Dr. Ibrahim Hamdan

Dr. Mohammad Samir El-Habbab

Regional Reviews, Towards the Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development

AARINENA SubRegionsAARINENA SubRegions

MoroccoAlgeria

Libya

Mauritania

MaltaTunisia

Maghreb Sub-Region

Iraq

Syria

Palestinian Auth.

Jordan

CyprusLebanon

Mashreq Sub-Region

Kuwait

OmanUAE

Bahrain

S. Arabia

Qatar

Arabian Peninsula

Sub-Region

Egypt

YemenSudan

Somalia

Nile Valley & Red Sea Sub-Region

Djibouti

IranPakistan

Turkey

Western Asia Sub-

Region

Afghanistan

Methodology

The research methodology was conducted according to the following steps:

• Emphasizing on the lessons learnt from the previous related studies

• Analyzing the information received from the sub-regions, and key researchable issues were identified.

• Key researchable issues identified were discussed in the E-Consultation.

• The key researchable Issues and cross cutting research were finalized in the Face-to- Face workshop for WANA

1-Water scarcity: The region is already one of the most water scarce in the world.

2- Population growth rates: The region is characterized by the second highest population growth rates

3- Land degradation: 45% of agriculture and rangeland is experiencing degradation.

4- Global climate change: climate change of the region is projected to become warmer and drier with reduced crop productivity.

Status of Agriculture Sector in WANA Region

1- Drivers: Food InsecurityMajor Challenges: 1) The region suffers from shortage of food,

2) Malnutrition, and drainage in hard currencies due to imports. 3) Regional and internal conflicts

How Can Research Face These Challenges :1. Finding suitable alternative environment friendly crops tolerant to

drought and salinity 2. Evaluate the comparative and competitive advantage in each country3. Effective financing to support small-scale farmers in the region4. Enhancing the sustainable productivity of agriculture in the irrigated or

rainfed and marginal land5. Research on fisheries and aquatic production systems6. Implementing high technology to increase productivity of land and

livestock

Drivers, Challenges and the Methods to Meet the Challenges

2- Drivers: Water Scarcity

Major Challenges: 1)Water use Inefficiency in and off-farms , 2) Water pollution

How Can Research Face These Challenges:1. Improving management of water resources and conserving the

quantity of this resource2. Improving on-farm water-use efficiency 3. Rationalizing use of ground water, especially in Shallow Aquifers4. Protecting water resources from all types of pollution

Drivers, Challenges and the Methods to Meet the Challenges

3- Drivers: Climate change

Major Challenges: climate change-induced vulnerability and risks

How Can Research Face These Challenge :1. Developing climate resilient crops and associated technologies2. Policies and mitigation of climate change

Drivers, Challenges and the Methods to Meet the Challenges

4- Drivers: Lack of Specialized Researchers in some countries in the Region

Major Challenges: The research in most countries in the region is still based on a routine of repeating the same types of research rather than following a more creative and demand driven research priorities.

How Can Research Face These Challenges:1. Strengthening the human resources and institutional capacity of the NARS2. - Building Impact-oriented Research, Knowledge and Development

Institutions3. -Improving quality of agricultural education and employability of

agricultural graduates

Drivers, Challenges and the Methods to Meet the Challenges

5- Drivers: Linking farmers to Research and extension

Major Challenges: The low adoption rates of improved technologies by farmers

How Can Research Face These Challenges:1. Implement Participatory approach which involves researchers,

farmers and extension agents in the transfer of technology2. Revitalizing, strengthening and reorienting agricultural

extension system

Drivers, Challenges and the Methods to Meet the Challenges

6- Drivers: Environment ProtectionMajor Challenges: Natural resources management are carried

out without adequate attention to the socio-economic constraints and environmental conditions.

How Can Research Face These Challenges:1. Finding suitable alternative environment friendly crops that

tolerate drought and saltiness/salinity.2. Protect the land from Salinization and sustain it for the coming

generations

Drivers, Challenges and the Methods to Meet the Challenges

7- Drivers: Research, knowledge and Development of Institutions

Major Challenges: Institutional arrangements are weak

How Can Research Face These Challenges :1. Build Impact-oriented Research, Knowledge and Development

Institutions2. Identify polices and Improve Decision makers and politician

awareness 3. Support research and development in all nationally needed

fields of agriculture by local, regional and international funding agencies.

Drivers, Challenges and the Methods to Meet the Challenges

8- Drivers: Markets and marketing Systems

Major Challenges: Globalization affects the small farmers in the region

How Can Research Face These Challenges :1. Enhance socially based economic agro-enterprises through

enhancing and empowering the farmers' cooperatives 2. Establish long-term relationships, planning, technical

cooperation and transparency throughout the supply chain between all the market participants

Drivers, Challenges and the Methods to Meet the Challenges

Prioritize research and its programming Undertake specific research on technology generated by

farmers themselves and adapt conventional research to the specific conditions of small farms.

• Advocacy to policy makers on the merits of common research/ network.

Recommendations

• increase financial support for knowledge transfer, enhancing the attraction of agricultural education in the region and helping farmers be better represented,

• Providing incentives for innovation in rural areas including vocational training, supporting professionals involved in knowledge transfer, and fully exploiting existing knowledge.

Recommendations

Recommendations

Recommendations