam. And since the farmers were involved in all stages of the varietal selection, they had a better acceptance of the improved variety. The trials and the seed multiplication program for ICGV 91114 picked up from the first year onwards.

The Anantapur trials show that ICGV 91114 yields on an average around 10% more pods than TMV 2, matures early (one week earlier than TMV 2), is tolerant of mid-season and end-of-

season droughts, has an average shelling turnover of 75%, has an average oil content of 48%, and has better digestibility for livestock.

When the farmers got enthused about ICGV 91114 they started multiplying the seeds during the Rabi-summer season (the second crop season). From the initial plot of 2 ha in 2002 it has grown to 210 ha for seed multiplication. In the rainy season of 2006 it is expected that ICGV 91114 groundnut seeds will be sown over 5,000 ha in Anantapur. The silent revolution is gathering steam.

Partnering to strengthen the delivery mechanism To strengthen the delivery mechanism for ICGV 91114, the Agri-Business Incubator (ABI) at ICRISAT, is partnering with the Aakruthi Agricultural Associates of India (AAI) – a group of entrepreneurs operating agri clinics – and the Andhra Pradesh State Seed Development Corporation (APSSDC), the state government institution mandated to reach seeds to farmers.

The ABI at ICRISAT headquarters at Patancheru, Andhra Pradesh, helps entrepreneurs to develop promising agricultural technologies into commercial business opportunities. The AAI group of scientists and agricultural graduates with experience in research, production, marketing and banking approached the ICRISAT team for help to establish a delivery mechanism through a chain of agri clinics. ICRISAT saw this as an opportunity for supplying the seeds of improved varieties. ICGV 91114 was chosen as an ideal candidate for promotion in Anantapur district.

However, no effort at seed distribution can be successful without the involvement of the governmental machinery for seed supplies in Anantapur district. The APSSDC joined the partnership, and agreed to include ICGV 91114 in their groundnut seed supply in Andhra Pradesh (especially in Anantapur district).

According to Dr Kiran K Sharma, Chief Executive Officer of ABI and Principal Scientist at ICRISAT, the partnership is a win-win proposition for all stakeholders. While the groundnut farmers in Anantapur benefit from the supply of the improved variety, the APSSDC can increase its volume and also add improved seeds to its portfolio for supply. The agri clinics under the AAI can benefit through the activity of seed multiplication for supply through the APSSDC.

“For us at ICRISAT, we are happy that our improved groundnut variety can reach the poor and marginal farmers of Anantapur. We are also happy that through the ABI we are able to incubate an idea into an agri-business proposition,” observes Sharma.

As the monsoon showers hit peninsular India in June-July 2006, more and more farmers in Anantapur will be ready to plant the seeds of ICGV 91114 and mark the transition from the timeworn groundnut variety.

For further information, contact Dr Shyam N Nigam at s.nigam@cgiar.org or Dr Kiran K Sharma at k.Sharma@cgiar.org .

3)Indian President hands over ICRISAT seeds to the Philippines The President of India, His Excellency Professor APJ Abdul Kalam, during his meeting with the President of Philippines, Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on 4 February, symbolically handed over the foundation seeds of improved peanut and sweet sorghum developed by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT).

President Kalam was on a three-nation tour to the Philippines, Singapore and South Korea. Aside from the hand over, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by India with the Philippines for cooperation in agriculture and related fields.

ICRISAT Director General William D. Dar and Agriculture Secretary Domingo F. Panganiban assisted in the hand over. Dar is a Filipino and was formerly the Acting Secretary of Agriculture and Presidential Adviser on Food Security.

According to Dar, the event marks a significant milestone in ICRISAT's partnership-based research, with the Presidents of India and Philippines further strengthening the bond. ICRISAT, an advanced international agricultural research institute, is headquartered in Patancheru, Andhra Pradesh, India, and it is privileged that no less than President Kalam promoted its research products in the Philippines.

ICRISAT like the Los Baños-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), belongs to the Alliance of Future Harvest Centers supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).

President Kalam handed over ICRISAT's large seeded peanut variety ICGV 86564, popularly known in India as ‘Asha' (meaning hope). Asha , which was released as ‘Walawe' in Sri Lanka and is at a pre-release stage in Malaysia, is gaining popularity in the confectionary industry and among groundnut farmers in the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra in India.

In the Philippines, Asha was introduced in 2005, and evaluated in a small plot to compare its adaptability and agronomic performance against other commercially grown peanut varieties. The Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR) is supporting this effort jointly with ICRISAT.

Initial tests indicate that this variety is commercially viable in the Philippines. For instance, at a yield rate of 3 tons per hectare, Asha had higher yield than farmers' varieties – UPL Pn 10, Namnama and BPI Pn 9 – in Cagayan Valley during the wet season of 2005.

Likewise, ICRISAT's improved sweet sorghum variety provides an additional source of income for poor farmers since it needs low input and the sweet juice extracted from its stalk can be converted to ethanol.

With soaring petroleum prices recently, many countries are encouraging the blending of up to 10% ethanol with petrol. This has created millions of liters of additional requirement for ethanol.

