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 n our last issue of Caravan (No. 8), we shared with our readers ICARDA's philosophy of integrating natural resource management with crop improvement, and how the Center is striving to keep this equation balanced in its research agenda. We illustrated this balance with some of our success stories, but the focus of Issue No. 8 was on natural resource management designed to improve crop productivity. In this issue we present some examples of ICARDA's successes in crop improvement designed to protect and even enhance the natural resource base.
The story of faba bean improvement in Egypt (see page 7) is not just a story of achieving self-sufficiency in this crop in that country; it is also a story of how a carefully designed research program helped the country cut down the use of herbicides and fungicides and thus protect the environment. It is also a story of the role of biodiversity in food security and protection of the natural resource base. Above all, it is a story of the effectiveness of a tripartite partnership between ICARDA, donors, and national programs. This model of cooperation is now being applied to other crops, not only in Egypt but also in other countries.
In our research on combating desertification, we have found that vetch is one of our best allies. This forage legume not only feeds the livestock but it also "feeds" the soil through fixing atmospheric nitrogen. ICARDA's work on vetch/cereal rotations has amply demonstrated the benefits that can be reaped from this technology in protecting the marginal land from turning into desert, increasing the availability of feed for livestock, and harvesting higher yields of the cereal crop, usually barley, after the vetch phase.
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The article on page 19 describes the enthusiasm of Syrian farmers in adopting this technology. Our research on the underground vetch (see page 15), which produces pods both above and below the ground, is opening up new opportunities for greening the marginal land through natural regeneration of this species. These are just a few examples to illustrate how ICARDA's crop improvement research goes hand-in-hand with natural resource management.
The key question, however, is the adoption of new technology by farmers. Farmers would not accept any change in their systems unless they have first seen it work. For this reason, ICARDA makes farmers its partners early in the research process. Experience is our witness that this makes transfer of technology much easier. The key is the multiplier effect that the participating farmers set in motion in the village communities. The El-Bab story in this issue (page 19), and the participatory barley-breeding story in Caravan 8, illustrate this point well.
Crop improvement integrated with natural resource management through farmer participation is, however, only one part of the story. Integration of new techno-logy, which is acceptable to farmers, with policy is another important part. This is becoming even more important, given the changes taking place in the global agricultural sector. The shift from nationally focused markets, which often provide subsidies for the cultivation of crops used as staple food, to open global markets which are both competitive and do not offer subsidies, dictates a major change in policy at national, regional and global levels for agricultural research to succeed.
To respond to this changing scenario, ICARDA is placing increased emphasis on this aspect. The Center is strengthening its
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program of research in socioeconomics, with a view to link its research agenda to the changing economic environment. Of particular interest are such areas of study as the management of land and water, which are both at serious risk in the dry areas, as well as biodiversity, which provides the raw material for crop improvement. These studies are intended to provide options to policy makers to make reforms in the agricultural sector with a long-term vision to stay competitive in the global market systems and, at the same time, achieve sustainable food security in their own countries. ICARDA is doing this through a network of researchers whose work would influence policy-making in their countries.
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