N E W S CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH VOLUME 4, NtUMBER 4 September 1997 Progress in Research *f Biotechnology in the CGIAR on Tropical Forests- In his openimgstatement at the 1997Mid-Tenn Meeting in Cairo, Chainnan Ismail Serageldin Five Years After Rio urged the Group to frontally address the many issues raised by the chanlging framework of biotechnology research and application. These issues include ethics, equity, biosafety, anid pro- An Interview wtth prietary science and technology. He indicated that biotechnology is a tool, to be used with Jeffrey A. Sayer (CIFOR) other tools, to puirsue the mandate of the CGIAR, and that the CGL4R may have to increase its capacity to deploy that tool as effectively as possible. Q: Five years after the adoption of the The Group discussed the present role and future scope of the CGIAR's efforts in biotechnol- much publicised Forest Principles at the Earth ogy research, in the context of the rapidly advanicing developments anid escalating investments Summit in Rio has there been significant in biotechitology vy both the public and ptivate sectors globally. The following text describes progress in research on tropical forests? some highlights of the MTM97 discussion on biotechnology. A: A number of initiatives came out of Rio, most of which had built in *, . i. support The value of the private sector and i.e., technology, should be needs-driven mechanisms. The Climate Change Conven- NGO community participating in the rather than science driven, as the latter tion had its Intergovernmental Panel on Cli- CGIAR's discussions on biotechnology mate Change. The Biodiversity Convention was recognized. The perspectives of the Continued otn page 14 Continued on page 16 Private Sector Committee and the NGO Committee were welcomed. - _ The importance of biotechnology as a powerful tool of modern science that must be used appropriately was empha- sized. There is substantial potential for biotechnology to contribute to more rapid and sustainable agricultural growth in developing countries, par- ticularly in the solution of intractable problems. Given this potential, the CGIAR was urged to become a more 4 . significant global player in biotechnol- ogy, by raising its capacity and profile lar relevance to agriculture and natural resource management in developing 4, countries. :[ -; The CGIAR must ensure that its bio- technology research is geared toward Ai a result ot discucsions berwLen President A]berto Ful.mori of PeTi and Chairman Ismail Ser3geld.n r solving the problems of poor farmers August 5, Peru oLned the CGIAR as the Groupm 56th member Peru Li the ho;t Lountrn of vhe Inter,auunil rather than toward scientific priorities, pitato Center ICIPl (Pho.n Governrnestj EDITORIAL Get on a Bus... How to Alleviate Rural Povierty The main agendta item of the CGIAR Mid-Term Meeting 1997 in Cairo was the discussion of the Medium-Term Research Plans of the CGIAR centers for 1998-2000 in light of the principal elements of CGIAR priority setting, a people-centered focus, and a strong emphasis on poverty alleviatiotn and on the protection of natural resources. An earlier ICARDA case study1 provides some food for thought on how to tackle rural poverty and on the paraidigm of poverty alleviation. In this Issue... A joint study undertaken by the Turk- from inadequate tillage for moisture con- ish Central Research Institute for Field servation, ineffective seed-bed preparation, F."uthni u^.in the Crops (CRIFC) and ICARDA in the pooI seed quality, inappropriate seeding CGIAR..........__......I Sivas-Kayseri provinces of eastern rates and dates of planting, and inadequate Progress in Research on Tropi-.1I Anatolia revealed that in the smallest fertilizer application. Forests ............. 1 farm category-less than 10 hectares-a How about productivity raising invest- How toAlleviate RuraI full 58 percent of labor (expressed in ments? The study team found that small Poverty .2. ____ 2 available days) was not used. This is not farms carry a relatively heavy $64 per capita Attadckng the Root surprising since the study also found that debt burden, mainly from earlier forays into Causes of Instability.......... 3 selling surplus crop production in the public credit financed mechanization. In Announcements ........... 4 market resulted in a net income loss for view of the losses in crop production com- Victory Over the small farmers of US$5 per capita, com- bined with the need to service old credits, Cassava Green Mite .... 4 pared to a total farm cash income of $180 it is hardly surprising that small farmers are Letters ..... ......... 5 per capita, of which 41 percent came forced to disinvest by forgoing maintenance Letters . .from on-farm production, the rest from on capital goods, especially farm buildings. oTfP'i.ide .\prlLi ...i._n off-farm activities. Had the farm not en- "We found evidence that subsistence farm- of Pesticides .6.......... ........ .gaged in crop production it would have ing is subsidized not just by off-farm income, Dryland Farmers Need gained $79 from farm production, mostly but also by spending fixed assets. How long New Te tIl ... .... 1 7 from the sale of livestock. Instead, the does this go on before the fixed asset being Tef. . 7 loss from crop sales redtuced per capita sold is the land itself?" ,\ArixU1t Lu, Fast Facts. 10 income from farm prodtuction to $74. Thie study team found no evidence of re- The Importance In the Sivas-Kayseri region, wheat and mittances from emigrated family members of Livestock . .1 barley are the main field crops. Low which in other areas of West Asia and North When You Have wheat prices were considered the main Africa help close the income gap. Also, the A Dairy Cow. 12 cause of the unprofitability of crop pro- Sivas-Kayseri region is characterized by a D-urum Whc.ir t Barley duction which was, nevertheless, main- labor surplus, not only among smallholders, Hybrid. 15 tained to support family consumption. but also on large farms which, for that rea- h,-,r.'chna in Developing The study team assumed that in this area son, have little demand for wage labor. Countries. 19 wheat production was profitable only on Off-farm income from tractor hire and ...... large farms. the sale of handicrafts, especially rugs, ap- F p. i ., pin Farmers Achieve l . Highl Rice Yields ......... 203 A situation in which the farmer incurs parently did not suffice to sustain the fam- HgR_...... 2 a loss in the main farming activity may ily subsistence production over the long Watch the Color, appear absurd, but is it really? How many termn, although it probably absorbed part of Save Fertibzer. .............. 20 Save Feilizer . 2 smallholders in developing countries are the 58 percent of work days not needed in Desertification ....... 23 subsidizing crop production in order to farming. "The only solution would be to get 4s maintain subsistence food security? on a bus," the study team felt. A bus to The researchers found a number of where? Millions of economic and environ- Issued hy the CGIAR Secretariat, shortcomings in agrononnic practices in mental refugees in and from developing 1-81811 Street, NW, R j-hiiigi.ii. D.C., 20433, 1i.- X. the area which can be interpreted both countries have already left for the cities or Telephone: (1-202) 473-8913. as consequence and cause of the prevail- abroad. Fax: (1-202)473-8110. ing dire conditions: low yields resulting What is it that squeezes these Visit the CGIAR Hom_epage on th_e_ smallholders out of subsistence? Is it the Internet at: h1. . .;... '"Is Time Worth Money in S ivas and Kayseri?" world market with its low prices for their by Richard Tutwiler ICARDA Caravan No 1, main crops? Is it the inability to find more Autumn 1995. ,1 Vc wj60 ! Contznzzed on page 3 [} FORUM +1 Alleviating Rural sense in its context: substitute labor Poverty for capital. By posing the question "Is time worth money in Sivas and Attackingthe Root Continued from page 2 Kayseri?" the study team pointed to the gainful off-farm employment? Is it per central problem of the rural poor: the Causes of capituofa rm disinvestme meslt?sing erom close to zero value of their labor's mar- capita disinvestment resulting from ginal product. To raise labor productiv- Instabilitv past population growth which in- ity, the researchers recommend more flated farm families beyond the in- . cated fanermfamilie beptyon theinr intensive animal husbandry together by Per Pinstrup-Andersen (IFPRI) come generating capacity of their with income generating sales of milk, fixed assets? Or is it lack of access to butter, yogurt, meat, etc., in combina- Tragedies such as those in Burundi, improved farm technology suitable tion with a fallow replacement scheme. Rwanda, and Somalia are well publi- for poor smallholders? All this needs to be done with labor cized by the international news media, Existing literature on subsistence instead of capital. but such stories are only the tip of a farming somehow suggests that sub- Experience suggests that the farm- much bigger iceberg. Chronic instabil- sistence equals poverty, but that this ers probably have already tried most of ity is simmering in dozens of the poor- level of poverty is sustainable because these ideas, but for one reason or an- est developing countries, which are it is isolated from the risks of the other they did not work. Obviously, burdened by rapid population growth, market. The CRIFC/ICARDA study what small farmers need is free ac- slow economic growth, weak govern- shows that in the real world this iso- cess to better technologies and/or a ments, and low human development. Iation does not exist because todayms different policy environment, which Ethnic tensions and political rivalries subsistence farmers need a cash com- makes intensive animal husbandry, are the usual purported causes of these ponent of income. Only if this cash fallow replacement, etc., remunera- situations, yet there is no doubt that income is sufficient to sustain subsis- tive-changes which can only be the real causes go much deeper than tence without de-investment, the pre- brought about by public sector that. Weak agriculture sectors, food in- vaiing level of poverty can be con- action. security, hunger, and environmental sidered sustainable or, to use an In essence, what the study says is degradation are certainly big contribu- old-fashioned term, chronic. If the that stabilizing-and alleviating-pov- tors to chronic instability and conflicts cash income is below this threshold, erty requires substituting labor for capi- in developing countries. the small farmer s poverty level must tal and raising the labor productivity Virtually throughout the developing be considered unsustainable. Once of the poor without investment in the world, farmers are working on tiny plots the family's subsistence is lost, the physical capital stock. and eking out barely enough to feed family will either perish, or migrate What the case study suggests for their families. Such situations are a and persh, or migrate to Join urban CGIAR priorities and programs is that breeding ground for desperation and poverty, or migrate and get out of the Group's people-centered poverty conflict. In many countries, internal poverty. focus implies concentrating research migrations are clearly connected to the The concept of poverty alleviation, efforts on products and policies appro- problem of too many people farming seen in this light, appears to be ao de-lelan, o ofnewentant ceptive and euphemistic paradigm. In priate to stabilize and alleviate the pov- on too little land, or of new entrants ctive asendf euphstainable pardig Ince erty of the rural poorest, the subsistence having little or no access to existing the case of unsustainable subsistence and part-subsistence farmers. Research land. Often, such migrants move to for- the foremost objective must be to sta- products should be suitable for the est areas or more marginal lands, a pro- bilize the poverty. Technologies, poii- small farmer, especially women farm cess that may undermine a nation's cies,andextension packages needto be heads, be available free of charge, be natural resource base and diminish designed to break the downward spi- easy to access and apply, and be labor prospects for future growth. ral, close the income gap, and help sus- based by not presupposing the exist- The inability to muster more than a tain the fixed farm assets of millions of ence of capital goods nor requiring new marginal living has another important small farmers, especially women. On a investment. From the part-subsistence effect: it reduces the overall purchas- higher plane, this objective may mu- farmer's perspective, it is prohably ing power of rural people and, thus, tate into the need to stabilize the pov- more important to improve the mar- plays a major role in the inability of erty of entire nations, particularly in ket oriented part of farm activities-in rural economies to contribute to na- sub-S aharan Afnca, whose economy is the case of the Sivas-Kayseri study, live- tional gains in economic welfare. Fur- based on unsustainable small-scale stock production-than the mainly thermore, economically marginal farm- farmIng. subsistence oriented work-in this case, ers rarely have the financial resources The CRIFC/ICARDA study pointed crop cultivation-unless a quantum in- Cniudo ae1 to a way out which at first glance might crease in productivity in the latter ac- Continued on page 18 look odd to the economist, but makes tivisy.cn beoachieved ithlR aec > ~~~~tivity can be achieved. CGIAR 3 4X RESEARCH HIGHLIGHrS X Centers Declare Victory Over the Cassava Green Mite The Cassava Green Mite (CGM) is at IITA in Ibadan (Nigeria), says: "The mite has been much more difficult to a pest responsible for between 30 and institute had chosen the option of a control than the mealybug-using the 50 percent yield loss of cassava, a classical biological control strategy to same biological control methods-be- starchy root crop that is a staple food fight crop pests and diseases because it cause so little is known about mites for more than 200 million people in constitutes the most environment- in general, and especially mites on sub-Saharan Africa. Rich in calories, friendly technology." cassava." highly drought tolerant, thriving in In the early 1 990s, IITA had already When both the cassava mealybug and poor soils, and easy to store in the achieved a substantial breakthrough by the CGM appeared in the African con- ground, cassava is popularly called "the introducing a biological control method tinent in the 1 970s, causing widespread staff of life" for the poorest of the poor which virtually freed sub-Saharan Af- damage and loss, the lives and liveli- in Africa. rica of another important pest, the cas- hoods of millions of people were A breakthrough in CGM control was sava mealybug. "The new breakthrough threatened. The first outbreak of the made possible through identification in CGM control through the use of CGM, Mononychellus tanajoa, (in and mass release of an effective natu- predatory mites constitutes another French: acarien vert) was noticed in ral enemy of the CGM in Africa's cas- milestone in the classical biological con- Uganda in 1970. The pest now covers sava regions. Peter Neuenschwander, trol of crop pests and diseases," says Director of Plant Health Management Neuenschwander. "However, the green Continued on page 5 14 ANNOUNCEMENTS 4iw I Thailand, New Zealand and Peru have degrees from the Australian National Univer- Africa, Europe, Australia, and North America joined the CGIAR, thereby in. reasing the to- sity at Canberra, University of Queensland, and is now available from IRRI. Data included in tal membership to 56, and the number of the University of Oxford. Before being ap- the booklet are population demographics and developing country members to 19. Al three pointed to CIFOR he held a number of impor- agriculture, rice production, current rice con- countries had closely cooperated with CGIAR tant positions in the Queensland Forest Service sumption, and international rice trade. Specific centers in the past and was Professor oC Tropical Forectr) at the information includes: estimated populations of WVand W Colfins, a highly regarded plant Royal Veterinary and Agriculturl University, rice-growing countries for 1995; projected breede dgeneticist, has been appointed Copenhagen. The Queen's Award wil enable populations for the years 2000 and 2025; in- breeDer and GhtP him to travel to a number of Commonwealth fant mortality;h life exp.ctancy at birth; gross Deputy Director General for Research at CIP. 