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Geoff Hawtin, a British-Canadian scientist and expert in
plant genetic resources, will be the new Interim Director
General of the International Center for Tropical Agriculture
(CIAT), in replacement of anthropologist Joachim Voss, who
will retire in January 2008.
Hawtin is well known in the Consultative Group on International
Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and the donor community, given
his trajectory as researcher and Director of two other centers
that also form part of the system to which CIAT belongs.
The new director arrives at a difficult historical moment
for this international center, triggered by the limited financial
resources available over last 18 months, which can be attributed
to the significant reduction in international donations—a
situation worsened by the revaluation of the Colombian peso.
Joachim Voss has been the fifth Director General since CIAT
was founded in Colombia in 1967. His greatest achievement
during his 7 years of leadership was the globalization of
the Center with solid activities in Africa and Asia. CIAT,
headquartered in Palmira, Department of Valle del Cauca, and
with regional offices in Asia, Africa, and Central America,
will celebrate its 40th anniversary this coming November.
The Center aims to increase its competitiveness and generate
new products of world coverage. Scientific efforts will focus
on outcome lines (knowledge and technologies) that seek to
empower poor farmers in the tropics so they can achieve a
more competitive agriculture.
The new work model involves multidisciplinary teams whose
mission is to produce international goods that benefit the
poor of the tropical countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin
America.
Research on traditional crops such as beans, cassava, and
forages will continue and, together with soil management and
high-value crops, will constitute the Center's priorities
with world mandate, while rice research for Latin America
will also continue.
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