www.cgiar.org - ° IN THIS ISSUE World Water Forum i i V M essageefromttheCChiirma X -2r_-8';b;be -vf3e~-*r and Director 2 News and Views from CDC 4 New Leaders for IPGRI and ISNAR 4 -L Biotech Colloquium brings together diversestakeholders 5 JapaR ILAŠU osts TlhLdi Worl W ateE New Opportunities for Rice Forum N ew Pa9rtner shps Research in Mali 5 Uzbek Genebank Renovation Forged ifoEr Av(ertig Wate]r Crlsis Hailed as Partnership Success 6 Genetic Traits for Tomorrow: Water demand is increasing three times faster than the world's population Uncovering the Diversity of growth rate. By 2025, 30 percent of the world's population-a record 2.3 bil- Kenyan Maize 6 lion people in 50 countries-will be threatened by water scarcity. The gloomy NERICA Seed for Safeguarding arithmetic of water is alarming and cries out for solutions. e Cote d'Ivoire's Future 7 ICARDA dBoore's Future CleaninThe recently-concluded Third World Water Forum in Japan is helping catalyze ICARDA Boosts Seed Cleaning actions for a water-secure world. Given that 70 percent of the world's freshwiter Facilities in Afghanistan 7 is used in agriculture, CGIAR had a major presence at the Forum which was the Iberoamerican researchers meet at CIP 8 largest ever, attracting thousands of participants from 182 countries. The Forum CGIAR Biofortification Challenge offered new opportunities for building partnerships and strengthening cooperation Program-Shared Solutions to with key Ministries such as Foreign Affairs, and Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. a Global Problem 9 "Harnessing the potential of water as a driver of responsible growth is key to New Consortium is Boosting meeting the challenges of water, food, and income security," said Ian Johnson, Information Access 9 Chairman, CGIAR. "Science and technology must be brought to bear on the AGM Story 1i water challenges. CGIAR has a key role to play in developing the next genera- A University Without Walls 1i tion of less thirsty crops, farming practices and policies." He chaired a sub-group of the "Ministerial Conference on'Water for Food and Rural Development" charged with examining ways to improve the efficiency of water use in agricul- ture. Ministers from 96 countries participated in the ministerial meeting held in conjunction with the Forum. For the first time, agricultural issues, need for innovation in research and develop- ment and for sharing best practices and experiences in the water sector received some prominence in Forum debates and discussions. This is heartening CGIAR Continued on page 3 CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH CGIAR hn Chairman IanJohnson Message from the Chairman CGIAR Director Francisco Reifschneider an d D irector CGIAR Members Afncan Development Bank Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development Asian Development Bank Dear Colleague Australia Austria Bangladesh We are pleased to present you with a redesigned "CGIAR News " We hope you Belgiumplaewihoe Brazil like the new look, and find the contents to be informative and useful Canada China prnrhplvl Colombia The CGIAR partnership Is about actions at the local level, mobilizing cutting- Commission of the European Community edge science in a partnership that benefits people and promotes sustainable C6te d'ivoire DenmaTk development. Arab Republic of Egypt Finland This issue showcases the power of science being marshaled for the common good Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Ford Foundation France Our work on plant genetic resources, developing higher yielding food crops, India and improving nutrition is illustrative of the global reach and impact of our Indonesia efforts Genebanks, the quintessential example of a public good, are a vital Inter-American Development Bank International Development Research Centre resource for plant breeders working to develop new crop varieties that can International Fund for Agricultural Development grow in harsh conditions and better withstand nature's assault of pests and Islamic RepubicofIran pathogens. The CGIAR holds more than half-a-million seed samples in 11 Israel genebanks all over the world. These collections-held in public trust for the Italy benefit of all-are a valuable resource, and acknowledged as such by FAO and Kellogg Foundation the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Kenya Republic of Korea Luxembourg As the stories from Afghanistan, C6te d'lvoire, Kenya, and Uzbekistan demon- Malaysia strate, saving seeds brings economic, environmental, and social benefits These Morocco range from jumpstarting growth by restarting agriculture in conflict-ravaged Netherlands countries, to better characterizing and conserving nature's crop diversity They New Zealand Nigeria show that research-for-development partnerships can and are making a differ- Norway ence in people's lives. OPEC Fund for International Development Pakistan Peru We are delighted that the new Government of the Republic of Kenya has invited Philippines the CGIAR to host its 2003 Annual General Meeting at the United Nations Portugal Rockefeller Foundation