Download Networks for Research Collaboration In the Dryland West Asia

Networks for Research Collaboration in the
Dryland West Asia-North Africa Region
John Ryan,* Luis A. Materon, and Scott Christiansen
ABSTRACT
The goal of the international agricultural research system,
under the auspices of the Consultative Group on International
Agricultural Research (CGIAR), is to improve agricultural
production and alleviate hunger and malnutrition in developing
regions of the world. In each of the research centers worldwide,
the focus is on strategic applied and adaptive research in conjunction with scientists in the various national programs in their
respective mandate zones. A network approach to communication is widely used to facilitate the flow of information and ideas
and strengthen the partnership between centers and national
researchers. Networks can be formal or informal, permanent or
temporary, and expand or contract in response to the availability and fluctuations of funding. This article primarily describes
three networks that represent a cross-section of those operated
by the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry
Areas (ICARDA) in Aleppo, Syria. Unique features of the Soil
Fertility Network (SFN) are on-farm soil test calibration trials,
regular workshops and proceedings, while the International
Legume Inoculation Network (INONET) provides inoculum of
Rhizobium and sponsors training courses. The Dryland Pasture
and Forage Legume Network (DPFLN) is more managementoriented and publishes a newsletter. Despite current and regrettable shortfalls in funding by donor agencies, networks will
continue to be a vital system of communication among collaborating researchers.
D
ESPITE the complacency about global hunger that has
evolved in the world's developed economies in the past
few decades, for many countries, notably in Africa and Asia,
the threat of famine and deprivation is never far from the
doorstep. The recent prognosis of Nordblom and Shomo
ICARDA, P.O. Box 5466, Aleppo, Syria. Contribution from the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA).
Received 11 July 1994. "Corresponding author.
Published in J. Nat. Resour. Life Sci. Educ. 24:155-160 (1995).
(1994) regarding the prospect of many Middle Eastern countries to feed themselves is disquieting in the extreme. In the
West, concerns about overproduction and the environmental
consequences of land use have pushed the images of starving
masses to the far corners of our collective consciousness. As
a result, the haves of today' s world are less inclined to help the
have nots, or are unaware of the pressing need to do so.
Nevertheless, the past two decades have witnessed various
encouraging approaches to improving agricultural research
and education, and consequently, one would hope, overall
rural and national development.
In the past, the primary focus of U.S. technology transfer
from the developed to developing countries was through
degree-level training of host-country nationals, primarily in
land-grant institutions. Subsequently, increased attention was
paid to the circumstances from which these students came and
to which they would return. The need to consider small-scale
farming in developing countries was stressed (Rhoades, 1984),
along with provisions of technology compatible with the
socio-economics of such farming (Brams, 1980) and a framework to prioritize research (Hanson etal., 1977). Concomitant
with, or perhaps an outcome of, these concerns has been (i) the
continued support of Western-style educational institutions in
Abbreviations: CGIAR, Consultative Group on International Agricultural
Research; ICARDA, International Center for Agricultural Research in the
Dry Areas; SFN, Soil Fertility Network; INONET, International Legume
Inoculation Network; DPFLN, Dryland Pasture and Forage Legume Network; IARC, International Agricultural Research Centers; FAO, Food and
Agriculture Organization; UNDP, United Nations Development Program;
ALAD, Arid Lands Agricultural Development Program; WANA, West Asia
and North Africa; MIAC, Mid-America International Agricultural Consortium; IDRC, International Development Research Center; IAV, Institut
Agronomique et Veterinaire; IMPHOS, Institut Mundial du Phosphate;
BNF, biological nitrogen fixation; IPGRI, International Plant Genetic
Resources Institute; UNESCO, United Nations Educational and Cultural
Organization; IAEA, International Atomic Energy Agency; NARS, National Agricultural Research Systems; BMZ, German Federal Ministry for
Technical Cooperation; GTZ, German Agency for Technical Cooperation;
NALRN, North Africa Legume Research Network; WALRN, West Asia
Legume Research Network.
