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
For more information contact: Dr Surendra Varma (s.varma@CGIAR.ORG)
 
 
19 May 2005
Consultative Workshop On Participatory Plant Breeding
Workshop participants with Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy (center), Director General; Dr Salvatore Ceccarelli, Barley Breeder; and Dr Stefania Grando, Barley Breeder.
Scientists from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Syria and Tunisia attended a consultative workshop on participatory plant breeding (PPB) at ICARDA headquarters on 24 April-13 May. The workshop was held as part of a project funded by the European Commission to: (i) create a group of scientists in a number of Mediterranean countries committed to an innovative way of organizing plant breeding programs designed specifically to produce diverse germplasm, better adapted to drought, less dependent on external inputs, and aligned with the needs of rural communities; (ii) formulate plans and strategies on how to implement participatory plant breeding in crops that have strategic importance for the drought-prone areas of the region; and (iii) widely disseminate methodologies, plans and strategies.

Fifteen scientists involved in the improvement of wheat, barley, lentil, faba bean and maize, and disciplines ranging from plant breeding, social science, genetic resources, and biotechnology participated in the workshop. Dr S. Ceccarelli, Dr S. Grando, Mr M. Maatougui, and Mr M. Michael represented ICARDA. The workshop was opened by Dr Dunixi Gabiña Iturriaga, Deputy Director of the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Zaragoza/CIHEAM, and Dr Sanjaya Rajaram, Director of the Integrated Gene Management Mega-Project.

The workshop program included lectures, field visits, and meetings with farmers. The participants also had the opportunity to interact with scientists from various institutions in Syria, including the General Commission for Scientific and Agricultural Research (GCSAR), ACSAD, the Extension Directorate, the General Organization for Seed Multiplication (GOSM), and some of the members of the Variety Release Committee. In addition to lectures offered by ICARDA scientists, Dr J. Lancon, CIRAD, France, gave a lecture on the “Actors’ and users’ involvement in plant breeding programs.” Dr Lancon also facilitated the final week of the workshop.
One of the workshop participants, Dr B. Sakr, Plant Breeder, INRA, Morocco, presented an assessment of the workshop and said that all his colleagues found the workshop useful and are committed to support the future PPB activities of this project. Listening to him with rapt attention are: Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy, Director General; Dr Magdy Madkour, Assistant Director General (International Cooperation); Dr Sanjaya Rajaram, Director, Integrated Gene Management Mega-Project; and Dr Salvatore Ceccarelli, Senior Barley Breeder.
Most participants were interested in introducing elements of farmer participation in their breeding program. Thay can be classified in three groups: (i) gradual transformation of the current breeding program into a participatory program to be completed during the next four-five years; (ii) integration of participatory farmers’ evaluation in the later stages of the current breeding program; and (iii) development of a participatory program parallel to the existing breeding program.

The participants suggested steps to introduce PPB in formal university courses, and recommended (i) follow up workshops of two-three days in each of the six countries to involve a larger number of scientists and eventually facilitate the institutionalization of PPB, and (ii) a regional project on PPB breeding which will cover different crops and different methodologies.

Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy, ICARDA Director General; Dr Magdy Madkour, Director of International Cooperation; Dr William Erskine, Assistant Director General (Research), and Dr Sanjaya Rajaram attended the closing ceremony. Prof. Dr El-Beltagy presented certificates to the participants.

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.
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