Scientists 
of the CGIAR


Honoring WE ARE PLEASED TO INTRODUCE THESE INTERESTING AND 
INSPIRING VIGNETTES ABOUT THE LIVES AND WORK OF 
Our Scientists SCIENTISTS AT THE INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH 
CENTERS SUPPORTED BY THE CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON 
INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH (CGIAR). 
The scientists selected for inclusion were recommended by their peers as great examples of 
CGIAR scientists at work. This compilation does not encompass all the signifi cant research 
taking place at the Centers or focus on all the scientists involved. It is a representative sample.
Without science we would all starve to death, Carl Sagan pointed out, because agricultural 
technology, the product of scientifi c research, makes it possible for us to feed an ever growing 
population. However, agriculture does much more than ensure adequate food production. 
2 Science-based agricultural technology has helped developing countries fi ght poverty and 

Focused on People STARTING AT THE WORKING END OF A HAND 
HOE, DANIEL JAMU ACCEPTED HIS VOCATION TO 
and Opportunities HELP SUBSISTENCE FARMERS MAKE THE MOST 
OF AVAILABLE RESOURCES WITH A MINIMUM 
OF DRUDGERY
Daniel Jamu’s father had hoped that his son would fi nd work in town after completing school. 
Being raised in Malawi’s commercial capital of Blantyre certainly provided the boy with oppor-
tunities, and the elder Jamu felt he had done the right thing to move away from the village. 
After all, it was in the cities that the promise of modernization was fi rst felt after Malawi’s 
independence in 1964. Other seekers had journeyed further in those days, joining a large 
migration to work the mines of South Africa or the farms in Rhodesia. 
Young Daniel, however, was enchanted by the school vacations he and his siblings spent 
4 with his grandparents and other relatives in their village only an 18-kilometer drive away 
in the family car. Life in the village moved at a slower pace, punctuated by risk losing touch with the grassroots problems and needs of the farming 
the excitement of going into the forest to hunt mice or trap birds, fi shing people we aim to serve. Yes, we apply technology to help solve people’s 
in nearby streams, and collecting wild fruit. These pleasures would shape problems, but we can’t improve farm family incomes and increase food 
the boy’s ambitions, and before long he was hooked on the world of production without being people centered.”
agriculture — this despite the grueling work to be done on the farm using 
basic hand tools. Among the most diffi cult tasks was turning the earth with Dr. Jamu’s pragmatic philosophy and commitment to subsistence farmers 
nothing more than a hand hoe. guide his method of acquiring their grassroots knowledge and combin-
ing it with state-of-the-art research and analysis to formulate sustainable 
“Our parents always emphasized the need for hard work and the need for integrated aquaculture-agriculture systems. He recognizes the challenge 
us to grow our own food,” he recalls. “We were therefore encouraged of integrating these scientifi c innovations into the productive culture of 
to work in the fi eld. We would have blisters on our hands within the fi rst subsistence farm villages, as there are no guarantees that farmers will adopt 
week. No one in the village used plows, and the closest thing to improved the technologies developed for them.
farm equipment that one could see was the occasional oxcart. We quickly 
got used to it, but the drudgery of cultivating with hand hoes still remained. “You learn a lot by linking science outputs to development impact on the 
I soon became aware of the need for something to be done to make the ground,” he explains. “This makes it essential to get feedback from those 
work easier.” on the ground, the farmers in their fi elds. Also, convincing policymakers to 
invest in science is an important undertaking. I fi nd this challenge exciting.”
By the time Daniel entered the University of Malawi in 1981, he was 
determined to devote his time and energy to making agricultural life easier. Inspired by his childhood experiences, Dr. Jamu strives to alleviate hunger 
Although 90 percent of Malawians live in rural areas, the agricultural col- in his native Malawi and other parts of the world. His decision to dedicate 
lege of the university was, he recalls, “quite small at that time.” Agricultural his life to research for development was, he believes, a response to a calling. 
engineering and rural development became his main areas of focus. The Certainly, his attitude of idealism and hope sustains him as he strives to 
challenges these areas posed, coupled with a growing fascination with untangle the intertwining causes and effects of hunger and malnutrition, 
managing water for food production, piqued his interest in fi sh culture, a a goal made “even more diffi cult when politics come into play.” Yet, when 
fi eld that did not yet receive much attention at the university. taking time out to enjoy his hobbies of reading and playing golf, Dr. Jamu’s 
refl ections usually conclude on a hopeful note. Just as the young Daniel 
“We were exposed a lot to the technologies and science of managing water never let his struggles with a hand hoe in the fi elds around his family village 
and soil conservation for both fi eld crops and livestock,” he recalls. “I decided ruin his school holidays, so the committed scientist remains focused on 
to focus on managing water and soils for fi sh culture because I saw this as a the positive.
new frontier in the production of food in developing countries and an exciting 
fi eld of study where there were — and still are — a lot of unknowns.” “The more problems you encounter, the more opportunities you see,” he 
observes. “I have witnessed people moving out of poverty and hunger 
Nearly 25 years later, having climbed several rungs up the ladder of experi- through our efforts. It takes time to see results, but they come.”
ence in research, publishing, teaching and extension work, Dr. Jamu is 
now the offi cer in charge and regional director of the Malawi offi ce of the 
WorldFish Center and an acknowledged expert on integrated aquaculture-
agriculture systems. He develops low-cost technologies for farming fi sh 
alongside conventional crops in resource-poor environments in southern 
Africa. He simultaneously promotes the use of these techniques, which 
recycle nutrients to make the most of farmers’ meager resources.
