University of Florida

Director-General of ICRISAT Visits UF/IFASIndia

Dr. William “Willie” Dar world-renowned Director-General of the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), visited the UF campus in mid-July, accompanied by Dr. V. Balaji, ICRISAT’s chief research scientist.

AfricaDar and Balaji met with faculty and administrators,discussing the plentiful opportunities for joint research programs with ICRISAT. Dar also presented a lecture titled “From Gloom to Bloom: High Value Crops in the Semi-Arid Tropics” on July 19, 2007.

Dar has held the position of Director-General at ICRISAT since January 2000. His career includes work in his native Philippines and abroad in both Asia’s Pacific region and sub-Saharan Africa. He has served as an educator, agricultural scientist, administrator, and humanitarian.

Dar was the first Filipino and Asian to become Director-General of ICRISAT. In 2005, he became the first Filipino and Asian to hold the Chair of the Alliance Executive of the Alliance of Future Harvest Centers, which facilitates collective action among the 15 CGIAR Centers. Dar has also been a member of the UN Millennium Task Force on Hunger. Prior to joining ICRISAT, Dar served as:

  • Presidential Adviser for Rural Development, and Secretary of Agriculture in the Philippines;
  • Executive Director of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resources Research and Development;
  • Director of the Bureau of Agricultural Research of the Philippine Department of Agriculture; and
  • Vice President for R&D and Professor at Benguet State University, Philippines.

Dar led ICRISAT into a renaissance, stressing excellence and relevance, with the motto “Science with a Human Face.”

Dr. Willie Dar's passion is to help alleviate the conditions of poor people living in the semi-arid tropics of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. ICRISAT is headquartered in Hyderabad, India.

Contact: David Sammons

Africa

Asia

ICRISAT's headquarters are in Hyderabad, India. Dar is from the Philippines. ICRISAT operates programs throughout the arid regions of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

Dr. William Dar
William Dar, Director-General of ICRISAT, the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, headquartered in Hyderabad, India. Dar is the first Asian to serve as ICRISAT's Director-General.