| News from the Drylands |
And
briefly....
Short-term Training Course in Eritrea
ICARDA and the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) in Eritrea jointly organized a short-term training course in February on 'Experimental Design, Data Collection and Statistical Analysis." Through lectures and practical sessions, the 20 participants learned to use many of ICARDA's Online BioComputing programs.
Sustainable Agricultural Development
More than 120 farmers, researchers, policy makers, development workers and extension officers participated in the 'Sustainable Agricultural Development for Marginal Dry Areas Workshop,' held at ICARDA in January. Participants discussed the lessons learned from ICARDA's work in the Khanasser Valley, Syria, and aimed to improve understanding among the stakeholder groups and evaluate innovations for marginal environments.
Addressing Water Issues
The first meeting of the Arab Water Council's (AWC) Fundamental Committee was hosted by the UAE in Dubai, 3-5 January. Ministers, experts, and NGO and private-sector representatives working on water issues from 12 Arab countries discussed water issues in the Arab world and potential solutions. ICARDA is a founding member of the AWC and Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy, ICARDA DG, represented the Center at the meeting.
Promoting Olive in Dry Areas
An expert meeting on the potential and risks of growing olive in the marginal dry areas was held in March at ICARDA headquarters. Farmers, scientists, and NGO and the private sector representatives discussed the feasibility of growing olives in the dry areas and to design a set of guidelines for farmers to follow.
Syrian Ministry Officials Visit ICARDA
Three officials from the National Agricultural Policy Center (NAPC) of the Agricultural Ministry, Syria, visited ICARDA's Poverty and Livelihood Analysis Mega-Project in March to discuss potential collaboration in poverty research, gender issues, and rural migration, with the socioeconomics team of the Center.
APRP Coordination and Steering Committee Meeting
The Regional Technical Coordination Meeting of the Arabian Peninsula Regional Program (APRP) was held in the Sultanate of Oman in February. The meeting was inaugurated under the patronage of H.E. Khalfan Ben Saleh Al-Naibi, Under Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Oman, and participants from research institutes in Bahrain, Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Yemen attended the meeting.
First RALF Workshop
The first Research in Alternative Livelihoods Fund (RALF) workshop was held in Kabul in April. Representatives from all 11 on-going projects were present. RALF is a competitive grant mechanism, managed by ICARDA and funded by the UK's Department for International Development (DFID), with the aim of providing farmers in Afghanistan with alternatives to growing opium poppy.
BBC Films ICARDA's Work
A BBC Journalist visited ICARDA in May to film the Center's work on Sunn pest. Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy, ICARDA DG; Dr Mustapha El-Bohssini, the IPM and Sunn pest research coordinator, and Dr Aden Aw-Hassan, Agricultural Economist, were interviewed for the program. The Center's work will be featured on a BBC program viewed by 270 million households worldwide.
Visitors from Iran
The Poverty and Livelihoods Analysis Mega-Project (MP5) at ICARDA hosted six visitors from Iran in February. The visit was designed to expose the Iranian farmers and extensionists to ICARDA's experience in analyzing farm survey data; and research in crop improvement, natural resource management, and socioeconomics.
'ICARDA Day' in Egypt
ICARDA and the Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University, Cairo, jointly organized an 'ICARDA Day' at the campus of the University in April. A delegation from ICARDA, led by Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy, ICARDA DG, made presentations on various research activities and acheivements of the Center. More than 20 posters on ICARDA's research were also displayed.
Steering Committee Meeting for CAC
The eighth meeting of the Steering Committee of the CGIAR Eco-regional Program for Sustainable Agriculture in Central Asia and the Caucasus (CAC) was held at ICARDA in May. More than 50 scientists from the eight CAC countries, the CG Centers, and other international centers participating in the program attended the meeting. The participants presented country status reports and discussed ongoing collaborative activities with the various CG Centers.
ICARDA at UNCCD Meeting
ICARDA, through the consortium on Desertification, Drought, Poverty and Agriculture (DDPA), with ICRISAT, presented posters and a state-of-the-art review paper, and participated in two open panel discussions at the 3rd Meeting of the Committee to Review the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC3) of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, held in Germany in May.
Water Resources Management
ICARDA and the National Agricultural Research Institute (INRA), Morocco, organized a regional workshop in Rabat on 6-10 January to enhance the quality of data analysis and develop a research framework for the Center's regional project that aims to promote efficient use of scarce water resources to produce more food for a given amount of water.
Seed Health Testing in Afghanistan
To continue efforts to provide Afghan farmers with healthy seed of improved varieties, ICARDA and FAO jointly organized a training course on 'Seed Health Testing' in March in Kabul. The course covered aspects of quarantine, and detection and control of seed-borne fungal, bacterial, viral and nematode diseases.
International Conference on Agrobiodiversity
More than 137 scientists and project managers from around the world participated in the international conference on ‘Promoting Community-driven Conservation and Sustainable Use of Dryland Agriobiodiversity,’ held at ICARDA headquarters in April. The conference was aimed at exchanging experiences and developing community-based approaches to agrobiodiversity conservation. The program included 66 oral presentations and 70 posters.
Memorandum of Agreement
ICARDA and the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed a Memorandum of Agreement in May for a five-year JICA-supported Third Country Program for human resource development in Iraq, Syria, and other CWANA countries. The project supports three training courses each year on water management, integrated crop and livestock production, and agricultural biotechnology.
Milk Production Improvement
ICARDA and the Fardous Organization, conducted a training course for women farmers on improved processing of milk products in March in Syria. Women farmers from Syria and Jordan learned about improved methods of milk collection and yogurt, cheese, and jameed processing, as well as improved feeding strategies.
IFAD Assistant-President Visits ICARDA
A delegation of senior officials, led by Mr James Carruthers, IFAD Assistant-President, visited ICARDA on 27 May to update themselves on the progress of the IFAD-funded ICARDA projects and discuss future plans.
ICARDA Scientist Receives Award
Dr Ashutosh Sarker, ICARDA Lentil Breeder, was awarded a certificate of recognition from the Government of Western Australia for his contribution to the development of 'Ceora'—the first low-toxin grass pea variety released in Australia.
EARO Thanks ICARDA
On the occasion of its 50th Golden Jubilee Anniversary in June, the Debre Zeit Agricultural Research Center of the Ethiopian Agricultural Research Organization (EARO), awarded ICARDA with a Certificate of Appreciation for the "invaluable cooperation, partnership, and support" that the Center has provided over the years.
Scientists Visit North Africa
ICARDA scientists visited Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia in June to review the progress of the seed component of the Integrated Research and Durum Economics Network (IRDEN) project which aims to increase durum wheat production. Following field visits to project sites, pilot farmers for the establishment of seed production and marketing enterprises were identified.
-
© 2008 International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA).
See
copyright and disclaimer information.