Knowledge Management Portal

Within the “Transdisciplinary co-creation of innovations in Agroecological Living Landscape-ALL” Work Package (WP) of the Transformational Agroecology Across Food, Land and Water Systems Initiative (AE-I) , it is proposed to use/apply participatory methods to build collectively a vision of the desired agroecological pathways in each ALL. This activity aims at developing the most suitable agroecological transition pathways in each ALL identified and agreed upon among actors. The Visioning activity was collectively conducted by ICARDA, and its national partners involved in the AE-I under the supervision with all the WP leaders in Tunisian and the support of the “Transdisciplinary co-creation of innovations in Agroecological Living Landscapes” work package WP1 and the “Strengthening the policy- and institutional-enabling environment” work package (WP5) leaders and co-leaders in the first phase of the implementation. This technical report restitutes the primary data collected during the Visioning approach that will support further analysis in the coming months to support the next steps of codesigning and co implementing the technical and organizational agro-ecological innovative packages with the stakeholders in the Tunisian ALL.

Durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) breeding programs face many challenges surrounding the development of stable varieties with high quality and yield. Therefore, researchers and breeders are focused on deciphering the genetic architecture of biotic and abiotic traits with the aim of pyramiding desirable traits. These efforts require access to diverse genetic resources, including wild relatives, germplasm collections and mapping populations. Advances in accelerated generation technologies have enabled the rapid development of mapping populations with significant genetic diversity. Here, we describe the development of a durum Nested Association Mapping (dNAM) population, which represents a valuable genetic resource for mapping the effects of different alleles on trait performance. We created this population to understand the quantitative nature of drought-adaptive traits in durum wheat. We developed 920 F6 lines in only 18 months using speed breeding technology, including the F4 generation in the field. Large variation in above- and below-ground traits was observed, which could be harnessed using genetic mapping and breeding approaches. We genotyped the population using 13,393 DArTseq markers. Quality control resulted in 6,785 high-quality polymorphic markers used for structure analysis, linkage disequilibrium decay, and marker-trait association analyses. To demonstrate the effectiveness of dNAM as a resource for elucidating the genetic control of quantitative traits, we took a genome-wide mapping approach using the FarmCPU method for plant height and days to flowering. These results highlight the power of using dNAM as a tool to dissect the genetics of durum wheat traits, supporting the development of varieties with improved adaptation and yield.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation’s (FAO) Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa (NENA) has organized a regional workshop on sustainable and inclusive management of pastoral ecosystems and their socio-economic potential in the NENA countries. The event gathered around 70 participants from Algeria, Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Tunisia with representatives from ministries of agriculture, universities and research sector, and professional pastoral organizations. Several regional and international organizations also attended the workshop, such as the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Maghreb Arab Union (UMA) and International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA). The workshop aimed to present the results of the regional assessment on the current situation of pastoralism, management of pastoral ecosystems and their socio-economic potential. The workshop provided a platform to discuss the future of pastoralism in the region and to come up with a regional roadmap for a harmonized and sustainable management of pastoral resources. Participants noted the lack of a reliable database on pastoral ecosystems, the absence of valorization of the economic, social and environmental values provided by the pastoral resources and inadequate policies and legal framework that need to take into account the traditional management systems and local knowledge hand in hand with the technical and scientific knowledge. Participants recognized FAO’s support to the sustainable management of natural resources including rangelands and pastoralism and encouraged the exchange of experience within the region including the capacity building programme in support to pastoralists and building the capacities of national experts in the valuation of goods and services provided by pastoral ecosystems and requested FAO’s support to facilitate this process.

On December 15, 2022, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), together with the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the International Strategic Centre for Agri-Food Development (ISCAD) under the Ministry of Agriculture, and Westminster International University in Tashkent (WIUT) organized a Multistakeholder Workshop “To a Better Partnership for Evidence-based Agrifood Policy Research.” High-level policymakers, including Mr. Aziz Voitov, Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Mr. Bakhadir Tajiyev, Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture and Water Management of the Senat of the Oliy Majlis and Mr. Ravshan Mamutov, and Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture and Water Management of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan attended the workshop. The Westminster International University in Tashkent hosted the workshop, and Dr. Michael Clarke, the First Deputy Rector (Academic) of the University, welcomed the workshop participants. More than 70 representatives of various stakeholders attended the workshop, including officials of key government ministries and agencies, researchers from multiple research institutes, non-governmental and non-profit organizations, and representatives of international organizations.

The objective of the project is to produce valuable compound feed by a farmer cooperative in Bonga, valorizing their own agricultural production. The farmer cooperative uses local available feeds which are not prepared as compound feed and concentrates as well as ingredients imported to fatten their sheep. Through the production of their own compound feed using a feed-producing chain, animals will gate a compound feed from locally available feed resources options and production costs will be reduced, and income increased. Several basic arguments support the realization of such a project: 1. The lack of forage resources in several regions of the country. Shortage of local animal feed sources and high prices of imported feed 2. Improve feed quality as imported concentrates are often of poor quality 3. The very advantageous cost of the feed produced by the unit 4. Provide inexpensive and quality feed in times of shortage of fodder resources or when they are very costly or interrupted in the local market. 5. Need to create employment for youth and women

ICARDA-NARES consultation meeting: Genetic Innovation Initiatives 13th to 15th December 2022 - Aide Memoire: High level guidance to 2030 for genetic innovation implementation in CWANA

Presentation given by Filippo Bassi during a partner meeting that took place in Istanbul, Turkiye, 13-15 December 2022 between ICARDA management and NARES leaders, selected based on their active role in requesting, using, and promoting ICARDA’s Genetic Innovations. ICARDA sought guidance from its NARES partners to determine if the portfolio of Genetic Innovation research defined in the 2017-2026 ICARDA Strategy is still significant to the 2030 horizon set by the CGIAR. As part of this initial engagement in CWANA++, this meeting provided the first step towards further inclusion of other involved CGIAR Centers. In their initial deliberations, NARES have expressed the following considerations to guide this prioritization work: food security, climate change, and strategies to support effective management of agriculture and food systems.

A blog about the importance of the flexible grazing management strategies to meet rangeland resources sustainability targets. In Tunisia, livestock used to obtain over 80% of their feed from rangelands- today, this has fallen to 20%. Therefore and to optimize the use of rangelands, representatives from ICARDA, the Office of Livestock and Pastures (OEP), and Tunisia's General Directorate for Forestry (DGF); farmers; and pastoralists to a day-long workshop on June 6, 2022, where participants discussed a flexible approach to grazing management as proven innovation that that guarantee the sustainability of rangeland resource.