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International
Conference on Highlands Agriculture
Integrated Management of the Resource Base to Sustain Agricultural
Development
and Livelihoods in the Highlands and Mountainous Areas
of Central and West Asia and North Africae
Sponsored by
Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO)
Deputy Minster for Plant Production, Ministry of Jihad-e Agriculture
Seed and Plant Improvement Institute (SPII)
and
International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas
(ICARDA)
17-20 May 2009,
Karaj, Iran
FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT
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Introduction
Highlands*
account for approximately 40% of the world's arable land and are
inhabited by more than 30% of the population in Central and West
Asia and North Africa (CWANA). These areas stretch from the Atlas
Mountains in Morocco to the highlands in Central Asia, to Ethiopia
and Yemen in the south and to China in the Far East. Similarities
are also found with the highlands in Latin America. Cereals, food
legumes, fruit trees and livestock occupy an important place in
traditional highland farming systems and constitute the basis of
the livelihoods of local communities. Additionally, these areas
hold an important share of the remaining agrobiodiversity of species
of global importance, including the landraces and wild relatives
of crops and local breeds of livestock.
These regions share common constraints including the fragility of
ecosystems, the extreme temperatures combined with drought, the
small land-holdings in mountainous areas and the difficulty in access
to inputs, services and markets; highland communities are among
the most marginalized in the region and share similar needs for
better natural resource and watershed management. The limited research
and development efforts undertaken at national and international
levels have not yet mobilized the potential of these areas to increase
food production and to achieve better livelihoods for local communities,
while sustaining the natural resources.
The Islamic Republic of Iran gives high value to its vast highlands
and intends to develop mountain agriculture to improve the livelihoods
of the highland rural population. Similarly, other CWANA countries
are giving high priority to mountainous and highland regions where
agricultural development plays a pivotal role in food security and
rural development.
ICARDA's research program includes the highlands of CWANA and beyond.
A Highland Regional Program was established in 1996 to strengthen
collaboration with national research programs in highland countries.
Collaborative projects have been undertaken in many countries of
the CWANA region, including Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Turkey,
Yemen and the countries of Central Asia and North Africa. ICARDA
is also working in the highlands of Latin America. Documentation
of these efforts and sharing of experiences and lessons learned
are needed and will contribute to improving the livelihood resilience
of local communities in these areas and to strengthening collaboration
within this Highlands Network.
Against this background, ICARDA and the Islamic Republic of Iran,
aware of the importance of the highlands and mountain agriculture
to the livelihoods of local communities and in sustaining agricultural
development worldwide, are organizing this international conference
on Integrated Management of the Resource Base to Sustain Agricultural
Development and the Livelihoods of Local Communities in Highlands
and Mountains of CWANA.
* Highlands are defined as those areas with
an altitude of over 1000 m above sea level
Objectives
of the Conference
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1.
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Gain a better understanding
of the constraints to and opportunities for highland and mountain
agriculture; |
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2.
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Document
major achievements of research undertaken in highland and
mountain agriculture; |
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3.
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Exchange information
and lessons learned from research on the development of highland
and mountainous areas; |
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4.
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Strengthen regional
and international collaboration through the activation of
a Highland Network Program and potentially develop elements
for regional project proposals. |
Proposed
Topics of Interest
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Theme 1:
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Assessment of the status
and constraints in natural resources and farming systems in
the highlands and mountainous areas |
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Theme 2:
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Characterization
of socio-economic status and opportunities for the improvement
of livelihoods of local communities in the highlands and mountainous
areas |
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Theme 3:
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Integrated watershed
management for improvement of water productivity and livelihood
resilience |
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Theme 4:
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Improvement of crop
management and productivity in the highlands |
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Theme 5:
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Better integration of
crop-range-livestock production in the highlands |
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Theme 6:
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Lessons learned from
projects targeting highlands development |
Venue
and dates
The conference will be held in the conference hall of the Seed and
Plant Improvement Institute (SPII), Karaj, during the period of
17-20 May 2009.
Participants
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Key speakers with long
experience in agricultural development will be invited to
introduce each theme; |
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Collaborators
from national agricultural research systems (NARS) with on-going
and past joint projects in CWANA will participate and share
the findings and outcomes of their activities; |
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Representatives of NGOs,
policy makers, international centers, development and donor
agencies will be invited to participate; |
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Since the conference
will be held in Iran, we will expect more participants from
the host country and neighboring countries. |
Papers
Papers are invited covering scientific and development aspects within
the framework of the topics listed above. Papers should build on
existing knowledge and include projections for future research and
development. Papers may be presented orally or as posters, as decided
by the Scientific and Organizing Committee.
Persons planning to present papers at the Conference should submit
a one page, single spaced abstract of 200-300 words by 31 December
2008 on the form attached.
Completed manuscripts of accepted papers must be submitted by 30
March 2009. Papers must be prepared according to the guidelines
attached. The Conference language will be English. One copy of the
proceedings volume containing the papers presented at the Conference
will be provided to each registered participant.
