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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),
Ravi R. Prasad (r.prasad@cgiar.org)
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New
Project on Commodity Chain Analysis for
Horticultural Exports | |||
| A new IFAD-funded
project on 'Commodity Chain Analysis for Selected Horticultural Exports
in the NENA Region' has been launched. The Inception Workshop, organized
by ICARDA and hosted by the Horticulture Research Institute (HRI)
of the Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Giza, Egypt, was held on
23-25 June in Cairo. Prof. Dr Aymen Abou-Haddid, President of ARC, opened the workshop. Dr Kamil Shideed, Director of ICARDA's Social, Economic and Policy Research Program, presented the objectives of the workshop and the scope of the planned research. The project will undertake commodity chain analysis for selected horticultural commodities in the NENA region. Commodities will be selected based on comparative advantages, potential benefits for smallholder farmers, and linkages with ongoing IFAD projects in Egypt and Morocco. The project will focus on commodities that do not have a well-developed market chain.
The project is expected to (i) provide strategic directions for governments and private sector support, (ii) inform and guide investment opportunities and project development possibilities, and (iii) support policy dialog for improving the horticulture sector. The implementation workplan was developed with clearly defined responsibilities, deliverables and timelines. A field visit was organized on 25 June to an IFAD-related development project in West Nubaria, to provide first-hand knowledge of the different agents involved in horticulture exports and the contractual arrangements between exporters and small-scale farmers. Discussions with farmers and exporters revealed different risks and constraints, as well as potential solutions. |
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.