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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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ICARDA
at AGM06
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A Centers and Members Day was held on 4 December, and a CSO Forum and a Stakeholder Meeting on 5 December. The business meeting took place on 6-7 December. Centers and Members Day The day started with opening remarks by Dr Joachim Voss, Alliance Executive Chair, and Dr Katherine Sierra, CGIAR Chair. This was followed by two keynote addresses: "Climate Change and Agriculture: Promising Research and Policy Response—A Perspective from the International Climate Change Community," by Martin Parry of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and Cynthia Rosenzweig of NASA; and "Climate Change and Agriculture in the Tropics and Sub-Tropics: People at Risk and Promising Research and Policy Responses," by Robert Zeigler, Director General of IRRI. Official Opening of AGM06 The AGM06 was officially opened in the afternoon of 4 December. The ceremony included opening remarks by Dr Francisco Reifschneider, CGIAR Director; opening speech by Dr Katherine Sierra, CGIAR Chair; CGIAR update by Dr Reifschneider; and opening remarks by Mr Paul Wolfowitz, President of the World Bank. The opening session also included the CGIAR Awards ceremony. Meetings Co-sponsored by ICARDA Oasis—Systemwide Program to Combat Desertification
Dr Mahmoud Solh, ICARDA DG, made opening remarks. Drs Richard Thomas of ICARDA and Barry Shapiro of ICRISAT made a joint presentation on the causes and magnitude of desertification, its impact on livelihoods, and the Oasis strategy. Their presentation was well received. Dr Simon Best, Board Chair of ICRISAT, summed up the presentation and discussions. Dr Ken Fischer of the Science Council (SC) presented the SC perspective of the Oasis Consortium. In his closing remarks, Dr Moore appreciated the strategy and program of work of Oasis. The meeting was successful in promoting awareness of the challenges of desertification among donors and other partners. Collaborative Research Program for Sustainable Agricultural Development in Central Asia and the Caucasus This special meeting, co-sponsored by the World Bank, IFAD, USAID and ICARDA, was held in the afternoon of 4 December. Dr Mahmoud Solh, as Chairman of the Alliance Task Force for CAC, chaired the meeting. In his opening remarks, Dr Solh thanked the donors and the CAC-Consortium members for their support to the collaborative program and praised the significant achievements made in a short time. He paid tribute to Dr Paroda for his visionary leadership in strengthening partnerships and attracting donor attention to promote the program in the region. He said the program partners were sad to see Dr Paroda leave, and wished him happiness in his future endeavors.
The discussion pointed to the need for sustainable support to the program. To strengthen the program, USAID recently started to sponsor a Collaborative Support Program for Integrated Pest Management in Central Asia (IPM-CRSP). The project is designed to foster development of a comprehensive IPM initiative, using an ecologically-based multidisciplinary systems approach. Michigan State University, the University of California, and ICARDA serve as host institutions for implementing this program. Sida is also planning to support conservation of plant genetic resources with an outlay of about US$ 25 million. IFAD and other donors were pleased with the progress and all felt that the CAC Challenge Program will help rebuild the R&D system in the CAC region, generate potentially quick impacts, and contribute to achieving the MDGs. The Global Rust Initiative
Dr Mahmoud Solh, ICARDA DG, and Dr Masa Iwanaga, CIMMYT DG, were present at the meeting. In his closing remarks, Dr Moore appreciated the work and strategy of GRI and wished all partners success in their mission. GRI benefits from special grants from the governments of Canada, India and the USA; the Rockefeller Foundation and Sasakawa Africa Association; in-kind funding from the governments of Ethiopia, Kenya and Pakistan; and unrestricted funds from the CGIAR membership to ICARDA and CIMMYT. High-Value Crops: Research, Policies and Program to Help the Poor Other than the events co-sponsored by ICARDA, the ICARDA team participated in several side meetings. One of these meetings was on "High Value Crops: Research, Policies and Program to Help the Poor," held on 4 December. ICARDA distributed a brochure at the meeting, which presented a summary of the Center's past and ongoing work in promoting high-value crops and products to diversify cropping systems and income options for farmers in the dry areas. ICARDA offered to be an active partner in the proposed CGIAR Challenge Program on High Value Crops. This CP will address two critical issues: income generation and livelihoods improvement (including nutrition), with a focus on developing countries. Meetings with Donors During AGM06, Dr Solh, along with ICARDA team members, took the opportunity to meet a large number of donors and other partners. The discussions helped identify potential sources of funding, and paved the way for developing project proposals for submission to specific donors.
