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CHAPTER 6Creation and fundingof other internationalcentersWhen IRRI was founded in 1960, neither the Ford Foundation nor theRockefeller Foundation envisaged establishing similar institutes for researchon other crops or on animals. IRRI’s research and training program waspatterned in many ways after the Rockefeller Foundation’s agricultural programsin Mexico, Colombia, Chile, and India. Nevertheless, a number offeatures of IRRI’s setup and program were unique. Its international staff, itsconcentration on a single major food crop, its apolitical and autonomousnature, the adequate support it received from two private foundations, and thefreedom given to its administrators and scientific staff to make decisionsquickly without referring them to donor authority, were policies that provedsound and that led to the Institute’s early recognition as a successful venture.THREE INSTITUTES ADDEDAfter IRRI had been in operation for only 2 years, the two foundations beganstudying the possibility of creating other institutes based on the IRRI pattern.By 1967, three additional centers were at least formally organized, withdirectors and boards of trustees appointed. They were the International Maizeand Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT, for its Spanish name, Centro Internacionalde Mejorarniento de Maiz y Trigo ) in Mexico, the International Instituteof Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Nigeria, and the International Center ofTropical Agriculture (CIAT, for its name in Spanish, Centro International deAgricultura Tropical ) in Colombia.Discussions between the two foundations concerning the three new venturestook place more or less simultaneously, but they are presented in thissection in the order of the dates of formal organization.The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)The Rockefeller Foundation closed out its formal Mexican Agricultural Programin 1962, but at the request of the Mexican Government, a small group offoundation scientists remained in Mexico working with local counterparts atseveral experiment stations. These field staff members included Edwin J.Wellhausen and Elmer Johnson, maize breeders; Norman E. Borlaug, wheatspecialist; John S. Neiderhauser, potato specialist; Reggie Laird, agronomist;and Delbert Myren, communication specialist.Although a precursor of CIMMYT (and of that name) was formed under anagreement signed on 25 October 1963 by Harrar, then president of the
156 History of the International Rice Research InstituteRockefeller Foundation, and Julian R. Adame, the Mexican secretary of Agriculture,it was a limited operation with outside support from only theRockefeller Foundation.After Wortman became director for agricultural sciences of the RockefellerFoundation in 1965, he visited Mexico and subsequently reported to theofficers and trustees of the foundation that CIMMYT could not be a worldagricultural research center with the effectiveness of IRRI with such inadequatefacilities and with financial support from only one donor. He proposedto the foundation that a new agreement be worked out reconstituting CIM-MYT as a private corporation in Mexico but with the privileges and characteristicsof an international organization, free to receive funds from any source.At the time these discussions were taking place, the Ford Foundation indicatedinformally that it would be willing to join the Rockefeller Foundation on anequal basis in supporting the new center (as they were doing at IRRI).Wortman’s proposal met with the approval of the trustees of the RockefellerFoundation and on 12 April 1966, an agreement was signed between thefoundation and the Government of Mexico, the foundation making an initialappropriation to the new CIMMYT in the amount of $441,000. The followingyear, the Ford Foundation contributed $494,000 toward the center’s corebudget.The group of Rockefeller Foundation scientists that remained in Mexicobecame the nucleus of the CIMMYT staff, with Wellhausen as director. Withadequate initial support from the two foundations, and later from many otherdonors as well, CIMMYT has developed the world’s largest wheat and maizeimprovement program. As IRRI did with rice, CIMMYT created short, stiffstrawed,fertilizer-responsive, and disease-resistant varieties of wheat thatgreatIy increased production not only in Mexico but in India, Pakistan, Turkey,and elsewhere. These successes won Borlaug the Nobel Prize in 1970; and thatsame year, CIMMYT and IRRI shared the UNESCO Science Prize.International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)In October 1963, Harrar, Hill, and Bradfield visited Nigeria to explore thepossibility of establishing an agricultural research institute patterned afterIRRI but dealing with various crops important to tropical Africa. After holdingdiscussions with government officials and visiting several universities, theydecided that Ibadan would be the best site.In the spring of 1964, Hill and Harrar brought to their respective boards oftrustees a proposal to establish IITA in Ibadan. Both foundations took actionto provide up to $750,000 annually for a period of 7 years, beginning wheneverthe institute became operational.Although the Rockefeller Foundation appointed Will M. Myers as thedirector-designate of IITA on 1 January 1965, the institute did not becomeformally organized until July 1968, when its Board of Trustees met for the firsttime. By then, Myers had been appointed vice president of the RockefellerFoundation and the Ford Foundation engaged Herbert Albrecht to succeedMyers as IITA’s director.
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An Adventurein Applied Science:A HI
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ContentsDedication viiAbout this pu
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About this publication . . .In 20 y
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xiname, and release varieties. Thus
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PrefaceThe International Rice Resea
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CHAPTER 1An international institute
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An international institute for rice
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CHAPTER 2Developing and staffingthe
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Developing and staffing the program
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86 History of the International Ric
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Princess (now Queen)Beatrix of theN
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Establishing administrative policie
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In the early years, IRRIused its ow
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Page 117 and 118: Chapter 4Early Researchand training
Page 119 and 120: Early research and training results
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Page 163 and 164: Financing of IRRI 149foreign assist
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Page 181 and 182: Aerial view of IRRI in1981.However,
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Page 192 and 193: IRRI today 181neering Department: K
Page 194 and 195: IRRI today 183In spite of this high
Page 196 and 197: IRRI today 185turn, received geneti
Page 198 and 199: IRRI today 1871. Research to assist
Page 200 and 201: Appendices 189materials could readi
Page 202 and 203: Appendix 2OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENTINTER
Page 204 and 205: Appendices 193ate to concentrate on
Page 206 and 207: Appendices 195estimates for buildin
Page 208 and 209: Appendices 197(4) Development of pr
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Page 216 and 217: Appendices 205Article VIIMISCELLANE
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208 History of the International Ri
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