Press releases from the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT).

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) initiated the functioning of the NutriPlus Knowledge Center in the Agri-Science Park @ ICRISAT with the signing of one Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and announcing two prospective agreements today.

A senior scientist of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Dr Hari D Upadhyaya, was honored as a Fellow of the prestigious American Society of Agronomy at its Annual Meeting held at Houston, USA, recently. Dr Upadhyaya is Principal Scientist (Genetic Resources) at ICRISAT.

Even as national governments make strong efforts to fight off bankruptcy for their financial institutions, the lands that support their farmers and ensure food security for their populations are facing ever-increasing threats of degradation.

Even as governments of developed and developing countries are bailing out banks, insurance companies and financial institutions to prevent them from going bankrupt and starting a domino effect, they continue to neglect the poor farmers in their countries, an action that can have short- and long-term adverse impacts on national and global economies.

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) will soon re-establish its center in Nigeria. This intent was formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed with the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN).

The Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Honorable Stephen Smith, visited the global headquarters of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) at Patancheru, near Hyderabad today (10 September).

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), a public-funded advanced agricultural research institute, has generated research products that have a significant impact on improving agricultural productivity in the semi-arid tropics in the developing countries of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. These research products ? improved crop varieties and hybrids, technologies and research tools ? have been designated as International Public Goods (IPGs), and are available without patent protection for the benefit of mankind across the globe.

Pigeonpea (red gram, tuvar dal, arhar dal) varieties developed by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) are becoming popular over the hill slopes of Uttarakhand in North India, and providing an opportunity to the farmers to improve pulse production in the state.

Correcting the policy bias against dryland agriculture can help solve the current global food crisis and enhance the livelihoods of poor farmers. This was revealed in a policy paper on dryland agriculture issued by Dr William Dar, Director General of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT).

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) is collaborating with the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, to establish a DBT-ICRISAT Platform for Translational Research on Transgenic Crops (PTTC) at ICRISAT?s global headquarters at Patancheru, near Hyderabad in India.

The monsoons came late over the semi-arid regions of central India this year. While several farming villages suffered from drought, Kothapally village in Ranga Reddy district of Andhra Pradesh had water in their wells for drinking and irrigating crops.

Bouncing back from a challenging period in the nineties, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) turned itself around to join the ranks of top international agricultural research centers today.

A scientist from the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Dr Hari C Sharma, Principal Scientist - Entomology, has been elected as the President of the Council of the International Congress of Entomology (ICE).

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has been rated ?Outstanding? based on the performance-linked measurements of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), for the second year in a row.

Red gram or pigeonpea is an important pulse crop of India where it is grown on about 3.5 million ha. It is a favorite dal (tuar or arhar) of Indian cuisine. It is a very suitable crop for rainfed agriculture because it is drought tolerant, needs minimum inputs and produces reasonable yields under unfavorable agro-ecological conditions.

The survival of more than 250 million people living in the drylands of the developing world is being threatened by a chronic problem land degradation.

As the world celebrates Environment Day, science is continuously mobilized to help mitigate the threats caused by global warming and climate change.
Along with this, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), headquartered in Patancheru, Hyderabad in southern India, is intensively working with its partners to develop science-based strategies that empower vulnerable communities to cope with climate change in the dry tropics of the world.

Scientific innovations can help bring about Africa?s Green Revolution. The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), headquartered in Patancheru near Hyderabad in southern India, is working with other institutions in the global initiative to bring about a green revolution in the drylands of sub-Saharan Africa.

The poorest of the poor, especially those in the drylands, are hardest hit by soaring food prices. Even as the urban poor are the most vulnerable, the rural poor also suffer since most of them are net buyers of food. In sub-Saharan Africa, the World Bank estimates that more than 100 million people will be pushed back to poverty after seven years of progress. But cutting edge scientific innovations can help the poor overcome this problem.

In these days of soaring food prices worldwide, imagine a crop that provides food, livestock feed and biofuel. It grows in dry conditions, tolerates heat, salt and waterlogging, and provides steady income for poor farmers. Sweet sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench], a plant that grows to a height of 8 to 12 feet and looks like corn but with the grain on top rather than on the side of the plant, has all these qualities.