'anda Collins, an American, is professor of countriespossessing rainforests which wiU ben- national product per capita, including average horticultural science at North Carolina State efit from his help in sustainable forestry. annual growth rate; available arable land; num- Un i versity at Raleigh. One of her principal re- (CIFOR} ber of agricultural researchers; agriculture's sponsibilities will be to lead an international Gurdes Khush, IRRI sprincipalplantbreeder share in the labor force; gross domestic prod- team of pathologists and molecular biologists who led the institute's rice breeding research uct; average annual growth rate in the agricul- to halt the damage caused by new forms of for the past thirty veari. his won another award. ture sector and rice area; daily calorie supply potato late blight disease. She wiUL also head a After receiving the World Food Prize in 1996, per capita, rice m total calorie supply; miled program to increase the productivitv of he was recently awarded the Dr. K. Ramiah ickconsumtonper aptatPtalriceconsmp sweetpotatoes grown in developing countries. Medal for 1997 in recognition of his contribu- tioti; rice production in metric tons; area for rice Wanda Collins currently chairs the IPGRI tions to glo-bal rice science. Dr. K Ramiah was pr ; r pi ; p board and is on a two-year assigrnent with the doyen of rice scientists in Indiia. Gurdev to lylodern variet.es; and irnports and export for the World Bank as an agriculrural research ad- Khush received the award from the Indian Na- viser in environmentally sustauiable develop- tional Academy ofAgricultural Sciences. (IRR) FAO's telephone and fax numbers have ment. (ClP) A changed. The Rome headquarters' main num- A new em.tion of the IRRI Rice Facts. a book- Jerry Vanclay of Ausaia, a Systems Ana- let containing informnaLion about 41 important ber is now 570 p,w extension. The switch- Jerry 'V~~~~~ nclay ofiitralia, ~~~~~~board number is 5 705 1. lyst at CIFOR, has received the prestigious rice-producing countries in Asia, Latin Amenca b Queen's Award for Forestr. Dr Vanclay holds 4 * CGIAR Cassava Green 14 LETTERS 41 M ite Victory Dear Editor, Continued from page 4 1 have scanned Volume 4, Number 2 (April 1997) of the virtually all cassava producing areas of sub-Saharan Africa. Its attack CGIAR News several times, searching vainly for a reference on cassava shoots is most damaging during the dry season when its to animals. I find this disturbing, given the pivotal role they play in increasing the nutritional status of the human popu- population explodes; it travels and multiplies unimpeded by rainfall - i. ,, .i . ni.. n. - i r ,,r a:1, crop in mixed farm- mortality. "In the absence of natural controls, the mite swept through ing; *.r. n- -:rh.,p ,. t 1 ''.J-ders and/or writers can the 27 countries of Africas cassava belt," says IITA acarologist Steve expIa i, t- ,- the I voi t,,r [he extraordinary situation. Yaninek, who is leading a team of scientists at the IITA Biological The h .. . 1.:.. i .r Frnur., z system is the ma- Control Center in Cotonou, Benin. jor source of cash fin. . an annual financial cycle that may Both pests originated in South America, the genetic ancestral home experience only one, or in favorable environments perhaps of cassava, where they do not cause much damage because natural two, major injections from the sale of a crop, injections which ' . . . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~are tj u,!! threatened by natural disasters that can elimi- enemies help suppress their populations and make their presence largely ate all or p of the co nar harves time (anima r r ~~~~~nate all or part of the crop near harvest time. (Animals are insignificant. After the mealybug had been brought under control in consequently also an important avenue of risk management.) Africa by introducing the parasitoid Apoanagyrus lopezi from South Cash flow tiI, i, jn ii, can be regulated by the choice of America, the battleground shifted to the CGM. product, e.g. eggs and milk provide short-term continuous Control of the pest through application of toxic chemicals was ruled cash flows, and various forms of meat production can pro- out because of possible adverse effects of chemicals on illiterate farm- vide short- (chickens), medium- (pigs and small ruminants) outrbecause ofepossibmen Adver disease effects chogem s ond illitertend far and long- (large ru!geruil,T,*.) ir, tlr,t/return opportuni- ers and the environment. Also, disease pathogens and pests tend to ties for smallholder farmers. The choice of livestock/prod- gradually develop resistance to most chemical pesticides over time. uct can be t4,1.-Jd to the feed resources that are available M\oreover, most chemical pesticides are not selective and might de- to the system iiJ ft' 7it time frames offering flexibility as stroy the natural enemies of the pests together with the pests. well as security. To effectively control cassava pests and ensure better living stan- There are many farmers in developed countries who owe dards for cassava farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, an intercontinental their present existence to the sale of eggs during times of integrated pest management research project was launched several years drought and other hardship. Eggs could do for the cash flow ago. The project involves international agricultural research centers in and living standards of some .-a ln sd o s , Ik.-.,1, ,, Ir,,,, . ;. ,r milk has done in parts of India. Yet eggs are often underrated in Africa and Latin America, national agricultural research systems, and the greatly underrated contribution of livestock to agricul- farmers in a joint effort to develop an ecologically sustainable cassava tural development. plant protection strategy. Under the arrangement, IITA is collaborat- There are a number of other important elements to the role ing with CIAT in Cali, Colombia, the Brazilian Agricultural Research of animal agriculture that I cannot elaborate here, but which Corporation (EMBRAPA), and several African national research sys- need to be aired and understood. tems. My plea is that your newsletter strive for a more appropri- The United Nations Development Programme provided four-year ate balance between the sources of our food and the rela- funding for this project to help scientists at the centers and in national tive importance that animals assume in the alleviation of institutions in four West African countries (Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, poverty and the Ji .1. I!,, of I .111, .I.-t n; . in devel- and Nigeria) to work directly with farmers and extension agents. The oping countries. project is supported by the International Fund for Agricultural Devel- John E. Vercoe opment (IFAD), Denmark, and Germany. The goal was to develop, De I a ril Consultant test, and implement ecologically sound cassava plant protection tech- Dear Mr. Vercoe, nologies. Your critical analysis of CGIAR News 4/2 of April 1997, is Great emphasis was placed on farmer participatory research, a highly appreciated. I agree with your emphasis on the im- m i f a i w p rng portance of animal production in farming systems, the farm method in which farmers and scientists work as partners in identifying economy, and human nutrition. In the nine issues of CGIAR local problems and finding possible solutions. The Ecologically SUs- News thus far published, eight articles have dealt with live- tainable Cassava Plant Protection (ESCaPP) project, known as stock, dairying, forages, and pastures. Two more articles are PROFISMA in Brazil, brought together a large variety of scientists from in the pipeline. the two continents, working directly with farmers and extensionists in Although the CGIAR research mandate does not include addressing the daily problems faced in cassava production. poultry and pigs-because there are many alternative sup- After evaluating many species of predatory mites-natural enemies pliers of research products for these two categories-I thank of CGM-over a period of ten years, EMBRAPA identified several you for drawing our attention to the need to augment the ofCGMoveraperio ofte year, EMBRAPAidentfiedsenewsletter's coverage of CGIAR research on large and small species from Brazil that can survive in Africa. One of them, ruminants, and related sectors. Typhlodromalus aripo, was found to reduce pest populations by as much Heinrich von Loesch as 90 percent in the dry season when pest populations are usually Editor high; in the wet season, pest attacks are not as severe and therefore the Continued on page 21 CGIAR I1} NEWS vI Unsafe Application of Pesticides and Dangerous Old Stocks The technology used to spray pesti- cides were used improperly. Although of 10,000 liters/hectare in orchard cides in most developing countries re- India has national standards for spray crops have been reported. Application flects technical standards of 40 years equipment, which are followed by the volumes of that kind cause run off and ago, resulting in pesticide waste and en- major manufacturers, there are still lead to soil and groundwater contami- vironmental damage, says FAO, calling many small manufacturers serving lo- nation. For efficient pest control with for the adoption of minimum standards cal needs that do not comply with qual- appropriate technologies less than 10 for the safe and efficient application of ity standards. percent of these volumes would be agrochemicals through good quality In Thailand, farmers so far have paid more than enough. equipment and better training of farm- little attention to the proper use of "Technology allowing safe and effi- ers. In addition to problems of unsafe pesticides, according to surveys. Train- cient application of pesticides exists application, the large amounts of un- ing on spraying equipment has been today and should be part of integrated used pesticides stocked in developing insufficient. A study in Indonesia re- pest management. However, the appli- countries pose a serious threat to the cation depends on the technical capac- environment and public health. A study by scientists of ity, and the economic and cultural back- According to FAO, farmers and the International Rice groundofacountry,"Friedrichsaid."To equipment operators have insufficient ~~~~~Research Institute and grudoacuny,Fieihsi."T equipment operators have insufficient i x the University of the improve pesticide application, the in- knowledge about pesticides and correct L Philippines reports troduction of good, standard quality 1 r . . . _ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~farmers can seriously., methods of application. Extension ser- damage their health equipment and operator training is es- vices rarely have technicians with any when pesticides are not sential and should be part of Integrated specialized knowledge of application handled safely. Adopt- Pest Management." V ing integrated pest technology. "In many countries, the only management practices He said that farmers could benefit specialists offering advice to farmers on is one way rice farmers from safe and more efficient pesticide / ~~can minimize their application technology, handling, and / pesticide use, thus re- application, saving large quantities of calibration of their equipment are rep- J ducing producti pesticides and money while achieving resentatives of pesticide companies," ards. Photo by R. better pest control. The commercial says Theodor Friedrich of the FAO Cabrera, IRRI sector could earn by providing technol- Agricultural Engineering Branch. ogy, services, and spare parts. "Many farmers still believe in high vol- ported that 58 percent of manual spray FAO has developed "Guidelines for umes, high pressure, and high doses as equipment leaked. In Malaysia, the lack the Basic Requirements for Pesticide the most appropriate way to apply pes- of training, the improper maintenance Application Equipment" and "Stan- ticides." of spraying equipment, and insufficient dards for Pesticide Application Equip- In many countries, much of the protective clothing are contributing to ment," including test procedures. FAO spraying equipment is in extremely pesticide poisoning among spray opera- suggests that incentives for improved poor condition, Friedrich noted. tors. Pesticide residue in water is pri- equipment quality should be created. Nozzles are normally not replaced and marily due to excess pesticide use by A certification system could be intro- are even enlarged on purpose to achieve farmers. duced on a voluntary basis by manu- higher flow rates. A report on Vietnam said that the facturers using the certificate as a qual- In Pakistan, according to FAO, about supply of safe spray equipment was ity trademark and for sales promotion. 50 percent of applied pesticides are limited mainly due to the absence of FAO estimates that developing coun- wasted due to poor spraying machin- national legislation and standards and tries are holding stocks of more than ery and inappropriate application. a lack of training of operators. In the 100,000 tons of obsolete pesticides, Many farmers have not been trained in Philippines, sprayer leakage is very 20,000 of which are in Africa. Many of safety aspects, and indiscriminate use common. The majority of farmers and these chemicals are so toxic that a few of pesticides resulted in groundwater equipment operators never receive any grams could poison thousands of pollution. formal training prior to their first con- people or contaminate a large area. In India, high levels of pesticide resi- tact with pesticides and application Among the highly toxic and persistent dues in food crops, compared to the equipment. substances are DDT, Dieldrin, and world average, are reported. According In Colombia, flowers are sprayed HCH (Hexachlorocyclohexane). Most to FAO, this is an indication that pesti- weekly with up to 6,000 liters per hect- of these pesticides are left over from 6 CGIAR are, and in Brazil application volumes Continued on page 19 L«61 NEWS [fi SPOTLIGHT World's Dryland Farmers Need Tef New Agricultural Technology hv Seyfu In cooperation with the German Institute of Plant 'Green Revolution' Never Reached Them Genetics and Crop Plant Research, IPGRI is publishing a series of monographs promoting the For a wiide swath of arid and semi-arid countries holding one-fourth conservation and use of underutilized and ne- of the world's population, CGIARscientists are d-veliping newbreeds glected crops. Booklet 12 is devoted to Tef, of crops and animals that grow faster and stroniier. need less water, and Ethiopia's traditional staple, a robust cereal crop are genric talcI selected for high levels of nutrition. TIe tesults, which will revolutionize far.ing in dry parts of Africa, that tolerates moisture stress and is the optimal Tne results, which will revolutionize farmiTng in dry parts Of Afritca,nrdeto Etipi' deiiu e. jrab,ad the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America, have produced plants on which ingredient of Ethiopia's delicious enjera bread. animals can graze, and which then regrow. for Iisrvesting; a pigeonpea g a a g that sprouts to maturity in 110 days instead of 180; and sheep that thrive in the use of the crops and possible solutions, iden- on crop residues-stalks and roots left over after harvest. tifyirrg possible untapped genetic diversity for An estimated 1.6 billion people currently live in developing countries breeding and crop improvement programs, and and region, affected by insufficient rainfalL Approc imnte IN half of the detecting existing gaps in available conservation workforce earns its living in and from agricultu re and use approaches."' The following article is "Given the prevailing water shortw,7, the usually hot and harsh cli- based on excerpts from the booklet. mates, arid seils degraded by erosion, deforestation anl d& ecrtifi itionri, it is not -urp-rising that the rural people in these countries constitute the Center of origin and diversity poorest of the 7 trld's poor, many living on less than a dollar a day," says 1rnail Serageldin, CGIAR C-hairnman and World BankVice President for The fact that several endemic and !.,viri-,rimtrtall'. and So:id, lly SustainableDevelopmnent. nonendemic species of Eragrostis, some of T1wst. huge rmarginal regions have not been touched by the Green which are considered the wild relatives of tef, Revolution which only boosted grain yields where ample water for irri- are found in Ethiopia and, in addition, the fact gation was available. They have not attracted commercial investments in that -the genetic diversity for tef exists nowhere oricultural technology improvement because their markets are small in the world except in Ethiopia, indicates that and it is hard to step up productivity when water scarcity limits plant tef originated and was domesticated in Ethio- growth. A special effort must be made for these dryland farmers." pia. 