ICRISAT Happenings (18 July 2014)

ICRISAT

Happenings In-house Newsletter

18 July 2014 No. 1632

Photos: PS Rao, ICRISAT

Prof MS Swaminathan (left) and Ms Saina Nehwal (right) receiving the ICRISAT Ambassador of Goodwill plaque from Director General Dr William Dar.

MS Swaminathan and Saina Nehwal named ICRISAT Ambassadors of Goodwill

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rofessor MS Swaminathan, renowned agricultural scientist and Father of India’s Green Revolution, and Ms Saina Nehwal, Olympic medalist, ace badminton player and youth icon of India, have been named as the latest ICRISAT Ambassadors of Goodwill.

As ICRISAT Ambassadors, Prof Swaminathan and Ms Nehwal have agreed to champion the institute’s mission to make a difference by promoting sciencebased agricultural solutions in the fight against poverty, hunger, malnutrition and environmental degradation in the dryland tropics of the world.

“We cannot be any prouder of all our Ambassadors of Goodwill, now joined by Prof Swaminathan and

Ms Nehwal,” said Dr William Dar, ICRISAT Director General. Dr Dar conferred the recognition on the new Ambassadors in a momentous ceremony held on 14 July at the ICRISAT headquarters.

Prof Swaminathan and Ms Nehwal now join Mr Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, renowned scientist and former President of India; Rt Hon James Bolger, former Prime Minister of New Zealand; Dr Akinwumi Adesina, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Nigeria; and Dr Nigel Poole, former Chair, ICRISAT Governing Board, as ICRISAT Ambassadors to help the institute realize its vision of a prosperous, food-secure and resilient dryland tropics. to page 2 ...4

ICRISAT Ambassadors of Goodwill... from page 1

I am pleased and proud: Prof Swaminathan

While addressing the scientists and interacting with the media during the event, Prof Swaminathan highlighted the following issues:  The need to focus on food loss at the production, post-harvest and processing stages of the food chain.  The importance of ICRISAT taking a lead role in protein revolution to help the world overcome hunger.  Transforming every farm in the country into a nutri-farm.  With 2015 being the International Year of Soils, ICRISAT should take the lead in activities pertaining to soil health using the Bhoochetana model.  Linking the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act to agriculture.  Making rainwater-harvesting mandatory across all states in India.

Photo: Rajkumar B, ICRISAT

“Inclusive agriculture is the key to a prosperous, food secure and resilient dryland tropics,” said Prof Swaminathan. “By giving smallholder farmers access to technologies and connecting them to markets, they will have options for a more profitable and resilient agriculture towards achieving sustainable food, nutrition, economic and environmental security,” said Prof Swaminathan.

“ICRISAT plays an important role in this through its inclusive market-oriented development strategy, particularly focusing on the need to empower resource-poor farmers in marginalized environments,” he added.

Prof Swaminathan also recognized ICRISAT’s more than four decades of commitment and dedicated service to the most underprivileged sector of the world – the poor in the drylands. He highlighted the challenges and opportunities facing the Institute, such as the need for crop biofortification to combat ‘hidden hunger’ caused by micronutrient deficiencies prevailing in the developing world; and science communication to inform, educate and mobilize the public on the importance of scientific innovations in the fight against poverty and hunger. Prof.

Swaminathan is currently Emeritus Chair of the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), and was one of the architects of ICRISAT’s creation in 1972.

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 The need for farmers to apply traditional wisdom along with modern technologies in agriculture.  ‘Take it to the farmer’ – scientists and research institutes should ensure that all research, technology and tools reach the farmer.

Being asked to serve is truly humbling: Ms Nehwal “I proudly accept the role of ICRISAT Ambassador, and hope to inspire and encourage particularly the youth in seeing the uniqueness and importance of the works and initiatives of ICRISAT,” said Ms Nehwal.

Photo: PS Rao, ICRISAT

Her parents Ms Usha Nehwal and Mr Harvir Singh, an agricultural scientist, accompanied her.

