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: www.icarda.cgiar.org
1 July 2004
For more information contact:
Surendra Varma (s.varma@CGIAR.ORG)
ICARDA Hosts World Bank-ARD Meeting
Opening session of the World Bank Hub Training/Study Tour. Left to right: Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy, ICARDA DG; Dr Sushma Ganguly, Sector Manager, Agriculture and Rural Development, and Leader of the World Bank team; and H.E. Dr Abdallah Dardari, President, State Planning Commission of Syria.
A World Bank Hub Training/Study Tour took place at ICARDA on 12-16 June 2004. Jointly organized with the World Bank's Agriculture and Rural Development (ARD) Sector, the Hub Training was attended by over 40 participants who included senior officials from national agricultural research systems (NARS) of Jordan, Morocco, Mozambique, Palestine, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen; officials from the World Bank's ARD Sector, based in Washington DC, and their regional counterparts based in Egypt, Ghana, Palestine, and South Africa; and ICARDA senior scientists.

Distinguished NARS leaders attending the meeting included H.E. Dr Yousef Abu Safieh, Minister of Environmental Affairs of Palestine; H.E. Mr Abdallah Dardari, Head of State Planning Commission of Syria; Dr Issam El Zaim, Former Minister of Planning of Syria and Chairman, Syrian Economic Society; Prof. Dr Abdallah Abdallah, Former Minister of Agriculture of Sudan; Dr Awni Taimeh, Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture of Jordan; Dr Majd Jamal, Director General, GCASR, Syria; Dr Ismail Muharram, Chairman, Agricultural Research and Extension Authority of Yemen; Dr Said Jalala, Director General of Environment Authority, Palestine; Dr Elsadig Soliman, Deputy Director General of Agricultural Research Corporation, Sudan; and Dr Mohamed El-Gharous, Director of Arido Center, Settat, Morocco; Mr Mounir Zheili, Director of Irrigation & Agricultural Planning of State Planning Commission of Syria; and Dr Manuel Amane, Head, Crops and Farming System, INIA, Mozambique.
The World Bank representatives, senior NARS leaders from CWANA, and ICARDA senior officials who participated in the World Bank Hub Training/Study Tour.

During the opening session Dr Sushma Ganguly, Sector Manager ARD of the World Bank, said that the Hub Training was aimed to share experiences among the national agricultural research systems, CGIAR Centers and the World Bank on strategic issues affecting agriculture, especially the recent developments related to OECD markets, food safety standards, and WTO rules. Noting that the World Bank lends US$ 2 billion annually for projects on rural agriculture, Dr Ganguly said there was a need for closer collaboration with CGIAR Centers because they have a rich knowledge base that can be used to enhance agricultural productivity. She pointed out that the World Bank has prepared a strategy for rural development which emphasizes the importance of building institutions, infrastructure, and provision of incentives to ensure sustainable management of resources by the poor.

In his opening remarks the President of the State Planning Commission of Syria, H.E. Mr Abdallah Dardari, said that the presence of ICARDA in Syria has benefited the country's agricultural sector. Working with Syrian NARS to improve wheat varieties, ICARDA has helped the country to increase its annual wheat production from 0.5 million tonnes in the 1970s to more than 4 million tonnes today. He said that Syria has made a strategic decision to be fully involved in the global economy with the private sector as the driving force. Syria's development policy for the next 10 years will hinge on economic efficiency which is expected to lead to rapid growth rates; ensuring growth with equity; environmental sustainability; and national security, he said. In order to effectively address poverty in Syria, the government is working on a poverty map for the country. Dr Dardari called for collaboration with ICARDA and the World Bank in this endeavor.

Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy, ICARDA DG, welcomed the participants to the Center. He highlighted the challenges farmers are facing in the dry areas of the Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA) region, and elsewhere in the world. The CWANA region is facing increased desertification through wind erosion and salinization; overgrazing and unsustainable farming practices are damaging soil health; water poverty is poised to increase; there are persistent conflicts; and migration pressures. Prof. Dr El-Beltagy noted that in order to address the complex problems facing agriculture in the region, ICARDA is working in collaboration with NARS and other partners to increase the speed and efficiency of research using cutting-edge science. He said that ICARDA is committed to the task of producing international public goods in agriculture to contribute to food security, protection of the environment, and poverty alleviation.

