ICARDA
News
INTERNATIONAL
CENTER FOR AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH IN THE DRY AREAS |
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| 3 June 2004 |
For
more information contact: Surendra Varma (s.varma@CGIAR.ORG) |
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Strengthening Ties with the Asian Development Bank
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Prof. Dr Adel
El-Beltagy, ICARDA Director General, visited the Asian Development Bank
(ADB) headquarters in Manila, Philippines, on 24 May 2004 to strengthen
the partnership between the two organizations. The DG was accompanied by
Dr Raj Paroda, Head, CGIAR-PFU, and Regional Coordinator, ICARDA-CAC. Prof.
El-Beltagy met with senior ADB officials including Mr Joseph Eichenberger,
Vice President; Mr M. E. Tusneem, Director General, East and Central Asia
Department; Mr Yoshihiro Iwasaki, Director General, South Asia Department;
Mr Khalid I. Rahman, Deputy Director General, Regional and Sustainable Development
Department; Mr Amarjit S. Wasan, Deputy Secretary; and Mr Wouter T.L. Arriens,
Leader of Water Fund Program. During the discussions, Mr Eichenberger evinced considerable interest in increasing the access of resource-poor farmers to available technologies. He also appreciated ICARDA’s role in supporting the Central Asian countries in natural resource management, and highlighted the need for more policy-related research and development efforts to meet the Bank goals. Dr Tusneem highly commended the successful implementation by ICARDA of the first phase of the ADB project on soil and water management in Central Asia, and expressed a keen interest in the new proposal submitted on mountain agriculture, a priority area for the Bank. Dr Tusneem emphasized crop diversification and policy research areas in which ICARDA and IFPRI could jointly play an important role. Issues relating to more active partnership of ICARDA in the Central Asian Countries Initiative on Land Management (CACILM) program were flagged including the links between research and development projects in the region. Mr Arriens appreciated ICARDA’s efforts concerning on-farm water use in Central Asia, and offered support to the demonstration of innovative approaches and linking research to agricultural development. At a luncheon meeting hosted by the Bank, Prof. El-Beltagy made a presentation in which he highlighted ICARDA’s work and achievements, particularly those supported by ADB in Central Asia, including germplasm collection, release of new cereal and legume varieties, crop diversification, soil and water management, and human resource development. He pledged ICARDA’s full support to the Bank’s programs on rural development and poverty alleviation. He also expressed hope to have increased collaboration with ADB in Central Asia as well as in Afghanistan. |
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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. |
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