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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| Farmers, researchers, and extensionists from Ethiopia, Yemen, Sudan and Egypt, who participated in the NVRSRP Regional Traveling Workshop in Ethiopia. |
The Nile Valley and Red Sea Regional Program (NVRSRP) and the Ethiopian Agricultural Research Organization (AERO) co-organized a regional traveling workshop in Ethiopia on 18-22 September 2004. The workshop was part of the 2004 activities of the IFAD-funded project on “Technology Generation and Dissemination for Sustainable Production of Cereals and Cool-Season Food Legumes.” More than 40 participants from Ethiopia, Egypt, Sudan, Yemen and ICARDA participated. Among them were eight farmers from Ethiopia and one each from Sudan, Yemen and Egypt. The other participants were extensionists and researchers from the agricultural research institutes and the ministries of agriculture of the respective countries. Dr Ismail Ahmed, NVRSRP/IFAD Project Coordinator participated in the coordination of the workshop.
The participants visited on-station research activities, on-farm verification and adaptive trials and demonstration plots for cereals and food legumes in Holetta, Jeldu, Ambo, Adadi, Dukem-Dembi, Chefe Donsa, Debre Zeit, Dhera, Kulumsa, Bekoji, Asasa, Awasa and Alemtena regions. They learnt about the quarantine system followed by EARO and the production of breeder, pre-basic and informal seed for faba bean, lentil and pea. At each demonstration plot, farmers exchanged ideas with the extensionists and researchers on new crop production technologies.
On the last day of the workshop, participants discussed their impressions during a “question and answer” session. They highlighted the progress achieved in developing genetic material tolerant to major abiotic and biotic stresses. The participatory and community approaches were also discussed and there was a general agreement on placing increased emphasis on regional collaboration.
The participants thanked Dr Seid Ahmed, Director of EARO’s Field Crops Research Division, and his team, for organizing the activity. They also thanked IFAD for funding the workshop under the ICARDA/NVRSRP project.
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.