Fulfilling the dreams of parents and myself by my work at ICRISAT
Farid Waliyar
Childhood and education
My parents had never been to school and yet they gave us (7 boys and 3 girls) equal opportunity to study, so that we could help poor people to get out of poverty. So, I did my part in studying and fulfilling the dream of my parents and myself.
As a young boy, I studied at the French School of Kabul, Afghanistan, and later I was able to enroll as a student in France where I got my PhD in plant pathology. This was my dream, to be a plant pathologist, as most of other educated people in the country focused on other issues, but not much on plant pathology. I wanted to become the first plant pathologist with a PhD in Afghanistan. But this did not happen, because of political crisis in the country: I stayed on in France, where I was able to do Plant Pathology, focusing in aflatoxin, a disease which has highly negative impact on the heath of millions of people.
Work and career
I joined ICRISAT in India in 1986, where I really enjoyed working and learning to perform. Two years later, I was transferred to Niger in West Africa, where I started working with farmers. In 1989, ICRISAT officially inaugurated the ICRISAT Sahelian Center in Niamey. That day, when I visited the office of the Regional Director, I set myself the objective to become the ICRISAT Reginal Director one day. I finished my career as the Regional Director of West Africa, thus fulfilling my objective.
Working alone can never be very productive. I had many opportunities at ICRISAT to work jointly with plant breeders, agronomists, and socio-economists. I was able to learn from my colleagues the many different ways in which to manage aflatoxins in groundnuts, which is a major food and cash crop in West Africa.
Working at an international center such as ICRISAT gave me the opportunity to gain experience of several related sectors, such as seed systems, the private sector, etc. As it is very difficult for farmers to accept and invest time and money on any one particular issue, such as managing aflatoxin, it was important to care for the crop holistically. Farmers are mainly interested in the final yield and profits, and I learned from my farmer friends that if the final results are positive, then they will accept the technology/ies.
My life is full of very good memories of my work and interactions with the farmers. And I want mention one recent comment a Malian scientist sent me, saying that I was able to bring about a smile on the farmers’ faces. One of the groundnut varieties grown there has been given my name─Waliayar tiga. I felt very happy, though I have retired now.
Advice to future generations of scientists
A few points that will help the younger generation to build on and achieve their targets later in their careers:
- Dream as much as you can, but please stay focused. Although I aimed to become the Director for West and Central Africa, I never forgot the immediate objectives of my research and my on-farm work with farmers. I had many successes.
- Give opportunities to younger colleagues, particularly young women scientists, so that they can contribute as much as possible. West African agriculture is lucky to have hard-working women farmers, and the future is dependent on how women get interested in agricultural research. So please encourage women to contribute to this domain as well.
- Be honest: It is crucial to be very honest when you work in Research for Development, as your scientific integrity and data management are important in achieving the goals set by your institution.