IRRI Pioneer Interviews--Challenges for IRRI: Alan Early
Channel: International Rice Research Institute
Date: 26/06/2009

Alan Early, IRRI agricultural engineer, 1977-83; currently chief technical officer, Indonesia Aid Foundation 

I think a real challenge is reaching the people who have not been touched by the Green Revolution. I now live in Indonesia, three quarters of the time. One- quarter of the time, I spend in Fort Collins, Colorado. Im affiliated with Colorado State University as an adjunct professor. My newly found clients are farmers in the uplands of Indonesia. I have an ongoing research and development activity with farmers in the uplands. Theyve been basically left behind by their own government in terms of extension services, in infrastructure, and so forth. They have been left behind in the same way they have been unable to receive benefits of $30 billion of irrigation investment in 30 years. They are a forgotten part of the population and Ive taken them on as a client group for my Indonesia Aid Foundation, for which I am the chief technical officer. 

I come back to Colorado to raise money and write proposals. I spend most of my time working on R&D activities like my intensive rice garden for upland farm families. These activities are filling in some of the gaps, which I think are important and I feel are not really part of IRRIs terms of reference.