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)
ICARDA Participates in Jubilee Celebrations of the
Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy presented a memento to Acad. G. Romanenko (center), President of the Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, to congratulate him on the 75th anniversary of the Academy.
At the invitation of the President of the Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences (RAAS), and in his capacity as Academician (Foreign Member) of RAAS, the Director General, Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy, participated in the Jubilee Session marking 75 years of RAAS in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, Russia, on 23-26 June 2004. The theme of the festivities was “The Role and Place of Agricultural Science in the Agro-Industrial Complex of Russia.” Forign Members of the Academy in 48 countries attended the jubilee celebrations, including Dr Raj Paroda, Head, PFU-CGIAR and Regional Coordinator, ICARDA-CAC. More than 1000 scientists from all over Russia participated in the celebrations.

Academician G. Romanenko, RAAS President, presented an impressive account of the various research achievements of Russian scientists. On behalf of all international scientists and ICARDA, Dr El-Beltagy addressed the audience. In his address, he emphasized the importance of international cooperation and the role of ICARDA and other organizations in promoting the use of cutting-edge science to deal with the challenges of sustainable agriculture.

On 24 June, a scientific session of the Union of European Academies for Applied Science in Agriculture, Food and Nature was hosted by RAAS in Moscow on the theme “Genetic Resources and Biotechnology.” Topics discussed included: ecological genetic bases for the forming of crop adaptive potential; genetic resources for farm animals in Russia; food biotechnology and safety; genetic resources of micro-organisms and agricultural systems; and the future of agronomic research and agricultural sciences in academies. Dr Raj Paroda addressed the participants on “Strengthening Research for Sustainable Agriculture in Central Asia and the Caucasus.”

Part of the scientific session was a symposium held in Saint Petersburg on 25 June featuring three roundtable discussions on: genetic resources and biotechnology in plant growing; genetic resources and biotechnology in animal breeding; and genetic resources and biotechnology in microbiology and the food industry. The symposium attracted distinguished scientists from around the world. More than 25 presentations were made on a wide range of topics including: international collaboration on plant genetic resources; genetic resources and food security; medicinal plants and phytocompounds; animal reproductive biotechnology; and genome analysis and gene-diagnostics in evaluation of genetic resources.

In Saint Petersburg, Prof. El-Beltagy and Dr Paroda visited the VIR Institute named after N.I Vavilov, and saw the museum as well as the newly renovated genebank facilities, including medium-and long-term storage and cryopreservation. Acad. Romanenko and Dr V. Dragavtsev, Director VIR, had detailed discussions with Prof. El-Beltagy and Dr Raj Paroda about future collaboration to strengthen genetic resources activities in the region and future linkages between VIR and the ICARDA genebank.

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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