'Vavilov identified Ethiopia as the centre Population growth in the arid and semi-arid rvi6iuns continues to be of origin and diversity of tef. As with several high, with nationalannualincreases rangir, Fron-i 3.6 percentinthe south- other crops, the exact date and location for em Mediterranean region to 3 percent in sub-Saharan Africa, 2.1 per- the domestication of tef is unknown. How- cent in the Central Asian R. publiL,, and over 2 percent in the Indian ever, there is no doubt that it is a very ancient subcontinent. \idth grc.%vin., populations and inc ie_sin2 food deficits, cr, t here dooestication tcen efforts to intensify agriculture have in many places depleted and de- crop in Ethiopia, where domestication took .lradc the natural resource base of agriculture toan ilrn--iiii extent. place before the birth of Christ. Overpumping has resulted in sinking groundwater levels. Rangelands On the basis of linguistic, historic, geo- are %rsr .razed because of iapidl% rising stocking rates, while 4oils are graphlic and botanical notes, tef is assumed to eroded by wind and rare but heavy dnx. np"urs. and often imnpc. '.risheJ have originated in northeastern Africa. The by long-term nlonicrtUppir,g Because of rising demand for timber and current area of cultivation is probably not the fuelwood, the remaining natural forests and open woodlands have suf- initial one of domestication; domestication feredbdadl Inlargeareas,thenatural ,iiget'ation1hasallbutdisappeared, probably occurred in the western area of and desert is spreading. Ethiopia, where agriculture is precarious and "The deterioration of natural resources in the dry areas, the loss of semi-nomadic. natural vegetation and its irreplaceable biological d!% ersity urge a refor- mulation of the development paradig,m.' says Chairnian S,rageldi n. 'Froi Geographic distribution forcing nature to give what it cannot give for more than a brief span of Most of the Ethiopian farmers use tradi- time, we must move to carefully hu1Landin and rebkiildi nc natural re- tn a ee an thes are tri- sources. From unsustainable farrnm in iR methods and livestock ranching we tednall dr e ounth Local dis must move to more productive and sustainable practices. Otherwise there uted all over the country. Local cultivars is no chance that the world's worst poverty and hunger will ever be Continued on page 8 abolished. T1ibv only way to reverse the trend is to revolutionize a . ric.u- 'Seyfu Ketema, Biodiversity Institutel, Addi Abeba, Ethiopia tural technology and resource conservation through scientific research." 1997 Tef, Eragrosts tef (Zucc ) Trotter Promoting thconserva Two of the 16 international research ceiiters suppot ted1-v the CGIAR tion and use of underutilized and neglected crops 12 institute are uorling to develop new technolo:gies for dryland jgriculturt: of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research, Gatersltben/Inter- national Plant Genetic Resources Institute, Rome, Italy. Continued n page 22 CGIAR 7 Tef Properties selections, 1310 accessions collected Continued from page 7 The composition of tef is similar to by other institutes and 1988 acces- that of millet, although it contains sions collected by the PGRC/E. such as Gea-Lamie, Dabi, generally higher amounts of the es- Brd- t-vt Shewa-Gimira, Beten and Bunign, sential amino acids. The amino acid reeding actIVties which are early maturing varieties composition of tef is excellent, its Applied breeding work to improve (<85 days), are widely used in areas lysine content is higher than that of tef included direct selection from the that have a short growing period due all cereals except rice and oats, it has landraces and intraspecific hybridiza- to low moisture stress or low tem- good mineral content and its straw is tion, while at the basic research level, perature. The same varieties are also nutritious, investigations were made in the area . . ^ ......... ~~~~~~~~~of biotechnology. The applied re- used in areas with adequate rainfall Uses and where double cropping is prac- search attempts in the areas of muta- anced.In whee double cropp tin v pacd In Ethiopia, tef is traditionally tion and interspecific hybridization ticed. In the highly productive and grown as a cereal crop. The grain is programs have not yet contributed to maj tef-p r od ing reg ofgioja ground to a flour which is mainly the development of improved culti- an Sh.,adi te ein used for making a popular pancake- vars. where environmental stress is not se- ue o aigapplrpnae as where, thenvironmncultivalrstre is no , s like the local bread called enjera-and On the other hand, the direct se- vere, the local cultivars such as Aba, sometimes for making porridge. The lection from the landraces and the in- Ada and Enatit are used. Modern va- grain is also used to make local alco- traspecific hybridization program rieties are used in many regions but holic drinks, called tela and katikala. which was employed to effect gene in very small areas within each region. Tef straw, besides being the most ap- recombination were successful in de- In the regions of Gojam and Shewa . hinthe regions lofatedin Gom c ran She, preciated feed for cattle, is also used veloping several improved cultivars of whicsofEthiopiaand are locd the etrahgh- to reinforce mud and plaster the walls tef with desired traits. The improved lst ands .of thiopiaduare al te . a of tukuls and local grain storage fa- cultivars developed include: cultivars hes aound , majodernt paro tion areused i cilities called gotera. Tef grain, owing that have high grain yield with wide thwell country,itmoder vandries are us to its high mineral content, has or specific adaptation, cultivars with ca wellias t started to be used in mixtures with acceptable high grain quality, and soybean, chickpea and other grains in early maturing, high-yielding variet- the baby food industry. ies. All the improved cultivars were Enjera made from tef is accepted by farmers and currently are traditionally consumed in production. Direct selection from with wot, a sauce made of the landraces, mutation breeding and meat or ground pulses like intraspecific hybridization were tried lentil, faba bean, field pea, for developing lodging-resistant vari- broad bean and chickpea. eties. However, so far no success has The traditional way of con- been achieved. suming tef with wot pro- Lodging is still one of the produc- vides a well balanced diet. tion constraints and therefore the breeding program has the develop- Conservation ment of lodging-resistant varieties as The Plant Genetic Re- one of its objectives. Other produc- v -/< _ ~ b sources Centre of Ethiopia tion constraints are: low-yielding cul- (PGRC/E), now called the tivars, low moisture stress resistance, Biodiversity Institute, is ac- waterlogging, frost, weeds, poor soil tively engaged in collecting, fertility, diseases and insects. Gener- -/ X _ \\ conservation and character- ally, the tef crop improvement pro- / 2 mm \< ization. Utilization of the gram attempts to solve these produc- germplasm for the tef im- tion constraints through a aas S provement program is multidisciplinary research approach. t. ' a * mainly done in cooperation Specifically, the breeding program with the Institute of Agri- should overcome the problems of low 20mm \$ cultural Research. Cur- grain yield, and also develop cultivars V rently the PGRC/E has a that are resistant to low moisture, wa- Eragrostis tef (Zucc) Trotter. (a) Inflorescence, (b) branch of total of 3842 accessions of terlogging and disease as there is a panicie with floret. (Drawing by R. Kilian, 1986) tef out of which 187 acces- wealth of genetic diversity within tef sions are repatriations, 357 Continued on page 9 8 8 fCGIAR Tef Landraces and current cultivars give has high demand and high market Continuedfrom page 7 low yield. At present the national aver- value and hence enables farmers to age grain yield of tef is 910 kg/ha. Im- earn more than with other crops. germplasm. proved varieties of tef give a grain yield * It is a reliable and low-risk crop. of 1700-2200 kg/ha on farmers' fields Ecology and 2200-2800 kg/ha on * In moisture-stress areas, farmers use Tef is adapted to a wide range of research-managedi large farms. How- itasarescue crop.For example, around environments and is presently culti- ever, no comprehensive study has been Kobo and Zeway, which are areas wvith vated under diverse agroclimatic con- conducted to assess the yield potential low and erratic rainfall, farmers first ditions. It can be grown from sea level of the crop. plant maize around April. If this fails up to 2800 m asl, under various rain- after a month or more because of fall, temperature and soil regimes. Prospects and research needs moisture stress or pest problems they However, according to experience Ethiopian farmers prefer to grow tef plough it under and plant sorghum. If gained so far from national yield tri- because of the following advantages: this also fails after a month or more als, conducted at different locations . It can be grown in areas experiencing then they sow tef as a last resort, which across the country, tef performs ex- moisture stress. often survives on the remaining mois- cellently at an altitude of 1800-2100 ture in the soil and yields some grain m, annual rainfall of 750-850 mm, It can be growr in waterlogged areas for human consumption and straw for growing season rainfall of 450-550 and withstands anaerobic conditions feed. mm and a temperature range of better than many other cereals, includ- It is not attacked by weevils and other 10°C-27°C. A very good result can ing maize, wheat and sorghum. storage pests and therefore is easily and also be obtained at an altitude range * It is suitable for use in safely stored under local storage con- of 1700-2200 m and growing-season multiple-cropping systems such as ditions. This results in reduced rainfall of 300 mm. double, relay and intercropping. post-harvest management costs. Agronomy * Its straw is a valuable feed during the * Compared with any other cereals In Ethiopia, tef is cultivated in dry season when there is an acute growing in Ethiopia it has fewer dis- much the same way as wheat and shortage. It is highly preferred by cattle ease and pest problems. barley. Depending on the location and over the straw of other cereals and maturity period of the cultivar, it is demands high prices in the markets. grown during the main growing sea- * It has acceptance in the national diet, son between July and November, and ___ also during the small rainy season between March and June. It is mainly China M odernizing ( rain Transport cultivated as a monocrop, but occa- sionally under a multiple cropping Chinese port, grain and transportation authorities are plannin- a shift system. from burlap to bulk that aims to modernize the grain transport system with the addition of thousands of new trucks, ships and :ailc a rs, Reuters Limitations of the crop reports. China is awash in grain after two years of record harvests, but The small size of tef seed poses prob- much of that cereal is languishing in production areas, unable to find its lems during sowing, and indirectly dur- way to market because of a creaky transport s\ stenm, officials said in re- ing weeding and threshing. At sowing, cent interviews. the very small seed size makes it diffi- China's main method of moving -rairn throuAhout the country was the cult to control population density and cheap but labor-intensive and inefficient burlap sack, said Alan Piazza its distribution. This remains true (\'orld Bank), who follows Chinese grain issues. "China has something whether one broadcasts the seed by like three billion burlap bags." Piazza told reporters. "The government has hand, uses a broadcaster or a seed not shown itself to be agile in manipulating reserves." driller. The \\Vorld Bank was lendinlg China more than, $3iJ 1 million to support The uneven plant stand after germi- a project to shift a\'ay from transporting grain in sacks to moving it in nation has an impact on nutrient use, specialbulkrailwaycars,shipsandtrucksfPiazza s3id. Chinese dockwork- efficiency of the crop and crop yield. ers took 10-14 days to fill a 30,001)1ton ship with sacks of corn, while a Owing to the scattered plant stand, bulk loading .