BILATERAL RESEARCH SUPPORT TO ROOT AND TUBER CROP RESEARCH
ROOT AND TUBER RESEARCH PROJECTS LISTED IN AGREP, ARRIP, CRIS AND SPAAR
OVERALL COMMENT
However, it is also widely evident and recognized in the scientific literature that the root and tuber crop research 'campus' embraces a broad range of national research institutes across the developing world, working in collaboration with (via networks) or independently of the CGIAR centres. Many of these institutes seek support from bilateral funding agencies and very often develop research partnerships with advanced research organizations in the donor country.
An attempt has been made to 'survey' the nature and scope of research on tropical roots and tuber crops being undertaken by various agencies outside the CGIAR. Two approaches have been followed. Firstly, the major donor agencies, known to support agricultural research, were requested to provide summary information on the tropical root and tuber crop research programmes which they support and/or collaborate in. A summary of their responses is presented below. Additionally, searches were made in four project inventory data bases as available in the FAO Library, viz., the CRIS, ARRIP, SPAAR and AGREP research inventories of current research projects. The results of these searches are also summarized below.
Seven funding agencies prominently recognized to be engaged in bilateral support to agricultural research were requested to provide information on their involvement in root and tuber crops research1/. Additionally, five relevant regional research organizations, viz., AVRDC, CARDI, CATIE, CGPRT and ICOMOD were also convassed for information on their involvement in root and tuber crop research. Seven responses were received and are summarized below:
1/ The bilateral agencies contacted include: ACIAR, CIRAD, IDRC, GTZ, JICA, ODA and US-AID.
ACIAR
The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) supports a limited amount of research on root and tuber crop production, largely in the Asia/Pacific region.
Current and recent projects include: (i) Sweet potato pathogen tested germplasm for the South Pacific (Aus$ 205 065: 3 years); (ii) Sweet potato improvement (Aus$ 527 309: 3 years); (iii) The cause and control of Kava wilt disease in the South Pacific (Aus$ 221 578: 3 years); (iv) Cassava Cyanide: improved techniques for estimation and influence of environment on concentration (Aus$ 137 252: 2 years); (v) The cause and control of Kava die back in the South Pacific (Aus$ 404 500: 3 years) and (vi) Diagnosis and correction of mineral nutrient disorders of root crops in the Pacific (Aus$ 443 224: 3 years).
Four of the six research projects are focused on root crop production in the island countries of the Pacific (eg., Fuji, Tonga, Papa New Guinea, Solomon Islands), whereas the Cassava (Nigera, Philippines and Indonesia) and sweet potato improvement (Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and Sri Lanka) projects have broader geographical relevance. All six projects are implemented in collaborative partnerships involving Advanced Research Institutes/University departments in the host country and National Research Institutes/Universities in the target countries. IITA is named as a collaborator in the Cassava cyanide project, and CIP in the sweet potato improvement project.
CIRAD
Since the 1970's CIRAD has been working on yam, taro cassava and potato research, embracing agronomy, mechanization and post harvest technology studies. It's roots and tuber research programmes extend to West Africa, Asia and Latin America. CIRAD has quite an extensive research programme in West Africa embracing varietal improvement, crop protection and agronomy; it collaborates with IITA and IIRSDA on yam and with IDESSA on cassava research. CIRAD's work on yam has been intensified due to the expanding cultivation of yam with industrial crops (coffee and cocoa). It's research on yam harvesting in collaboration with CIMA (Centre Ivoirien due machinisme agricole) has resulted in the development of yam harvesting and residue filtering machines. CIRAD is also active in cassava processing and in the biochemistry of cassava flour and starches. CIRAD is a member of the CORAF cassava network and of the steering committee of the West African Yam Network.
In Latin America, CIRAD is active in the fields of mechanization and post harvest technology and has developed close collaboration with CIAT, University del Valle (Colombia), UNESP (Brazil) and UBA (Argentina).
CIRAD is also active in root and tuber research in Asia, particularly in cassava processing (Thailand) in collaboration with private industry. It sponsors a large programme on yam, taro, sweet potato and cassava in New Caledonia embracing germplasm enhancement and production systems research.
CIRAD research on tropical root and tuber crops is conducted within the Annual Crops Department which has a budget of more than 210 million F Fr (CIRAD, AR 1992). Its research activities on roots and tubers as summarized above involved a total of 23 scientists over the past five years. Clearly CIRAD devotes significant resources to research on root and tuber crops.
