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
8 July 2004
For more information contact:
Surendra Varma (s.varma@CGIAR.ORG)
Moroccan Farmers Visit Syria
Moroccan and Syrian farmers exchange knowledge and experience about durum wheat cropping.
Two Moroccan farmers visited ICARDA and the Integrated Research and Durum Economics Network (IRDEN) project sites in Syria on 24-27 May 2004. The trip provided the farmers with a first-hand view of farming systems outside their home country and the opportunity to interact with Syrian farmers and scientists. The farmers, Mr Chouraichi Bouchaib and Mr Harim Mohammed, were accompanied by Dr Saadia Lhalaoui, INRA-Morocco IRDEN Project Scientist.

The visitors were received by Dr Kamel Shideed, Consultant for NRMP, and Dr Ahmed Amri, GEF Coordinator, upon their arrival at Tel Hadya. Later, they met Dr Ziad Hallak, Project Coordinator in Syria, and Dr Ghassan Naasseh and Dr Ali Khnifess.

The farmers visited the Syrian Agronomy Sciences Regional Research Center of Aleppo on the second day of their visit. They were received by the Director of the Center who gave a brief overview of agronomy research in Syria, and the placement and function of regional centers and related research stations.

The visitors then traveled to Kaljibrine village where they met with a group of Syrian farmers from the Aazaz region. The head of the village's extension unit described the region and the most important crops grown. The group discussed the problems associated with growing durum wheat before visiting one of the trial sites. The project coordinator explained the program's objectives in Syria, which are mainly focused on technology transfer, such as the release of new durum varieties and the making of burghul and frike. Each of the four principal farmers participating in the region's trials planted 1.5 ha with three new durum varieties ('Bouhouth 7,' 'Douma 1,' and either 'Cham 1' or 'Cham 3'). Four other farmers are also growing at least one of these varieties in their fields. The farmers are provided with seed and herbicide; they supply the remaining inputs and the labor.
Moroccan farmers learn rouging at Jizraya seed production station.
The visitors then traveled to the Jabal Al Hoss region to visit other project sites which are almost exclusively planted with 'Douma 1,' 'Cham 3,' and 'Cham 5.' Frike production is the primary source of income in Jabal Al Hoss and both IFAD and UNDP have ongoing development projects in the region. The Moroccan farmers were able to observe the process to make frike, which, they said, is similar to the traditional practice of burning a few spikes at dough stage to make a dish known as Frik in Morocco. Frik is a meal that farmers prepare in small quantities for home consumption, but the tradition is slowly disappearing in Morocco. The visitors traveled back to Kaljibrine village where they visited the Yahmoul experiment.

On the third day of their visit, the group visited the National Seed Production Institution where they met with the General Director and several other researchers of the institution and learned about the seed production system. The farmers then visited the Jizraya seed production station where they learned to care for plots designated for seed production. They also had the opportunity to learn how to perform rouging in a durum field.
Drs Moustafa El Bouhssini and Amor Yahyaoui in the field with Moroccan farmers at Tel Hadya, Aleppo.
The farmers visited Sirbaya research station which specializes in irrigation. There they saw the techniques of water conservation and supplemental irrigation, and discussed techniques for estimating water needs and timing irrigation for each crop.

The farmers spent their last day at Tel Hadya visiting the durum wheat breeding program, the entomology program and the plant pathology program. Dr Miloudi Nachit emphasized the use of crosses and screening for various biotic and abiotic stresses of germplasm before release. Dr Moustafa El Bouhssini described research on Hessian fly, sawfly, and Russian wheat aphid. Dr Amor Yahyaoui listed the major cereal diseases and explained the research efforts to develop disease-resistant germplasm.

The farmers said the visit to Syria enlarged their knowledge base on agricultural research. They were grateful to the IRDEN project for organizing the trip and thanked the Syrian farmers, scientists, and administrators who made the trip successful.

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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