“As an athlete, I hope I can help make people understand and appreciate the nutritional importance of ICRISAT crops such as millets and sorghum, and grain legumes such as chickpea, pigeonpea and groundnut. I strongly believe these crops are important for both poor farmers and consumers because of their high Photo: PS Rao, ICRISAT nutritional value and for a diverse diet and farming, and Dr Dar delivering his address. are critical in fighting malnutrition and food insecurity,” she continued. and Innovation Platform (AIP), was launched during the ceremony by Dr Dar, Prof Swaminathan and Ms “Millets and sorghum, and grain legumes are good Nehwal. It is a single serve ready-to-eat breakfast sources of endurance or energy and protein for cereal made from sorghum and pearl millet flakes. athletes like me. Based on scientific evidence, I will lend my voice in promoting the value of dryland The product is a healthy breakfast option for the cereals and grain legumes for the health and wellentire family. It is all natural, gluten-free, and source being of the rural poor, especially women and of prebiotic. Besides being gluten free, both sorghum children,” Ms Nehwal stressed. and pearl millet are rich in dietary fibre especially resistant starch, antioxidants, vitamins and nutrients “I also work really hard for the country, like farmers, such as iron, zinc, calcium and phosphorus. These to win laurels. And I will try my best to draw cereals are also diabetic friendly. In addition to attention to the critical work ICRISAT does - the introducing better, healthier and safer food for needs of small holder farmers, the value of scientific consumers, such sorghum- and millet-based products research and the importance of nutritious crops that are creating new markets for these crops. also are better for the environment,” said the 2012 London Olympics bronze medalist. “As an athlete, I ICRISAT’s Agribusiness and Innovation Platform (AIP) can surely enlighten people on the importance of a is supporting entrepreneurs to scale-up and nutritious diet and also the importance of not commercialize such product concepts. wasting food,” she pointed out.

ICRISAT’s Smart Foods campaign aims to popularize At the event, Ms Laxmi, a farmer from Kothapally the uptake of nutri-cereals such as millets and village, Ranga Reddy district, Telangana, requested sorghum, which are good for the people and good for Ms Nehwal to visit the village and inspire the youth the planet. to take up sports and agriculture. Responding to her Following the event, Dr Dar, and the new ICRISAT invitation Ms Nehwal said, “I am honored and will Ambassadors of Goodwill interacted with around 70 surely pay a visit to the village in the near future.” journalists representing various media organizations.

‘Smart Brkfast’ launched

‘Smart Brkfast’, developed by the NutriPlus Knowledge (NPK) Program of ICRISAT’s Agribusiness

Dishes made out of ICRISAT’s mandate crops were served to the guests and packaged samples were presented to them. g

More pictures on page 4 ICRISAT HAPPENINGS 18 JULY 2014 1632 3

From page 3

Photo: Rajkumar B, ICRISAT

Photo: PS Rao, ICRISAT

During the launch of “Smart Brkfast”, developed by ICRISAT’s NutriPlus Knowledge (NPK) Program.

Photo: PS Rao, ICRISAT

Ms Nehwal and her parents with Dr Dar and senior ICRISAT staff at the SatVenture.

Photo: Rajkumar B, ICRISAT

Photo: PS Rao, ICRISAT

Ms Laxmi, a farmer from Kothapally village, Telangana, thanking Prof MS Swaminathan and ICRISAT for their contributions to smallholder agriculture. (Right) Dishes made out of ICRISAT’s mandate crops.

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Sorghum defying heat conditions in India Sorghum is proving its resilience in withstanding extreme temperatures in summer.

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CRISAT’s experiments during 2013-2014 identified some promising sorghum lines (B-lines, R-lines and varieties) which flowered normally and showed 100% seed set under temperatures exceeding 400C. The material identified will help ICRISAT develop varieties to help smallholder farmers fight climate change.

Dr Stefania Grando, Director, Research Program on Dryland Cereals, ICRISAT, recently examined the materials along with Dr Ashok Kumar and other staff.

Sorghum is grown on 2 million ha in summer across India and it is recommended to undertake seed production of post-rainy sorghum cultivars in early summer to reduce the lag between the seed production and marketing. A greater understanding

Photo: PS Rao, ICRISAT

Dr S Grando examining the crops.

of heat tolerance is critical in assessing yield losses due to climate variability and change.

This work is undertaken as part of the CGIAR Research Program on Dryland Cereals. g

Collaborative high-quality research in Grain Legumes

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s part of the CGIAR Research Program on Grain Legumes, ICRISAT and its partners showcased the integrated and collaborative efforts among the participating CGIAR centers and its regional and national partners in achieving the research outputs.

Dr Pooran Gaur, Assistant Research Program Director, Grain Legumes, ICRISAT presented work on machineharvestable lentil varieties that will reduce drudgery of women, reduce labor requirement and thus increase profitability of the smallholder farmer.

Dr Damaris Achieng Odeny, Scientist Biotechnology, ICRISAT-Nairobi, highlighted the specific situation in east and southern Africa and the importance of addressing the specific needs of the region. He pointed

out that east Africa had unexploited germplasm and novel alleles from landraces which could be useful in the fight against poverty and hunger.