ODA
ODA sponsors a significant programme of research on tropical roots and tubers, principally via its research arm NRI, the Natural Resources Institute. NRI directly supports fundamental strategic research on roots and tuber crops through contracts with advanced research organizations. Current contracts include: (i) Gene transfer and expression in cassava (Long Ashton Research Station, £ 43 625); (ii) Incorporation of insect resistance genes into potato (Agricultural Genetics Company, £ 219 111); (iii) Transformation of sweet potato with combinations of cowpea trypsin inhibitor, wheat alpha-amylase inhibitor, snowdrop lectin and bean chitinase genes. (Agricultural Genetics Company, £ 276 189); (iv) Invitro Plant Regeneration in Cassava. (Bath University, £ 236 052); and (v) Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms in Cassava. (New Castle University, £ 183 369). NRI also directly supports joint ARO/CGIAR strategic research projects (hold back projects) involving CIP, IITA and CIAT, which over the past five years involved NRI support in the order of £ 1.2 million pounds sterling. The research foci of these projects included Bacterial wilt and Leafroll virus control in potatoes (CIP/Rothanstead/SCRI), Conservation of pathogen free yams (IITA/Wye College), Somatic Embryogenesis in Potato (CIP/SCRI), Yellow Vein, Sago and Kully Ongoy diseases of potato (CIP/Columbia NARs and PROINPA) and virus diseases in sweet potato (CIP/Uganda NARs).
NRI also supports applied/adaptive research and network activities in Africa and Latin America. A total of 24 research projects have been supported in recent years, largely in collaboration with NARs. The bulk of these projects address post harvest technology research issues. NRI funding inputs are not specified in the project protocols; NRI annual scientific staff inputs are listed and total 375 m/m over the 24 projects.
AVRDC
The Asian Vegetable Research and Development Centre (AVRDC) no longer engages in root and tuber crop research following the transfer of its mandates on white potato research to CIP in 1979 and sweet potato research to CIP in 1991. AVRDC transferred its sweep potato germplasm collection to CIP in 1993. Its root crop research is now confined to the bulb Allium (onion, garlic and scallot) which is not included in the CGIAR portfolio of root and tuber crops.
CARDI
CARDI attaches high priority to root and tuber crop research, largely because of the resistance of these crops to withstand tropical storms and hurricane damage in the Carribbean regions. Major research trusts, as outlined in CARDI's MTP, focus on yam, sweet potato, cassava and edible aroids and embrace: (i) Characterization and evaluation of germplasm; (ii) Maintenance, multiplication and distribution of elite germplasm; (iii) Pest and disease management; (iv) Production systems research and (v) Product development.
Current research projects are listed as follows: (i) Development of an efficient, internationally competitive yam production and marketing system (172 SSM: 4 years); (ii) Improvement of production and marketing systems of sweet potato in the region (135 SSM: 4 years), and (iii) Improvement of quality and availability of Aroids (Tannia, Dasheen and Eddoe) in the region (97 SSM: 4 years). The budgeted cost of these three projects is $ 104 000 p.a. approximately. Projects on cassava and sweet potato germplasm conservation, yam virus diseases, sweet potato weevil and tissue culture studies are also reported, but it is difficult to gauge the scale of this work.
CARDI's work programme and estimates of expenditure for 1993/94 shows an annual expenditure of US$ 392 845 on root crops research.
CATIE
CATIE's work on root and tuber crops is limited both in scale (US$ 10 000 p.a. approximately) and focus (clonal evaluation and germplasm conservation). The research programme objective is to evaluate different varieties within the cropping systems of the major agro-ecologies of its member countries. Most of its work in this area is undertaken in close collaboration with CIAT and CIP. The centre also collaborates with national programmes in research on the management and establishment of germplasm multiplication and distribution systems.
CGPRT
The Regional Co-ordination Centre for Research and Development of Coarse Grains, Pulses, Roots and Tuber crops (CGPRT) in the humid tropics of Asia and the Pacific supports a range of information dissemination and research activities in the Asian region. Currently, the centre supports one large research project, viz., Market development of root crops in Asia and the Pacific (ROTMA). This project involves China, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Vietnam and has stated objectives, viz., (i) To increase, on a pilot basis, efficiency of root crop markets through the effective flow of market information, and the introduction and transfer of appropriate post-harvest technologies, (ii) Promoting small and medium-scale processing industries, by providing information on markets and investment opportunities regarding root crop products and their uses, and (iii) Improved income of the rural population dependent on production, processing and trade in root crops. CIAT and CIP are mentioned as collaborators in this project which has a budget of US$ 1 450 000. The project is scheduled to commence in 1995.
