CIAT NEWS

CIAT Annual Report 2008 online

The CIAT Annual Report 2008 is now online. It contains details of some the Center�s important advances in research to tackle hunger and poverty in the tropics. It also features financial results, together with the outlook and challenges for 2009 and beyond.

IP & Technology Management Officer

CIAT is seeking an enthusiastic and energetic person to establish an IP & Technology Management Office and coordinate all IP management processes. The position will be based at CIAT headquarters (Palmira, Colombia). Closing date for applications: 30 June 2009.

CIAT researcher wins international award

An award-winning scientist in Colombia has paid tribute to his Colombian colleagues for their dedication, which led to him winning an international science prize. To show his appreciation, Dr Andy Jarvis, of CIAT and Bioversity International, near Cali, will use part of the prize money to create a scholarship for a promising scientist from the region to help with his research into the effects of climate change on agricultural biodiversity.

Knowledge Sharing Week (KSW09)

CIAT's Knowledge Sharing Week (KSW09) started on Monday, 18 May. This was one of the Center's most important annual events, gathering scientists from Africa, Asia, and Central America, and providing a unique opportunity to exchange and discuss experiences with colleagues at headquarters.

Third issue of Challenges and Innovations

The third issue of CIAT's e-newsletter, Challenges & Innovations, which welcomes the Center's new Director General, Dr. Ruben Echeverr�a, is now online. It also presents CIAT's new Strategic Directions and offers stories on exciting advances in rice production partnerships in Latin America as well as recent news from CIAT and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).

NIAS of Japan and CIAT sign agreement

A Letter of Understanding was signed by the National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences (NIAS) and CIAT.

CIAT Strategic Directions

After more than a year under development CIAT's Director General Geoff Hawtin announces the availability of CIAT's new Strategic Directions as endorsed by the Board and the incoming Director General, Ruben Echeverr�a. The document is the result of a rigorous process of reflection, debate, and consultations with different partners and stakeholders in agricultural research and the Center's staff.

HarvestPlus launches new research phase

With generous support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, HarvestPlus is pleased to announce the launch of its second phase of research (2009-2013) that will bring nutrient-rich staple crops from the laboratories of the CGIAR to the fields of farmer�s around the world.

Tropical roots and tubers symposium 2 to 6 November 2009, CIP, Lima, Peru

With the theme "Tropical roots and tubers in a changing climate: a convenient opportunity for the world", the International Society for Tropical Root Crops (ISTRC) will hold its XV Triennial Symposium from 2 to 6 November 2009.

The Global Partnership Initiative for Plant Breeding Capacity Building Workshop 9-10 March 2009, CIAT, Palmira, Colombia

From 9-10 March CIAT will host a workshop to review and discuss current status and future needs of plant breeding capacity in Latin America and the Caribbean. The discussions are based on survey results from the region carried out over the last few years by the Global Partnership Initiative for Plant Breeding Capacity Building (GIPB) in an initiative called Plant Breeding and related Biotechnology Capacity assessments, and supported by FAO and many other partners.

New digital map of Africa's depleted soils to offer insights critical for boosting food production

Nairobi, Kenya (13 January 2009)�Responding to sub-Saharan Africa's soil health crisis, the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) announced today an ambitious new effort to produce the first-ever, detailed digital soil map for all 42 countries of the region.

Samples of amylase-free cassava starch now available

In 2007, CIAT's Cassava Improvement Project identified a recessive mutation among its self-fertilized materials that was characterized by producing an amylose-free starch, also referred to as 'waxy' starch. Given the importance of this finding for the starch production sector, the Cassava Improvement Project has decided to prepare a Collaborative Agreement on Cassava Starch through which samples of this 'waxy' starch, extracted by CIAT from the same genetic material in which the mutation was identified, is made available to the starch production sector.

MAIN (Model for Assessing the Impact of Nutritional Interventions)

MAIN, a user-friendly system for the empirical estimation of the DALYs framework, is available. It is used to evaluate the potential benefits and costs of developing the nutritional intervention to reduce deficiencies of vitamin A, iron, and/or zinc.

CIAT Appoints New Director General

CIAT's Board of Trustees is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Rub�n Echeverr�a as the institute's next Director General.

