Newswise — The launch of a Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) program in South Asia continues efforts to enable sustainable agricultural growth in the region. The main target for this program will be the frontline agronomists employed by private companies, non-government organizations, and public sector agencies. Certification is viewed as the professional development component that will help improve delivery of technical information, products, and services from agronomy professionals in both the public and private sectors in South Asia. The CCA program has begun in India, offering the first exam in November 2010. The program is administered by the Indian Society of Agribusiness Professionals, but is still affiliated with the International CCA program based in the U.S. The CCA program will next expand to Nepal, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
Bringing the CCA program to South Asia is the result of collaboration with the American Society of Agronomy, an international scientific society based in Madison, WI, and the Cereal System Initiative for South Asia (CSISA). The CSISA is led by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and three other centers with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the World Bank, during the first three years of the program. Many private companies in Asia are investing in new agribusiness and services infrastructure, including a substantial workforce of crop advisers who directly work with farmers, providing inputs, crop advice, and market information. High quality standards are vital for providing new technologies to farmers and developing sustainable production practices. This responsibility requires a proficient understanding of crop production science, food safety, economics, and the environment. As J.K. Ladha, an IRRI principal scientist and leader within CSISA, said, “The private sector in India and in other countries in South Asia is moving aggressively in the agricultural area, but they do not have a certified program for crop advisers to help transfer knowledge for improving crop productivity. Many technologies that we have on the shelf are not going efficiently and quickly to the farmer. About 25% of the overall CSISA program is funded for delivery of information to the farmer and that is the key in making this program successful.” To address this emerging demand by the private sector and the continuing need of public sector extension systems, CSISA will facilitate the implementation of the CCA program as a voluntary self-sustained program that establishes a base level of competency through testing, education, and experience requirements. Participants will be able to raise their competency through continuing education. This program comes at a crucial time for key nations in the region— Asia is home to more than 60% of the world's 1 billion poorest people who do not have enough to eat —as they struggle to boost grain production in the wake of growing demand and strained natural resources. The program, which builds on past cereal research achievements in the public and private sectors, aims to produce an additional five million tons of grain annually and increase the yearly incomes of six million poor rural households by at least $350. “This program is extremely important for the food supply of the most populous region of the world. We are honored to take part in this initiative,” said Francis J. Pierce, President of the American Society of Agronomy, and Professor at Washington State University, “Our objective is to help build a certified crop adviser program to deliver high-quality agriculture production recommendations that will result in the more efficient use of resources, better protection of the environment, and a higher quality of life for producers in India and the South Asia region.” CSISA's ten-year goal is for four million farmers to achieve a yield increase of at least 0.5 tons per hectare on five million hectares, and an additional two million farmers to achieve a yield increase of at least 1.0 ton per hectare on 2.5 million hectares. For more information on the Certified Crop Adviser program, visit: www.certifiedcropadviser.org
A peer-reviewed international journal of agriculture and natural resource sciences, Agronomy Journal is published six times a year by the American Society of Agronomy, with articles relating to original research in soil science, crop science, agroclimatology and agronomic modeling, production agriculture, and software. For more information visit: http://agron.scijournals.org.
The American Society of Agronomy (ASA) www.agronomy.org, is a scientific society helping its 8,000+ members advance the disciplines and practices of agronomy by supporting professional growth and science policy initiatives, and by providing quality, research-based publications and a variety of member services.
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