CGIAR Central Asia and the Caucasus

ICARDA REGIONAL PLANNING MEETING FOR CAC

The 11th Regional Planning Meeting of ICARDA Program for Central Asia and the Caucasus was organized on 17-18th September, 2008, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The meeting was attended by more than 50 participants, including NARS leaders from the CAC countries and a large ICARDA team, led by Dr. Mahmoud Solh, Director General ICARDA, and including Dr. Maarten van Ginkel, DDG-Research, Dr. Richard Brettell, Director, BIGM Program, and scientists from all the of the Research Programs of ICARDA.

In the opening session of the Regional Planning Meeting, Dr. Mahmoud Solh made a presentation on the ICARDA’s Research Policy and Strategy. Dr. Solh informed the NARS partners on ICARDA’s strategy for research in the context of challenges in the dry areas of the world such as food insecurity and increased food prices, climate change, desertification, and poverty. Dr. Solh also gave an overview of ICARDA’s Research Programs, activities and achievements in addressing these challenges and helping national partners to achieve sustainable development of agriculture.

In the following technical sessions, presentations were made by NARS leaders and ICARDA scientists on the activities and results of collaborative work during the last year, as well as plans for the next year. The presentations were on such topics as germplasm enhancement, socioeconomic and policy research, salinity and integrated natural resource management, conservation agriculture and resource conserving technologies under the SLMR project, livestock and fodder production, ZEF-Khorezm project on “Change-Oriented Research for Sustainable Innovation in Land and Water Use”.

Discussions sessions were held together with NARS partners and colleagues from other Consortium members on strengthening the synergies of the program in an integrated manner. Brainstorming sessions were held on development of double-purpose wheat varieties and barley production in the region. Key areas of collaboration during the next year were identified.

During the plenary session, Dr. Maarten van Ginkel, DDG-Research, thanked all the participants for their contributions during the Planning meeting.