ABSTRACT
This chapter presents trends in international agricultural research and education for the purpose of formulating some guidelines and making recommendations for the future. Specific attention is devoted to the discussion of research directed toward sustainable agriculture as opposed to research which is narrowly focused on production. The network of regional research institutes was developed cooperatively by the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations beginning in the late 1950s. They were planned to be commodity oriented. Each institute was located in a specific geographic region and focused on the one or more critical crops of that region. The International Rice Research Institute, located in the Philippines, is a primary example where rice culture is the main thrust for the Asian countries. Historically, the early approach of agronomic research at the international research institutes was to maximize yields through breeding and nutrition under ideal controlled conditions. This was undoubtedly a carry over from US and Western World trained scientists.
