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)
 
 
30 June 2005
Workshop on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
Opening session of the workshop: Left to right, Prof. Dr Magdy Madkour, Assistant Director General (International Cooperation), ICARDA; Dr Mohamed Khalifa, Director General of the National Genebank of Egypt; and Mr Abdellatif Thabet, FAO representative in Egypt.
FAO, in collaboration with ICARDA's Nile Valley and Red Sea Regional Program (NVRSRP), organized a workshop in Cairo, Egypt, on 19-21 June on “Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (PGRFA)," with the objective of creating an intersectoral dialogue on PGRFA conservation, breeding and seeds for North Africa and the Nile Valley countries.

The workshop was held under the patronage of H.E. Mr Ahmed El-Leithy, Minister of Agriculture, Egypt. More than 35 participants from Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Somalia, Sudan and Tunisia participated. FAO was represented by Drs Brad Fraleigh, Elcio Guimaraes, and Stefano Dilugheroff. Drs Magdy Madkour, Assistant Director General (International Cooperation); Khaled Makkouk, Regional Coordinator for NVRSRP; Jan Valkoun, Head of Genetic Resources Unit; and Zewdie Bishaw, Assistant Seed Production Specialist, represented ICARDA. Dr George Ayad represented IPGRI.

During the opening session, Dr Mohamed Khalifa, Director General of the National Genebank of Egypt, welcomed the participants on behalf of H.E. the Minister of Agriculture and thanked ICARDA and FAO for choosing Egypt to launch the inititative. Prof. Dr Madkour stressed the importance of the issues addressed by the workshop and expressed the readiness of ICARDA to join efforts with FAO and other organizations in helping countries in the Nile Valley and North Africa in the development and implementation of initiatives related to PGRFA conservation and sustainable use. Mr Abdellatif Thabet, FAO representative in Egypt, welcomed the participants on behalf of FAO.
Participants of the workshop on “Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture," held in Cairo, Egypt, on 19-21 June.

At the end of the workshop, the participants agreed on a set of 22 recommendations. On 21 June, the participants visited the National Genebank of Egypt, where they had a chance to see the cold storage facilities, greenhouses and laboratories associated with the genebank.

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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