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)
 
 
7 April 2005
Afghan Researchers Trained in Seed Health Testing
Dr Siham Asaad, ICARDA’s seed expert, explaining various aspects of seed health to H.E. Mr Mohammad Sharif (left), Deputy Minister of Agriculture, MAAHF; Serge Verniau (center), FAO Representative in Afghanistan; and trainees.
To continue efforts to provide Afghan farmers with healthy seed of improved varieties, ICARDA and FAO jointly organized a training course on ‘Seed Health Testing’ on 21-31 March 2005 at the Badam Bagh seed testing laboratory in Kabul. ICARDA’s Seed Health Specialist, Dr Siham Asaad, trained 12 staff from the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Food (MAAHF), and FAO on different aspects of seed testing and health including aspects of quarantine, and detection and control of seed-borne fungal, bacterial, viral and nematode diseases. The MAAHF participants came from Herat, Kabul, Mazar-e-Sharif, and Jalalabad.

The participants were trained through lectures and hands-on experience in using advanced equipment and modern techniques to ensure seed health. The training ended with a field trip to Bagrami, where participants gained practical knowledge of monitoring pathogens, rouging and maintaining seed multiplication plots.

H.E. Mr Mohammad Sharif, Deputy Minister of MAAHF, and Dr Serge Verniau, FAO Representative in Afghanistan, distributed certificates to the participants at the closing session of the course. H.E. Mr Sharif congratulated FAO and ICARDA for their joint efforts, and urged the participants to transfer what they learned to their colleagues in respective provinces. “Seed is the first priority of the farmers in Afghanistan, and we, the developmental agencies, have to work collectively to cater to their needs,” Dr Verniau said in his closing remarks. He described FAO’s role in strengthening the seed system in Afghanistan, and improving seed testing facilities. Dr Verniau appreciated ICARDA’s cooperation, and the help extended by the MAAHF, to make the course a success.

Dr Samuel Kugbei, Chief Technical Advisor (Seed) of FAO, and Dr Asaad appreciated the enthusiasm of trainees, and assured them of continued technical support. The course evaluation showed a significant gain (33%) of knowledge of the participants. Dr Javed Rizvi, ICARDA Communication Specialist, on behalf of ICARDA, thanked FAO and MAAHF for their cooperation.

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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