In Memoriam: Dr C. Fred Bentley: International Development Research Centre

IDRC staff was saddened to hear of the passing of a member of its inaugural Board of Governors, Dr C. Fred Bentley, who died on April 12 at the age of 94.

The former dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Home Economics at the University of Alberta enjoyed a distinguished career of teaching and research in soil science. He was a leading environmentalist, a humanitarian, and took a life-long interest in improving the lot of small-scale farmers in the developing world.

“IDRC benefited greatly from Dr Bentley’s expertise, enthusiasm, and energy,” said Rita Bowry, the Senior Program Officer for IDRC’s Centre Training and Awards program. “He was a remarkable man.”

A pioneer in the green revolution of agriculture, particularly in India and Thailand, Dr Bentley’s contributions to agriculture and the environment extended across Canada and around the globe.

As the first chairman of the board of governors for the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in Hyderabad, India, he played a key role in its development as one of the world’s major international agriculture research centres.

He led teams to India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, China, and many countries in sub-Saharan Africa with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), and worked as a consultant with the United Nations and World Bank.

At home, he was recognized with the Order of Canada, as a fellow of the Royal Society, and an inductee of the Alberta Order of Excellence and the Alberta Agriculture Hall of Fame.

Dr Bentley’s legacy lives on through the graduate students who benefit from the Bentley Cropping Systems Fellowship established in 1999 through a bequest from Dr Bentley and his wife, Helen S. Bentley. The fellowship, which IDRC manages for the family to this day, provides assistance to up-and-coming researchers to work with farmers to improve cropping systems in developing countries.

He is survived by two children, four grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

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In Memoriam: Dr C. Fred Bentley

2009-04