Annual Report 2022

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ICRISAT Annual Report 2022

Commemorating 50 years

of Impact

Annual Report

2022

ICRISAT Annual Report 2022

We begin the year 2022 with great enthusiasm, having

been honored with the prestigious Africa Food Prize 2021.

This recognition has further strengthened our commitment

to advancing agriculture and food security in the dryland

tropics, and we are pleased to present to you ICRISAT’s

annual report for this year, which is particularly significant

as it marks the Institute’s 50th anniversary.

This milestone was commemorated by the Prime Minister

of India, Narendra Modi, who recognized our deep

contributions made to dryland agriculture and food security

not only in India, but in Africa and further afield. We are

immensely proud of this recognition by a global leader of

his stature, and take great pride in the many partnerships

that have enabled this success. It underscores the impact

and relevance of our work in supporting robust agri-food

systems in the drylands to improve the lives and livelihoods

of small-holder farmers and their communities.

Our organization’s Strategic Plan continues to guide

our efforts towards achieving our vision of a prosperous,

food-secure, and resilient dryland tropics. Our three global

research programs and three regional programs work

seamlessly across our regions and together they continue

to make a significant impact on the lives and livelihoods of

smallholder farmers in Africa, India, and beyond, particularly

in the areas of crop improvement, natural resource

management, and market-oriented development. These

practical contributions to the Sustainable Development

Goals (SDGs) are particularly noteworthy, and we are proud

to be contributing to these important global targets.

As we look ahead to the year 2023, we are preparing for the

UN International Year of Millets, which will be an important

platform for promoting the nutritional and economic

benefits of these often-overlooked crops. At ICRISAT,

we have long recognized the importance of millets in

supporting the livelihoods of dryland smallholder farmers

and their role in improving food and nutrition security. Our

research in this area has yielded important insights and

innovations that will be highlighted during this global event.

As you peruse this report, we hope you will be inspired by

the scope and depth of the Institute’s achievements over

the past year. We are grateful for the support of our donors,

partners and other stakeholders, and we look forward to

continuing to work together towards a brighter future for

the world’s drylands.

Foreword

As the Governing Board Chair of the International Crops

Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT),

I am delighted to celebrate the 50th anniversary of our

esteemed institution. It was an immense honor to have

the distinguished presence of the Prime Minister of India,

Narendra Modi join us in commemorating this special

occasion. His recognition of ICRISAT’s contributions to

agricultural research and innovation in the semi-arid

tropics is a testament to the institute’s ongoing impact

and dedication to improving the lives and livelihoods of

smallholder farmers in the global drylands.

Our 50th anniversary not only provides us with an

opportunity to reflect on our past achievements, but

it also inspires us to set our sights on the future as a

global leader in agricultural research and innovation

in the dryland tropics. Building upon our rich legacy of

innovation, we are determined to remain at the forefront

of scientific advancements and technology, while fostering

collaborations and partnerships to maximize our impact and

reach.

As we enter a new era of global challenges, we recognize

the importance of repositioning ourselves to have an

even greater impact on the lives and livelihoods of

smallholder farmers in Africa, Asia, and beyond. Our focus

on collaborative and productive partnerships, along with

cutting-edge research, is key to this endeavor. Through

our collaborations with governments, private sector

organizations, and other research institutions, we are

strengthening our efforts to achieve our shared goals.

Our achievements are a testament to the creativity and

hard work of our researchers, staff and valued partners.

As we look to the next 50 years, we remain committed to

building upon our legacy and finding new and innovative

ways to improve the lives of those we serve.

Finally, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to

my fellow board members, partners, donors, leadership

team, and staff for their unwavering support of ICRISAT’s

mission. I trust this report will provide a brief insight into

our collective impact and how together, we can continue to

serve the many smallholder farmers and their communities

who rely on us for a brighter future.

Professor Prabhu Pingali

Governing Board Chair

Dr Jacqueline Hughes

Director General

Message from the Director General

Message from the Governing Board Chair

ICRISAT Annual Report 2022

ICRISAT thanks its donors, partners and supporters for enabling us to keep

delivering the innovations that overcome hunger, malnutrition, poverty and

environmental degradation for the 2.1 billion people who reside in the drylands

of Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and beyond.

Table of Contents

Research Highlights

Corporate

Board Members

Human Resources

Communications

Donors and Partners

Research Outcomes

Message from Deputy Director General - Research

Global and Regional Program Directors

1. Innovating for Impact: Accelerating Crop Nutrition and Productivity

1.1 Improved Varieties

1.2 Enhancing Crop Productivity and Nutritional Value

1.3 Germplasm Collection and Conservation

2. Growing Resilience: Future-Proofing Farming

2.1 Growing Resilience in Africa

2.2 Digital Agriculture

2.3 Growing Resilience in India

3. Breaking Barriers: Building Effective Agri-Food Systems

3.1 Building Effective Agri-food Systems in Africa

3.2 Building Effective Agri-food Systems in India

3.3 The Smart Food Initiative

Publications, Knowledge Transfer and Training

ICRISAT50 Celebrations

Local Reach, Global Impact

ICRISAT Annual Report 2021

Republic of South Sudan

India

Tanzania

Zimbabwe

Research Highlights

Twenty two new cultivars of sorghum (13), pearl millet

(3), chickpea (5), and groundnut (1) released in South

Sudan, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and India using ICRISAT

germplasm

About 38,300 seed samples distributed to researchers

globally and 50,000 accessions safety duplicated at IITA,

World Vegetable Center, and USDA-ARS genebanks

Transforming Irrigation systems in Southern Africa (TISA)