“The approach has changed from being technology focused to develop-
ment focused,” he explains. “If the focus on technology is too strong, we 5
Till the Cowpeas CAPPING A PRODUCTIVE BREEDING CAREER IN 
AFRICA, BIR BAHADUR SINGH PLANS A WORKING 
Come Home RETIREMENT THAT INCLUDES INTEGRATING INTO 
THE RICE-WHEAT ROTATION OF HIS NATIVE INDIA 
A QUICK-MATURING CROP OF COWPEAS
A sentimental 1960s alumnus returning to Pantnagar, India, and strolling the university halls 
may imagine hearing folksongs and laughter. The sweetness of this distant echo will likely be 
tinged by bitter memories of the hunger and desperation that India then endured. But the 
singing voice will be almost certainly be that of Bir Bahadur Singh.
G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology is one of 23 Indian agricultural schools 
modeled on American land grant universities and set up with assistance from the United States 
Agency for International Development (USAID). Admitted by merit, B.B. Singh left an indelible 
6 mark on the memories of his classmates and professors. Popular because of his fondness for 
writing verse, singing, telling jokes and reading palms, the young scholar Meanwhile, he was impressed by the new rice and wheat varieties from the 
earned serious recognition with his stellar academic achievements. International Rice Research Institute and the International Maize and Wheat 
Improvement Center then being disseminated by the university. “I had 
Dr. Singh’s subsequent career as a grain legume breeder at the International planned never to leave India, but witnessing the Green Revolution there and 
Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has catalyzed, through improved hearing about international agricultural research from Dr. Norman Borlaug 
varieties, soybean production in India and cowpea production in Nigeria and during his frequent visits, I wished to join the system.” 
many other countries. A fellow of the American Society of Agronomy, he 
has published over 200 research papers, delivered keynote talks at countless When offered a position breeding grain legumes for an IITA project in Tanzania 
conferences, and received recognition from the Silicon Valley Tech Museum. funded by USAID, Dr. Singh jumped at the chance. Working initially on cowpea, 
In Nigeria, where he is based, the Kano state government has given him its soybean and other legumes, Dr. Singh focused on quick-maturing cowpea and 
Agricultural Honors Award, and ordinary men and women who farm the developed a variety that is ready for harvest in only 60 days. Adopted in 65 
semiarid north have named him, as a token of their love and appreciation, to countries, it has signifi cantly alleviated poverty and hunger. As principal cowpea 
the honorary chieftaincy Sarkin Noma, or King of the Farmers. breeder at IITA headquarters in Ibadan, Nigeria, from 1981 to 1989, and then 
at the IITA station in Kano, where he serves today as offi cer in charge, Dr. Singh 
The breeder savors his success with modesty and reverence. “My wife has has seen farmers escape the cycle of poverty in as little as 2 years. 
been key to my professional success by freeing me from household tensions 
and by understanding my work,” he explains. “My mother gave me love and “We started working with 11 farmers in Kano in 1998,” he reports. “Now, 
affection during my childhood. This helped me to remain innocent and free more than 3,000 farmers are directly involved and over 100,000 indirectly.” 
of negative thoughts. Also, she advised me to concentrate on my studies and Noting that his lifelong heroine is Indira Gandhi, Dr. Singh speaks with pride 
always be fi rst in the class, because that was the key to winning the love and of the benefi ts to women — including improvements in health, nutrition, 
respect of teachers and friends.” pre- and post-natal care, education and family relations — arising from their 
involvement in the cowpea program. Women in the northern Nigerian region 
Graduating fi rst in his class with honors, the newly minted bachelor of science of Hausaland traditionally stay at home, but Dr. Singh has drawn more than 
in agriculture and animal husbandry was one of fi ve students from G.B. Pant 1,000 of them out to participate in improved cowpea cultivation. The women 
University of Agriculture and Technology selected to enter an American master now grow cowpea to enhance their family nutrition, earn income from snacks 
of science program at the University of Illinois, Urbana. Singh earned his made from the crop, and fatten their goats on its nutritious straw. 
doctorate at the University of Illinois in Plant Breeding and Soybean Genetics.
Dr. Singh considers the ingredients of success to be a “positive attitude, “I see joy in the eyes of farm women,” he says. “This gives me immense 
compassionate heart, clear mind and dedicated mission.” satisfaction.”
His motivation to study agriculture grew naturally from his agrarian As his May 2006 retirement date approaches, Dr. Singh looks ahead to 
background in a small village in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. remaining active at G.B. Pant University and internationally — and, in 
Born on May 1, 1944, he was aware from early childhood of the suffering particular, to his dream of integrating 60-day cowpea into India’s system of 
farmers endured when drought struck their tiny farms. “India’s history of food rice-wheat rotation. Wheat and rice have pushed food legumes onto marginal 
shortage is no secret,” he says, citing the Bengal Famine of 1943, in which 4 lands, causing shortages of pulses for India’s vegetarian masses. Growing 60-
million subjects of the embattled British Raj died of hunger. “Images of India day cowpeas in the interval after wheat and before rice promises to improve 
as a starving nation are common to most people.” Neither independence farmers’ income and bring millions of additional tons of cowpea to market. 
in 1947 nor infusions of food aid brought lasting respite from hunger, with 
drought hammering India in 1965 and 1966. Dr. Singh expects regrets. “Being a small station, we’ve always worked at IITA 
like a family,” he says. “I’ll miss my large cowpea breeding fi elds with their 
Dr. Singh soon completed his American studies and returned to G.B. Pant diverse plant types and colors. And I’ll miss my many friends and the warm 
University as an assistant professor of plant breeding. “I started from hospitality of the people of Kano.”
scratch working on soybean, a crop unknown to most of India,” he recalls. 7
Strength from MARIA ANDRADE SHARES THE HOPES, DREAMS 
AND NEEDS OF POOR AFRICAN FARMWOMEN AS 
Common Roots SHE DELIVERS THE RESULTS OF SWEET POTATO 
AND CASSAVA RESEARCH THAT PROMISE BETTER 
NUTRITION FOR THEIR FAMILIES
Sweet potatoes and stories — some sweet, some not so sweet — are Maria Andrade’s stock in 
trade. The sweet potatoes link the southern African women with whom Dr. Andrade works to 
regional food security and nutrition. The stories, the common thread that promotes trust and 
nourishes friendships, link the women to one another. 
