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The Palestinian Authority
• The project staff were very active in providing training to all
members of the project team. Specialists in plant taxonomy,
seed technology, and plant breeding provided training, and
explained the related activities to be conducted within the
project;
• The Project Manager, Mr Younis Sbeih, participated in a
training course on 'Management of development assistance'
organized 17-21 July 2000 by the UNDP/Programme of
Assistance to the Palestinian People;
• A national workshop on policy and legislation was organized
at the Ministry of Agriculture, and was attended by 25 people,
including national experts and the project team. The
participants developed a framework for the development of
national policy and legislation, which was presented during a
regional thematic workshop on the same subject;
• Beginning August 2000, Mr Feras Badran joined the project
team as Agronomist, and Mr Fahir Abid as Field Assistant;
• Mr Salah Al-Laham, Rangeland Specialist, was accepted at
the Ben Gurion University for his MS studies. In September
2000, he attended a workshop organized by the Green
Palestine Project at the Ministry of Agriculture, Ramallah;
• Al Najah National University and the Palestinian Agricultural
Relief Committee (PARC) have been contracted by the
National Project Component to conduct public awareness
activities. A workshop was organized jointly to translate the
socio-economic findings into public awareness messages.
Syria
• Dr Akram Khoury, National Expert on legal issues, completed
his review of the existing legislation relating to the
conservation of biodiversity. His position as the Head of the
Agriculture and Environment Commission in the National
Assembly (Parliament) will help in introducing any suggested
reforms by the project;
• The Project Component organized an in-country course on
'Water harvesting techniques' in Damascus, 2-10 September
2000. Intended for 12 extension agents collaborating at the
project sites, the course included a 1-day field visit to the
water harvesting trials at Mahaseh/Al-Badiah;
• The Project Component organized another field day at the
Kanawat project site in Sweida, where 50 farmers discussed
the importance of wild relative species of fruit trees. The
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farmers were convinced that using the wild species Pistachia
atlantica as a rootstock reduces the susceptibility to
destructive insect pests attacking cultivated pistachio. The
farmers expressed their willingness to collaborate in the
establishment of wild fruit tree nurseries;
• Mr Issam Naji, Assistant Project Manager, presented a paper
on the project strategy and objectives at a symposium on
'Soil erosion limitation to control desertification' organized by
the Ministry of Environment, 18-19 September 2000.
Regional Component
• Dr O. Abdallah, Dr R. S. Malhotra, and Dr M. Nachit,
ICARDA/CIMMYT Experts in wheat and lentil, met with the
project team in Lebanon 21-22 July 2000, to discuss activities
on participatory breeding and the use of wild relatives in
germplasm enhancement. The ICARDA-Terbol station
agreed to help in the seed increase of collected genetic
material;
• Dr Muwaffak Chikhali, ACSAD Expert on plant taxonomy,
visited the project sites in Lebanon 18-21 July 2000, to assist
in the identification of species present at the project sites, and
in the development of a survey methodology for wild fruit tree
species;
• The Regional Coordinator participated in the preparation of a
logframe of a project proposal led by IPGRI-CWANA on
'Sustainable use of natural resources of Nebek to enhance
productivity and improve the livelihood of the people in the
region'. The project aims to promote the use of indigenous
species in the rehabilitation of the highly degraded areas of
the Nebek region in Syria. The local community and Deir
Marmousa are the main stakeholders of this project;
• During their visit to the target area in Ajloun, Dr Amri and Dr
Ajlouni visited the project sites Zoubia and Semta, where an
important population of Triticum dicoccoides remains on field
borders and on road edges. This population has many
morphological characteristics distinct from the populations of
the same species found in the Sweida target area in Syria;
• Dr Nuhad Abdallah, Coordinator of the new GEF project on
'Conservation of biodiversity and protected areas
management' in Syria, and Dr Ahmed Amri, Regional
Coordinator, discussed future collaboration between the two
GEF projects, and the possible involvement of ICARDA,
IPGRI, and ACSAD in providing the necessary international
expertise and training.
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