The agenda of the Hub Training included two days of workshop and another two days of field visits to ICARDA's benchmark site for integrated natural resource management in Khanasser, and research sites for in situ biodiversity conservation near the coast of Lattakia. During the workshop there were presentations and discussions on: trade, food safety/standards and EU accession; agriculture and natural resource management in dry areas; land and water management in the dry areas; and institutions, partners, and regional programs. Presenters included World Bank officials, ICARDA scientists, and NARS representatives.

During the first day, participants were led on a 4-hour familiarization tour of ICARDA's work and facilities. They visited the biotechnology, GIS and pest bio-control laboratories, the genetic resources unit, the small ruminant research unit including the milk processing facility, and field sites for germplasm enhancement and water management trials. At each site the participants engaged in substantive discussions with ICARDA scientists.

At the close of the workshop, participants expressed high admiration for the professionalism of ICARDA scientists exhibited in their presentations, discussions and site visits. They noted the strong and unique relationship that exists between ICARDA and the NARS in the region. One participant from the World Bank commented that it would be beneficial to regularize such interactions between researchers, NARS and the World Bank staff.

In her closing remarks, Dr Sushma Ganguly, elaborated on possible areas of future collaboration between the World Bank and CGIAR Centers, especially ICARDA. Noting that the Centers have a wealth of knowledge that should be shared more widely, Dr Ganguly called for a systematic knowledge sharing approach through joint analytical work and publications, the CGIAR participation in the newly formed Global Platform on Rural Development, staff exchanges, and increased advocacy work. She also said that the World Bank has many agriculture projects in the CWANA region to which ICARDA can bring an enriching experience. Specifically, the World Bank would like to collaborate with ICARDA in the areas of water-use efficiency and sustainable cropping systems, and agrobiodiversity conservation. Dr Ganguly thanked ICARDA for organizing the Hub Training and was happy to note the senior-level representation of the NARS in the region, which included Ministers and Directors General of NARS.

Prof. Dr El-Beltagy thanked the World Bank for the Hub Training initiative and for deciding to hold the training at ICARDA. He said that ICARDA is a learning organization whose main product is knowledge. He emphasized that, to bridge the gap between research and development, there is a need to work closely with national partners to ensure that the knowledge generated reaches the ultimate users. Prof. Dr El-Beltagy also challenged participants and development practitioners to take seriously and implement decisions and recommendations reached at different international conferences related to poverty reduction.
Visit of the World Bank Study Tour Participants to ICARDA Laboratories
Biotechnology Laboratory
Pest Bio-Control Laboratory
GIS Laboratory
Genebank
Livestock Research Laboratory
Dairy Processing Laboratory
Seed Production and Processing Unit

"It has been wonderful having you here, and we are looking forward to a continued working relationship," Prof. Dr El-Beltagy concluded.

On 15 June the World Bank delegation visited Khanasser Valley, ICARDA's integrated natural resource management research site. The Valley is a transitional area between the crop lands and natural rangelands with problems representative of the marginal dry environments in the WANA region. ICARDA is working with farmers and NARS cooperators in the Valley to improve the livelihoods of the families, and to improve and develop tools that contribute to the CGIAR's integrated natural resources management approach.

Visit to Khanasser Valley Integrated Research Site

The visit started at the irrigation canal that brings fresh water from the Euphrates to the irrigated areas southeast of Aleppo where they saw the high productivity of the water in the small fields with horticultural and vegetable crops along the road. The next stop was at the Jabbul Salt Lake, a large inland drainage area just north of Khanasser Valley, which hosts thousands of beautiful water birds during the winter months. In summer, part of the lake dries up and a few villagers mine the salt. High salinities are also found in the groundwater in the center of Khanasser Valley, whereas the good quality groundwater in the limestone formations along the edges of the hill slopes is limited.