Dr. Andrade, an agronomist and breeder of sweet potato and cassava, often sees herself in the 
women of Mozambique. She tells her story in Portuguese, the language they share, and listens to 
their stories told in Portuguese and countless other languages. The trust that ensues buttresses the 
8 impact that her work has had on child nutrition and poor farmers’ income across southern Africa.
Born on the island of Fogo in the former Portuguese colony of Cape Verde, cassava planting materials to over 1.3 million families. Dr. Andrade is especially 
Maria knew at a early age that she would work in agriculture far from home. hopeful about the recent introduction of orange-fl eshed sweet potatoes into 
As a small child, she would stand at the door of her house, looking out at the Mozambique. The country’s myriad nutritional problems prompted the massive 
sunset and longing to go to a faraway land. multiplication and distribution of sweet potato varieties rich in beta carotene, 
which the body converts to vitamin A. 
“When you live on a small island, it can be like that,” she explains. “The 
‘beyond’ attracts you. I was only 5 years old when I told my mother that I “Women have been cultivating white sweet potatoes for years, so the crop 
would go off to Angola to work, helping people to grow coffee.” is in the system as a cheap and sustainable means of food security,” says Dr. 
Andrade, adding that this makes potatoes an effi cient and reliable delivery 
The town where Maria grew up as the seventh of ten children was, she recalls, system for micronutrients. 
more urban than rural. She neither came from an agricultural family nor endured 
poverty. Although she certainly saw poverty on the small volcanic island, her father, Using her experience in technology transfer, Dr. Andrade pursues the goals of 
a businessman, always managed to provide adequate food for his large family. For encouraging and enabling poor farmers to persevere and achieve agricultural 
his daughter with “the dream,” he also provided encouragement and motivation. self-suffi ciency, while at the same time raising their nutritional awareness to 
combat vitamin defi ciencies. Her success stems from marrying expertise in rigorous 
“My father would often say, ‘Maria, no man is better than you,’” she recalls. scientifi c research with people skills that help her navigate the most effective local 
“Study hard and do what you want. I will be here to help you.” pathways for introducing and integrating new crop varieties and technologies.
Young Maria did just that. After traveling to the United States to complete “We take it step by step along the chain, introducing, producing and 
a BS degree in agronomy and an MS in agronomy and plant genetics, both processing the crop to make juice, fl our, and then bread and cake,” she 
at the University of Arizona, she became Dr. Andrade upon earning a PhD in explains. “I feel that my job is facilitated by being a woman. I specialize in a 
horticulture, with a specialization in breeding and root crop physiology, from women’s crop and work primarily with women. We share a common ground. 
North Carolina State University. She clearly remembers writing an essay, while Their stories are my stories, so their needs are my needs.” 
working on her PhD, that expressed her wish to work with the Food and 
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations back in Cape Verde for a few Dr. Andrade is pleased that she has been able to contribute to the welfare of 
years, and then go on to work in Mozambique. Pondering the way things women in Mozambique and other countries of southern Africa. And she is 
have worked out, she says, “I believe there was a reason why this was written thankful for what she has received in return. She has adopted Mozambique 
down. This was something that would come to pass.” as her second home and draws strength from the realization that, as she says, 
“your country is where your heart is.” The songs the women sing in the fi elds 
Dr. Andrade feels blessed to be living her dream and having an positive impact while harvesting nutrient-rich roots and leaves now reside in Dr. Andrade’s 
on food security, income generation and nutrition in southern Africa. Hired by heart and fuel her continuing efforts to achieve the greatest possible impact 
the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture initially as an agronomist for the from collaborative efforts invested in breeding nutritious crops. 
Mozambique-based Southern Africa Root Crops Research Network, she worked 
to improve the productivity of root crops and facilitate the effective transfer “We still have so far to go in Africa,” she insists. “Hope lies in good nutrition 
of technology to farmers. In the process, Dr. Andrade successfully revived the for pregnant women and children.” 
Mozambican national root crops program. She also acted as a catalyst bringing 
together several nongovernmental organizations and national institutions to Recognizing the importance of capacity building in Africa, Dr. Andrade fi nds 
plan disaster relief for Mozambicans affected by El Niño and the fl oods of 2000. time to teach about agriculture at secondary schools, often using stories to set 
the mood and reach students. 
Today Dr. Andrade is responsible for coordinating a US$4.5 million project 
that aims to accelerate the multiplication and distribution of healthy planting “My mother still reminds me of my unfulfi lled dream to work on coffee in 
materials of high-yielding varieties of cassava and sweet potato. The project Angola,” she observes. “But I know that what I’ve been doing is my mission. 
9
has developed a network of partners and distributed sweet potato and How rewarding it is to feel useful and see smiles on women’s faces!”   
Steinbeck and NOEL MAGOR’S FOCUS ON MARGINAL FARMERS IN 
BANGLADESH DERIVES FROM HIS CHILDHOOD ON 
a Calling A MODEST AUSTRALIAN FARM, HIS EXPERIENCE OF 
FAMINE IN ETHIOPIA, AND A CLASSIC TALE OF DUST 
BOWL AMERICA
Growing up on his father’s almond and poultry farm in Australia, Noel Magor knew 
from early childhood that he would pursue a career in agriculture. His father, one of 
10 children, had grown up on the modest 3 hectare farm that his grandfather had 
struggled to keep. Yet, with the conviction that fair play and hard work leads to success, 
Noel’s father succeeded in expanding the family farm to 12 hectares. What Dr. Magor 
remembers most clearly today is how his father repeatedly won competitions with his 
chickens and produced beautiful almonds using green manure and irrigation.
