Patancheru, India
September 4, 2008
The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid
Tropics (ICRISAT), a public-funded advanced agricultural
research institute, has generated research products that have a
significant impact on improving agricultural productivity in the
semi-arid tropics in the developing countries of Asia and
sub-Saharan Africa. These research products - improved crop
varieties and hybrids, technologies and research tools - have
been designated as International Public Goods (IPGs), and are
available without patent protection for the benefit of mankind
across the globe.
According to Dr William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT, the
IPGs generated by the Institute have strengthened agricultural
productivity and livelihood security of the poor farmers. They
have contributed to the strengthening of conventional and modern
crop improvement technologies, natural resource management,
genebank management, village level studies, improvement of seed
systems and development of markets for agricultural produce.
Biotechnology and crop improvement
In the past five years ICRISAT has made breakthroughs in
genomics with the development of protocols and
information/analysis systems for the molecular characterization
and gene mining of mandate crops, and their pests, diseases and
bio-control agents.
ICRISAT developed transgenic lines containing genes for
resistance to insects (Helicoverpa armigera) in chickpea and
pigeonpea; resistance to peanut clump, bud necrosis and rosette
virus in groundnut; resistance to Aspergillus flavus and
aflatoxin contamination in groundnut; elevated levels of
beta-carotene in groundnut and pigeonpea; sulfur-containing
amino acids in pigeonpea and improved drought tolerance in
groundnut. These lines are at different stages of development.
Rich and diverse germplasm collection
ICRISAT draws its strength for crop improvement research from
its rich and diverse germplasm collection. The genebank at
ICRISAT has 118,882 accessions from 144 countries) of its
mandate crops and small millets.
A total of 94,390 germplasm and improved breeding lines have
been shared with cooperators in 144 countries. Out of this, the
national agricultural research partners have released 609
varieties in 77 countries utilizing germplasm and breeding lines
from ICRISAT. During the last 5-year period (2003-2007) alone,
21 national programs globally released 85 hybrid/varieties.
Agroecosystems development
ICRISAT initiated the development of agricultural ecosystems by
involving a consortium of partners to improve the management of
natural resources in micro-watersheds. The consortium's
watershed research began in a few pilot sites in Andhra Pradesh,
India, and significantly expanded to several other states in
India and to China, Vietnam and Thailand in Asia, and is now
replicated in sub-Saharan Africa (eg, Rwanda).
The concept of the African Market Garden based on low-pressure
drip irrigation systems was tested first on-station and around
Niamey, then in several Sahelian (adjacent to the Sahara)
countries. To date, ICRISAT's partners have replicated this
model in eight countries, significantly adding to the intensity
of work done worldwide. In the next three years, a generic
strategy by which Sahelian farmers, with access to either river
or groundwater can substantially enhance their livelihoods by
producing heat-tolerant vegetables will be established.
Other significant IPGs developed for the sub-Saharan region are:
downscaling of short and medium term meteorological forecasts
prediction work and analysis of its acceptance by farmers,
management and monitoring of aflatoxin contamination in maize
and groundnut, fertilizer micro-dosing (phosphorus in West
Africa and nitrogen in southern Africa) Social science research
ICRISAT's Village Level Studies (VLS) conducted in Indian
villages over three decades continues to provide better
understanding of livelihood options, household economics and
needs of poor farmers to help design suitable technology and
formulate appropriate policy. The Village Level Studies is an
IPG and has proved to be one of the most valuable contributions
of ICRISAT to the knowledge base on rural household economies.
The wealth of information provided by the VLS helps scientists
identify and understand socio-economic, agro-biological, and
institutional constraints to agricultural development in the
semi-arid tropics.
Along with partners, the Institute developed policy instruments
for technology delivery, market development, and agricultural
diversification in the drylands. In Africa, ICRISAT and partners
also developed strategies for seed system development, directly
linked with crop improvement activities, covering informal (seed
village system) and formal quality seed production and
distribution (including hybrid seed production methodologies)
and institutional arrangements for seed certification and policy
intervention. |
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