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.org
22 June 2006
                             Media contact: Surendra Varma (s.varma@CGIAR.ORG)
 
Promoting Women Farmers’
Involvement in Participatory Plant Breeding
Syrian and Jordanian women farmers selecting promising lines in a barley trial in Deraa, Syria.
Women play a vital role in agriculture in Syria; however, they are not always involved in participatory plant breeding (PPB) activities. In order to promote experience-sharing in PPB among Syrian and Jordanian women farmers and encourage Syrian women to be involved in PPB activities, a field visit was organized on 20–23 May 2006. Participants in the field visits included 10 Jordanian women who are currently involved in PPB activities in Jordan and 16 Syrian women farmers. The Jordanian and Syrian women farmers visited PPB research project sites in Sweida, Suran, and Khabab in Syria.

The visits and interactions offered the women farmers ample opportunity to discuss major issues in PPB and how they could be involved in addressing them. Consequently, the Syrian women participants have developed a positive attitude towards their involvement in field selection and other PPB activities and expressed their willingness to participate in future activities. They expressed interest particularly in PPB activities involving wheat, lentil, and chickpea. The visit was useful in promoting awareness among Syrian women farmers about the importance of their involvement in PPB activities.

Drs S. Grando, Y. Mustafa, C. Farnworth, C. Di Gloria, M. Michael and S. Ceccarelli, from ICARDA; Ms A. Galie, a visitor to ICARDA; Dr A. Al Yassin, leader of the Rainfed Program at NCARTT, Jordan; and Ms Maisaa Haddadin, a researcher at NCARTT, Jordan, coordinated and facilitated the visits.


For more information contact: Dr Stefania Grando
  

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.
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