New Brochure on CIAT in Southern Africa

A new brochure which outlines CIAT's work in southern Africa is now available. It explains how scientists are helping to meet some of the most urgent developmental challenges, not only by evaluating new technologies and other innovations but also by helping poor people to help themselves.

Online Second Issue of Challenges and Innovations

The second issue of CIAT's quarterly e-newsletter, Challenges & Innovations, is now online, sharing stories of work conducted at the Center�s laboratories in Colombia, to the depths of the Amazon and bean fields of Africa. It also announces the development of a new drought-resistant rice variety and the launching of a new biosafety project that aims to boost the technical capacities of LAC countries to safely handle genetically modified crops.

Evaluating Capacity Development: Experiences from Research and Development Organizations around the World

What has proven to be a valuable tool for managers and evaluators in R&D organizations, as well as the organizations which support them, is now available for Spanish speakers across Latin America and the Caribbean.

Online presentations of the seminar "Agriculture and Nutrition: A Healthy Alliance"

CIAT celebrated World Food Day by hosting a seminar "Agriculture and Nutrition: A Healthy Alliance". This event, which gathered over 200 participants, aimed to share different viewpoints on the nutritional problems affecting Latin America, with special emphasis on southwestern Colombia. All 16 presentations highlighted the role played by agriculture as fundamental for improving human nutrition and food security, and are now available online on the Agrosalud�s Web site, one of the seminar�s co-organizers.

World Tapioca Conference 2009 15-16 January 2009, Bangkok, Thailand

Thailand is one of the world's largest exporters of cassava products and for this reason it is fitting that Bangkok will host the World Tapioca Conference from 15 to 16 January 2009. This Conference is being organized by the Department of Foreign Trade of Thailand's Ministry of Commerce. CIAT Director General Geoffrey Hawtin has been invited as guest lecturer and will address the use of innovation to shape the future of cassava. Dr. Hern�n Ceballos will also participate with a presentation on cassava varieties with high industrial value and new breeding methods, while Dr. Reinhardt Howeler will address sustainable cassava production in his presentation. One of the main conference activities is a panel discussion on the potential of Thailand's tapioca industry and future perspectives for the crop, with the participation of different experts.

Agriculture and Nutrition: A Healthy Alliance A Seminar for Southwest Colombia

To celebrate the World Food Day, the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), the National University, and the Valle University have organized a 1-day seminar to analyze nutrition-related problems in Latin America and Colombia, with special emphasis on southwestern Colombia. This seminar will be held at CIAT headquarters on Thursday, 16 October.

CIAT's New Board of Trustees Elected

CIAT now has a new Board of Trustees with 11 members, five of which are new, two reelected, and the remaining four ex officio (because of their positions). The new Board members are Juan Lucas Restrepo from Colombia, Anthony Cavalieri from the United States, Pietro Veglio from Switzerland, Luis Fernando Vieira from Brazil, and Fina Opio from Uganda.

Innovation Africa: Enriching Farmers' Livelihoods

This book, edited by Pascal Sanginga, Ann Waters-Bayer, Susan Kaaria, Jemimah Njuki and Chesha Wettasinha and published by Earthscan, covers new conceptual and methodological developments in agricultural innovation systems, and showcases recent on-the-ground experiences in and lessons from related research and development in different contexts in Africa.

Challenges to Managing Ecosystems Sustainably for Poverty Alleviation: Securing Well-Being in the Andes/Amazon

This report aims to guide research and capacity-building priorities related to ecosystem services and poverty alleviation in the Amazon basin and eastern Andes. It is the result of extensive engagement with stakeholders in the region, combined with novel analysis of secondary data on poverty and ecosystem services such as water provision, biodiversity, and soil quality.

When Disaster Strikes: A Guide to Assessing Seed System Security

When Disaster Strikes: A Guide to Assessing Seed System Security is a practical assessment tool. It will help emergency relief agencies and their field workers to decide whether a seed-related intervention is warranted in the first place, and if so, to design the best strategy to help farmers.

CIAT's New E-Newsletter

CIAT's new quarterly e-newsletter "Challenges & Innovations" was launched last 12 August in replacement of its previous bulletin, CIAT-News, and distributed to a vast audience of over 36,000 subscribers, including researchers, donors, NARS, and stakeholders of different countries. This e-newsletter, also published in Spanish, aims to become one of the Center's main communication channels to disseminate the advances and impact of its research in the tropics.

