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I C A R D A N e w s 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 |
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For
more information contact:
Dr Surendra Varma (s.varma@CGIAR.ORG)
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14 April 2005
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CCER
of Natural Resource Management and Socioeconomics Research
On behalf of the ICARDA Director General, Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy, the Assistant Director General (Research), Dr William Erskine, welcomed the Panel and gave an overview of ICARDA’s research program. He said that the Center aims to assist countries in CWANA to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, especially those related to eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, ensuring environmental sustainability and building a global partnership for development. ICARDA is working in a region which has many challenges, including high population growth rates, water poverty, climate variability and change, inadequate food and feed, desertification, loss of biodiversity loss, migration and unfavorable international trade regimes. ICARDA sees potential to alleviate the problems in the region through scientific agricultural research on improved technologies and natural resource management practices, diversified farming systems, and improved vertical integration from producer to consumer. Dr Erskine emphasized that by working in partnership with national, regional and international agricultural research institutions, ICARDA is able to identify priority issues and implement collaborative research activities in a cost-effective way. He also explained to the team the steps taken by the Center to implement recommendations of the External Program and Management Review (EPMR) of 2000. “Examine what we are doing, whether we are doing it well and achieving results,” he urged the Panel. Explaining the new programmatic thrusts of ICARDA, Dr Erskine said that the Center's new research portfolio focuses more on poverty alleviation, taking into consideration the priority concerns of the people in CWANA, using new tools of science and enhancing integration of the work of the Center to make a difference. He informed the Panel that ICARDA’s research portfolio has been re-organized into six mega-projects, four of which focus on thematic areas of management of scarce water resources and mitigation of drought; integrated gene management; improved land management to combat desertification; and diversification and sustainable improvement of rural livelihoods in dry areas. The other two are cross-cutting, focusing on poverty and livelihood analysis, and knowledge management and dissemination. ICARDA has also commissioned CCERs on its training and germplasm programs, Dr Erskine said. Dr Richard Thomas, Director of the Desertification Mega-Project, and former NRMP Director, explained the evolution of NRMP. He told the Panel that ICARDA has worked with various partners, including those in the CGIAR system, to elaborate the Integrated Natural Resource Management approach in agricultural research. “INRM is an approach that integrates research on different types of natural resources into stakeholder-driven processes of adaptive management and innovation to improve livelihoods, agroecosystem resilience, agricultural productivity and environmental services at community, ecoregional and global scales of intervention and impact,” he said. ICARDA scientists made presentations to the Panel on several areas of research, including socioeconomics research activities related to natural resources, production systems and policy and public management; agroecological characterization; water resource management; land and soil conservation; sown pasture and forage production; native pasture and rangeland management; small ruminant production; and agronomy of production systems. The Panel also visited Khanasser Valley, ICARDA’s integrated research site in Syria, to see the implementation of the INRM approach. Panel Report “Our task has been to look with honest eyes and say it as we see it,” Dr Slack, Panel Chair, said in a meeting with ICARDA staff on 7 April. “Our consensus is that the Natural Resources Management and Socioeconomics scientists have responded in a very positive manner to the EPMR recommendations.” The CCER recommendations, listed below, were jointly presented by the Panel members, according to his/her area of expertise. • Continue and intensify ICARDA research to better use wastewater as a source of water for irrigation • Develop and implement appropriate integrated impact assessment methods that correspond to the INRM approach • Intensify economic and social analysis of the barriers to adoption of existing proven technologies • Secure a critical mass of social science researchers with the required competence profiles to allow timely delivery, continuity, and high quality output • Monitor progress on refereed journal publication so that a satisfactory level of at least two refereed journal publications per person per year is achieved • Review the management and functioning of the mega-project structure to promote simplicity in lines of responsibility and reporting • Establish a Research Internship Program which would bring young scientists from the weaker NARS to work with scientists at ICARDA for a period of one to two years • Undertake a “benchmark study” to (a) estimate change in agricultural productivity, (b) identify the significant new challenges that have emerged and, (c) provide a base-line for ICARDA’s future programs Dr Larsen thanked the CCER Panel for their effort. “I feel very privileged to have been a part of this process,” she said. On behalf of Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy, ICARDA Director General, Dr William Erskine, ADG-Research, thanked the Panel for their recommendations and the ICARDA staff for their cooperation throughout the review process. The full CCER report will be presented to the Board of Trustees at its annual meeting scheduled for the last week of this month. |
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 countries, international and regional organizations, and private foundations supporting15 international research centers that mobilizes cutting-edge science to promote sustainable development by reducing hunger and poverty, improving human nutrition and health, and protecting the environment.