CGIAR CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH MARCH 1999

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1 CGIAR NEWS CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH MARCH 1999 SYSTEM REVIEW SHAPES AGENDA FOR BEIJING The third System Review offered twentynine key recommendations on science, partnerships, and governance and finance to help position the CGIAR for the 21st Century. CGIAR members will decide on those proposals and an implementation plan at the CGIAR's Mid-Term Meeting (MTM99) from May in Beijing, China. The independent panel of experts headed by Maurice Strong, Chairman of the Earth Council and Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Environment and Development, conducted the assessment in The Review Panel found that the CGIAR is an extraordinary resource for providing agricultural knowledge to improve the lives of the poor and hungry in developing countries. The CGIAR moved closer to implementation of the Panel's recommendations with the successful completion of the Consultative Council meeting in late January. Creation of the Council was an important experiment by the CGIAR, an attempt to entrust a fully representative group with the responsibility for helping expedite decision making by the CGIAR. During its Visit the NEW 1 1/2 day meeting in Brussels, the Council scrutinized, analyzed, and refined System Review recommendations to facilitate decision making by Members at MTM99. Our goal is to enable the CGIAR system to seize the opportunities provided by dazzling new developments in the world of science, serve as the catalyst of a new international order of genuine research partnerships, and ensure that the work of the CGIAR and its partners will help to strengthen diminished human lives, said CGIAR Chairman Ismail Serageldin. What was most impressive was the Council s creative, constructive, and results-oriented approach said Mr. Serageldin. There was nothing casual or off-hand about the speed at which business was conducted. Continued on page 2 CGIAR website at: WARDA EARNS WORLD BANK ACCLAIM An innovative working partnership between WARDA, Guinea s agricultural research and extension services, and local farmers has received praise from the World Bank. The collaborative research program is farm-testing and introducing more resilient and productive rice varieties in the West African nation. Their early successes were cited as a Best Practice by the World Bank, affirmation that the partnership was speeding up technology transfer to Guinea s small-scale rice growers. Improving the productivity of upland rice has been a major challenge for Guinea s agricultural services. Though rice is the main staple, low yields make the country very dependent on rice imports. And while Guinea did not have improved technology available, WARDA, located in neighboring Côte d Ivoire, had already developed interspecific rice Continued on page 9 CGIAR NEWS PAGE 1

2 ICARDA RESEARCH FIGHTS PARALYSIS AND HUNGER Grasspea (Lathyrus sativus) or chickling is a cheap and popular food and fodder crop among the poor in certain Asian and African countries. It fixes atmospheric nitrogen, enriches the soil, can withstand drought, flood, and moderate salinity, and requires few inputs for its cultivation. Grass pea is sometimes the only source of food for the poor, particularly in times of drought-induced famine. Grasspea seeds are tasty, proteinrich, and contain a high amount of IN THIS ISSUE 1 MTM99 System Review Shapes Agenda for Beijing 1 WARDA Earns World Bank Acclaim 2 ICARDA Research Fights Paralysis and Hunger 3 IITA Brings New Food to Nigeria 4 ICIS: Sharing Crop Information Globally 5 World's Only Rice Library Goes Global 6 IPGRI Celebrates Its First 25 years 7 Agriculture Contributes to Peace; Future Harvest Reports 10 Announcements ICRAF Public Awareness Workshop for NARS Leaders Groundbreaking for CIP's New Biodiversity Complex Search for New TAC Chair CGIAR Chairman Leads New World Commission on Water Awards to CGIAR Scientists Sad News Issued by the CGIAR Secretariat 1818 H Street, NW, Washington DC, 20433, USA Telephone: (1-202) Fax: (1-202) L homo-arginine, a precursor of an important amino acid, lysine, essential in human nutrition. However, overconsumption of grasspea can cause a disease known as neurolathyrism or paraparesis, an irreversible paralysis of the lower limbs. The level of disease-causing toxin in dry seeds depends on both genetic and environmental factors. Neurolathyrism in Ethiopia and parts of Bangladesh, Nepal, and India is a common sight. Yet, economic factors are driving the expansion of grasspea cultivation and consumption. As a result, the danger of an increase in the number of crippled people is growing. The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) has a breeding program for the improvement of cool-season food and forage legumes, including grasspea. It also holds a rich collection of Lathyrus spp. germplasm (1374 accessions) from different parts of the world. In collaboration with its national partners, ICARDA is developing new grasspea lines which AGENDA FOR BEIJING Continued from page 1 Mr. Serageldin expressed appreciation to the Council members and to the System Review Panel. We will always owe Maurice Strong and his distinguished colleagues a debt of gratitude. The endorsement they offered the CGIAR, and the challenges they posed, have inspired us to draw strength from