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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:
icarda-media@cgiar.org
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Prime
Minister of Syria visits ICARDA
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The
Prime Minister of Syria, H.E. Eng. Mohamed Naji Otri, accompanied
by the Syrian Minister of Agriculture, H.E. Dr Adel Safar; the Minister
of Irrigation, H.E. Nader Al Boni; the Head of the State Planning
Commission, H.E. Tayssir Radawi; Arab Socialist Baath Party Secretary
in Aleppo, H.E. Abdul Kadir Masri; and the Governor of Aleppo, H.E.
Eng. Ali Ahmed Mansoura, visited ICARDA headquarters on Friday 1 May.
The visitors were received by Director General Dr Mahmoud Solh; the Chair-elect of ICARDA's Board of Trustees, Dr Henry Carsalade; members of the Board; and ICARDA management and staff. Dr Solh expressed his deep appreciation for the strong support of the government of Syria, which has hosted ICARDA since its inception in 1977, and is a key partner in numerous research projects with the Center.
The Prime Minister was given an overview of ICARDA's research and capacity building activities, and visited several laboratories as well as field experiments. He expressed great interest in the Center's work, especially the use of GIS tools for land-use planning and analysis of cropping patterns, and the use of biocontrol methods to combat insect pests. Visiting the GIS Unit, the Prime Minister was shown outputs from a research project on agro-ecological zoning, being conducted jointly by ICARDA and Syria's General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research. The project will use satellite images combined with ground-truthing, to create an accurate map of the different agro-climatic zones of Syria, based on soil, rainfall, land-use and other factors. The Prime Minister noted the value of this research for making crop planting decisions. "Sugar beet production is not profitable in Syria at current prices, because the crop requires irrigation," he said. "Agricultural planners are therefore looking at alternative crops." Results from the zoning project, together with economic viability studies, can help identify the most appropriate crop for a given region. During his visit to the Entomology Laboratory, the Prime Minister saw first-hand, ICARDA's novel use of biocontrol methods to combat Sunn pest, which causes huge losses to wheat crops, forcing farmers to spend over $ 150 million each year on pesticides. One option – developed jointly by national research centers, ICARDA, the University of Vermont, USA, and CABI Bioscience, UK – is the use of naturally occurring fungi that infect adult Sunn pests, killing or severely damaging them. Another is the use of insects that parasitize Sunn pest eggs. These methods are part of an integrated pest management (IPM) strategy which is being successfully applied in several countries in West Asia and North Africa. With this approach, only limited amounts of pesticide are used, and only on specific areas. The Prime Minsiter also noted with satisfaction the large number of graduate students from Syria, who are conducting their thesis research with ICARDA’s IPM group. The Prime Minister assured ICARDA of full support from the government of Syria, and stressed that the Syrian national program would continue to work closely with the Center for national as well as regional benefit. The visit highlights the close ties between the Center and its host country, and the opportunities for even wider collaboration.
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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.