Technical Advisory Committee Twelfth Meeting, 2-6 February 1976: Draft Report

Abstract

Summary record of the Twelfth Meeting of the TAC, Rome, 2-6 February 1976; Sir John Crawford presiding. The team leader of the IRRI Quinquennial Review Mission, M. S. Swaminathan, presented the draft report of the first external review of a CGIAR center. The report expressed the views of the mission, not those of TAC. After discussion at the next meeting, a revised report would be sent to the CGIAR with a separate TAC commentary. Luis Marcano presented the report of TAC's Vegetable Research Appraisal Mission. TAC recognized that vegetable research deserved a higher priority than given in its first paper on priorities, and asked its secretariat to provide options for decision at the next meeting.TAC heard from Sterling Wortman, President of the International Agricultural Development Service (IADS), a Rockefeller Foundation initiative. Sir John concluded that the main purpose of IADS, to help governments prepare strategies for production and development, was complementary to the work of the centers. A discussion of center relations with advanced scientific institutions (ARI) identified many benefits to the research program, and also the danger of centers being asked to fund ARI programs. Discussion with the center directors was indicated. A TAC Secretariat draft provided the basis for extended discussion of possible changes in CGIAR research priorities, with attention to forestry, nonfood crops, relations among climate, soils, and crop growth, coconuts, plantains, bananas, goats, post harvest issues, vegetables, factor and socioeconomic research. The Secretariat would draft a self-contained revised paper for consideration at the next meeting. When complete it would be sent to those responsible for the CGIAR system review.Other topics: water buffalo, water use and management, combination of subcommittees on grain legumes and plant nutrients, aquaculture, soybeans, criteria for evaluating research, CATIE, and the CGIAR system review.