International Center For Agricultural Research In The Dry Areas
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The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), a member of
CGIAR CGIAR (formerly the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research) is a global partnership that unites international organizations engaged in research about food security. CGIAR research aims to reduce rural poverty, increase food ...
, supported by the CGIAR Fund, is a non-profit agricultural research institute that aims to improve the livelihoods of the resource-poor across the world's dry areas.


History

ICARDA’s origins begin in April 1972 when the Technical Advisory Committee of GCIAR (then known as the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research) expressed interest in agricultural research in the Near East and North Africa. TAC identified the semi-arid winter rainfall zone of the region as an important ecological area with specific crops and significant agricultural challenges which were not adequately addressed by any of the international agricultural research centers at the time. TAC selected Professor Dunstan Skilbeck to head a study during March and April of 1973. The Skilbeck Mission recommended the establishment of a new agricultural research center to deal with the agricultural issues of the region. TAC recommended the establishment of an international center in Lebanon. The eruption of the
Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War ( ar, الحرب الأهلية اللبنانية, translit=Al-Ḥarb al-Ahliyyah al-Libnāniyyah) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 120,000 fatalities a ...
in 1975 made prevented the establishment a center in Lebanon. The President of Syria
Hafez al-Assad Hafez al-Assad ', , (, 6 October 1930 – 10 June 2000) was a Syrian statesman and military officer who served as President of Syria from taking power in 1971 until his death in 2000. He was also Prime Minister of Syria from 1970 to 1 ...
who had hoped to secure his own country's agriculture by working with this new institution made an attractive offer of free land for the center to the south of
Aleppo )), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black". , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , image_map1 = ...
. In 1977, ICARDA's headquarters were established in Tel Hadya, Syria. Today ICARDA's research activities include the development of new crop varieties,
water harvesting Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is the collection and storage of rain, rather than allowing it to run off. Rainwater is collected from a roof-like surface and redirected to a tank, cistern, deep pit (well, shaft, or borehole), aquifer, or a reservoir w ...
,
conservation agriculture Conservation agriculture (CA) can be defined by a statement given by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as "Conservation Agriculture (CA) is a farming system that can prevent losses of arable land while regenerating degrad ...
, the diversification of production systems, integrated crop/rangeland/livestock production systems, and the empowerment of rural women. Ironically, ICARDA was forced to re-locate again in 2012 due to the Syrian civil war. The center established headquarters in
Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
after leaving Aleppo in 2012. Support is provided by research centers and offices in Jordan, Morocco, Ethiopia, Egypt, Tunisia, Turkey, Afghanistan, India, Iran, Oman, Pakistan, Sudan, Uzbekistan, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.


Decentralization

ICARDA's decentralization builds on the Center's existing organization. Staff have been relocated to Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Ethiopia, Egypt, Tunisia, and Turkey, and the Center has established temporary headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon.


Integrated Research Platforms

As part of its decentralization, ICARDA has established integrated research platforms that address research priorities in each region, but serve dry areas globally through collaboration and partnerships with national programs, advanced research institutions, and other partners in the development and dissemination of international public goods. The Center has developed four major Platforms, including the headquarters: Headquarters (West Asia): ICARDA has established temporary headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, and expanded facilities and activities in Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan. North Africa, with a Platform in Morocco: Building on the existing partnership with INRA (Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique), and focused on the intensification and diversification of rainfed cereal-based production systems. Morocco also hosts a CRP Dryland Systems Action Site. Sub-Saharan Africa, with a Platform in Ethiopia: Building on the partnership with
ILRI The International Livestock Research Institute or ILRI is an international agricultural research institute within the CGIAR – formerly the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research. It was established in 1994 by merger of th ...
in the CRP on Livestock and Fish and on-going collaboration with the
Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research The Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR'')http://www.eiar.gov.et/ is a research institute for agricultural study in Ethiopia. has evolved through several stages since its initiation during the late 1940s, following the establishme ...
(EIAR). South Asia, with a Platform in India: Building on the existing partnership with ICAR (
Indian Council of Agricultural Research The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is an autonomous body responsible for co-ordinating agricultural education and research in India. It reports to the Department of Agricultural Research and Education, Ministry of Agriculture. Th ...
), and focused especially on food legumes systems.


Thematic research locations

Under ICARDA's decentralization strategy, the Center is operating four additional research locations with specific themes: Egypt, for high-input agriculture: a platform with a targeted focus on high-input irrigated agricultural systems, building on collaborative research on irrigated wheat improvement and irrigated systems management. Turkey, Central Asia and Iran, for Winter Wheat and Winter Barley: a distinct environment with extensive high altitude and highland agro-ecologies with severe winters particularly suitable for breeding winter wheat and winter barley. Turkey/ICARDA Cereal Rusts Research Center in Izmir: Providing expertise on wheat rusts through the Regional Cereal Rust Research Center within the Aegean Agricultural Research Institute, part of Turkey's Ministry of Food, Agriculture, and Livestock. Founded in 2017. Sudan Heat Tolerance Research Location: This research location breeds heat-tolerant wheat and food legume varieties, in collaboration with Sudan's Agricultural Research Corporation (ARC)


Awards

* 2015 - Gregor Mendel Award * 2017 - Olam Prize for Innovation in Food Security * 2020 -
Safaa Kumari Safaa Kumari ( ar, صفاء كوماري; born 1963) is a Syrian born plant virologist. She is known for developing a disease resistant variety of faba bean that is resistant to the faba bean necrotic yellows virus (FBNYV). Life She was born i ...
, ICARDA's plant virologist, was recognised in 2020 by the BBC for her work in creating virus-resistant plants.


References


External links

* ICARDA's {{DEFAULTSORT:International Center For Agricultural Research In The Dry Areas Agricultural research institutes International research institutes Organizations established in 1975 Agriculture in Lebanon Agriculture in Syria Research institutes in Lebanon