International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA)
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ICARDA’s research program is implemented through six megaprojects, as detailed in the Center’s Medium-Term Plan for 2005-2007. Restricted projects are those activities that are supported by restricted funding provided separately from the Center’s unrestricted core funding. Restricted funding includes donor-attributed funding (core funds allocated by the donor to specific activities) and project-specific grants.

     During 2003, the following Restricted Projects were operational.

AFESD (Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development)
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Technical assistance to ICARDA’s activities in Arab countries (Training Arab nationals and support to Arab national programs).
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Sustainable management of natural resources and improvement of major production systems of the Arabian Peninsula.
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Options for coping with increased water scarcity in agriculture in West Asia and North Africa.

ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK
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On-farm soil and water management for sustainable agricultural systems in Central Asia.

Australia

ACIAR (Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research)

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Lentil and Lathyrus in the cropping systems of Nepal: improving crop establishment and yield of relay and post-rice-sown pulses in the terai and mid hills.
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Conservation, evaluation and utilization of plant genetic resources from Central Asia and the Caucasus.
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Host resistance, epidemiology and integrated management of faba bean, chickpea and lentil diseases.

Cooperative Research Center for Molecular Plant Breeding
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Collaborative barley breeding for low rainfall environments

GRDC (Grains Research and Development Corporation)
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Preservation and utilization of the unique pulse and cereal genetic resources of the Vavilov Institute.
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Technologies for the targeted exploitation of the N.I. Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry (VIR), ICARDA and Australian bread wheat landrace germplasm.
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CIPAL (Coordinated Improvement Program for Australian Lentils).
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Improvement of drought tolerance in lentils.
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Coordinated improvement of chickpeas in Australia – Northern Region module.
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Faba Bean Improvement - Northern Region.
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Associate Expert in legume pathology.
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International Durum Wheat Improvement Cooperation.

Austria
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Production diversification and income generating options for small-scale resource poor livestock farmers of the dry areas: The case of lamb fattening in WANA.

Canada
(CGIAR-Canada Linkage Funds)
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The increasing role of women in resource management and household livelihood strategies.

Crop Development Centre, University of Saskatchewan
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Off-season evaluation of ascochyta blight reaction in chickpea.

CGIAR Impact Assessment and Evaluation Group (IAEG) / Standing Panel on Impact Assessment (SPIA)
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CGIAR’s impact on germplasm improvement.
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Ex-post impact assessment of natural resources management technologies in crop-livestock systems in arid and semi arid areas.

CGIAR Challenge Programs
Harvest Plus
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Identification of barley germplasm accessions with high concentration of b-carotene, iron and zinc
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Identification of lentil germplasm accessions with high concentration of b-carotene, iron and zinc

CGIAR Systemwide Programs
CGIAR Collaborative Program for Central Asia and the Caucasus
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Program Facilitation Unit.
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Germplasm conservation, adaptation and enhancement.
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On-farm soil and water management

Systemwide Genetic Resources Program (SGRP)
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Management and characterization of small ruminants.
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Global inventory of barley genetic resources.

Systemwide Program on Integrated Pest Management
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Inter-Center IPM Adoption Initiative: Pilot sites in Egypt and Morocco.
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SP-IPM Soil Biota Global Workshop.

Systemwide Livestock Program (SLP)
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Production and Utilization of Multi-Purpose Fodder Shrubs and Trees in West Asia, North Africa and the Sahel.
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Characterization of livestock genetic resources in the Caucasus region.

Systemwide Programme for Participatory Research and Gender Analysis (SP-PRGA)
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Analysis of participatory research and gender analysis approaches in ICARDA.

Systemwide Program on Soil Water and Nutrient Management (SWNM)
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Optimizing soil water use.

CIHEAM (International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies)
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Mediterranean Rainfed Agriculture Technologies Evaluation (MEDRATE): Evaluation of agricultural practices to improve efficiency and environment conservation in Mediterranean arid and semi-arid production systems.
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Screening legumes and forage nursery for salinity tolerance.

Denmark
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Integrated disease management to enhance barley and wheat production in Eritrea.
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Junior Professional Officer in milk transformation.
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Junior Professional Officer in characterization of small ruminant production and associated local knowledge systems.

