Press Releases – 2005 - ICRISAT
Press Releases – 2005
1. An Alliance of Centers helps world's poor farmers
2. ICRISAT varieties restart pigeonpea cultivation in China
3. AP Governor endorses project for integrated agricultural development of Medak district (7 October 2005)
4. Microsoft-NASSCOM Foundation-ICRISAT launch first Rural Knowledge Centre in AP under Project Jyoti (30 September 2005)
5. Technological breakthrough to produce disease-resistant chickpea ( 29 September 2005)
6. ICRISAT Director General meets World Bank President ( 20 August 2005)
7. Communicating agri-biotech to AP extensionists
8. Temporary Farm Labor at ICRISAT accept new entry token system (25 July 2005)
9. CGIAR Centers strengthen collective action and partnerships (11 July 2005)
10. Rebuilding agriculture to help communities cope with natural disasters and conflicts (27 June 2005)
11. Indian aquaculturalist named winner of the 2005 World Food Prize (11 June 2005)
12. Project launched to increase the use of sorghum and pearl millet grains for poultry feed (10 June 2005)
13. Entebbe meeting to develop joint medium-term sub-regional plans for Africa (2 June 2005)
14. ICRISAT's biopesticide production technology bags World Bank's Development Marketplace Award
(27 May 2005)
15. ICRISAT to host agri-business development meeting (6 May 2005)
16. Seeds of hope from ICRISAT for despairing pigeonpea farmers (5 May 2005)
17. ICRISAT MoU with Nandan Biomatrix strengthens public-private partnership (24 March 2005)
18. Dealing with natural disasters through preparedness (10 March 2005)
19. ICRISAT plants legumes in the Indo-Gangetic plains (10 March 2005)
20. ICRISAT strengthens research in sub-Saharan Africa (10 March 2005)
21. ICRISAT scientist invited to advise Unilever on sustainable agriculture ( 15 February 2005)
22. The Agri-Science Park @ ICRISAT achieves new successes (12 February 2005)
23. ICRISAT launches a new pigeonpea hybrid seed production technology (8 February 2005)
24. Pioneering marker-assisted breeding results in pearl millet hybrid resistant to downy mildew (28 January 2005)
25. Biofortifying groundnut to combat Vitamin A deficiency (3 January 2005)
26. Escaping disasters through community preparedness (11 January 2005)
26)An Alliance of Centers helps world's poor farmers
When it comes to research for improving agricultural productivity to improve the livelihoods of the poor farmers, there is tremendous strength in the collective action of 15 international agricultural research centers.
With the formal launching of the Alliance of Future Harvest Centers of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) at Marrakech, Morocco, last week, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) can bring the combined strength of 15 international agricultural research institutes for agricultural development in the developing countries of the world.
ICRISAT played a key role in laying the groundwork for the Alliance of Future Harvest Centers of the CGIAR in 2005. This was made possible with the Institute's Board Chair Uzo Mokwunye chairing the Alliance Board, Director General William Dar chairing the Alliance Executive, and Deputy Director General Dyno Keatinge chairing the Alliance Deputy Executive.
According to Dr William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT and the Chair of Alliance Executive, the Alliance will increase convergence and collective action among the CGIAR Centers. Likewise, the Alliance will enhance effectiveness and efficiency to ensure that operations are carried out a minimal cost with optimum benefits.
“The Alliance is the instrument of reform and has become an organic component of the CGIAR,” Dr Dar said. The benefits of collective action include more focused programs, more opportunities for intervention, more effective generation and application of international public goods and lower transaction costs.
Even though the Alliance was formally adopted at the Annual General Meeting of the CGIAR held at Marrakech last week, the CGIAR Centers had already started working on projects that aligned their strengths. In 2005, ICRISAT participated in the Healing Wounds initiative to help rehabilitate agriculture in the tsunami-hit villages of Tamil Nadu in India. It had also launched the Healing Wounds initiative in India in June through a media event held in collaboration with five other CGIAR Centers.
During 2005, the Alliance also undertook collective policy initiatives. In Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA), and West and Central Africa (WCA) the Alliance initiated the process of developing joint medium term plans (MTPs) that focused the strategies of international, regional and national organizations. In ESA, an expert consultation meeting was held at Nairobi in September, which developed a shared understanding of the joint MTP and identified 11 thematic areas that could benefit from greater integration. In WCA, 53 experts met at the Accra and identified 13 thematic areas for integration.
The CGIAR Centers were engaged with the CGIAR Science Council for the development of CGIAR's research priorities. The Centers will continue to work with the Science Council to develop methodologies for implementation. The Centers had developed and submitted proposals on Systemwide and Eco-regional Programs.
The Alliance is reviewing and refining the performance indicators for Centers. Under the US$ 17 million Global Public Goods Upgrading Project funded by the World Bank, the Centers are upgrading their genebanks and important databases.
The Alliance strengthened the dialogue for improved public-private partnership between the CGIAR Centers and the private sector companies. Almost 50 collaboration projects between CGIAR Centers and private sector companies are underway.
25)ICRISAT varieties restart pigeonpea cultivation in China
Pigeonpea is an essential ingredient in Indian cooking. However, in the neighboring China, for centuries it was used for rearing lac insects. And when the lac industry collapsed, pigeonpea cultivation had disappeared from Chinese farmlands, till improved varieties from the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) restarted cultivation.
Interestingly, even the re-introduction of pigeonpea in China was not primarily for its value as a food legume. Instead, it was valued for conserving soils in sloping mountain regions, so that it could support the cultivation of other crops. In 1997, the ICRSAT-bred new pigeonpea material was tested for the first time in China. After the initial trials at several locations, Yunnan and Guangxi provinces were selected to conduct research on the role of pigeonpea in various cropping systems, especially for controlling soil erosion and rehabilitating degraded and eroded soils.
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Pigeonpea growing on a river bank
In the last few years pigeonpea is being grown on a large scale in Yunnan and Guangxi provinces. Apart from organized seed distribution, there has been a lot of farmer-to-farmer spread of the seed. According to informal sources, the area under pigeonpea is estimated to be around 50,000 ha currently.
According to Dr William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT, the impact of the institute's varieties in China recognizes the significance of pigeonpea as a crop with many useful qualities. It also signifies the silent revolution that ICRISAT's partnership-based research has achieved in China.
ICRISAT's role in the re-introduction of pigeonpea in China: the provision of suitable seed materials and production technology packages, and training of several Chinese scientific and extension staff. Subsequently, strong pigeonpea research programs were established by the Institute of Resources Insects of the Chinese Academy of Forestry in Kunming, Yunnan and at Guangxi Academy of Agriculture Sciences (GxAAS), Nanning , Guangx.
The partnership between ICRISAT and China has shown very encouraging results and now pigeonpea crop can be seen growing on the roadsides, hill slopes and riverbanks. At present, efforts are also being made to popularize pigeonpea for human food, especially as green peas. Chinese food technologists have developed a number of snacks, food items, and drinks using dry and green seeds of pigeonpea. The preparation of pigeonpea noodles is a case in point.
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Pigeonpea covering a rocky slope
The ICRISAT pigeonpea varieties released in China are: ICPL 90008 (released in China as GUIMU 1), ICPL 87091 (GUIMU 2), ICPL 87119 (GUIMU 3), ICP 7035 (GUIMU 4), ICPL 99066 (GUIMU 5) and ICPL 87091 X 98009 (GUIMU 6).
About 90% of the land in southern China is covered with mountains and the ecology of the region has been damaged extensively due to lack of vegetation cover, leading to soil erosion and frequent landslides. Each year tons of topsoil and valuable nutrients are lost and such areas have become unfit for agriculture and large areas are left fallow.
The high level of adaptation of the new pigeonpea lines in the degraded and fragile soils, its utility in environmental conservation, and its ability to produce quality fodder have generated interest among farmers, scientists, extension workers, and policy makers in China.
[pic]
Pigeonpea intercrop
Since the rural economy relies heavily on animal husbandry in southern China, the shortage of quality fodder is a perennial problem, particularly in the post rainy season. The tender leaves and branches of young pigeonpea plants make an excellent fodder. After extensive testing, pigeonpea was identified as the most suitable fodder crop because it can grow well under rainfed conditions and provide high protein (20–22%) fodder for domestic animals.
To recognize ICRISAT's role in this endeavor, the Chinese Government honored ICRISAT scientists Dr KB Saxena and Dr LJ Reddy with Jin Xiu Qiu Jiang Award in 2000. This was followed by country's biggest National Friendship Award–2001 to Dr KB Saxena for his contribution in building the agriculture in the country.
For further information, contact Dr KB Saxena at k.saxena@.
24)AP Governor endorses project for integrated agricultural development of Medak district (7 October 2005)
The Governor of Andhra Pradesh, His Excellency Sushilkumar Shinde, today endorses a project entitled Integrated agricultural development in Medak district , to be implemented jointly by the Medak district administration, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and with participation of other partner institutions. The function was held at ICRISAT's headquarters at Patancheru, near Hyderabad.
