The first international agricultural research institutions were established during this period, namely the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines in 1960, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) in Mexico in 1966 and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Nigeria in 1967, the international centre for tropical agriculture (CIAT) in Colombia in 1967, specialized in roots and tubers. The International Potato Centre (CIP) was established in Peru in 1971 and the World Vegetable Centre in Taiwan in 1973. Research was mainly focused on improving productivity through plant breeding and production systems that required extensive use of external inputs and in some cases access to irrigation.
The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the only CGIAR institution specifically devoted to policy research was established in 1975 in recognition of the need for an independent research institution that would deal with socio-economic policies for agricultural development.
A major challenge immediately after the independence of some former colonies was finding employment for Dutch experts on tropical agriculture[1]. During this period, Wageningen University expanded its efforts to increase placements in the former colonies and at international institutions (a.o. through the ‘UN Extended Program of Technical Assistance’) and in Dutch bilateral development cooperation. However, given the high levels of public support for development cooperation in the Netherlands, the number of students at Wageningen University focussing on tropical agriculture increased rapidly to a point from 1960 onwards that many graduates were unable to find employment abroad.
In the early years of Dutch Development Aid, Dutch institutions such as Heidemij (now Arcadis) and Kadaster (Dutch land registration agency) were actively involved in irrigation schemes, land registration, and land reclamation and redistribution in many countries. Both institutions are still actively involved in development cooperation including initiatives supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature.
The shift from institutional involvement towards technical assistance evolved in the 1950s. In 1956 at Wageningen University this included a session on agriculture in Afghanistan and the dilemmas associated with resettlement of refugees in Pakistan.
[1] see policy note 1955/1956 quoted in the WRR report ‘Less Pretension, More Ambition’, p. 36, 2010),
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