India is chair of U.S.-based agricultural body

Thursday, 05 June 2003, 19:30 IST
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HYDERABAD: India has been elected chair of the Future Harvest Foundation, a Washington-based agricultural research body which aims to catalyse action for food security. William Dar, director general of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (Icrisat) here, will represent the country for two years on the panel. Dar succeeds Hubert Zandstra, director general of the International Potato Centre at Lima, Peru, who held the post for two years. Dar is also chairman of the public awareness and resource mobilisation committee of the Consultative Group on the International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) system. The foundation met at The Hague in the Netherlands in May to elect Dar to the position. The Future Harvest Foundation board has representation from the directors general of all institutes under the umbrella of the CGIAR. Icrisat is one of the CGIAR institutes. The 16 CGIAR international agricultural research institutes set up the Future Harvest Foundation in 1998 to catalyse action for a world with less poverty and food security. The foundation commissions scientific studies on agriculture, environment and economic growth. It enlists high-profile public figures as advocates and educates the public about the importance of agricultural research in meeting human and environmental challenges.
Source: IANS
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