Conference Center in Nairobi during October 29-31. The meeting will bring Romania together the world's leading scientists, policy makers, and representatives from the Russian Federationthwol'delpmn South Africa private sector and civil society to set research priorities and accelerate development Spain solutions for agriculture, poverty reduction, and conserving the environment. Sweden Switzerland Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agricuiture Thank you for your interest in and support for the CGIAR. Syrian Arab Republic Thailand Uganda United Kingdom United Nations Development Programme United Nations Environment Programme Ian Johnson Francisco Reifschneider United States of America CGIAR Chairman CGIAR Director World Bank 2 cgiarNews World Water Forum continued Announcements news for the CGIAR alliance whose mandate of promoting Events sustainable agriculture for food security, reducing poverty, First Information and Communication and protecting the environment was given prominent atten- Technology/Knowledge Management (ICT-KM) tion at the 2002 World Food Summit and World Summit on Advisory Group meeting, May 6-9, IPGRI, Sustainable Development Maccarese, Italy The Ministerial Declaration issued by the Forum recognizes CIFOR and partners are hosting an "International "water is essential for broad-based agricultural production Conference on Rural Livelihoods, Forests, and and rural development in order to improve food security Biodiversity," May 19-23, 2003, Bonn, Germany and eradicate poverty," and called for renewed efforts (www cifor org) to "reduce unsustainable water management and improve the efficiency of agricultural water use The Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) is hosting its 2nd Plenary meeting Frank Rijsberman, Director General, IWMI and Chairman "Sustaining Africa's agriculture through research of the CGIAR Comprehensive Assessment of Water for development," during May 19-20, 2003 Management in Agriculture organized a special session on "Water Management for Agriculture-Implications for The Global Forum on Agricultural Research Water, Food and Environment " Researchers from IFPRI, IRRI, (GFAR) 2003 Conference "Linking Research and and WorldFish Center participated, highlighting the chal- Rural Innovation to Sustainable Development" lenges of raising agricultural water productivity in rainfed May 22-24, 2003 at the Meridien President and irrigated agriculture and demonstrated the important Hotel, Dakar, Senegal (www egfar org/home) role of research in promoting sound public policies and investments in the water sector A new book on water pro- New Appointments ductivity in agriculture was launched at the session Howarth Bouis, IFPRI, has been appointed Program Director of the new CGIAR The Middle East and North Africa is the most water-scarce Biofortification Challenge Program An agricultur- al economist, he IS a pioneer In developing the region in the world ICARDA organized a session on conept he is apion "Sustainable Management of Scarce Water Resources in the concept of biofortification Dry Areas" that brought together key stakeholders for a dis- Welcome to New Board Chairs cussion of the specific challenges facing agriculture in the Jim Godfrey, CIP, succeeding Kang-Kwun Kim dry areas Adel El-Beltagy, Director General, ICARDA briefed Angela Cropper, CIFOR, succeeding Jagmohan S participants about the range of promising new technologies Maini (from June) being developed at ICARDA, including new water harvesting Margaret Catley-Carlson, ICARDA, succeeding techniques that draw on the wealth of local knowledge and Robert D Havener (from June) indigenous water-conservation practices Isher Judge Ahluwalia, IFPRI, succeeding Geoff Miller Remo Gautschi, IWMI, succeeding Klaas Jan Beek "CGIAR participation in the Forum was valuable," said Richard S Musangi, WARDA, succeeding Francisco Reifschneider, CGIAR Director. "We are pleased Lindsay Innes that the critical role of agricultural science and technology New Address in averting the water crisis featured in the discussions Judith Symonds, Executive Director Jason Wettstein, Communications Officer The Forum was held in three neighboring cities of Kyoto, Future Harvest Foundation Shiga, and Osaka during March 16-23, 2003 The Forum 1225 Connecticut Avenue, NW, 4th Floor featured 351 separate sessions on over 30 interlocking Washington, DC 20036 themes relating to water More than 100 new commitments t . (202)223-1313 on water were made at the Forum A new CD-ROM f (202)223-3545 "Making Water Flow for All" containing descriptions of e jsymonds@futureharvest org, 3,000 new water projects was released at the Forum 4 j wettstein@futureharvest org For more information, click on www.world.water-forum3.com April 2003 3 Fuom he alar-HCNew leaLders The Committee of Board Chairs (CBC) is an important Committee of the CGIAR because .PGR Center Boards of Trustees are arguably the T he Board of Trustees of IPGRI have appointed leading agents responsible for change, effec- Dr Emile Frison as IPGRI's Director General tiveness, and efficiency in the