AVRDC DG visits BAR

8 September 2008
Rita T. dela Cruz with reports from Mr. Victoriano B. Guiam

Dr. Dyno Keatinge (right) discusses possible areas of collaboration with BAR and BPI staff during his visit.

Five months after he assumed to office as director general of the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center-The World Vegetable Center, Dr. Dyno Keatinge visited the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) on 8 September 2008 for a briefing on the AVRDC's current priority programs and directions and to discuss future collaborative activities in a bid to strengthen vegetable research and development (R&D) of the country.

Dr. Keatinge was met by BAR key officials and staff, namely: International Relations Unit Head Victoriano B. Guiam, Programs Development Division Assistant Head Salvacion M. Ritual, Technology Commercialization Unit Coordinator Digna L. Sandoval, and technical consultants: Dr. Santiago R. Obien and Dr. Manuel F. Bonifacio. Staff from the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), led by Planning and Management Office Head Rhoda Grace Pintuan, also joined in the meeting.

Dr. Keatinge presents “Prosperity for the Poor and Health for All” and his vision of fostering partnerships with other R&D institutions and maintaining a "pro-poor" focus to improve nutrition, food safety, and creating job opportunities.

Dr. Keatinge was shown a short presentation of BAR's primer providing him the current priority R&D programs. This was followed by Dr. Keatinge's presentation titled, "Prosperity for the Poor and Health for All"-which is also his battle cry in fostering partnerships with other R&D institutions and maintaining a "pro-poor" focus to improve nutrition, food safety, and creating job opportunities.

The group discussed developments in vegetable R&D as well as the Philippines' role and level of commitment to AVRDC and its programs.

Dr. Keatinge stressed the importance of the Philippines' participation in the activities of AVRDC given that vegetable is also one of its R&D priority areas of concern playing a crucial role in the food production drive of President Arroyo's administration.

In his AVRDC hat, BAR International Relations Unit Head Victoriano B. Guiam (left) poses with Dr. Keatinge after the meeting.

One of the possible areas of collaboration discussed during the meeting is tapping of Filipino experts to work with AVRDC. This is in connection with the current retirement of Dr. Liwayway M. Engle, former head of the AVRDC Genetic Resources and Seed Unit and project coordinator of the AVRDC-BAR project on "Promotion of Indigenous Vegetable for Poverty Alleviation and Nutrition Improvement of Rural Households in the Philippines."

Mr. Guiam was affirmative and mentioned that it may be in the interest of BAR to set up a program for the dispatch of Filipino experts, not only for AVRDC, but other international and national institutions that the Bureau is directly connected.

Other possible areas of collaboration discussed during the meeting were on: 1) ICT and extension, 2) expansion of the AVRDC-BAR project on indigenous crops, 3) training and study exchange program of DA's RDE staff at AVRDC, and 4) safety in pesticide use for vegetables.

Prior to his current post, Dr. Keatinge held various positions at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) in Syria, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Nigeria, and Research at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in India.

He replaced outgoing AVRDC director general, Dr. Thomas A. Lumpkin, who is now the director general of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Mexico