\ stem could fill a 6e0,1-10 ton ship in 36 hours. "It no longer farmers find it difficult to use mechani- makes economic sense," he said. cal weeding implements and are forced (Agency report in World Bank Development Newts.) to either hand-weed or to use chemi- cal herbicides. CGIAR VP 9 [iKI INTERNET free Internet Linkz for NARS Largest Genetic ISNAR decided to develop the Web site Resources Database National agricultural research institutions because of a growing number of requests for Now On The Internet that have access to e-mail facilities can now information and services from developing be represented, at not cost to them, by a home countries. ISNAR will also use the Web site SINGER, the System-wide Information page on the World Wide Web. This innova- to allow many of its latest publications avail- Network for Genetic Resources, is an Internet tive service was announced by the Interna- able worldwide to be read, downloaded, and database of over 600,000 samples of crop, tional Service for National Agricultural Re- printed. forage, and tree germplasm of major impor- search (ISNAR). The service will facilitate Another aim is to establish and moderate tance for food and agriculture. Combining the inter-institutional communications and en- e-mail discussion forums on topics related to genetic resources information of 12 of the 16 able the national systems to disseminate re- agricultural research. Management of bio- international agricultural research centers of search information. technology research and agricultural research the CGIAR, it's the largest of its kind in the ISNAR vvill work with the developing priority setting are the first two active forum world and can now be accessed on the World country agricultural research institutionis to topics. National agricultural research iiistitU- WVide Web. develop the home pages and then link them tions throughout the world can apply to take SINGER allows searches from anywhere with ISNAR's own Web site. An associated part in the ISNAR WVeb page project or dis- in the world for information on the identity, electronic connection via e-mail will enable cussion forums by contacting origin, characteristics, distribution, and other interested parties to get in touch with the ISNAR@CGNETCOM. ISNAR's publica- information pertaining to the genetic re- respective institutes. As such, the service will tions catalog and other institutional informa- sources in these individual Center collections. provide the research institutes with greater tion can be accessed at http://wwvv.cgiar.org/ Because of SINGER, those seeking informa- visibility globally, as well as greater accessi- isnar. (ISNAR) tion don't have to browse through comput- bility electronically via e-mail. ers in a dozen countries to extract the data. What they explore is a composite database of genetic resources data from the 12 Centers. SINGER users with Internet access and an Agriculture Fast Facts ordinary World Wide Web browser can search for germplasm information in the vast data- base. By picking from lists of options, they * Agriculture represents about 30% of GDP in Africa and South Asia; about 20% in East Asia & can narrow searches; for example, by region Pacific; and about 10% in Central Asia, Latin America & Caribbean. or by crop to meet specific needs. * .iirt, l1i'r,, ;h ire .i- i,DP tf ,r rnierh.:1. It:cic J r isonsi ow prc:,h. ibl understated in most develop- A large range of passport, germplasrn trans- mg countries because of ru rJ I iirh a dit fre n, 's Ln the purchasing power of the national currency. fer, collecting mission, and characterization * The 1980-1993 agricultural growth rate was about 4% in Middle East & North Africa, and East descriptors are available to search. Data can Asia & Pacific; about 3% in South Asia, about Z% in Latin America & Caribbean and Africa; and be viewed in several formats and saved for negative in Central Asia. local use. The information is used by scien- tists to breed high-yielding, drought-, disease, * Agricultural products account for 30% of exports in Africa, Latin America & Caribbean; about and insect-tolerant or resistant food plants. 20% inSouthAsiaandEastAsiai, c,if:ic and 5% irn Mid,llc East&NortbAfrica. (Agriculture's In addition, the plant germplasm described share in exports is markedly higher in severai regions if oil exports are es...:Iiddin the database-which is collected, cata- * Rural people make up 70% of total popuilatrJ.)n in. South Asia, Africa, and East Asia & Pacific- logued, and stored in the various Centers-is about 50% in Middle East & North Africa, and about 30% in Central Asia, Latin America & made available without cost to plant breed- Caribbean. ers in developing countries. * Of the world's 1.3 r.1-0Ior. people I'. .!.g in poverty, 70% ive in rural areas. Significantly, SINGER is designed to allow each Center to retain autonomy and control * Ofthe 'S )Ii..ii nilllhor unjurtroivi. hed r)eople an the world, 1t're inijoril', i- g-Ln 1i ir in rural over its own data. Updates such as additions areas. and changes are made at the Centers and are * Rural growth is widely shared, witI private and comptriti e , s.ri uldnr, and v.isibsrn,-ti as the immediately integrated into the combined da- main engine of r, -th Investments in agriculture therefore achieve a strong multiplier effect tabase via a private worldwide data commu- which stimulates ruml and urban economies alke. The Iliri il t1 Ake-.tf of newly industrialized nication network. economies on high r'. ', trajectories was U,. II.1\ prcedted by a phase of vigorous agricultural SINGER is located at CGNET Services Irn- .ro thi ternational, Menlo Park, California. CGNET F.,rri, ft,rrr,; ,nd r-or, -i.rrc, rnte rpns-s etfer .nmpl: rerriLnr.,ti',i en]pl: rr,ent rl:ren andi wonen. provides international research and develop- Only the rural economy based on agriculture has the capacity to absorb - pidI, growing age ment locations in more than 100 countries groups of job-entrants. with e-mail, fax, and Internet connectivity. SINGER can be accessed on the World * A Lr li r! thie pr ir '- srdi n -rf the environmernt Unless racked by poverty and hunger, farm- Wide Web at. http://vwww.cgiar. org/singer. cr- nan ji: se Is water,forests,grassland,andfisheriesin a suztaii il,, n-anntr Dimirishir rC err.i poverty means improving conservation of natural resources. (World BEr, Fr.,n, VisiontoAction inthe RuralSector, 1996,andothersources) fax is 415-325-2313. Jack Reeves is an international deselopment writer/ 10 4 CGIAR editor in Green,boro, GA, USA. The Importance of Livestock Livestock have an image problem in In contrast, small stock, with their high stock can add value to 'idle' land. Al- the developed world. They are blamed rates of reproduction and growth, can ready, in many parts of the world mixed for everything from global warming to provide a regular source of income crop-livestock systems are the norm, increasing heart disease. Britain's 'mad from sales. So can milk and milk prod- but the importance of the livestock cow disease'-or bovine spongiform ucts like butter and cheese. Larger ani- component has been overlooked. Even encephalopathy-hasn't helped. Live- mals such as cattle are a capital reserve, the language we use tends to reinforce stock are seen as wasteful, growing fat built up in good times to be used when this. When we talk about the non-grain on grain that people could eat and pol- crops are poor or when the family is parts of cereal crops, we tend to use luting the environment with their facing large expenses such as the cost terms like 'crop residues' or 'by-prod- faeces, urine, and the gases they give off of a wedding or a hospital bill. ucts'. Yet in many farming systems, such But these charges are not true of live- In the past, farmers could restore the as the barley-sheep system of the drier stock in the developing world. fertility of their land by letting it lie parts of West Asia and North Africa and True, ruminants produce methane fallow for several years or longer. But the tef-based system in the Ethiopian gas, one of the 'greenhouse gases'-but as population pressure increases, fallow highlands, the farmers value these 'by- methane from ruminants accounts for periods decline or even disappear and products' as much as, if not more, than only 2.5 percent of the total greenhouse different ways of maintaining food pro- the grain. 'Improved' varieties or pro- gases. Pastures grown to feed livestock duction are needed: enter the animal. duction packages that overlook the take carbon dioxide out of the atmo- Animals are a crucial link in nutrient feeding value of these 'residues' will sphere, tying it up in plant material cycles, returning nutrients to the soil find little favor with the majority of above and below the ground, just as in forms that plants can readily use. farmers. forests do. They can bring nutrients from pasture Intensive animal production in the True, eating too many animal prod- and rangeland and concentrate them on developed vorld uses resources that ucts may increase the risk of heart dis- crop land through their manure and could serve direct human uses-grain ease - but this is a problem of the de- urine. The animal manure and urine that could be eaten by people, land that veloped world, not the developing that people in the developed world see could produce food crops, electricity world. People in developing countries as pollutants are vital fertilizers in the that could illuminate and heat people's generally eat much less meat than those developing world. Few smallholders homes. But in the developing world in the developed world, and the meat can afford enough mineral fertilizers. livestock add value to resources that they eat is less fatty. Indeed, recent stud- Animals give farmers a reason to plant would otherwise go to waste. Marginal ies from Kenya, Egypt and Mexico show legumes as pastures and cover crops land that cannot, and indeed should that children who do not get enough that protect the soil and restore its not, be plowed. Straw, stovers, ground- meat and milk in their diets may grow structure and fertility. According to a nut haulm, household wastes, all go to up physically and mentally compro- Winrock report in 1992, 'The greatest feeding livestock in smallholder sys- mised. threat to [the African rangelands] tems. Cassava peel, for example, feeds Livestock play a vital role in the ag- comes from human populations and goats in humid West Africa. In Syria ricultural and rural economies of the expansion of cultivation. There is no farmers allow weeds to grow in their developing world. Not only do they solid evidence linking livestock to this cereal fields and then 'rogue' them to produce food directly, they also provide process [desertification].' Continued on page 21 key inputs to crop agriculture. Most Increasing the farms in the developing world are too productivity of r small to justify owning or using a trac- livestock systems tor, and the alternatives are animal and mixed crop- power or human labor. livestock systems FF ` For many smallholder farmers, live- motivates farmers stock are the only ready source of cash to protect their to buy inputs for crop production - rangelands and usee-v . seeds, fertilizers and pesticides. Live- them sustainably ._ - ' *:p stock income also goes towards buying for raising livestock - - things the farmers cannot make for rather than putting - . ,. , F' - themselves. And that includes paying them to the . - , for school fees, medicine and taxes. In- plough. .- .-.. _ --3 come from cropping is highly seasonal. Productive live- (ILRI) CGIAR1 I 4; FEATURE 1 When You Have A Dairy Cow... Njeri Kariuki starts her day at sun- sustain her Napier grass and maize? permit access to fallback resources of rise in the highlands of Kenya with the Will they be too strong and wash the water and feed. mainstays of her family, two cross-bred soil from her fields? But in the high- Villages, and the long-standing soci- cows. As head of the household now lands of Kenya, Njeri is nearly certain eties within them, normally develop that her husband has taken a job in the that the rains will come. And she is sure systems of rights and rules that provide city, Njeri is responsible for their five the land she cultivates and grazes her the people who live there the assurance children, her husband's mother, and the livestock on this year will still be hers they will have access to a well and dis- less than one acre of land they call next year. carded plant residues. However, there home. More than half of the small- That's not so across the large tracts is room for conflict where more-mobile holder dairy farmers in East Africa are of semi-arid Africa and Asia where and less-mobile systems collide. women whose husbands are working year-long droughts are likely to occur "There's always concern and contro- in cities or away from home. one year out of three, and two-year versy about how land is held, especially Njeri's farm system works in a cycle. droughts are likely to occur every de- in Africa," says Brent Swallow, an ag- Her cows, which are the major capital cade. When this happens livestock pro- ricultural economist at ILRI. "Those asset on the farm, are the drivers of the ducers have only one choice, to move. concerns and controversies are great- system. They provide milk to drink and When the rains fail in one place, herd- est in the boundary areas where mo- sell, manure to fertilize the crops, and w bile livestock production and mixed calves to sell or replace the cows when , . .- crop-livestock farming systems they get old. Njeri uses the manure her _ -- co-exist-competing at times, cows produce to fertilize the Napier . ; complementing other times. The pos- grass forage she grows to feed the cows. i-| sibilities for conflict and controversy She also uses it on the maize and sweet are higher still where people, livestock, potatoes she grows to feed her family , and crops share the land with wildlife." and some tea she has planted as a cash T Swallow is compiling and analyzing crop. In addition, she feeds crop case studies of competing land use in wastes-the leaves of the sweet potato Niger, Ethiopia, and Zimbabwe in col- plants and the stalks of the maize laboration with some of his colleagues plants-to her cows. from ILRI, scientists from IFPRI, and Njeri can only squeeze five liters of local researchers from the national ag- milk a day from each of her cross-bred ricultural research services in those cows. Other dairy farmers in her dis- countries. From these case stories the titget tw othree tmsthis quan I) trict get two to three times this quan- (ILRI) research team develops models and tity, but she can't produce or buy policy recommendations for decision enough good quality feed to improve ing livestock producers-known as makers in other areas of Africa. her cows' milk production. She and her pastoralists- simply walk with their According to Swallow, "If you try to family drink about a third of the milk animals to other areas, near or far, understand the needs and interests of her cows produce and she sells the rest where the rains and forage are more the different types of farmers, the risks to neighbors and the local milk coop- plentiful. In areas of low and highly that they face, and the impacts of vari- erative. It seems there is never enough variable rainfall, mobility is an essen- ous public policy options upon them, milk for her family's needs, just as there tial part of how they continue to pro- then you can better assist is never enough feed for her cows. duce livestock. decision-makers who must try to bal- Nevertheless, Njeri is basically satis- To be able to move, livestock pro- ance those needs and interests." fied with her enterprise. "When you ducers must have access to a variety of It's a process of learning, bridging, have a dairy cow," she says, "you have rangeland patches, and to what re- and integrating that can't happen in money in your pocket, food on the searchers call fallback resources- isolation from the vagaries of the real table, and protection against failing places where animals can graze and world. At ILRI, it doesn't. rains and rising prices." drink during the driest seasons of the Whether it's in crop-livestock sys- Like farmers worldwide, Njeri is con- year and the driest years. The system tems directly, or in component parts cerned about rain. When will the long of rights and rules governing the use of like disease control or vaccine devel- rains begin? Will they be enough to land-which can be based on custom opment, ILRI ecologist Robin Reid or actually made into law-must take says one paradigm has shifted dra- 12 f CGIAR into account this need for mobility and matically: "It's not just 'people' and then everything else," she says. "People 14s PAST & UPCOMING are not considered separate from their environment anymore. They are being CGIAR System R%eieu The on cina CGIAR System Review exercise (the third recognized as an integral part of the en- since the CGTIAlR's inception in 1971), covering all 3apects of the CGIAR including vironment, subject to, and part of, all the the centers, is chaired by a distinguished panel led by Maurice Strong who had partici- shifts and impacts that occur." pated in the BellsJ 2io n-,ering. that led to the establishment of the CGIAR. Later, he Anticipating improved control of the chaired the 1992 Rio de Janeiro Earth Summnit and is currently Special Adviser to the tsetse fly and African animal trypanoso- President of the'X'orld Bank. miasis, a lethal cattle and small ruminant The SNstori Review Paidel has been asked to exarnine all aspects of the CGIAR disease, newly-formed multidisciplinary System and three specialist panel.. co' erinL: science, strategy and structure, and gover- teams are already looking at what will nance and finance have been appointed. The Panel is K o nddUCti!'g its exarmiination with happen as the land currently under try- a broad, forward-looking perspective, focusing, in particular, on the future role of the becomes more hospi- CGIAR system within the rapidly ch ansin5 global scientific, communications, and in- panosomiasis risk deoe more nosnnts . table for farming. How great are the stiLtional MAettinfs and potentale econor mic benefits? WhatewiheIn its work, the System Review Panel pays particular attention to the evolving ca- potential economic benefits? What will pacities of national agricultural research systems in developing countries, NG.