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
30 December 2008
Media contact: icarda-media@cgiar.org
 
ICARDA opens South Asia Office
ICARDA has opened a new office in New Delhi, India – its first in South Asia. This is the first step in even closer collaboration with the strong national programs in the region to generate international public goods. ICARDA already has research collaboration with partner institutions in India, other South Asian countries as well as China. The new Regional Office will help strengthen these partnerships, and build on the complementarity with strong national research programs (e.g., India and China) to serve other countries in South Asia and beyond. For example, ICARDA is decentralizing its food legumes program to combine the expertise of Indian scientists with that of ICARDA, in order to improve yields and quality of pulses – which are which are the main source of protein for the bulk of the population in South Asia.
ICARDA's new office in New Delhi, hosted by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.

The new office was inaugurated on 4 November by Dr Mangala Rai, Secretary, Dept. of Agricultural Research and Education, Govt. of India and Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR); and Dr Mahmoud Solh, Director General of ICARDA. The new office is located within the ICAR's National Agricultural Science Complex, which now houses ten CGIAR Centers.

"ICAR and ICARDA are joining hands," said Dr Rai. "This partnership will benefit everyone – India, ICARDA, and farmers throughout in the region. The substantial knowledge and excellent materials generated by ICAR scientists will complement ICARDA's global experience in legumes, barley and other areas." He reiterated ICAR's full support to ICARDA and other CGIAR Centers in India. "The Indian government's increasing support to the CGIAR is an indication of how much we value this partnership."

Dr Solh expressed his gratitude to the Government of India, and Dr Rai in particular, for their support in building and expanding this partnership. "India is a major global player in agriculture, and Indian scientists have played a pivotal role in broadening and strengthening ICARDA's impact in dry areas worldwide," he said. He cited several examples: Dr Mohan Saxena, Dr Raj Paroda, Dr Sanjaya Rajaram and Dr Surender Beniwal, who all helped shape ICARDA's agenda. Dr Solh shared his vision of ICARDA's expanded presence in South Asia, with collaborative research with national partners in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal and Pakistan. The South Asia program will be led by lentil breeder Dr Ashutosh Sarker, who has an impressive record of high-quality research as well as dissemination of research outputs.

 The Delhi office will become a hub for ICARDA's legume research. Collaborative research wil cover various disciplines: crop improvement, water and land management, socio-economics and policy, small ruminant production and rangeland management. The targets for legume breeding will include yield, protein content, early maturity and disease resistance, to help ensure that grain legumes realize their full potential in helping increase farm productivity and sustainability, and improving health and nutrition for poor households. Dr Solh also identified other potential areas of collaboration: resistance to stem rust Ug99, development of the food and malting barley industries, integrated crop-livestock systems and rangeland management.
ICARDA Director General Dr Mahmoud Solh lights the traditional lamp at the inauguration.
Dr Ashutosh Sarker, ICARDA's Regional Coordinator for South Asia and Food Legume Breeder, shared his thoughts on translating the outcomes of collaborative research into farm-level impacts and food self-sufficiency. "We have a number of good technologies, and we will continue to develop more," he said. "Strong partnership between ICAR and ICARDA is the key to ensuring the impact of these technologies."

Collaborative research in India
 ICAR and ICARDA have recently launched a series of collaborative initiatives, building on ongoing efforts. The partnership combines the strengths of India's national research system – the world's largest – with ICARDA's global reach and experience.
ICAR Director General Dr Mangala Rai (right) received a special memento from Dr Solh, for his long-term contributions to research and partnerships across the developing world. Left: Dr Ashustosh Sarker, who will head ICARDA's Delhi office.
• Kabuli chickpea. Development of large-seeded, early-maturing, high-yielding varieties with resistance to wilt and Ascochyta blight and tolerance to drought and cold. These will target several production environments in India. Seven national institutions are involved, led by the Indian Institute of Pulses Research, Kanpur.

• Lentil. Development of improved early-maturing varieties for two broad agro-ecologies: bold-seeded varieties for central India, small-seeded types for rice-based cropping systems in north-central and north-east India. Seven Indian research institutions are involved.

• Grasspea. Development of varieties with low b-ODAP content and high biomass yield. The aim is to reduce neurotoxin content to levels safe for human consumption, to promote grasspea poduction in appropriate niches in different environments.
Guests at the inauguration included some of the biggest names in Indian agriculture. Left to right: Dr M.S. Swaminathan, Dr J.S. Samra, Dr Mangala Rai, Dr Raj Paroda, Dr Mahmoud Solh.
• Barley. Development of high quality varieties for different end uses (food, feed, malting) and different environments. Research on malting barley aims to help meet rapidly growing demand from the Indian brewing industry.

• Resource use, livelihoods and policy. Research will address resource-use efficiency, productivity and profitability, to ensure sustainability despite scarcity of natural resources, rapidly changing land use and climate variability. It will also focus on policy options to improve rural livelihoods.

 • Rangelands, crop-livestock systems. Community-based rangeland management, integrated crop-livestock systems with emphasis on small ruminants. Research will also address issues of land tenure, management, and rangeland desertification. Work will be led by the Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Rajasthan.
  

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.

Back