Nobel laureate Norman E. Borlaug will open the conference as keynote speaker
(see sidebar below), and Francisco Reifschneider, director of the Consultative
Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), will give an overview of
the effect of globalization on agricultural research. Other speakers include
ARS national program leaders and directors of some of the 17 international
agricultural research centers affiliated with CGIAR.
In addition to addressing issues related to globalization, the conference
will develop strategies for rural development in Latin America and the
Caribbean and for adding value to agricultural production in the region.
Ferreira says the price of coffeean important crop to Latin American
farmers and U.S. consumershas been declining dramatically. Conferees will
discuss ways to counteract this, such as producing quality coffee for niche
markets and diversifying production to other crops that would turn a profit in
global markets. Coffee can be grown along with high-value timber, for example,
or with tropical fruits that could be sold as concentrates or jams.
"It's a matter of changing the way in which coffee farms are managed to
add value," Ferreira says.
Produce While Conserving and Conserve While Producing
The challenge for CATIE in its day-to-day operation and for the conference
series is to devise new ways to increase tropical agricultural production to
feed a growing global population while conserving the world's natural resources
and the environment. Thus, CATIE's mission statement: "Produce while
conserving, and conserve while producing."
In addition to a dozen Latin American countries, the United States, Canada,
10 European countries, and Japan contribute to the support of CATIE, and many
collaborate on research and/or education projects. The center has a compact
staff of about 120 professionals, including 40 with doctorates and 50 with
master's degrees. And the center is strengthening its ties throughout the
Americas.
"CATIE plays a very important role in education, training, extension,
and research activities in Latin America," says Horn. "This center is
one of our key partners as we pursue mutual collaborative interests in the
region.
"USDA has a strong interest in supporting professional development
efforts in Latin America," Horn notes. "We recognize that the
strength of our future research partnerships depends, in large part, on
training and capacity-building programs provided by CATIE and other institutes
of higher education in the region."
Recently, says Ferreira, CATIE and the University of Idaho initiated a joint
doctoral program for training U.S. citizens in tropical agriculture and natural
resource management under CATIE's graduate program. The National Science
Foundation is underwriting the doctoral program.
Cacao is one product of tropical agriculture of great importance to the U.S.
chocolate industry, which reaps about $8.6 billion annually in U.S. sales. The
industry has been involved with CATIE and its world-class cacao germplasm
collection for years, and the American Cocoa Research Institute recently
strengthened this relationship by becoming an affiliated member institute.
That's because fungal diseases like witches broom and frosty pod rot are
devastating cacao crops in Central and South America. Frosty pod reduces
productivity to less than half in Central America, says Ferreira.
"The chocolate manufacturers are worried about fungal diseases and
insect pests," says Raymond Schnell, research geneticist at ARS'
Subtropical Horticulture Research Unit in Miami, Florida.
With funding from the chocolate giant M&M Mars, Inc., Schnell
collaborates with CATIE and centers in Brazil, Trinidad, and Ecuador to find
the genetic markers for disease resistance against these income-robbing fungi.
(See "Food of the
Gods: Cacao and Marker-Assisted Selection," Agricultural
Research, August 2001, pp. 1011.)
Knowing where the resistance genes are located on the chromosomes will
enable geneticists worldwide to select resistant varieties or move the target
genes into current varieties with known agronomic traits.
In addition to cacao, CATIE maintains a large germplasm collection of
coffee, tropical fruits, and horticultural produce. "We have gotten quite
a bit of germplasm from CATIE and they from us," says Schnell. "It's
a very well-run institute. We're fortunate to have it."By Judy
McBride, formerly with ARS.
To reach scientists mentioned in this story, contact
Linda McElreath, USDA-ARS
Information Staff, 5601 Sunnyside
Ave., Beltsville, MD 20705-5129; phone (301) 504-1658, fax (301) 504-1641.
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