Knowledge Management Portal

ICARDA and CAZRI have recently concluded a 6-year research study on investigation of avenues to improve agricultural water productivity in the INGP canal command area. The study was conducted in stages I and II of the canal command area - stage I has predominantly cereal-based production systems under surface irrigation and stage II has pressurized irrigation-based cash crop production.

ACLIMAS is a demonstration project funded under the sustainable water management program (SWIM) of the European Commission (EC). The project prioritizes the efficient use of water and climate change by targeting six Mediterranean demonstration countries, including Algeria, through the application and dissemination of research results from previous initiatives funded by the EC. The project is coordinated by the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM), Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari (MAIB), International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), the Technical Institute of Field Crops (ITGC) station of Khemis Miliana, Algeria and the University of Barcelona (UB).

The project will demonstrate selected soil and water conservation and irrigation practices and technologies in Pakistan. It will disseminate information within Pakistan on selected soil and water conservation and irrigation practices and technologies. The project shares and compares information and findings within Afghanistan on selected soil and water conservation and irrigation practices and technologies. It identifies and fills in the key knowledge gaps on selected soil and water conservation and irrigation practices and technologies.

ICARDA in partnership with EIAR is proposing a project with key objectives aligned to government strategy for seed sector development to promote scaling-up/out of best agricultural practices. In the short to medium term, this proposal is to compliment the Durable Rust Resistant Wheat project and USAID Famine Fund Projects to strengthen the wheat seed sector for replacing susceptible commercial wheat varieties by high yielding and rust resistant varieties contributing to national food security.

Wheat is the major staple food in the countries of West Asia and North Africa (WANA), and their food security is dependent on their capacity to produce wheat and/or secure their needs from imports. Food legumes (faba bean, kabuli chickpea and lentil) are also important staple foods and are a valuable source of dietary protein, particularly among the poorest sections of the population who cannot afford animal protein. Currently, most countries in the WANA region cannot meet their food demands from domestic production and, therefore, depend on food imports in varying degrees. Thus, increasing wheat and food legume production would contribute significantly to enhancing food security in the region. The project aims to deliver pro-poor scientific and technological innovations to increase and stabilize the productivity of wheat and food legume-based production systems in the dry areas of WANA. Using WANA as a platform, the technologies developed will be disseminated globally as international public goods.

Grass pea is a popular pulse that has been part of people staple diet in South Asia due its high protein value (34%). It is also used like fodder because its yield is very high, and can be sow with other crops to reduce the risk of crop failure. However, its seed contains a toxin which is harmful to humans when is consumed in excess, causing a disease called “Neurolathyrism”. For this reason, researchers seek to reduce toxin levels to provide farmers with healthier options.

The DAC-ICAR-ICARDA collaborative project on Enhancing Lentil Production is funded by the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, MoA, Govt. of India, under NFSM-Pulses. It is being implemented in four States of India through active participation of National Agricultural Research System. This project offers tremendous scope for enhancement of production, productivity and economic well being of poor farmers especially in the areas of rice fallows where no crop was grown after rice.