Unplanned but well prepared: A reinterpreted success story of international agricultural research, and its implications

A recent study found that adoption rates of improved chickpea varieties were above 90 per cent in Andhra Pradesh, India. In this paper, we use a novel perspective to reconstruct and attribute how this outcome came about. The accepted success narrative is that the public international agricultural research system developed some excellent new chickpea varieties, which were well suited to local agro-ecologies, farming systems and cropping patterns, and highly appreciated by farmers. We argue that this narrative is incomplete, because it constitutes only a partial explanation of the confluence of factors that led to the outcome. We reconstruct the success story using a recent conceptual framework that decomposes the technological change process into four aspects: propositions, encounters, dispositions and responses (PEDR). We show that many of the factors which contributed to the spread of modern chickpea varieties in Andhra Pradesh lay beyond the control of the international agricultural research system, and operated across large spatial and temporal scales. In conclusion, we argue that the success of improved chickpeas in Andhra Pradesh underscores the value of basic plant breeding and research, which aim to produce public goods. We relate our analysis to current discussions about the future strategic direction of international agricultural research organisations and the CGIAR. Our argument implies a criticism of the drive to develop new varieties which conform to product profiles that are based on predictions of current and near-term demand. While that approach makes sense for product developers seeking to serve commercial markets, basic research is needed to create and diversify technical options, which anticipate a range of future needs that are hard to predict in the present.

End User Involvement on Performance of Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research Institutes in Kenya

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to assess the influence of end user involvement on performance of consultative group on international agricultural research institutes in Kenya.Methodology: This research study adopted a descriptive research design approach. The researcher prefers this method because it allows an in-depth study of the subject. The target population were procurement 152 officers in the consultative group on international agricultural research institutes in Kenya. This study used census as a rule of thumb since the population of procurement officers in consultative group on international agricultural research institutes is less than 200. The study combined two methods in its data collection that is, questionnaires and key informant interviews. After data collection, quantitative data was coded using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 20. Data was analyzed through descriptive statistical methods such as means, standard deviation, frequencies and percentage. Inferential analyses were used in relation to correlation analysis and regression analysis to test the relationship between the four explanatory variables and the explained variableResults and conclusion: The findings of the study indicated that need identification phase, design phase, implementation phase and maintenance phase have a positive relationship with performance of consultative group on international agricultural research institutes in Kenya.Unique contribution to theory, policy and practice: The study recommended that institutions should embrace need identification phase, design phase, implementation phase and maintenance phase so as to improve performance of consultative group on international agricultural research institutes and further researches should to be carried out in other institutions to find out if the same results can be obtained.

Michael Denis Gale. 25 August 1943—18 July 2009

Michael (Mike) Gale was an internationally well-known crop geneticist with a career devoted mostly to wheat genetics. However, he also studied rice, maize, pearl millet and fox millet for the benefit of agriculture in developing countries. He brought new knowledge and techniques into plant breeding that made a difference to crop improvement worldwide. Noteworthy is his team's leadership in (i) defining the genetic basis of dwarfism in wheat, the major genetic innovation underlying the previously achieved ‘green revolution’ in wheat production; (ii) expanding knowledge of ‘pre-harvest sprouting’, which occurs in many wheat varieties growing in temperate climates, which reduces their flour quality and value; (iii) developing the first comprehensive genetic maps of wheat based on isozymic and DNA-based molecular markers; and (iv) developing the comparative genetics of grasses based on the conserved order of genes on chromosome segments, consistent with the evolution of the species from a common ancestor. These discoveries had a major impact in plant genetics. His team also provided the worldwide cereal geneticists and breeding communities with technologies and genetic markers that accelerated the development of cereal genetics and facilitated more efficient plant breeding. He made major and influential contributions to international agricultural research, particularly targeted at developing countries, through his participation on international and national committees, including those of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research. His contribution helped to drive the international research agenda for crop genetics, plant breeding and plant science generally.