March 2005 Centers Respond to Asian Tsunami Following the tsunami disaster in the Indian Ocean region, the Future Harvest Centers fo the CGIAR moved quickly to lend their expertise to ongoing efforts focusing on relief, assessment, and rebuilding of livelihoods. Accessing Expertise: New CGIAR "Contacts" Database Makes it Easier In a continuing effort to provide effective, streamlined service, the CGIAR Secretariat unveiled a new "Contacts" database. Biofortified Wheat, One Step Closer to Reality CGIAR’s HarvestPlus Challenge Program is working to reduce micronutrient malnutrition by harnessing the powers of agriculture and nutrition research to breed nutrient dense staple foods. Message from the Science Council Chair A message from Per Pinstrup-Andersen. More Fish, More Food In Africa, fish are a vital source of protein for more than 200 million people. But fish catches have been declining while demand continues to increase—so per capita consumption has fallen. Aquaculture has been touted as the Holy Grail of sustainable fish production, but its effectiveness in terms of both yield and farming efficiency had not been conclusive—until now! Club del Moko Smallholder farmers in Colombia have been working side by side with international and national agricultural scientists and extension agents for the past three years to save their plantain stands from bacterial wilt— a collaborative campaign against moko, a plantain disease. Slow Rusting: A Long-Lasting Example of Applied Science Leaf rust attacks on wheat are a major problem, adversely affecting the incomes of poor farmers all over the world. New IRRI-CIMMYT Alliance A new IRRI-CIMMYT alliance aimed at boosting international efforts to fight poverty and strengthen food security in the developing world has been formed. It focuses on harnessing science to provide the world’s millions of poor farmers with improved access to new, more productive maize, rice, and wheat technologies Local Farmers Join Hands with CIP to Conserve Native Potato Varieties In a landmark development, local farm­ing communities in Peru signed an agreement with CIP to protect the genetic diversity of the region's many potato varieties and the rights of the indigenous people to control access to these local genetic resources. New CGIAR Web Site Launched The CGIAR web site has been revamped. CGIAR Launches Pilot Performance Measurement System Worldwide there is a growing trend toward greater accountability, transparency, performance and service delivery in private and public sector organizations. New Forage Grass Benefits from Public-Private Partnership One of Mexico’s most dynamic private seed companies— Papalotla Group—is demonstrating the right way to use valuable plant genetic resources for both private gain and public benefit. IFPRI Unveils State of Biotech Crop Research in Developing Countries If you think that private companies dominate biotech crop research in developing countries, think again. The facts are different. Japan-CGIAR Fellowship Program The new Japan-CGIAR fellowship program is off to a flying start. Controlling Sunn Pest in Wheat, Naturally: ICARDA shows the Way Traditional methods of controlling Sunn Pest (Eurygaster integriceps) infestations in wheat rely on expensive insecticides. Fighting a Mighty Foe: Marker-Assisted Breeding to the Rescue Downy mildew is a disease caused by the fungus, Sclerospora graminicola. Once infected, pearl millet plants are stunted, grain formation fails, and the plants die spelling misery for thousands of poor farmers who rely on this hardy crop for food, income, and nutrition security. Pork and Sweetpotato Please The facts are simple: Pigs are efficient converters of food into meat, and they like sweetpotato. Pork is an extremely important source of protein in Asia, especially China and Vietnam. Paying People to Protect the Environment ? Development specialists are becoming increasingly interested in the “Payments for Environmental Services (PES)” concept as a way of protecting the environment while reducing poverty. Fighting Drought with Information Addakal and its surrounding villages in Andhra Pradesh, India are predominantly agrarian. Farmers here work in a harsh, semi­arid environment cultivating groundnut, sunflower and vegetables and rearing cattle for their livelihoods. Frequent droughts and lack of access to information has led to low crop yields for several years in a row. AGM2005 Mark your calendars!