Varma, Head of CODIS. Dr R.S. Paroda, Coordinator, CAC Regional Program of ICARDA, was also present for part of the meeting, in his capacity as Chair of the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR).
    H.E. Dr Noureddin Mona, Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, Syria, participated as a CGIAR member-representative (Syria became a member of the CGIAR in 1999).
    The AGM business meetings were held on 30-31 October, and were packed with events and side events. Mr Havener and Prof. El-Beltagy developed a strategic plan for ICARDA participants to ensure that at least one of them was present in every event of interest to ICARDA. In spite of the crowded agenda, the ICARDA team was successful in setting up meetings with key donor representatives to discuss ICARDA’s achievements and future plans.
    The meeting brought together over 500 participants from 40 countries.

King Baudouin Award

In a special session on 30 October, devoted to the announcement of CGIAR awards, the CGIAR Chair, Dr Ian Johnson, announced that ICARDA and ICRISAT had jointly won the King Baudouin Award of the CGIAR for 2002 for chickpea improvement. The joint submission by the two centers, was titled “Changing lives in Marginal Environments: A Winning Partnership in Chickpea Research.” The award, given for innovation in science that helps to improve the welfare of resource-poor farmers and low-income people, promotes partnerships and has an impact on sustainable production systems, carries a testimonial signed by the CGIAR Chair and a US$10,000 prize.
    Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy, ICARDA DG; Dr William Dar, ICRISAT DG; and Dr Jagdish Kumar, Principal Chickpea Breeder, ICRISAT, received the award from the CGIAR Chair.
    ICARDA and ICRISAT share the world mandate for chickpea improvement. While ICRISAT focuses on desi types in the tropical latitudes of South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, ICARDA takes the lead in kabuli chickpea improvement in the arid temperate zones of Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA).
    The concept of winter sowing of kabuli chickpea, to replace the traditional spring sowing, introduced by ICARDA in the 1970s, represented a breakthrough in improving chickpea production in CWANA. The winter chickpea technology research at ICARDA was led by Dr K.B. Singh, Principal Chickpea Breeder, who, until his retirement in 1996, worked to develop new chickpea genotypes suitable for winter sowing. Although winter genotypes, making use of winter rainfall, produce as much as double the yield of spring types, the challenge was to combat a fungal disease—ascochyta blight—which moist conditions promoted in the winter crop, and extreme cold during peak winter months. Over 20 years of research bore fruit when winter genotypes with tolerance to ascochyta blight and cold became available. The research, which also exploited the genetic potential of wild relatives of chickpea, has been multidisciplinary, involving input from biotechno- logists, pathologists, entomologists, socio-economists and others from related disciplines both at ICARDA and in national programs of CWANA. Partnerships have also included advanced research institutes in industrialized countries. The research efforts have led to the establishment of regional networks, and of various International Chickpea Nurseries, distributed to hundreds of cooperators each year within CWANA and beyond.
    Chickpea is an excellent source of high-quality protein, particularly for the poor who cannot afford meat. With the distinction of being delicious and used in more recipes than any other crop, chickpea features in the menu of millions in CWANA almost in every meal. Increased availability of improved kabuli chickpea in CWANA has not only helped in providing better nutrition to the poor but is also helping to promote food processing industry.
    Over 98 winter chickpea cultivars have been released for farmers in 27 countries to date. Unfortunately, Dr K.B. Singh did not live to see his work recognized through the King Baudouin Award.
    Kabuli chickpea improvement continues at ICARDA through a team of multidisciplinary researchers, led by Dr R.S. Malhotra, Senior Chickpea Breeder, who took the reigns of chickpea improvement research after the retirement of Dr K.B. Singh. Indeed, his association with Dr Singh goes back to the early years of the establishment of the joint ICARDA/ICRISAT kabuli chickpea improvement project at ICARDA, and the King Baudouin Award is a recognition of their joint contributions. Congratulations!
    The announcement of the King Baudouin Award was followed by a press conference in Hotel Makati Manila, which was attended by Drs Erskine and Varma.
    In 1980, the CGIAR received the King Baudouin International Development Prize from the King Baudouin Foundation “for its contribution to the qualitative and quantitative improvement of food production in the world.” The following year, after consultations with the Kingdom of Belgium, and using funds received from the King Baudouin International Development Prize, the CGIAR established its own biennial King Baudouin Award to acknowledge and stimulate agricultural research and other activities relevant to the CGIAR System and to recognize an achievement stemming from the work of a Center and its partners

Marketing Group Meeting

The Marketing Group of the CGIAR (earlier known as Public Awareness and Resource Mobilization Group), of which communication and donor relations professionals from all 16 centers are members, met on 28 October in the Philippine Ministry of Agriculture. Dr Surendra Varma represented ICARDA at the meeting.
    The meeting addressed several issues of critical importance to the CGIAR in the context of the role of public awareness in boosting the image of the System and in resource mobilization. Among other issues, the meeting discussed the current and future role of Future Harvest as one of the players in the ‘communication loop’ of the CGIAR consisting of the CGIAR Secretariat and individual centers, and the need to implement a well-defined CGIAR communication and resource mobilization strategy. New office bearers were elected. Dr Helen Leitch of ILRI was elected as Chair to succeed Ms Ruth Raymond of IPGRI, and an ad hoc executive committee was identified to develop a work plan for the coming year.

ICARDA's (www.icarda.org) mission is to improve the welfare of people and alleviate poverty through research and training in dry areas of the developing world by increasing production, productivity, and nutritional quality of food, while preserving and enhancing the natural resource base. ICARDA is a Future Harvest Center.