The project aims to develop market-oriented and science-based agriculture in semi-arid parts of Medak district in Andhra Pradesh state of India. ICRISAT and its partners will provide their technical expertise and partner with the district administration and others to improve agricultural productivity and incomes of farmers in Medak. This will be through improved land and water management practices; cultivation of improved crop varieties; the use of information and communication technology to make information accessible to the farmers; establishment of improved post-harvest technologies and market linkages; and imparting training to extension officials.
Speaking at the ICRISAT function, , HE Sushilkumar Shinde said that rapid growth of integrated agriculture is essential not only to achieve self-reliance at national level but also for household food security. The integrated agricultural development project being formulated today will bring together the expertise of ICRISAT and partner institutions such as the Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, the Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University and State Government institutions, through a consortium approach.
Dr William D Dar, Director General of ICRISAT, said that the collaborative project with the district administration provides an opportunity to use the international public goods developed by ICRISAT for the farmers of Medak. “The project is of significant importance to ICRISAT since the Institute is headquartered in Medak district, and we think and act both globally and locally.”
Mr B Venkatesham, Collector of Medak, explained the vision of the district administration to evolve a strategy for reducing poverty of the farmers in the district by empowering them to improve agricultural productivity and their livelihoods. Medak being a drought-prone district, the emphasis is on reducing the risk on agriculture through improved natural resource management, improved cropping choices, and better market linkages.
The Governor also was shown around the projects and laboratories of ICRISAT and said that this world-class institute has relevance in Andhra Pradesh and the other dryland areas of India. You are to be commended for your quality products and services.
Later in the day, a team of experts from ICRISAT, national research institutes and the Andhra Pradesh Government deliberated on the action plan for the project.
For further information, contact Dr CLL Gowda at c.gowda@ .
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23)Microsoft-NASSCOM Foundation-ICRISAT launch first Rural Knowledge Centre in AP under Project Jyoti
Key focus on providing rural communities access to computer literacy and IT-enabled services
Hyderabad, 30 th September, 2005: Microsoft Corporation India Private Limited, NASSCOM Foundation, and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) today jointly announced the launch of the first Rural Knowledge Centre (RKC) under the aegis of Microsoft's Unlimited Potential (UP) Program, better known as Project ‘Jyoti', at Addakal near Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh. This is a step towards ‘ Mission 2007: Every Village a Knowlegde Centre ' - an alliance of more than 180 partners from Government, civil society and industry set up in July 2004, with the ambitious aim to set up a Knowledge Centre in each of the 600,000 villages in the country by 2007, the sixtieth year of India's independence..
The RKC aims to provide computer literacy and an array of IT enabled services to the adjacent rural communities, with a special focus on empowering women in these areas. It is envisaged as a nodal point for the delivery of IT skills and income-generating vocational training programs, providing e-governance services, e-learning programs, community based disaster preparedness initiatives, information related to ecological security, health and agriculture, besides encouraging entrepreneurship at the grass root level. Self Help Groups (SHGs) like the Aadarsha Mahila Samaikhya have been entrusted with the responsibility of running the RKC, which is fully equipped with PCs as well as connectivity solutions.
Launching the RKC via internet from the ICRISAT campus, Mr. Brad Smith, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Microsoft Corporation said, “We believe that by providing technical skills training to under-served individuals, we can partner to create social and economic opportunities that can change peoples' lives and transform communities. The UP Program in India holds tremendous potential and is gradually scaling up to maximize the direct and indirect impact on target groups.”
Speaking at the launch, Mr. Ravi Venkatesan, Chairman Microsoft India, emphasized that, “At Microsoft we are deeply conscious of our social responsibilities and the vital need to extend the benefits of IT to the 700 million Indians living in our villages. We believe Rural Knowledge Centres will go a long way towards information empowerment of the under-served sections of society and make a tangible and enduring impact on people's lives. Microsoft's Unlimited Potential program, christened Project Jyoti in India, is single-mindedly focused on promoting innovative ways and means to provide technology skills through Community-based Technology Learning Centers, such as the Rural Knowledge Center being launched here today.”
Recalling how ICRISAT and the Aadarsha Mahila Samikhya at Addakal joined hands in 2002, Dr William D Dar, Director General, ICRISAT, lauded the initiative of the rural women for their commitment to knowledge empowerment. Villages in Addakal Mandal of Mahbubnagar district of Andhra Pradesh represent one of the most backward and drought-prone
areas of India.
Dr Dar said: "Knowledge is crucial to fight droughts and manage scarce natural resources effici ently. The efforts that began in
2002 as part of Andhra Pradesh Rural Livelihoods Program (APRLP) have come to bear fruits now. I am happy that this village knowledge center in now going to be on the national map as part of Mission 2007 that envisages to h ave a knowledge center in every village." Dr Dar congratulated the men and women of the Addakal mandal who have resolved to face the droughts armed with the power of knowledge.
The focus of Microsoft's UP Program in India is on imparting basic computer literacy to disadvantaged women and rural communities. For implementation of the Program, UP has aligned strategically with partner NGOs like Development Alternatives, M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), NASSCOM Foundation and Mahila SEWA Trust, which have established track records of successfully executing development projects and are led by visionary individuals.
Since the launch of the program in August 2004, Microsoft has made cash grants aggregating Rs. 5 crores towards six select projects across the highly populated states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Delhi, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Orissa, and Maharashtra. The projects target to directly train 22,155 persons and by 2007, it is anticipated that over 100,000 individuals will be indirectly touched through the Program and its curriculum.
In addition, Microsoft has made software donations in excess of Rs. 14 crores under the UP program in the county and invested Rs. 1.4 crores for localization of the UP IT skills training curriculum into 4 Indian languages (Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam and Gujarati) to enhance its reach, utility and impact.
Under the UP program, Microsoft issued a grant of US$ 375,000 (Rs. 1.6 crores) along with software worth US$ 2,071,348.50, (Rs. 9 crores) to the NASSCOM Foundation earlier this year in July 2005. The program focuses on IT skills training and capacity building of women and rural communities across 7 states of India, namely Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra. It addresses a key national priority of rural regeneration through workforce development and will enable local communities to transition from a subsistence level to an effective level of economic well being. In Andhra Pradesh, the NASSCOM Foundation is partnering with ICRISAT and a national-level hub serving a grid of 65 RKCs is proposed to be located on the ICRISAT campus.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software-any time, any place and on any device. Microsoft Corporation India Private Ltd is a subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation USA. It has had a presence in India since 1990 and currently has offices in Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi, and Pune.
About NASSCOM Foundation
NASSCOM Foundation (NF) represents the Indian software industry's commitment to leveraging IT for empowering and serving the under privileged. NF has the unique opportunity of leading the ICT for development sector from a national perspective. The Foundation also facilitates and strengthens the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) space to a wider understanding of contribution to development and towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. The Foundation's main objectives are to promote and establish the “domestic development contribution” of the IT industry, harness ICT benefits to reach underprivileged communities for improving quality of life, expand partnerships in order to improve the knowledge base that informs policy and programme formulation, and influence public discourse in civil society.
About ICRISAT
The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) is a non-profit, non-political organization belonging to the Future Harvest Alliance of Centers supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). Established in 1972, ICRISAT generates and shares cutting edge technologies that support the livelihoods of more than 300 million people - the poorest of the poor in semi-arid areas of the developing world.
For further information, please contact:
|Amita Tandan |Poonam Kaul |
|Senior Manager |Image & PR Manager |
|Text 100 India |Microsoft India |
|Tel: 91 11 23363995/6/7/8 |Tel: 91-124-5158000 |
|Fax: 91 11 23366880 |Fax: 91-124-5158888 |
|Email: amitat@text100.co.in |Email: Poonamk@ |
| | |
22)Technological breakthrough to produce disease-resistant chickpea ( 29 September 2005)
Scientists at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) have succeeded in obtaining healthy hybrids of chickpea by crossing a cultivated variety, Cicer arietinum , with the wild species Cicer bijugum .
The development of this hybrid, achieved through embryo rescue and tissue culture methods, has the potential for improving disease resistance thereby boosting crop yields. The breakthrough is in developing chickpea hybrids by crossing cultivated varieties with wild species, an achievement that has so far proved highly illusive.
According to Dr William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT, the breakthrough can result in the cultivation of improved chickpea, which is a crop that benefits the poor and marginal farmers of the semi-arid tropics.
Chickpea ( Cicer arietinum ), world's third most important food legume, rests on a narrow genetic base because of its single domestication and its self-pollinating nature. One of the best and proven means to broaden the genetic base of the crop, and also to introduce newer sources of resistance to various biotic and abiotic constraints, is to create interspecific hybrids of the plant, and more, by utilizing the wild species of chickpea for the purpose.
Chickpea, however, is not easily given to hybridization. Except for two closely related wild species, namely C. reticulatum and C. echinospermum , none of the remaining 41 wild species are crossable with cultivated chickpea due to serious hybridization barriers.
