ICARDA
News
INTERNATIONAL
CENTER FOR AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH IN THE DRY AREAS |
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| 11 March 2004 | For
more information contact: Surendra Varma (s.varma@CGIAR.ORG) |
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Improved
Lentil Production Helps Reduce Poverty and Malnutrition in Bangladesh
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Aleppo, Syria. 11
March 2004. Bangladesh's lentil varieties got a dose of new genetic material
when scientists from the International Center for Agricultural Research in the
Dry Areas (ICARDA) provided exotic germplasm and breeding lines that are resistant
to environmental stresses and diseases and pests. The new varieties of lentils,
especially 'Barimasur-4,', have been planted in around 40% of lentil producing
farmland (60,000 hectares) and Bangladesh's farmers are reaping an additional
28,000 tonnes of lentil annually. This translates to over US$12.6 million and
has helped boost the nation's economy and improve food security. Lentil is a staple of the Bangladeshi diet and is often called "poor man's meat" because of its high protein and micronutrient content. But the demand for this legume is often larger than the production levels. So scientists from the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) and ICARDA collaborated to develop high-yielding and disease-resistant varieties. One of the major challenges faced by the researchers was the cycle of nature itself. The difference in flowering time between the local and exotic varieties meant that it was not possible to incorporate the exotic genes by simply crossing the two. Scientists used parental material from ICARDA in a specific hybridization program that synchronized the flowering times. This broadened the lentil's genetic base and allowed the introduction of disease-resistant genes. Breeding materials with resistance to blight and rust were sent to Bangladesh for further selection in local conditions. Lentil yields increased from less than 1 t/ha from traditional cultivars to up to 2.5 t/ha from 'Barimasur-4.' The increase in lentil production has significantly contributed to alleviating poverty and malnutrition and to improving the country's economy. Farmers are using the extra income from lentil cultivation to buy items of personal use, cattle, and seed for next year's crop; and to provide education for their children, access medical treatment, pay off loans, and make brick houses and repair farm implements. Scientists from both ICARDA and Bangladesh met in Dhaka on 14 February 2004 to celebrate the success of the BARI-ICARDA collaboration and to discuss future projects. H.E. Mr M.K. Anwar, the Minister of Agriculture in Bangladesh participated in the ceremony and also presented awards to two local farmers, Mohammed Abdul Satter and Mohammed Shajahan, for their contribution to increased lentil production, using 'Barimasur-4,' and technology transfer to other farmers in Bangladesh. |
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About
ICARDA: Established in 1977, ICARDA (www.icarda.cgiar.org)
serves the entire developing world for the improvement of barley, lentil,
and faba bean; and dry-area developing countries for the on-farm management
of water, improvement of nutrition and productivity of small ruminants (sheep
and goats), and rehabilitation and management of rangelands. In the Central
and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA) region, ICARDA is responsible for the
improvement of durum and bread wheats, chickpea, pasture and forage legumes
and farming systems; and for the protection and enhancement of the natural
resource base of water, land, and biodiversity. |
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