|
|
|
You can get e-magazine links on WhatsApp. Click here
|
|
|
|
|
|
CGIAR research programme on legumes helping up productivity of farmers
|
|
Wednesday, 30 November, 2016, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
|
|
Our Bureau, Mumbai
|
|
fiogf49gjkf0d Two global CGIAR research programmes (CRPs) on legumes and dryland cereals are helping improve farmers’ productivity and consumption of twelve crops in sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean.
The programmes, along with national and international public and private partners, have developed and released over 256 new legume varieties (chickpea, common bean, cowpea, fava bean, groundnut, lentil, pigeonpea and soybean) and 119 dryland cereal varieties (barley, finger millet, pearl millet and sorghum) for these regions since their inception in 2012.
The impacts of the research to date were discussed in a recent meeting involving over 125 key stakeholders, that included global partners, scientists, steering and advisory committee members of CRPs on grain legumes and dryland cereals.
The stakeholders came together at a three-day meeting at ICRISAT-Patancheru, India, to review the progress and outputs made during the first four years of the two programmes.
The two CRPs were launched in mid-2012 in response to the global challenges of hunger, malnutrition, poverty and climate change. With a strong global partnership, they brought together knowledge, expertise and experience from stakeholders in the public and private sectors, governments and farmers worldwide.
The two programmes completed their first phase in December 2014 and are currently in a two-year extension phase. Delivery of outcomes and impact from the two programmes has been significant since their inception.
Dr Shoba Sivasankar, director, CRPs on grain legumes and dryland cereals, highlighted the key achievements of the first four years of the ambitious 10-year research programmes targeting grain legumes and dryland cereals.
|
Achievements
of grain
legumes
(2012
to mid-2016)
(Chickpea,
common bean, cowpea, fava
bean, groundnut, lentil, pigeonpea and soybean)
|
Achievements
of dryland
cereals
(2012
to mid-2016)
(Barley,
finger millet, pearl millet and sorghum)
|
-
252
new varieties and
four new
hybrids released
-
Production
and distribution of 4,45,847
metric tons of seeds facilitated
-
23,582
demonstration trials held to demonstrate new management practices
-
1,081
research publications published, of which 583 are on different
ISI journals
-
1,032,246
farmers participated in farmer field days
-
30,886
(17,945 women) trainees trained in various short-duration
training programmes
-
129
(63 women) students completed their master’s training
-
150
(45 women) students completed their Ph
D
training
|
-
85
new varieties and 34 new hybrids released
-
8,701,562
hectares
of area
covered by improved varieties
-
production
and distribution of 14,386 metric tons of seeds facilitated
-
34
management practices demonstrated
-
217
research publications published, of which 102 are on different
ISI journals
-
67,394
(18,372 women) farmers participated in farmer field days
-
11,448
trainees trained in various short-duration training programmes
-
28
students completed their master’s training
-
24
students completed their Ph
D
training
|
(A graphical representation of the above achievements is appended below.)
In his message, David Bergvinson, director general, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), stressed that both grain legumes and dryland cereals that deal with the 12 nutritious and climate-smart commodities are key to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
These crops are critically important for farmers to realise the full economic potential in a sustainable manner.
Jill Findeis, director, Division of Applied Social Sciences, University of Missouri, United States, and chair, steering and advisory committee for grain legumes, commended the achievements and the impact created by grain legumes in a very short period.
While appreciating the key achievements made by dryland cereals against the enormous scope of the programme involving four crops in different systems with different constraints, Peter Langridge of University of Adelaide, Australia, and chair, steering and advisory committee for dryland cereals, emphasised that the four dryland cereal crops are critical for the target countries and that focus on their research would continue.
Ylva Hillbur, deputy director general, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) - one of the four participating centres of grain legumes, underlined the importance of strong partnerships and networks established under the programme.
She said, “These partnerships and networks would provide a strong basis for future collaboration for more impactful research in the areas of dryland cereals and grain legumes.”
Steve Beebe, programme leader, Agrobiodiversity Research Area, Bean Programme, International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), recalled the conceptualisation of the game-changing product lines for grain legumes in the original proposal.
He was proud that the team accepted and tackled the challenge of addressing abiotic stress, that was the primary cause for stunting the legume yields in the target regions.
Michael Baum, director, biodiversity and integrated gene management programme, International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), explained how ICARDA’s decentralisation plans aligned effectively with the two CRPs.
He also highlighted some of the key achievements in grain legumes and dryland cereals. The partnerships with the private sector industry to learn and understand the malting barley industry helped the barley research in dryland cereals.
Similarly, the reestablishment of fava beans in Egypt and expansion of rice-lentil fallows in Bangladesh and India by developing early maturing lentil varieties are some examples of impacts for grain legumes.
Over the three days, the coordinators of the 15 game-changing product lines of dryland cereals and grain legumes presented the progress in their areas of research. A poster session with about 81 posters highlighted the scientific achievements of the programmes.
The CRP on grain legumes is a partnership among four CGIAR research institutes: ICRISAT (lead centre), CIAT, ICARDA and IITA, along with several public and private institutes and organisations, governments and farmers worldwide.
The programme focuses on improving the productivity and consumption of eight priority grain legume crops - chickpea, cowpea, common bean, faba bean, groundnut, lentil, pigeonpea, and soybean - that are primarily grown by smallholder farmers in South and Southeast Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, Central and Western Asia, North Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean.
The CRP on dryland cereals is a partnership between two members of CGIAR - ICRISAT (lead centrE) and ICARDA, along with a number of public and private institutes and organisations, governments, and farmers globally.
The programme focuses on improving four dryland cereal crops (barley, finger millet, pearl millet and sorghum) in the dryland regions of Africa and Asia.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|