Boosting food security and ensuring the small cultivator’s proper access to and a fair deal in the market have been the key areas of William Dar’s work as scientist, policymaker and administrator. The author, “a farmer’s son”, says he chose to read agronomy at university because “the science that explains the sprouting of seeds and growing of crops … was almost hard-wired in me”.
Feeding the Forgotten Poor is an autobiography in which personal reminiscences serve as a vehicle for voicing concern for the disprivileged. It takes up large issues and draws attention to “orphan crops” and “hidden hunger”. Noting that more than one billion of the world’s seven billion people go hungry or are malnourished, the book critically examines the political, economic and environmental issues to which contemporary agriculture is closely tied—tariffs and farm subsidies, water pollution, biofuels, the prospects and problems of genetically modified organisms, the growing backlash against mechanised agriculture and increasing support for sustainable practices.
Envisioning the scenario in the year 2050, when the global population is projected to cross the nine million mark, Dar draws the important general conclusion that viable solutions are not just about technology and science—they require a change in mindsets, sound policy and adroit handling of institutions.
William Dollente Dar is the first Asian and Filipino Director General of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT).
Arun Tiwari is the CEO of Indo-US Healthcare Pvt. Ltd., and also teaches in the School of Management Sciences at the University of Hyderabad.
Foreword Figures Map of The Philippines Abbreviations
1. Soil and Roots The dawn I stand by Meanwhile, a revolution City of the pines The right choice My country, my people Breaking through Finding my dream A larger stage Science with a human face
2. Stems, Leaves and Fruits Food security for the forgotten poor Diversity is strength Homogenize, or adapt? Hidden hunger Plastic peas At the desert’s edge Food, fodder, feed, fiber, fuel Borlaug’s fire Rope, or snake?
3. Skin of the Earth Planet under pressure Regaining our footing Mixing it up Hammer on anvil Quenching our thirst Enemies of our enemies A climate of uncertainty
4. Innovate, Grow, Prosper Strategic science Dynamic development Epilogue: a future to believe in
Glossary Index