System As a Designate He takes up his new position on trustees of CGIAR resources, the individual August 1, 2003 when Geoffrey Hawtin's term Boards set strategies and policies that are key - as Director General ends. to Center effectiveness Good communica- tion and understanding is especially impor- Dr Frison is a Belgian national and currently tant between CGIAR Members and the serves as Director of the International Network Boards of Trustees of individual Centers for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain (INIBAP), one of IPGRI's three programs He CBC meets twice a year, with one meeting has worked extensively on bananas and plantains, the world's fourth coinciding with the Annual General most important staple crop In 1997, he launched the Global Meeting CBC also holds joint meetings Programme for Musa Improvement (PROMUSA) In 2002 he with the Center Directors Committee (CDC) launched the Global Consortium on Musa Genomics with 27 mem- on these occasions. bers from 14 countries whose goal is to decode the genetic sequence of the banana and use it to improve the varieties available In addition to focusing on the CGIAR to smallholder farmers. Executive Council's agenda, the CBC is (a) reviewing Center grievance procedures and Dr Frison obtained an M Sc. in plant pathology from the Catholic policies and developing model guidelines that University of Louvain, and a Ph.D from the University of Gembloux can be adapted to the particular circum- in Belgium stances and legal requirements of individual Centers, (b) reviewing the selection processes for new board members with a view toward ISNAR increasing diversity and securing the Opti- D r Cyrus Ndiritu is the new Director-General mum skills mix for enhancing Board effective- designate of ISNAR. He will assume his duties ness, and (c) analyzing changes occurring in on June 16, 2003 when Stein W Bie retires the System and assessing opportunities for ___ Increasing Center effectiveness. ~ Dr Ndiritu, a Kenyan national, comes to ISNAR with a long experience of national and sub- The CBC presents an annual summary of regional agricultural research institutions in activities to the AGM We welcome the Ls ! n Africa, having served in key CGIAR positions opportunity to periodically share news and - (Member of former Technical Advisory views with readers of "CGIAR News " CBC Committee, Oversight Committee, and CIMMYT Board of Trustees) members can be contacted either through For 11 years (1 989-2000) he was Director of the Kenya Agricultural the Centers or through Ms Caryl Jones- Research Institute (KARI) In addition, he helped found ASARECA and Swahn, Executive Secretary, CBC (m.joness- the new Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) wahn@cgiar.org) Dr Ndiritu obtained his Bachelor's degree in veterinary medicine John Vercoe, Chairman, from the University of Nairobi, a Master of Science degree in Committee of Board Chairs (CBC) pathology from the University of California-Davis, and a Ph D from and Chairman of the Board, ILRI the University of Nairobi.4 4 cgiarNews r 1lJ International Colloqulum for the CGIAR and Its partners on BRIDGING THE TECHNOLOGY DIVIDE ARoI-SCIENCE ALLIANCES AND THEI NEW ARCHITECTURE o0 INNOVATION l INAUGURATION BY S EXCELLENCY SHRI SURJIT SINGH BARNALA Bio| tech Co^Vlloqui -LUERNOR OF ANDHRA PRADESH brings together ' ;f diverse stakeholders/ The International Biotechnology Colloquium-Bridging the together to discuss ways to use cutting-edge technology Technology Divide Agri-science alliances and the new archi- for removing poverty" tecture of innovation -held 17-20 March at ICRISAT's Patancheru headquarters created a unique platform that CGIAR centers use biotechnological tools to improve agri- brought together biotech stakeholders from all over the world. cultural productivity and reduce poverty To improve their effectiveness they are building partnerships with the pri- Joining ICRISAT in organizing the seminal meeting were vate sector, civil society and farmers The Colloquium ana- CIAT, ILRI and ISNAR, as well as the CGIAR Central lyzed multisector partnership projects in the Americas, Advisory Service for Intellectual Property Europe, Africa and Asia, and discussed critical challenges and opportunities for building future partnerships The Governor of Andhra Pradesh state, His Excellency Surjit Singh Barnala, inaugurated the Colloquium on 18 March ICRISAT's partnerships with the private sector have resulted Mr Barnala stressed the need for public policy interventions in the setting up of the Technology Innovation Center Two to ensure that poor communities in the developing coun- components of this initiative are the Agri-business tries benefit from biotechnology Though India has skilled Incubator and the Agri-biotech Park-both of which will be human resources and research infrastructure greater con- part of the State Government's Genome Valley project nectivity is needed between those with scientific knowl- edge and those who will productively use it. The colloquium was a step forward in the CGIAR's con- sultative process involving