produce high yields, are resistant to pests and disease, can tolerate drought and heat, and contain low levels of the neurotoxin. A breeding program for developing low/safe level of neurotoxin in Lathyrus sativus began in It has involved screening of the available germplasm collection for agronomic characters and protein and the neurotoxin content, identifying elite parental lines for crossing, and developing superior breeding lines for testing at sites in different countries. Four improved lines with a low neurotoxin content (ranging from 0.02% to 0.07%), respectively, have been developed. By comparison, local landraces contain 0.24% to 1.2% of the neurotoxin. ICARDA is sharing these and other improved lines with those developing countries where grasspea is an important crop. The goal is to help alleviate malnutrition where grasspea is eaten, and, more importantly, to reduce the incidence of neurolathyrism. deep within ourselves as we seek to reposition the CGIAR for the next decade and beyond. Hundreds of scientists and representatives of the global agricultural research community will join CGIAR members at MTM99, which is being hosted by the Government of the People's Republic of China (Ministry of Agriculture). The theme of MTM99 is The Third System Review: From Proposals to Practice. PAGE 2 CGIAR NEWS

3 IITA BRINGS NEW FOOD TO NIGERIA Tofu soybean curd extensively eaten in Asia and the West, is becoming a popular, indigenous food in Nigeria, Africa s most populous country. The soy cheese is replacing a traditional dairy product, wara, an unripened cheese made from cow s milk which has become increasingly costly and out of reach of poor consumers. Tofu is a curd that is made directly by coagulating soymilk. It resembles a soft white cheese and contains coagulated soy protein gel with water, soy lipids, and other constituent s. Tofu is inexpensive, nutritious, and versatile in use. Pressed tofu has 10% protein and 3.5% fat. IITA began soybean utilization research in 1985 seeking appropriate technologies for both home level and small scale industrial processing in for Africa. The goal was to improve the nutrition and health of children, and pregnant and lactating women by finding a cheaper substitute to wara. Soybean Production Gains The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada began supporting IITA s soybean work in 1987, and joint activities helped spread the cultivation of improved soybean varieties throughout Nigeria. Best estimates are that from a base of only about 5,000-10,000 tons in 1985, soybean output grew by ten to twenty-fold by Because of the very good success in Nigeria, the soybean promotional work has moved on to Ghana, Benin, and Côte d Ivoire. In the mid-1990s, IITA turned to the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for assistance in food technologies. Dr. O. Nakayama, one of the world s leading tofu experts, was dispatched to IITA and began developing methods to make tofu using cheap local coagulants. In Asia, calcium sulphate or bittern (magnesium chloride) is used, but these chemicals were either too expensive or not readily available in Nigeria, especially in rural areas. Nakayama developed a tofu-making procedure using the same coagulant (juice extract from bombom leaves) that housewives were using for making wara. He also found that other coagulants such as lime/lemon juice worked well. Once exposed to the process, Nigerian tofu makers discovered several other agents that could serve as coagulants. IITA subsequently provided training in production of tofu in numerous villages, and these processes caught on very quickly. Now there is an emerging market developing side by side with wara. Tofu consumption has increased rapidly in many parts of Nigeria, and tofu making has become an income generator for many housewives. It is fried and sold on the streets and consumed as a snack or as meat substitute in stews and soups. New Source of Nutrition and Employment Dr. Ken Dashiell has spearheaded the project for IITA. He s delighted with the way tofu has caught on. No quantitative survey has been conducted to estimate the amount of tofu produced, but what we have observed is that it is being produced and sold in most big cities, and in many small villages over a large area in Northern Nigeria. You can buy it in almost every market. I have never seen a new technology spread so fast during my 16 years in Africa. By 1997, 47,000 people, including 30,000 women, have been trained in how to produce and use soybean to fortify their diets. About 140 food products have been developed, some of which have been scaled up to industrial-level production. Some 60 enterprises are processing soybean for food and livestock feeds. In one state, 35 percent of the hospitals are using soy products to treat malnutrition. Japan provided us with Dr. Nakayama, who worked at IITA for two and a half years and is widely considered the world s leading expert on tofu, said Ken Dashiell. IDRC provided us with long term research support over more than a decade. We all say thank you to Japan and Canada for introducing this nutritious product to Nigeria. It is already becoming popular in many more African countries. CGIAR NEWS PAGE 3

