INDIAN AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH 25 Lastly, it should be pointed out here that such a strategy could not have been pursued smoothly unless the Indian ruling class interests coincided at least temporarily with the U S interests. Of course, it is quite clear that a large material basis has been laid for agricultural education, research and extension in the country as a result of this collaborative effort, but its orientation is quite at variance with the long-term needs of the country and, in large areas, even witli the short-term needs. Moreover, safety valves have got to be built into the process of institution building. Scientific personnel pursuing alternative approaches and institutions geared to support those ends should be allowed freedom instead of being victimised or suppressed. Research cooperation should never be confined, on such a long-term basis, to only one donor. Dependence on direct foreign funds for research project should be reduced to a minimum. Sources for training of personnel abroad should be diversified. Economies here lie in diversity and not in tying up the process of institution building to one source. Internal communication channels must be strengthened so that dependence on the donor gets fast reduced. Finally, the scientists wlio choose to speak and pursue alternatives must be encouraged, which, in the ultimate analysis, is the only reliable safeguard. (This is a revised version of the paper presented at the seminar " Perspectives" organised by the American Studies Research Centre, Hyderabad, in April 1983) 1 The role of the international agricultural centres in the development of national research systems has apparently been the greatest concern of USAID in this area. See Talbot, Readings on the Food and Agricultural Policy, 197'2-76, University of Minnesota Press, 1977, p 181. 2 Albert H Mo-icman, Building Agricultural Research Systems in the Developing Motions, Agricultural Development Council Inc (ADC); 1970, p 16. 3 Ibid, p 17. 1: It lias been noticed that even after the research results are available, there is often need for testing a new technology on a large scale. The economics of the results of research under actual field conditions will have to be tested before adoption. The purpose of such testing would be to identify the operational problems of the transfer of technology under a given socio-economic mileu. This kind of testing involves, in addition, the participation of agricultural economists and run 1 sociol ig^l.. See the National Commission on Agriculture, para 52.4.48, p 56. 5 The "complementary crops program" established under USDA office of Foreign Agricultural Relations was concerned with research to stimulate production in Latin America of selected crops not grown in quantity in the US. The rubber development programme initiated in the early 1940''s to improve sources for national rubber in the Western hemisphere, involving 12 Latin American nations, got into trouble because the varieties released in Mexico in the autumn of 1948 were seriously damaged by the new race 15-B of stem rust in the summer of 1951. 6 Opcit 2, p 73. 7 K M Propp, The Establishment of Agricultural Universities in India, Illinois, 1968. 8 Government of India, The First Joint Indo-American Team on Indian Agricultural Education^ Research and Extension, 1955. 9 Opcit 2, p 110.