INTERNATIONAL
CENTER FOR AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH IN THE DRY AREAS
P.O. Box 5466, Aleppo, Syria
Phone: (963-21) 2213433, 2213477, 2225112, 2225012
Fax: (963-21) 2213490, 2225105; E-mail: ICARDA@CGIAR.ORG
Website: www.icarda.cgiar.org
Surendra Varma (s.varma@CGIAR.ORG)
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| Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy received Dr Henri Carsalade (center), Assistant Director General of FAO, and his wife, Mrs Michelle Lamouroux, and briefed them on ICARDA activities and achievements. |
Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy, Director General, along with members of the Management Committee, welcomed the distinguished visitors and briefed them on the activities and achievements of ICARDA. The visitors then viewed the ICARDA video on the mandate, mission, research programs, partnerships and other aspects of the Center's programs. This was followed by a presentation by Dr William Erskine, ADG (Research), in which he reviewed the past and present collaborative activities between ICARDA and FAO, including participation in various Technical Cooperation Programs (TCP), regional networks, studies of national systems in the region, and the work in Afghanistan and Iraq. The joint initiative for future work in Baluchistan and contiguous regions in Pakistan as well as in Iraq was also discussed.
Dr Carsalade showed great interest in ICARDA's work and congratulated the Center for its accomplishments. He expressed satisfaction on the solid and sustained collaboration between the two organizations and hoped that it would grow further in the future.
Dr Carsalade and Mrs Lamouroux then visited ICARDA research activities in the Center's laboratories and research farm, and interacted with the scientists. They were briefed on ICARDA's International Nursery Network, the main vehicle for sharing improved germplasm with national programs, and on the work in biotechnology, virology, pathology, conservation and characterization of genetic resources (most of which are held in trust on behalf of FAO), water-harvesting and management, biocontrol of insects, and seed production and processing. They also saw the ancient underground water channels (qanats) and Roman cisterns on top of the hill at the Center. The visitors also reviewed joint publications brought out by ICARDA and FAO.
At a working lunch with the Management team, Dr Carsalade discussed avenues for future collaboration, particularly in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan. Discussions also covered efforts towards meeting the Millenium Development Goals and working with NEPAD for agricultural development in Africa.
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Visit to the Biotechnology Laboratory
(left) and the Gene Bank (right).
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Visit to the Seed Unit (left)
and the Animal Nutrition Laboratory (right) where Dr Carsalade tasted
improved quality cheese.
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Visit to the research farm (left)
and to a qanat (right).
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About ICARDA: Established in 1977, ICARDA (www.icarda.cgiar.org) serves the entire developing world for the improvement of barley, lentil, and faba bean; and dry-area developing countries for the on-farm management of water, improvement of nutrition and productivity of small ruminants (sheep and goats), and rehabilitation and management of rangelands. In the Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA) region, ICARDA is responsible for the improvement of durum and bread wheats, chickpea, pasture and forage legumes and farming systems; and for the protection and enhancement of the natural resource base of water, land, and biodiversity.
The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) (www.cgiar.org) is a strategic alliance of 62 members and 16 Future Harvest Centers that mobilizes cutting-edge science to promote sustainable development by reducing hunger and poverty, improving human nutrition and health, and protecting the environment