Technical Advisory Committee Thirty-Second Meeting, 24-29 October 1983: Report of the Meeting

Report of the 32nd meeting of TAC held in Washington, D.C., October 24-29, 1983, Professor Guy Camus presiding. TAC completed its consideration of the First Quinquennial Review of ICARDA, and forwarded it to the CGIAR with comments. It was supportive in general, with some criticism of arrangements for training. After having presentations on both the External Program Review (EPR) and the External Management Review (EMR) of IITA, TAC prepared comments on the EPR. It included some criticism of farming systems research, and praise for the work on biological control of pests of cassava. Preliminary discussions of the EPR and EMR of WARDA also took place. TAC made decisions concerning future review of CIAT, IFPRI and ICRISAT.TAC approved and recommended to the CGIAR an agreement between CIMMYT and ICARDA for allocating responsibilities for research on durum wheat and barley. TAC requested the directors of CIMMYT and IITA to work out an agreed arrangement regarding responsibility for maize research and training in humid and sub-humid Africa. TAC also asked its secretariat to do some preliminary work on the assignment of rice responsibilities in Africa for consideration at TAC 33.The TAC Standing Committee on Strategic Considerations met for the first time, and reviewed an document prepared by FAO consultants on quantitative indicators for priorities in international agricultural research. TAC established a schedule for completing its work on this topic by May 1985. A TAC Secretariat prospectus for the study of training in the CGIAR was approved. TAC also discussed various financial issues with the CGIAR Secretariat. It heard information reports on IIMI, a conference on Women in Rice Farming Systems, an inter-center seminar on biotechnology, the current status of FAO initiatives on plant genetic resources, and IBSRAM.