South Asia CCA Group Tours Midwest U.S.

The launch of a Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) program in South Asia continues efforts to enable sustainable agricultural growth in the region.  This program will help train the frontline agronomists employed by private companies, non-government organizations, and public sector agencies.

Recently, a group from India visited the Midwestern U.S. to learn about the Certified Crop Adviser program first-hand from CCAs and view farming techniques in the heartland of the U.S.

Members of the team were Kanwar Singh Yadav, India CCA Program Manager; Rajeev Dar, Chief Executive Officer, Indian Society of Agribusiness Professionals;  Satish Chandra, serves on the India CCA exam committee and is with the ISAP; and J.K. Ladha, an IRRI principal scientist and leader within CSISA, who serves as the program coordinator. Luther Smith, Director-Certification and Licensing with American Society of Agronomy and Soil Science Society of America served as U.S. liaison to the group during the tour.

The group visited with CCAs and farmers and then toured the Purdue University Crop Diagnostic Training and Research Center in Indiana. The next day they traveled to Champaign-Urbana, Ill. to visit with University of Illinois faculty, area CCAs, and farmers. The group also visited CCAs at Growmark, Inc. and Pioneer Seed in Bloomington, Ill.

 The Crop Diagnostic Training and Research Center, located in West Lafayette uses a unique “hands-on” approach for teaching how to accurately diagnose agricultural crop problems.

The group toured the Center with Director Corey Gerber. Gerber said that the Center was established in 1985 to provide informative topics in a “real world” environment. The Center also evaluates new and alternative farm management and crop production strategies.  Small plot demonstrations illustrate insect, nematode, weed, disease, soil fertility, and cultural problems associated with corn, soybean, forage, and small grain production.

The visits with CCAs at Growmark, Inc. and Pioneer Seed provided valuable insights into how agricultural business sector utilize the expertise of CCAs to assist grower clients.

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, and will offer the first exam in December 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.”