ICRISAT scientists presented new opportunities for extra-early maturing chickpea and lentil varieties such as introduction in rice fallows and new niches such as spring planted crop. They also discussed lessons learnt from east and southern Africa in managing aflatoxin contamination in groundnuts.

Dr Esther Njuguna-Mungai, Scientist - Gender Research, ICRISAT, presented the status of gender research in CRP Grain Legumes. She informed that the Gender and Agriculture Network has designed a global study on gender norms, agency and innovations in agriculture and natural resources management.

The Open Forum meeting on Science in Grain Legumes held on 6 July in Saskatoon, Canada was held to highlight the high-quality science research conducted within the program to improve legumes research that will ensure food and nutrition security in dryland areas.

Photo: S Nagaraji, ICRISAT

Dr Noel Ellis, Director, CGIAR Research Program on Grain Legumes, speaking at the event.

The CGIAR Research Program on Grain Legumes is led

by ICRISAT with the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) as partner agencies. g ICRISAT HAPPENINGS 18 JULY 2014 1632 5

Women farmers reaping benefit

of improved finger millet cultivation in western Kenya

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he demand for finger millet in Kenya is on the increase and women are benefiting from this trend. “Ever since the scientists introduced us to the new varieties and showed us how to take good care of the crop, we have seen a big difference in production. In the past, we could harvest only 2-3 bags but now we harvest up to 10 bags per acre,” said Ms Jennifer Amwait Omuse, a farmer in Busia County, Western Kenya.

Before the implementation of finger millet improvement activities under the Harnessing Opportunities for Productivity Enhancement (HOPE) of Sorghum and Millets in Sub-Saharan Photo: C Wangari, ICRISAT Africa and South Asia Project, the consumption Ms Osuru with her family. and marketing of finger millet was on the particularly important for infants, children, expectant decline especially due to low productivity of local and nursing mothers and the sick. Its small seed size varieties and lack of improved management options. deters storage insect pests, and its grains can be This is however changing as more and more farmers stored for over 10 years without damage or loss. are adopting the improved high-yielding varieties and better crop management practices promoted by Local women feed their children with uji, mandazi, ICRISAT and partners in the region. chapati, and cakes made out of finger millet for breakfast. The food is also sold in the market “In the past we would use the broadcasting method enabling farmers to earn some extra income. which made it very difficult to weed, but now we have been shown how to plant in rows and use small “The income from selling surplus finger millet grain amounts of fertilizer. The new varieties and the and food products has helped us pay school fees for better crop care have led to much higher harvests. our children, build houses and pay medical bills of We now plant twice a year as the new varieties take our families,” Ms Omuse adds. only three months to mature. We have enough food.

Ms Margaret Ibere Osuru, Chairperson of the Njugu Our children are in good health thanks to the nutritious foods made from finger millet,” she added. women’s group also showcased her finger millet farm.

Ms Omuse is one of the several farmers who showcased their finger millet farms during a field day organized by ICRISAT on 10 July in Teso South, Busia County in Western Kenya. The field day brought together 50 farmers from the area and seven farmer representatives from the Rift Valley in Kenya, under a farmer exchange visit program.

These successes and farmer feedback were highlighted during the field day where Drs Eric Manyasa, Sam Njoroge, Patrick Audi and Daniel Otwani from ICRISAT, Dr Paul Kimurto and Mr Bernard Towett from Egerton University and other project partners interacted with the farmers.

Finger millet is high in calcium, zinc and iron. This makes it a highly nutritious traditional cereal – 6 ICRISAT HAPPENINGS 18 JULY 2014 1632

“I have been using the new varieties and new farming methods for three years now. I was unable to provide education for my first two kids. But times have changed since I started finger millet farming using improved varieties U15 and P224,” Ms Margaret said.

Ms Hellen Atagu, another farmer adopting improved finger millet farming said, “I began by planting U15 and P224 finger millet varieties and earned about KSh 36,000 (US$ 500). I used that money to buy a cow and send my children to school. I now have a vision to form a cooperative of finger millet growers so as to empower fellow farmers in my area.”

The HOPE project is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The activity was undertaken as part of the CGIAR research program on Dryland Cereals. g

Post-harvest technologies for bettering farm yields

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t Seed Tech Asia 2014 conference organized by ICRISAT’s Agribusiness and Innovation Platform (AIP) stakeholders focused on how technological interventions and proper management at the post-harvest stage can help reduce losses and thus improve yields for the smallholder farmers.