4 ICIS: SHARING CROP INFORMATION GLOBALLY For many researchers in developing countries, the information revolution has been more of a promise than a reality. But now an informal association of scientists and programmers is developing a powerful, flexible data management system that enables agricultural researchers worldwide to harness the power of information technology. The International Crop Information System (ICIS) gives researchers the tools to manage and share data more effectively. A Wealth of New Tools The core of ICIS is a relational database structure that stores data on plant genetic resources, pedigrees, field and laboratory evaluations, and auxiliary data on locations, institutions, and people. A component of ICIS called the Genealogy Management System (GMS) provides pedigree and selection histories for crops as different as rice, maize, and cassava. It can record the use of specialized techniques such as mutation breeding and genetic transformation. Unique germplasm identifiers assigned by the Genealogy Management System allow integration of multi-source data, overcoming the traditional problems of local naming conventions. The Data Management System (DMS) handles data from field and laboratory studies, including experiments with formal designs, survey data, and expert opinion. Any given trait for a crop, such as drought tolerance in maize, can be associated with a full description of the methods used to obtain the data on that trait. Linkages between the Genealogy and Data Management Systems are providing crop scientists even greater querying power than originally anticipated. ICIS allows researchers to manage their own data in parallel with data from other sources, and it has a structure of parallel central and local versions. This structure provides local read/write capabilities so that data generated locally can be periodically merged and harmonized with the central base at the local user s discretion. Thus, a breeder using genetic material licensed by a private company is not obliged to disclose performance data that may be restricted. Besides providing basic tools for inputting data and managing queries and outputs, ICIS provides more specialized decision support tools. Tools for displaying pedigree trees and estimating coefficients of parentage allow scientists to examine genetic relationships in germplasm. With these, researchers can also improve the selection of parents used in breeding and monitor overall trends in genetic diversity. Simple GIS functions are being incorporated into ICIS, and a tool for exporting data to crop simulation models is also under development. Diversity and Compatibility: The Keys to ICIS Development The team working on ICIS is led by scientists from CIMMYT and IRRI. In designing the Data Management System, PAGE 4 CGIAR NEWS

5 researchers at IRRI, ICRAF, and CIMMYT developed three independent prototypes which were then merged to produce a single, more robust solution. The system easily stores data from studies as diverse as crop growth analysis experiments for crop modeling, on-farm surveys of rice and wheat crop management practices and international yield trials. Priority has also been given to providing seamless links between ICIS and other information technologies used in agriculture. The System-wide Genetic Resources Program (SGRP) of the CGIAR has endorsed ICIS as a critical initiative in the establishment of germplasm information systems. ICIS has been funded as a core activity at CIMMYT, IRRI, and other CGIAR institutes, with supplementary project funding from Australia, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and USA. The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research is funding a project with SGRP to ensure that ICIS and the System-wide Information Network for Genetic Resources (SINGER) exchange data smoothly. The software framework for launching ICIS applications has been provided through a USAID-funded project in which CIMMYT and collaborators have developed Country Almanacs, which are self-contained sets of data and map viewing tools for various African countries. Recognizing the need to link conventional evaluation data to molecular marker data, Australia s Grains Research and Development Corporation is supporting the development of tools for storing and querying marker data within ICIS. ICIS is still a work in progress. Versions of the ICIS Genealogy Management System are now available for rice (IRRI), wheat (CIMMYT), cowpea (IITA), and common bean (CIAT). Detailed information on ICIS may be obtained at its web site: World s Only Rice Library Goes Global Global expansion is the goal of more and more enterprises, and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) Library Rice Bibliography is following the trend. By taking advantage of modern technology, the IRRI Library is discovering that distance no longer hinders the flow of rice information to its clients. Since its launch in the early 1960s, the Rice Bibliography has been the Library s flagship product, explained Ian Wallace, IRRI librarian and head of IRRI s Information Center. And now that it is available on the Internet, we can reach more scientists than ever before without increasing our costs. The Rice Bibliography contains more than 170,000 references on rice, in at least 80 languages. English is the major language at 66 percent of the entries, followed by Japanese at 19 percent and Chinese at 7 percent. Scientists around the world are searching the Rice Bibliography on the Internet and selecting items of interest. Using specialized software, IRRI can then send the text of articles back to them very rapidly. Scientists in far-off countries are now almost as close to us as our colleagues in Los Baños, notes Mr. Wallace. It s giving rice research a big boost. For rice literature on the web, visit this site: CGIAR NEWS PAGE 5