With the development of embryo rescue and tissue culture techniques for chickpea wide crosses at ICRISAT, it was possible to cross C. arietinum with C. bijugum and obtain healthy hybrids. Green hybrid plants were produced between cultivated chickpea and the wild species C. bijugum , for the first time at ICRISAT, marking a breakthrough in this research.
C. bijugum used in the crossing program has many desirable characters such as resistance to Ascochyta blight, botrytis grey mold and to Helicoverpa – the menacing pod borer. Some of these traits are expected to occur there in the hybrids. Crossing the cultivated and wild chickpea is expected to produce a hardy plant that will be able to stand up better to harsh weather and pest attacks.
For further information, contact Dr Nalini Mallikarjuna at n.mallikarjuna@ .
21)ICRISAT Director General meets World Bank President ( 20 August 2005)
The Director General of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Dr William Dar met the President of the World Bank, Mr . Paul Wolfowitz, on 18 August, at Hyderabad. Dr Dar, who is also the Chair of the Alliance Executive of the Future Harvest Centers of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), thanked Mr Wolfowitz for the World Bank support to the CGIAR and ICRISAT.
Dr Dar thanked the Bank for its unwavering support to research activities of the 15 Centers of the CGIAR, which in turn results in the improvement of the well being of the rural poor across the world. The Bank is investing US$ 50 million per year to the CGIAR system and such investment is very focused on the rural poor in most developing countries of the world.
Dr Dar introduced the CGIAR system as the best ever investment where the World Bank is involved. He thanked the support of the Bank through the CGIAR Chairperson, Dr Ian Johnson. The CGIAR headquarters is located in the World Bank office in Washington DC, and the Chairperson of the CGIAR, Dr Ian Johnson, is a Senior Vice-President of the Bank.
The CGIAR is a strategic alliance of countries, international and regional organizations, and private foundations supporting the 15 international agricultural Centers. The alliance mobilizes agricultural science to reduce poverty, foster human well-being, promote agricultural growth and protect the environment. ICRISAT is one of the 15 Centers that are part of the CGIAR.
At the meeting, Dr Dar mentioned ICRISAT's mission for alleviating poverty through improved dryland agriculture in 48 developing countries in the semi-arid tropics. This was followed by a mention about research on the five mandate crops, on social science research and on agro-ecosystem research.
Mr Wolfowitz wanted to know about ICRISAT's involvement in the amelioration of suffering caused by the famine in Niger, West Africa. Dr Dar informed him about ICRISAT's intervention through the development and sharing of cutting edge technologies such as seed systems, early maturing varieties, drought tolerant varieties, microdosing technology and crop diversification.
The Bank President wanted to know why this crisis in Niger was happening and whether this was predicted. Dr Dar explained that consecutive drought years and locust attacks were the major reasons for this crisis, and the possibility of such a crisis was forewarned by concerned agencies. There was a delay in the donor community responding to the appeals by the World Food Programme and the national government.
The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Dr YS Rajasekhar Reddy, who was present when Dr Dar met Mr Wolfowitz, complimented the outstanding work of ICRISAT to improve dryland agriculture in Andhra Pradesh.
Dr Dar invited Mr Wolfowitz to visit ICRISAT-Patancheru in his next visit to India. Dr Dar also met Mr Michael Carter the World Bank Country Director in India, who recalled his good memories of his visit to ICRISAT early last year.
The successful meeting between Dr Dar and Mr Wolfowitz was made possible through the efforts of Mr Mohan Kanda, Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh and Governing Board Member of ICRISAT.
Mr Wolfowitz said that as a result of the meeting he is impressed that through the CGIAR the Bank is making a very good investment focused towards the improvement of the livelihoods of the rural poor. He added that he is encouraged to see the continuous success of the Centers in their mission to help the poor people in the developing countries.
20)Communicating agri-biotech to AP extensionists
The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), in collaboration with the South Asia Biosafety Program (SABP) and the Biotechnology Unit of the Institute of Public Enterprise (IPE) organized a workshop on agri-biotechnology for extension workers from Andhra Pradesh. The workshop was held on 27 and 28 July at the Patancheru campus of ICRISAT.
The workshop attracted participation from government extension workers (3), non-governmental organization representatives (15), private company representatives (12), village sarpanchs (7), and men and women farmers (16).
During the two days, participants interacted with experts on biotechnology from IPE and ICRISAT – Dr MV Rao, Dr Pakki Reddy, Dr Anji Raju, Dr N P Sharma, Dr K B R S Visharda, Dr Kiran K Sharma and Dr Anjaiah. While experts explained concepts on agri-biotechnology and genetic engineering, participants shared questions and got answers.
Their questions focused on:
• Effectiveness of transgenic crops.
• The possibility of introducing multiple traits in transgenics.
• The possibility of developing transgenics by using crop varieties rather than hybrids into transgenics (so that the farmer does not have to buy new seeds every year).
• Why transgenics are expensive?
• The effect of transgenics on health and environment.
• If transgenic technology is useful, why is it being promoted slowly in India?
The participants visited ICRISAT's transgenic labs and contained field trial sites. ICRISAT is conducting contained field trials at its Patancheru campus on transgenic groundnut for resistance against the Indian Peanut Clump Virus, and transgenic pigeonpea and chickpea using the Bacillus thuringiensis gene for resistance to the pod borer, Helicoverpa armigera .
As a public-funded international agricultural research institute, ICRISAT's research is helping to increase agricultural productivity of orphan crops that help improve the livelihoods of poor and marginal farmers in the dry tropics. Further, much of ICRISAT's transgenic research is on improved varieties rather than hybrids.
19)Temporary Farm Labor at ICRISAT accept new entry token system (25 July 2005)
The Temporary Farm Labor (TFL) at ICRISAT campus at Patancheru have agreed to accept the new entry token system. They have agreed to report to work from Tuesday, 26 July. The new system linked to biometric access control system will be operational on Monday, 1 August.
The issue was resolved through a dialogue with TFL representatives by the ICRISAT task force and the Sanga Reddy MLA, Mr T Jayaprakash Reddy. Senior district officials, including the Revenue Divisional Officer of Sanga Reddy and the Deputy Superintendent of Police also helped resolve the issue.
18)CGIAR Centers strengthen collective action and partnerships (11 July 2005)
The Alliance of Future Harvest Centers of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), a new initiative to further energize synergies among 15 international agricultural research institutes, is focusing on strengthening partnerships with civil society organizations and the private sector.
The Alliance of Future Harvest Centers of the CGIAR is a formal coalition of the 15 Centers, created to coordinate resources and programs to optimize collective action on issues and in geographic areas where it is clear that concerted effort can significantly increase headway in addressing critical problems.
The Alliance is a logical step in the growing integration of the Centers' work. It is designed to increase the efficiency, effectiveness and synergy among Centers and consequently, the overall performance of the CGIAR system. This is being done through: streamlining access to the Centers; bringing more disciplines and lines of thought to enhance institutional innovations; enabling Centers to speak with one voice on global issues; achieving cost savings in corporate services; and resolving conflicts.
Further, the Alliance is facilitating a fast collective response to rapid changes in the task environment; creating transparent rules of engagement to improve management of collective enterprises; and providing resources and recognition for collective endeavors.
According to Dr William Dar, Director General of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and the Chair of the Alliance Executive, the initiative has gathered considerable momentum in the past year. For instance, the Alliance has achieved significant progress in developing ‘Quick Wins' in sub-Saharan Africa by developing medium term plans with the sub-regional organizations. It will also strengthen its support to CGIAR's regional programmatic alignment initiatives in the region.
The Alliance organized a successful meeting at Entebbe, Uganda, on 8 June, to accelerate dialogue with partners to develop joint Medium Term Plans (MTPs) for West and Central Africa (WCA) and Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA). The Entebbe meeting brought together representatives from the CGIAR centers, the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), the sub-regional organizations and the National Agricultural Research Systems.
The other achievements of 2005 have been the constitution of the Alliance Board, consisting of the Center Board Chairs. The Center Directors-General are now working together as the Alliance Executive. An Alliance Charter has been drafted, complementing the new CGIAR and covering important aspects of governance across Centers.
Discussions are also underway to locate the Future Harvest Alliance Office within the premises of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) at Rome, Italy.
As the Alliance develops the capacity for stronger and faster reform, it expects to create a research delivery system that is open, partnership oriented and structured around clusters of Centers. The Alliance is strengthening its position as the third pillar of the CGIAR system, the first two being the CGIAR Members and the Science Council.
17)Rebuilding agriculture to help communities cope with natural disasters and conflicts (27 June 2005)
The 15 international agricultural research institutes under the Alliance of Future Harvest Centers of the CGIAR help rural communities cope with the Asian Tsunami, the Afghan war and many other disasters in developing countries across the world.
Restoring agriculture is a critical first step in helping developing countries recover from natural disasters and conflicts. Though the ‘Healing Wounds' initiative, the 15 international agricultural research institutes under the Alliance of the Future Harvest Centers of the CGIAR (the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research) are helping to rehabilitate agriculture in 47 developing countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Pacific.