10
What young Noel probably did not realize in his early childhood was that Choosing marginal farmers in Bangladesh as his thesis topic, he 
other infl uences would set him on a particular career path leading to demonstrated that marginal farm households — those able to grow 
distant lands. From his secondary school days, he felt an awareness of social enough rice to feed themselves for only 3-5 months of the year — were 
issues brewing within him. John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath rapidly becoming landless. On the other hand, small farm households — 
profoundly affected his thinking. Reading at the age of 16 about indebted those able to provision themselves with rice for 6-8 months of the year 
farmers in the American Midwest losing their land, and of the hardships — were very resilient and incrementally increased their landholdings. 
suffered by migrant farm laborers, sparked in him an interest in social Establishing eight key principles for success in creating an environment 
justice — an interest that later became a commitment. for uplifting and empowering poor households, he pioneered a shift in 
research focus toward the farming systems of marginal farmers. 
Proof of that commitment began in 1974. Upon completing a bachelor’s 
degree in agricultural science at Adelaide University, Noel set off to Wollo Dr. Magor’s inclusive approach toward alleviating poverty found eloquent 
Province in northern Ethiopia, where a devastating famine had struck the expression in the project Poverty Elimination through Rice Research 
year before. As a volunteer, he assessed how the famine affected village Assistance (PETRRA), which he set up and managed for the International 
families and sought ways to rehabilitate the most destitute by providing Rice Research Institute (IRRI), a Future Harvest Center of the Consultative 
grain through food-for-work projects and by distributing seed. Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). Funded by the 
United Kingdom’s Department for International Development, PETRRA 
Twelve months of living and working under primitive conditions left Noel greatly enhanced IRRI’s working partnership with the Bangladesh Rice 
determined to alleviate hunger and poverty. It also brought alive Steinbeck’s Research Institute, the Ministry of Agriculture, and poor farm households 
narrative on the struggles of the working class. “Some things affect you in Bangladesh. The project also exemplifi ed a philosophy that Dr. Magor 
inside,” he recalls. “I believe that my refl ections on The Grapes of Wrath, had nurtured over the years that combines a poverty focus, gender equity, 
and my growing awareness of social justice issues, prompted me to move participation and partnership in a regional, in-country framework. 
into development work.” 
On top of developing appropriate technologies endorsed by farmers and 
Measured by his achievements, Dr. Magor’s decision was an answer to new methods of extension and knowledge delivery, Dr. Magor has found 
a calling. In 1977, simultaneously serving as agricultural service head, time to learn Bangla to facilitate his immersion in the world of Bangladeshi 
extension coordinator and acting project director of the Kamalganj Project farmers. That the PETRRA website and newsletter appear in both English 
of HEED Bangladesh, a nongovernmental organization (NGO), he started and Bangla refl ects his determination to develop more effective means of 
working to empower marginal farmers. Never expecting to pursue graduate communication and so spread awareness of agricultural development’s 
studies or maintain a long-term connection with Bangladesh, he did both contribution to poverty reduction.
to support his commitment to alleviating their plight. He returned briefl y 
to Australia to earn a master’s degree in tropical agronomy from Sydney “With a strong enough will, we can relieve hunger by mobilizing science, 
University and a PhD in politics from Adelaide University. social organizations, governments and farmers,” he says. “I credit the 
CGIAR System with helping to focus science and technology on marshalling 
Dr Magor explains why he chose to enhance his scientifi c and agricultural the efforts of different organizations to achieve poverty reduction. But we’ll 
background with a degree in politics: “I was interested in the importance never really know the full extent of what we’ve contributed.”
of agriculture for poverty reduction. I needed to know what was happening 
to marginal farmers, as they seemed to be a group missed by NGOs, who 
keep their focus on small farmers, and by government, who concentrate on 
bigger farmers. The politics department of the university provided the best 
perspective for exploring that.”
11
Third Time OSMAN ABDALLA LEADS A SEEMINGLY 
CHARMED LIFE AS A WHEAT BREEDER AND 
Lucky PATHOLOGIST WHO HAS SO FAR ENJOYED A 
WARM WELCOME IN THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES 
OF THREE CONTINENTS
Osman Abdalla’s four and a half years in Ethiopia as East African regional wheat 
breeder and pathologist for the International Maize and Wheat Improvement 
Center (CIMMYT) provided him with plenty of opportunities to savor the country’s 
fi ne tradition of hospitality, in particular through its elaborate coffee ceremony. One 
might even attribute the scientist’s success over the years in enhancing wheat’s yield 
potential, drought tolerance and disease resistance to the blessings that each third 
cup of coffee is believed to bestow upon the drinker. 
12
Born into a farm family in the central Sudanese town of Singa, on the “One must value the input of social scientists,” he says, adding that 
Blue Nile, where hospitality is paramount to the culture, Dr. Abdalla al- their work helps bridge the gap between the sometimes rarifi ed world 
ready knew the Sudanese counterpart to the Ethiopian coffee ceremony. of plant science and the local communities in which he and his col-
However, he was surprised to learn that this and other traditions are so leagues strive to have impact. He also stresses the importance of learn-
striking similar in the neighboring country to the east. ing the local language and methods. 
