History

A regional adaptive research program for the development of integrated crop/livestock production in low rainfall areas of WANA (the Mashreq/Maghreb Project) was initiated in 1995 to address these problems.

The program builds upon research and technologies developed within previous regional collaborative programs between ICARDA and the national programs in the Mashreq and Maghreb regions:

• Increased Productivity of Barley, Pasture and Sheep in Critical Rainfall Zones (Mashreq Region), 1989-1994, supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD);

Both programs focused on adaptive research and the transfer of available technology aimed at increasing the productivity of barley, forages and other feed crops, and small ruminants in rainfed semi-arid areas, and had made progress in testing and verifying improved technologies under farmers' conditions. Instigated by the success achieved, the Mashreq/Maghreb Project was formulated to unite these two programs into one coordinated initiative on the integration of crop and livestock production. This received prompt support of the two donors, AFESD and IFAD .

• Transfer, Adoption and Impact of Improved Agricultural Technologies in the Rainfed Semi-Arid Regions of North Africa (Maghreb Region), 1992-1995, supported by IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development) and AFESD.

The program is now in its second phase: the first (three-year) phase of the program was January 1995-December 1997. The second (four-year) phase commenced in July 1998 and will conclude end of 2002. But preparations are under way to launch a new phase.