ICARDA’s regional program in West Asia encompasses the Fertile Crescent, where agriculture began some 10,000years ago. It is still home to crop varieties of invaluable global importance, but seriously threatened by the rapid loss of biodiversity in the region. The water shortage, land degradation and desertification are also leading to increased poverty, especially in rural areas where rainfed agriculture predominates. Overgrazed rangelands are less able to support the increasing numbers of livestock, and irrigated production is declining due to depletion of groundwater and increased problems of salinity. And the problems are only getting worse.

ICARDA’s West Asia Regional Program (WARP) coordinates agricultural research and development activities in Cyprus, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, Syria and lowland Turkey. With its head office in Amman, Jordan, the program plays a key role in joint bilateral and regional initiatives, as well as implementing several projects.
 

Working in partnership ICARDA’s partners in implementing research projects are the national agricultural research and extension systems, and increasingly, NGOs, farmer associations and local community groups. ICARDA also works with ministries of agriculture, the environment, water and irrigation, and many regional and international organizations – to better serve agricultural development in the region.

Farmers now participate directly in selecting improved crop varieties

New improved crop varieties
Each year, ICARDA provides research institutions in the region with plant material for their breeding programs on barley, wheat, lentil, chickpea, faba bean, vetch, grasspea and medic. Many improved varieties have been released by national programs in these countries over the years, originating from ICARDA germplasm. ICARDA also introduced ‘participatory plant breeding’ with scientists and farmers working in partnership. Following successes achieved with barley, it is now being institutionalized in Jordan and extended to wheat and pulses.

Reversing land degradation
Water harvesting and fodder shrub planting in the badia rangelands of Jordan and Syria have proved successful in reversing rangeland degradation. Micro-catchments and contour ridges are easily made and greatly increase fodder production and erosion control. Local communities have been fully involved and have begun to use the techniques themselves, suggesting high potential for widespread adoption.

Improving water use efficiency
ICARDA’s collaborative research on water and land management has identified options for the improved use of scarce water resources. Integrated and complementary approaches include water harvesting techniques, land tillage, supplemental irrigation, and crop residue management.

People and policies
Researching policy and institutional options is important to improve uptake and impact of results. For example, community models have been developed to assess the effects of different policy reforms on farmers, including an innovative decision-making tool that evaluates the effects of
technical, policy, and institutional options.

Saltbush (Atriplex) planted along contour ridges provide valuable dry season fodder

Training and community partnership are essential in ensuring impacts

Counting the benefits
The adoption and impacts of improved crop and livestock technologies introduced in the region were assessed from on-farm surveys. Improved barley varieties were grown by half of the farmers surveyed in Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan, and a third of those in Syria, and over half of the total barley growing area was planted to the new varieties in Jordan and Iraq, and one fifth in Syria. The feed block technology was taken up by most sheep owners in Iraq and one fifth of farmers in Jordan. In Syria, other successes included growing vetch in barley rotations and early weaning of lambs, both adopted by almost 30% of farmers.

Training for the future
Human resources are the cornerstone for success of rangeland development, so it is essential to continue to build of individual and institutional capacity. Appropriate training and education is undertaken, especially in planning and evaluation, and strengthening ties with the national programs and policy makers is also a top priority. In thirty years, 4600 people from the region have received training, including 2679 from Syria, 726 from Iraq, 580 from Jordan, 501 from Lebanon, and the first 76 from Palestine.

Increasing impacts
The work continues, but with more investment, more benefits can be achieved in the region to further reduce poverty. Based on previous impacts, this is immediately achievable in the areas of on-farm water use, conservation agriculture, rangelands and livestock, biodiversity conservation, adaptation to climate change, integrated pest management, crop diversification, poverty mapping, and capacity building. West Asia saw the birth of agriculture, but now it must see a rebirth if it is to meet the challenges ahead.

For more information, contact:
Dr Nasri Haddad, Regional Coordinator,
West Asia Regional Program (WARP)
ICARDA, PO Box 950764, Amman 11195, Jordan
n.haddad@cgiar.org, +962 6 5525750
icarda-jordan@cgiar.org