I C A R D A    N e w s

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
For more information contact: Dr Surendra Varma (s.varma@CGIAR.ORG)
 
 
25 May 2005
Eighth Steering Committee Meeting of the CGIAR Program for CAC
The Steering Committee Meeting in progress. Left to right: Dr Juergen Voegele, Chairman of the Program Executive Committee, the World Bank; Dr Ren Wang, IRRI Deputy Director General (Research), representing Dr Ronald Cantrell, Co-Chair of the Program Executive Committee; Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy, Director General of ICARDA, and Chair of the Center Directors Committee Task Force for CAC; Dr Hans van Ginkel, Rector, United Nations University, Tokyo, Japan; Acad. Bobo Sanginov, former President of the Tajik Academy of Agricultural Sciences; and Prof. Dr Magdy Madkour, Assistant Director General (International Cooperation), ICARDA.
The eighth meeting of the Steering Committee of the CGIAR Eco-Regional Program for Sustainable Agriculture in Central Asia and the Caucasus (CAC) was held at ICARDA on 2-3 May 2005. More than 50 scientists from the eight CAC countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan as well as from the nine CG centers and two non-CG international centers, participating in the program, attended the meeting. Dr Geoff Hawtin, Executive Secretary, Global Crop Diversity Trust (GCDT) from FAO also participated.

Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy, Director General of ICARDA, who is also the Chair of the Center Directors Committee Task Force for CAC, welcomed the participants. “It is heartening to see that most of the heads of the NARS are attending this historic meeting, as it marks the 10th anniversary of ICARDA’s full engagement with NARS of the CAC region,” he said. He paid tribute to all individuals and institutions that are playing key roles in enabling the program to take shape. The CGIAR program has made tremendous achievements and the role of agricultural research is starting to receive priority. “We are pleased that all the national governments in the region are now placing more emphasis on agricultural research for development,” he said.
Participants of the Eighth CGIAR-CAC Program Steering Committee meeting, held at ICARDA in Aleppo, Syria on 2-3 May 2005. Among those seen in the picture are Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy, DG of ICARDA; Dr Hans van Ginkel, Rector, United Nations University, Tokyo, Japan; Dr Geoff Hawtin, Executive Secretary, Global Crop Diversity Trust; Dr Ren Wang, DDG (Research), IRRI; Acad. Bobo Sanginov, former President of the Tajik Academy of Agricultural Sciences; Dr Thomas Lumpkin, DG, World Vegetable Center; Dr Mohamed El-Attar, DG, ICBA; and representatives from CAC NARS and participating CG centers including ICARDA.

Prof. Dr El-Beltagy said that the CG centers are committed to continue working together to support the ongoing program on development of agricultural research systems in the CAC region. He noted that due to ongoing global changes, the CGIAR Consortium needs to keep pace through effective collaboration and innovative partnerships. “By expanding partnerships and adopting a programmatic approach to research, the CGIAR centers have the ability to respond to changes in the external environment,” he said. He also said that the priorities of the CGIAR CAC program need to be adjusted within the framework of the new System-wide priorities developed by the Science Council.

He thanked the donor community and the NARS for their continued support to the program.
Participants of the SIDA-CAC planning meeting on genetic resources conservation, held at ICARDA in Aleppo, Syria on 4 May 2005. Among those seen in the picture are: Dr Carl-Gustaf Thornstrom and Mr Peter Herthelius of the Swedish International Development Agency; and Dr Geoff Hawtin of the Global Crop Diversity Trust; representatives of CAC NARS and of GCDT; and ICARDA participants.
Prof. Dr Magdy Madkour, Assistant Director General (International Cooperation) at ICARDA, also welcomed the participants and said "the meeting marked the celebration of a decade of collaboration between ICARDA and national programs in the CAC region to improve agriculture and livelihoods." He hailed the strong partnership between the CG centers and NARS, adding that this should be extended to NGOs, the private sector and other research institutes. He said that the impact of the CGIAR program is already visible and results need to be linked to various development projects at national level.

On behalf of the World Bank, Dr Juergen Voegele, Chairman of the Program Executive Committee, said that the Bank is satisfied with the progress made by the program and appreciated the increased partnerships in the collaborative activities. He called for a re-thinking of priorities of the program to keep them in tune with the changing priorities of the region. He said the World Bank is committed to continued support to the development of the region.

The IRRI Deputy Director General (Research), Dr Ren Wang, who represented Dr Ronald Cantrell, Co-Chair of the Program Executive Committee, thanked the donors, mainly the World Bank, for supporting the CG program in CAC. “Without their participation, we, the centers, would not have the impact we have had,” he said. Acad. Bobo Sanginov, former President of the Tajik Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and Co-Chair of the Program Executive Committee, also appreciated the work of the CGIAR-CAC program and thanked all the partners for their enthusuastic efforts.
Prof. Tolib Nabiev, President of the Tajik Academy of Agricultural Sciences, honoring Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy, Director General of ICARDA and Chair of the Center Directors Committee Task Force for CAC, with a traditional Tajik gown, for his outstanding support to the growth and development of the CGIAR Program for CAC.

Dr Raj Paroda, Head of the Facilitation Unit of the CGIAR Program for CAC, outlined the major achievements of the program, which include: development and release of 12 improved crop varieties; improved agronomic practices, capacity building for NARS; development of networks within the region for agricultural research; activities on water-use efficiency; improved livestock production practices; and building capacity for conservation of biodiversity.

During the meeting, country status reports on agricultural research were presented by the representatives of the respective CAC countries. Also, reports on ongoing collaborative activities with the various CG centers were presented by center scientists. These included: field crop genetic resources; germplasm enhancement; diversification; integrated natural resources management; water and crop management; feed and livestock management; wheat, groundnut, potato and rice improvement; strengthening vegetable research; and new initiatives on biosaline agriculture.

After the Steering Committee meeting, a meeting on plant genetic resources for the CAC region was held on 4 May 2005 at ICARDA. It drew participants from the eight CAC countries, the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), GCDT and ICARDA. The meeting discussed challenges facing genetic resource conservation in CAC and possible program initiatives to be supported by SIDA.

Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy hosted a dinner reception in honor of the Steering Committee participants on 1 May. Leaders of CAC NARS and others who contributed to the success of the program were recognized (see pictures below).

Honoring Leaders of CAC NARS for their Outstanding Contributions
Acad. Gani Kaliev, Leader of the Agrarian Party of the Republic of Kazakhstan and former President of the Kazakh Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Acad. Jamin Akimaliev, Director of Kyrgyz Research Institute of Agriculture former President of the Kyrgyz Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
Acad. Bobo Sanginov, former President of the Tajik Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Acad. Dr Azymkhan Satybaldin, former Director General of the National Academic Center for Agricultural Research (NACAR), Kazakhstan.
Dr Asad Musaev, Director General, Agrarian Sciences Center of Azerbaijan. Dr Ashir Saparmyradov, Head of the Deprtament of Agricultural Sciences, Ministry of Agriculture, Turkmenistan.
Dr Mikhlis Suleimenov, Consultant, ICARDA-CAC. Dr Suren Beniwal, former Regional Coordinator of the ICARDA-CAC Regional Program. Dr Zakir Khalikulov, Consultant-Scientist, CGIAR-PFU for CAC.

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 countries, international and regional organizations, and private foundations supporting15 international research centers that mobilizes cutting-edge science to promote sustainable development by reducing hunger and poverty, improving human nutrition and health, and protecting the environment.
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