 |
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 |
|
|
Media
contact:
Dr Surendra Varma (s.varma@CGIAR.ORG)
|
||
|
29 December 2005
|
||
Second
RALF Projects Workshop Held in Kabul
In view of the importance and economic potential of medicinal plants as sustainable alternatives to the prevailing illicit crop, several of the RALF projects are aimed at the cultivation and utilization of medicinal plants. Therefore, the first day of the workshop was devoted to a symposium on “Medicinal Plants: Research, Cultivation, Conservation, Processing and Marketing.” The symposium provided a platform for RALF implementing partners to interact and share results and experiences. Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Food (MAAHF), Senior Advisors Mr Ghafoor Khan and Mr Mirdad Panjshiri, appreciated ICARDA’s initiative in organizing a symposium on medicinal plants, which, they said, was the “first of its kind in Afghanistan.” Representatives from the University of Kabul, Ministry of Commerce, and MAAHF made presentations at the symposium. Their presentations provided an overview of the medicinal flora of Afghanistan, present and future export potential of medicinal plants, and impact of collection of the wild medicinal flora, without conservation measures, on their sustainability. Representatives from the educational, research and industrial organizations of Iran and Pakistan were also present at the workshop and made presentations. The Iranian presentations were made by Dr B. Rezaee, Dr Abdullah Mullah Filabi and Mr Hussaein Hejazi of the Ministry of Jehad-e-Agriculture of Iran; Khorasan Science Research Park, Mashhad; and GTB Group of Companies, respectively. Their papers focused on the overview of medicinal plants research at the Research Institute of Forests and Rangeland; production technology and processing of saffron in Iran; and extraction of the medicinally active ingredients by the GTB Group of Industries. The guest speaker from Pakistan, Dr Mohammad Khan Asrar, presented an overview of the activities of the Qarshi Herb Research Center of Pakistan, while Dr Javed Rizvi of ICARDA-Afghanistan presented highlights of the activities of RALF project on mint, which ICARDA is implementing. Participants appreciated the success achieved by the mint project in establishing Mint Producers Associations, and for initiating members into the dry mint and mint water trade. The second day of the workshop was devoted to the theme “Markets, Market Processes, and Marketing: National and International Context.” RALF partners, ICARDA experts, and guest speakers deliberated on various issues of production and marketing of agricultural products and services. Nineteen presentations were made, followed by discussions. The presentations by Ms Betsy Beamon of Women of Hope; Melody McNeil of Catholic Relief Services, Herat; and Sara Chayes of Arghand, Kandahar, provided new dimensions for alternative livelihoods involving women.
The RALF project also supports universities in Afghanistan through capacity building activities. As part of this initiative, the Iranian speakers were formally introduced to the Faculties of Agriculture and Pharmacy of Kabul University, where they interacted with faculty members and students. During the visit to the university, scientists presented their work on medicinal plants and expressed their willingness to cooperate with Iran in the development of teaching materials and use of modern analytical equipment. The Qarshi Herb Research Centre of Pakistan also expressed its readiness to cooperate and provide opportunities for the training of Afghan researchers. To round-up the week-long activities, a seminar was held on medicinal plants at MAAHF, Herat, on 23 November. The Director General of Agriculture of Herat Province, Mr Qane’a, and the Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, Herat University, Mr Omaid, jointly inaugurated the seminar, while representatives from Iran made keynote presentations. The program ended with a trip to saffron fields at Kohdastan Farms, east of Herat, where the Iranian experts offered valuable advice on the proper methods of drying and processing saffron. For more information, please contact: Dr Najibullah Malik |
About
ICARDA: Established in 1977, ICARDA (www.icarda.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.