Provisional Agenda Executive Committee Meeting

42nd Board Meeting 9-13 March 2009

Minutes of Joint Program Committee Meeting

AVRDC – The World Vegetable Center, and ICRISAT Hyderabad, India, March 9 2009, 14.00-16.00

Objective: To discuss on-going and future research collaboration between AVRDC – The World Vegetable Center and ICRISAT.

General Business Meeting opened at 14.01 by Jeff Bennetzen, Chair of ICRISAT Program Committee. Welcome remarks given by ICRISAT Director General, William Dar who welcomed all to ICRISAT and highlighted the necessity to exploit the synergies between AVRDC and ICRISAT to have greater impact in the service of the poor farmers of the world.

Overview of AVRDC’s research program was given by Jackie Hughes. She clarified that the strengths of AVRDC in partnership would be combining the nutritional aspects of vegetables with the carbohydrate rich staple crops and the strong linkages AVRDC has with researchers in Australia and Taiwan to boost nutrition. Emphasis on nutrition will become greater in Africa with the vBSS program and there is a need for research on how to ensure nutritional status of vegetables remains during transport and processing.

Overview of ICRISAT’s Research Program was given by David Hoisington. There were no points of clarification raised.

Current activities and opportunities in sub-Saharan Africa was presented by Abdou Tenkouano, Director for AVRDC- Africa Regional Center. He emphasized the need to establish partnerships with seed companies to be able to develop the marketing of seed. A great deal of investment will be needed to achieve a major change. He highlighted the possibility to share positions with ICRISAT in areas of biometrics, outreach, farm management. Use of vegetables as companion crops needs to be explored. Pan African conferences could be planned.

Current activities and opportunities South Asia was presented by Vincent Vadez. He emphasized the need for diversification through high value crops to improve incomes and livelihoods and that ICRISAT could offer top notch facilities on drought research and genomic facilities for identifying traits and screening germplasm. He highlighted the possibilities of working on common pests and adapting approaches and protocols to vegetable crops. Other partnerships could be formed in use of transgenic material for drought and disease tolerance, high value diversification and joint training/conferences.

Open Discussion Jeff Bennetzen asked for clarification on the meaning of Pan-African Planning, as a point raised by Abdou Tenkouano.

Response: As both have operations in Africa we can look for opportunities for collaboration. Necessary to meet regularly, initially to plan and then to assess progress and review options. 42nd Board Meeting 9-13 March 2009

Gry Synnevag: Impressed with collaboration with private seed companies in Africa. How do you ensure sustainable access to seed? Has access to seeds increased with these types of collaborations and led to increased sales? Do you do any seed production research? In vegetable breeding many Dutch companies are breeding a lot of hybrids. Can farmers afford to buy the seed?

Abdou Tenkouano: Without private sector it is difficult for the farmers to have access to seeds. What is sustainability of approach? Some companies we work with are single-person companies and not efficient. It is a learning process to identify which ones to work with. Profits being made by some companies in Mali which show hybrid varieties to be the best option (Dutch companies). However, some breeders are developing OPV’s from selecting lines derived from selfed hybrid varieties.

Jackie Hughes: We are doing research on seed production such as in onions where seed production is not possible in Taiwan but we learn from the private sector. Generally seed production is part of AVRDC’s R&D process. Greatest difficulty is with indigenous vegetables as there are many requirements and so much research is needed. Price of seed is high but farmers do buy because they see the return to investment is high

Marlene Diekmann: ICRISAT’s germplasm is under FAO umbrella and AVRDC are not. How to deal with benefit sharing with private sector? Has ICRISAT resolved benefit sharing issue? Does the Treaty affect collection of germplasm?

C.L.Gowda: Prior informed consent is essential so only if national programs agree to share can we collect. From 1994 collections decreased because of this requirement. In terms of benefit sharing, the private sector is aware and understands the requirements of SMTA. When materials are commercialized they are liable to pay benefit sharing but this is too early to say how this will come about.

Guy Riba: Marker assisted breeding with few genes involved is not very effective. Is there any collaboration on methodology? Is there collaboration on intercropping?

Vincent Vadez: Conceptually the approach is to go for traits and understand better the process that leads to tolerance.

Abdou Tenkouano: We need to increase collaboration on use of vegetables for intercropping as this is largely an area that has not been investigated.

Peter Cooper: How much of effort goes to rainfed vs irrigated vegetable research?

Jackie Hughes: Increasing effort goes to irrigated but it is location dependent. Semi arid areas need a greater proportion of time. Difficult to quantify. Protection from rain damage also can be issue.

Dyno Keatinge: Opportunities to grow vegetables in hot wet season so in this situation vegetables deemed to be rainfed rather than irrigated. One of AVRDC crops in mungbean which is grown in rainfed areas. 42nd Board Meeting 9-13 March 2009 Stein Bie: ICRISAT says we are dealing with the poorest of the poor. One of our problems is to offer technological innovation that poor farmers can accept (often these farmers are risk averse). Do you have experience with how we can help poorest farmers without endangering lives? Are we doing sufficient nutritional analysis to see where nutritional limiting factors are and where we should put our money?

Cynthia Bantilan: Village level studies included such special purpose surveys. This was a good opportunity of understanding risk as relates to nutrition and in dealing with food insecurity. Went back to same villages/households surveyed in 1975-85 and asked is there a trade off in nutrition when droughts occur? Such conditions lead to less food consumed especially the more nutritious food.

Farid Waliyar: 85% of children in Mali are not having enough vitamins, iron and zinc. Report published at end of the year.

Sally Smith: Clear synergies between AVRDC and ICRISAT. Questions have been raised where we don’t know answers ie. learning seed systems, acquisition of germplasm bound by treaty. Synergies with intercropping vegetable and staples and integrating school gardens/risk management. Look at food quality to integrate social sciences to look at impact on nutrition.

Closing comments William Dar: Diversification is clear strategy forward. The new CG priorities have institutionalized this. Three drivers 1) Diversification will enhance livelihood opportunities, 2) improve nutrition of poorest- who need more mineral/vitamins, and 3) improved sustainability of the system.

Dyno Keatinge: Speak out with loud, single voice about malnutrition problem that needs to be resolved in the new consortium that is being formed. Encourage pragmatic solutions

Meeting Concluded 16:02