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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
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Media contact: Surendra Varma (s.varma@CGIAR.ORG)
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Eighth
International Conference on Dryland Development
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| The International
Dryland Development Commission (IDDC) held its 8th International Conference
on Dryland Development (ICDD) under the theme "Human and Nature-Working
Together for Sustainable Development in the Drylands" in Beijing,
China, 25-28 February 2006. The conference was hosted by the Chinese
Academy of Sciences (CAS), and cosponsored by the United Nations University
(UNU), Tokyo, Japan; Arid Land Research Center (ALRC), Tottori, Japan;
Dryland Research Institute (DRI), Nevada, USA; and Cold and Arid Regions
Environmental and Engineering Research Institute (CAREERI), Lanzhou,
China. The AAAID, CAS, CGIAR, COMSTECH, FAO and ICARDA supported the
Commission in organizing the conference. Some 200 participants from
26 countries and five international organizations participated in
the conference. This was the first major event heralding the beginning of the UN Year of Deserts and Desertification. The themes covered by the conference included: (i) soil and water conservation and degradation; (ii) dust-storm process; (iii) range management; (iv) forage and livestock production; (v) biodiversity and ethnobotany; (vi) stress physiology; (vii) renewable energy; (viii) indigenous/traditional knowledge and heritage; (ix) sustainable development of oases, desert communities and socioeconomic studies, and the role of NGOs; and (x) the application of new technologies and technology transfer in crop improvement for dry areas. During the conference, the participants visited an exhibition of publications and posters by the CGIAR Centers (ICARDA, ICRAF, ICRISAT, IFPRI, and WorldFish) and the CGIAR Secretariat, CAREERI and DRI. A panel discussion was also held on the "Implementation of the Convention to Combat Desertification." The session generated great interest in identifying ways to enhance the implementation of the UNCCD action plans. |
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.