“Borders are artifi cial,” he observes. “We think we are different, but as- “I like reading social science books in my spare time,” he reveals. “As sci-
pects of human culture link us far more than we would like to believe.” entists, we must study human society, and the relationships of individuals 
Interaction and sharing across cultures are what Dr. Abdalla has appreci- in society, to understand how farmers decide whether or not to pick up 
ated most about his 21 years in the Consultative Group on International the innovations that we recommend. When their reaction is positive, 
Agricultural Research (CGIAR), the parent organization of CIMMYT and it’s a wonderful accomplishment. My strong links with farmers over the 
14 other Future Harvest Centers distributed around the world. years have made me very mindful of their recognition of our work.”
Having contributed to the breeding and release in developing countries Dr. Abdalla’s commitment and skill in bridging the gap are demonstrated 
of 37 varieties of bread wheat, 24 varieties of durum wheat and 15 by the ease with which he conducts in-service training and coordinates 
varieties of triticale (a wheat-rye hybrid), Dr. Abdalla has received special research and technology-transfer networks involving multinational and 
recognition for his contribution to breeding the variety Jupare C-2001, multidisciplinary teams and national partners from various continents.
which signifi cantly boosted wheat production in Mexico.
In his native Sudan, decades of political instability and civil war have 
Young Osman grew up with his extended family on a parcel of land taken their toll on farming, particularly in the south. Dr. Abdalla believes 
owned by his grandfather. Subsistence farming secured their daily needs that model farming has the potential to increase land use in a country 
and fed the animals that provided milk and meat. In a country whose where more than 90 percent of the total land area is left unproductive. 
economy is dominated by agriculture and trading, Osman had no dif- Sudan’s staple crops are cereals, in particular sorghum, which ac-
fi culty choosing an occupation. His fi rst job after graduating from the counts for 60 percent of the total. With urbanization, however, wheat 
University of Khartoum with honors in 1973 was with the Ministry of consumption is rising. Dr. Abdalla intends to use his expertise in wheat 
Agriculture, where he served for more than a decade as a seed produc- breeding to help improve the national economy. In addition, he looks 
tion and certifi cation offi cer. forward to rejoining his brothers and sisters on an extended-family farm 
like the one on which he grew up. 
Upon completion of graduate studies at Oregon State University, Corval-
lis, USA,  and with a PhD in cereal breeding and genetics in hand, Dr. “I have land in the south of Singa and have already started my retire-
Abdalla joined the CGIAR System as a CIMMYT post-doctoral fellow in ment project,” he says. “With model farming, I will set an example and 
the wheat program at the Center’s headquarters in Mexico. From the hope that the neighbors will see and copy. I intend to focus my breed-
start, he liked best collaborating with national programs and interact- ing efforts in heat-stressed areas, where higher productivity can save 
ing with farmers — as he puts it, “feeling the warmth of the people by some of the hard currency that Sudan now spends on importing wheat. 
becoming a part of their community.” My goal is to see wheat grown widely as a cash crop in Sudan.”
In his current offi ce in the melting pot of Aleppo, Syria, Dr. Abdalla 
looks back over his career in the CGIAR and refl ects on what he has 
gained and what he has contributed to the alleviation of hunger and 
poverty. He is pleased that the perspective he gained through working 
with farmers and sharing cultures has nurtured in him a more interdisci-
plinary approach to work.
13
Dr. Cassava MORE THAN A CASSAVA BREEDER AND GENETICIST, 
ALFRED DIXON IS A TIRELESS CHAMPION OF AFRICA’S 
and the Women NUMBER 1 CROP FOR FIGHTING POVERTY—AND OF 
THE WOMEN WHO MAKE IT SO
His parents were naturally delighted at the birth of Alfred G. Olunjubeh Dixon — 
too much so, to his mind. The third of six surviving children, Alfred was the fi rstborn 
male. In the Sierra Leone of the 1950s, his arrival eclipsed the interests of his older 
sisters. This to the extent that one gave up her secondary education to allow him to 
attend a boarding school 16 kilometers from their home outside Freetown. The silver 
lining for the girls and others like them is that Alfred’s boyhood privilege put him on the 
path to becoming an accomplished cassava breeder and geneticist determined to serve 
farmers, processors and consumers of this essential crop. 
14
“Because of what happened then, I have always argued for the many of whom are women, cassava provides over 200 million people in 
empowerment of women through a strong commitment to training,” sub-Saharan Africa with more than half of their calories, making it the 
Dr. Dixon explains. “And I have always been mindful of the needs of the continent’s second staple after maize in terms of calories consumed. The 
ultimate benefi ciaries of my cassava research. Women are responsible for focus of cassava research by Dr. Dixon and others at IITA is to increase and 
much of the production of cassava and for almost all of its postharvest sustain cassava production and utilization throughout sub-Saharan Africa. 
processing and marketing.” 
“Food security is about not only putting food on the table, but also money 
Friday evenings often fi nd Dr. Dixon on a terrace snack bar at the into pockets,” he explains. “It’s about generating income to improve 
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) headquarters in Ibadan, livelihoods, which improves in turn education, nutrition and health. The 
Nigeria, relaxing with a beer and a plate of grilled, peppery meat called African Union’s New Partnership for Africa’s Development rightly adopted 
suya. Sociable by nature, he chats with fellow scientists, technicians, cassava as the Number 1 crop for fi ghting poverty.”
students and local vendors. Trade dusk for daylight, 
and Dr. Dixon could be out in the fi eld, where he rolls up his Dr. Dixon’s laboratory research has helped identify sources of the crop’s 
sleeves and feels as much at home with the farmers as he does resistance to diseases and pests. In collaboration with national partners, he 
with his colleagues. has develop over 400 disease-resistant cassava lines used to breed cultivars 
that produce over 13 million tons of dry cassava per year, enough to meet 
Known as “Dr. Cassava” for his commitment to cassava research and the needs of 65 million people. This research is done with close attention 
development both during and outside of offi ce hours, Dr. Dixon considers to the practical needs of women who process and market the crop. One 
himself a preacher and marketer of cassava as well as a scientist. Cassava, goal of breeding is to develop plants with uniform tubers to facilitate 
after all, has been a part of his life since infancy. harvesting and peeling. Another is to produce more low-cyanide, boil-and-
eat varieties.
