ICRISAT’s genebank, one of the world’s largest public-funded genebanks, preserves seeds of more than 120,000 accessions of pearl millet, sorghum, chickpea, pigeonpea, groundnut and small millets (finger millet, foxtail millet, barnyard millet, kodo millet, and little millet)

Olympic medalist lauds ICRISAT’s gene conservation efforts in the fight against hunger and poverty

By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad: Dec 30: “ICRISAT’s plant genetic conservation initiatives illustrate the value and use of crop biodiversity in the fight against hunger and poverty, and its impact on the livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers in the dryland tropics,” said India’s ace badminton player and Olympic bronze medalist Ms Saina Nehwal.

During her visit to the Hyderabad-based International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) today, Ms Nehwal described her experience touring the Institute’s facilities, particularly its RS Paroda Genebank, as delightful and an eye-opener.

“Nature has truly blessed us with a rich genetic diversity, which is unique and important in sustaining life in this planet. This visit gave me a better understanding of the importance of plant genetic conservation in sustaining and using genetic diversity for global food security,” Ms Newhal added.

“ICRISAT’s RS Paroda Genebank is a treasure trove of genes useful to crop improvement for sustainable food production and improved livelihoods, particularly in marginal environments, and genes that can provide climate resilience to future crop varieties through increased drought, heat and salinity tolerance, and pest and disease resistance, said ICRISAT Director General William D. Dar.

ICRISAT has been conducting research-for-development initiatives with partners globally for the past 40 years to increase agricultural production in the semi-arid regions of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

ICRISAT’s genebank, one of the world’s largest public-funded genebanks, preserves seeds of more than 120,000 accessions of pearl millet, sorghum, chickpea, pigeonpea, groundnut and small millets (finger millet, foxtail millet, barnyard millet, kodo millet, and little millet), that are kept as in-trust collections on behalf of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), for the benefit of the present and future generations.

It has also distributed more than 1.4 million seed samples to 146 countries, restored about 55,000 germplasm lines to 9 countries, and released 830 cultivars in 79 countries from its germplasm and breeding materials.

Icrisat's innovative methods for enhanced food production: Information and communication technologies help to reach out to farmers in remote villages

Using information technology to revitalize agricultural extension and education

Hyderabad, December 6 2012 – Millions of smallholder farmers worldwide could improve their yields, incomes and resilience if only they had better access to appropriate information and knowledge that helps them make informed choices about farming practices.

Yet, despite new information and communication technologies (ICT), reaching out to these farmers with the right information at the right time is still a largely unmet challenge.

Using ICT to revitalize agricultural extension and education towards providing knowledge access to smallholder farmers was the subject of an international workshop held at the Infosys Campus here in Hyderabad on 3-4 December.

The global consultation on Innovative ICT and Knowledge Sharing Platforms for Revitalizing Agricultural Extension and Education: Opportunities and Challenges organized by a global team led by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), brought together about 60 ICT, research, extension and education experts from India, USA and Africa.

The two-day workshop was successful in laying the groundwork for the formation of a global partnership that will push the ‘knowledge to the poor’ revolution through ICT application in agricultural extension and education.

Partners from India, USA and Africa have agreed to develop tri-lateral educational programs to enhance the capacities of students, faculty members, extension agents, smallholder farmers, and various stakeholders in using ICT to promote the sharing and use of agricultural information among the poor and marginalized. To initiate this activity, a global AgED open courseware platform was launched during the workshop.

“ICT innovations enable the poor and drought-prone farmers in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa greater access to research data and knowledge outputs,” said ICRISAT Director General William Dar in his inaugural address. Working with partners and stakeholders, ICRISAT has developed and supported many information systems that have helped smallholder farmers become more food secure and resilient to drought, he added.

Partnering with ICRISAT in the workshop were: Infosys Limited, Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Limited (IL&FS), National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), University of Florida (UFL), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

Samson David, Vice President and Global Head – Business Platforms, Infosys, emphasized on using the power of information technology in lifting smallholder farmers to a higher level of knowledge and productivity.

IL&FS Executive Director for Agriculture and Rural Development, AK Krishna Kumar, stressed the need to address the lack of information infrastructure to reach farmers in India, and to customize ICT solutions based on farmers’ needs.

B Srinivas, Director General of MANAGE, highlighted the importance of capacity building for agricultural officers in state governments, envisioning a single-window availability of agricultural information to farmers through ICT.

