The panel envisions that an inter-Centre initiative on root and tuber crops research could develop strategies for enhancing research effectiveness and, as a result, increase the likelihood for their success. Some elements seem necessary to bring this about:
· Approach to Pay Offs.
· Inter-Centre Strategies.
· Strategic Choices.
· Operational Changes.
· Collaborations. Implementation.
Approaches to Pay Offs: In the panel's view, a clearly stated approach is needed for how research on root and tuber crops could pay off, and how the benefits will flow for the alleviation of poverty and hunger, provide better food security, and yield additional farmer income. This approach should be stated as a common, inter-Centre strategy that focuses on the similarities of root and tuber crops. This common-effort-approach should allow the development of collaborative research synergies among the IARCs, their partner institutions, including research-strong NARS, AROs, universities, NGOs, and the private sector.
Inter-Centre Strategies: Inter-Centre strategies for root and tuber crops research should provide a focus on targeted subjects that would amplify the investments of research resources by working across commodities, and thus multiply the resulting benefits. Earlier in this report, some of these common areas were mentioned, and they are repeated here for emphasis - post-harvest technology and market research; biotechnology; policy analysis; vegetative propagation and conservation technology; and international germplasm exchange with phytosanitation.
It is clear, however, that some areas of research will remain as best carried out separately by each Centre. Other areas of root and tuber crops research will be planned within a framework of an inter-Centre strategy. A third category of research will be those activities that should be promoted, but may need to be slotted into a wider strategy (e.g., biotechnology, IPM).
In establishing an inter-Centre strategy on root and tuber crops research, there will be a need to design appropriate training programs to support program priorities; provide services to supply information for global and regional efforts; and to find new ways of "doing business."
Strategic Choices: In the process of developing the concept of an inter-Centre strategy for root and tuber crops research, the panel maintained an appreciation for the present differential involvement of research activities across root and tuber crops, based on our understanding of the dissimilarities the crops, regional differences, and technological opportunities.
There is, in the panel's view, a need for the root and tuber crop-mandated Centres to increase their involvement in some areas of research. To accomplish this new level of research activity there will necessarily be a need to decrease other activities, given anticipated flat levels of funding. In the panel's judgement, these decreased levels of research activity should be strategically planned. These strategic shifts in priorities might occur as: less activity in genetic enhancement and breeding; reduced testing; or less crop management research, relative to current activities. Other forms of strategic consolidation might occur through closer integration of research efforts, mostly with other partners, both within and outside the CG system.
Operational Changes: The panel noted opportunities for streamlining the exchange of germplasm (including wild relatives), through joint efforts to improve the processes, protocols, and technologies used for cleaning vegetative material. Related to this topic is the panel's suggestion for a joint research project on root and tuber crops reproduction biology, as a way to better assure the eventual adoption of improved materials. This research direction could search for alternative technologies to be used for the conservation and exchange of root and tuber crops genetic material (e.g., cryopreservation; culture techniques; diagnostics; artificial seed).
The panel noted, from an operational perspective, that there are many opportunities for joint activities. For instance, joint projects could be used to conduct surveys in related areas of root and tuber crops. These surveys, coordinated as inter-Centre efforts, could bring savings, and yield tremendous benefit for the participating researchers by "piggybacking" questions on a common survey instrument.
The panel noted the desirability of improving operations with respect to NARS to provide a more rational and consistent process in the interaction of root and tuber crops research, than now exists. This would best be done through inter-Centre evaluation of current operations (some of which already are shared efforts), and the identification of preferred operations.
Collaborations: As noted above, there are a number of opportunities for collaborative research activities that could be conducted jointly by Centres on topics common to root and tuber crops. Such specific research problems could be jointly addressed if better operational mechanisms were put in place to enhance inter-Centre projects (e.g., biotechnology, post-harvest technology, market and trade analyses, vegetatively propagated crops, policy issues, phytosanitary constraints, starch biochemistry, germplasm collection and preservation, collection of statistics and surveys, training, and mechanization research)-
Implementation: Successful implementation of strategies for root and tuber crops research through specific inter-Centre collaborations will require a suitable organization. One of the greatest needs, in the panel's view, will be for better coordination of activities among Centres. This might be done through periodic meetings to discuss preferred organizational structures, the creation of coordinating mechanisms, the development of communication systems, the training of people, and an appreciation of institutional cultures that need to be brought together in a collaborative setting.
