Until now, communication has been limited between development researchers and top officials in developing nations. Both groups have as their goal the eradication of poverty, but each has approached the task in its own way. Now this old way of doing business is beginning to change, as researchers in the international development community seek regular communication with a nation’s elected policymakers.

Members of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) are rising to the challenge. Through the efforts of IFPRI economist Suresh Babu, CGIAR scientists in India recently met for the first time with members of Parliament, the legislative body that represents India’s 1.2 billion people.

To arrange the meeting, Babu and others first established a network of contacts among industry and farming groups and local officials. Through this network, they were able to get the ear of parliamentarians in the vanguard of agricultural development.

The groups gathered on August 7 at the New Delhi headquarters of the Confederation of Indian Industry, which co-hosted the event with the Indian Farmers and Industry Alliance and CGIAR. Key CGIAR speakers were Willie Dar, director of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, who explained the CGIAR’s Indian programs; and Babu, who addressed challenges facing the agricultural sector. The parliamentarians asked questions and made suggestions for future research, stressing the need to empower small farmers in an era of globalization.

At the end of the meeting, everyone agreed that it had been invaluable and would be continued on an annual basis. For the CGIAR, Babu’s organizing process will also serve as a model for opening comparable communication channels in other developing nations. “By working with Parliamentarians—in India and elsewhere—we can have a real impact on the policy environment,” Babu says.