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
10 January 2008
Media contact: icarda-media@cgiar.org
 
IFAD President Inaugurates IFAD-ICARDA Collaboration Session
Left to right at the front desk: Dr Rodney Cooke, Director of the Technical Advisory Division; Dr Kanayo Nwanze, IFAD Vice-President; Dr Lennart Båge, IFAD President; Dr Mahmoud Solh, Director General of ICARDA; and Dr Mona Bishay, Director of NENA Division, IFAD.
To strengthen collaboration between IFAD and ICARDA and to present the achievements of IFAD's investment in ICARDA's research for development Projects, a special session on IFAD- ICARDA collaboration was organized at IFAD, Rome, on 14 December 2007 based on earlier discussions between Dr Lennart Båge, IFAD President, and Dr Mahmoud Solh, ICARDA Director General, and Dr Mona Bishay, Director of the Near East and North Africa (NENA) Division at IFAD.

Dr Båge inaugurated the meeting which was chaired by Dr Kanayo Nwanze, IFAD Vice-President and attended by several other senior management officials including; Dr Rodney Cooke, Director of the Technical Advisory Division. This excellent turn out clearly reflected the support of IFAD's senior management to agricultural research for development in general and to the collaboration with ICARDA in particular. In the audience were long-time supporters to the CGIAR and ICARDA: Dr Shantanu Mathur, Coordinator of Grant Programs at IFAD; Dr Abdullah Rahman, Country Program Manager; Dr Abdelhamid Abdouli, Country Program Manager; Dr Tawfiq El-Zabri, Country Program Manager; Dr Anne-Marie Izac, Chief Alliance Officer - Alliance Executive and Dr Eric Kueneman, Chief of the Crop and Grassland Service (AGPC) of the Plant Production and Protection Division, FAO. The meeting was also attended by Dr Abdelmajid Slama, ICARDA Board of Trustees member and who was the former Director of the NENA Division at IFAD.

In his opening address, Dr Båge welcomed ICARDA DG and Staff and he highlighted the fact that this was the first time ever that the two organizations had come together to review their entire experience of working together. He highly valued the importance of agricultural research for development in contributing to sustainable agricultural development. Dr Båge highly commended ICARDA's new Strategic Plan 2007-2016 and quoted:
"Perhaps the most important opportunity arises from a change in research emphasis from a commodity-based, top-down, technology-driven agenda to an integrated, demand-driven, people-oriented approach which seeks to ensure that rural populations have a choice of livelihood options as well as appropriate methods to conserve their natural resources in the face of climate change and globalization."

Dr Båge said that ICARDA is a main partner and entry point in the region. IFAD President also talked about what was new in the strategy, praising the research on climate change and desertification and stressed their implication on the rural poor. He mentioned that the recent rise in fuel prices, which is exacerbated by use of food grains for bio-fuels, has created many difficulties for poor people everywhere.

IFAD's work with ICARDA and other CG-Centers indicates IFAD's interest in promoting investment in research – to be harvested later by IFAD developmental projects. The IFAD President and other members of the senior management were supportive of the collaboration with the CG system. This is a critical element of IFAD's approach because agricultural development tends to be very effective in lifting people out of poverty. Part of the method is in organizing new ideas such as the IFAD support to two expert consultations in 2007, held at ICARDA headquarters, and another one on livestock scheduled for 2008:
•
 The Role of Domestic and Export Marketing of Horticultural Commodities in Poverty Alleviation in NENA Region, 13-15 March 2007
•
 The Role of Herbal, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (HMAPs) in Improving Livelihood of the Rural Poor in the NENA Region: Challenges, Constraints, Prospects, and Strategic Directions, 10-12 July 2007

Dr Solh expressed ICARDA's gratitude and appreciation to IFAD for the continuous support to the CGIAR in general and ICARDA's mission in the dry areas in particular. After introducing the Center's work, in his overview of IFAD and ICARDA collaboration, Dr Solh pointed out the ways that both organizations complement each other through their common mission and goals, resulting in an effective continuum to supply agriculture research for development.

ICARDA and IFAD have worked together on 36 projects over their 30 year relationship with a total of USD 32 million in grant funding. This session was organized to assure IFAD management that their investment in the CGIAR and ICARDA was worthwhile. Their is need for more advocacy and evidence of success such as that shown by the IFAD/ ICARDA partnership.

The openning sessoin was followed by ICARDA presentations:
Presentations on completed projects
•
 Achievements of Faba Bean Research in the Nile Valley Project (Dr Mahmoud Solh)
•
 Pro-poor Agricultural Innovations in Crops/Rangelands/ Livestock Production System: The Experience of the Mashreq/Maghreb Project (Dr Mohamed El-Mourid)
•
 The Impact of Integrated Durum Wheat Research Network in NENA Region (Dr Miloudi Nachit)
•
 Adoption and Impact of Research Grants on Rural Poor in Nile Valley and WANA Regions (Dr Kamil Shideed)

Presentations on on-going projects
•
 The Water Benchmark Research Sites Project: Early outcomes and potential impact (Dr Theib Oweis)
•
 Achievements and Potential Impact of the Projects on Natural Resource Management and Livelihood of Resource Poor Farmers in the Arabian Peninsula (Dr Ahmed Moustafa)

Extensive discussion took place on the linkage of IFAD research grants and IFAD development projects. The impact of IFAD's investment in agricultural research for development was apparent from the ICARDA presentations. Direct positive impacts were demonstrated on the livelihoods of rural poor people in developing countries, often accomplished primarily because of community participation.

ICARDA is enthusiastic to expand ICARDA's strategic partnership with IFAD to help farmers to cope with the implications of climate change in the non-tropical dry areas. This will be through both mitigation of adverse effects of climate change and adaptation of farmers’ production systems to harsher environments.

This seminar illustrated the positive correlation between agricultural research for development and the sustained improvement of the livelihoods of the rural poor in dry areas. As such, it reinforced IFAD's conviction about the importance of continuing the partnership with ICARDA for rural poverty reduction in the NENA 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.

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