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56 (2) It multiplies the farmers. Have the farmers no capital for fertilizer or pesticide? There is a sorghum variety for him, and him, and him; they don’t have to apply fertilizer or pesticide. That is crucial, as fertilizer and pesticide comprise the major costs of cropping (fao.org). Sorgo is the single crop that can theoretically be the silver bullet we can shoot to kill the vampire called global warming. That crop can be neither corn nor sugarcane because these are needed mostly for food and feed. If you take corn or sugarcane as your feedstock for producing ethanol, you are competing with the humans and animals for their sustenance, solving a problem and creating another. (3) It multiplies the carbon gas guzzlers. All vegetation captures carbon dioxide from the air and via photosynthesis turns it into organic matter: stems, leaves, fruits, flowers. All crops clear the air; from what we’ve known of sorgo, planting sweet sorghum is the better farmer’s clean air act. With its corn-like wide and long leaves, sorgo is the best crop drinker of bad air and therefore the best mitigating crop for climate change. (4) It multiplies the consumers. Sorgo has multiple uses: food (grains, syrup and jaggery from both stalk and grains), feed (from grains), fuel (for firewood, biofuel), forage (leaves, stalks), fertilizer (the whole plant) (‘Sweet Sorghum,’ icrisat.org). And the syrup is valued by the food industry for its color and taste; it is also high in iron (Texas A&M University, sorghum.tamu.edu). (5) It multiplies the water. Since sweet sorghum grows with much less water than most crops, especially rice, (a) we don’t need expensive irrigation systems, and (b) we can have more uses of precious water. Sorgo is the single crop that can theoretically be the silver bullet we can shoot to kill the vampire called global warming. That crop can be neither corn nor sugarcane because these are needed mostly for food and feed. If you take corn or sugarcane as your feedstock for producing ethanol, you are competing with the humans and animals for their sustenance, solving a problem and creating another. And the processing of ethanol from sorgo is more environment-friendly than ethanol from corn (the US’ choice of biofuel crop), since sorgo goes straight to ethanol extraction, no messy necessary prior transformation from starch to sugar (icrisat.org): sorgo is all sugar. Already, there are sweet sorghum initiatives worldwide: India has started producing ethanol from sweet sorghum (business-standard.com); the Philippines has initiated its own sorghum ethanol program according to Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap (bar.gov.ph); China is shifting from corn to cassava and sweet sorghum as its source of ethanol (ap-foodtechnology.com); Africa (Zambia) is ‘energizing itself’ with sugarcane and sweet sorghum as sustainable sources of power (gfse.at); and Texas is currently establishing farmer co-ops to produce every year 12 M gallons of ethanol from sweet sorghum (cleanhouston.org). Al Gore Of Science
57 Outstanding. Sweet sorghum as the biofuel crop of choice has barged into the consciousness of the world largely because of the efforts of Team ICRISAT. Outstanding has always been the word to describe what Dar has been doing at ICRISAT since he became Director General in 2000, transforming a non-performing asset of an international institute into what I have described as an outstanding performance in a major role (2007 April 9, ‘Discovery Manager: William Dar, Merlin of Ethanol,’ globalnation.inquirer.net). For its 2006 overall achievements, ICRISAT has just been rated Outstanding by the CGIAR. ICRISAT is a member of the Alliance of Centers of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). This 2007 award is for total excellence ‘with regards to outputs, impact, quality and relevance of research, institutional and financial health, and stakeholder perception.’ In other words, the award belongs to Team ICRISAT. The honor comes with a funding support of $2.4 M for 2007 from the World Bank (thehindubusinessline.com). I’m not surprised. Under Dar, ICRISAT has won twice the most prestigious CGIAR trophy, the King Baudouin Award, in 2002 and 2004 (icrisat.org). ICRISAT also won the World Bank’s Development Marketplace Award in 2005 (thehindubusinessline.com). That is all ‘science with a human face’ (icrisat.org). The other day, June 22, the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) handed the 2007 award for Outstanding Professional of the Year in Agriculture to William D Dar. This is not an ordinary award, even as it is ‘the highest award bestowed by the Commission as recommended by his/her peers for having amply demonstrated professional competence of the highest degree and conducted himself/herself with integrity in the exercise of his/her profession,’ in the words of the PRC (from letter of invitation to Dar dated May 08). The awarding was held at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila, CCP Complex, Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City. Sorgo is the redeeming crop; William Dar is the Al Gore of science. He is a manager equal to the best; sweet sorghum, his baby, is equal to the challenge of mitigating global warming. Al Gore Of Science