New Publication: When Disaster Strikes: A Guide to Assessing Seed System Security

This field manual is a practical assessment tool for emergency relief agencies and their field workers. It will help them to decide whether a seed-related intervention is warranted in the first place, and if so, to design the best strategy to help farmers. The method is laid out in seven steps. Each includes how-to notes, guiding questions, and action checklists. Besides helping agencies understand and cope with acute stresses on seed systems, the guide also tackles the issue of longer-term stresses and how to take advantage of development opportunities.

CIAT-Led Institutional Knowledge Sharing Project of the CGIAR Delivers Promising Results

CIAT has been leading the Knowledge Sharing (KS) Project of the CGIAR on behalf of the ICT-KM Program since 2004. With a key objective to encourage open and inclusive sharing of knowledge, expertise and experiences among CGIAR staff and research partners, the Program�s knowledge sharing work is aimed at supporting learning and change to improve the effectiveness and impact of CGIAR work.

Rice growers will promote a "technological revolution" to confront the world's food crisis

The Latin American rice sector is committed to joining efforts to confront the current world food crisis. It will promote a technological revolution as the only viable solution for meeting regional demand for rice over the long term and for contributing towards supplying the world with one of humanity's staple grains. The announcement was made in Guayaquil, Ecuador, during the XXIII Meeting of the Administrative Committee of the Latin American Fund for Irrigated Rice (FLAR, its Spanish acronym). The Fund brings together 22 public and private institutions of 15 countries, and their strategic partner, the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT, its Spanish acronym).

New Module for Graduate Course in Rural Business Development

CIAT and the Tropical Agronomic Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE) have worked together since 2002 to create and implement a Diploma Course in Rural Business Development. Starting this year, the course will have a new module on Business Orientation and Managerial Capacities of Associative Enterprises in Rural Areas, which will be held from 16 to 27 June 2008 at CIAT's headquarters in Palmira, Colombia. Registrations are open until 28 May.

Partnership with TTDI to Enhance Cassava Production and Farmer Livelihoods in Thailand

CIAT scientists are developing new cassava varieties that will enable smallholder farmers in Thailand to produce more revenue. A five-year collaboration with Bangkok-based Thai Tapioca Development Institute (TTDI) aims to adapt cassava to growing conditions in Thailand while optimizing its marketability.

US Patent Office Rejects US Company's Patent Protection for Bean Commonly Grown by Latin American Farmers

Controversial Court Patent Case for Simple Yellow Legume has Become Rallying Point for "Biopiracy" Concerns The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) today rejected all of the patent claims for a common yellow bean that has been a familiar staple in Latin American diets for more than a century.

Research Examines Seed-Aid Effectiveness

Findings Already Influencing Policies of Donor and Recipient Governments Emergency seed aid, a critical intervention during times of crisis for farmers in the developing world, has had a range of unexpected effects� and the easiest solution, seed handouts, is rarely the best, according to a new paper published today in The Journal of Development Studies.

Ethiopia Recognizes CIAT's Work

The Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) has made an important recognition of the work carried out by CIAT in beans in that country, on the occasion of the Ethiopian Millennium and its 40th Anniversary.

III Course on Hybridization and DNA Microarray Analysis

3 Mar 2008 20:30:27 GMT

CIAT's Agrobiodiversity and Biotechnology Project will host the III National Course on Hybridization and DNA Microarray Analysis from 7 to 9 May 2008.

Safeguarding the "Crown Jewels" of International Agriculture

Ten genebanks operated by CGIAR-supported Centers were the scene of frenetic activity in recent weeks, as staff rushed to finish packing samples of more than 200,000 crop varieties for shipment to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault (SGSV), a new storage facility located on a remote island near the Arctic Circle.

The Rural Innovation Institute Foundation Will not Continue

Six months after announcing its creation, the Rural Innovation Institute Foundation suspended its activities definitively, as announced by its Executive Director Jacqueline Ashby

Inventory of Official Policy Instruments for Rural Enterprise Development

This publication, only available in Spanish, aims to facilitate the understanding and use of instruments pertinent to the official policy on agriculture and livestock production by rural development actors, especially final beneficiaries.