ICARDA News

International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas

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E-mail: ICARDA@CGIAR.ORG
Website: www.icarda.org
14 February 2008
Media contact: icarda-media@cgiar.org
 
MEDROPLAN Workshop on Drought Management Guidelines
Dr Mahmoud Solh (center), ICARDA Director General, opened the MEDROPLAN workshop on drought management guidelines. With him are Dr Dunixi Gabina (right) of the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Zaragoza, and Dr Theib Oweis of ICARDA.
Droughts occur frequently in the Mediterranean countries, with severe economic and social consequences also connected to the vulnerability of the water supply systems, the agricultural systems and of society in general. The experiences in the development of agriculture, land and water management plans highlight valuable results in coping with drought risk in many regions.

Based on these experiences and the current legislation, management, technology and risk evaluation methods, the present Drought Management Guidelines for the Mediterranean countries, developed within the MEDROPLAN (Mediterranean Drought Preparedness and Mitigation Planning) project, provide an effective approach to develop drought management plans linking science and policy.

A two-day workshop on 'Drought Guidelines for Mediterranean countries: a methodology to develop risk management and a proactive approach in drought preparedness' was held at ICARDA?headquarters on 15 and 16 January. The main objective of the workshop, jointly organized by ICARDA and the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM), Zaragoza, is to introduce the drought guidelines, developed by MEDROPLAN and the third partner MEDAWATER, together with the methodology, approach and potential benefits derived from their use for effective drought management in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Turkey.

Dr Mahmoud Solh, Director General of ICARDA, in his opening remarks at the workshop, said that drought was so important to all the dry areas in the world, and with climate change the scenario had grown much more serious. ICARDA has given particular emphasis to drought in its future research agenda. He said ICARDA had experience of over 30 years in drought management, and with its close collaboration with the NARS and other advanced research institutes in the world, it would contribute to enhancement of capacity building in drought management in southern region of the Mediterranean. "Our target is to improve the livelihoods of the rural poor, which would arrest the rural-urban migration, and to ensure food security and poverty alleviation through sustainable management of the natural resources," said the DG.
Participants of the MEDROPLAN workshop held at ICARDA headquarters, 15-16 January.
Dr Dunixi Gabina, Deputy Director of the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Zaragoza, said that this workshop would help design effective drought management plans in the Eastern Mediterranean countries. He commended the high level of the participants, which reflected their strong implication in drought issues. He thanked ICARDA for the excellent support it had been offering, and considered it as a strong partner.

Dr Theib Oweis, Director of ICARDA's Integrated Water and Land Management Program (IWLMP), stressed the importance of MEDROPLAN project outputs in addressing drought issues. He acknowledged the excellent support from the MEDROPLAN to the NEMEDCA Drought Network led by ICARDA, CIHEAM and FAO and other joint activities.

The workshop was attended by 20 participants from Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Palestine and Turkey in addition to staff from CIHEAM and ICARDA.
 

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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