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 February 2007
                             Media contact: Surendra Varma (s.varma@CGIAR.ORG)
 
Regional Agricultural Information System
for Central Asia and the Caucasus
Dr Abdushukur Khanazarov (center), Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Uzbekistan, addressed the opening session of the workshop on Regional Agricultural Information System for CAC. Also in the picture: Dr Raj Paroda (right), Regional Coordinator, ICARDA-CAC and Head, PFU-CGIAR; and Dr Ajit Maru, Agricultural Research Officer, GFAR Secretariat.
ICARDA and its partners are working together to establish a Regional Agricultural Information System (RAIS) for Central Asia and the Caucasus (CAC). A two-day workshop was held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan (15-16 January 2007) for elaborating the strategy and workplans for CAC-RAIS. It was organized by the CAC Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (CACAARI) in partnership with the Global Forum for Agricultural Research (GFAR) and ICARDA.

Various speakers shared their experiences to contribute to the RAIS. Dr Raj Paroda, Coordinator of ICARDA's CAC Regional Program and Head of the CGIAR's Program Facilitation Unit for the region, noted that the presence of NARS leaders and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) experts from all eight CAC countries, "demonstrates their commitment to support and strengthen this initiative." He also emphasized that the participation of Agricultural Regional Information System (ARIS) coordinators and ICT experts from other regional fora (Association of Agricultural Research Institutions in the Near East and North Africa, AARINENA; Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions, APAARI; and FAO's Sub-regional Office for Central and Eastern Europe) was especially important.

Dr Abdushukur Khanazarov, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources of Uzbekistan and Executive Secretary, CAC Regional Forum, thanked GFAR and ICARDA for their continued support and facilitation for this regional initiative and expressed his good wishes for its success.

Dr Ajit Maru, Agricultural Research Officer, GFAR Secretariat; Dr Sahdev Singh, ARIS Coordinator for APAARI; Mrs Taraneh Ebrahimi, ARIS Coordinator for AARINENA; and Mr Michal Demes, Information Management Specialist, FAO-SEUR/KCEF, shared their experiences of developing agricultural information systems. The National Information Nodal Points (NINPs) from each CAC country made presentations on the current status of agriculture and agricultural information systems in their countries, which was then synthesized into a regional report.

A Steering Committee for CAC-RAIS has now been established; and a blueprint workplan for 2007-09 drafted and discussed. A Working Group, consisting of NINPs and representatives of GFAR and ICARDA, will now prepare a detailed draft workplan and present it to the Steering Committee for approval. Subsequently, implementation will be coordinated by the NINP in each country.
 

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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