As part of the conference, an Indo-Israel session on ‘Post-Harvest and Food Security’ was organized. This was followed by a panel discussion on ‘Technologies on Post-Harvest Handling of Crop Produce - Way towards self-sufficiency’. The sessions focused on how to improve the post-harvest scenario for the Indian smallholder farmer drawing on experiences from Israel.

Dr Saikat Datta Mazumdar, COO, NPK-AIP, ICRISAT, presented a case study discussion on ‘Food Technology and Food Processing’. Mr Aravazhi Selvaraj, COO, INP-AIP, ICRISAT, presented on ‘Postharvest Scenario and Need for its Management’.

During the conference, ICRISAT team interacted with Mr Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, Agriculture Minister of the newly formed state of Telangana, India. The

Photo: Sangya S, ICRISAT

Mr S Aravazhi with Mr Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, Agriculture Minister, Telangana.

minister discussed with ICRISAT the agricultural and horticultural development plans for Telangana.

The Seed Tech Asia 2014 conference held on 8-9 July 2014, was hosted as part of AGRITEX 2014, an agricultural trade fair, bringing together the farming community, agri-specialists and agri-service providers under one roof. This is the biggest platform for promoting start-ups and agripreneurs in India. g

Philippine women legislators visit ICRISAT headquarters

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ix women legislators from the Philippine House of Representatives together with their staff and representatives from the Country’s Department of Agriculture and the Philippine embassy, Delhi, visited ICRISAT-India from 5-9 July. Members of the delegation included Hon Evelina Escudero, 1st District Sorsogon; Hon Estrellita Sunasing, 1st District Nueva Ecija; Hon Angelina Tan, 4th District Quezon; Hon

Magnolia Rosa Antonino-Nadres, 4th District Nueva Ecija; Hon Maria Vida Bravo, 1st District Masbate; Ms Marielle Milagrosa Galarosa; Executive Asst of Hon Evelina Escudero of Sorsogon; Ms Andrea Marie Escudero, Research Assistant of Hon Evelina Escudero of Sorsogon; Ms Dolores Ricafranca, Center Chief of DA-RFU ROS Sorsogon; and Ms Maria Agnes Cervantes, Staff of the Philippine Embassy, Delhi. g

Photo: PS Rao, ICRISAT

The delegation with Dr William Dar and other senior ICRISAT Staff.

ICRISAT HAPPENINGS 18 JULY 2014 1632 7

Welcome

Dr Surjit Vikraman, an Indian national, joined on 14 July, as Scientist–Economics, Research Program–MIP, Patancheru.

Dr Vikraman has a PhD in Economics in 2009, from the University of Calcutta, India. Prior to joining ICRISAT, Surjit worked as Scientist (Agricultural Economics), International Potato Center (CIP), South West and Central Asia Regional Office, New Delhi, India. At CIP he contributed to the research and development programs of the Social and Health Sciences Division and played a lead role in conceptualizing, designing and conducting research and development activities in the South West and Central Asia Region.

Dr Ranjit Kumar, an Indian national, joined on 17 July, as Principal Scientist–Economics, Village Dynamics Studies in South Asia (VDSA), Researh Program– MIP, Patancheru. Dr Kumar has a PhD in Agricultural Economics in 2000, from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, India. Prior to joining ICRISAT, he was Senior Scientist, National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM), Hyderabad, India. He taught courses on agricultural economics and Agribusiness management at IARI, New Delhi and NAARM, Hyderabad.

Congratulations!

Farewell

Dr Eric Manyasa, Associate Scientist, Research Program-Dryland Cereals, ICRISAT, Nairobi, has been appointed as Scientist (Cereals Breeding-ESA) from 1 July. He has a PhD in Plant Breeding from the University of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. He has been with ICRISAT for over two decades and was involved in the development and release of several sorghum and finger millet varieties in the ESA region.

Dr Bakary Djaby, Senior Scientist-Dryland Systems and Livelihood Diversification (WCA), Research Program–Resilient Dryland Systems, Niamey, Niger, concluded his assignment on 14 July.

Dr Jana Kholova, Associate ScientistCereals Physiology, Research ProgramDryland Cereals, has been appointed as Scientist-Cereals Physiology from 1 June.

Team ICRISAT welcomes Drs Vikraman and Kumar with their families and wishes them all success.

Dr Moses Osiru, Senior Scientist-Legume/Cereal Pathology (WCA), Research Program- Grain Legumes / Dryland Cereals, Bamako, Mali, concludes his assignment on 20 July.

We wish them success in their future endeavors.

New publication Development and Diffusion of Pearl Millet Improved Cultivars in India: Impact on Growth and Yield Stability.

Working Paper Series No. 52. http://oar.icrisat.org/8223/

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