March 2006 Promises Made and Kept: an Interview with Dr. Marilyn Warburton Officially recognized 4 years ago as a "promising young scientist," Marilyn Warburton still works to help ensure that crop breeding makes good on its promise to alleviate poverty and hunger. Business Unusual Do public-private partnerships in agricultural research and innovation offer a new way to reduce poverty and improve food security in developing countries? Can the public and private sectors find common ground for a common good? Transforming the Cassava Industry in Nigeria The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is collaborating with national and international agencies to apply innovative technologies to develop the industrial use of cassava in Nigeria, transforming the tuber from a poor farmer’s crop into an industrial one. Groundnut Revolution Initiated in India Improved groundnut variety ICGV 91114 from the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has initiated a revolution in the dry, rocky Anantapur District of Andhra Pradesh in India. The choosy farmers of the district are multiplying ICGV 91114 seeds with alacrity under an ICRISAT-initiated public-private seed partnership. News from the Science Council Chair A letter from Per Pinstrup-Andersen, Science Council Chair Making Africa More Fruitful The World Agroforestry Centre domesticates wild fruits trees in southern Africa A Mountainous Success Hidden among the hillsides of the southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan, a new green revolution is taking place as farmers and researchers prove that, despite long-held pessimism, upland rice farming can reap rewards. African Dryland Farmers Benefit from Improved Crop Varieties Many wonder if plant breeding can achieve much in the African drylands because the growing conditions there are so harsh. Historically, most breeding successes have occurred where water is ample, as for irrigated wheat and rice. Strategic Partnership Combines Generation Challenge Program and Global Crop Diversity Trust "Agricultural systems depend on plant genetic resources, the raw material for crop improvement, and on our ability to use these biological materials effectively," declares Cary Fowler, Executive Secretary of the Global Diversity Trust. Responding to HIV and AIDS in Africa's Fishery Sector Fishing communities have been identified as high-risk populations for HIV and AIDS, with the prevalence of infection among fisherfolk often 5-10 times higher than in the general population. An international workshop “Responding to HIV and AIDS in the Fishery Sector in Africa” took place on 21-22 February in Lusaka, Zambia, to address this dire development. Dietary Diversity Promoted for Better Nutrition In late November 2005, the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) organized a meeting with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy and the Accademia delle Scienze, to promote the use of agricultural biodiversity in the fight against hunger, poverty and malnutrition. Wheat Improvement Program for Dry Areas During the meeting of the Board of Trustees of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), the two Centers agreed to jointly implement the ICARDA/CIMMYT Wheat Improvement Program (ICWIP) in the Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA) region.