H.E. Dr Adel Safar (third from left), Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, Syria, hosted a dinner in honor of Dr Sushma Ganguly (second from left) and her World Bank colleagues in the company of Dr Yusef Abu-Safieh (fourth from right), Minister of Environment, Palestinian Authority; Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy (third from right), ICARDA DG; Dr Abdallah Abdallah, Former Minister of Agriculture, Sudan, and other distinguished guests.
The group then drove into the Valley and met farmers and shepherds who have been cooperating with ICARDA on intercropping of barley and saltbush and decentralized participatory barley breeding. The farmers expressed interest in special long-stem barley varieties which can give some yield even in low rainfall conditions.

During a short tea break at ICARDA's office in Harbakieh village, the group was given an overview of the different livelihoods of people in the marginal dry areas and how socioeconomists can help scientists focus their attention on options that can truly benefit the poor. The group then visited an olive orchard on the foot slopes where ICARDA's work with the Olive Bureau and farmers in the Valley on improving soil and water management of olive trees in dry areas was explained. The questions of the group were answered by Wadha El Mohamed, a woman farmer who manages the orchard.

Lamb fattening is another income generating option for farmers in the Valley. The group was introduced to ICARDA's research activities on various low-cost options for improving sheep nutrition during their visit to a lamb-fattening farm in Harbakieh.
Visit to ancient water wheels at Hama
Moving west of Aleppo, participants saw farmer- participatory crop improvement, adoption of supplementary irrigation by farmers, community-managed agrobiodiversity conservation, and the faba bean research site. A whole-day trip started with a visit to the ancient water wheels in Hama on the way to Lattakia. Participants admired the sophisticated ancient system that brought water up to a height of 20 meters from the Orontes river to supply Hama inhabitants and farms in the vicinity of the town. The next visit was to a supplementary irrigation project in the central part of the Ghab Valley. In the winter rainy season, water is pumped from the Orontes river to a dam system near the historical site of Aphamea. Later, in the dry period, water is brought through underground system to farmers' fields for supplementary irrigation, which can substantially increase the yield with relatively small amounts of water.

Visit to Irrigated Areas, West of Aleppo
The second part of the trip was focused on in situ agrobiodiversity conservation activities implemented under the framework of GEF/UNDP project. At the National Reforestation Nursery in Hannadi near Lattakia, participants met with Lattakia Province representatives, the National Component Project staff, and with Dr Majd Jamal, National Coordinator of the project, who briefed them on the project activities in Syria. He highlighted the impacts of the project and cited the example of changing the national strategy on reforestation. Only coniferous trees were previously planted in extensive reforestation projects in the whole country, even in dryland ecosystems to which they are alien and destroy the native herbaceous components, including important wild crop relatives. Now, natives tree such as wild almonds, wild pistachio, wild pears and other species are used for reforestation in dryland ecosystems. Dr Amri, ICARDA Regional Coordinator, introduced the regional component and discussed research activities in Jordan, Lebanon and the Palestinian Authority. Later, the visitors walked to a project nursery to see the native tree seedlings and learn about the native tree multiplication techniques. Finally, the group arrived in Haffeh, where they first stopped at a private tree nursery established with the project support and later visited a community-based reforestation site. At the end of the trip, participants visited the famous Saladdin castle, and watched a rural theater show on agrobiodiversity activities.

The Rural Development Sector of the World Bank has held Hub Training sessions in the past between its staff and CGIAR Centers as a way of sharing experiences between Bank Staff and CGIAR scientists. This was the first time for such a Hub Training to take place at ICARDA. The World Bank is the co-sponsor of, and one of the leading donors to the CGIAR.
Visit to In situ Conservation Site

About ICARDA: Established in 1977, ICARDA (www.icarda.cgiar.org) serves the entire developing world for the improvement of barley, lentil, and faba bean; and dry-area developing countries for the on-farm management of water, improvement of nutrition and productivity of small ruminants (sheep and goats), and rehabilitation and management of rangelands. In the Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA) region, ICARDA is responsible for the improvement of durum and bread wheats, chickpea, pasture and forage legumes and farming systems; and for the protection and enhancement of the natural resource base of water, land, and biodiversity.

The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) (www.cgiar.org) is a strategic alliance of 62 members and 16 Future Harvest Centers that mobilizes cutting-edge science to promote sustainable development by reducing hunger and poverty, improving human nutrition and health, and protecting the environment.
Back