-Os, and happen to the land, the trees, and the the private sector; the comparative advantages of various actors; the organization and biological richness when more cattle, rn1id i,enent of research; and the need for strengthening research partnerships. sheep and goats can live well in the re- MahendraSh3h, 'eniorAdvisor (SustainableDevelopmentand EnvironmentalCon- gion? What will happen in communities servation) has been appointed Executive Secretary of the System Review. The Secre- that now must cope with different pres- tariatis located at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. (Phone 202-4-3I)l 51; E[ma3' sures on natural resources and different cgreview@aol.com). land-use patterns? The System Review S, r,tairit i' setting up an Internet website to f3 ifiit:ae an open "All along, we must listen to the user," forum disc ioii u+.jstions for interaction with all partners and constituents, The says Guy d'Ieteren, ILRI animal scien- new website can be found at brtp. ''cfr. ev' . orldbarik .rl tist. "We do research right at the ground Biotechnology and Biosafery The 5th Annual World Bank Conference on Environ- level. The path from farm level research mentally and Socially Sustainable Development Paittm r4hips for Global Ecos\srtem to the policy level is very natural. The Management: Scence, Economics and Law"v ill be held in Washinnton. ,October 6-8, linkages between the biological efforts 1997. F'll.:,iiu this event, a forum on Bimocchnoko:,. and Riosaft. ' will be held and the social and economic impacts during October 9-10 with a view toward ,xplcrir'iz both the promise of biotechnology become obvious if you follow them." and potential risks, and gruundini -! public debate on the basis of scientific evidence. Many farmers, according to Reid, are The event is being co-sponsored by a r,nge of intemational institutions, including the acutely aware of environmental con- American Association for theAdvancement of Science (AAAS), International Council cerns. They pick up subtle feedback sig- of Scientific Unions (I CSI 1), International Food Policy Research Institute (I -PRI 1. nals from the environment earlier than Smithsonian Institution,lh l \\'orll AcademO f 1c ncŽe- ('A'ASj, U.S. NationalAcad- many. After years of daily interaction, ermy of Sciences (NAS), Union of Concerned Scientists (X i C 1C an'd specialized agen- they. hAfterayearsnher dai terstandiong o cies ofthe United Nations (LUNDIP- UNIDO,lLNP, and I NE iC-O}).Featuredspeakers they have an iherent understanding of ianclude Nobel laureates Henry Kendall, *h.irnian, UCS, and 'et nrI-Arber, President, how the environment works. But pov- I -C. I erty forces them to do things for survival in the short term that cause problems in O%ersight Committee; 'I lic n:\t mneLin, . ill be held in October 1997, in conjunc- the long term. They understand, but tion with ICW97.Th,'re may bean adlitionaI in-,eting iriS;pt, miiber 1997, depending can't do anything about it. on the outcome of the first mee tirni of the System Review Panel. "These multidisciplinary research PrivaTe Sector Committee.The next nritctin, ch 'ill be heldin October 1997 in Wash- teams I work with are all focused on solv- incton DC. The Committee has established a W\'orkinew Group to further de elop the ing problems at one level or another," idea of a possible High-Level Private Sector Conference focusing on biotechnology says Reid. "What we try to do in coordi- issues, tentatively planned for early-1998. nation with this problem solving process is identify environmentally sound pro- External Reviews. The following external reviews -w%ill be completed by NITN1,1S. duction practices farmers can use within C[IFOR, CININ-l\T, IPPRI and IRRI the conditions of their world." IITA-30h Aiini'ersary: On 24 July, the International ln.'tiute of Tropi,al Aerictul- Success requires understanding where ture celebrated its 30th anniversary. IITA had been established in 1967 by the Federal all the parts of the puzzle fit. And suc- Government of Nigeria as a :ion-oveirmnent international ipricuIturil research and cess is critical because this ILRI research training center with responsibility to improve food crops and farming systems in the team is working at one of the most vul- huniid and subhumid tropics. IITA was funded by the Rockefeller and Ford Founda- nerable boundaries of all: the boundary tions until 1971 when the CGIAR took up t1he re- ponsibi1liv of arransingi funding for where intense poverty meets a fragile en- I IT- and the other centers in the system. vironment. i (ILRI) CGIARAP 13 Biotechnology in the centers will follow. between small-scale farmers, espe- Second, the CGIAR must assess is- cially women, and high-level, de- the CGLAR sues pertaining to the use, risks, and mand-driven research. Continued from page I funding of biotechnology, biosafety, in- The CGIAR currently invests about tellectual property rights, equity, pov- $30 million in biotechnology research would run the risk of adding more tech- erty, ethics, and public opinion. The annually. An expanded CGIAR effort nologies that are irrelevant to the ma- importance of the CGIAR clearly po- in biotechnology would necessitate jority of small-scale producers and to sitioning itself in the global agricultural that CGIAR investments in biotech- sustainable agriculture. research system on these issues was nology research be increased by a sig- National agricultural research sys- emphasized. The CGIAR was urged to nificant amount, a multiple of the tems (NARS) should play a lead role take a more proactive stand, to develop current allocation to be realized over in using the technologies developed its own clearly articulated strategy, a period of several years. Resource through biotechnology for the benefit given the rapid developments related requirements must be carefully con- of the poorest people. Strengthening to these issues in international fora. sidered. developing country access to biotech- The global trend toward limiting The CGIAR should build on exist- nology and its benefits was seen as an access to genetic resources and scien- ing capacity and expertise and priori- important means of encouraging devel- tific knowledge, in contrast to former tize to focus on those areas which will oping countries to continue to support free availability, will have very signifi- provide maximum benefits to stake- open access to indigenous genetic ma- cant implications for the CGIAR, as holders and in which the CGIAR can terials. it continues to produce international play effective partnership roles, with- The CGIAR must recognize the so- public goods in an environment that out entering conflicts. Although mod- cial, cultural, and legal implications, in is increasingly characterized by pro- est compared to total spending glo- prietary technology and access regu- bally on biotechnology research, the lated information. It was felt to be CGIAR's investments must be de- critical that the CGIAR work to en- ployed creatively to leverage invest- sure the protection of international ments by others in the public and pri- .. public goods, and to facilitate access vate sectors. Where specific projects to new technological products and can be contracted out, this should be / techniques to benefit the poor in de- done. Collaboration with universities veloping countries. or public research institutions may For the CGIAR to play a significant provide low cost options which mini- role in biotechnology research glo- mize the perception of private sector bally, stronger research alliances on interest conflicts. The CGIAR must Examining DNA structures. (CIAT) biotechnology within the CGIAR and look more creatively at collaboration between centers and other institu- with NARS, to draw on other public addition to the technological implica- tions need to be developed. The sector resources at the local level. tions, of employing biotechnology. It is CGIAR must explore opportunities As biotechnology is one tool among important to get the support of, and a for new partnerships, strategic alli- many available for use by the centers, sense of direction from, society at large. ances, and joint ventures with a vari- biotechnology applications should be Before the CGIAR becomes more ety of partners, including NARS, Ad- integrated within the programs of the involved in biotechnology, it must vanced Research Institutions (ARls), centers, rather than treated as a spe- carefully assess and clarify its position the private sector, and NGOs. cial initiative or program. on a range of critical issues and de- The CGIAR was urged to draw on The CGIAR was urged to help to velop a strategy on how to proceed. the existing experiences and partner- promote the establishment of appro- First, the CGIAR must assess the ships among the public and private priate regulatory mechanisms consis- need and scope for an expanded sectors, NGOs, and producers cur- tent with national biosafety require- CGIAR effort, the CGIAR's com- rently working in the interest of the ments in developing countries. The parative advantages globally, its cur- development and promotion of bio- CGIAR should develop its own rent strengths and weaknesses, and technology. As well, a participatory, biosafety protocol, while awaiting the whether it will move forward in an bottom-up approach involving all development of an international pro- ad hoc fashion, with each center mak- stakeholders, particularly NARS and tocol on biosafety by the Convention ing individual arrangements with farmers, was advocated for problem on Biological Diversity. partners as is currently the case, or identification, priority setting, and the It was recommended that the whether there will be collective development of solutions for the CGIAR assemble portfolios of intel- agreement on a set of guidelines that problems of small-scale farmers. The lectual property across the system as 14 *V CGIAR CGIAR should be a bridge builder Continued on page 5 Biotechnology in on available expertise within the sys- The NGO Committee urged the tern, including the special unit in CGIAR to include representation the CGIiAR. ISNAR which cleals with the manage- from society at large, in particular on Contitnued from page 14 merit, safety, and intellectual property the panel on proprietary science and aspects of biotechnology as they apply technology that will be addressing a basis for enhancing the CGIAR's to NARS. ethical and equity questions, as these position in negotiating access to en- Given the importance of intellectual issues transcend scientific and tech- abling technologies, many of which property issues to biotechnology, TAC nical dimensions. The CGIAR must are held by the private sector. It was was urged to organize the meetings of ensure that key groups are not ex- also noted that the CGIAR may need the two panels back-to-back, to enable cluded, as they have a tremendous to consider the desirability of retain- interaction and each panel benefiting capability to mobilize public opinion ing or creating a legal facility to ne- from the other panel's deliberations. and political support in a direction gotiate on behalf of the centers and On the terms of reference for the that might be counteractive to what partners with the private sector. proprietary science and technology the CGIAR wants to do. The Group welcomed proposals call- panel, suggestion was made that the The Group reached agreement on ing for the establishment of two ad hoc expert panel look at options for the the following points: expert panels under the auspices of the CGIAR and its centers to access legal *The CGIAR will move ahead to in- Technical Advisory Copmmittee capability, rather than the CGIAR (TAC) to address general issues in bio- building a legal capability within the research carried out by the centers. technology and proprietary science and system. technology. It was agreed that TAC The Private Sector Committee in- * Two specialist panels will be created should play a key role in the panels and dicated its suppart of the terms of ref- under the auspices of TAC to review in the consultation process. erence of each panel, yet cautioned biotechnology issues and to deal The importance of drawing on ap- that they were ambitious. The comprehensively with intellectual propriate expertise for representation CGIAR was urged take a pragmatic property rights issues, respectively. on the panels, both in terms of highly approach, both related to the terms The panels will be constituted and specialized scientific and legal exper- of reference of each panel, as well as will meet prior to International Cen- tise as well as representation from so- in the selection of panel members. ters Week (ICW97) in October ciety at large, to enable the panels to 1997. distill and focus on the issues of great- est relevance to the CGIAR, was em- Durum W heat x Barley Hybrid phasized. The process of how members of the Tritcrdeu m (XTritordeurm As;herson et Graebner) isthe ampLiploid deri% ed fronm two panels would be selected was the cross between a South American xvwild barley Hordeum chilense Roem, et raised. A recommendation was made Schult.) andv heat Because thi amphiploid has shown the agronomic characteris- that suggestions of suitable candidates tics of a new crop, we decided to evaluated the possibh* uses of this new cereal and for each panel should be provided, fol- forweachypanelishouldsbetprovided,hfoe- its role in agric ulture. For this reason, in the I ist fi e years, several lines of tritordeum sowed ri onsth ations w ey have been evaluated, along with some lines of durum The results have indicated stakeholders on the nominations re- ceived, and finally a broader consult- . that both hexa- and octoploid tritordeum exhibit quality characteristics similar to ceived, and finally a broadler consulta- tion through the standing committees, those of bread wheat and very different to those of durum wheat. Likewvise, a wide prior to the appointment of the two range for qualit.., characters has been shown between the tritordeum-tested lines. panels. It was noted that the panels Several works, also, have suggested that the H. chilense line seems be to associated would be similar to other CGIAR stripe with the storage proteins from both parents. Al1 though the hexaploid tritordeum reviews, which operate under the aus- have exhibited baking properties slightly poorer that those of bread wheat, any of pices of TAC, but have their own per- the lines analyzed had been irnpro ed for quality. On this basis, we think that the sona. The importance of having wide- role of tritordeum and HS. .hilense in the food industry could be similar to that of spread ownership in the selection bread wheat, although the end-use and potential cultivated-zone are yet to be process and in the subsequent outputs determined of the panels was emphasized. L.M. Martin, J.B. Alvarez, MJ.;Gimenez, A. Martin. Dep3rtamento de Genetica, It was agreed that the panels should [;--:ueId Tecnica Superior de Ingenieros, Agronormos y de Montes, Universidad de incorporate the results of the Gentic Cordoba, Spain; IDepartamento de Agroniomia y NMtejora GeneticaVegetal, Instituto Resources Policy Committee work- de Agricultura