ICARDA News

INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH IN THE DRY AREAS
P.O. Box 5466, Aleppo, Syria
Phone: (963-21) 2213433, 2213477, 2225112, 2225012
Fax: (963-21) 2213490, 2225105; E-mail: ICARDA@CGIAR.ORG
Website: http://www.icarda.cgiar.org

Five senior scientists from Iraq visited ICARDA, 3-4 December 2003, to develop a work plan with the Center's scientists in key areas of research, as well as for crop technology demonstrations. They were: Drs Azzildeen Al Shamma, Naqed A. Khamis and Kutaiba M. Hassan from the Ministry of Agriculture; Dr Ahmed Al-Zubaidi from the University of Baghdad; and Dr Adnan Adary from IPA Agricultural Research Center.
     Dr William Erskine, ADG (Research),

ICARDA, convened the meetings with Iraqi and ICARDA scientists. Welcoming the Iraqi delegation to ICARDA, he reviewed the past and present ICARDA/Iraq collaborative activities in germplasm enhancement and exchange, natural resources management (especially on-farm water-use efficiency), the Mashreq and Maghreb Project activities, and human resource development (ICARDA has, to date, trained over 350 Iraqi researchers in different disciplines). He stressed that the joint work plan for the future will capitalize on previous collaboration between ICARDA and Iraq. Iraqi delegates highlighted the progress of winter cropping and identified major constraints facing farmers and the agricultural sector, including shortages of seeds, fertilizers, chemicals, spare parts, and fuel and lubricants. Security situation is still one of the major constraints hindering the rehabilitation of the agricultural sector in Iraq, they said.
     The team developed concept notes for future collaborative work on agroecological characterization, genetic resources, supplemental irrigation and seed system rehabilitation. To implement the joint work plan on crop technology demonstrations, the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture has requested ICARDA for 20 tonnes of seed of wheat, barley, lentil and chickpea. ICARDA is exploring the possibility to meet this request.

ICARDA's (www.icarda.org) mission is to improve the welfare of people and alleviate poverty through research and training in dry areas of the developing world by increasing production, productivity, and nutritional quality of food, while preserving and enhancing the natural resource base. ICARDA is a Future Harvest Center.