dialogue with multiple stake- As ICRISAT's Director General William Dar noted in his holders on biotechnology The outcomes of the dialogue inaugural address, "It is very rare that international and initiated at Patancheru will guide the process of building national research institutions, advanced laboratories, the a new architecture of innovation for impact on poverty private sector, civil society and farmer's organizations come alleviation 4f New Opportunities for Rice Research in Mali Due to the continuing political crisis in ARC has temporarily relocated its scien- Animal Husbandry and Fisheries, Cote d'lvoire, leading rice researchers tists to Bamako, Mali, to continue the Government of Mali, welcoming the at WARDA-The Africa Rice Center Center's research activities that have increased collaboration "Rice responds (ARC) are exploring new avenues for been affected by the unrest well to the twin challenges of achieving research cooperation in Mali, one of food security and creating economic the most important rice-growing coun- "This is the beginning of a new phase wealth and can help us to enter the tries in Africa of collaboration in rice research," said world market Seydou Traore, Minister for Agriculture, Continued on page 10 April 2003 5 Uzbek Genebankk1_- Renovaat 0n HanRed as -X Partnershonp Success The ribbon was cut on a newly renovated genebank at the _ Uzbek Research Institute of Plant Industry, Tashkent, -w Uzbekistan Dr Sherali Nurmatov, Deputy Minister of _ .-__ F Agriculture and Director General of the Uzbek Scientific Production Center for Agriculture, formally opened Dr Ravza Mavljanova, Deputy Director of the Uzbek Research the facility Institute of Plant Industry, Tashkent, examines seed samples in the newly renovated genebank The genebank was established in 1924 by well-known Russian collector and academician Nikolai Ivanovich Vavilov installed, and 20,000 plastic bottles for storage of seeds have (1887-1943) The facility has seen good and bad times since been provided. The speedy renovation of the genebank was then, but its collections faced the biggest risk after the supported by USDA ICARDA and ACIAR continue to support breakdown of the former Soviet Union the Institute's efforts by providing computers and training, and participating in plant collection missions Recognizing the value and unique nature of the genetic resources, ICARDA, in partnership with the U.S Department "The facility has come up exceedingly well and now looks of Agriculture (USDA), Australian Centre for International quite modern and functional," said Dr Raj Paroda, Agricultural Research (ACIAR), IPGRI, and the national agricul- Coordinator of ICARDA's Central Asia and Caucasus (CAC) tural research system, has worked closely with the institute to Regional Program Dr Paroda is also Head of the Facilitation plan for and secure funding to upgrade the facility The Unit of the CGIAR Program for CAC. genebank has a cool chamber with backup generator for medium-term storage Some used equipment, such as germi- The inauguration of the facility was covered in the Uzbek nators, balances and refrigerators, has also been repaired and media 4 Mention maize diversity and people like a maize basket far to the west-a "We hope to capture the unique traits conjure up images of blue, yellow, and colorful display of black, purple, red, of native landraces and learn about the white tortillas made from maize grown yellow, white, and mixed-color ears, of adaptations used by farmers," says by traditional farmers in Mesoamerica varying lengths and circumferences. Zacharias Muthamia, officer-in-charge Indeed, the vast bulk of landraces And these varieties carry traits that of the KARI genebank "This project among the 22,000 accessions found in breeders and future generations may provides a major renewal of our maize CIMMYT's maize genebank originate find extremely useful. materials, and helps us to systematically from this region collect and characterize these resources The Kenyan Agricultural Research It's an important contribution to sus- Maize diversity is not limited to the Institute (KARI) has joined forces with tainable agriculture, both now and for cereal's center of origin and domestica- CIMMYT, IPGRI, and IFPRI to capture and the future tion, however A farmer's maize basket characterize maize diversity for the ben- from coastal Kenya looks surprisingly efit of current and future researchers Continued on page 10 6 cgiarNews NERICA Seed for Safeguarding Cote d'Ivoire's Future _ While images of the conflict in C6te ARC is providing breeders' seed of NERI- d'lvoire were broadcast widely, little is CA and other promising rice varieties to known about the heartwarming story women farmers with the help of a local of NERICA (New Rice for Africa) seeds, NGO, the Organisation volontaire du saved by women farmers, helping developpement local (OVDL) Women Jumpstart and rehabilitate agriculture in farmers are also trained in community- the war-torn country NERICA was cre- based seed production systems ated by WARDA-The Africa Rice Women farmers in Danane are key to