Eight of ICRISAT's promising sweet sorghum varieties were shared with the Los Baños –based Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resource Research and Development (PCARRD) for testing in the first phase of the Cereals and Legumes Asia Network (CLAN) program. Initial results indicate commercial viability in the Philippines.

President Kalam commended ICRISAT during his address at the University of Philippines on 6 February. He said: “ICRISAT with its international experience of working in arid regions has developed short duration, disease and drought resistant varieties of important crops of this region beneficial to our farmers. They have introduced various tillage practices and nutrition management techniques to boost crop yields even under drought stress. This technology is enabling India to reclaim 5 more million hectares of the 33 million hectare of wasteland allotted for productive farming. According to experts, this will result in the deployment of 15 million people for dry land cultivation.”

2)ICRISAT to host international virology symposium

  The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and Indian Virological Society (IVS) are conducting an international symposium on management of vector-borne viruses from 7 to 10 February at ICRISAT headquarters at Patancheru. The meeting has specific-focus on disease occurring in semi-arid tropics (SAT).

Over 200 virologists from around the world are participating in the meeting to review the recent advances in the field of virology, and to deliberate on viral disease control and diagnosis using the state-of-the-art biotechniques.

The semi-arid tropics covers an area of about 20 million square km and is the home of nearly one billion people, most of them living in India and Africa. Unfortunately SAT is also home for major viruses and other fastidious pathogens, which create havoc to the health of humans, animals and plants. It is often the poorest people who suffer the most.

During the past few years the adverse economic impact from viral diseases in tropics is increasing steadily in the tropics. Emergence of new viruses and new strains of existing viruses, pose a worldwide challenge to contain the spread, and protect health of humans and animals, and to attain reliable crop yields to meet the increasing food demands. This meeting forms a platform to discuss on dynamics of virus pathosystems, harnessing new technologies to develop intervention strategies and new tactics for virus disease management.

Besides keynote presentations by eminent virologists, the scientists and students are expected to make oral and poster presentations. The topics of presentations deal with:

Molecular biology of viruses, virus disease diagnosis, epidemiology and evolution of viruses

Transgenic technology for plant virus resistance Progress in vaccine research for the control of vector-transmitted human and animal viral

diseases

For further information, contact Dr P Lavakumar at p.lavakumar@cgiar.org or visit www.mvbv2006.org.

1)ICRISAT honors FAO Director General  The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) conferred the ‘Distinguished Fellow of ICRISAT' title on Dr Jacques Diouf, Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), at a function held at the ICRISAT headquarters at Patancheru on 4 January. Dr Diouf is the first Director General of FAO to visit ICRISAT.

Dr William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT, presented the citation conferring the ‘Distinguished Fellow of ICRISAT' title to Dr Diouf. Besides being a co-sponsor of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), FAO is a close ally of ICRISAT in helping end hunger in the developing world.

Dr Dar thanked the FAO for granting close to one million dollars to support 32 projects in the last five years. “ICRISAT is committed to pursue FAO's mission to help developing countries reduce the number of hungry people in the semi-arid tropics by half in 2015,” Dr Dar said

“We do this by aligning our research programs with the Millennium Development Goals, especially the ones eradicating hunger and poverty. Our strategic focus is to empower the poor to become resilient, mitigate natural and man-made shocks and eventually become food secure,” Dr Dar added.

At the RS Paroda Genebank at Patancheru, ICRISAT holds in trust under agreements with FAO more than 110,000 accessions of seeds of sorghum, pearl millet, chickpea, pigeonpea, groundnut and minor millets. This is 96% of the 114,870 accessions stored in the RS Paroda Genebank, which is among the biggest public-funded international genebanks.

ICRISAT's germplasm collection and preservation efforts ensure that plant breeders across the world have free access to valuable genetic traits as a global public good. To date, ICRISAT has supplied more than 672,000 accessions free of cost to scientists in 143 countries for their research.

With FAO support, a warrantage credit facility was initiated three years ago in sub-Saharan Africa to remove barriers in restoring soil fertility. The warrantage scheme provides easy access to credit and enables farmers to purchase inputs such as fertilizer. Through this system, farmers stock their produce at harvest with a local entrepreneur and receive cash on credit. Together, they sell the produce about four months later. This enables the farmer to make 40% additional profit.

In Niger, the FAO/ICRISAT warrantage project has involved 5,000 farm households, which have adopted natural resources management (NRM) technologies. The NRM technologies include hill placement of small amounts of mixed organic/inorganic fertilizer (microdosing) and mulching with residues to prevent erosion. In just one village with 800 participating households this program has resulted in a ten-fold increase in fertilizer use in just three years, where no fertilizer was used before. This program, is now being extended to Mali with the support of FAO, NGOs, and the Syngenta Foundation.

With technical support from FAO, ICRISAT and the Catholic Relief Services in Zimbabwe established junior farmer field schools with funding from Sweden. As a result of the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS leading to sickness and death of farming parents, there is an increasing loss of local agricultural knowledge. The junior farmer field schools bridge the gap by providing young people with knowledge, skills and experiences needed to become productive community members.