RA 00048.pdf - OAR@ICRISAT

in M i d d l e East. C I M M Y T in East Africa, IITA
possibly in W e s t Africa, perhaps ICRISAT in this
subcontinent. If y o u do not like this pattern, I
suggest y o u act fast to w o r k on a m o r e satisfactory
o n e .
This w i l l put a n e w responsibility on t h e c e n t e r s
for training in farming s y s t e m s diagnosis and
adaptive research. I k n o w that this is urgent in
Africa; I suspect it is urgent here.
Further, w h a t e v e r w a y this training and servicing
function is organized, t h e centers m u s t seriously
and deliberately take on the task of
responding to requests for adaptive research
inputs f r o m national s y s t e m s for their particular
crops, and this duty m u s t not b e c o n f o u n d e d w i t h
special intensive programs on o n e or t w o pet
areas by t h e centers t h e m s e l v e s . A particular
q u e s t i o n this raises is the relevance of hybrids for
m a n y a r e a s — e s p e c i a l l y in A f r i c a — w h e r e official
s y s t e m s are not capable of handling t i m e l y annual
distribution (let alone production) of hybrids.
To s u m up, I feel that s o r g h u m in t h e eighties
i n v o l v e s a v e r y s e r i o u s e l e m e n t of sociale
c o n o m i c evaluation, diagnosis, and training, and I
do not think this conference has d o n e m o r e t h a n
t o u c h on this area in passing. Please do not leave
it for S o r g h u m in t h e Nineties.
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