23 September 1992
Dr. Alex McCalla
Chair
Technical Advisory Committee
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research
c/o University of California
Davis, CA 95616, U.S.A.
Mr. Alexander von der Osten
Executive Secretary
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research
World Bank
1818 H Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20433, U.S.A.
Dear Dr. McCalla and Mr. von der Osten,
It is my pleasure to transmit to you, for the consideration of the TAC and the CGIAR, the Report of the Fourth External Review Panel appointed to assess the International Rice Research Institute. My colleagues and I have reviewed, as requested, both the programme and the management aspects of IRRI's work. Being required to - look at both aspects simultaneously has made our work in some respects more complex, but we believe the combined assignment has yielded substantial benefits in the coherence and balance of our analysis and recommendations.
As the Report makes clear, we have found IRRI well along in a radical transformation of its programme objectives, staffing, organization, and management, as it seeks to put into effect its Strategic Plan, IRRI Toward 2000 and Beyond, and the recommendations of the Third External Programme and Management Reviews. While it is too early to measure the outcome with precision, the Panel believes IRRI is accomplishing what it set out to do: to increase its emphasis on strategic research without losing touch with the real life of rice farming families; to strengthen its attention to the problems of rice production in less favoured environments while maintaining its essential focus on sustainable increases in total rice output; and to reflect considerations of equity and natural resource management more fully in its priorities and programmes. We have been deeply impressed by the dedication and energy with which the management and staff of IRRI have been pursuing the transformation of its life and work. Our recommendations are intended to assist IRRI as it completes the transformation and moves ahead with its vital mission.
The Panel has received cooperation and assistance from many quarters. First and foremost, our work was made easy and pleasant by the unstinting and efficient assistance of IRRI's Board, Director General, and entire staff. We are very grateful for their courtesies and kindness, which often involved long hours and much inconvenience. We are grateful to the numerous agricultural scientists and government officials who shared with us, in many parts of the world, their perceptions of IRRI and its activities -especially to those who received us so warmly during the Panel's visits to the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, India, and Egypt. Finally, we have benefitted enormously from the participation in our review by excellent, widely-experienced colleagues assigned by the TAC and the CGIAR Secretariats: Amir Kassam from the TAC Secretariat in Rome, and Selcuk Ozgediz and Don Plucknett from the Group Secretariat in Washington.
In closing, I speak for all the Panel members, including myself, in expressing our gratitude for the opportunity to take part in this Review. We have all been highly impressed by the quality of IRRI's staff, both international and national, and by their strong commitment to IRRI's mission. We hope this report will assist them in their important work.
Sincerely yours,
David E. Bell, Chair
External Review Panel
AGR/TAC:IAR/93/1
THE CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH
TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND CGIAR SECRETARIAT
REPORT OF THE FOURTH EXTERNAL PROGRAMME
AND MANAGEMENT REVIEW OF
THE INTERNATIONAL RICE RESEARCH INSTITUTE
(IRRI)
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Panel: |
David E. Bell (Chair) |
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Inder Pal Abrol |
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Lowell S. Hardin |
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Chukichi Kaneda |
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Ammar Siamwalla |
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Julie A.C. Virgo |
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Robert W. Willey |
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Shi-Mai Zeng |
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Selcuk Ozgediz (CGIAR Secretariat) |
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Don Plucknett (CGIAR Secretariat) |
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Amir Kassam (TAC Secretariat) |
TAC SECRETARIAT
FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS
September 1992