Sostenible, CS IC, Cordoba, Spain. shop on ethics and equity, and the (IPGRI) Chairman's planned consultation on biosafety. The efforts should also draw CG IAR4fr 15 Progress in Research cess already. I think we have got off to a tional arrangements for managing forests, and Progress in Research good start but the intensity of effort on in- has great interest in the role of the private Tropical F t ternational strategic research on forests is sector and local communities. All of these on Foplca orests still inadequate in relation to the magni- things, and many others on CIFOR's current Continued from page 1 tude of the problems. research agenda, are topics where CIFOR is Q: How best can a center such as CIFOR producing new information. We can channel invested heavily in producing its "Global contribute towards the enormous challenges thCs information into the deliberations of the Biodiversity Assessment." However, the for- facing tropical forests and forest dependent (CSD) and it will thereby get diffused very estry debate at Rio was so politicised that people? qckly ack to deisionmakers. science was given a rather low profile. Some A:iWelhave tried tokarIculatect developing countries feared that "science" A: We t ave trieo to artrcutate the answer Q: In many respects, CIFOR's constituen- would mean a lot of finger pointing by north- to that questio n our strategic plan and our cies, both international and national, lie out- ern activist groups with a very preservation- side of the CGIAR system and its NARS part- ist agenda. Many of the NGOs felt that sci- ners. How do you see CIFOR serving the ence would result in an agenda dominated needs of the CGIAR as well as the global for- by the interests of the timber industry. Even There are undoubted benefits estry community? in the post-Rio period, the forest debate has A: It is true that the people we meet at been highly emotional and driven more by to CIFOR having stronger links International Centers Week and at the global special interest groups. fora are not the same scientists that we are One of the first things we did at CIFOR with the agricultural research working with on a day-to-day basis. The for- was to bring together a group of scientists, community although this will estry research community has been rather politicians, international negotiators, and inward looking, and links between it and ag- NGOs to discuss the information needs for not be with the commodity- riculture have been weak. Interestingly, this implementing the Rio decisions on forests. is less the case in Latin America where re- This resulted in a paper presented at the oriented agronomists. search is often conducted in institutes with a FAO Ministerial meeting on forests in 1995. natural resource focus rather than a pure ag- Since then, science has gradually achieved riculture or forestry focus. At the moment, greater prominence in the discussions of the we are very well positioned with the forest Intergovernmental Panel on Forests (IPF). ticular was the result of a very great deal of research community. We have benefited The report of the panel that was presented thought and interaction with numerous part- greatly from our links with the International to the special session of the UN General ners. One of the advantages we have is that Union of Forest Research Organisations Assembly in New York in June contains a because of the Rio processes the world is re- (IUFRO) and with FAO and its regional bod- specific recommendation on strengthening assessing its forest agenda. There is a very large ies. There are undoubted benefits to CIFOR and giving greater coherence to scientific number of processes going on to identify having stronger links with the agricultural efforts to understand the world's forest problems and look for solutions. CIFOR has research community, although this will not problems. So, at the political level we have to be very well connected with these efforts be with the commodity-oriented agronomists. made good progress. Now we need to trans- because they provide us with a unique input Perhaps the agriculturalists also need to make late this into greatly increased activity on to our priority setting and, even more impor- a move toward seeing their research in a the ground. CIFOR's own research has tantly, a very effective delivery mechanism broader natural resource context. A key role drawn on partners throughout both the de- for our products. In particular, the Intergov- of CIFOR could be to bridge this gap and to veloping and the developed world. This re- emmental Panel on Forests has identified a have one foot in each camp. search is yielding new information which number of areas where new information is Q: What is the specific role of CIFOR in is feeding into the intergovernmental pro- needed. This recognition comes from an in- relation to intergovernmental agencies such tergovernmentaltlo activ-vrmetl gnce sc tergovernyn ental act,v- as FAO, the International Tropical Timber ity and It, therefore, has Organisation (ITTO), IPF, etc.? international legitimacy. , I .? ,- The IPF wants more in- A: As I said earlier, we have got off to a formation on the under- very good start with all the important inter- lying causes of defores- national actors dealing with forests. We have tation. It wants to know always had excellent relations with FAO. We how biodiversity conser- have a number of shared activities and a good vation needs can be rec- flow of information with their staff in Rome. onciled with forest de- We recently formed a strategic alliance with -4 > $ velopment. It is creating ITTO in Yokohama to develop CIFOR's re- a demand for cost effec- search forest in East Kalimantan as a large- tive criteria and indica- scale model of science based sustainable for- tors to assess forest est management. Our policy dialogue on ________________1-fl;. ~ flh conditions. It is re-ex- "forest science and sustainability" in 1994 16 CGIAR (CIFOR) amining the institu- Continued on page 17 Progress in Research a Q: CIFOR is approaching its fifth year as grated research as it has been described in Progress In Research a CGIAR center. Has your vision of forestry the CGIAR debates on its ecoregional foci. On Tropical Forests research needs and priorities changed signifi- This vertical integration means that we must cantly during this period bhave a large proportion of our scientists ac- Continued from page 16 . . . tive in focal locations in the three tropical A: Yes. We set out to he a "'learning institu- tion".and we learned a great deal in the first regions. We expect that new insights and un- tion" and we learned a great deal in the first derstanding will come out of the in-depth five years. We no longer believe in 'silver hul- desa in wllcm ouoften-ph provided us with a platform which gave us let ye. teniclo soluion to the.wrld' s analysis of the problems of these representa- excellent access to the Intergovernmental . tive locations. Another thing that has become Panel on Forests. We have subsequently been forest problems. What is needed is to pull very clear in the last few years is that we can gether science from a diversity of disciplines ver cla in th las fe er shtw a very involved with the IPF and its various an aphe s to g iveratmor din-d pt ind benefit enormously by exploiting the syner- . . . ~~~~and approaches to give a more in-depth ands intersessional activities. CIFOR made sub- holistic understanding of forest systems. This gies between CIFOR's work and the work of stantial contributions on the work on crite- the other CGIAR centers operating on the ria and indicators and on the need for new means that, within CIFOR, we have to agricultural side of the forest frontier. Our maximise the interaction between all the dif- sie approaches to science which was the subject . . . * . . work at the CGIAR ecoregional sites in of an intersessional meeting sponsored by fer scientifichgou. our thiningjis that Mbalmayo in Cameroon and Pucallpa in Peru Japan in 1996. The results of the Rio+5 Spe- the vacivit ofeac of rit. p t have shows great promise in this direction. cial Session of the UN General Assembly Willl t evldi hi onrgt ttesm cial Session oftheUNGenerlAssemblywi time they must contribute to an "enabling certainly influence the way we move forward - environment" which provides context and Professor Jeffrey A. Sayer is Director Gen- over the next few years. support for the other nine projects. In other eral of the Center for International Forestry words, we are committed to vertically inte- Research (CIFOR) Major Organizations Active in International Forestry Policy and Research Organization Address Objectives Head/Contact International Tropical Pacifico-Yokohama, 1-1-1, To provide an effective framework for consultation among producer N.C.Y. Freezailab, Timber Organization Minato-Nlirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama and consumer member countries on all aspects of the world Executive Director (ITTO) 220 Japan timber economy within its mandate FAO Forestry Department Via delle Terme di Caracalla 'ro conserve the worLd's forests, while also usinag trees and forests David A. Harcharik, 1-00100 Rome, Italy to contribute to the environmental well-being of the world's Assistant Director-General Phone: 396-57053550 rapidly expanding population International Union of Forest c/o Forstliche Bundes-Versuchsanstalt To promote international cooperation in forestry and forest product Jeffrey Burley, President Research Organizations Seckendorff-Gudent-Weg 8 research Heinrich Schmutzenhofer, (IUFRO) A-1 131 Vienna, Austria Secretary Fax: 131-8775907 European Forest c/o European Forest Institute To provide relevant information for policy-making and decision-making Paivinen Risto, Institute Torikatu 34, FIN-801 00 Joensuu, in European countries relating to the forest and forest industry sector, Deputy Director Finland conduct research in the above mentioned fields, develop research Phone: 358 13252021); methods, compile & maintain data concerning European forests, Fax: 358 13124393 participate in scientific meetings, organize ancl participate in forest research training , publish and disseminate kncowledge of its work & results World Commission on WCFSD Secretariat 1. Increase awareness of the dual function of world forests in preserving Emil Salim, Co-Chair Furests and Sustainable Suite 40)5 the natural e nvironment and contributing to economic development; Ola Ullsten, Co-Chair Development 18)01 K St. NW 2. Broaden the consensus on the data, science and policy aspects of forest John Spears, Secretary Washington DC 200fi6, USA conservation and management, and Phone: 202-4584448; 3. Build confidence betwveen North and South on forest matters swith Fax. 202-5220552 emphasis on international cooperation Intergovernmental Panel Secretarnat, United Nations 1. Implementation of UNCED decisions related to forests at the Nitin Desal, on Forests Two tInited Nations Plaza,12th Floor national and international level including an examination of Under-Secretary-General New York, New York 1()01 7 sectoral and cross-sectoral linkages. Phone. 212 963 5958 2. International cooperation in financial assistance and technologytransfer. 3. Scientific research, forest assessment and development of criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management. 4. Trade and environment relating to forest products and services. 5. International organizations & multilateral institutions & instruments, including appropriate legal mechanisms. Center for International P.0 Box 6596 JKPWR Collaborati\ e strategic and applied research in forest systems and Jeffrey Sayer, F ,restry Research (CIFOR) Jakiarta I1 ))05, Indonesia forestry: promoting the transfer of appropriate new technologies Director General Fax: 622S1-622100, and the adoption of nesw methods of social organization for Phone: 62251-622622 national development. CGIAR 4 17 Root CEauses build a stronger base for future duction is absolutely critical if devel- Conitinued from page 3 growth. oping countries are to reduce the risk For that matter, developed countries of scarcity-induced conflicts. For one to make the kind of long-term invest- and international institutions should thing, more than half of the economi- ments in productivity improvements or strengthen their iocus on improving cally active population in developing resource protection that could help lift food security and boosting rural countries works in agriculture. In sub- them out of poverty. economies. Over the past several de- Saharan Africa and South Asia, the two Somewhat surprisingly, many lead- cades, many developing countries have regions where the food security situa- ers in developing countries still do not almost miraculously managed to raise tion is most worrisome, about two out see the quiet crisis in rural areas as a food production fast enough to keep of every three economically active threat to the security of their govern- pace with population growth. Re- people are engaged in agriculture. In ments or their nations. Occasionally, search leading to the development of these countries, economic progress governments even use food as a tool in high-yielding varieties played a major must include gains in rural economic regional conflicts, trying to support role in this success. This effort must welfare. some regions at the expense of others. continue and be promoted in coun- Quite apart from the need to feed Such cynical, short-term policies tries that have not been successful in today's population is the effort to feed must cease. Developing countries must the past. tomorrow's. As a group, the develop- make food security a priority if they Continued growth in environmen- ing countries are expected to grow from want to increase internal stability and tally sound agriculture and food pro- the current total of about 4.7 billion people to about 6.5 billion people by the year 2020. That increase of 1.8 bil- Can High-Inequalty Developing Countries lion people is roughly three times the Escape Absohalte Poverty? entire current population of sub-Sa- Flsctlpe A .psohile Poverty. haran Africa. With so many more A StU(dV by Mlartin Ravallion, World Bank mouths to feed, any serious lapse in Do the poor face the same prospects for x capinj poverty in ii h-in quality devel- food production is potentially cata- oping countries as in l%- ilil quality countries? Is it possihl, for itcquiali t-.to be so great strophic. as to stifle prospects of reducing absolute poverty, even when other initial conditions and The developed world is at a cross- policies are favorable to grow- th7 Household survey data for developing countries suggest roads. If our commitment to help de- that initial distribution does afc.t how much the poor share in rising '.-ragi: incomes. velopin countries continues to Higher initial inequalit\ tends to reduce growth's impact on absolute no" Lrt.. By the waen, ge arles insto same token, higher irieq ualit v diminishes the adverse impact on the poor of general eco- weaken, we are likely to see instability nomic contraction. evidence and conflict become a chronic problem Cumbinin . thi, evidence with that from re:.