“I began on foufou pap,” he says, referring to traditional porridge. “There 
was nothing much in the market in the Freetown suburb where I was born. In 2004, the Nigerian Cassava Growers Association conferred on Dr. Dixon 
Certainly no Cerelac [a commercial cereal for infants].” the honorary chieftaincy Balogun Agbe, or Field Marshal of Farmers. 
Dr. Dixon expects the title to inspire him to stay active in farming and 
From foufou pap, he moved on to cassava leaves as soon as he had teeth interactive with farmers.
to chew. Dr. Dixon is now quick to extol the virtues of this vegetable as a 
major source of vitamins, minerals and protein for Sierra Leoneans. Both “My father was an artisan agriculturalist,” Dr. Dixon says. “He did mixed 
the leaves and roots of the drought-tolerant perennial, which Dr. Dixon calls farming after retiring from his job in accounting. This type of thing, along 
“Africa’s food insurance,” were indispensable to Sierra Leoneans during the with a possible involvement in real estate, will suit me in my retirement 
country’s recent civil war. back in Sierra Leone.” 
“If not for cassava as a fallback, Sierra Leoneans would have all paled Remembering how he valued his mentors in his early days of cassava 
during the 10 years of war.” Dr. Dixon maintains. “Our emphasis on research, Dr. Dixon intends to continue mentoring others. And, modestly 
increasing the productivity of cassava is a matter of equity building. I’m acknowledging the respect with which the international community regards 
pleased that many national programs are taking on the challenge of his efforts to alleviate hunger and poverty, he reminds us, “Behind every 
promoting the production and utilization of cassava. We do research for successful man is a woman.”
development, and that means every researcher must engage partners to 
help them reach grassroots communities.”
Since he began working at IITA in 1989, Dr. Dixon has pioneered the genetic 
improvement of the crop. Often grown on marginal land by poor farmers, 
15
Learning by WOUDYALEW MULATU’S SUCCESS IN FOSTERING 
CLOSE COOPERATION BETWEEN RESEARCHERS AND 
Heart FARMERS TO CONTROL CATTLE DISEASE IN ETHIOPIA’S 
GHIBE VALLEY OFFERS LESSONS FOR THE REST OF 
AFRICA BESET BY TSETSE-BORNE PARASITES
Woudyalew Mulatu vowed to become a veterinarian when, while still a young boy, he 
watched his father lose 80 head of oxen to disease. Growing up in rural Tangilla, 480 
kilometers north of the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, young Woudyalew learned at an 
early age the consequences of livestock diseases, as well as what he calls “the language 
of farmers.” This intimate understanding has helped guide the successful efforts of the 
International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) to reclaim the Ghibe Valley in southwestern 
Ethiopia from  trypanosomosis, a deadly cattle disease spread by tsetse fl ies.
Woudyalew’s parents — illiterate farmers raising cattle, sheep, goats and donkeys — 
16
insisted that the boys among their 20 or so children should attend school. Woudyalew and 
three older brothers walked 25 kilometers to the church school, where they in Ethiopia, he uses them to disseminate his message. “We distribute 
remained from Monday to Friday before walking back home again. The leafl ets where there is someone literate to read them to the others,” he 
boys carried with them beans and teff fl our with which to make a week’s explains. “Slides and photos are best, though. Farmers believe what they 
worth of the fl atbread injera, and a healthy respect for their teachers.  see, not what you say. What they see stays in their hearts.”
“I remember clearly the monk who taught me Amharic,” Dr. Mulatu recalls. Many farmers join Dr. Mulatu in relating their experiences in the Ghibe 
“I was a sensitive boy and feared him so much I had no choice but to Valley to visitors from other areas of Ethiopia and abroad, and so guide 
succeed. The desire to make my parents happy and proud also drove me.” interventions against tsetse and trypanosomosis across Africa. That Dr. 
Mulatu and his colleagues have tackled the problem in such an integrated 
Having completed his PhD in veterinary medicine at the All Union Institute and thorough way has earned their Ghibe research a reputation for being 
of Experimental Veterinary Medicine in Moscow, Dr. Mulatu joined ILRI as the most comprehensive assessment of tsetse and trypanosomosis on 
a nationally recruited scientist in 1985. His knack for wedding scientifi c the continent.
excellence with a deep understanding of farmers’ problems has helped 
the veterinary scientist identify research products appropriate for local “Tsetse is not yet controlled in most of Ethiopia,” Dr. Mulatu observes. “If 
conditions, as well as open the eyes of other scientists, students and control in Ghibe proves sustainable, we hope to extend its success to other 
government offi cials. When he talks with farmers, they see that he values parts of the country and beyond.” 
their participation and ideas and is therefore worthy of their trust.
Always eager to learn new things, Dr. Mulatu has recently taken a keen 
Dr. Mulatu’s work in the Ghibe Valley exemplifi es what he calls “research interest in the area of animal health called ethnoveterinary medicine, which 
with the community and for the community.” He urged that the research is the traditional healing of animals. He has started collecting information, 
be conducted on livestock owned by the community rather than on studying herbs and learning from the same farmers that he educates about 
animals kept by ILRI, and this unusual approach contributed to the trypanosomosis, many of whom are traditional healers. Such information is 
project’s remarkable success. The strategy of alleviating trypanosomosis by often passed from generation to generation only within a family of healers, 
controlling tsetse fl ies with insecticides has reduced its prevalence by 63 so Dr. Mulatu feels privileged to have received a place in their hearts that 
percent, halved the number of curative treatments required per animal, and gives him leave to evaluate their traditional knowledge scientifi cally. 
eased the rate of calf abortion and mortality by 62 percent. The ratio of 
calves to cows has increased by 37 percent. “Education is a two-way street,” he says. “My giving value to what 
farmers do empowers them to give value to my message and bring success 
“When I began work on the Ghibe project, there were very few people or to the Ghibe project. Now it’s my turn to give recognition to the farmers for 
animals in the valley because of tsetse fl ies and trypanosomosis,” he recalls. the herbs.”
