“ICRISAT crops are great – as they target millions of smallholder farmers globally,” said Mr Gates. The tour highlighted the uniqueness and importance of the works and initiatives of ICRISAT and its partners, particularly in providing modern crop improvement technologies and best management practices on once ‘orphan’ or neglected crops like grain legumes and dryland cereals.

“The drylands are home to 644 million poorest of the poor, and highly nutritious, drought-tolerant crops such as grain legumes and dryland cereals are the best bets for smallholder farmers in these marginal environments to survive and improve their livelihoods,” explains Dr William Dar,ICRISAT Director General.

Dr David Hoisington, ICRISAT Deputy Director General for Research, highlighted the case of grain legumes and dryland cereals: “Chickpea, pigeonpea and groundnut are the ‘poor people’s meat’ – crucial for ending global malnutrition. Sorghum and millets provide food security to the poorest people.”

Mr Gates also engaged in a roundtable discussion with ICRISAT scientists on the impacts and challenges of applying the science on the ground. Two projects funded by the foundation were highlighted as the case: the HOPE project (Harnessing Opportunities for Productivity Enhancement of Sorghum and Millets) in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia which seeks to increase by 30% the productivity of sorghum and millets in 200,000 farmers’ fields; and the Tropical

Legumes I & II project which aims to enhance productivity of six legume crops (groundnut, cowpea, common bean, chickpea, pigeonpea and soybean) by at least 20% through improved cultivars and management practices and the development of markets and value chains.

The poor in the target areas of these two projects are the most malnourished, food-insecure in the world, unable to earn adequate incomes from agriculture which is their only source of food, nutrition and livelihoods. The impacts and achievements of these foundation-funded projects are now changing the lives of the poor, providing millions of smallholder farmers with tools and opportunities to boost their yields, increase their incomes, and build better lives for themselves and their families.

Recognizing the consistent and generous support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to the institute, ICRISAT honored Mr Bill Gates as their first Ambassador of Goodwill.

ICRISAT is a member of the CGIAR Consortium. CGIAR is a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future.

“We cannot be any prouder of all our Ambassadors of Goodwill, who have agreed to work closely with us and serve as our voices, in order to make a difference for the poor farmers throughout Asia and Africa,” said Dr Dar.

“The drylands are also the producers of the new Smart Foods – foods that are not only good for you but also good for the environment because of their low usage of water and other inputs, as well as being lifesavers for the rural poor who have few other options. Crops like millets are less known but are hailed to be the next quinoa and the new Smart Food,” Dr Dar continued.

“Through our Ambassadors like Rt. Hon Bolger, we can further spread the word on crops like millets and legumes that have triple benefits of being highly nutritious, good for the planet and play an important role in overcoming poverty and malnutrition in poor areas,” he added.

Rt. Hon James Bolger is the current Advisory Board Chair of the WAF, a policy neutral and internationally inclusive agriculture forum that brings together leaders from the private sector with policy makers and key policy influencers to focus on providing food, fuel, fiber and water to the world’s growing population. He was the 35th Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1990 to 1997, elected on the promise of delivering a “Decent Society”.

The ICRISAT Ambassadors of Goodwill program was launched in May 2013 with the acceptance of Mr Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to become the first Ambassador during his visit to the ICRISAT global headquarters.

Mr Bill Gates and Rt. Hon Bolger have since been joined by Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, renowned scientist and 11th President of India; Dr Akinwumi Adesina, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Nigeria; Dr Nigel Poole, former Chair, ICRISAT Governing Board; Professor MS Swaminathan, renowned agricultural scientist and Father of India's Green Revolution; and Ms Saina Nehwal, Olympic medalist, ace badminton player and youth icon of India, as ICRISAT Ambassadors.

During Dr Dar’s visit to New Zealand, he explored the possibility of partnering with public and private entities in the fight against hidden hunger in the country, which has now become an increasing concern, especially among low income households. While all are getting enough food to stay alive, ICRISAT’s new Smart Foods has a huge potential in helping those who are not getting the food they need to stay healthy.

Dr Dar, along with Ms Joanna Kane-Potaka, Director of ICRISAT’s Strategic Marketing and Communication, took the opportunity to meet with representatives from key organizations in New Zealand to discuss the new Smart Foods campaign against hidden hunger, attended by: Rt. Hon Bolger; Trish Ramsted, Ministry for Primary Industries; Prof Alister Jones, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Waikato University; Prof Holland, Waikato University – NZ’s expert on water TBC; Sarah Meikle, Chief Executive, Wellington Culinary Events Trust, Festival Director; Lian Redding, Redding Cereals Limited; and C J (Stan) Vandersyp, Development Manager, International Financial Institutions, Partnerships, Humanitarian and Multilateral Division, New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Siobhan Molloy, Executive Director, Agencies for Nutrition Action and Chef Alfonso Basile, The Wellington Club.

