HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

One of the key components of ICARDA's work is the capcity building in national agricultural research institutions through training of scientists and supervision of post-graduate studies, short- and long-term training courses, conferences, traveling workshops and scientific seminars. More than 500 scientists from Turkey participated in training activities conducted by ICARDA from 1978 to 2004. Areas of training included seed production and technology, crop improvement, cereal physiology, biotechnology, food legume entomology, DNA molecular marker techniques, experimental station operations management, experimental designs and field plot techniques, expert systems, GIS/RS, natural resources management and data analysis, and scientific writing.

Training session for Turkish scientists on post-harvest technologies for seed-quality improvement at ICARDA in 2003.

At least five scientists from Turkey have obtained PhDs at various universities through research carried out at ICARDA. Dr Ismail Kusmenoglu completed his PhD on screening methods for winter hardiness in lentil. Dr Ali Ramazan Alan, who was a Turkish PhD student at Cornell University in USA, studied genetic diversity in spring durum wheat based on restriction fragment length polymorphism, while Dr Belgin Gocmen, a student at Ankara University, Turkey, carried out research on genomic mapping of economically important traits for Mediterranean highland durum wheat. Drs Taner Akar and Bora Surmeli studied for their PhDs at Ankara University but conducted research at ICARDA on genetic diversity of durum wheat landraces and improving the seed system for resource-poor farmers in Central Anatolia, respectively.

A study to characterize and monitor pastoral and agropastoral systems and associated animal genetic diversity in the Antakia region was conducted in 2002/2003 in collaboration with the University of Cukurova. It was carried out by three graduate students enrolled at the University as part of their research work. The information generated will serve to identify market-oriented and production-improvement options that will integrate flock management, nutrition, range and forage crops, animal health and breeding technologies while maintaining the integrity of the resource base.