6 IPGRI CELEBRATES FIRST 25 YEARS In response to calls for international action to stem the loss of plant genetic diversity, the CGIAR created the International Board for Plant Genetic Resources (IBPGR) in Initially administered by FAO, IBPGR became a fully independent CGIAR Center in 1994, when it changed its name to the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI). The Italian Government formally agreed to host the Institute s headquarters in Rome. Today, IPGRI is the world s largest international institute devoted to the conservation and use of plant genetic resources, with over 170 staff operating from 15 different offices around the world. Forty-seven countries are signatories to the agreement establishing IPGRI as an international institute. IPGRI focuses on the conservation and use of genetic resources important to developing countries and has an explicit commitment to specific crops. The institute operates three major programmes: The Plant Genetic Resources Programme supports the efforts of national systems to conserve and use plant genetic resources. The International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain (INIBAP) aims to enhance the conservation and use of two of the world s most important food commodities. The CGIAR System-wide Genetic Resources Programme (SGRP) assists the international Centers to develop common policies and strategies, and promotes greater collaboration among them. IPGRI also serves as convening Center for the SGRP. 25 th ANNIVERSARY IPGRI can point to a number of achievements during its first 25 years: Research on genetic diversity, regeneration and evaluation has resulted in advances in conservation strategies and techniques including the development of in vitro, cryopreservation, and ultra-dry seed storage methods; Development of international policies through its direct participation in various policy fora and through its popular series, Issues in Plant Genetic Resources; Development of effective national programmes in many countries; Implementation of regional, thematic and crop genetic resources networks. Today, over 150 countries participate in 50 such networks; Sponsorship of more than 560 germplasm collecting missions in 136 countries and gathering of over 240,000 samples; Assembling the world s largest collection of Musa in trust under the auspices of the FAO International Network of Ex Situ Collections; Promotion of international standards for genebank management in collaboration with FAO and others; Training of nearly 2,100 national scientists in disciplines related to the conservation and use of genetic resources; Production of a series of international guidelines for the safe movement of germplasm together with other Centres and partners; and Publication of almost 400 textbooks, peer-reviewed journals, regional newsletters, conference proceedings, and other specialized materials. As it celebrates its 25th anniversary, IPGRI s goal remains the harnessing of plant genetic diversity to achieve food security. But a new strategy presents a vision of the future that places the use of genetic resources at the center of agricultural development. Now the sustainable use of plant genetic resources will have more emphasis in the Institute s work, and it will increase its activities on the conservation of forest diversity. IPGRI also plans to expand its cooperation with a broader range of partners, including grassroots organizations, advanced research institutes and botanical gardens. IPGRI believes that this strategy will not only enhance the Institute s ability to safeguard genetic diversity for future generations, but also will enable it to put that diversity to work for development today. PAGE 6 CGIAR NEWS

7 IPGRI s Top Scientist Warns Over Plant Losses The plant species on which our food supplies depend are continuing to disappear at an alarming pace, according to Dr. Geoffrey Hawtin, Director General of IPGRI. Speaking at a ceremony to mark IPGRI s 25th anniversary, Dr. Hawtin said the diversity of the Earth s plant life is under threat as never before. While extinction is a natural process, he said, what is alarming is that owing largely to human activity, today s rate of extinction is thousands of times greater than the rate at which new species appear. This threatens to damage the food-production systems that support us. Thousands of different varieties of rice, wheat, maize and other vital crops have disappeared in recent years, and the trend continues, warned Dr. Hawtin. Plant varieties contain different combinations of genes used by scientists to breed better and stronger crops. Plant diversity is vital if food production is to be sustained. Properly managed and used, plant genetic resources need not be depleted, said Dr. Hawtin. Genetic diversity is humanity s best weapon against poverty and food insecurity. AGRICULTURE CONTRIBUTES TO PEACE, FUTURE HARVEST REPORTS The unique relationship between poverty and armed conflict and conversely, the need for agricultural development to contribute to peace is the focus of a new study conducted by one of the world's leading peace institutions. The report, To Cultivate Peace: Agriculture in a World of