 |
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)
|
||
|
6 - 13 January 2005
|
||
2005:
The Challenges Ahead
| The start of a new year is a time for retrospection, taking stock
of what succeeded and what did not, and use the lessons learned to
plan for the future. This issue of The Week takes a look at some of
ICARDA's contributions to fulfilling its mission of promoting agricultural
research and development in the dry areas over the course of 2004
and provides a glance into what lies ahead in 2005. Looking Back-2004 New, Improved Crop Varieties Released ICARDA and its partners released more than 30 improved cereal and food and feed legume varieties in at least 14 countries in 2004. Five new cereal varieties were released in Jordan. Of these, two varieties of barley (Roho/A. Abiad/6250/1161 and Esp/1808-4L/Harmal-02), one of durum wheat ('Omrabi-6'), and one of bread wheat (TsiVee'S') originated from ICARDA germplasm. Two varieties of bread wheat, 'Azametly-95' and 'Nurlu-99,' from CIMMYT-ICARDA-Turkey nurseries, were released in Azerbaijan. These varieties demonstrated good resistance to diseases, including yellow rust, and are suitable for irrigated conditions in the low-lands and foothills. In Ethiopia, two varieties of chickpea, 'Chefe' and 'Habru,' and two of lentil, 'Tershale' and 'Alem Tina' were released. The ICARDA kabuli chickpea breeding line FLIP90-96 was released in Iran as 'Arman.' 'Arman' has a 56% yield advantage over presently grown varieties, a high protein content, and resistance to Ascochyta blight. 'Janalik,' a chickpea variety from ICARDA nursery FLIP 92-25C, was released in Kazakhstan; 'SI-80,' a chickpea variety from ICARDA nursery ILC 32-79, was released in Tajikistan; chickpea lines FLIP 98-12C and FLIP 98-142C were released in Kyrgyzstan; 'Zumrad' and 'Jahongir,' two varieties of chickpea, as well as a lentil variety, 'Darmon,' and a vetch variety, 'Bostok-85,' were released in Uzbekistan. Four chickpea varieties--'Kimberley Large,' 'CLIMA Kabuli 1,' 'CLIMA Kabuli 2,' and 'CLIMA Kabuli 3'--selected from ICARDA-supplied germplasm, were released in Australia. 'Kimberley Large' is a large-seeded variety with a yield advantage of 6% over the currently grown variety. 'San Isidro,' a new faba bean variety was selected from ICARDA's international nursery and released by the Institute of Agricultural, Water, and Forestry Research and Training of the State of Mexico (ICAMEX). 'San Isidro' is tolerant to chocolate spot and has desirable agronomic characteristics like short stature, lodging resistance, earliness, uniform maturity and high yield potential. One variety of grass pea and five of vetch developed from ICARDA materials were released in Turkey. 'Gurbu-2001,' the new grass pea variety is recommended for seed and straw. The vetch varieties released in Turkey were 'Anadolu pembesi,' 'Segmen-2002,' 'Baydurbey-2002,' 'Tarman-2002,' and 'Oguz-2002.' Awards for Excellence in Science Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy, Director General, received an honorary doctorate and the academic status of Honorable Professor from the Azerbaijan Agricultural Academy, in recognition of his contributions to promoting agricultural research and development in Azerbaijan. Prof. El-Beltagy also received the Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS) Honorary Medal for his valuable contributions to OSS since its inception. Dr Mohan C. Saxena, Assistant Director General (At-Large), received an honorary doctorate degree from the Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India, for his outstanding contributions to agricultural research. Dr Rajendra S. Paroda, Regional Coordinator, Regional Program for Central Asia and the Caucasus (CAC) and Head of the Program Facilitation Unit of the CGIAR, received the following honors and awards in recognition of his contributions to agricultural research and development in developing countries:
Dr John Ryan, Soil Fertility Scientist, won the 2004 International Service in Agronomy Award that is given by the American Society of Agronomy (ASA) to an individual who has had a major impact in agronomy at the international level. He was also appointed member of the International Crop Science Committee (ICSC) for a three-year term by the Crop Science Society of America (CSSA). Dr Shibani Ghosh won first place for her poster on 'Growth Status of Children in North-West Syria: A Comparison of Three Rural Livelihood Groups' at the 7th annual student poster presentation at the School of Public Health and Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts, USA. The objective of Dr Ghosh's research was to determine the socioeconomic factors affecting access to nutritious foods. Working to Restore Agricultural Systems in Conflict-Affected Areas ICARDA contined its work to rebuild agricultural systems in Afghanistan. Under the Research in Alternative Livelihoods Fund (RALF) project the Center is working to develop and promote innovative alternative livelihood options for rural Afghans currently economically depenedent on opium poppy. ICARDA is also working on improving technology transfer, establishing village-based seed enterprises, and introducing protected agriculture to Afghanistan under the Rebuilding Agricultural Markets in Afghanistan (RAMP) program. Both RALF and RAMP and funded by USAID. The Center is also helping to rebuild Iraq’s agriculture. ICARDA held meetings with Iraqi officials and will be working on human resource development and capacity building; participating in regional and international scientific conferences and workshops; exchanging