“Today the Ghibe Valley is repopulated and highly productive. Whereas a 
few farmers might each have owned two or three head of cattle before the 
intervention, now each farmer has 30 to 50 head.”
Dr. Mulatu notes that local farmers are quickly emerging as the main source 
of information about trypanosomosis, having become conversant on the 
advantages and disadvantages of various control techniques.
“It’s great to see the project gradually being taken over by the community,” he 
observes. “My main goal is to see farmers here no longer needing me or ILRI.”
Dr Mulatu’s farmer-education methods make good use of cultural 
institutions. As coffee and church ceremonies are important daily gatherings 17
Chance to Make PREFERRING RELEVANCE TO THE IVORY TOWER 
OF ACADEMIA, DAVID ROHRBACH RESEARCHES 
a Difference AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS ON THE GROUND 
AND ADVOCATES A LIVELY MARKET OF IDEAS TO 
GENERATE OPTIONS FOR FARMERS
David Rohrbach puts much of his life story down to chance — including his success in 
fi nding  a profession that is both rewarding and relevant. “Relevance” was a watchword 
of the 1970s, when David enrolled in Colgate University. Having grown up surrounded by 
the economics and international affairs journalism that his father edited for a living, he had 
already formed an interest in social justice and poverty. 
When his father later became a university administrator, student protests for civil rights in 
the US and against the war in Vietnam wove themselves into the fabric of David’s life. He 
18 knew that he wanted to investigate issues of development and be an agent for change. 
Today, in line with the activism of his formative years in the 1960s and 70s, Rohrbach refl ects on his career in the CGIAR as one that he hopes is making 
Dr. Rohrbach advocates dynamic processes, not least for the Consultative a difference by improving incomes and food security. 
Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).
“As an agricultural economist, I have the advantage of being able to work 
“Science progresses and contributes through a process of debate,” he argues. across a broad range of problem areas and disciplines, and I think that crop 
“Hypotheses are put up and tested, and they evolve. And sometimes they breeding is one of the strengths of the CGIAR System,” he observes. “It is, 
break down. All of this leads to improvement. There should be an ongoing though, quite a challenge to make progress in semi-arid and dry regions, where 
process of debate for fi nding solutions. The CGIAR System must, therefore, one works with the poorest farmers, little fertilizer and limited resources.” 
constantly encourage critical debate and never become too preoccupied with 
funding or public relations. Through the years, Dr. Rohrbach’s research, collaborative studies and training 
have ranged over many areas, including agricultural credit systems, strategies for 
“And,” he continues, “we must promote institutional change so that we seek market development and commercialization and for developing input markets, 
a basket of technology options, not ‘ideal’ solutions.” farm-management economics, impact assessment, and effective monitoring 
and evaluation. In the last few years, he has focused primarily on seed policy 
Although he grew up in rural Connecticut, young David knew nothing about research and how to link agricultural relief with development. 
agriculture or the farming life. “The agricultural part of my profession came by 
chance,” he admits. “I realized that development had to be linked to agriculture, In the area of seed policy research, Dr. Rohrbach personifi es much of the CGIAR’s 
so I needed to learn more in that area to have a larger impact on the poor.” support for the efforts of the Southern African Development Community to 
harmonize seed regulations in the region. One focus is to make seed relief 
In the newly established (and consciously relevant) independent study program programs more cost-effective as they help the most vulnerable households gain 
at Colgate University, David studied theories of development. Perceiving this access to new varieties, while also spurring the development of the seed trade. 
quest for relevance from a student’s ivory tower, one of his professors helped 
him to win a grant to conduct his senior thesis research in Kenya. David chose Committed to making humanitarian relief programs enhance development 
as his topic the political economy of agricultural credit programs. more effi ciently, and cognizant of the opportunity they offer to promote 
widespread adoption of well-tested techniques, Dr. Rohrbach has 
After designing a global project on farming systems research for the US Agency launched education programs and contributed to monthly dialogues with 
for International Development, the young agricultural economist landed a nongovernmental organizations and donors on micro-dosing with nitrogen 
6 month internship with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement fertilizer. He sees opportunities in this technology and readily cites its successes, 
Center, a Future Harvest Center of the CGIAR in Mexico. There he prepared a while emphasizing the need for choice. 
background paper on trends in maize production and consumption. 
“It’s better to provide farmers with a range of technology options rather than 
“I clearly remember a reference to the CGIAR System and its role in fi ghting one blanket recommendation,” he argues. “And fertilizer companies must 
world poverty back when I was in my fi rst-year ethics course at Colgate forget their all-or-nothing mentality when they build markets. They should 
University,” Dr. Rohrbach recalls. “Little did I know then that I would end up package fertilizer in smaller bags and encourage farmers to use only a bit. 
working in the System.” Micro-dosing with nitrogen has a high payoff in large areas of Africa where the 
lack of this nutrient is most limiting.”
Research for his PhD dissertation took him to Zimbabwe to study the reasons 
behind the rapid growth in maize production in the fi rst 5 years of that country’s Although Dr. Rohrbach is pleased with the gains that he and his colleagues in 
independence. After defending his dissertation at Michigan State University related fi elds have achieved toward alleviating hunger and poverty, he points out 
in 1988, the newly minted doctor of agricultural economics returned to that per capita food production is declining in Africa, with southern Africa being 
Zimbabwe, where he remains today as principal scientist in economics for the the least productive. He insists on being proactive and accountable regarding 
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, another CGIAR progress. This in the belief that, unlike much in his life, development issues must 
19
Center. After nearly 20 years of research and residence in southern Africa, Dr. not be left to chance. 
