4 The Philippines and ICRISAT leaders of the Information Technology Center for Agriculture Filipino staff at ICRISAT and Fisheries (ITCAF) and BAR to move forward innovations in knowledge sharing. Presentations were made by Drs G • William D Dar, Director General, Jan 2000 to date Dileepkumar and Rosana P Mula to sensitize the Filipino • Senen Miranda, Soil and Water Engineer, May 1980 to Dec The Philippines and ICRISAT science community on these innovations. 1982 Making life better for smallholder farmers The Way Forward: PhilDRI • Cynthia S Bantilan, Research Program Director, Markets, In its mission of empowering poor people to overcome hunger, Institutions and Policies, Aug 1992 to date poverty and a degraded environment, ICRISAT intends to • Feliciano Bantilan, Head, Geographic Information Systems, support the Philippines for increased public investments in Aug 1992 to Jun 2000 rainfed and upland agriculture to ensure that the country • Rex Navarro, Special Assistant to the DG (2001 to 2011), becomes self-sufficient in food. To move this initiative forward, an institutional mechanism is needed, such as the creation of Head Donor Relations (2001 to 2002), Head, Information the Philippine Dryland Research Institute (PhilDRI). Towards Resource Management Office (2003 to 2004), Director of this, House Bill 76752 has been filed by Cong. Leonardo Communication (2004 to 2011) Montemayor in the 14th Congress. PhilDRI will be the • Hector V Hernandez, Director, Human Resources and Philippine’s first line of defense against drought and climate change, and will substantially contribute to improving the Operations, Apr 2009 to Jun 2013 livelihoods of poor communities in the rainfed and upland • Rosana P Mula, Coordinator, Learning Systems Unit, Oct 2005 areas. ICRISAT will be an active partner of PhilDRI and in all to date other relevant endeavors of the Philippines to achieve food security in rainfed areas. • Myer G Mula, Scientist, Seed Systems, May 2008 to date • Cristina P Bejosano, Head, Public Awareness and Marketing Filipinos on ICRISAT’s Governing Board Support, Mar 2011 to date • Dioscoro L Umali, University of the Philippines: 1972 to • Richard P Burgos, Chief of Staff, DG’s Office, May 2012 to date 1979 • Junel B Soriano, Visiting Scientist, Community Watershed, • William D Dar, Philippine Government: 1997 to 1999 Nov 2012 to date Working with Development Partners and Investors ICRISAT works in close partnership with farmers/farmer organizations, public and private institutions, governments, and development investors worldwide in generating science-based agricultural innovations to achieve food sufficiency, intensification, diversification, resilience, health Director General William Dar handing over seeds of improved peanut varieties to Philippine Secretary of Agriculture Proceso Alcala. and nutrition, and women empowerment particularly for smallholder farmers in the dryland tropics. In 2012, ICRISAT’s top donors include: the CGIAR Fund (CGIAR is a global agricultural research partnership for Overview a food secure world); the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; the United States Government; and the Government of India. Since 1975, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has actively collaborated with the Philippine National Agricultural Research and Extension System (NARES) on Mr Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, receiving the crop improvement (chickpea, pigeonpea, peanut, and sorghum), community watersheds, capacity ICRISAT Ambassador of Goodwill plaque from Dr William D Dar, ICRISAT building and knowledge sharing. Crop improvement is being done under the aegis of the Cereals and Director General, during his visit to the ICRISAT headquarters in Patancheru, Andhra Pradesh, India on 30 May 2013. Legumes Asia Network (CLAN). In April 2004, ICRISAT signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with the Department of Agriculture – Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR) to collaborate on enhancing the adoption of legume technologies in the Philippines. The said agreement was renewed in January 2009 for the reinvigoration of the legumes industry in the Philippines. ICRISAT is a member of the CGIAR Consortium In June 2005, ICRISAT Director General William Dar and then Philippine Secretary of Agriculture, Science with a human face Arthur Yap signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish integrated watershed The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) is a non-profit, non-political organization that conducts benchmark sites aimed at increasing productivity and incomes of rainfed farmers. Prior to this, the agricultural research for development in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa with a wide array of partners throughout the