By Ricky Robertson (IFPRI)
As part of its activities in the CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM) and the Global Futures & Strategic Foresight (GFSF) program, ICRISAT recently organized a five-day training program, titled “Cropping System Models: Application in Land Resource Management”. The training took place from the 23rd to 27th March at ICRISAT headquarters in Patancheru, India. Dr. Gerrit Hoogenboom of Washington State University and Dr. Cheryl Porter of the University of Florida served as faculty, while Dr. Dakshina Murthy and Dr. Piara Singh of ICRISAT served as resource persons. About 30 participants from India, the Philippines, Jordan, Ethiopia and the United States attended the training course, along with crop modelers from GFSF participating CGIAR centers such as CIMMYT, ICARDA and IRRI as well as NARS partners. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) of the government of India sponsored 10 participants for this course.
During the five-day training course, the participants learned about 1) potential crop production, 2) weather and genetic coefficients, 3) water limited production and soil experiment data, 4) nitrogen limited production and seasonal analysis, as well as 5) evaluating risk and sustainability. Hands-on assignments were provided to further enrich participants’ knowledge on these topics.
During the closing session, ICRISAT Director General Dr. David Bergvinson highlighted the need to use crop models as tools to support as well as inform research prioritization decisions of different stakeholders, most importantly of smallholder farmers. During the inaugural address, the Deputy Director General of ICRISAT, Dr. Peter Carberry, explained the importance of crop system models and their application to inform decision-making at farm level as well as for policymakers.
The training program was organized by ICRISAT and coordinated by the Learning Systems Unit (LSU) of the Knowledge Sharing and Innovation (KSI) Unit. The training program was partially funded by the following CGIAR Research Programs: Policies, Institutions, and Markets; Grain Legumes; Dryland Cereals; and Dryland Systems.
For more information, please contact Ricky Robertson (IFPRI).
