Tamil Nadu - Chennai   

Farming as a process, not `growing something'

Ramya Kannan

"The United States is concerned at falling numbers of students enrolling for agriculture courses"

EXPERTS MEET: B. Keith Cole and Julie Borlaug from Texas A&M University, interacting with M. S. Swaminathan, chairperson, M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, in Chennai on Monday. — Photo: K. V. Srinivasan

CHENNAI: The United States is concerned about the falling numbers of students enrolling for agriculture courses and is trying to promote farming as a process, more than just `growing something,' according to Julie Borlaug, granddaughter of Norman Borlaug, the Nobel Prize winner and architect of the `Green Revolution.'

Part of the way to resolve this problem is to promote enhanced income-generation opportunities in agriculture so that farmers are not tempted to migrate from their fields or trade.

Ms. Julie Borlaug, now Associate Manager for Donor Relations, Norman Borlaug Institute for International Relations, Texas A&M University, was here on Monday to meet with experts at the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation.

Her colleague B. Keith Cole, currently International Administrator of the Instiute, was also present.

Answering a question about the trend of farmers migrating to cities, Ms. Borlaug said it was a concern in several parts of the world. Some of the projects of the Institute, funded by the USAID, in Rwanda and Guatemala focussed on providing training to farmers and adding value to their current produce and new ventures. While coffee bean cultivation had been revived in Rwanda, the institute was working on expanding the food process, improving agriculture technology, farmer education and developing new agricultural business.

"The best way of doing this ... is to talk to the farmers themselves. They know better," Mr.Cole said, quoting from the Rwandan experience, where farmers were encouraged to reinvest in growing coffee beans, which they were eventually able to sell at a lucrative price.

Ms. Borlaug, who is touring India to promote the Borlaug fellowships, established by the U.S. State Department of Agriculture for researchers and practitioners from developing countries, believes that the fellowships could also facilitate a solution to the crisis.

The short-term training programme is aimed at helping fellows learn new technologies and methods for solving the problems of drought, famine and malnutrition in their countries. In the last two years, since the fellowships were instituted, 30 fellows from different countries have been trained so far.

Fellows would be trained in looking at problems in a more holistic way leading to increased productivity and profitability. However, without appropriate policy support, it would be impossible to achieve anything, Ms. Borlaug said, stressing the need for co-operation from the Government. Providing fair prices for products and access to credit were also essential.

Ms. Borlaug said they were keen on increasing the number of fellows from Asia and Africa. During her trip to India, she wanted to establish linkages with universities and research institutions to promote fellows from this part of Asia.

MSSRF chairman M.S. Swaminathan said Norman Borlaug was among the earliest to train young people and take on the challenge of human resource development. One should focus on the long-term sustainability of this training programme and facilitate Borlaug fellows to become a global community.

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