Concluding Remarks

The years since Trinidad in 1967 have seen great changes in tropical agriculture, and root crops are now far more generally accepted as important staples of nutritional and economic importance. Substantial international and national efforts are now being devoted to studying their production and utilization. Three international agricultural research centers, CIAT, CIP, and IITA, have very substantial programs and many national agricultural research, training, and extension institutions now allocate considerable resources to these crops.

It is impossible to quantify how far these changes have been brought about by ISTRC's activities, but its function in creating a world community of tropical root crops workers, and the many contacts, collaborations, and indeed personal friendships, that have been formed at its symposia and other activities, have surely played a significant role in improving the status of these crops.

adapted from material submitted October 2000 by Professor A Westby, ISTRC Councillor for Publications.