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)
 
 
5 May 2005
Badia Water Benchmark Field Day in Jordan
Community members, officials and researchers from various institutions in Jordan attended the field day of the Water Benchmark Site at Mharib.
Under the auspices of H.E. the Minister of Agriculture, Jordan, the Badia Benchmark Project organized a field day at its site in Mharib, Jordan for the communities of Mharib and Majedieh. HRH Sharefa Zein, President of the Hashimi Fund for Badia Development; Dr Akef Zoubi, Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture; Dr Abdel Nabi Fardous, Director General of the National Center for Agricultural Research and Technology Transfer (NCARTT); Dr Ahmed Amri, ICARDA Regional Coordinator for West Asia; and Dr Ghazi Al Zabin, Badia Deputy in the Parliament attended the field day. Representatives of the government of Jordan, NGOs, NCARTT staff, and scientists from the University of Jordan and the community were also present.

 The field day was held in a Bedouin tent erected by the Mharib community for the occasion. Dr Khalid Zubiadi, Project National Coordinator, introduced the project objectives and described the participatory approach that involved local communities. The participants then visited the demonstration site where shrubs and barley were earlier planted, using water harvesting interventions based on the suitability and potential of the natural resources. The plants were in a healthy condition and differed substantially from those in farmers’ fields in the area.

HRH Sharefa Zein, President of the Hashimi Fund for Badia Development; Dr Akef Zoubi, Secretary General, Ministry of Agriculture, Dr Abdel Nabi Fardous, DG of NCARTT, and other officials from Jordan visited the Vallerani water harvesting site managed by the local community of Mharib.
The field day provided an opportunity to showcase the progress achieved in the first year of the project. The participants demonstrated keen interest in the project activities and were impressed with the achievements made. The community members, who were involved from the beginning of the project, said that this project was the first to work directly with both men and women in the community and consider their views in planning and implementing activities.

 At the end of the field day, HRH Sharefa Zein thanked all the institutions and community members for their achievements and indicated the support of the Hashimi Fund for Badia Development to this work. The field day received full coverage by the Jordan TV and national newspapers in the country.

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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