Interdisciplinary challenges and opportunities in international agricultural research

The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, an informal association of countries, international agencies, and private foundations, accepts responsibility for funding existing IARC"s and for taking new initiatives to strengthen international agricultural research. IARC research is problem-focused and frequently cross-disciplinary. The International Rice Research Institute"s Cropping Systems Program is an example of a major cross-disciplinary research effort. Conducting interdisciplinary research is not without challenges. For example, issues such as common identification of team goals, leadership, disciplinary biases, and the rewards system may constrain productivity and proliferation of multidiciplinary research teams. Many constraints might be reduced if scientists were more formally exposed to the systems approach and the philosophy of interdisciplinary agricultural research. It is argued that the IARC"s have an important future role in promoting and supporting interdisciplinary research in national agricultural research programs. (Author abstract)