The CGIAR centers are linking their cutting-edge agricultural research and partnerships with international donors, national governments, research institutes non-government organizations to provide ‘smart aid', which is aid fortified with research knowledge that helps reduce and prevent suffering. The strategy of the CGIAR centers is to alleviate hunger by rebuilding seed and food systems; safeguard and restore agro-biodiversity, rebuild human and institutional capacities; reduce future vulnerabilities; and make relief aid more effective and efficient.
According to Dr William Dar, Director General of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and Chairman of the Alliance Executive of the Future Harvest Centers of the CGIAR, the rural poor in developing countries depend heavily on agriculture for a living. So when natural disasters and conflicts strike, they are the ones worst affected. "Through the Healing Wounds initiative we help them cope with the disaster and strengthen their preparedness," Dr Dar added.
When the Asian tsunami struck on 26 December 2004, the geographic information specialists at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) located in Sri Lanka, in collaboration with MapAction, a UK-based NGO, produced 22 maps that helped target relief supplies.
According to Dr Robert Zeigler, Director General of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) based at Los Banos, Laguna, Philippines, scientists from the Institute dipped into the rice germplasm collection in their genebank to send seeds of salt-tolerant rice varieties. "The agro-biodiversity conserved in the CGIAR centers can provide the building blocks for rehabilitating agriculture after disasters," Dr Zeigler said.
In Tamil Nadu, India, where ICRISAT is working in partnership with the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), internet-linked rural knowledge centers (RKCs) are linking the affected coastal communities with agricultural experts. Groundnut is one of the most badly affected crops. In collaboration with national institutes such as the Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, ICRISAT-MSSRF is helping the farmers restart groundnut cultivation. For the medium- and long-term, the process is underway to screen crop varieties for salt tolerance, select varieties through community participation, establish local seed banks, and rehabilitate soil and water systems.
According to Dr M S Swaminathan, Chairman of MSSRF and the Indian National Farmers' Commission, these information centers are the platforms for understanding the needs of the coastal communities and initiating research-based interventions that can sustain new practices over the long-term. These centers provide the opportunity for engaging the rural youth as the key actors in the rehabilitation process.
Through the Healing Wounds initiative, the CGIAR centers are also working on rehabilitating agriculture in countries devastated by conflicts. In Afghanistan, a Consortium of CGIAR centers, led by the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), has refurbished Afghanistan's agricultural research stations, established seed testing facilities and trained over 1,000 researchers and farmers. The consortium is helping small farmers grow high-value horticultural and medicinal crops, as well as chickpea, faba bean, potato and peanut.
Natural disasters and conflicts are a recurrent reality across the developing world, so the support of the CGIAR Centers' systematic support has invaluable for international relief agencies, donors and national governments. The CGIAR Centers use science-based approaches to reduce vulnerability and help jumpstart economic growth in disaster- and conflict-affected communities.
Contacts:
• Gopi Warrier, ICRISAT, phone +91-40-30713187, 098490-39604, w.gopikrishna@
• Rex Navarro, ICRISAT, phone +91-40-30713223, rex.navarro@
• Surendra Varma, ICARDA, Syria, phone +963-21-2213433, s.varma@
• Mark Winslow, Germany, phone +49 8167-950001, m.winslow@
• Sarwat Hussain, CGIAR, Washington, DC, phone +1 (202) 473-5690, s.hussain@
The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) is a strategic alliance of countries, international and regional organizations, and private foundations supporting 15 international agricultural research Centers. More than 7,600 scientists, technicians and staff work within the CGIAR alliance. In 2004, CGIAR members contributed over US$ 400 million to mobilize food and environmental science for the benefit of poor people worldwide ( ).
16)Indian aquaculturalist named winner of the 2005 World Food Prize (11 June 2005)
An Indian scientist, Dr Modadugu Vijay Gupta, has been named winner of the $250,000 World Food Prize for his work to enhance nutrition for over one million people, mostly very poor women, through the expansion of aquaculture and fish farming in South and Southeast Asia, and Africa.
Dr Gupta, whose hometown is Bapatla in Andhra Pradesh, was till his recent retirement the Assistant Director General at WorldFish, an international fisheries research institute under the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) based at Penang in Malaysia.
According to Dr William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT and Chairman of the Executive of the Future Harvest Alliance of the CGIAR, the recognition to Dr Gupta is another feather in the cap of the 15 international agricultural research institutes under the CGIAR. It is further acknowledgement of the impact of CGIAR institutes in improving global food production for alleviating poverty.
Dr Gupta's name was announced by the World Food Prize Foundation on 10 June at a ceremony at the US State Department at Washington DC. While making the announcement, Ambassador Kenneth M Quinn, President of the World Food Prize Foundation, said that through Dr Gupta's dedicated and sustained efforts in Bangladesh, Laos and other countries in Southeast Asia, he made small scale aquaculture a viable means for over one million very poor farmers and women to improve their family's nutrition and well-being.
As a result of Dr Gupta's efforts, freshwater fish production has risen dramatically in these countries by as much as three to five times. He developed unique methods of fish farming, requiring little cost while causing no environmental damage. As a result, landless farmers and poor women have turned a million abandoned pools, roadside ditches, seasonally flooded fields and other bodies of water into mini-factories churning out fish for food and income.
“The World Food Prize is a great honor for all those who work with improving fish production for reducing poverty and environmental protection,” said Dr Gupta. “It is a recognition of the importance of fisheries for protecting the nutritional security of the world,” he added.
According to Dr Gupta, research to increase fish production increases the availability of nutrition in poor families, increases their household income and also results in improved social status for women in the families. Since capture fishing in declining, aquaculture can be of significance in developing countries.
Dr Gupta is the sixth citizen of India to receive the World Food Prize since it was established in 1986. Previous recipients include : Dr M S Swaminathan, 1987;
Dr Verghese Kurien, 1989; Dr Gurdev Khush, 1996; Dr B R Barwale, 1998; and Dr. Surinder K Vasal, 2000. The World Food Prize will be formally presented to Dr Gupta at a ceremony on 13 October 2005 in the Iowa State Capitol Building in Des Moines, USA.
15)Project launched to increase the use of sorghum and pearl millet grains for poultry feed (10 June 2005)
The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), along with its partners from various R&D sectors, has launched a collaborative project to enhance the utilization of sorghum and pearl millet grains in the poultry feed industry in India, China and Thailand.
Funded by the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC), the Netherlands, in association with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the project brings together partners from the agricultural research institutes, universities, NGOs, poultry feed manufacturers, poultry growers, and farmers' groups from the three countries.
Deputy Director General of ICRISAT, Dr Dyno Keatinge, launched the project on behalf of the Director General, Dr William Dar. According to Dr Keatinge, the project blends the relative strengths of the partners so that the poor and marginal farmers get the best value from sorghum and pearl millet. By increasing the utilization of the crops grown in the dry parts of the developing world, the project will help the most disadvantaged farmers. He urged the partners to build upon the pilot project on the use of sorghum for poultry feed funded by DFID.
Though the poultry industry has been using maize for the production of feed, there has been a great demand to find alternatives. Sorghum and pearl millet have the potential to fill this gap. The problem, however, is one of low productivity, production and access. The project is expected to increase productivity of sorghum and pearl millet and improve their storage and bulking facilities.
The project aims at linking small and marginal farmers growing sorghum and pearl millet with poultry feed manufacturers, resulting in value addition and enhanced income for the farmers. This in turn will create a greater demand for the two crops.
The three-year project has a total funding of $2.1 million. While $1.5 million is from the CFC grant, the remaining resources will be contributions by the partners.
In India, the project will be operational in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. In China and Thailand a province each with a cluster of project villages will be selected. The Liaoning Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenyang and the Field Crops Research Institute, Bangkok are among the partners for the project.
F For further information, contact Dr CLL Gowda at c.gowda@ .
14)Entebbe meeting to develop joint medium-term sub-regional plans for Africa (2 June 2005)
The international agricultural research institutes under the Alliance of Future Harvest Centers of the CGIAR are meeting jointly with the leaders of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) at Entebbe, Uganda, on 8 June, to accelerate dialogue with partners to develop joint Medium Term Plans (MTPs) for West and Central Africa (WCA) and Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA).
Dr William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT and Chair of the Alliance Executive of the Future Harvest Centers of the CGIAR, will chair the meeting together with the FARA Chair, Dr. Pape Seck of Senegal. The Entebbe meeting will bring together representatives from the CGIAR centers, the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), the sub-regional organizations and the National Agricultural Research Systems.
According to Dr Dar, the dialogue process with multiple partners working for agricultural research for development in sub-Saharan Africa was initiated when it was observed that there were similarities in their research priorities. “We view the Entebbe meeting, being organized as part of the FARA General Assembly proceedings, to be a good opportunity to interact to ensure buy in for regional joint MTPs. We hope an aggregated MTP for 2006-2008 for these sub-regions will evolve from the initiative.”
