PH Looking For A New Secretary Of Agriculture? I Found Him In ICRISAT 12 Years Ago!

Think globally, act locally. 

The government's Philippine Institute for Development Studies, PIDS, is complaining about PH's lack of innovation via Gwen B de la Cruz' article "Lack Of STEM, PhD Grads (Hinders) PH Innovation" (April-June 2019, Development Research News, pages 13-14 (pidswebs.pids.gov.ph). STEM is acronym for the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics. Unfortunately, the PIDS neither defines nor explains what it means by the word innovation, and neither does the source of the news, the Global Innovation Index (globalinnovationindex.org).

In these islands, more than in any other field, we need a Secretary of Agriculture who has graduated from the School of Global Innovation.

Speaking of global innovation today, I remember I wrote about it 12 years ago! I came up on 26 February 2007 with my long essay, "An Inconvenient Truth. William Dar,  The Filipino As Global Manager," in my dedicated blog iCRiSAT Watch (icrisatwatch.blogspot.com). "Think globally, act locally" is excellent advice, and Mr Dar knew that at heart.

In that old ICRISAT essay, I wrote:

Dr William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT in faraway India, Filipino, is My Global Manager of the Year (2006).

Since there is no such award, it has been necessary to invent it. I have 7 reasons choosing Dr Dar as my global manager because he has chosen… (and I went on to enumerate his chosen ones, saying):

(1st)  Global Crop – "Sweet sorghum is the best climate crop of them all." And I gave 7 reasons for saying that: (1) much cheaper source of ethanol than sugarcane; (2) plantable in wastelands; (3) grows fast, so a reliable cash crop; (4) saves on fertilizers; (5) millions of farmers depend on it; (6) saves on fossil fuel, and (7) less polluting when the juice is converted into bioethanol.

(2nd) Global Vision – "ICRISAT's Global Vision is ' Science with a Human Face.' Says 1000ventures.com: "Corporate success depends on the vision articulated by the chief executive." Under Mr Dar, ICRISAT became the #1 research center of the CGIAR.

(3rd) Global Mission – To help bring about the Vision, ICRISAT advocated a "Grey-to-Green Revolution," meaning you don't leave out gray areas for agriculture.

(4th) Global Strategy – ICRISAT came up with sweet sorghum hybrids that could be planted anytime of the year, ensuring continuous supply of food or feed.

(5th) Global Outlook – ICRISAT worked as a Team of international membership, so teamwork was important.

(6th) Global Reach & Impact – ICRISAT reached out to Asian and American countries with its sweet sorghum initiative.

(7th) Global Mode Of Operation – "The global mode of operation that this international research institute adopted for its successful sweet sorghum initiative may be referred to as the Sci-Fi Mode. That's an acronym for science, citizen, financing, management, good offices, distribution of benefits, ecology."

William Dar was excellent for agriculture in the semi-arid tropics of the world – he has come home to Manila and founded the InangLupa Movement, to push PH agriculture to make a great leap forward. I hope Mr Duterte appoints him the new Secretary of Agriculture!517