project, led by ICRISAT and partners, wins the 2022 EFMD

Excellence in Practice Gold Award

ICRISAT recognized as a knowledge partner by the

National Rainfed Area Authority for developing National

Technical Standards for integrating Land Resource

Inventory and hydrology for new generation watershed

management programs

ICRISAT signs a five-year cooperative agreement with

USAID for implementing the second phase of SERVIR

West Africa

ICRISAT partners with World Food Program and Institute

of Rural Economy in Mali to test and validate new recipes

on millets and legumes and popularizes them through

community awareness and capacity building programs

A secondary processing unit and a millet processing unit

set up in Andhra Pradesh and in Odisha, India, respectively,

for the benefit of farmers

Launch of MRIDA, a gaming app for farmers that

facilitates behavioral change for adopting climate-smart

agriculture practices, developed in collaboration with

Vasudhaika Software Private Limited (Kalgudi)

Eighty participatory validation trials held in the State

of Telangana, India, under the ‘Groundnut Value Chain

Innovations to Enhance Farmer Profitability and Promote

Oil, Food and Confectionery Industries in Telangana’

project

Over 100 participatory validation plots in Senegal feature

early-maturing pearl millet, groundnut, and cowpea

varieties that are high-yielding and pest-resistant with high

biomass under the AICCRA project, funded by the World

Bank and led by ILRI in collaboration with ICRISAT and

CIAT.

Asia

Eastern and Southern Africa

West and Central Africa

Australia

Varieties released using

ICRISAT-supplied germplasm

and breeding material in 2022

Sorghum

Pearl Millet

Chickpea

Groundnut

Legend:

New varieties released in 2022

ICRISAT Annual Report 2022

Mali

Senegal

Ghana

Burkina Faso

Nigeria

Niger

Mozambique

Malawi

Ethiopia

Kenya

Australia

China

Selected new projects (2022)

India

Building Community Resilience by Alleviation of Water

Scarcity and Land Degradation through Integrated Natural

Resource Management in Bundelkhand, UP

Increasing Pulses Productivity and Incomes through

Science-led Interventions in Rice Fallows of Odisha

Implementation of Frontline Demonstration on Oilseeds

and other related activities by ICAR-IIOR during 2022-

23 - Sunflower - in the states of Odisha, Chhattisgarh,

Jharkhand and Haryana

Pan-Africa

Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation Phase II

Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA)

Scaling Commercialization of Drought Tolerant Crops

(DTC) technologies to Enhance COVID 19 Recovery and

Resilience and Secure Dignified and Fulfilling Work for

Youth

(Kenya)

Takunda program

(Zimbabwe)

Strengthening agri-food systems in Niassa to unlock

livelihoods and economic opportunity

(Mozambique)

Aflatoxin Prevention and Control along the Groundnut

Value Chain

(Malawi)

Harnessing crop (finger millet) diversity to mitigate the

effects of our changing climate

(Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda)

West and Central Africa (WCA)

Pearl millet and sorghum seed kits for boosting

productivity and strengthening resilience of vulnerable

households

(Niger and Chad)

Enhancing the productivity and resilience of agro-pastoral

systems, and income, food and nutrition security through

market-oriented innovations

(Niger)

Sorghum variety development and improvement

(Nigeria)

Networking4Seed II

(Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali)

Gendered analysis of farm household level climate

risk perceptions, coping strategies, access to climate

information and household resilience in dry regions

(Senegal)

SERVIR West Africa

(Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal)

Others

Establishment of CAAS-ICRISAT-ICARDA Joint Centre of

Excellence for Dry Land Agriculture

(China)

Chickpea Commercialization

(Australia)

Uganda

Chad

ICRISAT Annual Report 2022

Corporate

ICRISAT Annual Report 2022

Manoj Ahuja

Ex-officio

Government of India

Himanshu Pathak

Governing Board Vice Chair

Ex-officio, Government of India

Jacqueline Hughes

Director General

Ex-officio

Prabhu Pingali

Governing Board Chair

Cathy Reade

Independent

Jim Godfrey

Independent

Sissel Rogne

Independent

(until March 2022)

Laurie Tollefson

Independent

Somesh Kumar

Ex-officio

Government of Telangana, India

Yilma Kebede

Independent

Yaye Kene Gassama

Independent

Folasade Ogunde

Independent

Regine Andersen

Independent

(from March 2022)

ICRISAT Governing Board Members

ICRISAT Annual Report 2022

In 2022, ICRISAT consolidated its position as a

globally diverse organization, with a workforce of

over 2100 members from 26 different nations,

actively working across 14 countries. As part of its

commitment to providing a supportive and engaging

workplace environment, the Institute conducted

an independent staff survey to gauge employee

satisfaction and engagement levels across all

locations in Asia and Africa.

The survey results were overwhelmingly positive,

with employees expressing a strong belief in the

mission of ICRISAT and a high level of engagement

in their work. The Institute’s ongoing efforts to foster

a culture of diversity and inclusion have also been

well-received by staff members, who report feeling

supported and fulfilled in their roles.

As we continue to pursue our mission of improving

the livelihoods of smallholder farmers across

the drylands, ICRISAT remains committed to

maintaining a highly engaged and motivated

workforce. We will continue to prioritize the creation

of a positive and inclusive work environment, with

a strong focus on gender equality and where every

member of our team feels valued and supported.

2,100+

Members

Different

nations

Working

across

Countries

Human Resources

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