EC (European Commission)
EC Attributed Funding
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Durum wheat germplasm improvement for increased productivity, yield stability and grain quality.
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Food legume germplasm improvement (lentil, kabuli chickpea, faba bean and pea) for increased systems productivity.
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Agrobiodiversity collection and conservation for sustainable production.

EC 6th Framework INCO
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Mapping Adaptation of Barley to Drought Environments (MABDE).
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Improving durum wheat for water use-efficiency and yield stability through physiological and molecular approaches (IDuWUE).

ERF (Economic Research Forum) FEMISE Program
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Les obstacles aux transferts technologiques dans les petites et moyennes exploitations agricoles des zones arides et semi arides du Maghreb. Discussion sur les conditions d’amélioration de la productivité en Algérie, Maroc et Tunisie.

ESCWA (UN Economic and Social Commission for West Asia)
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Database design concerning the establishment of a Professionals Registry for Iraq Reconstruction.
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Development of user-friendly interface with models used in analysis of on-farm water use efficiency.

FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations)
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Translation of AGROVOC terms into Arabic.
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Sub-Regional training course on electronic document management and the use of WebAgris tools for database management and development.
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Expert Consultation on IPM for Orobanche control in food legume systems in the Near East and North Africa.
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Preparation of a book on local knowledge on food barley.
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Oat-Vetch Regional Network (REMAV) Meeting.
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Seventh International Conference on Dry Lands.
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Translation into Russian and publication of the Global Plan of Action for the Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.
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Applied Research to improve and maintain Seed Quality for Fodder Shrubs and Grass Species used for Rangeland Rehabilitation
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Regional Workshop on Seed Quality Assurance in Seed Testing.

France
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Associate Expert in socioeconomics of rangeland management.

GEF (Global Environment Facility) / UNDP (United Nations Development Programme)
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Conservation and sustainable use of dryland agrobiodiversity in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinian Authority.

Germany
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An integrated approach to sustainable land management in dry areas.
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Functional genomics of drought and cold tolerance in chickpea and lentil.
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Exploration of genetic resources collections at ICARDA for adaptation to climate change

IDRC (International Development Research Centre)
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From formal to participatory plant breeding: improving barley production in the rainfed areas of Jordan.
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Scaling up decentralized participatory plant breeding in Syria.
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Improving natural resources management and food security for rural households in the mountains of Yemen.
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Strengthening seed systems for food security in Afghanistan.

IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development)
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Sustainable management of natural resources and improvement of major production systems of the Arabian Peninsula.
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Integrated feed and livestock production in the steppes of Central Asia.
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Assistance in developing policies and strategies to improve livestock production systems in Central Asia and the Caucasus.
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Program for Strengthening Research and Development to Improve Marketing of Small Ruminant Products and Income Generation in Dry Areas of Latin America.
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Agro-pastoral Development and Local Initiatives Promotion Program in the South-East (PRODESUD).
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Program to foster wider adoption of low-cost durum technologies.
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Program for enhancing food security in the Nile Valley and Red Sea region: Technology generation and dissemination for sustainable production of cereals and cool-season food legumes.
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Technical assistance for accelerated project performance in North Africa.

International Nutrition Foundation
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Impact of lysine fortified wheat flour on the nutritional status of rural families in northwest Syria.

Iran
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Scientific and technical cooperation and training.

Italy
Italy Attributed Funding
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Durum wheat germplasm improvement for increased productivity, yield stability and grain quality in West Asia and North Africa.
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Barley germplasm improvement for increased productivity.
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Food legume germplasm improvement for increased systems productivity: Chickpea improvement.

Japan
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Improving income of small-scale producers in marginal agricultural environments: small ruminant milk production and milk derivatives, market opportunities and improving value added returns.
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Training program in management of water resources and improvement of water-use efficiency in dry areas.

Japan Attributed Funding
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Rehabilitation and improved management of native pastures and rangelands in dry areas.
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Improvement of small ruminant production in dry areas.
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Germplasm enhancement for diversification and intensification of agricultural production in Central Asia and the Caucasus.

Korea: Rural Development Administration (RDA), Republic of Korea
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Barley research

Morocco
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Collaborative activities in crop improvement, biotechnology, GIS and agroecological information system services, genetic resources and biodiversity, and integrated management of cereal and legume pests.

