This series contains publications acquired from international agricultural research centers for the CGIAR CD-ROM publication project Compact International Agricultural Research Library - Basic Retrospective Set (CIARL - BRS). A few publications from the Rockefeller and Ford Foundations, which provide important support for the centers, also are included. Not all of the publications in this series ultimately were reproduced on the CD-ROM.

The purpose of the CD-ROM publication was to provide a resource on agriculture for developing countries. CGIAR solicited the publications from the research centers, the centers made the first selection on relevance to the purpose of the publication, and the CGIAR project staff made the final determinations.

The publications selected include guidelines, instructional manuals, studies, handbook, directories, monographs, annual reports, and proceedings of internal symposia and workshops, among others. Duplicate copies of some of these publications are found in the CGIAR Central Files, particularly in file categories G and H. The publications reflect the state-of-the art of agricultural research at the time they were published. Taken together with the Central Files, they illuminate the research emphases of the centers, showing changing attitudes toward, for example, environmental issues, small farmers, and various species of plants and animals. The series as a whole provides a worldwide overview of agricultural research.