ICARDA News

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
15 July 2004
For more information contact:
Surendra Varma (s.varma@CGIAR.ORG)
Living with the Desert: ICARDA’s Experience
Participants of the “Capacity Building for Combating Desertification” workshop in front of the Central Dome of the Arid Land Research Center (ALRC), Tottori University, Japan.
The Director General, Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy, participated in an international conference on “Living with the Desert” held in UN House, Tokyo, Japan on 19-20 May 2004. The conference, aimed at reviewing global research on managing dryland natural resources and anthropogenic adaptation to the desert, was organized by the United Nations University (Environment and Sustainable Development Program and the International Network on Water, Environment and Health), Arid Land Research Center (ALRC) of Tottori University, and the Japanese Association for Arid Land Studies.

At the conference, Prof. Dr El-Beltagy made a keynote presentation on “Harnessing New Science to Combat Desertification.” He described the manifestations of desertification including the destruction of the vegetation cover, wind and water erosion, salinization, and general soil erosion. Noting the increasing water scarcity and land degradation in the dry areas of CWANA, he said that reversing these trends requires a holistic approach which focuses on technological interventions that address land, water and food security problems; the active involvement of local communities through a strategy that increases their knowledge and organizational capacity; and appropriate incentives at the policy and institutional level.

Dr Andras Szollsi-Nagy, Deputy Assistant Director General for Natural Sciences, UNESCO, and Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy discuss areas of possible collaboration at a coffee break during the UNU Conference.
Other keynote speakers were Prof Iwao Kobori, Senior Program Advisor, UNU, and former member of ICARDA Board, and Dr Andras Szollsi-Nagy, Deputy Assistant Director General for Natural Sciences, UNESCO. Prof. Kobori spoke on “Learning lessons from arid land studies” and Dr Szollsi-Nagy on “Water, people and desert.” Experts from Canada, China, Iran, Japan, the Netherlands, and Tunisia, presented their research.

At a follow-up workshop entitled “Capacity Building for Combating Desertification,” held at Tottori University on 21 May, the DG made a key note presentation on “Combating Water Poverty in the Dry Areas.” He said that water scarcity is projected to increase in the CWANA region, whereas the growing population will need more food. ICARDA is using new tools of science including remote sensing, GIS, and biotechnology to enhance crop productivity and natural resources management in the water-scarce areas. Almost half of the billions of cubic meters of rainwater lost every year in the dry lands due to runoff and evaporation could be captured in macro- or micro-catchment systems. GIS helps in identifying areas to establish such systems. In addition, water can be used much more efficiently, through techniques such as supplemental and deficit irrigation and the use of water-efficient crop varieties. Biotechnology is helping to identify the right genes to develop such varieties. Diversification and intensification of production systems and use of indigenous technologies can also help in soil and water conservation.

Arid Land Research Center scientists with ICARDA Director General at a site near Tottori University.
Other speakers were Prof. Shinobu Inanaga, Director of ALRC, Tottori University and member of ICARDA Board, who talked about ALRC’s program of arid land science; and Dr Zafar Adeel, Assistant Director, UNU-International Network on Water, Environment and Health, who made a presentation on “Meeting Water Challenges in the Middle Eastern Drylands.”

During a panel discussion that followed the presentations, the DG noted that technology transfer was weak in the developing countries partly because extension services are underfunded. He emphasized the need to create the link between research and the target beneficiaries of research results.

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.
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