In 2004, the CGIAR system established two task forces to consider the potential for programmatic and structural adjustment of the operations of the Future Harvest Centers in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). They were tasked to identify areas of synergy between the CGIAR centers, consider opportunities for better programmatic alignment and to identify implementation mechanisms for a regionally integrated developmental effort.
One of the principal recommendations from the consolidated report of the two task forces was the need to develop integrated, inter-center medium term plans, which are in harmony with the sub-regional objectives for WCA and ESA research partners.
Following up on the recommendation, the CGIAR Executive Council, chaired by Dr. Ian Johnson of World Bank, asked the centers to design concrete steps to align research programs jointly with partners in Africa . The centers believed that the first step to such an alignment would be through the development of a common set of sub-regional medium term plans (MTPs) for themselves and partners.
Preliminary meetings to initiate this process were held at Nairobi, Kenya, in mid-April for ESA and at Ibadan, Nigeria, in early May for WCA, which discussed the practicalities of the proposal. The Africa Rice Center and the International Livestock Research Institute are the lead institutions in this process in WCA and ESA, respectively.
At the Entebbe meeting, Dr. Dar said that the Alliance of the Future Harvest Centers of the CGIAR will discuss the action plan prioritized by them with the partners. They will also discuss how these priorities can be dovetailed with those of the SSA Challenge Program of the CGIAR.
The Alliance of the Future Harvest Centers of the CGIAR intends to start the second phase of the process in October 2005, which will result in the formulation of fully integrated MTP for 2007-2009 for the two sub-regions in Africa.
13)ICRISAT's biopesticide production technology bags World Bank's Development Marketplace Award
(27 May 2005)
12)ICRISAT to host agri-business development meeting (6 May 2005)
The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) will host a one-day meeting of the Indian Association of Agri-Business Development (IAAD) at Patancheru on building effective public-private partnerships (PPPs) for promoting agri-business on 19 May.
The meeting will bring together the different stakeholders in the PPP process, such as research organizations, government, private sector, financial institutions, citizens' groups and farmers' representatives. The objective is to agree on the Patancheru Draft for developing effective PPPs to take research and development from lab to land, with emphasis on contract farming.
According to Dr William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT, the meeting is significant since it will devise the methodology for reaching cutting-edge agricultural research to the farmers through a network of partners from the public and the private sector. “The benefits of modern technology and management techniques must reach the resource-poor farmers of the semi-arid tropics,” Dr Dar said.
IAAD was established in 1999 under the Chairmanship of Dr MS Swaminathan, with the objective of taking modern agro-technologies to the resource poor small farm families in rural India. Dr Swaminathan will preside over the 19 May meeting. The Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh, Dr Mohan Kanda, and the Principal Secretary, Andhra Pradesh Department of Industry and Commerce, Ms Lakshmi Parthasarathy, are expected to attend the meeting.
The themes that the meeting will discuss include:
· Effective PPP for promoting agri-business
· Re-engineering government's role in PPP and contract farming – Policies and regulatory framework
· PPP and contract farming – New paradigms and challenges
· PPP as a vehicle for taking R&D from lab to land
For further information, contact Mr V Raghavendra Prasad at p.raghavendra@ .
11)Seeds of hope from ICRISAT for despairing pigeonpea farmers (5 May 2005)
Farmers growing pigeonpea in southern parts of Karnataka need not worry anymore about pigeonpea sterility mosaic virus (PPSMV) attack on their crops. ICRISAT pigeonpea variety ICP 7035, that is highly resistant to PPSMV, was recommended for release at the recent Zonal Research and Extension Advisory Council meeting at UAS, Bangalore.
The release of ICP 7035 is a joint effort of the research led by ICRISAT and University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, supported by the Department for International Development (DFID) of the UK Government.
According to Dr William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT, the release of ICP 7035 is a significant contribution from ICRISAT to despairing farmers in sterility mosaic disease (SMD) hotspots, who can now see possible end to their woes. Varieties like ICP 7035 can prevent that loss and thereby enhance income to the pigeonpea farmers.
Pigeonpea, also known as red gram or arhar , is a major pulse crop of India. It is an important protein supplement in the vegetarian diet. Karnataka, one of the largest producers of pigeonpea, is a hotspot of PPSMV infection, which results in sterility mosaic disease (SMD), also regarded as ‘green plague' due to its destructive nature. The virus infected plants fail to produce flowers and therefore bear no pods leading to enormous losses to the farmers. The SMD is estimated to cause an annual loss of around $300 million in India and Nepal alone.
“A severe strain of PPSMV is prevailing in southern Karnataka, which can overcome field resistance in most of the pigeonpea varieties”, says Dr P Lavakumar, virologist at ICRISAT. Tests revealed that ICP 7035 is immune to virus infection and has resistance to severe PPSMV strains. Cultivation of ICP 7035 prevents buildup of SMD inoculum during the cropping- and off-seasons, and controls the spread of the disease in the fields, and can contribute to eradication of the disease in long run.
ICP 7035 is a medium to long-duration maturity type, unique in the fact that it is suitable for vegetable as well as for dhal (dried split seed). It has excellent resistance to sterility mosaic and tolerance to wilt, two major pigeonpea diseases in India”, says
Dr KB Saxena, Principal Pigeonpea Breeder at ICRISAT. Such a dual-purpose variety not only enhances the utility but also diversifies the income sources for the farmers. It is suitable for cultivation in every part of the Indian subcontinent, particularly in hotspots.
When the pods are still green, the bold seeds of ICP 7035 are used as vegetable, similar to that of garden pea. When dry, it serves as a pulse suitable for making dhal. The ICP 7035 seed has 8.8 per cent sugar, making it as sweet as garden peas. In addition, the purple seed coat of ICP7035 has high amount of anthocyanins, which adds to the health benefits as a dietary antioxidant.
The average yield of ICP 7035 ranges between 1200 to 1600 kg per. The edible portion of the dried seed contains 19.6 per cent protein, 27.4 per cent dietary fiber and 33 per cent starch. It is a rich source of micronutrients such as copper, magnesium, manganese, calcium, iron and phosphorous.
Farmers' satisfaction with ICP 7035 is seen in its rapid diffusion and increased adoption rates. ICRISAT has produced breeder seed of this variety and this will be supplied to national centers and farmers.
For further information, contact Dr KB Saxena at k.saxena@ or Dr P Lavakumar at p.lavakumar@ .
10)ICRISAT MoU with Nandan Biomatrix strengthens public-private partnership (24 March 2005)
The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Nandan Biomatrix Ltd. The MoU envisages collaboration on wasteland development through the raising of bio-fuel plantations, R&D for development of superior varieties and improved agronomic practices. The collaboration will also encompass R&D on medicinal plants for deriving nutraceuticals.
The Director General of ICRISAT, Dr William D Dar, and the Managing Director of Nandan Biomatrix Ltd, Mr V Bhaskar Rao, signed the MoU.
According to Dr William Dar, through the MoU with Nandan Biomatrix, the Institute will strengthen its partnership with this private sector company for scaling up its natural resource management technologies.
Nandan Biomatrix is a Rs 25 crore company engaged in a gamut of agri-biotech activities like direct and contract farming of various herbs, aromatic plants and bio-fuel plants since a decade. It is also the first company to set up Horti Processing Park, in association with the Andhra Pradesh Government to process horticultural produce for greater value addition and integrate the supply chain.
Nandan Biomatrix has also tied up with Synergy Foundation (UK) and are proposing to incorporate a joint venture Company to bring together wasteland owners, landless poor and green investors in a unique and synergistic way to provide assured livelihood for the rural poor in a profitable and sustainable way.
The Agri-Science Park at ICRISAT (ASP) will host this project. Apart from providing expertise and technical backstopping services, ICRISAT will also extend infrastructure support through its state-of-the-art labs and propagation and farm facilities.
The ASP is a “hub” for public-private partnerships to enhance the development and commercialization of science-generated technologies and knowledge through market mechanisms. The goal of the ASP is to help achieve ICRISAT's mandate to “develop agriculture in the SAT” and thereby reduce poverty and hunger, as well as protect the environment.
The ASP consists of an Agri-Biotech Park (ABP), an Agri-Business Incubator (ABI), Private Sector Hybrid Parents and Bio-pesticide Consortia, and the SAT Eco-Venture (agro-ecotourism).
For further information, contact V Raghavendra Prasad at p.raghavendra@ .
9)Dealing with natural disasters through preparedness (10 March 2005)
No community has control over natural disasters, but preparedness can help mitigate the adverse impacts. Working in collaboration with partners, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) is blending disaster relief into sustainable agriculture development programs, using information and communication technologies (ICTs) to enhance disaster preparedness of communities.