Conflict, co-authored by Dr. Indra Soysa and Nils Petter Gleditsch of the International Peace Research Institute in Oslo (PRIO), is the first study commissioned by Future Harvest, the public awareness campaign of the CGIAR Centers. The study was launched simultaneously in the US, United Kingdom, Colombia, Mexico, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Australia. The principal findings were presented and discussed at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC in February. The authors were joined by CGIAR Chairman Ismail Serageldin and William Wise, former Deputy National Security Advisor to U.S. Vice President Al Gore. In the post-cold War period, the report found, new patterns of wars have emerged that have killed an estimated 4 million people, 90 percent of them non-combatants. These conflicts have increasingly been fought by civilians, predominantly in the poorest regions of the world that are dependent on agriculture. It is much less expensive to provide poor nations with technical agricultural assistance now rather than rushing in emergency food aid to war-ravaged regions later, said CGIAR Chairman Ismail Serageldin. Rural development based on improved agriculture will fuel the economic growth that is necessary to reduce the conditions that cause strife and conflict. Continued on page 8 CGIAR NEWS PAGE 7

8 FUTURE HARVEST REPORTS Continued from page 7 By the mid-1990s, the annual costs of international peacekeeping and emergency humanitarian assistance due primarily to war reached $10 billion per year, according to the United Nations. The report cites research showing that the food gap is most acute in Sub-Saharan Africa and large parts of Asia where population growth has outpaced the capacity to produce enough food. Africans consume 20 percent less food in absolute terms today than they did in the 1950s. This food gap is expected to double in the developing world, and the report says that this trend could prove to be ominous if armed conflict continues to disrupt agricultural production and if more wars are generated by food insecurity and rural vulnerability. The report adds that efforts to increase food production and eliminate poverty will require new technologies. Scientists from the 16 CGIAR centers estimate that hungry regions of the world can produce twice the food they produce now, if they have the right technology, from science and research, and can apply it properly, through the right policies. Seeds Return Home After War Cambodian farmers were discouraged from growing deepwater rice during their country's long civil war. When they finally could cultivate the varieties again, the seeds were gone. Fortunately, samples had been safely conserved in the International Rice Genebank (IRG) at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). Today, Cambodians are once again growing deepwater rice. Rice varieties safeguarded in the IRG have been restored to their countries of origin when they have been lost in Cambodia, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, and Sri Lanka. Altogether, more than 84,000 germplasm samples were distributed to researchers in 54 countries between 1993 and 1997 through the IRG. To facilitate the day-to-day management of rice germplasm and to share this vast body of information, the IRG Collection Information Systems (IRGCIS) was developed. It is available on the World Wide Web through the system-wide Information Network for Genetic Resources (SINGER) project at: Today, collection efforts focus on countries in which rice diversity is underrepresented in the IRG or is threatened. For example, Laos has gone from an underrepresented country to being the second largest component of the IRG collection. These efforts are being supported through a Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation project aimed at accelerating conservation efforts and ensuring that the broad base of rice biodiversity is secured by the year PAGE 8 CGIAR NEWS

9 WARDA Continued from page 1 varieties that combined the best characteristics of the high-yielding Oryza sativa varieties from Asia with those of the hardy Oryza glaberrima varieties indigenous to West Africa. The normal approach would call for testing new varieties at research stations, and only then releasing them for on-farm trials and extension years down the road. To accelerate the process, Guinea s national extension service (Service National de la Promotion Rurale et de la Vulgarisation) teamed up with IRAG (Institut de Recherche Agronomique de Guinée) in a pilot program that brought the promising WARDA varieties for evaluations on IRAG stations and in farmers fields. The participatory pilot program was supported by the World Bank and the Special Program for African Agricultural Research (SPAAR). In 1997, the first year of the program, 116 farmers in eight prefectures of Guinea completed trials, using their normal practices. Altogether, farmers experimented with eight new WARDA varieties. The farmer-managed trials made new varieties available to farmers, demonstrated their potential, and encouraged the farmers to further experiment. The results of the farmer-managed trials were broadly in line with those achieved on IRAG's stations, and in participatory researcher-managed on-farm trials that were evaluated with farmers. In 1998, the farmer-managed trials were expanded to 16 prefectures and 240 farmers. Some 200 WARDA interspecific lines