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)
Syrian Medicinal Plant Expert Visits ICARDA
Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy (center), Director General, welcomed the members of the Medicinal Plant Committee and briefed them on ICARDA’s work.
A team of 13 members of the Medicinal Plant Committee (MPC) of the Aleppo Chamber of Agriculture visited ICARDA on 30 June 2004 to identify areas of support and collaboration in the utilization of medicinal plants in Syria. The team, headed by Mr Mohamed Omar, Head of the Aleppo Chamber of Agriculture (ACA), included Mr M. Abu Dan, Head Assistant of Directorate of Agriculture, Mr H. Haji Salama, member of ACA, Mr A. Fatalon, member of ACA, and Dr Mahmoud A. Al-Husaini, Chair of the MPC. The team was welcomed by Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy, ICARDA Director General; Dr Ali Abd El-Moneim, Forage and Legume Breeder; Dr Ahmed El-Ahmed, Plant Pathologist; and Dr Abdul-Bari Salkini, Agricultural Economist.

In his welcoming address, Prof. El-Beltagy stressed the importance of preserving the diversity of medicinal plants in Syria as well as understanding their histories and properties by preserving indigenous knowledge. He briefed the committee on ICARDA’s collaborative work on medicinal plants and pledged the Center's support to the program.

The Medicinal Plant Committee of the Aleppo Chamber of Agriculture with ICARDA senior management.

Dr Al-Husaini, MPC Chair, presented the tentative parameters for the medicinal plant program including (i) a knowledge and information level to gather all that is known about medicinal plants in a database, (ii) an agricultural level to address biodiversity conservation and locate medicinal plant populations, and (iii) an adaptive and applied level to test and release any newly developed medications.

During the discussion following this presentation, it was suggested that economic aspects should be included in the work plans of the program. The technicalities of growing medicinal plants and establishing a genebank were briefly addressed.

The Medicinal Plant Committee members visit ICARDA laboratories.

Prof. El-Beltagy concluded the meeting by appreciating the multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional dimensions of the program and re-affirmed ICARDA’s support to the MPC efforts. He nominated Dr Abdul-Bari Salkini as ICARDA contact/focal point for all issues related to MPC.

The meeting was followed by lunch and the visitors were given a brief tour of ICARDA’s laboratories and farm.

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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