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News
from the Drylands
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| Global
efforts to fight desertification are coordinated by the United Nations
Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), which is administered
from Bonn, Germany. The UNCCD was adopted in 1994, and came into force
in December 1996. To date, 191 countries have ratified the agreement. The objectives of the UNCCD are to: “combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought.. contribute to sustainable development... through long-term integrated strategies that focus on improved productivity of land, and rehabilitation, conservation and sustainable management of land and water resources, leading to improved living conditions, in particular at the community level.” |
| Brussels Conference |
Dr Mahmoud Solh, ICARDA Director General, presented the keynote address,
in which he described ICARDA’s approach to R&D, which emphasizes
multi-disciplinarity, partnerships, community participation, and a focus
on livelihoods of the poor.
He also highlighted ICARDA outputs that are helping to fight desertification
and land degradation. These include: the Marsa Matrouh project in a semi-desert
region in Egypt; new feed technologies for sheep production in dry areas;
development of drought-resistant forage crops; the eight- country Mashreq
and Maghreb project for integrated crop/livestock production; simple methods
for harvesting rainwater; biodiversity conservation in areas threatened
by desertification; village-level agribusinesses for the poor; and policy
studies on land tenure and women’s rights.
