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This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.
BOOSTING WORLD FOOD HARVESTS
In this section:
Agency Funds Diverse Range of Ag Research to
Boost World Harvests
Agency Funds Diverse Range of Ag Research to Boost World
Harvests
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Senegalese market women selling cowpeas, which are
short season crops and provide fresh shell beans at
a time of year before other foods are available. These
cowpea varieties, developed through Bean/Cowpea CRSP
research, have been widely adopted and have contributed
to yield increases 2.4 times above the 20-year baseline
because of their earliness; resistance to drought, insects
and disease, and high yields.
Bean/Cowpea CRSP
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To meet expanding needs for food in developing countries—where
most fertile land is already under cultivation—farmers
need to increase production per acre through research in centralized
laboratories as well as field practices.
Much of the funding for agricultural research, especially
in poor nations and in Africa, has been provided by USAID
and other donors.
Global agricultural research has been effective, especially
in the area of genetic resources and plant variety improvement.
It also provides scientific leadership and encouragement to
national programs through numerous grants and projects.
For instance, for the past 30 years, USAID has funded the
most important organizational vehicle for conducting research,
the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research
(CGIAR), a cluster of 15 research centers around the world
(see page 16 for a profile of one of the CGIAR centers).
Since 1978, USAID has also supported the Collaborative Research
Support Programs (CRSPs), which helps U.S. universities contribute
knowledge, train personnel, and provide technology to improve
agriculture worldwide. CRSPs focus research on crops such
as beans, cowpeas, sorghum, millet, and peanuts; livestock;
pest management; aquaculture; and soil management.
The Agency also funds technical cooperation among Middle
Eastern countries and the utilization of U.S. and Israeli
expertise by developing countries. The Middle East Regional
Cooperation also supports development in the Middle East via
projects that involve direct Arab-Israeli cooperation.
The following photo essay illustrates some of the research
work that USAID supports around the world.
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A researcher at a seed bank checks plant materials
at CIMMYT, the international center for maize and wheat
research outside Mexico City, where the Green Revolution
high-yield wheat was created in the 1960s.
Ben Barber, USAID
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A lab technician testing soil samples. CGIAR scientists
play major roles in collecting, characterizing, and
conserving plant genetic resources. Eleven centers together
maintain over 600,000 samples of crop, forage, and agroforestry
genetic resources in the public domain.
CGIAR
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A pig farmer in China shows off his healthy livestock.
The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in
the Philippines has worked with China’s farmers
to grow more rice on less land so they could diversify
into other agricultural products such as livestock.
CGIAR
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A farmer in Zimbabwe inspects his groundnut crop. Researchers
and field technicians from the Global Crop Diversity
Trust visit farmer fields to observe and record the
varieties that farmers are growing and to offer their
technical support on ecological and socio-economic issues.
Global Crop Diversity Group
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The black bean seeds shown are of a drought-tolerant
line undergoing evaluation at the International Center
for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), headquartered in Colombia.
This particular line is of interest in Central America,
where drought is a severe problem and many consumers
prefer black-seeded beans.
CGIAR
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Scientists at the International Rice Research Institute
(IRRI) have been improving the resistance of rice to
insects and diseases. Their work helps farmers raise
productivity, keeping rice affordable for growing populations.
CGIAR
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A researcher checks a cassava field for mosaic virus
disease. USAID has helped to rebuild Uganda’s cassava
production by joining with NGOs to introduce resistant
varieties.
USAID/Uganda
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Dr. Henry Wamwayi vaccinates cattle in Ethiopia with
a recombinant rinderpest vaccine that was developed
at the University of California, Davis, with USAID funding.
University of California, Davis
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