ICARDA Caravan, Issue No. 20/21

News from the Drylands

World Bank – ARD Meeting at ICARDA

Opening session of the World Bank-ARD Study Tour. Left to right: Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy, ICARDA DG; Dr Sushma Ganguly, Sector Manager, Agriculture and Rural Development, and Leader of the World Bank visiting team; and H.E. Dr Abdallah Dardari, President, State Planning Commission of Syria.

t was a time for comparing notes and sharing experiences when a group of World Bank senior staff and officials from national agricultural research systems (NARS) met with ICARDA scientists on 12-16 June 2004. The World Bank Study Tour was organized by ICARDA and the Bank’s Agriculture and Rural Development (ARD) Sector, and co-hosted by the Government of Syria. It was part of the continuing dialog and knowledge sharing between the Bank’s ARD Sector and CGIAR scientists. Participants included senior officials from NARS of Jordan, Morocco, Mozambique, Palestine, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen; officials from the ARD Sector, based in Washington DC, and their regional counterparts based in Egypt, Ghana, Palestine, and South Africa; and ICARDA senior scientists.

The agenda included two days of workshops and another two days of field visits in Syria to ICARDA’s benchmark site for integrated natural resource management in Khanasser Valley, and research sites for in situ biodiversity conservation near the coast of Lattakia. During the workshop there were presentations and discussions on trade, food safety/standards and EU accession; and agriculture and natural resource management in dry areas. Presenters included World Bank officials, ICARDA scientists, and NARS representatives.

Biotechnology Laboratory

The participants expressed great admiration for ICARDA’s research work. They noted the strong and unique relationship between ICARDA and the NARS in the region.

Noting that the CGIAR centers have a wealth of knowledge, Dr Sushma Ganguly, Manager of the ARD Sector at the World Bank, called for a systematic knowledge sharing approach through joint analytical work and publications, CGIAR participation in the newly formed Global Platform for Rural Development, staff exchanges, and increased advocacy work. She identified possible areas of collaboration with ICARDA, specifically in water-use efficiency and sustainable cropping systems, as well as agrobiodiversity conservation.

This was the first time that a World Bank-ARD meeting/tour was held at ICARDA. The World Bank is the cosponsor of, and one of the leading donors to the CGIAR.

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