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
20 September 2007
Media contact: Surendra Varma (s.varma@CGIAR.ORG), Ravi R. Prasad (r.prasad@cgiar.org)
 
International Workshop on Improving Water Productivity and
Livelihood Resilience in Karkheh River Basin
ICARDA scientists, Drs Francis Turkelboom, Theib Oweis and Ahmed Amri discussing with Dr Z. Shoaei, Director General, Department of International Scientific and Research Affairs, Agricultural Research and Education Organization (AREO), Iran, Dr J. Porhemmat, Deputy Director General (Planning and Budgeting), AREO and Dr A. Javadi, Director General of Agricultural Engineering Research Institute (AERI), AREO, during the steering committee meeting of the workshop.
An International Workshop on "Improving Water Productivity and Livelihood Resilience in Karkheh River Basin" was held at Karaj in Iran, on 10 and 11 September. The workshop was jointly organized by ICARDA, IWMI, IRRI, CIAT, University of California, Davis, USA, and Iran's Agricultural Research and Education Organization (AREO), Dryland Agriculture Research Institute (DARI), Agricultural Engineering Research Institute (AERI), and Seed and Plant Improvement Institute (SPII).

The workshop was held as part of the ongoing projects on "Improving On-Farm Water Productivity in the Karkheh River Basin (KRB) and "Improving Livelihood Resilience of Upper Catchment of Dry Areas in KRB." Dr J. Porhemmat, Deputy Director General (Planning and Budgeting), AREO, chaired the inaugural session. Dr A. Javadi, Director General of AERI, welcomed the participants.

Dr Theib Oweis, Director, IWLMP, delivered the keynote address. He said that it was time to change the current policies from reactive to proactive and to reflect the real water value, as well as to change the water management culture to achieve maximum water productivity.

Dr Oweis highlighted the need for a shift in the resource emphasis, in water-scarce areas, from land to water with new guidelines for irrigation management. "Water allocation should move from low to highly water productive options, and the land use from subsistence to market oriented agriculture," he said.

Dr Z. Shoaei, Director General, Department of International Scientific and Research Relations, AREO, said that the CPWF collaborative project of AREO and ICARDA had ushered in positive developments in water productivity, dryland farming, water resources development, erosion control and integrated catchment management in the last three years. "Some research projects such as Water Productivity Participatory Technology Development (PTD) and Integrated Catchment Management (ICM) are quite new to Iran agriculture, and natural resources sector, where we expect considerable outcomes for the industry. I am optimistic that findings of this joint venture in Karkheh River Basin will extend to all grand basins of the country in the near future," he added.

Dr Ahmed Amri, Coordinator of Iran-ICARDA Projects, said that ICARDA was always keen on strengthening the on-going collaboration that had resulted in enhancing inter-institutional research at national level involving non-governmental organizations as well. "There is a great need to sustain the activities and the benchmark sites through commitment by Iranian institutions and by working jointly to develop new phases of the projects or new projects," he said.

More than 80 researchers from major agricultural research institutions in Iran and nine other countries participated in the workshop. Several research projects covering water productivity and livelihood resilience in the Karkheh River Basin were discussed at length and reports were finalised. A workplan for new initiatives in KRB was also prepared at the end of the workshop.
  

About ICARDA: Established in 1977, ICARDA (www.icarda.org) is one of the 15 international research centers supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). ICARDA 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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