J. Nat Resour. Life Sci. Educ., Vol. 24, no. 2, 1995 •
155
developing countries (Ryan, 1982) and (ii) to define
tackle realistic problems,an awarenessof the advantages of
conductingthesis research in situ (Masonet al., 1987). The
International Agricultural Research Centers system (IARC),
in collaboration with its national partners in research, takes
the process of adapting to the research educationaland training needs of developingcountries a step further.
The perception that agricultural research and education
systems in manycountries either did not exist, were poorly
developed, or did not address national or regional concerns
laid the basis for change.The success of the GreenRevolution
with rice (Oryza sativa L.) in ~he 1970s underlined what
research can do to improvethe lives of many.Thus, in 1971,
the CGIAR
was formedas an international consortium sponsored by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the
United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and the
World Bank. Its mission was to increase food production
through adaptive research and training of national scientists
and technicians through a worldwidenetwork of autonomous
international centers.
The CGIARis comprised of 42 donors, including 19
developedcountries, 10 international organizations and developmentbanks, three foundations, and several developing
countries that contribute somefinancial donations and serve
as representatives of the major developing regions of the
world--Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America
(CGIAR,1994). Of the 17 CGIARcenters nowestablished,
some are commodity-orientedwith global mandates whereas
others are moreregional and multidisciplinary in their orientation. In fulfilling its mandate,in-service training has beena
majorthrust (Villareal and del Toro, 1993).
The networkapproach to research in education and training has been used to share the combined experiences of
regional scientists with commongoals and concerns (van
Schoonhoven,1991). The basic concept of the network is
communicationand training. In muchof the world, we take
instant
communication for granted;
the telephone,
fax, e-mail,
in additionto traditional meetings,are whatlinks scientists. In
developing countries, scientists are often isolated and resource-poor; for them the networkis essential and fosters
personal and institutional relationships that transcend national boundaries. Serving that purpose at agricultural research centers worldwide,networks are formal and informal
and take various shapes and constitutions.
The International Center for Agricultural Researchin the
Dry Areas (ICARDA),which emerged in 1977 as an extension of the Arid Lands Agricultural DevelopmentProgram
(ALAD)of the Ford Foundation, has a spectrum of such
networks. Having a global mandate for barley (Hordeum
vulgare L.) and lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.), and a regional
one for wheat(Triticum sp.) and chickpea (Cicer arietinum
L.), ICARDA
primarily addresses the cereal-legume-livestock-based farming systems of the dryland area of WestAsia
and North Africa (WANA),
a vast area of 10.5 million 2
where 350 million people live, and where farming is largely
dependent on low and erratic rainfall. Most ICARDA
scientists interact with researchersin manycountries of this diverse
region through networks; manysuch networks extend beyond
the region’s boundariesand involve other international centers. In this paper, wedescribe in detail three such networks-the Soil Fertility Network(SFN), the International Legume
156
¯ J. NaL Resour. Life ScL Educ., VoL24, no. 2, 1995
Table 1. Characteristics of the three representative networks at
the International Center for Agricultural Research at the Dry
Areas (ICARDA}.
Soil Fertility
Objective:
Network(SFN}
Improve soft test recommendations,fertility management, and laboratory efficiency.
Mainactivity:
On-farmNand P trials, soil testing.
Communication: Workshopsand published proceedings.
Countries:
Thirteen in West Asia and North Africa (WANA).
International LegumeInoculation Network (INONET)
Objectives:
Determineneeds for inoculation, detect hostrhizobial specificities, train technicians and
scientists.
Mainactivity:
Set up field trials.
Communication: Information exchange, training courses, publications.
Countries:
Eleven in WANA
region and seven outside WANA.
Dryland Pasture and Forage Legume Network (DPFLN}
Objectives:
Bring international focus on pasture and forage developments in WANA.
Mainactivity:
Information exchange, pasture seed production, rotation trials, developmentand distribution of pod
harvesters.
Communication: Pasture and Forage Legume Network News, an informal newsletter published three times per year
for regional and international subscribers.
Countries:
Seventeen countries in WANA,
34 countries outside,
and 32 international organizations.
Inoculation Network(INONET)
for biological nitrogen fixation and legume inoculation, and the Dryland Pasture and
Forage Network(DPFLN),which illustrate a range of regional and international networks operated from ICARDA.
SOIL FERTILITY
NETWORK
After drought, lack of available soil nutrients wereseen as
the major factor limiting crops in the rain-fed WANA
region.