Through the initiative of the Virtual Academy for the Semi-Arid Tropics (VASAT), ICRISAT is collaborating with the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) and other non-governmental organizations working in coastal Tamil Nadu to deal with the immediate agricultural problems of tsunami-hit villages. The linkage between the experts and villagers are through the Internet-linked rural knowledge centers (RKCs). The bottom-up communication arrangement established through the RKC will be the platform for building the community's capacity on disaster preparedness.
Dr William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT, said that preparedness is the key in dealing with any natural disaster, be it the tsunami or the drought, which regularly affects rural communities in the semi-arid tropics of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. It is a process of continuous capacity building, where the communication tools can link the farmer with the expert, or one farming community with another.
According to Dr MS Swaminathan, Chairman of MSSRF, the process of establishing these knowledge centers enabled the villagers to use the most appropriate means of communication to save lives on the day of the tsunami. Now the same communication linkage will be used to rebuild sustainable agriculture in the villages.
ICRISAT is collaborating with governmental and non-governmental organizations, through the VASAT initiative, to enhance drought preparedness of communities through RKCs. VASAT's activities are also in line with the recommendations of India's Mission 2007, which aims at creating a knowledge center in every village. The Mission is fallout of the recommendations of the National Commission on Farmers. ICRISAT Director General William Dar and Governing Board Vice-Chair Mangala Rai are members of the Steering Committee of Mission 2007.
In Tamil Nadu, VASAT is linking with 10 ICT-linked knowledge centers established by MSSRF in select tsunami-hit villages. Scientists from ICRISAT and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) institutes, such as the Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, are helping communities rehabilitate their agriculture.
Though initially the aim would be to help the communities overcome the destruction caused by tsunami, the long-term objective is to help the coastal villagers revive their agriculture through sustained knowledge support.
The ICRISAT-MSSRF collaboration will also work on providing enabling knowledge through 20 ICT-linked information centers in severely drought-prone areas of Tamil Nadu.
VASAT has also established pilot projects in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. In Andhra Pradesh, it is educating agri-input dealers on drought preparedness and management. VASAT is collaborating with MANAGE-National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management in their project to educate agri-input dealers on drought preparedness and management. This project will be implemented in Adilabad, Mahbubnagar, Karimnagar, Ranga Reddy and Guntur districts. Another project in Andhra Pradesh is in collaboration with the ICICI Bank to provide drought awareness among micro-finance institution activists.
In collaboration with the Maharashtra Knowledge Corporation Ltd., selected rural communities in Nashik, Ahmednagar and Pune districts are being prepared to cope with drought.
VASAT is also active in West and Central Africa, in collaboration with WorldSpace Radio. Using WorldSpace technology, the ICRISAT Regional Office at Niamey in Niger has linked with 300 community radio stations in the region. Through this network, information on weather, desertification and locust infestation are being communicated to the farmer communities.
For further information, contact Dr V Balaji at v.balaji@ .
8)ICRISAT plants legumes in the Indo-Gangetic plains (10 March 2005)
The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has been actively encouraging the growing of legumes in the rice-wheat fields of the Indo-Gangetic plains, invigorating agriculture in the cereal-fatigued lands.
According to Dr William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT, the introduction of legumes in the rice-wheat growing fields has enhanced natural resource conservation in the region and increased the income and nutrition of the poor and marginal farmers.
Working in collaboration with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), ICRISAT's research is bringing renewed health to the lands that have gone through more than three decades of intensive agriculture. Growing legumes for crop diversification has enriched the soil through nitrogen fixation, and this has resulted in increased productivity for the rice and wheat crops too.
In the 10.5 million hectares of land where irrigated rice-wheat cultivation is practiced, there is a scope for growing legumes in 2 to 3 million hectares. ICRISAT is promoting the rotation of rice and pigeonpea in the rainy season, and wheat and chickpea in the postrainy season. By growing ICRISAT's extra short duration pigeonpea ICPL 88039, farmers have obtained higher production (up to one additional ton per hectare) of wheat in the postrainy season.
In the 35 million ha growing rainfed rice, there is substantial residual moisture left after the first paddy crop is taken in 17 million ha. ICRISAT has been promoting the growth of chickpea as a second crop in these regions. While this gives the farmer the opportunity to grow a second crop and doubles his income, it also helps in improving the soil fertility in his fields.
Though ICRISAT started work on crop diversification since 1994, the accelerated phase began in 1997. In addition to the work in India, ICRISAT is working with the national agricultural research system of Nepal and Bangladesh to introduce legumes into the rice-wheat system.
For further information, contact Dr Suresh Pande at s.pande@ .
7)ICRISAT strengthens research in sub-Saharan Africa (10 March 2005)
The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) is strengthening its research activities in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), even while retaining its focus on biotechnology and crop improvement in Asia.
According to Dr William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT, the institute has been committing greater financial and scientific resources for integrated genetic and natural resources management in SSA. This has been supported by a greater administrative decentralization to the regional centers for west and central Africa (WCA) and eastern and southern Africa (ESA).
In the past two years, ICRISAT has been taking a focused approach to enhance crop productivity to improve the livelihood of the poor and marginal farmers in the semi-arid tropics of SSA, guided by an integrated genetic and natural resources management strategy, said Dr Uzo Mokwunye, Chair of ICRISAT Governing Board.
The institute's research in SSA is focused on five thrust areas. They are: crop improvement and seed sector reform; commercialization; systems diversification; improved food security through sustainable management of resources; and human resources capacity strengthening.
In WCA, this has resulted in an improved germplasm and sustainable seed system strategy; and an integration of crop, tree and livestock systems. A strategy for desertification mitigation and disaster preparedness is also being promoted.
In ESA, there has been a support to integrated genetic and natural resources management through crop improvement, commercialization and seed sector reforms. ICRISAT has also had an impact on disaster relief and also enhanced food security through the integration of crop-livestock sectors.
ICRISAT has also launched the process for developing sustainable seed systems in sub-Saharan Africa. The availability of improved seeds of well-adapted crop varieties benefit the farmers who grow seeds for subsistence and also those who produce for the commercial market. The benefit is through improved food availability and income.
The seed systems process will draw upon the combined expertise of the CGIAR centers working in partnership with the NARS and international organizations to improve access to and adoption of new varieties, to strengthen private-sector capacity for seed marketing, and to promote the development of regional seed markets to achieve better economies of scale.
ICRISAT is also partnering South-South cooperation in the area of natural resources management. The successes achieved in Asia on natural resources management through watershed development, are not being transferred to SSA, by linking the national agricultural research system from Asia with their counterparts in the African countries.
In addition to the national agricultural organizations, ICRISAT is enhancing its partnership with regional and sub-regional organizations for agricultural development. These organize focus on the development of a group of countries in a region.
ICRISAT has six offices in SSA. They are at Niamey in Niger, Bamako in Mali, Nairobi in Kenya, Bulawayo in Zimbabwe, Lilongwe in Malawi and Maputo in Mozambique.
6)ICRISAT scientist invited to advise Unilever on sustainable agriculture ( 15 February 2005)
The global corporate giant Unilever has invited Dr S P Wani, Principal Scientist at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) to join the Unilever Sustainable Agriculture Advisory Board (SAAB). Dr Wani is the leader of the watersheds development program under the Global Theme on Agro-ecosystems at ICRISAT.
According to Dr William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT, Unilever's invitation to Dr Wani to join the SAAB is the acknowledgment of the global impact of the Institute's watershed research. The natural resources management techniques perfected by ICRISAT can help Unilever promote sustainable agriculture in the countries where it works.
Unilever had constituted the SAAB in 2000 to advise on its Sustainable Agricultural Initiative and suggest ways to link this initiative with other sustainable development programs related to conservation of biodiversity, water management, and fisheries and rural development. The initiative aims at development of market mechanisms for more sustainable supply-chain practices.
The SAAB is mandated to provide independent advice and strengthen policy making within Unilever to improve the environmental impact of primary production, safeguard social infrastructure and stakeholder well being. SAAB membership consists of individuals from research institutes in the voluntary sector and academia.
Dr Wani said that the invitation to be a member of SAAB is an honor for the watershed development work being implemented by the ICRISAT team in India, China, Vietnam and Thailand. It is an opportunity to share ICRISAT's experiences and learn from the other members.
For further information, contact Dr S P Wani at s.wani@ .
5)The Agri-Science Park @ ICRISAT achieves new successes (12 February 2005)
The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has successfully built public-private sector partnerships through the Agri-Science Park @ ICRISAT (ASP). The Park, which is the social marketing initiative of ICRISAT, has achieved successes in all the four of its components: the Agri-Biotech Park, Agri-Business Incubator, Public-Private Sector Research Consortia, and the SAT Eco-venture.
According to Dr William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT, the success of the ASP shows that ICRISAT has effectively blended its strengths in scientific excellence and partnerships to develop new initiatives which will result in improved application of agricultural technologies.
In the two years since its inception, the ASP's successes are:
• Collaboration initiated with the Andhra Pradesh Government to get funding from the Andhra Pradesh R&D Fund grant for the ASP.
