INDIAN AGRICULTURAL RBSEARCH 9 prevailing in the tropics, on the biological means of disease prevention as opposed to chemical pesticides, on the suitable cropping patterns dealing in alternate cropping with nitrogen plants that could reduce dependency on chemical fertilisers, etc. The paper traces briefly the evolution of the Indo-U S cooperative programme, assesses its orientation, evaluates the impact it has made on agricultural development and seeks to explain how this orientation came about, and why it remained unrectified for a long time. Finally the paper also explores whether there are any lessons to be learnt by the scientists of developing countries from this experience of Indo-U S cooperation in agricultral research. Genesis of Cooperation Assistance to India for building her national research capacity as an integral pa'-t of the agricultural technology transfer programme was necessitated because only a few of the many inter-related problems of sustaining agricultural development could be assessed and tackled from a general or international perspective. Most developing nations have climates, soils, cropping systems and harvesting, processing and consumption patterns vastly different from those of the United States and Europe. Technology transfer therefore presupposes an intimate knowledge of localised conditions, eg, the soils, climates as well as the specific social features Established crop improvement procedures usually require a minimum of three years of widespread testing of a new variety before they are released to the farmers; One or two seasons are insufficient to judge yields under vastly different cropping conditions. Testing must be continued for sufficient time to allow for the confrontation between exogenous plant materials and indigenous diseases and pests.2 The protective research required to overcome or minimise destruction from pests and diseases is also a form of adaptive research which should be conducted as close as possible to the specific regions.3 Research into non-biological dimensions too is important. Research in farm management, on production costs for different types or systems of farming is required to improve the technology transfer systems.4 The genesis of Indo-U S cooperation in agricultural research dates back to the efforts of the U S government to help India increase food production during the 1950's. It was launched against the background of the failures experienced by the U S in South America where she had made an effort to increase productivity of cash crops by taking up "complementary crop improvement programs'? in the early 19Ws.5 The subsequent efforts at introducing high yielding varieties in food crops like wheat and rice to countries in South-East Asia, Near East and Middle East, had also clearly shown that local research capacity was e&sential if the new package was to find acceptance. Also the initial experience gained in the Point IV programme in India where the effort had been directed mainly towards extension and ^community