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Citation: Hilario FA. 2007. Team IC
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Contents Preface Author’s Forewor
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Preface T eam ICRISAT is publishing
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Author’s Foreword Los Baños, Lag
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2 You will understand that I’ve h
Page 14 and 15:
4 There are 3 kinds of written info
Page 16 and 17: 6 prong arrangement, Prong 1 launch
Page 18 and 19: 8 Studying in the University of the
Page 20 and 21: 10 If I have one, sweet sorghum is
Page 22 and 23: 12 We face a true planetary emergen
Page 24 and 25: 14 Charles Clover (telegraph.co.uk)
Page 26 and 27: 16 they did not devise a Senate inq
Page 28 and 29: 18 1,000 films a year. With India o
Page 30 and 31: 20 Knowledge Initiative has three m
Page 32 and 33: 22 needs more milk from a mother. B
Page 34 and 35: 24 Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), whi
Page 36 and 37: 26 Provide a global framework to su
Page 38 and 39: 28 Fire And Ice Robert Frost Some s
Page 40 and 41: 30 From the scientific (chemistry)
Page 42 and 43: 32 Great! The only problem with Bro
Page 44 and 45: 34 To compare further, from AERC In
Page 46 and 47: 36 In the Philippines, intrigued an
Page 48 and 49: 38 7. LEARNING FROM MICROSOFT R4D.
Page 50 and 51: 40 (a) long-range effects of crop c
Page 52 and 53: 42 A few days ago, the Department o
Page 54 and 55: 44 The business approach is to take
Page 56 and 57: 46 of purpose’ (heartquotes.net).
Page 58 and 59: 48 10. BEING A DIFFERENT KIND OF CV
Page 60 and 61: 50 had a project funded by the Ford
Page 62 and 63: 52 State University for his intense
Page 64 and 65: 54 2004: ICRISAT’s Turnaround: St
Page 68 and 69: 58 12. THE TELUGU PARADIGM. UNDERST
Page 70 and 71: 60 Dr BR Ambedkar Open University E
Page 72 and 73: 62 13. THE TURNING POINT. KNOW THAT
Page 74 and 75: 64 The Adarsha project taught the v
Page 76 and 77: 66 Now, I’m asking you to transla
Page 78 and 79: 68 The area under irrigation is ver
Page 80 and 81: 70 Translating: African governments
Page 82 and 83: 72 15. THE ACADEME AS ANTI-POOR. UN
Page 84 and 85: 74 Poor communication services? Doe
Page 86 and 87: 76 His maternal uncle helped him th
Page 88 and 89: 78 16. AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH: WILLI
Page 90 and 91: 80 Our responsibility to our childr
Page 92 and 93: 82 A global crop - Sweet sorghum us
Page 94 and 95: 84 citizen entrepreneur who brings
Page 96 and 97: 86 17. ‘SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST
Page 98 and 99: 88 Region 05: DD highest, the rest
Page 100 and 101: 90 18. BIOPOWER TO THE PEOPLE! THE
Page 102 and 103: 92 I have just been inspired to wri
Page 104 and 105: 94 19. THE CHILDREN OF MAIDANEK. OR
Page 106 and 107: 96 The old world is dying, and we a
Page 108 and 109: 98 Still, I’m not comfortable wit
Page 110 and 111: 100 So, what’s that to UP Los Ba
Page 112 and 113: 102 If billions of us Primates will
Page 114 and 115: 104 Not only blogging, I take to wr
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106 That’s a $5 million decrease
Page 118 and 119:
108 from poor to rich soils, advanc
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110 read and put them down in your
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112 (6) Primate, come declare your
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114 22. WHAT’S IN A NAME? IGNRM.
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116 IGNRM … is a powerful integra
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118 Juliet is asking Romeo to chang
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120 The language is technical Engli
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122 because what I don’t know, I
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124 able to sell to yourself, that
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126 He now has his dream digital ca
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