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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Dr Stefania Grando
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Dr Siham Asaad
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Mr Essam Abu-Nagga
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Mr Riad Ammaneh
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Ms Hana Sharif
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The Best Research Team award:
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The Outstanding Scientific Article
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Dr Nasrat Wassimi
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Dr Eddy De Pauw |
Stefania Grando, Barley Breeder and project manager of the Barley Improvement Project, joined ICARDA in 1987, and has since been actively working on developing improved barley lines suitable for dry, harsh environments. During 2003, she played a commendable role in the three approved Challenge Programs to ensure that ICARDA was an active player in them. She submitted two project proposals to the “Water and Food” Challenge Program: 'Improving Water Productivity of Cereals and Food Legume in the Atbara River Basin of Eritrea,' which was ranked first by the evaluation panel, and 'Barley Improvement in the Upper Blue Nile River Basin and the Atbara River Basin in Ethiopia,' which qualified for funding. She also developed concept notes and project proposals for submission to the US Cereal Comparative Genomics Initiative. She contributed to the development of workplans for the "HarvestPlus" and "Unlocking Genetic Diversity in Crops for the Resource-Poor" Challenge Programs. She co-authored two papers, in collaboration with advanced research institutions, that were published in Theoretical and Applied Genetics.
Dr Siham Asaad, Research Associate in GRU, helped in organizing a training course on seed health testing for 11 participants from various Afghan provinces to provide necessary managerial and technical skills to effectively run the newly established seed health laboratory in Badam Bagh Research Station in Kabul, Afghanistan. She also participated in the conduct of seed production technology and enterprise-management training course in Kunduz province to assist farmers in the production of quality seed at the local level by establishing community-based "Village Seed Enterprises." Dr Asaad contributed to upgrading the facilities at the Central Laboratories in Al-Ain, UAE, to carry out seed health and quarantine tests on imported seeds and plants. She supervised the testing for seed-transmitted pests and diseases in the seed health laboratory of ICARDA. She also managed the inspection of post-quarantine fields, quarantine plastic houses at Tel Hadya, and computerized the database of seed-borne pathogens in imported materials. She published a scientific paper in the Arab Journal of Plant Protection, and presented two papers at scientific conferences.
Mr Essam Abu-Nagga joined ICARDA in 1996 in the Finance department as Finance Officer in charge of outreach, school and fixed assets accounting. After successfully streamlining the outreach, school and assets accounting, he was transferred in 2001 to Purchasing and Supplies Department as the Manager of the Unit. The PSD has become a more efficient service than before under his direction. He was involved in the validation of vendors accounts especially airline tickets, capital purchases, etc. In 2002, Visitors Services, Transport section, Vehicle pool, mail and communications sections were added whereby he became the Assistant Director of Corporate Services. He has since then streamlined the visitors services, courier services, and made improvements in the services of transport pool and mail office.
Mr Riad Ammaneh joined ICARDA in 1977. He worked in the then Food Legume Improvement Program, providing support to researchers in crop physiology both in the laboratory and field trials. In 1993, he joined the research team on vetches and grasspea. During 2003 he demonstrated exceptional devotion to his work and, using his long experience at ICARDA, his expertise in using laboratory equipment.
Ms Hana Sharif joined ICARDA Damascus Office in 1986. She handles ICARDA business with the Embassies in Damascus, as well as Government Departments. She is also responsible for Damascus guesthouse. In 2003, through her excellent services as an effective facilitator, she proved her dedication and commitment to the Center, its staff and guests. The facilities and maintenance of the guesthouse have substantially improved, and she has demonstrated her ability to reduce operational costs of these facilities.
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