James Cock

Born in England in 1944, James’ farming upbringing inspired him to study agriculture at the University of Cambridge, followed by a PhD in the physiology of yield in semi-dwarf wheat at the University of Reading. At the height of the Green Revolution, his involvement in the CGIAR system began with a post-doctoral position at the International Rice Research Institute, after which he became Leader of the Cassava Research Program of CIAT (now the Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT) in Palmira, Colombia, exploring this crop’s ability to grow well despite low soil fertility and low-rainfall conditions. 

During James' time as Program Leader, CIAT began expanding its work to Southeast Asia, which has come to benefit millions of small-scale farmers, and in Africa, where members of the Cassava Program began collaborating with other CGIAR centers to research and develop control strategies against the spread of plant diseases, including the mealy bug. 

In the spread of the CIAT’s research to communities across Latin America, Africa and Asia, one of James’s key contributions to CIAT’s research approach was his advocacy for addressing the welfare of rural communities and smallholder farmers. Arguing that livelihoods and well-being are equally important as high yields for feeding a growing population, James ensured that the program – and later CIAT and CGIAR at large – began supporting farming families with crop processing, market access, and social inclusion. 

After 20 years in the Cassava Program, James left CIAT, taking on the role of Senior Agriculturalist for Latin America and the Caribbean at the World Bank. However, missing the intellectual challenges of research, one year later he moved to Colombia’s Sugar Cane Research Center, where he supported the upscaling of modern agricultural infrastructure.  

Since the year 2000, James has worked as an independent consultant, and today, although semi-retired, he remains an active advisor for several agricultural research organizations, including the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT.