ICARDA is to strengthen its collaboration with the Palestinian Authority in agricultural research, with the possibility of joint projects in integrated crop/livestock development and proper land management and conservation.
ICARDA is also to expand its support to agricultural research by the Authority in a number of areas. Improved crop germplasm for testing will be supplied at once, and other cooperation will include training in germplasm conservation and documentation, rehabilitation of marginal land and rangeland, and water-harvesting.
These developments follow a visit to ICARDA by a delegation led by the Minister of Agriculture of the Palestinian Authority, H.E. Dr Abdul Jawad Al Saleh, who was at ICARDA during 6-7 August 1996 and held discussions with the Director General, Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy, and members of ICARDA staff. The Minister was accompanied by: Mr Shaker S. Joudeh, Director General, Extension and Training; Mr Rushdi Mushmesh, Director, Field Crops Department; Mr Hamdallah Al-Hamdallah, Head of Foreign Affairs; and Dr Mahmoud S. Sultan, Director, PIALR.
The discussions proved fruitful, and identified a wide range of areas of cooperation. ICARDA expressed its willingness to support the Palestinian Authority in its efforts to rehabilitate its research program. Direct and immediate support will include the supply of improved germplasm of legumes and cereals, which the Authority wants to field-test under local conditions. There will also be large quantities of seed of the most promising cultivars of wheat, barley, lentils, chickpea and vetches released elsewhere in the region for ecological conditions similar to those in Palestine.
Other support to be provided by ICARDA in the very near future will be in the area of human resources development. ICARDA promised the Minister that it would accord high priority to Palestinian researchers for general training in crop-improvement research, plus individual training in germplasm conservation and documentation, conservation of marginal land and rangeland, and water-harvesting. Other activities planned in the short term include in-country training in Palestine and Jordan in management and conduct of field trials and data collection, improved seed production and other matters. Funding support from the World Bank and Swiss Government will help ICARDA in meeting these commitments.
In the long term, project proposals for collaborative activities will be jointly developed and submitted to donors; for example, for integrated crop/livestock development and proper land management and conservation.
The visit ended with the presentation of a set of ICARDA publications to the Minister by Prof. Dr El-Beltagy. Commenting on the visit, the Minister said that the Palestinian Authority's agricultural research was starting from zero, but the visit had been an excellent, and unique, opportunity to seeks ways to develop Palestinian agriculture. ICARDA was, he said, a distinguished Center with a good reputation, and he thought Palestine would benefit from the relationship. He thanked the Director General for the goodwill and staff time they had enjoyed during their visit.