However,
soil fertility researchin mostcountries of the region
was poorly developedand funded. Withlittle contact between
national scientists, there was no strategy to tackle common
problems. The establishment of a network of WANA
national
scientists wasseen as a step in the right direction. Giventhe
potential importanceof soil testing as a guide to efficient
fertilizer use (Matar, 1992), the primary concern of the SFN
was a standardized approachto calibration of nitrogen (N) and
phosphorus(P) soil tests with crop responses, with a strong
emphasis on on-farm trials (Table 1). Communicationwas
fostered by regular visits of the coordinatingscientists from
ICARDA
to individual countries and occasional traveling
workshops
of a fewscientists to trial sites. Highlightsof the
SFNwere the formal workshopsconducted in 1986 to 1988
and 1991, and published proceedings.
The initial SFN meeting in Aleppo, Syria, in 1986
(Soltanpour, 1987) was jointly sponsored by ICARDA,
the
Mid-AmericaIntemational Agricultural Consortium (MIAC)
in Morocco, and the International DevelopmentResearch
Center (IDRC).Along with somegeneral backgroundpapers,
reports dealt with P tests and the responsesof cereals, i.e.,
bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and durumwheat (T.
turgidum var. durum), and legumes in Morocco, Cyprus,
Syria, Jordan, Turkey, and Pakistan. Mostreports indicated
consistent crop responses to P fertilizer. Several on-going
studies of soil test methodsfor N for field crops were also
reported, along with a review of N use and crop response in
Mediterraneanenvironmentsin relation to rainfall. Workplans
wereestablished by participating scientists for conductingN
and P fertilizer trials with wheat.
A secondmeetingin 1987in Ankara,Turkey(Matar et al.,
1988), broughtan expandedrange of participants, and considered issues such as residual P for barley (Cyprus), plant
diagnosticnorms(Tunisia), calibration of different P tests for
cereals, legumes,and oilseeds (Pakistan), P fertilization
legumes (Syria), and wheat responses in Morocco,Jordan,
and Syria. Workplansfor on-farm trials were expandedand
standardized procedures were developed for site selection,
soil samplingand analysis, fertilizer treatments and experimental design, and quality control within the region’s soil
testing laboratories. This was subsequently followed by a
survey of 50 mainly public (government and university)
laboratories, whichinvolved a standard soil sample sent to
each laboratory for analysis and a questionnaire (Ryan and
Garabet, 1994). Inconsistencies in soil test results indicated
major weaknesses,and the need for standardization.
Early SFNactivities represented considerable progress.
Several field studies from northwestern Syria, Jordan, and
Moroccodemonstrated the universal response to applied N
whenrainfall was adequate. Theimportanceof crop rotations,
particularly involving legumes, and of soil type, notably
involving depth, were highlighted, as well as soil nitrate,
whichcouldgive a reliable indication of Nfertility in rain-fed
soils.
Additional delegations attended the third SFNmeetingin
Amman,Jordan, in 1988 (Ryan and Matar, 1990), including
representatives fromIraq and Yemen.In addition to P calibration studies with cereals and soil-testing procedures, topics
included modelingof residual P responses; P placement,i.e.,
bandingvs. broadcasting; P in rotations; and the adsorption
isotherms to evaluate crop P requirements. Workplanswere
modifiedto include separate P trials with basal N, rather than
moreelaborate and expensivefactorial trials, since manysites
were not consistently responsiveto both elements. The importance of N was again stressed by reports from Morocco,
Jordan, Pakistan, Cyprus, and Iraq. A morein-depth assessment of the various soil N forms along with residual N was
made, and the significance of mineralization potential was
introduced in a laboratory-greenhouse study from Morocco.
Similarly, the conceptof Nin the regions farmingsystemsand
the role of organic matter was also introduced.
A fourth SFNmeeting, held in Agadir, Morocco, in May
1991 (Ryanand Matar, 1992) involved newparticipants from
Iran, Libya, Algeria, and Spain. Themeetingwas the first to
have a significant contribution from researchers at regional
universities, notably from the Institut Agronomiqueet
Veterinaire (IAV)-HassanII, Rabat, and the Universities
Jordan and C6rdoba(Spain). This introduced a theoretical
dimension, which had been lacking in previous meetings and
which helped to explain observations previously madefrom
a diversityof field trials.
