ICRISAT Into the New Millennium
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Socioeconomics Research Agenda
ICRISAT’s portfolio of socioeconomics research activities is built around three broad
thrusts:
- identify major emerging trends to guide future research
- increase impact by leveraging wider spillovers of technologies
- break through bottlenecks which limit impact of key existing technologies
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As in the case of NRM, ICRISAT’s socioeconomic work is proceeding in both micro and
macro directions. At the micro level, ICRISAT will continue examining the interactions
between technology and farmer preferences to gain better understanding of what works and what
does not, and why farmers do what they do. At the macro level, ICRISAT’s research will be
helped by a better understanding of the future of SAT agriculture, alternative investment
strategies, and technology policies.
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Current research thrusts include
- Identify opportunities to improve the research impact of ICRISAT towards achieving the
CGIAR goals of alleviating poverty (especially for women), sustainable food security, and
protection of natural resources
- Improve the ultimate relevance of research by having sufficient forecasting knowledge to
target current activities to the priorities which will be important in the future
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Milestones: 1993-94
- Dr V Rajagopalan, and Ismail Serageldin, Chairs CGIAR, visits ICRISAT Asia Center (IAC)
- ICRISAT reorganizes research and management structures
- First Women Farmers Days in Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Niger
- “Embryo rescue” techniques allow crosses of wild and cultivated pigeonpea species
- ICRISAT takes leadership role in Desert Margins Program
- ICRISAT becomes Facilitator of Rice-Wheat Consortium for the Indo-Gangetic Plains
- First genetic-linkage map for pearl millet produced
- ICRISAT helps re-introduce seeds in civil-war torn Rwanda
- ICRISAT in Print database published electronically
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- Improve the sustainable utilization of natural resources through better-targeted research
for development
- Assist developing countries to formulate policy changes to protect the livelihoods of the
poor in the semi-arid tropics who depend on coarse grain and pulse production and marketing
Thus, across the socioeconomic agenda, ICRISAT is exploring ways of enhancing both the
impact of its own work and the impact of agricultural (in particular, technology) policies
of its partners in the SAT.
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