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
25 March 2004
For more information contact:
Surendra Varma (s.varma@CGIAR.ORG)
Developing Agricultural Research Systems and Strategies for GCC Countries
At the opening session of the workshop, Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy (second from right), ICARDA DG, and Mr Hilal Ambusaidi (second from left), Director, Agriculture and Water, GCC, welcomed the participants and spoke of the importance of developing appropriate agricultural research systems and strategies for GCC Countries. Dr William Erskine (left), ADG (Research), ICARDA, and Dr Ghazi Hariri (right), Consultant, also made statements.
“We are suffering from a lack of policy in the agricultural sector. The dialogues should be opened with policy makers, and for this, nothing is better than having a strategy in hand to show what the outputs and costs will be,” ICARDA Director General, Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy said at the “Regional Workshop on Agricultural Research Systems and Strategies in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries (GCCC)”, held on 23-25 February 2004 at ICARDA. The workshop brought together high-ranking researchers and research administrators from Bahrain, Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
   Prof. Dr El-Beltagy welcomed the participants and stressed the importance for ICARDA scientists to work hand-in-hand with NARS to meet the challenges facing the dry areas. The DG referred to a comprehensive study of NARS’ priorities that ICARDA organized in cooperation with regional organizations in 2002. The study outlines the steps needed to strengthen collaborative efforts and use the knowledge generated to develop technology and policy packages and options to improve the livelihood of the poor.
  “The farmers of the region need support, and we should not wait to support them,” the DG said. He added that although ICARDA’s research is focused on the CWANA region, much of the funding comes from outside the region. The average investment in agriculture in the region is only 0.5% of the GDP, while the recommended figure is more than 1.5%. Dr El-Beltagy urged countries and donor organizations in the region to increase their support for research and expressed his pleasure in announcing that Egypt, Iran, Morocco, Syria and, more recently, GCC have become members of the CGIAR and are supporting ICARDA’s research programs. Dr El-Beltagy expressed the hope that more countries will soon join the CGIAR, especially GCC-member countries.
Participants of the "Regional Workshop on Agricultural Research Systems and Strategies in GCC Countries," held at ICARDA, 23-25 February 2004.
   Mr Hilal Ambusaidi, Director, Agriculture and Water, GCC, also welcomed participants in his opening statement. He appreciated ICARDA’s support in organizing the workshop in response to GCC’s requests to analyze the agricultural research systems and strategies in its member countries.
   Dr William Erskine, ADG-Research, spoke of research priorities and systems, the challenges facing agriculture and ICARDA’s activities in the Arabian Peninsula. He gave examples of modern technologies such as GIS, GPS, biotechnology, genetic engineering, advanced artificial intelligence and computer expert systems that can help accelerate the pace and quality of research. Dr Erskine spoke of ICARDA’s strengths, including its gene bank with more than 130,000 accessions. He also gave examples of the successful collaboration between ICARDA and NARS, citing examples of Syria, which has reached self-sufficiency in wheat and has become an exporter, and Bangladesh, where two-thirds of the lentil import is now replaced by local production with a saving of about 13 million US dollars per annum. Dr Erskine mentioned the work on biological control of Sunn pest on wheat as being of great importance to Turkey, Iraq, Uzbekistan and North African countries. A similar approach can be useful for red weevil on date palm in the Arabian Peninsula, he said.
Workshop participants toured ICARDA laboratories and other facilities. Here, they are seen in the Cereal Grain Quality Laboratory.
   The workshop moderator, Dr Ghazi Hariri, listed three workshop objectives: (1) review the status of NARS in the six GCC countries, (2) discuss and develop a project proposal for developing collaborative research, and (3) develop common understanding on managing inter-country collaborative research. Dr Hariri also highlighted some of the factors common to GCC countries for regionalizing the research activities. These include a shared natural resource base, similar problems in crop and livestock management, mutual goals and objectives in food self-reliance and sustainable agriculture, and a shared culture and history.
  Representatives from individual GCC countries presented reports on the status and structure of agricultural research in their countries. The presentations were followed by discussions on potential proposals for developing collaborative research within GCC countries. Dr Hariri was assigned to prepare a report consisting of data analysis for individual GCC countries, indicating the weaknesses and strengths of the current research systems. ICARDA will then draft a proposal on joint agricultural research for the GCC countries. The directorate of agriculture and water in the GCC will maintain close links with ICARDA during the preparation of the project proposal.
   APRP Regional Coordinator, Dr Ahmed Moustafa, played a key role in organizing the workshop and facilitating the deliberations.
During the meeting, the participants had an opportunity to visit ICARDA laboratories and other research 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.
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