OPEC Fund for Internationl Development
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Decentralization of barley breeding with farmers’ participation.
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Sustainable management of natural resources and improvement of major production systems of the Arabian Peninsula.
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Community-based research for agricultural development and sustainable resource management in Afghanistan.

Pakistan
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Cooperation in the applied research component of the Barani Village Development Project (BVDP).

Switzerland
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
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Sustainable management of the agropastoral resource base in the Maghreb.
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Associate Expert

Swiss Centre for International Agriculture (ZIL), Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ)
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Research Fellowship project on improving resistance to barley scald.

Turkey
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Technical assistance to Southeast Anatolia Project Regional Development Administration.

United Kingdom
DFID (Department for International Development) Competitive Research Facility
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Improving the yield potential and quality of grasspea (Lathyrus sativus L.): a dependable source of dietary protein for subsistence farmers in Ethiopia.
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ntegrated pest management of Sunn pest in West Asia.

British Embassy, Damascus
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Restoring production and ecological integrity to high-potential low-lying areas in the Syrian steppe.

U.K. Attributed Funding
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Food legume germplasm improvement for increased systems productivity.
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Land management and soil conservation to sustain the agricultural productive capacity of dry areas.
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Socioeconomics of agricultural production systems in dry areas.

UNCCD (United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification) Global Mechanism
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Regional Environmental Management Officer, Tashkent.
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Establishment of a website for TPN4.

Global Mechanism of the UNCCD
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Development of a facilitation unit for the establishment of a Regional Program for Sustainable Development of the Drylands of West Asia and North Africa.
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Regional Program for Sustainable Development of the Drylands of West Asia and North Africa: Inventory of activities and gap analysis.

UNCCD Sub-Regional Action Program (SRAP) for West Asia
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Inventory study and regional database on sustainable water management in West Asia.
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Preparing project proposals on integrated natural resources management for combating desertification in West Asia
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Integrated natural resources management programme to combat desertification in Lebanon and Jordan (Pilot Projects).

United States of America

USAID (United States Agency for International Development)

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Assisting Afghan farmers to restore food security.

USAID Linkage Funds
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Adaptation of barley to drought and temperature stress using molecular markers.
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Inheritance and mapping of winter hardiness genes in lentil for use in marker assisted selection.
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Use of entomopathogenic fungi for the control of Sunn pest in West Asia.
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Poverty, agricultural household food systems and nutritional well-being of the child.
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Improving water-use efficiency with a web-based information system.
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Evaluation of pulse genetic resources.

USAID Rebuilding Agricultural Markets Program (RAMP), Afghanistan
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Village Seed Enterprise Program.
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Demonstrating New Technologies in Farmers’ Fields to Facilitate Rapid Adoption and Diffusion.
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Introducing Protected Agriculture for Cash Crop Production in Marginal and Water Deficit Areas of Afghanistan.

USDA/ARS (United States Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Service)
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Collection of plant genetic resources in the Central Asian and Caucasus region.
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Climatological analysis as a tool for agricultural decision making in dry areas.
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Biotechnology assessment for North Africa.
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Identifying wheat and barley germplasm resistant to Syrian and United States populations of the Russian Wheat Aphid.

USDA/FAS (United States Department of Agriculture/Foreign Agricultural Service)
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Biological diversity, cultural and economic value of medicinal, herbal and aromatic plants in southern Tunisia.
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Partnership to improve rural livelihoods in West Asia and North Africa through strengthened teaching and research on sheep and goat production.
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GIS for watershed management in the arid regions of Tunisia.
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Research on improving productivity of oats as a priority forage species in Tunisia.
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Biological control of weeds with plant pathogens.

WORLD BANK
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Workshop on Rural Development in WANA.
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Regional initiative for dry land management.
Research Philosophy
ICARDA Strategic Plan
ICARDA's Research Program
Medium-Term Plan
Restricted Projects
Research Networks
Biotechnology
Integrated Pest Management
Genebank
Biometrics
Dryland Agrobiodiversity
Participatory Research
Crop Varieties Released
NARS Studies
Research
Restricted Projects