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
12 July 2007
Media contact: Surendra Varma (s.varma@CGIAR.ORG), Ravi R. Prasad (r.prasad@cgiar.org)
 
New Water Harvesting Project in Turkey
ICARDA's Integrated Land and Water Management Program has launched a new project on rooftop water harvesting in Turkey. The project, mainly financed by Coca Cola through UNDP-Turkey, will run for three years, with a budget of US$ 350,000. It aims at improving household water supplies in poor rural communities by using rooftop water harvesting techniques - providing water for drinking, household use and gardening. A pilot community of 40 households has been selected near Baypasari.
The ICARDA/UNDP team with the Dean and other staff of the College of Agriculture at Ankara University.

Dr Theib Oweis, Director, ICARDA-IWLMP, and Mr Akhtar Ali, Agricultural Engineer, visited Turkey on 20-23 May, to finalize the agreement with UNDP, identify national collaborators, select the project site, and initiate the activities. Meetings were held at UNDP with Mr Mahmood Ayub, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Turkey; Ms Ulrika Richardson-Golinski, Deputy Resident Representative; Ms Katalin Zaim, Program Manager; and Dr Bogachan Benli, Project Manager (former ICARDA Post-doctoral Fellow and the main driving force behind this project). They also visited the project site to interact with Mr Mansur Yavas, Mayor of Baypasari, and other community leaders.
Dr Theib Oweis (second right) explains the project objectives to the Mayor of Baypasari town. He is accompanied by Dr Bogachan Benli (right), Project Manager, and Mr Akhtar Ali, Agricultural Engineer.

Dr Oweis gave a presentation on ICARDA's water-related research at the UN House in Ankara. Staff from UNDP, the Ministry of Agriculture, and other organizations attended the seminar. The project also involves collaboration with Ankara University, through joint supervision of a PhD student. Dr Oweis visited the University and met with Prof. Cemal Talug, Dean of the College of Agriculture, and other faculty members. He also visited the Soil and Water Research Institute of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and met with its Director, Dr Bulent Sonmez.
The ICARDA/UNDP team interacted with the community at the project site in Turkey.

  

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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