News from the Drylands         
International Symposia in Japan
A series of meetings in Japan in August 2006 helped expand research partnerships to fight desertification, and raise public awareness about the problem. The meetings were organized as part of the activities to mark the International Year of Deserts and Desertification.

Dr Mahmoud Solh (third from left) visited JIRCAS in August, to discuss expanded collaboration with Japanese institutions. Dr Akinori Noguchi, Vice President of JIRCAS, is to his left.

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Living with the desert II – Dryland science and practices on the ground: international symposium at United Nations University (UNU) Tokyo, in collaboration with UNCCD
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Role of citizens in combating desertification: symposium at Tottori University
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Outlook of agricultural research for dry areas: international seminar organized by the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), Tsukuba.

These events brought together more than 600 participants – national policy makers, scientists and administrators from universities and research institutes, and others. ICARDA actively participated in all three meetings.

Dr Mahmoud Solh, ICARDA Director General, delivered the keynote address at the UNU symposium, highlighting the causes and impacts of desertification, and possible solutions – for example, innovative dryland management methods that ICARDA and its partners have successfully introduced at pilot sites in West Asia.

The symposium at Tottori University discussed the role of citizens and networks in combating desertification. It recognized that even Japan was potentially at risk, since the Japanese food market has close links with several countries affected by desertification.
Dr Solh described how ICARDA has successfully used R&D networks to develop and implement innovative technologies to combat desertification. Public awareness and support is vital; and participants at the meeting reiterated the need to educate citizens and encourage their involvement in anti-desertification efforts.

The JIRCAS seminar focused on technical issues: regional water balance predictions, the use of saline water for irrigation, use of wild relatives in breeding for drought tolerance, and the possibility of adopting marginal-area policies similar to those in developed countries. Dr Solh’s presentation reviewed ICARDA’s experiences in an ecoregional perspective.

Building on these meetings, discussions with Japanese policy makers and research institutions have helped broaden cooperation. The Japanese government and JIRCAS have long supported ICARDA’s work. Dr Solh met senior officials from two government ministries (Foreign Affairs, and Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries) to further expand this collaboration.

Similarly, meetings at the Arid Land Research Center at Tottori University led to two new initiatives: a Master’s degree program on integrated drylands management involving UNU and research institutes in Tunisia and China; and an international network to exchange information on dryland studies, proposed jointly by ICARDA and six other internationally reputed organizations.
   
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