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
4 November 2004
For more information contact:
Surendra Varma (s.varma@CGIAR.ORG)
Minister Opens Regional Technical Coordination Meeting in Yemen
The Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation in Yemen (fourth from right) opened the 14th Regional Technical Coordinal Meeting of the NVRSRP.
From right to left: Dr El Sadig Suliman, DDG of ARC, Sudan; Dr Aberra Deressa, DDG of EARO, Ethiopia; Dr Ismail Muharram, Chairman of Agricultural Research Authority, Yemen; H.E. Mr Hassan Omar Sowaid, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, Yemen; Dr Willie Erskine, ICARDA ADG (Research); Mr Abdelmalek El-Arishi, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, Yemen; Mr Semere Amlesom, DG of NARI, Eritrea; and Dr Rached Abou Eleinen, National Coordinator of NVRSRP in Egypt.
The 14th NVRSRP Regional Technical Coordination and Steering Committee Meetings were held on 4-7 October 2004 in Sana'a, Yemen, under the auspices of H.E. the Prime Minister of Yemen.

The Technical Coordination Meeting was opened by H.E. Mr Hassan Omar Sowaid, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation of Yemen, in the presence of Mr Abdelmalek El-Arishi, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation. H.E. Mr Sowaid welcomed the delegations from the NVRSRP countries and emphasized the importance of agricultural research as a tool to enhance development. He expressed appreciation for ICARDA's support to the Yemeni national program and pledged the support and commitment of the Yemeni Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation to NVRSRP.

More than 50 participants from Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Yemen attended the Technical Coordination Meeting. Participants from ICARDA included Dr William Erskine, ADG (Research), Dr Habib Halila, Regional Coordinator of NVRSRP, and five scientists from GP and NRMP.

Dr Erskine, on behalf of Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy, ICARDA Director General, welcomed the participants and briefed them on the evolution in ICARDA's research strategy to achieve greater harmony between the Center's research agenda and the priorities of NARS. Dr Erskine also stressed the importance of linking research to technology transfer activities and the need to achieve rapid impact at the farmer level. He thanked all the donors, particularly IFAD, that are supporting NVRSRP activities.
Participants from Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, and Yemen attended the 14th Regional Technical Coordination Meeting of the NVRSRP held in Sana'a, Yemen, 4-7 October 2004.
The heads of the various delegations delivered statements highlighting the importance of the meeting, which they described as an efficient mechanism used by NVRSRP to foster cooperation between the countries involved in the program. Results of several collaborative activities between ICARDA and the NVRSRP countries were discussed in plenary sessions. Various working groups discussed and finalized the work plans for the 2004/05 growing season with a particular focus on the IFAD-funded project on "Technology generation and dissemination for sustainable production of cereals and cool-season legumes."

The Technical Coordination Meeting was followed by the Steering Committee Meeting on 7 October 2004. The meeting was attended by the Directors General of NARS or their representatives, the NVRSRP National Coordinators, as well as Dr Erskine, Dr Halila, and Dr Ahmed (Coordinator of the NVRSRP/IFAD project). Members of the Steering Committee approved the work plans and budget for next year and discussed issues related to efficiently running the program. During the course of the meeting the heads of the delegations of NVRSRP countries paid a courtesy visit to H.E. Mr Sowaid, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation in Yemen.

The participants of the meetings expressed their appreciation to the Government of Yemen, the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, and Dr Ismail Muharram, President of the Agricultural Research Authority in Yemen, and his team for organizing the meeting.

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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