Biotech Updates

Reducing Global Hunger by Half in 2015 Still Possible

August 13, 2010

A conference on Eliminating Hunger and Poverty: Priorities in Global Agricultural Research and Development Agenda in an Era of Climate Change and Rising Food Prices in Chennai, India was recently held in honor of the 85th birthday of Dr. MS Swaminathan, the acknowledged father of India's Green Revolution. In the three-day conference, Dr. William Dar, director general of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) introduced the inclusive market-oriented development (IMOD) program which is a dynamic progression of smallholder farmers around the world from a subsistence level toward market-oriented agriculture.

Dr. Dar underscored the five point agenda that policy makers should consider in adapting IMOD and in bringing down the number of malnourished people: higher investments in agricultural research and extension; bringing in new players such as the private sector; philanthropic organizations and development investors to invest in agriculture; adopting a country-led bottom-up approach; adding to decision makers information by policy experiments and pilot projects; and fulfilling commitments made to enhance food security.

For details, see the original news at: http://www.icrisat.org/newsroom/news-releases/icrisat-pr-2010-media11.htm