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.org
22 March 2007
                             Media contact: Surendra Varma (s.varma@CGIAR.ORG)
 
JICA-Syria-ICARDA Regional Workshop on Participatory Plant Breeding and Seed Systems
ICARDA, in collaboration with the State Planning Commission of Syria, organized a 'Regional Workshop on Participatory Plant Breeding (PPB) and Seed Systems' at Tel Hadya, 12-15 March.

Dr Mahmoud Solh, Director General of ICARDA, and Mr Kazuhide Nagasawa, JICA Representative in Syria, inaugurated the workshop.
Mr Kazuhide Nagasawa (second left), JICA Representative in Syria, and Dr Mahmoud Solh (center), Director General of ICARDA, opened the 'Regional Workshop on Participatory Plant Breeding and Seed Systems'. Others in the picture are Dr Ahmed El-Ahmed (second right), ADG Government Liaison; Dr Sanjaya Rajaram (left), MP-2 Director; and Dr Zewdie Bishaw (right), Head of ICARDA's Seed Unit.

Welcoming the participants, Dr Solh thanked JICA and the State Planning Commission of Syria for their collaboration and support. He highlighted the interactions between PPB and seed production, particularly in the informal seed sector. "We always face the question how best to link PPB with seed, to improve the livelihoods of poor farmers… We value the presence here of experts from 11 countries. This is a good way to share wisdom; and ICARDA will benefit from the experience of these participants." Dr Solh also noted the synergies involved. "JICA and ICARDA have similar objectives," he said. "I hope this meeting will further strengthen collaboration between ICARDA and individual countries, and between countries in the region, on these important issues."
Participants of the 'Regional Workshop on Participatory Plant Breeding and Seed Systems', 12-15 March. Dr Mahmoud Solh and Mr Kazuhide Nagasawa are fifth and sixth from left, respectively.
Mr Nagasawa noted that JICA provides support to a number of countries, including 10 in the Middle East. The main emphasis is on capacity building and upgrading human resources, particularly in post-conflict situations such as Afghanistan and Iraq. He also highlighted the long-standing partnership between ICARDA and JICA. "Agriculture is an important aspect of improving the human condition, and strengthening seed systems is an important priority for us," he said.

Dr Ahmed El-Ahmed, ADG Government Liaison, noted the challenges and the opportunities. "We need to roll out seed on a large scale, at farmer level," he said. "This will require rapid progress as well as new ideas. Different countries have different seed policies, and we need to plan accordingly."
On the occassion of his departure from Syria after three years of service, Mr Nagasawa (right), JICA Representative in Syria, receives from Dr Solh a memento as a token of ICARDA’s acknowledgement of JICA’s support.
Dr Sanjaya Rajaram, MP-2 Director, noted that PPB is targeted at poorer farmers and marginal environments - which tend to receive less than adequate attention from conventional plant breeding programs. "PPB can make a significant difference in such areas - but to realize the full benefits of PPB, policy issues on variety release, seed certification etc. must be addressed. This is the challenge before us."

Dr Zewdie Bishaw, Head of ICARDA's Seed Unit, described the rationale of the workshop. "Increasingly, national breeding programs are incorporating PPB into their approach. To further encourage this trend, we need to resolve technical as well as policy issues relating to variety release and seed production. This workshop brings together experts from various countries, to share experiences. Our aim is to develop specific recommendations to address the key seed/variety issues in dry areas, in order to improve food production and alleviate rural poverty."

Sponsored by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), under the aegis of its Third-Country Training Program, the workshop brought together 21 experts from 11 countries (Algeria, Afghanistan, Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Iran, Jordan, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia and Yemen), representing NARS institutions, universities, national seed programs, and NGOs.
 

About ICARDA: Established in 1977, ICARDA (www.icarda.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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