CGIAR Awards World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz, and CGIAR Chair Katherine Sierra, joined former CGIAR Chairs and special guests in presenting the 2006 CGIAR Science Awards to individuals and teams:
The 2006 Crawford Lecture The 2006 Crawford lecture was delivered by Hon. Anne-Marie Lizin, President of the Belgian Senate and Chairperson of the Senate Foreign Relations and Defense Committee. The Crawford Memorial Lecture has been a part of the CGIAR's Annual General Meetings. It is named in honor of Sir John Crawford, who was a passionate supporter of international agricultural research for development, a founding father of the CGIAR and the first Chair of its Technical Advisory Committee. The lecture, sponsored by the Australian Government, seeks to challenge those involved in agricultural research and development to consider the broader issues and trends that influence their work. Mme. Lizin spoke on "Food for All: a Challenge for the 21st Century." She underlined the fundamental importance of achieving food security in a world where more than one billion people live in extreme poverty. "Considering that by 2050 it will be necessary to feed a population of about 9 billion people, agricultural research is critical," she noted. Sustainable development, she concluded, must be "based on solidarity between people and between the current and future generations." In their efforts to achieve "a more just and peaceful world, the CGIAR is an indispensable partner."
The report of the fifth EPMR of ICARDA was tabled for discussion at the meeting. Dr Per Pinstrup-Andersen, Chair of the CGIAR Science Council (SC), presented the SC and ExCo comments on the report. Prof. Dr Stephen Baezinger, EPMR member, responded to the comments through videoconferencing. In response to a question whether all socioeconomists will be hosted in one program, Dr Solh said that ICARDA recognizes the importance of having a critical mass of economists and social scientists, and of good integration between biophysical and social sciences at the Center, and will look into this issue when the new strategy is finalized. The issue of capacity building was also briefly discussed. Dr Solh informed the meeting that a succession plan is under implementation and efforts are being made to attract young scientists. He said that emphasis on degree training (MSc and PhD) will increase. ICARDA has already supported graduate training of about 500 students. He thanked the EPMR Panel Chair and members for their useful comments and recommendations. The CGIAR then endorsed ICARDA's EPMR report, with the new emphasis on a global mission to promote agricultural research and development in non-tropical dry areas.
Sunn pest is an insect that causes serious losses in wheat yield and quality in West and Central Asia. Over US$150 million is spent each year on pesticides against Sunn pest and other insect pests. In addition to the high cost of chemical control, insecticides pose a risk to nature's balance, human health, water quality, wildlife, and the environment as a whole. Supported by the USAID Linkage Funds, the Sunn pest research team has developed integrated pest management strategies that are contributing to safeguarding wheat production in the region. One significant impact of the team's work is that national policymakers are replacing government-supported aerial applications of chemical insecticides by environmentally sound biological control and other IPM approaches. Another important outcome of the partnership has been the formation of a Sunn Pest Advisory Council composed of Ministry-appointed representatives from Syria, Iran, Turkey, Iraq and Afghanistan. This group promotes implementation of management strategies region-wide to protect wheat from Sunn pest damage. Implementation of these research approaches was supported by the Department for International Development (UK). Forty-six partnerships from around the world competed in the event. They presented their work for review by scientific jurors and over 750 participants who were present at the AGM. The entries were judged based on achievements and impacts, the novel character of the partnership, the relevance and applicability of the work to other agricultural problems, the evidence of joint decision making by partners, and the significance of the initiative for strengthening capacity. The Sunn pest team presented their work to Dr Paul Wolfowitz, President of the World Bank, who toured the exhibition after addressing participants at the AGM opening ceremony. Speaking on behalf of the team, Dr El-Bouhssini said they were deeply gratified and honored to receive the award. Despite the progress that has been made towards ecologically sound Sunn pest management, he said, much still remains to be done—and the team is looking forward to using the $30,000 cash award to expand their collaborative efforts. Congratulating the winning team, Dr Mahmoud Solh, Director General of ICARDA, said: "The award is an acknowledgement of the hard work and dedication of national scientists who are active members of the Sunn pest team, and of support from donors. The dividends from this research are truly high." |
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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.