were screened on stations to find new promising varieties for farmer-managed trials. Among the important lessons: Potentially promising new technologies can be brought directly to farmers, without first going through multi-year, multi-locational trials by national research systems. Small research and extension systems especially can speed up the flow of improved technology to farmers if they help farmers try locally what researchers have produced elsewhere. Farmers are willing to experiment with new technologies on a small scale and seldom adopt new varieties without doing so first. Compensation for participating farmers may not be needed; therefore, farmer-managed trials can be inexpensive. Success requires good collaboration between research and extension, careful training of the extension agents, a participatory approach that also involves women farmers, and an attitude that farmers can be trusted to choose for themselves. Where the seed industry is weak and/or regulations on commercial seed trade highly restrictive, farmermanaged trials can be particularly useful in promoting access to improved germplasm. According to Josef Toledano, a rural development officer overseeing the field trials through the World Bank s offices in Conakry, Guinea, Results from the 1998 trials are very positive as the new rice types reduce women s labor for weed control, have higher protein content, and can reduce the intensity of slash-andburn farming. CGIAR NEWS PAGE 9

10 ANNOUNCEMENTS ICRAF Hosts Public Awareness Workshop for NARS Leaders Thirteen leaders from the national agricultural research systems of eight countries in eastern and central Africa assembled in Nairobi in December, 1998 to learn how a focussed program of public awareness can improve the image of their institutions with influential audiences. The Workshop on Public Awareness for Agricultural Research and Development in Eastern and Central Africa was organised and hosted by ICRAF with technical and financial support from the European Union s Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation. It was co-sponsored by the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA). Evaluations by the leaders were so favourable that ICRAF is now considering duplicating the workshop in southern Africa in Groundbreaking for CIP s New Biodiversity Complex Lima s summer sun shone on the official groundbreaking ceremony for CIP s new Biodiversity Complex. The complex is being built on the grounds of the experiment station in La Molina, with construction carried out in two phases: Phase I, a biosecurity laboratory; and Phase II, a building to house CIP s World Germplasm Collections which are outgrowing their current home cryopreservation activities, and training in conservation methods. The Government of Japan has committed $400,000 over two years toward the realization of this project. The Ambassador of Japan to Peru, Yoshizo Konishi, and the Vice-Minister of Agriculture, Rodolfo Masuda attended the ceremony, among other guests and colleagues. Search for New TAC Chair The CGIAR has established a search committee to identify a successor to Donald Winkelmann, current Chair of CGIAR s Technical Advisory Committee, whose term comes to an end in December 31, The committee consists of the CGIAR Cosponsors, and is expected to recommend an appointment by September, 1999 for a term of five years, commencing January 1, The TAC is currently composed of a Chairman and 10 scientists from industrialized and developing countries. It provides a wide range of scientific and technical advice to the CGIAR, arranges special studies and Center reviews, and monitors the balance between existing programs and new areas of research Further details about TAC functions and the selection criteria and role of the TAC Chair may be obtained from: TAC Chair Search Committee, c/o Joan H. Joshi, Secretary to the Search Committee, CGIAR Secretariat, World Bank (Room J-4062), 1818 H. Street N.W., Washington, D.C USA. Fax: ; j.joshi@cgiar.org or tacsearch@cgiar.org. PAGE 10 CGIAR NEWS

11 CGIAR Chairman Leads New World Commission on Water A new World Commission on Water for the 21st Century, chaired by Ismail Serageldin, has been established under the auspices of the Marseilles-based World Water Council. The 21-member Commission supported by all major UN agencies and the World Bank is made up of internationallyrecognized water, environmental, and development experts and is charged with preparing a long-term vision for addressing water issues in the next century. Only 2.5% of the world s water is fresh, and two-thirds of this is locked in ice caps and glaciers. Much is known about managing water as a scarce resource, yet water continues to be mismanaged. Half of all the water used for irrigation disappears in seepage and evaporation. Developing countries use almost twice as much water per hectare as the developed countries and produce only one-third of the crop yield. With a view to tackling myriad technological, institutional and social issues, the Commission will create a shared Vision for water, and a framework for action to achieve it. Through the work of expert panels and broad stakeholder dialogue, the Vision exercise will propose a different future. A special panel will explore alternative scenarios for water demand and supply and thematic panels will look at trends in energy, biotechnology, information and institutions. Sectoral panels