adapted germplasm and improved varieties; and establishing demonstration trials and organizing farmer field days and study tours. Key Events, Meetings, and Conferences ICARDA's Annual Presentation Day was held in April. The guests included several ministers, ambassadors, leaders of national programs in the CWANA region, and media representatives. In his address, Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy, ICARDA DG, reviewed the challenges facing agriculture in the dry areas and therefore the livelihoods of the poor. He summarized key achievements of the Center in alleviating poverty and protecting the natural resource base, strengthening human capacity and research infrastructure in national programs, and expanding partnerships to make the best use of new science and expertise. He thanked the donors whose continued support enables the Center to achieve its mission and paid tribute to the national agricultural research systems in the region for their active participation in joint work with ICARDA to meet common objectives. The Center hosted the Science Council's inaugural meeting in May. The issues discussed at the meeting included the changing trends in global agricultural research, monitoring and evaluating the change process in the CGIAR, external reviews, and a report of the study on biosafety. The Center also hosted the CGIAR Center Board Chairs Committee (CBC), and Center Directors Committee (CDC) meetings in May. The agendas of the meetings included Center reports, evaluation of the CGIAR Board Orientation Program, CGIAR structure and membership, donor performance assessment, updates from the task forces of the CDC and Future Harvest, and lessons learned from the Challenge Programs. Prof. Dr El-Beltagy participated in an international conference on "Living with the Desert" held in UN House, Tokyo, Japan. The aim of the conference was to review global research on managing dryland natural resources and anthropogenic adaptation to the desert. He made a keynote presentation on "Harnessing New Science to Combat Desertification," in which he described the need for a holistic approach which focuses on technological interventions that address land, water, and food security problems. The Second International Conference on Sunn Pest was held at ICARDA in July on the theme "Enhancing International Cereal Production for Food Security." The conference attracted over 130 participants, featured 50 oral and 30 poster presentations on a variety of topics including the socioeconomics, integrated management, and biology and ecology of Sunn pest. ICARDA was well represented at AGM04 held in Mexico in October. The Center organized a special luncheon meeting for the CGIAR Program for Central Asia and the Caucasus, and co-hosted a meeting on Desertification, Drought, Poverty and Agriculture with ICRISAT. ICARDA also set up two display booths with publications, posters, CD-ROMs and a non-stop multimedia video presentation at AGM04. An international workshop on "Grass Pea as a Food and Feed Crop" was held at ICARDA in November. It aimed to establish partnerships for research and development on grass pea, share knowledge on grass pea as a food and feed crop, and develop a project proposal to scale-out low-toxin grass pea technologies to improve food security and soil productivity in Africa and Asia. Participants came from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and the United States of America. The Regional Programs of ICARDA continued to be active in fostering partnerships, promoting joint research, organizing workshops and training courses, and strengthening ties with aid agencies. Important Visitors to ICARDA ICARDA hosted a number of distinguished visitors from various countries during 2004. H.E. Honorable Kim Chance, the Western Australia Minister of Agriculture, led a delegation to the Center in February. The delegation met with ICARDA senior management and discussed research projects funded by Australia and potential areas for future collaboration. The Center hosted a delegation from the Belgian Parliament, also in February. The delegation was led by Honorable Senator Anne-Marie Lizin, President, Senate Commission for Foreign Affairs and Defense, who was particularly interested in the Center's work in enhancing the sustainable use of limited water resources in the region and in the collection and use of genetic resources for the development of agriculture in the dry areas. The Assistant Director General of the FAO, Dr Henri Carsalade, visited ICARDA in April. He reviewed the past and present collaborative activities between the FAO and ICARDA, including participation in various Technical Cooperation Programs (TCP), regional networks, and work in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq. Mr Lennart Båge, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), visited ICARDA in May. He was accompanied by Dr Abdulmajid Slama, Director of Near East and North Africa (NENA) Division of IFAD; Dr Abdelhamid Abdouli, Country Portfolio Manager for NENA Division; and Ms Farhana Haque Rahman, Coordinator, Communications Special Program of IFAD. The delegation had the opportunity to get a first-hand view of the physical facilities and research that resulted from their partnership with the Center. Prof. Dr El-Beltagy expressed ICARDA's gratitude for IFAD's generous support for the construction of the Administration and Training Building of the Center. He also acknowledged IFAD's continued support for research on improving the livelihoods of rural communities in the dry areas. H.E. Mr Sardar Yar