Žnt in"estigz3tion,s 1,'f ;ntqu ilit; 's effect on in some regions over the next few de- growth, Ravallion finds that, if irequalit, is high enough, countries thatwould have very cades. If we can strengthen our com- good growth prospects at low levels of inequilit\ may see littde or no overall growth and mitment, we may see improving inter- little progress in reducing poverty-or even a , urvF'nirl on both counts. nal stability in many countries and The data R j\a Moln uses suggest that such cases do occur.The precision with which key gradual improvements in economic parameters have been estimated makes it difficult to say with cor Iidr, ne how common welfare. To take the latter course seems such cases are, but they appear to be in the minority. What appear to be the \'),t jus talndl in the atitereo both see estimates s.ugz Ht that about one-fifth of the spells between surveys he analyzed were just and in the best interest of both the cases in which poverty was rising, yet positive growth in the mean (and hence 1:lI,,,g developed and developing worlds. p. - irts) is predicted at zero 1requ3l1t',. Inequality can be high enough to result in rising poverty despite good underlying growth prospects. Dr. Per Pinstrup-Andersen is Director Gen- The paper is part of a larger effort to understand why some economies do better than eral of the lnternationfal Food Policy Research others in rldu,irg poverty. Copies are available from p 3ider(q%-,1rldb3rnl -l' (World Institute (IFPRI). Bank abstract) In the next issue • The Systemrwide Program on Property Rights and Collective Action * Striga: A Formidable Eneniy 18 4W CGIAR Biotechnology in Developing Countries In recent years, biotechnology has been The reason for this is that the ability aspirations of developing countries are considered as an essential tool for of developing countries to use biotech- not mutually exclusive, and forge pub- socio-economic development by an in- nology for public good depends prima- lic-private partnerships in these areas. creasing number of developing countries. rily on their capacity to absorb and adapt Yet, if anything, as the science frontier proprietary technology to their specific This editorial is reprinted with kindper- of the technology is advancing at an ever needs. Policies with regard to intellectual mnission of BINAS News (Vol.3, 1&2, accelerating pace, commercial entry into property protection, increasing scope for 1997), the Biosafety Information Network modern biotechnology for most develop- intervention, and biosafetv are essential and Advisory Service newsletter, jointly ing countries is rapidly moving away. in generating an enabling environment published by the United Nations Industrial Globally, biotechnology science has for the application of biotechnology. Development Organization (UNIDO) and been profoundly influenced by two fac- International agencies have an increas- the Initernationial Cetntre for Genletic Engi- tors, namely, the drastic reduction of pub- ing role to play in identifying areas where neering anid Biotechnology (ICGEB). lic funds for research and the dominant the interests of the private sector and the role of the private sector in biotechnol- ogy R&D for health care, agrifood and other industrial applications. The compound effect of these factors Unlsafe Applicationl has been that technological advancement Contiuedfrom page 6 situation can be both catastrophic and has remained stagnant in those areas that irreversible, FAO said have been deemed unattractive in terms Over the years, an enormous vari- of returns on investment. pesticide diotnati ons provided by foreign ety of pesticides have been imported These are precisely those areas that are aid programs. In the absence of envi- by de%' elopin icountries as donations of prime importance for developing ronmentally sound disposal facilities from aid agencies or governments. "Of countries (e.g. orphan crop and infectious stocks are i onistantlv increasing. FAO thoe kwn total sigure of $672 m i- disease research) and in which biotech- is calling for a concerted global effort lion-worth of pesticides imported nology can have a profound effect. to dispose of this hazardous waste and into Africa in 1993-94, at least 40 Despite this, donor and technical sup- to avoid further accumulations. percent, or $269 million-worth, port agencies have been reluctant to re- "Obiolete pesticide stocks are poten- might have been wasted," says an direct part of their investments away tial timne bombs," said Niek van der FAO report. Datafrom otherregions from other conventional types of tech- Graaf, head of FAO's P ltnt Poctection show that the problem is not limited nology assistance towards biotechnology. Service. aLealage, seepage, and various to Africa, but also exists in Eastern The reason that is often invoked is the accidents related to pesticdes are quite Europe, Asia, and Latin America. lack of an enabling environment in most common and widespread. Storage con- Common reasons for pesticide left- developing countries which would trans- ditions rarely meet internationally ac- over, include: late biotechnology R&D or import prod- cepted standards. Many pesticide con- * the banning of pesticides that are ucts and services into community-level tainers deteriorate and leak their still in storage; benefits. contents into the soil, contarinating However, it is becoming increasingly groundwater and the environment. * proloed storageofproductswith evident that conventional programs ad- Most stores are in urban areas or close a short shelf life; dressing health care and agricultural pro- to pLublic dclellings" * difficultles in forec 3sting outbreaks ductivity needs in the developing world In Africa and the Near East, obso- of pests such as locusts; are becoming dependent on biotech- lete pesticides have become a source cxcessive donations (in3ppropriate. nology to enhance their delivery pros- of great environmental concern, the itil edand uncoordinated); pects and benefit impacts. Clearly, in de- report said. Some stocks are over 30 ulitlinely an veloping countries, biotechnology R&D years old and are kept in poor condi- * late arrival of donations (out ofsea- is not the be all and end all. It needs to tionswithfewornosafety precautions. son); and be coupled with actions to strengthen Thereisnota single countrv that is not a * . r. . r . n ,., 4 * ~~~~~~~~~~~inadlequate storage facwlities; lack of adoptive capacity (i.e., introduction of affected by the serious environmental staff tr-ained in stoage n information and other key technologies) hazards associated with obsolete pesti- - to ag lagelneflt. and to introduce policy and institutional cides. Unless quick action is taken, the (FAQ) reforms, conducive to public and private investment. CGIAR 4 19 NEWS _ NEWS Egyptian Farmers Achieve One of Watch the Color, the World's Highest Rice Yiields Save Fertilizer.. An inexpensive leaf color chart to Egyptian farmers, with the help of collaborated with Egypt and the Uni- gauge the fertilizer need of rice Egyptian researchers and the Interna- versity of California in a six-year Rice pl:lts has jointly been developedby tional Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Research andTraining Project, financed C RE ENINET-IRRI, the Crop and Re- are producing one of the world's high- by USAID. source Nfwlaraernent Network, and est rice yields. In 1995, the average As a result of the project, an inte- the Philippine Rice Research Insti- Egyptian rice farm yield was 8.2 tons grated Rice Research andTraining Cen- tute (PhilRice). The chart has seven per hectare, up from just 5.43 tons in ter (RRTC) was established at Sakha gr .dienti of color from yellowish 1970-an amazing increase of 51 per- in January 1987. This project involved green to dark green. A simple in- cent in 25 years. Three high-yielding research collaboration between IRRI struction card in the local larI91,3ge IRRI lines were released in the coun- and the National Agricultural Research will go with the chart and help the try, one as IR28, the other two with Project of the Egyptian Ministry of farmer to determine the level of ni- local names, Sakha I and Giza 181. Agriculture and Land Reclamation. troven applicition needed in the rice Overthe past 20 years, Egypt has also The project enhanced ongoing re- field. PhilRice will be distributing been an active participant in trials of search programs tci develop high-yield- 15,000 leaf color charts to exten- the International Network for Genetic ing disease-resistant varieties with de- sion agents and farmers in the PilI- Evaluation of Rice (INGER), a network sirable agro no mic and grain ippines this year. Training to educate headquartered at IRRI. Several rice va- characteristics for the Delta rice-grow- farmers and extension workers has rieties tested through INGER have ing areas. The project also introduced already started. CRENINET will been released in Egypt, and 1,045 more water-efficient rice culture and sooneextendtlliktechnol gy-.#toother promising entries from the network improved the Egyptian rice seed indus- rice-growing countries of Asia. The were used as parents in breeding pro- try to ensure quality seed for farmers. color chart is one among several grams. Some 555 breeding lines were IRRI also assisted Egypt in developing ways to improve nutrient manage- utilized for resistance to blast disease a tissue culture laboratory, improving ment in irrigated areas grown with and the stemborer pest, and for toler- the seed storage system, developing hybrid rice and high X iel,ling vari- ance to saline soils and low tempera- computer databases for evaluating rice eties to obtain increased yields and tures.At IRRI's main experimental sta- germplasm, and advancing knowledge attainbetter nutrient use efficiency. tion in Los Banos, Philippines, Egyptian of weed management. The collabora- IRRI scientists aim at increasing the rice breeding materials have been tive research andl training programs rice plant's uptake of available ni- grown for the last 17 years, and crosses contributed to increasing Egyptian trogen and improve the efficiency made from them. farmers' rice yields from 6 to 7.9 tons of absorbed nitrogen. CRENINET IRRI's rice research collaboration per bectare during the life of the is currently working with national with Egypt's scientific community be- project. research and development organi- gan in the early 1970s. In 1980, IRRI Salinity, too muLch salt, is the num- zations to facilitate the free ex- ber one soil problem of the change, participatory evaluation, rice-growing areas of North and promotion of promising com- Africa andWestAsia, result- ponents and concepts of informa- t!i * t 2 ing in low yields from rice tion-intensive technntlocn for more -~m. - -- > plants. Tolerance for salin- efficient crop and resource manage- -. % - ;+, ity is rare in the types of ment in rice-based farming systems. >- "-*i;8i7';'l\:$'- , rices grown in this region. CIRRI) Genes controlling salt tol- erance have nowv been iden- tified with the aid of b- b io technology at IRRI.Transfer I -_ of salt-tolerant genes to rice . Xmcultivars in the region will helpsolve the soil salinity lee demnontr,,tinn field, Egpt (Ri,bard Gutman) problem. (IRR.I) . -I 20 8 CGIAR {LRI) Cassava Green i.te mites, whiteflies, maize pollens, honey CGM, T anpo either disperses to find Victory dewv, and plant exudates-on which it CGM or goes extinct locally, thus not Contiuzied froin page 5 can survive. HowsTever, in order to re- becoming an ecological nuisance. produce it requires mite prey." Tests (IITA/CIAT). reduction in GCM populations is less have shown that in the absence of the dramatic. After its introduction to the Africa's cassava belt in 1993, T aripo found a conducive environment to prey on 1 NE.S CGM. Impact assessment studies car- ried out by IITA at the sites where the CGM natural enemies had been re- Pearl Miltet Boom itn BrKazil leased revealed that cassava yields in- In Brazil, peirli-illckt . libeen rJlidl. adoptedbyfarrners asthe ideal cover crop forno- creased by 35 percent within one sea- till soybean production. It is estimated that over I nmllior, hectares of pearl millet were son. Farmers are gaining about 70 sownlastyearinSli.l il, andthearea is xpdindiri,!rapd], h1terrnsofareasowntothe..rur. Brazil is already onie of the top ten pE.rI minilo pr.JudLne i10COuntries. A team of four scientists from the Japanese International Cooperation A.tzn,- (JICA)/ Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation ([iNiBR A\PA) project'Sustainable agricultural development and natural resources conservation in the Brazilian cerrados" visited ICRISAT Asia Center to obtain information on pearl millet genetic resources, breeding, seed produc- tion, and agronomy. The use of pearl inilhl t as a cover crop-cum-mulch in no-Lill soybean production in the Brazilian acid soil savannas, or cerrados, exploits the crop's rapid i e.eratit growth rate, adaptation to soils of low iniiehliit f, rtili'-. and lhilat, to draw on nutrients and water lying deep below the soil surface. -rhe mulch helps control weeds, concentrates soil nutrients in the surface layers, conserves soil moisture, and protects the soil surface from erosion and compaction. These factors combine to increase pi .duni% it-, and economics of n..t ill voybeans, reduc- ing energy inputs and improving sustainability of production of this important cash crop in the cerrados. This, in turn, f il reduce pressure to bring more fragile environments into cultivation, including the humnid forests of the Amazon basin. Green spider mite (TITA) Pearl Millet in 1ndia The first ol-l tic i I j. recognized release in India of a pearl millet topcross hybrid was an- US-dollars per hectare of cassava nounced last year by government authorities in the State of Madhya Pradesh. The hybrid, p named 'Jawahar Bajra Hybrid I (JBH I)', was developed after three years of testing by p In We ISAT scientists and the Jawaharlal Nehru K'ril,i \sv;h '..i Vidyalaya (I N KV\ ) C I.I,iv o- up to a total profit per planting season Agriculture in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. This topcross hybrid has high grain yield poten- of about $60 million for the cassava | i:, md-lritl- l-i-ht. trn-li'[i nonbristledcompactpanicles,andcmedium-bold,globu- farmers. lar grain. Both the hybrid and its topcross p Ilinrt r are highly resistant to pearl millet According to Steve Yaninek, T ar po downy mildew was first released on cassava farms in Gujarat Statf Fertilizers C,1nrrpjin1 Liimited (G1;sFcJ, a joint sector venture and India's fr in r 1 1 1 largest 1wrrtgr atul ertli 1 >i and petrochemical complex has developed and released in Jul a 1993 in Benin after it had been trans- pearl millet hybrid 'Sardar Hybrid Bajra I (SH,B 1)' based on lines derived from material ported from Brazil. It has subsequently supplied by ICRISAT. SHB I yields about 20 percent more grain of better quality and been released in 11 countries and is matures earlier than existing hybrids. It is resistant to downy mildew. now confirmed as established in all of (K, them, except Zambia. T aripo has also spread into Togo and C6te d'Ivoire from neighboring countries. It spreads Livestoc' tional Livestock Research Institute about 12 km in the first year, and as CoItied from page I1 (ILRI) and its research partners is to much as 200 km in the second year. develop ways of managing livestock Today, the CGM predator has been es- feed to their sheep. The weeds slightly that maximize the benefits to tablished on more than 400,000 square reduce cereal grain yields, but the pro- s mallhol e w e minimiin an 1 1 r vr . i 1 . . r 1 1 1 .