• Three ventures have joined the Agri-Biotech Park. Amongst them is a facility for testing aflatoxin contamination in food crops. The two other collaborations are with Avesthagen and the Suri Sehgal Foundation.
• Projects on the anvil in the Agri-Biotech Park are the establishment of a Rice Biotech Park in collaboration with the Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University (ANGRAU), and the establishment of a food safety and allergenicity testing laboratory.
• Ten companies joined a new private sector Biopesticide Research Consortium (BRC). Together, the consortium will work for the development and commercialization of biopesticides developed and tested by ICRISAT.
• Four companies have joined the Agri-Business Incubator to incubate technologies. They are: Rusni Distilleries for the production of ethanol from sweet sorghum; Bioseed Research Ltd. for the development of transgenic cotton; Seed Works Ltd. for the development of transgenic cotton and vegetables; and Sessler Tom and Hyglass for the development of fermentor and agricultural implements.
• The Andhra Pradesh R&D Fund grant is being used to build a second P-2 facility and purchase equipment for the Aflatoxin Testing Laboratory.
• Under the AP R&D Fund grant, VASAT and MSSRF have developed a program to train AP farmers on the use of biotech products and bio-safety.
• There are now 29 public and private companies that have joined the Sorghum and Pearl Millet Research Consortia. The Pigeonpea partner group now has seven members.
• In collaboration with the Virtual Academy for the Semi-Arid Tropics (VASAT) training for farmers on biosafety issues, and extension and education activities have been initiated under the AP R&D fund grant.
• A MoU signed by ICRISAT with the AP Department of Tourism in February 2004 to collaborate in the development of agro-ecotourism at ICRISAT campus in Patancheru.
The ASP at ICRISAT was launched in December 2002 with the objective of initializing collaborative research and/or establishing joint ventures with private, public, and government entities to find commercial applications for ICRISAT or partner technologies. The ASP would also help in the incubation of startups through the Agri-Business Incubator.
To meet more specific objectives, the ASP has four components. They are:
1. The Agri-Biotech Park (ABP), is the venture in which mature businesses can establish facilities to tap into ICRISAT's upstream research expertise and use its world-class infrastructure either on a contract basis or through joint ventures.
2. The Agri-Business Incubator (ABI) enables startup agri-business companies to tap ICRISAT's scientific and managerial support resources grow and develop into viable ventures. This initiative is funded through a collaborative project between ICRISAT and the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.
3. The Public-Private Sector Research Consortia, which includes hybrid parents research consortia for sorghum, pearl millet, pigeonpea and biopesticides. The consortia members provide grants to ICRISAT to support research on these crops and products. The consortia are managed by ICRISAT with input from a member steering committee.
4. SAT Eco-Venture is the agricultural eco-tourism initiative being developed in collaborative partnership with the AP Department of Tourism. A MoU was signed by ICRISAT with the AP Department of Tourism in February 2004 to collaborate in its development.
It is still early days for the ASP at ICRISAT. With ICRISAT's scientific excellence and the strengths that the partners bring into the venture, it could well become a premier facility in South Asia in the days to come.
4)ICRISAT launches a new pigeonpea hybrid seed production technology (8 February 2005)
The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has developed the technology to produce cytoplasmic male-sterility (CMS) based hybrid pigeonpea from a cross involving Cajanus cajanifolius, a wild relative of the cultivated pigeonpea . Plant breeders can now use this technology to produce stable hybrids for commercialization, which can almost double the productivity to about 3 tons per hectare, in comparison to released commercial varieties.
According to Dr William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT, the new CMS-based pigeonpea hybrid technology is a breakthrough that takes pigeonpea research into the next quantum. This technology has overcome some of the limitations that had been limiting pigeonpea hybrid research for many years. This research was made possible through ICRISAT's partnership with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and private-sector companies.
Using this technology, ICRISAT developed and tested more than 200 hybrids. In this year's evaluation, three experimental hybrids showed near-doubled productivity, high stability and no plant deformity. The new experimental hybrids have also generated high interest among partners because of their high productivity, low labor requirement for seed production and greater drought tolerance.
Pigeonpea (also known as Tuvar Dal or Arhar dal in India) is annually grown over 4 million hectares by Indian resource-poor farmers. Prepared and consumed in a variety of forms, pigeonpea is a cheaper protein source for a billion people. Since it commands a relatively higher price in the marketplace, small-holder farmers use it both as a cash generator and as a house-hold food.
In spite of releasing several varieties in the past, the crop's productivity had plateaued at low levels, raising concern among scientists and farmers alike. The new hybrid technology has broken the barrier and doubled productivity.
Using the CMS-based hybrid technology, pigeonpea experimental hybrids have been developed for all the three maturity groups for the crop, according to Dr KB Saxena, Principal Pigeonpea breeder at ICRISAT. While the short-duration pigeonpea varieties mature between 120 and 140 days, the medium-duration ones mature between 160 and 180 days, and the long-duration ones take more than 250 days.
The ability to survive water-scarce situations is higher for the CMS-based hybrids, since they produce 30 per cent more root mass than other varieties. This is of significance since pigeonpea is the crop of the water-scarce regions, and more crop per drop is the need of the farmers. The roots of this legume have the ability of bringing the nutrients to the top, and also fix nitrogen in the soil, thereby making it an excellent intercrop.
The success of CMS hybrid research lies in ICRISAT's partnership with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) institutions and private-sector companies. The Institute is partnering with seven private seed companies through a Hybrid Parents Research Consortium. The strongest private-sector support was from the Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company (MAHYCO). In recognition of this support, ICRISAT named the CMS system as the Barwale CMS System in Pigeonpea, honoring Dr BR Barwale, Chairman of Mahyco.
ICRISAT is providing for the transfer of CMS technology to ICAR, private sector seed companies and also the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
What is cytoplasmic male-sterility based hybrid technology for pigeonpea?
The CMS technology involves crossing the wild relative of pigeonpea Cajanus cajanifolius with the cultivated variety. Through a series of six backcrosses (crossing the offspring back with the cultivated variety) a male-sterile progeny is created, which has the cytoplasm (the living liquid inside the plant cell) of the wild species and the nucleus of the cultivated variety. The male sterile progeny resulting from this cross is then crossed with other fertile restorer lines, resulting in all fertile offspring.
The need for creating male-sterile parent was felt because pigeonpea is an often cross-pollinated plant. By creating male-sterile plants, out-crossing was ensured by planting them adjacent to the fertile cultivated variety. Insects did the rest, thereby reducing the labor cost for manual crossing.
The CMS hybrid overcomes the limitations of an earlier generation of pigeonpea hybrids developed by ICRISAT and partners. During the late 1980s, ICRISAT had convened an inter-institutional effort in India that developed the world's first hybrid pigeonpea. But that hybrid was difficult to produce on a commercial scale, because it used genetic male sterility - a system that required intensive field labor to remove any fertile plants to avoid contamination. This invoked high labor costs and skill requirements among seed producers. As a result, the hybrid seed industry never fully realized the potential of the hybrid technology.
For further information, contact Dr KB Saxena at k.saxena@ .
3)Pioneering marker-assisted breeding results in pearl millet hybrid resistant to downy mildew (28 January 2005)
Farmers growing pearl millet in Haryana and Rajasthan need not fear the downy mildew (DM) disease any longer. Collaborative research between the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and the Haryana Agricultural University (HAU) has resulted in the development of a new hybrid, HHB 67-2, which is resistant to downy mildew. It is the first ever product of marker-assisted breeding in pearl millet to be released for cultivation in India.
With the Haryana State Varietal Release Committee approving the release of HHB 67-2 on 14 January, there are possibilities of the new hybrid's seeds reaching the farmers this coming rainy season. The new hybrid HHB 67-2 is an improved version of the popular pearl millet hybrid HHB 67, which again was a result of collaborative research between ICRISAT and HAU.
According to Dr William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT, this significant breakthrough is a result of ICRISAT's cutting edge scientific research and effective partnerships. The new hybrid HHB 67-2 brings to the farmers additional benefits, even while retaining the qualities of the earlier popular hybrid.
Dr C Tom Hash, ICRISAT Principal Scientist, said that the release of the new hybrid HHB 67-2 represents the delivery to the farmers the first product of a 15-year series of projects supported by the Department for International Development (DFID) of the UK Government. The continuity of this support was critical to the research team being able to deliver the new hybrid.
The original HHB 67 is now grown on at least 400,000 hectares in Haryana and Rajasthan. It was released in 1990 by HAU and is very popular since it matures very quickly – within 65 days – thereby escaping the end-of-season drought and providing an opportunity for double cropping. Unfortunately, there has been no alternative available in its maturity group. In the recent years, HHB 67 was starting to succumb to DM. Since HHB 67 is highly preferred by the farmers for more than a decade, attempts were made to improve the parental lines of HHB 67 for DM resistance. This was successful and after testing the resulting hybrids for three years, the best of these has been identified for release as HHB 67-2.
The fungus Sclerospora graminicola causes DM, a major disease affecting pearl millet. If the plants are infected at an early stage, their growth gets stunted and they die. Infection at later stages results in failure of grain formation.
