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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 |
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For
more information contact:
Dr Surendra Varma (s.varma@CGIAR.ORG)
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7 April 2005
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| The Dryland
Agrobiodiversity Project’s painting contest linked the diverse
disciplines of art and biology to promote public awareness of the
issues surrounding biodiversity conservation among school children
in Jordan, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, and Syria. The project, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and coordinated by ICARDA, worked with the Ministries of Education in the four countries to introduce the concept of biodiversity conservation and its value to society to school children through lectures by project managers or trained teachers, field visits to project sites, and the presentation of nationally and regionally developed documentary films. Project brochures and posters were also distributed to school students. Children between the ages of 10 and 14 years were then invited to participate in a painting contest to assess their level of comprehension. They were asked to create drawings or paintings that reflected various aspects of agrobiodiversity such as the diversity of crops, major factors of degradation, the role of farmers and local communities in traditional agriculture, and the role of agrobiodiversity in human nutrition and in diversifying incomes. A committee from the project with officials from the Ministries of Education first screened the submissions before passing them on to a 10-person panel for the final decision. The panel consisted of Project Managers and representatives from ICARDA and IPGRI, who reviewed the paintings during the Project Managers' Consultation Meeting held at ICARDA headquarters on 21 March 2005. Four paintings were chosen for each country (see page 5). The winners will be taken on a tour of the project’s target areas in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria later this month. Also, certificates of recognition will be awarded to them at the regional agrobiodiversity fair to be held at Sweida in Syria. T-shirts, caps, and school bags produced by the project will be distributed to all participants of the painting contest. This activity has allowed the development of strong links between the national and regional institutions involved in the implementation of the project and the Ministries of Education in the four countries.
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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.