Minister Adesina was named as ICRISAT’s Ambassador of Goodwill for his vision and leadership in the agricultural transformation of Nigerian agriculture and his valuable achievements in the field of agricultural research for development in Africa. “ICRISAT is the world’s leading center for research on groundnut and sorghum and they are here in Nigeria to supports our efforts on sorghum and groundnut transformation,” he added.

ICRISAT Director General Dr Dar emphasized the importance of the outstanding partnership between the institution and Nigeria for 38 years now. Nigeria benefited most from ICRISAT’s research for development activities on groundnut, sorghum and pearl millet in Africa.

“ICRISAT will continue to strengthen this very important partnership with Nigeria, in bringing back the groundnut pyramids through a science-based value chain approach which is embedded in its Inclusive Market-Oriented Development (IMOD) strategy,” said Dr Dar.

Dr Poole now joins ICRISAT’s other distinguished Ambassadors – Mr Bill Gates, Co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Dr Akinwumi Adesina, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Federal Republic, Nigeria; Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, Former President of India; and Rt. Hon. James Bolger, former Prime Minister of New Zealand.

They will work together to help the Institute promote science-based agricultural solutions in improving livelihoods and attaining food and nutrition security of smallholder farmers in the drylands of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

Dr Poole was awarded the ICRISAT Ambassador title by the new ICRISAT Board Chair, Professor Chandra Madramootoo and Director General William Dar during the successful conclusion of the 70th ICRISAT Governing Board meeting held at the ICRISAT global headquarters on 26 April.

As ICRISAT Ambassadors, Prof. Swaminathan and Ms Nehwal have agreed to champion the Institute’s mission to make a difference by promoting science-based agricultural solutions in the fight against poverty, hunger, malnutrition and environmental degradation in the dryland tropics of the world.

“Inclusive agriculture is the key to a prosperous, food secure and resilient dryland tropics,” said Prof Swaminathan. “By giving smallholder farmers access to technologies and connecting them to markets, they will have options for a more profitable and resilient agriculture towards achieving sustainable food, nutrition, economic and environmental security,” he continued.

“ICRISAT plays an important role in this through its inclusive market-oriented development strategy, particularly focusing on the need to empower resource-poor farmers in marginalized environments.

I am therefore pleased and proud to be an Ambassador of Goodwill for the works and initiatives of ICRISAT.”

Prof. Swaminathan also recognized ICRISAT’s more than four decades of commitment and dedicated service to the most underprivileged sector of the world – the poor in the drylands. He highlighted challenges and opportunities facing the Institute, such as the need for crop biofortification to combat ‘hidden hunger’ caused by micronutrient deficiencies prevailing in the developing world; and science communication to inform, educate and mobilize the public on the importance of scientific innovations in the fight against poverty and hunger, and for decision makers to come up with supportive policies. Prof. Swaminathan is currently Emeritus Chair of the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), and was one of the architects of ICRISAT’s creation in 1972.

"Being asked to serve is truly humbling, and the chance to make a real difference is not an opportunity that everyone is given. I proudly accept the role of ICRISAT Ambassador, and hope to inspire and encourage particularly the youth in seeing the uniqueness and importance of the works and initiatives of ICRISAT,” said Ms Nehwal.

“As an athlete, I hope I can help make people understand and appreciate the nutritional importance of ICRISAT crops such as millets and sorghum, and grain legumes such as chickpea, pigeonpea and groundnut. I strongly believe these crops are important for both poor farmers and consumers because of their high nutritional value and for a diverse diet and farming, and are critical in fighting malnutrition and food insecurity,” she continued.

“Millets and sorghum, and grain legumes are good sources of endurance or energy and protein for athletes like me. Basing on scientific evidences, I will lend my voice in promoting the value of dryland cereals and grain legumes for the health and well-being of the rural poor, especially women and children,” Ms Nehwal stressed.

“We cannot be any prouder of all our Ambassadors of Goodwill, now joined by Prof Swaminathan and Ms Nehwal,” said Dr William D Dar, ICRISAT Director General.

Dr Dar continued that “ICRISAT’s success in its more than four decades of existence has been through our partners and supporters – people and institutions we work closely with globally in making the poor, smallholder farmers’ food and nutrition security and improved livelihoods firmly at the center of our activities.”

“The world will have to feed 10 billion people by 2050. Today, a billion people are hungry and about 3 billion are not eating well. To overcome poverty, hunger, malnutrition and environmental degradation, science is an essential component that must be behind all our efforts. We are pleased and proud to have Prof. Swaminathan and Ms Nehwal as our Ambassadors to work closely with us and serve as our voices, in order to make a difference for the poor in the drylands,” Dr Dar added.