By rapidly adopting the improved hybrid HHB 67-2, farmers in Haryana and Rajasthan can avoid grain losses approximating Rs 28.8 crores, in the first year of a major DM outbreak. In years of severe DM attack, up to 30% of the pearl millet harvest can be lost. The income losses due a severe DM outbreak on HHB 67 can be estimated from an average grain yield of 800 kg per ha, and a minimum selling price of Rs 3 per kg.
To develop the new hybrid HHB 67-2, the parental lines of the original hybrid were improved for downy mildew resistance through marker-assisted as well as conventional backcross breeding programs at the ICRISAT campus at Patancheru.
The gene for downy mildew resistance was added to the male parent, H 77/833-2, through marker-assisted breeding using ICRISAT elite parent ICMP 451 as the resistance gene donor. A PhD student from HAU working with ICRISAT's team carried out this marker-assisted backcross breeding work. The gene for DM resistance was added to the female parent, 843A/B, from ICRISAT line ICML 22 through conventional backcross breeding. The All India Coordinated Pearl Millet Improvement Project (AICPMIP) did the field-testing of the new hybrid at various locations over the past three rainy seasons.
By using biotech-based molecular marker-assisted selection, the male parent for HHB 67-2 could be developed in one-third of the time required for the developing the female parent by conventional selection methods. By identifying and marking the gene responsible for DM resistance in ICMP 451, it could be checked whether the gene had transferred to the next generation in the progeny of crosses between ICMP 451 and the male parent of HHB 67. By using molecular marker technology the presence of the gene can be tested even while the next generation is a seedling, saving precious breeding time. In conventional breeding, the presence of a gene can be verified only after the plant grows to maturity and seed from an individual plant is sown to screen for the DM resistant character.
ICRISAT has produced Breeder Seed of the parental lines of HHB 67-2, which can now be used to multiply the hybrid, and this will be supplied to seed multiplication agencies.
For further information, contact Dr CT Hash at c.hash@ .
2)Biofortifying groundnut to combat Vitamin A deficiency (3 January 2005)
The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has launched research to enhance the production of ß-carotenes in groundnut. ICRISAT's research will help combat Vitamin A deficiency among resource poor consumers in the semi-arid tropics.
This research is part of the Global Challenge Program of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) aimed at the biofortification of crops to combat malnutrition due to the deficiency of nutrients such as iron, zinc and vitamin A in food crops. The CGIAR had recently launched the Global Challenge Program on Biofortification. ICRISAT is one of the 15 international agricultural research institutes that are part of the CGIAR. (For more information see ).
At ICRISAT, tissue culture and transformation methods have been optimized to obtain high frequency (80–90%) shoot regeneration from cotyledon and leaf explants of groundnut. The technology is now being used to produce N new transgenic groundnuts with higher levels of ß-carotenes. ICRISAT scientists hope that such groundnuts will form an important genetic base for incorporating resistance to other biotic and abiotic constraints to the productivity of this important crop of the semi-arid tropics.
According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), despite the improvements in the agricultural production over the past decades, one-third of the world's population is affected by vitamin A, iron, and zinc deficiencies in their diets. Vitamin A is an essential micronutrient for the normal functioning of the visual system, growth and development, maintenance of epithelial cellular integrity, immune function, and reproduction.
Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) can lead to night blindness and total blindness in children. About 350,000 children become partly or totally blind each year because of VAD and about 60% of them die within a few months after going blind. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the elimination of VAD could reduce childhood mortality by 25%.
While vitamin A is only present in animal products, its predecessor ß-carotene or provitamin A is found in several plant species. However, these are not taken up easily from digested food, because they are fat-soluble and their bioavailability depends on the presence of fat or oil in the same meal, failing which they are excreted undigested. Oral delivery of vitamin A is problematic, mainly because of the lack of infrastructure thus necessitating urgent need of alternatives.
Billions of people in the developing countries suffer from a form of hunger known as micronutrient malnutrition or the “Hidden Hunger”. Micronutrient malnutrition is caused by poor quality diets, characterized by high intakes of staple, but low consumption of animal and fish products, fruits, legumes, and vegetables (which are rich sources of bioavailable minerals and vitamins).
The “Hidden Hunger” seems to have become more conspicuous in many countries since the introduction of Green Revolution cropping systems. Today, it affects the health, productivity, and well being of over half of the global community, with impact primarily on women, infants, and children from low-income families. Also, it impairs the national development efforts, reducing labor productivity, lowering educational attainments in children, reducing school enrolments and attendance, lowering educational morbidity rates, and increasing health-care costs.
Groundnut being oil-rich and rich in zinc and iron, but deficient in ß-carotenes, offers attractive options to enhance its content by utilizing recombinant technologies as shown recently for rice (Golden Rice). Moreover, enrichment of ß-carotenes in the diet can facilitate the uptake of other important minerals like iron.
For further information, contact Dr K K Sharma at k.Sharma@ .
1)Escaping disasters through community preparedness (11 January 2005)
The tremors emanating from the massive earthquake off Sumatra coast was felt in South India at 6.30 am on Sunday, 26 December. The first wave of the tsunami reached the coasts of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry states only at 8.30 am. Even while official warnings did not come, community systems of information connectivity in the villages close to Pondicherry managed to save many lives.
As reported in the Indian media, the rural information centers established by the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), and community preparedness in a four of the coastal villages ensured that not more than 15 lives were lost. These centers were established between three to five years ago with the local community as a contributing partner. While the village information centers offered connectivity to the Internet, a variety of local means were used to make information available to the local public. In the coastal villages, public address systems have been used to give information on weather or wave heights. Each center has up to six trained volunteers who conduct the daily operations.
At Nallavadu, a village with more than 3,500 people, a phone call from Singapore about the tsunami from a former volunteer at the information center was broadcast over public address system. People moved away from the coast, and thereby saved their lives. At Veerampattinam a fisherman alerted the villagers through the information centers public address system. As reported in a TV channel, the lead volunteer literally “broke the Internet down” looking for information on waves.
According to Dr MS Swaminathan, Chairman of MSSRF, the process of establishing these information centers enabled the villagers to use the most appropriate means of communication to save lives on that fateful Sunday.
The VASAT initiative
The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) initiated its project on the Virtual Academy for the Semi-Arid Tropics (VASAT) on the hub-and-spoke model of communication of MSSRF's information centers. Dr Swaminathan was one of the founding fathers for this initiative. Launched on 5 June 2003, VASAT uses a combination of internet and conventional communication technologies to take the right message to the right people at the right time.
Though located in the semi-arid tropics, and focusing primarily on drought awareness, VASAT rural information centers can be as effective early warning systems in times of natural disasters as the ones in Pondicherry.
Dr William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT, said that the process of creating a network of rural information centers is the process of developing human capacity to deal with disaster situation. It is not the infrastructure alone, but also the timeliness of response by the rural community, using the most appropriate means, that matters.
According to Dr V Balaji, Head of Knowledge Management and Sharing at ICRISAT, the thrust is on preparedness and anticipation. The fact that the project communities in the villages of Pondicherry have been using a combination of communication tools helped them during the time of crisis. They survived because they could link the common public address system with satellite technology that made the telephone call possible.
VASAT has made strides in its anticipation and preparedness strategy by networking with nearly 6,000 internet-linked village information centers in India and more than 300 community radio centers in West and Central Africa. Working in the water-scarce regions of India and Africa, these information centers help rural communities anticipate and be prepared for drought, which is a frequently occurring natural phenomenon in these parts of the world.
However, the infrastructure established for communicating, and the preparedness that the community gains can also be used to survive natural and man-made disasters. “The important point is to develop a team of trained representatives from the rural communities who can use any broadcast tool effectively to face any situation,” said Dr Balaji.
Linking with other CGIAR centers
The VASAT initiative is spreading to link with other international agricultural research institutes of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). ICRISAT is collaborating with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the rural information centers to improve fodder production under water scarce situations. Under the aegis of VASAT and in collaboration with the rural information centers ICRISAT and ILRI are also working on extension education for improved management of livestock. The Department for International Development (DFID) of the UK Government supports this project in South Asia.
With the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), ICRISAT is collaborating on monitoring drought in western India, southern Pakistan and the whole of Afghanistan. The project will be linked to the villagers through the rural information centers. This collaboration provides an opportunity to use fairly simple inputs to collect meteorological data and arrive at indices on local drought.
VASAT is also strongly linked with Commonwealth of Learning, a premier inter-governmental organization providing non-formal learning opportunities. A trial course has been initiated involving more than 6,000 learners in collaboration with the Maharashtra Knowledge Corporation, a consortium of universities in Maharashtra state of India. Through the VASAT initiative, these learners will participate in a course on drought preparedness.
Whether escaping tsunami or drought, the means are the same - anticipation and preparedness.
For further information, contact Dr V Balaji at v.balaji@ or Dr Rex Navarro at mailto:rex.Navarro@
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