world. Covering 6.5 President of the Federation of Free Farmers of the Philippines and former Secretary of Agriculture, million square kilometers of land in 55 countries, the semi-arid tropics have over 2 billion people, of whom 644 million are the poorest of the Leonardo Montemayor had discussions with government officials and visited ICRISAT too. poor. ICRISAT innovations help the dryland poor move from poverty to prosperity by harnessing markets while managing risks – a strategy called Inclusive Market-Oriented Development (IMOD). Likewise in November 2005, a landmark meeting of CLAN was held at the Central Luzon State ICRISAT ICRISAT is headquartered in Patancheru near Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India, with two regional hubs and five country offices in sub- University (CLSU), which drew together ICRISAT, the Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Saharan Africa. It is a member of the CGIAR Consortium. CGIAR is a global research partnership for a food secure future. Institutions (APAARI), the World Vegetable Center (AVRDC), and the International Center for www.icrisat.org ICRISAT-Patancheru Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA). About (Headquarters) Patancheru 502 324, Andhra Pradesh, India Tel +91 40 30713071, Fax +91 40 30713074 [email protected] August 2013 2 The Philippines and ICRISAT The Philippines and ICRISAT 3 season. Aside from technical and breeder seeds, ICRISAT The overall goal of the project is to improve rural livelihoods donated a dal mill to BSU. by developing resilient rainfed agriculture for sustainable • As a result of the success in production of pigeonpea and rural growth and inclusive development. The project has four chickpea and to improve the livelihood of smallholder major components: (1) soil health analysis; (2) enhancing farmers, product development was initiated by partner productivity through best-bet management options on soil, SUCs, through the production of pastries, bread, and cakes crop and water; (3) capacity building; and (4) developing a enhanced with the addition of pigeonpea and chickpea model for up scaling. The project will be implemented for flour. three years. • The DA-BAR in May 2005 awarded a project to ICRISAT on promotion of the ICRISAT ‘Asha’ peanut variety in the Capacity Building and Knowledge Philippines. BAR reported that Asha is the only peanut Sharing released in the country that has the highest recorded yield Chickpea trial at BSU. Vice Gov DV Savellano crushing a sweet Dr SP Wani explaining soil and water conservation of 3991 kg/ha – double the yield of regular varieties – Since ICRISAT’s inception of capacity building in 1974, it sorghum stalk. techniques. bringing in an income of PhP 27,000/ha. has trained 186 scientists/staff from various institutions in the Philippines. In July 2005, a series of training workshops on project development and resource generation were Sweet Sorghum spearheaded through the initiative of Dr Dar and former In the same year, an MoU was signed between ICRISAT • Pigeonpea: Of the various pigeonpea varieties sent for Collaboration between ICRISAT and the Philippines on sweet Communication Director Dr Rex Navarro. This is part of and DA-BAR with support from the Philippine Council for testing, ICPL 88039 showed potential of 875 kg/ha and sorghum was implemented through the visits of Dr Heraldo ICRISAT’s commitment to help build capacities of national 325 kg/ha ratoon yield in rice-fallow system. Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Layaoen of MMSU to ICRISAT; other officials from the University systems on agricultural research and extension. In Development (PCARRD) on the commercialization of sweet • Chickpea: On-farm and on-station trials of chickpea were of the Philippines at Los Baños (UPLB), BAR and PCARRD; collaboration with the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) and sorghum, peanut and pigeonpea in the Philippines. conducted at the Benguet State University (BSU), La meetings on biofuels; training of Philippine personnel at Commission on Higher Education (CHED), over 300 Filipino A series of sensitization activities were undertaken by Dr Dar and Trinidad, Benguet. Promising lines as a result of the trials ICRISAT; and evaluation and training visits of ICRISAT scientists senior researchers and faculty underwent this training. desi kabuli ICRISAT scientists to strengthen the existing partnership. These are as follows: Highland condition – 2 and 2 to Philippine production plots. ICRISAT distributed seed and (Yield: 1,166 - 2,500 kg/ha); and Lowland condition – ICRISAT also initiated the conduct of a National Drylands included attendance at conventions/conferences, farmers’ field commissioned a small-scale mill in Ilocos Norte in January 2007 Conference in April 2008, which