ICARDA Full Form: Overview, Features, Work Areas etc.

The ICARDA Full Form is the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, a CGIAR member and recipient of funding from the CGIAR Fund, and is a nonprofit agricultural research organisation with the mission of enhancing lives of resource-poor people in the dry areas of the world. ICARDA was founded in 1977, but its roots date back to 1973 research that highlighted the problems with food security faced by nations in the dry regions of the Near East and North Africa. Although it was planned to be established in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley, the outbreak of the civil war in 1975 prevented that.

By collaborating with this new organisation, Hafez al-Assad, the president of Syria at the time, intended to safeguard his own nation’s agriculture. He then presented the ICARDA an alluring offer of free land to the south of Aleppo, which they later accepted two years later. Today, ICARDA conducts research on a variety of topics, including the creation of novel crop varieties, water harvesting, conservation agriculture, system diversification, integrated crop/rangeland/livestock production, and rural women’s empowerment.

Hafez al-Assad, the president of Syria at the time, wanted to protect his own country’s agriculture sector by working with this new organisation. Then, two years later, he made the ICARDA an enticing offer of free land to the south of Aleppo, which they eventually accepted. ICARDA now carries out research on a range of subjects, including the development of innovative crop varieties, water harvesting, conservation agriculture, system diversification, integrated crop/rangeland/livestock production, and the empowerment of rural women.

ICARDA Overview

Features of ICARDA

1. The Centers collaborate with scientists in the mission area of each centre and perform practical research in all aspects of agriculture relevant to development.
2. Limited rainfall and water resources are the key production bottlenecks in the countries of North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia, where ICARDA primarily concentrates on agriculture.
3. They discuss global challenges before going on to highlight ICARDA’s research accomplishments in the biophysical and social sciences with an emphasis on future plans.
4. promote sustainable food production and improve livelihoods and human nutrition in the countries of the developing world.
5. A breeding programme for cool-season food and forage legumes, including grass pea, is run by ICARDA.
6. The ICARDA breeding programme has made tremendous strides in choosing high-yielding, low-neurotoxin lines that are adaptable to local conditions.

Mission

In response to global concerns like climate change, ICARDA’s purpose is to alleviate poverty, improve food, water, and nutritional security, as well as environmental health. They achieve this through cutting-edge research, strategic alliances, tying development to research, and building capacities that consider gender equality and the role of youth in transforming arid areas. Governments, academic institutions, civil society organisations, national agricultural research organisations, other CGIAR research Centers, and the corporate sector are all partners in the work that ICARDA does. In Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, ICARDA has regional and country offices under the temporary leadership of Beirut, Lebanon.

Where do ICARDA work?

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)