Muhammad Rind, Federal Minister of Food, Agriculture and Livestock, Pakistan, visited ICARDA in July to discuss areas of collaboration in improving agricultural systems in dry areas in Pakistan. The Minister met with the Director General and other members of ICARDA management and scientists with whom he discussed the close ties that have developed between ICARDA and the national agricultural research and development programs in Pakistan. Looking Ahead—2005 At the United Nations Millennium Summit, held in September 2000, world leaders and their development partners committed themselves to a set of targets to be achieved by 2015, aimed at providing better lives for the millions of people still mired in poverty around the world. This year, therefore, starts a decade during which decisive difference must be made to the lives of the poor if the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) are to be achieved. ICARDA’s New Strategic Plan and Research Portfolio To support the developing countries in the dry areas achieve the MDGs, ICARDA has launched the development of a new research strategy to focus more on poverty alleviation starting 1 January 2005. The 19 research projects, on which the Center's research portfolio was built, have been consolidated into six Mega-Projects (MPs) for better coherence of research activities. The six mega-projects are: 1. Management of scarce water resources and mitigation of drought Major elements: Assessment of available water resources and their use; options for improving the productivity of water and for mitigating drought, including water resource management, drought-tolerant and water-use efficient germplasm, and agronomic management of cropping systems; policy and institutional research to create an enabling environment that supports the dissemination and adoption of water-efficient technologies and drought-mitigating practices; and institutional strengthening and capacity building. 2 Integrated gene management: Conservation, improvement and sustainable use of agrobiodiversity Major elements: Ex situ and in situ conservation, characterization and evaluation of agrobiodiversity including agriculturally useful plant species and small ruminant biodiversity; germplasm enhancement for higher and more stable yield, improved end-use and nutritional quality, better biotic and abiotic resistance and adaptation to climate change, including use of biotechnological tools and development of plant breeding methodologies; formal and informal seed production systems; policy and institutional research in support of in situ conservation of agrobiodiversity; and institutional strengthening and capacity building. 3. Improved land management to combat desertification Major elements: Assessment of desertification; 'best-bet' technologies for the management of land, water, vegetation and rangelands, especially the communal management of rangeland resources and the livestock grazing systems they support, to control degradation and combat desertification; policy and institutional research to create an enabling environment that supports the dissemination and adoption of technologies and management practices for combating desertification; and institutional strengthening and capacity building. 4. Diversification and sustainable improvement of rural livelihoods Major elements: Research on household investment and marketing opportunities for value-added crop and livestock products; options to both increase and diversify the value of crop production, including alternative high-value crops, improved integrated production and pest management of crops, enhanced crop and feed/livestock production systems, and improved quality and added value of end products; options to increase the productivity of livestock (small ruminants) and to diversify and increase the quality and value of their products; policy and institutional research to support diversification of income generating options and their adoption by various target groups (men and women) including private sector links; and institutional strengthening and capacity building. 5. Poverty and livelihoods analysis Major elements: Analysis of the determinants of poverty and rural livelihood strategies, including gender analysis; assessments of the impact of agricultural research on poverty reduction in all its dimensions and across different sectors of rural society; market and non-market valuation of the natural resources used by rural communities and analysis of the impact of NRM research on rural livelihoods; analysis of the returns to investments in the dry areas; and institutional strengthening and capacity building. 6. Knowledge management and dissemination for sustainable development Major elements: Management and dissemination of information on technological, institutional and policy options; institutionalization of participatory and community-based research approaches; frameworks for up-scaling pro-poor innovations; strengthening national seed systems; dissemination of lessons learned from conflict/post-conflict rehabilitation of agriculture; development of scientific data bases, tools and methodologies; development of innovative distance learning and other training methods; strengthening research-extension linkages and enhancing extension capacity to serve end-users through new tools such as expert systems. In addition, ICARDA is the convening Center for a CGIAR System-wide Eco-regional Program: "Collaborative Research Program for Sustainable Agricultural Development in Central Asia and the Caucasus." |
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.