Somepresentations dealt with the basic behavior and
mineralogyof P in Mediterranean-regionsoils (Spain), notably buffering capacityin relation to soil P tests and distribution of P formswithin soil profiles (Morocco).Aspin-off from
this effort wasa recent reviewof soil P in Mediterranean
soils
by scientists from ICARDA,
Spain, and Morocco(Matar et
al., 1992). A newsoil test for P, using dye-impregnated
paper
strips, was presented (Egypt), while a modification of the
standard Olsen bicarbonate method, i.e., NH4HCO3-DTPA,
was reported as being useful (Pakistan). Again, the importance of N for wheat, barley, and triticale (X Triticosecale
Wittm..ex A. Camus)was clear from field responses along
with emphasis on rainfall and temperature (Syria, Jordan).
The issue of mineralization was developed further by a
consideration of the various soil N fractions. Reports from
Cypruspointed to a novel approach to fertility assessment,
whichinvolvedtissue-testing for nitrate.
Otheritems included, for the first time, potassium(K) and
its possible significance in the region (Morocco);K is adequatein rain-fed soils, but K fertilizer wouldbe neededunder
irrigated conditions, especially in sandy soils and for crops
such as sugarbeet (Beta vulgaris L.) and potato (Solanum
tuberosumL.). A newdimensionto soil testing involved the
idea of spatial variability; this has importantimplicationsfor
field sampling and subsequent test values. More emphasis
was also placed on economicconsiderations, e.g., assessing
strategies for fertilizer allocation and N needin relation to
crop rotations.
The SNFadopted the Olsen procedure (NaHCO3)as the
official soil P test for the regionusing a 0- to 20-cmsoil depth;
about 6 mgkg-~ was consideredthe critical range belowwhich
a responseto fertilizer is likely. Fertilizer P rates of 10 to 20
kg ha-~ were recommended, depending on the extent of
deficiency. Althoughsimilar criteria have beendevelopedfor
nitrate, the test is less reliable thanfor P, since it is influenced
by the cropping system, nitrate mobility with varying soil
moistureregime, and with the soil’s mineralizationpotential.
Recommendations
for cereal fertilization range from little or
no N after legumes, 20 to 30 kg ha-~ under normal dryland
conditions, and up to 90 kg N ha-~ in high-rainfall years. The
manygray areas of current knowledgewere identified and
will providethe core of the scientists’ concernsin the coming
years.
In demonstratingthe benefits of soil testing, the SNFcan
serve as a catalyst for governmentalinstitutions and the
private sector to provide such services. In most countries of
the region, fewfarmerstest soils. Indeed,facilities for testing
are poorly developedand often too expensivefor the smallscale farmer. Future SNFefforts will continue to be a forum
for dryland soil scientists and agronomistsof the region to
share information and enhance their professional development. Indeed, in the absence of a regional applied soil science-agronomyjournal, the SFNproceedings provided an
outlet for material that maynot otherwise have been published.
The initial SFNphase has been funded by UNDPand
Institut Mundialdu Phosphate (IMPHOS).It is hoped that
continued funding will be forthcomingfor a secondphase to
build on the successful foundationthat has beenlaid, and to
documentits impact. Ultimate success of the SNFwill be
measured,not in publications or conferenceproceedings, but
in the extent to whichfarmers use scientific information to
manage
their soil and fertilizer resourcesin a sustainable and
economic manner.
INTERNATIONAL LEGUME
INOCULATION NETWORK
The dryland cereal farming system of the WANA
region is
characterized by rotational cropping. Traditionally, moisture
J. Nat. Resour.
Life ScLEduc.,VoL24, no. 2, 1995¯ 157
is conserved and fertility restored during the fallow year
(Harris et al., 1991).Fallowedland is either clean tilled or,
in North Africa, left to growweeds, whichare grazed in the
spring. Increasingly, fallow is being replaced by forage legumessuch as vetch (Viciasativa L.), pea (PisumsativumL.),
and chickling (Lathyrus sativus L.), as well as pasture legumessuch as medics (Medicagospp.) (Osmanet al., 1990).