~~~ smallholders w,hile minimizing any kilometers of Africas cassava growing ductivity of the system as a whole is h li k k h areas. higher than if they sprayed herbicides ronment. Well-managed the benefits to "T aripo is able to spread quite eas- to control the weeds. And the environ- r on dent. Wel-m ng theb ts to ily," says Steve Yaninek, "because it has ment is protected. smallholders of keeping livestock are many food sources-for instance red The research task facing the Interna- ov(eILRI)elmng C(GIAR Vf 21 India's pearl millet acreage is derived can be planted in winter-instead of Dryland Farmers from varieties improved by ICRISAT in spring-to take advantage of seasonal collaboration with the national research rains.Yields have increased by 60 percent. Continued from page 7 program which combine higher yields Chickpea research is enabling increased with resistance to downy mildew, bet- use of the crop in rotation with rice be- ter drought tolerance, and higher pro- cause of the chickpea's ability to fix ni- ICARDA, based in Aleppo, Syria; and tein levels. trogen in the soil and its nutritional and ICRISAT, based in Andhra Pradesh, India. * Groundnut-Groundnuts are important income generating aspects. Both centers are active in all develop- for direct consumption and as oil crops, ing regions, with a special focus on Asia, especially in Asia and Africa. Early ma- Research Strategies the Middle East, and Africa. A priority of turing and disease resistant ICRISAT-de- In their work to improve crops and their work is to improve the main staples rived varieties promise a breakthrough in farming systems in the dry and semi-arid of the dry regions-hardy food and feed southern African groundnut production. regions, CGIAR scientists seek to dramati- crops that provide a minimum of food Overall, CGIAR scientists are working to cally shorten the growing season for all security under harsh climatic conditions and with little water, such as the major improve disease resistance, oil extraction crops. While the Green Revolution in the dryland cereals millet, sorghum, and bar- quality, and taste. 1960s and 1970s succeeded in shortening ley; groundnuts; and legumes such as len- the growing season for irrigated crops, thus tils, chickpeas, pigeonpeas, and faba beans. allowing farmers to harvest two or more crops a year, progress has been much Major Crops slower in the dry regions. Although largely unknown and little Without supplementary irrigation, most traded in world markets, these crops con- Hardy food and feed crops dryland areas can produce only one har- stitute the main product of 800 million vest a year, during the rainy season. farmers in dry regions, and the that provide a minimum of CGIAR scientists are combining a variety population's basic food. of measures to allow farmers to reap more food security under harsh than one harvest a year. Quicker growing *Barley-Barley is suitable for marginal plants mature before summer heat and lands with low rainfall and helps to sup- climate conditions... drought can affect them; water harvest- port livestock production in the Middle ing techniques allow concentration of East. In Latin America it is mainly used available water where it is most needed. for direct human consumption. In one of Better water management methods devel- its driest sites in Syria, ICARDA suc- oped by ICRISAT in Ethiopia, for instance, ceededinbreedingabarleyvarietywhich * Lentil-ICARDA has developed have helped farmers optimize the use of almost doubled grain yield to over I ton drought-tolerant varieties of this impor- their most precious resource. per hectare (over 0.4 ton per acre) and tant pulse crop which has its origin in Biological control of pests permits farm- also increased straw yield. ICARDA is A T ers to save on pesticides and protects the now breeding barley together with farm- widely adopted by farmers in Jordan, farmer's health and the environmentg ers who plant the new lines simulta- Libya, and Syria because they give o ICRISAT, for instance, introduced amon neously with ICARDA in its test fields. nomic returns even in dry years. Genetic farmers the use of a small insect, the mud rhe best cultivars are then jointly selected material from the Middle East and Ar- wasp, to control the pod borer, the world's according to the farmers' cteria; they gentina has been used by ICARDA and most devastating chickpea pest. Integrated may, for instance, prefer better straw qual- ICRISAT to improve southem Asian lines, pest management (IPM) integrates bio- ity to more grain yield. and a number of new varieties have been logical control, breeding for resistance, * Sorghum-Sorghum originated in Africa. released to farmers in Bangladesh, India, cultural control, and judicious use of pes- Half of India's hybrid sorghum acreage is Nepal, and Pakistan. ticides in a robust and viable system that planted to ICRISAT-derived varieties. sharply cuts use of chemicals. Early maturing ICRISAT-derived variet- * Faba Bean-Often called the poor man's Both CGIAR centers collaborate closely iearlyich maturing lRseaTnderie variet- meat, faba bean is important in China, with the national research programs in ies which avoid late season drought are the Middle East, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and their mandate countries, as well as with countries of sub-Saharan Africat ICRISAT parts of South America. The new high- non-governmental organizations, ad- is also working to make sorghum more yielding varieties and better production vanced research labs in North and South, nutritious for humans by increasing the practices have helped Egypt achieve self- the private sector, and farmers' associa- grain's protein contents while also im- sufficiency and strongly increased output tions. In setting their priorities, the cen- proving the crop's yields and drought tol- in Sudan, Ethiopia, and other countries. ters actively seek the guidance of their erance. * Chickpeas-An important, protein-rich partners, especially women, who consti- legume that originated in western Asia tute half of all farmers in the dry and semi- * Pearl Millet-A hardy plant important and is directly consumed. ICARDA and arid regions. In southern and eastern Af- in south Asia and Africa, pearl millet ICRis have,tly with nIoAl pro rica women predominate as farmers. needs very little water. Nearly half of ICRISAT ave, joitly with national pro- Improving the crops they grow for their grams, developed cold tolerant and dis- Imrvnthcopteygwfrtei 2 CGAe , a eresist ant car wich families and rendering their work less hard 22 Vk~ CGIAR ease resistant chickpea cultivars which Continued on page 23 icities in the soil many of whom now occupy key positions Dr-yland Farmers ICARDA is located in the heart of an of responsibility in their national pro- Continued from page 22 area which is a birthplace of agriculture, grams. and of some of the world's greatest civili- ICRISAT serves the needs of the semi- and time-consuming is one of the most zations. The ICARDA region contains arid tropics where one-sixth of the world's effective ways of reducing poverty-and three of the world's eight centers of crop population lives, half of them (380 mil- drudgery. origin.Archaeological findings have shown lion) in absolute poverty. ICRISAT's man- Livestock and Mixed Farming-In ad- that-some 10,000 years ago-barley, date areas are marginal lands, such as the dition to their efforts to improve crop pro- wheat, lentil, pea, flax, and vetch were all fringes of the Sahara where starvation and duction, the CGIAR centers also seek domesticated in the ICARDA region. Lan- malnutrition are recurrent. The center's ways to improve dryland livestock produc- draces and wild relatives of these crops, work has resulted in the release of 365 tion and the combined crop-livestock sys- containing precious genes for breeders to new crop varieties which improved the tems. Vast tracts of arid and semi-arid land develop new varietLes, are found in the re- quantity and dependability of the food are unsuitable for crop production but gion to this day. From material jointly de- supply of the rural poor, and the entire support livestock, especially small rumi- veloped by ICARIDA and national pro- population. Of these varieties, 20 provide nants such as sheep and goats. Livestock grams, over 230 varieties of barley, lentil, an estimated annual benefit of US$230 not only constitute a vital supply of pro- faba bean, bread wheat, durum wheat, million to poor farmers, over seven times tein, but are an important sector of the kabuli chickpea, pea, and forage legumes ICRISAT's budget. These achievements economy by providing the livelihood of have been released in both developing and are the result of ICRISAT's close collabo- some 300 million pastoralists worldwide industrial countries, and the center has ration with national programs and other from land that would otherwvise be unpro- trained over 7,500 young researchers, research partners. ductive. Marginal Land Rehabilitation Using Sheep ICARDA has succeeded in using Desertification sheep to transfer legume seed from im- proved pasture fields to neighboring mar- by Elizabetl [Dowdeswell ginal or degraded land. The sheep are left Exe utie Dii ector, United Nations Environment Programme all day grazing on the improved pasture. For the night, they are moved to a de- ltwouldbeamistaketoviewthevariousecologicaltrendss.L]:h aI desertifctitn as graded field. It was found that the legume isolated, localized threats, Lo..al tlhreats the: certainly are. But, they also form a mnosaic seed passed the digestive tract of the sheep whose patterns help define many of the key global concerns of our age-issues which, undigested and then germinated, thus directly or indir,, tl.. touch upon the lives of everyone. improving the marginal land. Desertification is a ornple-x phenornen.:.n a 1.te etlccts are nifested so:iall.The Water Harvesting-ICARDA has devel- hardships suffered by the milliconi who uta. behind in a land >radul.311 losing all its oped simple but effective water harvest- producti% itv and the millions of those who clecide to leave their impoverished sur- ing techniques which are rapidly being It Ull'din-:, to an even more miserable existence in an urban setting-are the social adopted in Jordan, one of the world's wa- n,anife;rations of this malaise. ter-poorest countries. At a project in Syria, These marginalized citizens-often women-have ittle sLu pport aJnd3 few to care for ICARDA is developing methods to use them. lcon-ni,cll.,l invisible, they do not appearon the spread-sheets of economists; classified satellite data and data on topog- tIh,\ may have very little access to community services, to nationral programs, even to raphy, drainage systems, soil types, vegeta- theprocesses of democracy. lhcymaybaveno security of tenure on their land or even tion, and climate for planning water har- vesting on a large scale. The methodology for the trees they plant. is expected to be suitable for all similar Progarns inthepastto control desertification have hadlimnited success.i hoce \' hic h areas of the world succeeded did so only in some areas and only for limited periods. Even i I.nll projects Germplasm Conservation Both which were successful have seldom been replicable over large areas. The reasons for ICRISAAT and ICARDA, like other CGIAR oLuLr fa!lurr are apparent: a palpable lack of political will, inadequate resources, empha- centers, devote a major effort to gather- sison abstractplanrini, iath,r than on Rield action, and nvalect ofthesocial dimensions ing wild relatives and landrace varieties of of the problem. the dry areas' important food and pasture Today, we have the kaowledge and technical skilIs to halt these destructive trends. crops ICARDA's genebank, for instance, But it is political and economic factors, not .cientific research, that will determine holds about 1 1,000 germplasm samples whether or not the wisdom ac,urmul iting in our libraries will be put into practice. collected from more than 40 countries. Governments must create the conditions of security of tenure and food security, This precious collection accounts for more within which these resilient but marri'i.liz!-d people can maintain sustainable liveli- than one-fifth of all accessions held by hoods for themselves. If they do not, more people will suffer and require dirtct sup- CGIAR centers, which together constitute port, millions will migrate and the pressures and social tensions on the humid lands the world's largest collection of agricul- and the urban areas around the world will increase. Endless humanitarian relief after tural biodiversity The genetic material 1 J%ih u.-ceeodrine si riv thatlh, l na uitrally occurredisnotithe answer.Itis intheinterest serves as the key source of genes resistant of all of us that Governments act now to help the disadvantaged help themselves. to pests and diseases, and tolerant to ex- tremes of temperature, drought, and tox- All CGIAR 4 v 23 The CGIAR CGIAR Centers CGIAR Chairman * CIAT-Centro Interntacional de * IFPRI-International Food Policy Ismail Serageldin Agricultura Tropical Research Institute Apartado Aereo 67 3 1200 1, th Street. NW Cali, Colombia Wa,hington. D).C. 20(130-300(16 1 SA Cosponsors Tel. 157)2-4450-000 Tel (1)202-862-5600 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Fax (57)2-4450-273 Fax (1)202-467-4439 United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) CIFOR-Center for International * llMI-International Irrigation United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Forestry Research Management In-titute The World Bank P.O. Box 6596 P.O. Box 2075 JKPWB Jakarta 1006.i, Indonesia Colombo, Sri Lanka CGIAR Members Tel. (62)25]-34-3652 Tel. l94)1-867404 Fax (62)251-32-6433 Fax (94)1-866854 Countries * CIMMYT-Centro Internacional de * IITA- International Institute of Developed Developing Mejoraniento ele Maiz y Trigo Tropical Agriculture Australia, Austria. Belgitum, Canada, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Colombia., Lisboa 27. P.O. Box 6-641 PMB 5320 Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Cote d'Ivoire, Egypt. India, Indonesia, 06600 Mexico, D.F. Mexicot lbadan, Nigeria Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Iran. Kenya, Korea, Mexico. Nigeria, Tel. (52)5-726-90-91 Tel. C234)2 2410848: 2411430 The Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Peru. Hol.-il.l- -I..i ltah Fax (52)595-41069 Fax 874-1772276 via INMARSAT Norway, Romania, Russian Federation, Africa, The i'Vilihpm. iliin .r,,I * CI-- Internacional t a P Satellite Spain, Sweden, Switzerlandt, United Republic, Thailand. * 1-rid.. ;'0dl * ILRI-International Livestock Kingdom, theUnited States of America. Lima, Peru Research Institute Tel. (51)1-349-6017 P.O. Box 30709 Foundations Fax - l-I i"-: '. ;. Nairobi. Kenya Ford Foundation, Kellogg Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation. *ICARDA-lnternational enterfor Fax (254-2)631493 Agricultural Research in fDry Areas International and Regional Organizations P.O. Box 5466 * IPGRI-lnternational Planit Cienetic Aleppo, Syrian Arab Republic Retsources Institute African Development Bank, Arab Fund for Economic and Social Tel, (963)21-225012 or 225112 Via delle Sette Chlese 142 Development, Asian Development Bank, European Commission. Food and or 234890 00145 Honie, ltaly Agriculture (" , ,ni ti. ,n of the United Nations, Inter-American Development Fax (963)21-225105 or 213490 Tel. (39)6-518921 Bank, International Deve.lopment Research Centre, International Fund for Fax (.39)6-575-03019 A gricultural Development, OPEC Fund for hIt. r1I'..IIllndI I)...' I.l.pfll. * ICLARM-lnternational Center for United Nations Development Programme, United Nauons Environment Living Aquatic Resources * ItRI-International Rice Researclh Programme, The World Bank. a11a Il-jl l- ill Institute Programme, The World Bank. MC P.O. Box 2631, P.O. Box 933 Makati Central Post Office Manila. Philippines Regional Represeutntaiies 0718 Makati, Metro Manila, Tel. (63)2-818-1926 or 812-7686 jBurkina Faso and Zimbabwe Philippine, F'ax (63)2-818-2087 Malaysia and Nepal Tel. (63)2-817-5215 onr 817 -5163 Estonia andi Slovenia Fax 63)2-816-3183 ISNAR-International Service for Paraguay and El Salvador National Agricultural Research E and Syra ICRAF-International Centre for P.O. Box 93375 Egypt and Syria Research in Agroforestry 25t(9 AJ The Ilague, Uinted Nations Avenue The Netberlandi P.O. Box 30677 Tel. (31)70-34961(01 Nair,lhm. Kenya F'ax (31)7(1-3819677 Tel. (254)2-52145tl Fax (254)2-5210(01 * WARDA-West Africa Rice DeN elo pmcnt Association * ICRISAT-International Cr'ops (01 B.P 2551 Research Institute for the Bouake 01, (Cte dFlvoire Semi-Arid Trapic i l. (225) 631514 Pataneheru P.O. Fax (225) 631714 Andhra Pradesh 502 324, Indlia Tel. 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