We have received a copy of a letter of Dr. William Dar urging the new Agriculture Secretary, former Rep. Proceso J. Alcala, to support the establishment of the proposed Philippine Dryland Research Institute (PhilDri), a bill for which was filed by Cong. Leonardo Montemayor in the 14th Congress.

Dr. Dar, of course, is the director general of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) based in India. He stresses that PhilDri could serve as the country’s first line of defense against drought and climate change. It will substantially contribute to improving agricultural productivity, and enhancing the livelihoods of poor communities in the rainfed and upland areas of the country. Dr. Dar assured the DA secretary that ICRISAT, particularly himself, will be his active partner in all his endeavors at the DA.

Dr. Dar stressed that “several crises confront global agriculture today, and their confluence, if unabated, will lead to a “perfect storm.” Warming temperatures, droughts, floods, land degradation, loss of biodiversity, rising food and energy prices, and population explosion are creating extreme challenges to feed the world. Being an agricultural country, the Philippines will surely face these daunting challenges. As this happens, the hardest hit will be the rainfed and upland areas where the poorest of the poor live.”

Dr. Dar said that ICRISAT and the CGIAR as a whole are charting new directions to address these challenges. “Towards this, ICRISAT advocates an inclusive market-oriented development pathway for agriculture, involving our partners and farming communities in mobilizing the best of science to attain global food security, reduce poverty and protect the environment.”

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TECHNOLOGY FORUM. The 6th Agriculture and Fisheries Technology Commercialization Forum and Product Exhibition will be held on August 5 to 10 at the Mega Trade Hall 2, SM Mega Mall, Mandaluyong City. The forum which is spearheaded by the Bureau of Agricultural Research will showcase viable and commerciable technologies developed by state universities and colleges, DA national and regional offices, and other R&D partner-institutions.