Registration
The registration fee is US $200
for international participants, US $100 for local participants and
US $50 for students for those registering by 1 March 2009. The fee
for late registration after this date will be US $300 for international
participants, US $150 for local participants and US $100 for students.
The registration fees will contribute to the costs of local transportation,
workshop publications including the proceedings, lunch and coffee/tea/snacks
during the forenoon and afternoon breaks.
Post-Conference Excursion
The participants will also have the option of joining
a two-day post-conference visit to the Dryland Agricultural Research
Institute (DARI) in Maragheh to see various research activities
undertaken for the rainfed highlands. Any additional costs will
be borne by the participants.
Conference
Deadlines
| Receipt of abstracts |
31 December 2008 |
| Authors notified of acceptance of
papers |
30 January 2009 |
| Early registration deadline |
1 March 2009 |
| Completed manuscripts to be submitted to the
organizers |
31 March 2009 |
If you are considering attending the Conference, please complete
the attached form (Letter of Intent)
and return it to the address indicated. This will ensure that you
receive additional information and registration material, and will
help assist in the planning.
International
Organizing Committee
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Dr. Mahmoud Solh, Director General, International
Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA),
Aleppo, Syria |
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Dr. Jafar Khalghani, Deputy Minister and Head
of Agricultural Research, Extension and Education Organization,
AREEO Tehran, Iran |
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Dr. Mohammad Reza Jahansooz, Deputy Minister
for Plant Production Ministry of Jihad-e-Agriculture, Tehran,
Iran |
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Dr. Mohamed Badraoui, Director General, Institut
National de la Recherche Agronomique, Rabat, Morocco |
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Dr. Kamal Filiachi, Director General Institut
National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Algiers, Algeria |
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Dr. Ahmet Bagci, Director of Bahri Dagdas International
Agricultural Research Institute, Ankara, Turkey |
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Dr. Abdushukur Khanazarov, Deputy Minister of
Agriculture and Water Resources, Uzbekistan |
Scientific
and Organizing Committee
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Dr. M. Van Ginkel, DDG-Research, ICARDA, Aleppo,
Syria |
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Dr. M. Kamali, Deputy for Research, AREEO, Tehran,
Iran |
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Dr. J. Porhemat, Deputy for Planning and Support,
AREEO, Iran |
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Dr. Z. Shoaei, Director, International Cooperation,
AREEO, Iran |
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Dr. M. H. Roozitalab, Senior Advisor to Head
of AREEO, Iran |
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Dr. M. Aghaei, DG, Seed and Plant Improvement
Institute, AREEO, Iran |
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Dr. A. Ghaffari, DG, Dryland Agricultural Research
Institute, AREEO, Iran |
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Dr. M H Asareh, DG, Research Institute for Forest
and Rangeland, AREEO, Iran |
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D. M. Zabihi, Director, Department of Plant
Production, Ministry of Jihad-e-Agriculture, Iran |
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Dr. R. Brettell, Director, Biodiversity and
Integrated Gene Management Program, ICARDA, Aleppo, Syria |
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Dr. T. Oweis, Director, Integrated Water and
Land Management Program, Aleppo, Syria |
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Dr. M. El Mourid, Coordinator North Africa Regional
Program (NARP), ICARDA, Tunis |
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Dr. C. Martius, Head, Program Facilitation Unit
(PFU), CGIAR Program for Central Asia and the Caucasus (CAC),
Coordinator, ICARDA, Regional Program for the CAC Region,
Tashkent, Uzbekistan |
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Dr. A. Amri, Head of Genetic Resources Section
and Iran-ICARDA Coordinator, ICARDA, Aleppo, Syria |
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Dr. M. Keser, Turkey-ICARDA Coordinator, Ankara,
Turkey |
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Dr. M. J. Kamali, Iran-CIMMYT Coordinator, Karaj,
Iran |
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Dr. M. H. Ahmadi, Professor, College of Natural
Resources, Karaj Campus, Tehran University, Iran |
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Letter
of Intent
____________________________________________________________________________
Full Name:……………………………………………………...................................Title:
Dr/Prof/Mr/Ms:........
(First
name)
(Middle name)
(Surname)
Nationality:……………………………………………………………………………................................….......
Address:………………………………………………………………………………….......................................
…………………………………………………………………………………………….......................................
…………………………………………………………………………………………….......................................
Telephone (business):…………………………………………………………………….....................................
Fax (business):…………………………………………………………………………........................................
E-Mail:…………………………………………………………………………………….......................................
Please mark your choice in the box by X
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1.
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1. Participate in the Conference with no paper
or poster presentation |
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2.
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Present a poster under the title:……………………………………................
...........................................................................................................
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[ ] |
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3.
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Present a paper under the title:……………………………………................
...........................................................................................................
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[ ] |
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4.
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Participate in the post-conference excursion |
[ ] |
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…………………..............................…..
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…………………..............................…..
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Name
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Signature and Date
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Please return this letter of intent electronically to:
Dr. Ahmed Amri, Iran-ICARDA coordinator
E-mail: a.amri@cgiar.org
with a copy to:
Dr. Mohammad Roozitalab
Tehran, Iran
E-mail: mroozitalab@gmail.com
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