Peace and MOHINDER KADIAN LED THE EARLY EFFORT TO 
REINTRODUCE HEALTHY POTATO SEED STOCK TO 
Potatoes AFGHANISTAN AND RESTORE PRODUCTIVITY IN 
WHAT IS TRADITIONALLY ONE OF CENTRAL ASIA’S 
LARGEST POTATO PRODUCERS
Mohinder Kadian spent 2 hard years as a principal player of the Consultative Group on 
International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) efforts  to rehabilitate the farming economy of 
Afghanistan. An agronomist with the International Potato Center (CIP), a Future Harvest 
Center of the CGIAR, Dr. Kadian led a project funded by the United States Agency for In-
ternational Development to reintroduce into Afghanistan fresh supplies of certifi ed potato 
seed and provide training to local agricultural technicians on how to multiply and store it.
Dr. Kadian worked within the Future Harvest Consortium to Rebuild Agriculture in Af-
20 ghanistan, which was launched in the Central Asian country in the aftermath of the US-
led invasion of late 2001. The Consortium is led by the International Center harvest before the fi rst frost. The new practice enhanced rural incomes by 
for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, a CGIAR Center headquartered generating employment for landless farm laborers and giving farmers more 
in Syria. An Indian national, Dr. Kadian worked with hundreds of Afghani produce to sell. It also accelerated the in-country production of virus-free 
farmers in different parts of the country. The result was improved crop potato seed, which is an exacting and arduous process that can be accom-
management and an average increase in potato yield from less than 17 tons plished only by skilled farmers. Even then, it produces only eight seeds from 
per hectare to more than 20. every tuber planted. 
“Farmers were fascinated that a scientist had come from India to train Using shuttle seed production, seed harvested in the second season around 
them,” Dr. Kadian recalls. “I, in turn, was impressed by their hospitality. Jalalabad was taken to the highlands for spring replanting. Dr. Kadian 
They always invited me into their homes and shared what little they had. I recalls the day-long drive under heavy snowfall up into the Hindu Kush 
felt happy and safe in their company.” to town of Bamiyan, where the seed harvested in Jalalabad would be re-
planted. Bamiyan made headlines in 2001 when Taliban zealots dynamited 
Dr. Kadian’s frequent trips to Afghanistan between 2002 and 2004 never- and shelled two colossal images of Buddha that had stood carved in a cliff 
theless caused understandable concern among his family and friends. He face for nearly 2 millennia. 
recalls the usual questions: “Why are you going there? Are you crazy?” Yet 
Dr. Kadian was buoyed by the understanding and encouragement of his By 2004, Afghani farmers had managed to produce about 800 tons of high-
wife. Aware of her husband’s commitment to improving the wellbeing of quality potato seed through shuttle breeding and other improved technolo-
impoverished farmers, she gave full support to his determined effort to help gies. During his 2 years in Afghanistan, Dr. Kadian helped train more than 
Afghani farmers after decades of war, upheaval and deprivation. Yet even 900 people on various aspects of potato production and seed marketing.
she must have been frustrated the time when Dr. Kadian spent 3 days at 
the airport in Kabul waiting for a fl ight back to Delhi — the delay caused by The success of the Afghanistan potato program owes much to Dr. Kadian’s 
lack of aviation fuel. ability to work easily with farmers. This ability arose in part from his own 
rural background in the northern Indian state of Haryana. After completing 
Also keeping Dr. Kadian going through this diffi cult time was the hospital- his PhD in botany at Himachal Pradesh University in Shimla, he began work-
ity of Afghani farmers and villagers. He expresses delight that his scientifi c ing in 1982 with farmers in several Asian countries, including the poorest 
endeavors both placed him in a position to enjoy their warm welcome and areas of India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. 
empowered him to return the favor by giving them the means to improve 
their lives and livelihoods. Dr. Kadian has worked mainly in the areas of crop diversifi cation; seed 
production, maintenance and storage; and resource management. In Ban-
With military helicopters clattering overhead, Dr. Kadian worked directly gladesh, he has coordinated since 1998 a potato seed development project 
with farmers in their fi elds. He was able to convince them of the impor- with partners in the national agricultural research system. He has trained ex-
tance of adopting new technologies as his sensitivity  to their concerns tension workers from nongovernmental organizations and national partners 
earned him their trust. Notably, on the plain of Jalalabad, fl anking the Af- in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, as well as farmers themselves, on improved 
ghani approach to the Khyber Pass, Dr. Kadian persuaded farmers to plant techniques for producing high-quality seed on ordinary farms. The result of 
an autumn potato crop. Dr. Kadian’s work has been substantially improved incomes for farmers in 
South, West and Central Asia.
“Farmers were not used to growing potatoes in that season,” Dr. Kadian re-
calls. “It was quite diffi cult to convince them to plant seed potatoes instead “I’m proud to work with CIP and pleased with the impact we’ve enjoyed 
of tubers. I told them we would reimburse them for their investment if the through our work on potato,” he says. “The interaction with farmers is 
crop wasn’t successful.” what has been most gratifying for me. I’ve learned a lot from them over all 
these years of work and extensive travels.”
The relatively mild climate around Jalalabad makes possible two potato 
crops per year if farmers plant the second crop early and irrigated it to allow 21
Writer:  Rebecca Khelseau-Carsky
Editor:  Peter F. Fredenburg
Designer:  Patricia Hord.Grafi k Design
Printer:  Master Print
November 2005