NEW DELHI: The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has signed a three-year research agreement from 2006 to 2008 with Hyderabad-based International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) to step up the research activities focusing on dryland areas of the country to tackle the after-effects of drought.

Signing the agreement with ICRISAT Chief William Dar here on Thursday, Mangala Rai, the Director-General of ICAR said that the pact would benefit dryland farmers of the country by improving productivity of rain-fed crops and improving livelihood security of people. In India, about 84 per cent of the rural poor live in rain-fed areas, where food scarcity was a major problem.

The partnership between the two premier research institutions would be in the area of strategic and applied research. The project deals with five crops including sorghum, pearl millet, chickpea, pigeon pea and groundnut. Dr. Rai said that about 38 million hectare area was cultivated in the country under these crops. ``This partnership would help the country in effectively handling drought conditions,'' he added.

Thematic areas

The thematic areas of the projects under this agreement include genetic resources, conservation, evaluation and utilisation; enhancing crop productivity and sustainability under both favourable and dryland stress environments; improving system productivity and livelihood for fragile and dry environment including socio-economic and policy options, and strengthening linkage between research and development including training. Climate change impact on cropping patterns, income and employment structures, migration trends and investment decisions of rural household would also be studied.

One of the major projects under this agreement was sulphur and micronutrient fertilisation of crops for increasing productivity of dryland. Soil characterisation of these areas would be diagnosed and effects of improved nutrient management practises on crop productivity, crop quality and economic returns to farmers evaluated under this project, he said.

Another project was aimed at improving rural livelihoods in select states through bio-diesel plantations.

This was proposed to be achieved through rehabilitation of degraded land through integrated soil and water management options and establishment of bio-diesel plantations. It also included identifying most profitable inter-crops with Jatropa and Pongamia for increasing productivity and income; training NGOs and farmers in nursery raising and cultivation of these plants.

The ICAR and the Department of Agricultural Research and Education support ICRISAT core programmes by annual contribution of $ 150,000 and also additional support of $ 0.5 million for development of transgenics against Helicoverpa in chickpea and pigeon pea and disease management through transgenics in groundnut.

Support of additional $ 20,500 has also been provided to ICRISAT for undertaking biotechnology research in chickpea and pigeon pea.

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