Message from the Director General
Dear Friends of ICRISAT,
It is indeed a privilege and honor for me to be able to address the global family of ICRISAT’s stakeholders and partners for the first time as your Director General. Although I am new in this role, my previous experience on your Governing Board and in the formation of regional and global NARS fora have made me well aware of your strong comittment to, trust in, and expectations of this remarkable Institute.
Focusing on the poorest of the poor in one of the harshest agro-ecosystems, ICRISAT arguably faces the most challenging agenda of any Center. Conditioned as we are to reciting the list of constraints of the semi-arid tropics, though, we should not forget that this zone is blessed with a number of positives: abundant sunshine, low humidity inhibiting pests and diseases, extensive grazing lands for livestock, gentle terrain for transportation and infrastructural development, and a long experience of civilization, creating a rich pool of indigenous knowledge that we can and must tap to enhance sustainable agricultural development. Through effective technologies, policies, infrastructural development, and – most important – the development of human potential, we see no reason that the semi-arid tropics cannot become as vibrant and important to the world as the dry areas of the temperate zones, such as the breadbaskets of the Great Plains of North America, the steppes of Asia, and the grain belt of Australia.
It is the latter element – the enormous human potential of the zone – that I would like to focus on for a moment. As a research Institute praised for its scientific achievements, including two consecutive King Baudouin Awards (the CGIAR’s highest accolade), we sometimes get so excited about our progress in biophysical research that we forget to highlight its core purpose: to improve the livelihoods of the poorest, most marginalized people living in the semi-arid tropics.
To balance our laudable scientific enthusiasm, I have emphasized to all our staff and partners since joining that we should adopt a philosophy of Science with a Human Face – that is, we must formulate our workplan with a clear idea of how it will deliver real benefits to the poorest and most disadvantaged people in the semi-arid tropics.
This does not replace the need for high standards of scientific excellence – far from it. But it does emphasize that our science must be focused on the ultimate mission and objectives for which this Institute was established: to reduce poverty, hunger, and environmental degradation across the semi-arid tropics of the developing world.
To better illustrate the human face of our science, we have chosen for this millennium ICRISAT Annual Report to highlight the struggles and triumphs of a number of farmers as they test and adopt new agricultural technology. We hope you will find these real-life stories as fascinating and inspiring as we do, and as compelling reaffirmations of the relevance and importance of our work.
ICRISAT is about people – poor men, women, and children, struggling one day at a time trying to make ends meet, pitting their wits against difficult obstacles, experimenting and innovating – because to do otherwise would be to give up hope. We want to enhance that hope, and help them fulfill their aspirations to make a better life for their children and their communities. That is what Science with a Human Face is all about.
We seek your continued partnership and support for this noble cause. Together, we will build a better tomorrow, through Science with a Human Face.
Before closing, I must note that were deeply saddened on 30 January 2000 by the stunning loss of four scientists from our sister Centers IITA and ICRAF in the tragic crash of Kenya Airways flight 431 near Abidjan, Ivory Coast. This was the worst tragedy of its kind to strike the CGIAR. Our staff travel extensively in some of the most difficult areas of the world, and we perhaps tend to take for granted the considerable risks and hardships they face on a daily basis, without complaint, in pursuit of their passion – to help the poor and hungry of the developing world. These bright, committed, idealistic young scientists represented the human face of our science in its best and truest sense. They were our friends, part of us – and will not be forgotten.
Sincerely,
William D Dar
