Odyssey to Ithaca

Not the mythical journey to Homer's island (Ithaka), but a real life treck to upstate New York and the home of Cornell University. I was visiting with Rebecca Nelson, who helps to manage programs sponsored by the McKnight Foundation, and meeting with people who work in international development. I also had the pleasure of meeting Per Pinstrup Andersen, a notable (great) Dane who won the World Food Prize in 2001 and headed IFPRI for many years.

Britain is full of facile prejudices and assumptions about the USA. A few turn out to be sort-of-true. Folk can be a tad gullible, though we might more kindly describe this as willingness to listen to others. But in truth we risk suggesting that, ipso facto, great countries lack flaws. Take Scotland, my unbiased choice for comparison: great scenery, friendly folk, fine universities (I went to one) and a diet too often die for. Want a reasoned debate about the merits of the English football team? Forget it.

Cornell is delightful, small, cosy, academic and full of enquiring minds. More please. The international program is diverse and, unlike UK universities, covers the gamut from biological sciences aiming at production improvements (to generalise) through to wider examinations of the causes of poverty, food insecurity and so on. I hadn't realised it until Per Pinstrup mentioned the separation of universities in East Africa from the more powerful and prestigious national research organisations. Makerere versus NARO in Uganda: University of Nairobi versus KARI (see photo) in Kenya. The universities claim, not without reason, that this has drained resources from organisations that should be more active in research.

Then I thought of the UK with departments of international development in places such as IDS at Sussex and East Anglia University, Rothamsted Research/International linked to BBSRC, ODI and IIED and so on. The sad loser in all this appears to be agriculture. Would we have more international development linked to the practice of agriculture if all resesarch was hosted at UK, Ugandan and Kenyan universities. What about ICAR institutes in India and the universities?

My impression is that Cornell has greater potential to combine research and practice: maize and wheat breeding with policy and social science investigations. Of course it doesn't follow that people actively collaborate because they inhabit the same campus. Still, it must help if you can swap between Rebecca's maize lab and Per Pinstrup's office in less than 10 minutes. Finally, I talked with Terry Tucker, Director of Academic and Professional Development Programs, about internships for Cornell students through the GPC. It would be good to tap in to the keen interest of many students in international development.