Announcements

Publications

CGIAR Annual Report 2008: Global Recommitment to Agriculture

The CGIAR Annual Report 2008: Global Recommitment to Agriculture is now available on the CGIAR website. This report is the result of contributions from across the CGIAR and our partners, providing an overview of CGIAR research highlights and accomplishments in 2008.

Awards

Gebisa Ejeta awarded the 2009 World Food Prize

Ethiopian scientist Gebisa Ejeta was named winner of the 2009 World Food Prize, in recognition of his work on drought-tolerant and Striga-resistant sorghum hybrids, which have dramatically increased the production and availability of one of the world's five principal grains and enhanced the food supply of hundreds of millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa. Ejeta will receive the prize, at a ceremony to be held on October 15, 2009, at Des Moines, Iowa. Ejeta is distinguished professor of agronomy at Purdue University, USA, and a member of the CGIAR Science Council. He worked previously as a principal plant breeder at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). Click here to read more.

Adel El-Beltagy awarded the Sultan Qaboos First Class Order for Culture, Sciences and Arts

Appointments

Nigel Poole, New Board Chair at ICRISAT

The Governing Board of ICRISAT approved the nomination of Nigel Poole as chair of the Board, beginning on July 1, 2009. A British citizen, Poole is associated with many academic and business institutions. In 1999, he Poole received the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his contribution to agricultural biotechnology. For more information, click here.

John Skerritt, New Board Chair at IWMI

IWMI is pleased to welcome its new Board chair, John Skerritt, who is currently chief of division at the Australian Public Service Commission and deputy chief executive officer at the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). An Australian citizen, Skerritt has developing country experience in research management in over 20 countries in Asia-Pacific and Africa. He has also managed long-term projects in India, and delivered training courses in Indonesia, Thailand, India, East Timor, Ecuador and Lebanon. As the deputy director of ACIAR, he has overall responsibility for research and development and training programs in 24 partner countries and Australia. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree, First Class Hons, University Medal, and a PhD from the University of Sydney. For more information, click here.

Legal Decision

New Legal Decision against Enola Bean Patent

A patent on the so-called "Enola Bean" has finally been reversed for good. The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued a decision on July 10, 2009, declaring that the "yellow beans invention" covered by the Enola patent (US Patent #5894079) has been nullified. Until this decision was handed down, the patent owner, Larry Proctor (DBA 'Pod-ners, LLC'), could sue anyone selling these beans in the USA for infringement. CIAT and others are working with patent offices to help patent examiners verify plant varieties that have previously been available to the public - also termed "prior art" in patent law. Click here to read more.

Obituaries

Mike Gale

Mike Gale passed away suddenly on Saturday, July 18, 2009. Mike was associate research director at the John Innes Centre in Norwich, UK, from 1994 to 2003 and was involved in numerous advisory committees on agricultural research. Mike has been honored by many organizations worldwide for his contributions to cereal genetics and the genetic improvement of crops. His many contributions to the CGIAR as a member of the Science Council and Genetic Resources Policy Committee since 2004, among his other roles, have been instrumental in advancing the CGIAR's mission and in helping to steer the CGIAR's research and policy on crop improvement. Mike will be deeply missed and remembered by his colleagues for his kindness, dynamism and commitment.

Robert McNamara

Robert McNamara, who served as president of the World Bank from 1968 to 1981, passed away on July 6, 2009, at the age of 93. McNamara played a central role in creating the CGIAR to provide adequate financial support for international agricultural research. In a complementary move, McNamara also succeeded in expanding World Bank lending to agriculture in developing countries. The CGIAR commemorates McNamara's legacy of making a difference in the lives of the poor. Adapted from CGIAR Chair Kathy Sierra's message: http://cgiarchangemanagement.wordpress.com/2009/07/08/in-memory-of-robert-mcnamara-cgiar-visionary/

Frank Karel

Frank Karel, a former vice president of communications at the Robert Wood Johnson and Rockefeller Foundations and the nation's foremost advocate for philanthropy as a driver of social change, died Saturday, September 19, at his home in Washington, D.C. His background included work as a journalist; public affairs director at major educational, scientific and advocacy organizations; and senior fellow at the University of California at Los Angeles School of Public Policy and Social Research. Recognized chiefly for his innovative work in health communications, Karel also advocated during his tenure at the Rockefeller Foundation strong efforts to raise awareness about the critical role of agricultural research in achieving global food security. Part of the legacy Karel leaves, according to an insightful and inspiring tribute, is what he described as a "vision of using communications strategically - that is, to create and use information in ways that can help achieve key organizational and program objectives." Click here for more information on Frank Karel.

Events in 2009