Based on the keywords tropical root and tuber crops, searches of four project inventories in the FAO David Luben Memorial Library, listed a total of 266 research projects. These inventories provide information on project title, name and address of the senior author together with a brief description of the projects aims and objectives; information on funding source and/or involvement of international research agency support is indicated, but without reference to the scale of funding involved. The projects are not classified and were listed in country sequence order.
Perusual of the project titles and stated objectives facilitated a categorization of the projects by commodity and research activity. The classification is summarized in Table 1.
Table 1: Classification of Research Projects Listed in the AGREP, ARRIP, CRIS and SPAAR Project Inventories, by Commodity and Research Activity.
|
Crop |
Number of Projects |
|
|
|
Cassava |
82 |
|
Potato |
52 |
|
|
Sweet Potato |
105 |
|
|
Yam |
27 |
|
|
Total |
266 |
|
|
Research Activity |
||
|
|
Germplasm Conservation |
11 |
|
Germplasm Enhancement |
57 |
|
|
Biotechnology |
26 |
|
|
Plant Protection |
47 |
|
|
Crop Production |
58 |
|
|
Post Harvest Technology |
64 |
|
|
Economics |
3 |
|
|
Total |
266 |
|
Across the four inventories sweet potato projects featured most prominently and yam research was least evident. The dominance of sweet potato research emerged almost exclusively from the North American CRIS inventory. A close look at the entries shows that practically all of the Southern and Mid-Western State Universities in the USA report research activities on sweet potato; the most prominent being the Universities of Louisiana, Georgia, Arkansas, Florida, Texas and North Carolina; research on post-harvest technology was dominant among the research themes reported.
In contrast, research on cassava and yam was most prominent in the SPAAR data base. A closer look at the entries showed that many of these research projects were conducted by scientists at the National Research Institutes and all were externally funded. The International Science Foundation featured strongly as a donor. As would be expected the AGREP and ARRIP inventories featured European and Australian support to research on tropical roots and tubers, respectively.
Perhaps, of greatest note is the dominance of post harvest technology research which accounted for 24% of all entries. Within this subset of research projects, activities ranged from mechanization of root crop harvesting to problems of root crop storage to product development and marketing. A high proportion of the projects reported addressed problems of root crop storage. As might be expected germplasm enhancement (22%), crop production (22%) and plant protection (17%) also accounted for large shares of the database entries. Surprisingly, very few of the projects related to the economics of root crop production.
What does this information tell us as regards research on tropical root and tuber crop production, and more importantly, is it of any benefit to the Inter-Centre Review Panel as it attempts to plot a prioritized agenda for roots and tubers research in the CGIAR? In brief, the information summarized above is not of great benefit to this exercise. On the one hand, the information is incomplete; it certainly does not reflect the extent and range of research on root and tuber crops being conducted across the developing countries. A quick glance at the literature references in publications such as the recent CIP Compendum "Product Development for Root and Tuber Crops", Vols I, II and III, confirms this view. A second limitation is that the information extracted from this type of exercise gives little or no indication of the scale or depth of research reported. A more serious limitation is that it does not convey any impression of the status or "state of the art" of the research being conducted in each of the fields of study. This type of information requires a thorough and systematic review of the literature across each of the relevant research activities. Most likely the CGIAR centres have this information in their archives, in that it is the "norm" in the development of research initiatives to firstly review work already published.
It nothing else, these exercise prompts one suggestion. That is, that the centres might be requested to formally develop global data bases of all on-going research on roots and tubers and to periodically synthesise this information in terms of "state of the art" review papers in each of the relevant fields of research. In the context of current developments in information technology and database management it is now relatively easy to "tap into" existing databases and globalize the information. Perhaps the CGIAR centres should take the first step in this direction by defining regional and global database configurations that would serve not only their own needs, but also those of their NARs partners. It is quite evident from this overview that a lot of research on tropical root and tuber crops is being conducted outside the CGIAR. If research on potato production in the temperate regions were included the magnitude of the research base would increase dramatically. Clearly there is a need to capture this information more comprehensively so as to better plot the CGIAR research agenda in the context of what other researchers are doing. The development of a global project inventory would be a good beginning in this direction.
