At 41st anniversary, ICRISAT notes partnership with Karnataka

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) Monday celebrated its 41st anniversary by underlining the need for sustainable partnership and convergence in rejuvenating agriculture in drylands.

At the anniversary celebrations, the premier research institute, based at Patancheru near here, highlighted the success of Bhoochetana, a land rejuvenation programme which yielded huge benefits to small farmers in Karnataka.

ICRISAT's outstanding partnership award for the year was shared by the government of Karnataka and ICRISAT's Bhoochetana team.

ICRISAT director general William D. Dar told reporters that during last four years, Bhoochetana led to economic benefits of around $230 million to farmers in Karnataka.

"ICRISAST continues to be a major force to reckon with in terms developing solution for the challenges affecting small land holders in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa," he said.

Sharing results of an analysis, he said for every dollar invested by ICRISAT, its partners and its donors, the rate of return was $71. The budget of ICRISAT, which serves 55 countries, was $1.2 billion during last 41 years.

Dar, who took over as director general in 2000, pointed out that the institute's budget had gone up by four times from $22 million to $88 million.

C.L.L. Gowda, deputy director general, research, ICRISAT, said so successful was Bhoochetana that other states and even countries like Philippines were emulating it. Andhra Pradesh has already taken up a similar project while Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra were contemplating to replicate it.

Suhas Wani, principal scientist (watersheds) and Acting Research Program Director for Resilient Dryland Systems, ICRISAT, said the unique initiative with farmer-centric approach covering 3.75 million hectares was benefiting 4.75 million small and marginal farmers in Karnataka.

Karnataka Agriculture Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said Bhoochetana increased the productivity by 25 to 30 percent.

"Having found impactful results of this programme, we are further strengthening partnership with the ICRISAT by evolving Bhoochetana Plus suited for rainfed agriculture, especially small land holding agriculture," he said.

The minister said while under Bhoochetana, the primary focus was on better soil health, the new programme being taken up in four districts on a pilot basis would incorporate other components like forestry, dairy farming, post harvesting and fisheries to enhance the livelihood of small farmers.

Besides ICRISAT, group institutions of Council of Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) will be the partners in the new programme.

Karnataka's Chief Secretary Kaushik Mukherjee said Bhoochetana Plus was an ambitious programme for convergence of various activities in various regions.