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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 |
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Media
contact:
Dr Surendra Varma (s.varma@CGIAR.ORG)
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17 November 2005
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CIMMYT
Board Meets at ICARDA
The Board
of Trustees (BoT) of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement
Center (CIMMYT) held its annual meeting at ICARDA headquarters on
6-8 November.
Speaking on behalf of the ICARDA Board, management and staff at the opening session of the CIMMYT BoT meeting, Dr Catley-Carson said: "We are very pleased that you chose to hold your annual meeting at ICARDA. We welcome you warmly." The research efforts of both CIMMYT and ICARDA touch the livelihoods of millions of people, and are designed to develop innovative pathways out of poverty in the regions the two centers serve, she said. She wished the CIMMYT Board members every success in their deliberations. In his welcome address, Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy, ICARDA Director General, said: "As Mexico, where CIMMYT is based, is home to maize, the ICARDA region is home to wheat. And as ICARDA and CIMMYT share the mandate for wheat improvement, welcome to your second home!"
The wheat germplasm holdings in the active collection of ICARDA currently stand at 37,982 accessions, including wild relatives and primitive wheats; 93% of these accessions are also stored in the long-term base collection. Wheat and its wild relatives were collected by ICARDA and NARS partners in 87 collection missions targeted to centers of origin and/or diversity. In the Aegilops collection, 59% are new accessions collected by ICARDA and, in wild Triticum, this material represents 27% of the total holdings. Safety duplicates are stored at CIMMYT (15,969 accessions), and in 2005 CIMMYT safety-duplicated 14,797 accessions at ICARDA. These collections are precious as they provide the genes that we need in our bread wheat improvement program, Prof. El-Beltagy said. He then presented examples of successes in the joint ICARDA/CIMMYT wheat improvement program, marked by dramatic production increases in Syria, Iran, Sudan, Morocco, Central Asia, the Caucasus and elsewhere in the CWANA region. Among the constraints to wheat production in the region, water scarcity tops the list, he said.
"Yet, to meet the needs of growing populations, a doubling of wheat production is required. This is the objective of both ICARDA and CIMMYT research programs, and we look forward to a continued fruitful collaboration with CIMMYT to address the problems of harsh agricultural environments. I wish your meeting success," Prof. El-Beltagy said. On 8 November, the CIMMYT Board of Trustees, led by ICARDA’s Dr Willie Erskine, ADG (Research), took the opportunity to visit ICARDA's research facilities and programs: gene management and biotechnology, genetic resources unit and gene bank, entomology, small ruminant nutrition, seed unit, scarce water resources management, poverty/livelihood analysis, and combating desertification. The group devoted the next day to field visits and sight seeing in Hama, Afamia, Homs and Palmyra. Dr Catley-Carlson and Prof. Dr El-Beltagy hosted a dinner reception in honor of the CIMMYT Board on 8 November. During the reception, both Dr Catley-Carlson and Prof. Dr El-Beltagy paid tribute to Dr Alex McCalla, outgoing CIMMYT Board Chair, and presented an ICARDA souvenir to him in recognition of his contributions. During the CIMMYT Board meetings, a revised agreement of collaboration was signed by Prof. Dr El-Beltagy on behalf of ICARDA, and Dr Masa Iwanaga on behalf of CIMMYT. The new agreement is designed to promote synergy between the two centers and use new modalities to increase the effectiveness and impact on their work. On return, the new CIMMYT Board Chair, Dr Lene Lange, sent the following message to ICARDA: "On behalf of the entire CIMMYT board I would like to express our warmest thanks and sincere appreciation of the excellent hospitality and efficient and professional ground staff support we had during our BOT meeting in Aleppo. "Further we would like to convey to you that we had an excellent trip to Palmyra. A very great success, giving us an experience we will never forget. The five persons from your ICARDA staff, who accompanied us, did all an outstanding job. We were so impressed with how well they did it all and how great a tour it was for all of us from the CIMMYT BOT that we have asked Masa to send a small token accompanied with a letter to each of them. But we also want you to know how great a job they did!" Dr Masa Iwanaga, CIMMYT DG, in his message to ICARDA DG, said: "On behalf of CIMMYT Board of Trustees and Management, I would like to express sincere appreciation for ICARDA hospitality during the Board meeting. The dinner function at your house was so delightful! "Your staff were so efficient in proving assistance for our travel, meetings, field excursion and even shopping. They expressed extreme professionalism, politeness, flexibility and patience in supporting our management and Board meetings. "We were most impressed by the program presentation organized by Willie. A lot of interesting work was effectively and enthusiastically demonstrated." The CIMMYT Board consisted of Drs Alex McCalla, Lene Lange, Hisao Azuma, Romano Kiom, Edwina Cornish, Marianne Banziger, Robert Goodman, Tini Colijn Hooymans, Pedro Brajcich, and Sebastian Acosta. CIMMYT senior staff who accompanied the Board were: Drs. Masa Iwanaga (DG), John Dodds (DDG), Hans Braun, Martin Van Wedenburg, John Dixon, Julio Berdegue, Peter Ninnes, Jonathan Crouch, Rodomiro Ortiz, and Kevin Pixley. For more information contact: Dr John Dodds |
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.