achieving Center and the new rice is bringing NERICA is well suited for use by poor food security and peace in C6te d'lvoire hope to millions of poor farmers in farmers who cannot afford costly inputs Africa, particularly women farmers such as fertilizer and herbicides Women farmers have found a strong ally in NERI- "Despite the conflict, enterprising CA because it boosts incomes and helps exhausted and the standing crop is not women farmers in Danane, western to better feed their families ready for harvest Early harvests help Ci5te d'lvoire were able to harvest and feed school-going children in August, save 25 tons of NERICA seeds last Apart from desired traits such as high and income earned from selling rice also year," said Gouantoueu Guei, head of productivity, improved protein content, helps pay children's school fees genetic resources at ARC "Under the and weed resistance, NERICA rice aegis of the Government's 'Rice for All' matures 30 to 50 days earlier than "Our experiences once again reveal the program, the saved seeds will help other varieties grown in the region This fundamentally crucial role women play farmers to plant crops thereby restart- early-maturing trait is particularly valu- in agriculture and seed storage," adds ing agriculture in war-ravaged areas able for rural women because it allows Dr Guei. "Their efforts are crucial to and helping lay the foundations for them to bridge the perilous 'hungry future food production of the whole economic growth and durable peace " season' gap when food stocks are country "40i ICARDA Boosts Seed Cleaning Facilities in Afghanistan Within the framework of the Future Harvest Consortium to "These units, with a capacity of processing 300 kilograms of Rebuild Agriculture in Afghanistan, ICARDA supplied 53 tons seeds per hour, are ideal for cleaning and treating seeds from of foundation seed from its Tel Hadya research station, Syria. small production plots," says Adel El-Beltagy, Director General, ICARDA "They are easily towed by a tractor, allow- Quality seed is essential for restarting agriculture, creating the ing us to cover larger areas and thereby increase the effec- foundations for economic growth and peace Seventy-five tiveness of the overall effort genotypes of bread and durum wheat, barley, lentil, chickpea and forage legumes-all tested for their adaptation to specif- The units have been checked, tested and demonstrated to ic growing conditions in Afghanistan-will be sown during users in Afghanistan Five more mobile seed cleaning units the 2002/2003 cropping season In preparation for harvest of with similar specifications, but higher capacity (1 tlhr) are the seed in 2003, ICARDA has provided six small-scale seed- under construction and will be sent to Afghanistan soon The cleaning units The units were designed by ICARDA and man- Consortium is supported by the United States Agency for ufactured by Darbas Company based in Kamishly, Syria International Development (USAID) 4fi April 2003 7 Participants at I the Iberoamerica xxF_ś' v - meeting visiting the successful "; CIRNMA project in Puno, Peru Iberoamerican researchers meet at CIP Spain's Ministry of Science and Research collaboration in the Latin America region was strengthened at the 2nd Technology (Ministerio de meeting of the Iberoamerican alliance held at CIP headquarters in March in Lima Ciencia y Tecnologia) announced in February 2002 that the Scientists and researchers from national agricultural research institutes (NARls) of Spanish Council of Ministers had Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Peru, *app rov ncrease suprt to Portugal, Spain, Uruguay, Venezuela Spain, Portugal, CIP, CIAT and CIMMYT approved Increased suipport to signed an agreement establishing a permanent forum for advancing cooperation the CGIAR (to $1 9 million, up in research, training and information for food and agriculture research The agree- from $0.83 million, representing ment was signed by Sehor Carlos Diaz Valcarcel, Ambassador of Spain to Peru a 1 3 5 percent increase) "We are delighted that so many senior representatives of national agricultural research systems attended the meeting", said Hugo Li-Pun, Deputy Director General "I hope Spain's increased for Corporate Development, CIP "This is an important step in linking institutes support will help to around the world, and will provide many new opportunities for collaborative research and training." launch new collaborative projects," said Adolfo In addition to opening channels for training and information exchange, the alliance aims to increase agricultural exports of Latin American countries Cazorla Montero, Director "Participants were excited at the potential opportunities that the collaboration General, Spanish Nationa presents", adds Dr Li-Pun "Poverty and environmental degradation remain signif- icant challenges in Latin America, but with additional support and cooperation Institute for Agricultural from Spain and Portugal, these challenges can be met " and Food Research and The alliance is focusing on training activities in research management and collabo- Technology (INIA). ration in key areas such as genetic resources, food safety and quality, reduction of post-harvest losses, agro-industry, and improved management of natural resources The CGIAR gratefully Participants also visited a long-running project in Puno, in the Peruvian Highlands acknowledges the Supported by Spain, the project involves collaboration with the Government of - Government of Spain's Peru, CIP, and the Centro de Investigacidn en Recursos Naturales y Medio strong and Ambiente (CIRNMA), a Peruvian NGO. The project focuses on poverty reduction continuing support. in rural areas through improved farming systems, conservation of native potatoes, processing and promotion of Andean products including yacon (an Andean root crop), quinoa, milk and cheese, sheep and alpaca meat and fiber 4 8 cgiarNews CGIAR Biofortification Challenge Program- Shared Solutions to a Global Problem More than 800 million people, mostly "Biofortification approaches are a new are aiming for a whole-diet approach for women and children, lack food that paradigm in agriculture," said Joachim healthy nutrition that benefits the poor" meets their basic energy needs. Far Voss, Director General, CIAT "The more-an estimated 3 billion-suffer results of such research will focus on The briefing was well-attended and the insidious effects of micronutrient providing better food to poor people, included informative presentations on deficiencies. not just more food " Biofortification preventing and controlling micronutrient approaches contribute directly to the malnutrition by Rae Galloway of World Making "Biofortified" crops-using Millennium Development Goals of Bank, nutritional genomics by Dean sound science to breed plants with eradicating hunger, reducing child Della Penna of Michigan State University, increased vitamin and mineral content mortality, and improving maternal and the links between human nutrition -is one of the most promising new health research and biofortification by Reynaldo tools in the fight to end malnutrition Martorell of Emory University and save lives Developing ultra-nourishing crops is one only side of the coin The other, Iodized salt offers a compelling exam- At a briefing organized for World Bank equally important side is food policy ple of the benefits of supplementation nutrition, health, agriculture, and rural This effort, to be led by IFPRI, will focus in human diets In 1990, less than 20 development specialists, the enormous on key nutrition policy issues such as percent of households consumed potential of biofortified crops to combat nutrients lost in processing and the crit- iodized salt Today, that number has problems of hunger and widespread ical area of consumer acceptance A risen to 70 percent However, there are malnutrition was outlined The newly- proactive communication and consulta- only 28 developing countries where approved CGIAR Challenge Program tion strategy will be an integral part of universal salt iodization has been "Biofortified Crops for Improved Human the research effort. achieved Combining current supple- Nutrition," led by CIAT and IFPRI, mentation programs with food-based brought together a diverse range of "Biofortification is not the proverbial solutions is one of the promising ways partners for a discussion of the research silver bullet," cautioned Joachim von of tackling hunger and malnutrition 4f agenda and next steps. Braun, Director General, IFPRI "We New Consortium is Boosting Information Access Rapid information access, at computer desktops, is one of * Joint acquisition of "Science Online" involving participa- the marvels of the Internet age. The CGIAR's new Library tion by nine CGIAR Centers, WARDA-ARC has free access and Information Services Consortium (CG-LISC), a network to this service of Information Managers in the CGIAR is working to increase * Joint purchase of the CAB Agrivista database, CABI efficiency in acquiring, sharing, and disseminating information offered simultaneous access to 8 CGNET users and AGRIV- to scientists while reducing costs and time delays. Examples of ISTA has placed no restrictions on the number of users significant progress and substantial savings include * Locating INMAGIC databases and WebPublisher program on a common server at CGNET, increasing systemwide * Increased access to e-journals by using a common journal access to these widely-used programs aggregator-CGIAR scientists and researchers are now * Further development of the CGIAR library gateway portal receiving 60 e-journals for the price of 39 page as the central point for accessing CGIAR information Continued on page 11 April 2003 9 Kenyan Maize continued Rice Research continued As part of the Insect Resistant Maize in "By strengthening our presence in Africa (IRMA) project, extensive farmer Mali, our scientists have a great oppor- 4 - x tl.> f 9|6 surveys were conducted by Hugo de tunity to explore new rice ecologies I - - > ^ + r' Groote, CIMMYT socioeconomist and and cropping systems as well as new >I4r _ ,& W tGeorge Owuor of Kenya's Egerton niches for our products," said Kanayo * -~q,e,i