Theformergroupsare sownannually, while the latter are selfregenerating each year. Thoughfallow replacement with
legumesdoes not conservemoisture, the potential increases in
annual output from the system are substantial (Beck and
Materon, 1988). This potential is what underscores the research programon medics and related N2-fixing species at
ICARDA.
While indigenous Medicagospecies are found throughout
the WANA
region, they are sparsely distributed due to overgrazing and poor pasture management.The impetus to develop ley farming came from Australia. However, a major
stumblingblock in the efforts to introduce biotypes to new
areas is the absence of specific rhizobia (Materonand Cocks,
1988; Materon, 1991). For example, Materon and Danso
(1991) showedthat in one soil with only indigenousrhizobial
strains, M. rigidula nodulatedwell, whereasM. truncatula did
not. In such cases, inoculation with the appropriate strains is
necessary. Production and handling of suitable inoculant is
crucial to the success of any biological nitrogen fixation
(BNF) technology transfer program. However, a suitable
medium
is essential to ensure rhizobial survival (Wolfet al.,
1983). In an overviewof BNFresearch in Egypt, Sims et al.
(1984) concludedthat muchof the research was unrelated
field situations and stressed the need for BNFtechnologyto
be presented as apackageofpractices to farmers. Recognition
of such an outreach approach was the basis for ICARDA’s
International Inoculation Network(INONET),which focused
on pasture and forage legumes.
In view of the manyconstraints to introducing pasture
legumesthat existed, i.e., limited seed and inoculumproduction facilities, and little local expertise (Materonand Cocks,
1988), INONET
came into being in 1986 following recommendationsof participants in an N2-fixation workshop(Beck
and Materon, 1988), which urged the establishment of regional need-to-inoculate experiments throughout the WANA
region. As with SFN,INONET
was established to forge closer
links betweenWANA
scientists involved with soil microbiology and N research. It also sought to disseminateinformation
on rhizobial strain selection, host specificity, inoculant production and seed inoculation.
The INONET
differed from the SFNmainly in that it
providedinoculumand seed for testing in the various environments of the WANA
region, from high elevation plateaus in
Turkeyand Algeria to milder lowland areas in Moroccoand
Syria. Anexampleof such research was the trial at EI-Khroub
in northern Algeria, in collaboration with the Algerian Ministry of Agriculture, to evaluate ICARDA
strains of Rhizobium meliloti to fix N in annual medics from Syria (M.
rigidula selection 716, M. noeanaselection 2351, M. rotata
selection 2123) and local Medicagoecotypes (M. aculeata,
M.ciliaris selection 80, and M. scutellata).
A major focus oflNONET
was training, mostly conducted
at ICARDA’s
headquarters in Tel Hadya, Aleppo. Normally
of 2 weeks’duration with up to 10 participants, the courses
Life ScLEduc.,VoL24, no. 2, 1995
158 ¯ J. Nat.Resour.
ranged from production ofrhizobial inoculants to field techniques to measure BNF(Table 1). Individuals selected for
training are usually technicians and are nominated by a
cooperator; however, somecourse participants had M.S. and
Ph.D.degrees in agricultural microbiology.Onecourse, "Techniques in Rhizobiologyof Pasture and Forage Legumes,"was
held outside ICARDA
headquarters in Morocco, and was
cosponsored by FAO,NitTAL(Nitrogen Fixation by Tropical Agricultural Legumes), and the University of Moulay
Ismail (Meknes,Morocco).The training material was eventually publishedas a technical manual(Becket al., 1993), which
has beendistributed to all regional cooperators.
While INONET
was primarily focused on countries of the
WANA
region, it also involved cooperators in Mediterranean
areas of Australia, USA(California), and Chile, as well
Italy, Spain, France, and Greece. Communication
with cooperators was mainly by correspondence and occasional personal visits. As coordinator, ICARDA
provided rhizobial
cultures, workplansfor experimentation,and technical assistance. Normally,at least three rhizobial cultures in pure form
are provided to investigators, i.e., lyophilized ampoules,
instead of peat bags; they then producetheir owninoculants.
Others prefer the peat bags whenno laboratory facilities are
available for inoculant production.Thesestrains are of interest to the adapted pasture or forage species of individual
national programs.