The ICRISAT Ambassadors of Goodwill program was launched in May 2013 with the acceptance of Mr Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to become the first Ambassador during his visit to the ICRISAT global headquarters.

Mr Bill Gates has since been joined by Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, renowned scientist and 11th President of India; Rt. Hon. James Bolger, former Prime Minister of New Zealand; Dr Akinwumi Adesina, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Nigeria; and Dr Nigel Poole, former Chair, ICRISAT Governing Board, as ICRISAT Ambassadors.

“The drylands are also the producers of the new Smart Foods – foods that are not only good for you but also good for the environment because of their low usage of water and other inputs, as well as being lifesavers for the rural poor who have few other options. Crops like millets are less known but are hailed to be the next quinoa and the new Smart Food,” Dr Dar continued.

“Through our Ambassadors, we can further spread the word on crops like millets and legumes that have triple benefits of being highly nutritious, good for the planet, and play an important role in overcoming poverty and malnutrition in poor areas,” he added.

The Hon John Kerin is the Chair of the Crawford Fund, a non-profit non-government organization that works to raise awareness of the benefits to Australia and to developing countries from international agricultural research. He has been the national Minister for Primary Industries (1983-1987), Minister for Primary Industries and Energy (1987-1991), Minister for Transport and Communications (1991), Minister for Trade and Overseas Development (1991-1993), and Treasurer (1991).

The ICRISAT Ambassadors of Goodwill program was launched in May 2013 with the acceptance of Mr Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to become the first Ambassador during his visit to the ICRISAT global headquarters.

Mr Bill Gates has since been joined by Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, renowned scientist and 11th President of India; Rt. Hon. James Bolger, former Prime Minister of New Zealand; Dr Akinwumi Adesina, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Nigeria; Dr Nigel Poole, former Chair, ICRISAT Governing Board; Professor MS Swaminathan, renowned agricultural scientist and Father of India's Green Revolution; and Ms Saina Nehwal, Olympic medalist, ace badminton player and youth icon of India, as ICRISAT Ambassadors.

Dr Dar is an invited speaker at this year’s Crawford Fund conference, an annual event which holds a key place in the development and food security calendar in Australia. This year’s theme “Ethics, Efficiency and Food Security: Feeding The 9 Billion, Well” focused on a range of vital issues facing the developing world and Australia in efforts to produce more food in an ethical and efficient way.

Dr Kalam proposed a good list of research missions for ICRISAT, starting with, “For PTTC, the first and foremost task should be development of nutritionally enhanced foods and getting them approved.” He also listed the analysis of barren lands in India to retrieve at least 50% of it in the next 10 years, and the studying of water bodies towards rejuvenating them by 2020.

Dr Kalam recalled that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the first successful introduction of a foreign gene into a plant.  “There is clear evidence that the use of GM crops has resulted in significant benefits like higher crop yields, reduced farm costs, increased farm profit and improvement in health and the environment,” he said, “and yet there is a heated debate over GM crops. No illusionary fears can stop the advancement of what is rational and logical. The solution lies in developing beneficial transgenic crops locally. I find today a historical step taken in this direction. The PTTC will be the birthplace of a new generation of transgenic crops.”

Mentioning Dr Dar’s book, Feeding the Forgotten Poor, where Dr Dar drew a map for “second-generation” GM crops, Dr Kalam said that it is not hard to imagine the immense value of these genetically modified crops. “I have no doubt that the developing world stands to benefit from any technology that can increase food production, lower food prices, and improve food quality.” he said.

The PTTC, headed by Dr Kiran Sharma, was established jointly by the Government of India’s Department of Biotechnology and ICRISAT in 2009. This 6.2 million US dollar project was launched to translate transgenic technology and harness its products to meet the needs of agricultural growth, strengthening national, regional and international linkages in transgenic R&D.

Welcoming the former President of India on the occasion, Director General of ICRISAT, Dr William D. Dar said, “Modern technologies, particularly agricultural biotechnology, has the potential to reduce crop losses from pests and diseases, improve the nutrient efficiency of food and animal feeds, extend the post-harvest life of fruits and vegetables, and increase the stress tolerance of crop plants allowing them to thrive even under various environmental extremes.”

Ever focused on uplifting the poor farmers of the semi-arid tropics, he continued, “Scientific solutions to improve crop productivity, where biotechnology plays an important role, can empower the rural sector by boosting food production, enhancing incomes for the smallholder farmer, and improve his nutritional security.”

“The containment facilities that Dr Kalam inaugurated today was conceived and established after diligent planning in order to ensure absolute control in compliance with the global standards.” stated Dr Dar.

A highlight of the event was the honoring of Former President Kalam as Ambassador of Goodwill of ICRISAT in recognition of his foresight, his support of science-based solutions, and his championing of the mission of the institute.