“India’s contribution in feeding 60 percent of the global population lies in its potential to upgrade its agricultural knowledge through ICT and in exploring opportunities brought about by the changing food habits of the people,” said ICAR Deputy Director General for Education, Arvind Kumar.

On the other hand, ICAR Deputy Director General for Agricultural Extension, KD Kokate, emphasized on the link between research and extension and the need to strengthen partnerships to achieve a knowledge revolution through ICT innovations.

Mutagenic brinjal pitted against transgenic brinjal: Safety debate goes on

Syed Akbar
Hyderabad: With the Indian agriculture needing a fresh
infusion of biotechnology to improve the yields to meet the demand of
ever-growing population, farm experts find fault with the Central
government over its alleged double standards on “mutagenic” and
“transgenic” food crops.

The Central government has been promoting over two dozen food crops
developed by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre through “mutation
breeding” using radiation to alter the genetic make-up of plants.
While harmful radioisotopes like cobalt-60 is used to trigger genetic
changes in plants to provide them traits like high yield or resistance
to pests, a gene from a bacterium is used in case of “transgenic”
crops to achieve the same qualities.

“Mutagenic brinjal, whose genetic make-up has been changed using
cobalt-60, has been in use in Indian markets for about three decades
without any protests from any quarters”, said Dr David Spielman from
the International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, USA.

Dr David is one of the many experts currently in the city to
participate in a two-day seminar on biotechnology in Indian
agriculture, being organised by the Centre for Economic and Social
Studies (CESS) from January 18. Prof Ronald J Herring of Cornell
University, New York, said “the experts at the seminar will look at
strong evidence on the impact of biotechnology on farming, crop
production, and income of farmers and the welfare of their families.
We will not simply debate whether the technology is good or bad, but
will come out with strong evidence to support the claims”.

Though the Centre allowed Bt cotton a decade ago, it withheld the
permission to release Bt brinjal for commercial consumption. This has
brought criticism from experts like Dr David and Prof Gregory Graf of
Colorado State University, USA. They argue that genetically engineered
food crops are as safe as any other foodstuff. About a dozen other
food crops including rice, maize and okra are under lab studies in the
country.

Using induced mutations and cross breeding, the department of
biotechnology has released 23 crop varieties for commercial
cultivation. They include nine groundnut, 10 pulses, two mustard
varieties, and one variety each of jute and rice. The mutagenic
groundnut variety (TAG-24) is cultivated in Andhra Pradesh and seven
other States.

Dr David disapproved of the “story of catastrophe” of Bt cotton
growers, arguing that today over 1000 bt cotton hybrids are available
in India and a majority of farmers have been using them, leading to a
reduction of 50 per cent in use of chemical pesticides

Foods containing legumes are good for diabetics: They help in reducing fasting blood glucose

Syed Akbar
Hyderabad: Including dal-rich foods such as like idli, vada, dosa and uthappa in one’s daily diet helps to control blood sugar and diabetes.


This was a finding of a multi-city research study conducted by the Public Health Foundation of India, South Asia Network for Chronic Disease, and Centre for Chronic Disease Control. Some 6,819 people in Hyderabad, Nagpur, Lucknow and Bengaluru were part of the trial.


“Lentils, beans and peas influence blood sugar and lower it. Chana dal has the strongest effect on fasting blood glucose. The way the lentils are prepared, though, is important. Idli, dosa, vada etc. are good, but their influence is highly reduced if they are cooked in vegetables,” says Dr Preet Dhillon of the South Asia Network for Chronic Disease.


Fried lentils in namkeen and dals used to make sweets also don’t have the desired impact.


“Our results have shown that food items that contain predominantly lentils help a lot,” Dr Dhillon said.
Legumes also lower the risk of cardiovascular disease because they contain soluble fibres and alpha glucosidase inhibitors, which slow absorption and lower glycemic index. They, however, have no impact on insulin resistance.


“Legume consumption is positively associated with fasting blood glucose and diabetes, but not with insulin resistance,” Dr Dhillon said, adding that in India, where high diabetes rates prevail, adding legumes to the diet is beneficial, but the method of preparation is crucial.


India has the worst stunting and iron deficiency in the world and the largest number of people with diabetes. This shows a failure on the nutrition front.


Trade and agriculture policies have changed our diets, encouraging overconsumption of unhealthy foods and under-consumption of healthy foods, nutritionists say.