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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
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Media
contact: Surendra Varma (s.varma@CGIAR.ORG) | |||
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Mountains
Aren't Just for Climbing - They Feed Us Too!
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Large parts
of the highlands of North Africa are low-rainfall areas, with limited
farming opportunities and widespread poverty. The 'Project on Maghreb
Mountains' is a 3-year initiative funded by the Swiss Agency for Development
and Cooperation (SDC), aiming to develop technical, institutional
and policy options to improve agricultural production systems in mountainous
regions of Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia.
The Mountains Project held its 4th Technical Coordination and Planning Meeting on 14-15 November 2006, at the Institut national de la recherche agronomique (INRA), Algiers, Algeria. It was attended by specialists from Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, and from SDC and ICARDA. Participants included Dr Kamel Feliachi, Director General of INRA and and H.E. Michel Gottret, Swiss Ambassador to Algeria, and Mr Romdhane Lahouati of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Dr Feliachi, welcoming the participants, recounted the long-standing partnership between ICARSA and INRAA. Dr Mohammed El Mourid, ICARDA-NARP Coordinator, described ICARDA's holistic approach to poverty alleviation. H.E. Ambassador Gottret highlighted the importance that Switzerland gives to mountains, and the need to improve the livelihood of communities in these areas, using integrated approaches to resolve problems and preserve natural resources. Mr Lahouati noted the importance of mountains in Algeria, and the need for concerted efforts to improve productivity and preserve natural resources in the country's highlands. A series of technical presentations described project results from the 2005-06 season, from four sites - two in Morocco, and one each in Algeria and Tunisia. Activities covered six themes: natural resources, economic policies, household economics, sustainable intensification of mountain production systems, promotion of mountain agricultural products, and capacity building. The first two years of the project focused on diagnostic studies and review workshops, where stakeholders from across the highlands participated. Full-scale field work began in the third year. The project has successfully implemented the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach and demonstrated the potential of a number of technical and socio-economic options to rehabilitate natural resources and improve the welfare of mountain communities. However, these options require to be further tested in the field, to ensure they will be effective in a highly diverse and variable environment. |
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.