will examine water from the perspective of food (agriculture and aquaculture), people (water supply and sanitation) and the environment, and regional consultations will engage broad perspectives on these issues. Out of this collective effort will emerge a picture of the possibilities for the sustainable management of water resources and a Framework for Action to be presented to the international community on World Water Day, March 22, 2000, in the Hague, Netherlands. That report will serve as a guide for policy and decision makers for years to come. Water is a precious resource, and learning to manage it better will require us to make sure that every drop counts, whether it is used in agriculture, homes, industry, or for maintaining the earth s ecosystems said Chairman Serageldin. With agriculture being the largest user of water, the experiences of the CGIAR will undoubtedly inform and engage the deliberations of the Commission, so vital for a better water future. Awards to CGIAR Scientists ICARDA s John Ryan Wins Agronomy Society Award ICARDA Senior Scientist, John Ryan, was selected as a 1998 Fellow of the American Society of Agronomy. Dr. Ryan has a life long interest in soil and fertility studies in the Middle East. He first served as Soil Science Professor at Lebanon s American University of Beirut; then as Soil Fertility Specialist with the University of Nebraska in Morocco. The past five years he has worked as a Soil Scientist at ICARDA s research facilities in Aleppo, Syria. Dr. Ryan has published prolifically in the fields of soil fertility, genesis and conservation, as well as international soil science education. Sad News William A. C. Mathieson, a widely known and much admired CGIAR pioneer, died at his home in London in February at age 82. He was involved in the formulation of Britain s ODA policy, including strong support to the CGIAR. He was personally involved in the work of the CGIAR for many years, and was chairman of the sub-committee that helped to establish ISNAR. His widow, Elizabeth Frances Mathieson, survives him. Her address is 13, Sydney House, Woodstock Road, London W4 1DP, England. The CGIAR lost two other respected colleagues in early Dr. Henry Kendall, a Nobel laureate who worked closely with the World Bank, died while making an underwater photography dive in Florida. Professor Mohamed Dahniya, director of Sierra Leone s Institute of Agricultural Research and his wife, Florence, were victims of the violence in Sierra Leone. He was the recipient of the 1996 Chairman s Excellence in Science Award for outstanding scientific partnership with IITA. CGIAR NEWS PAGE 11

12 THE CGIAR CGIAR Chairman Ismail Serageldin CGIAR Executive Secretary Alexander von der Osten Cosponsors Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations United Nations Development Programme United Nations Environment Programme The World Bank CGIAR Members Countries Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Côte d Ivoire, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Thailand, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States of America Foundations Ford Foundation, Kellogg Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation International and Regional Organizations African Development Bank, Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, Asian Development Bank, European Commission, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Inter-American Development Bank, International Development Research Centre, International Fund for Agricultural Development, Opec Fund for International Development, United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Environment Programme, The World Bank CGIAR CENTERS International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) Cali, Colombia Phone: (57-2) Web: Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) Bogor, Indonesia Phone: (62-251) (operator) Web: International Center for the Improvement of Maize and Wheat (CIMMYT) Mexico City, Mexico Phone: (52-5) Web: International Potato Center (CIP) Lima, Peru Phone: (51-1) Fax: (51-1) Web: International Center for Agricultural Research In the Dry Areas (ICARDA) Aleppo, Syrian Arab Republic Phone: (963-21) Web: International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management (ICLARM) Makati City, Philippines Phone: (63-2) to 47 Web: International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF) Nairobi, Kenya Phone: (254-2) Web: International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) Patancheru, Andhra Pradesh, India Phone: (91-40) Web: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) Washington, DC, United States Phone: (1-202) Web: International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Ibadan, Nigeria Phone: (234-2) Web: International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) Nairobi, Kenya Phone: (254-2) Web: International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) Rome, Italy Phone: (39-06) Web: International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) Los Baños, Philippines Phone: (63-2) Web: International Service for National Agricultural Research (ISNAR) The Hague, The Netherlands Phone: (31-70) Web: International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Colombo, Sri Lanka Phone: (94-1) Web: West Africa Rice Development Association (WARDA) Bouaké, Côte d Ivoire Phone: (225) Web: PAGE 12 CGIAR NEWS Printed on Recycled Paper