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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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First
South Asian Travelling Workshop on Food Legumes in India
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The
first South Asian Travelling Workshop on Food Legumes was jointly
organized by ICARDA and ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research)
through the Indian Institute of Pulses Research (IIPR), Kanpur in
India, 3-10 March. Over 30 participants from India, Bangladesh, Nepal,
Pakistan and Drs R.S. Malhotra, M. Imtiaz and A. Sarker from ICARDA
participated in the workshop.
The inaugural session of the workshop was held at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, India. Dr K.V. Prabhu, Head of the Division of Genetics welcomed the participants. The Director of Pulses Research, Dr M. Ali spoke as a special guest. Dr P.L. Gautam, Deputy Director General-Crops, ICAR, India, who was the chief guest, lauded the role of ICARDA in pulses improvement, and said India was keen to establish linkages in other areas such as malt barley, genetic resources, rangeland management and water issues. He also emphasized the need for human resources development, particularly in biotechnology research. "The use of wild relatives of lentil and chickpea for combating biotic and abiotic stresses is also a key area of research and the exchange of genetic materials between ICAR and ICARDA is important," he said. Speaking on behalf of ICARDA’s Director General, Dr R.S. Malhotra, Consultant (Chickpea Breeder) pointed out the areas of collaboration with South Asian national programs. He noted that the establishment of ICARDA's South Asia Office in New Delhi, would further strengthen the collaboration with South Asian countries. Drs Renuka Shrestha and Mahesh Baidya from Grain Legume Improvement program, NARC Nepal; Dr M. Azizur Rahman - Director-Research, BARI, Bangladesh, Dr Jalaluddin, Leader of Pulses Improvement, Bangladesh and Dr Asghar Ali from NARC, Pakistan, represented their countries. The participants of the travelling workshop visited the lentil and chickpea experimental fields at IARI and the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR) in New Delhi; Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana; G.B. Pant Agricultural University, Pantnagar; Narendra Deva Agricultural University, Faizabad and IIPR. There was intensive interaction between the participants and farmers. The key problems of lentil and chickpea were discussed, and recommendations were made. The participants also took part in the selection of advanced trial materials. On 10 March, Drs Sarker, Imtiaz , P.M. Gaur (ICRISAT) and Dr Shiv Kumar (Lentil Breeder) took part in a discussion with farmers in Ali Pur village. Dr S.K. Singh was the key person linking farmers to the improved technologies. At the concluding session, held at IIPR, country status papers were presented by leaders of each country. Drs R.S. Malhotra and A. Sarker presented papers on chickpea and lentil improvement. ICAR commended the ICARDA management for organizing the first Traveling Workshop of this kind in South Asia to identify the researchable issues on Kabuli chickpea and lentil for the region. |
About
ICARDA: Established in 1977, ICARDA (www.icarda.org) is one of the 15
international research centers supported by the Consultative Group on
International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). ICARDA 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.