Uninoculatedcontrols with and without P and N are used
to compare biomass yield and nodule number and quality.
Workplansalso accommodatethe impact of pesticides and N
on rhizobia and measuringNfixation by the isotopic dilution
method. Although the main focus of INONET
is Rhizobium,
one collaborativeeffort with the Universityof Granada(Spain),
involvedsoil inoculation with mycorrhizaein relation to the
commonMedicago species--M, rigidula, M. rotata, M.
aculeata, and M. polymorpha.Thoughit is core-funded, it
does, however,stimulate assistance indirectly through FAO,
United Nations Educational and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO),and IntemationalAtomic Energy Agency(IAEA).
DRYLAND PASTURE AND FORAGE
LEGUME NETWORK
Unlike SFN and INONET,both of which are heavily
discipline-oriented, the DrylandPasture and Forage Legume
Network (DPFLN)is systems management-oriented--and
more broadly based. Since most national programs in WANA
are organized in a disciplinary basis, ICARDA’s
Pasture,
Forage, and Livestock Programattempted to strengthen the
link with National Agricultural Research Systems(NARS)
setting up a network. This concept was debated at a workshop
held in Perugia (Italy) (Christiansen et al., 19931). Subsequently, in 1991, the DPFLN
was established at a workshop
at ICARDA
to improve communicating and sharing of resources amongscientists to strengthen the efficiency of their
research and development work.
Whilethe fertility and inoculation networks were centeroriented, the DPFLN
sought to catalyze links amongNARS
within the WANA
region and between NARSand international institutions. Althoughthe DPFLN
is primarily dependent on core funds, someactivities in North Africa were
supported by France; support also came from UNDPfor
Table 2. Regional and subregional networks at the International Center for Agricultural Researchin the Dry Areas (ICARDA).?
Network name
Barley Pathology
North Africa Grain LegumeResearch (NALRN)
West Asian LegumeResearch {WALRN)
North Africa Faba BeanResearch
Wheat/BarleyHessianFly Screening
WANA
Plant Genetic Resources (WANANET)
Soil Fertility Network(SFN)
WANASeed
Agricultural Information for WANA
DNAFingerprinting of Chickpea
(AscochytaBlight Fungus}
Donor
USAID
ICARDA/BMZ/GTZ
ICARDA/BMZ/GTZ
BMZ/GTZ
ICARDA/MIAC
IPGRI/ICARDA/ACSAD/FAO
ICARDA/UNDP/IMPHOS
ICARDA/GTZ/USAID
ICARDA
GTZ/ICARDA
Type
Research,cooperation,information, germplasm
exchange
Germplasmexchange
Germplasmexchange
Cooperation
Germplasmexchange
Cooperation,information
Cooperation/information
Cooperation/information
Information/material
Information/cooperation/material
Abbreviations(see Table 1): USAID,
UnitedStates Agencyfor International Development;
BMZ,
German
Federal Ministryfor TechnicalCooperation;
GTZ,German
Agencyfor TechnicalCooperation;MIAC,
Mid-America
International Agricultural Consortium;IMPHOS,
Institut Mundiaidu Phosphat;
FAO,Foodand Agriculture Organizationof the United Nations; ACSAD,
ArabCenter for the Studies of Arid Zonesand DryLands; UNDP,
United
NationsDevelopment
Fund;IPGRI,International Plant GeneticResourcesInstitute.
Table 3. International networksat the International Center for Agricultural Researchin the Dry Areas (ICARDA}.?
Title
Donor
International legumeinoculation (INONET)
DurumGermplasmEvaluation
Cereal International Nursery
International LegumeTesting {ILTN)
Dryland Pasture and Forage Legume(DPFLN)
Faba BeanInformationService
Lentil ExperimentalNewsServices (LENS)
RACHIS
(Wheat-BarleyNewsletter)
Global Grain LegumeDrought Research (GGLDRN)
ICARDA
Italy
ICARDA
ICARDA
ICARDA/IPGRI
IDRC/ICARDA
IDRC/ICARDA
IDRC/ICARDA
FAO/ICRISAT/ICARDA
Type
Cooperation,information,Networkmaterial exchange
Information, germplasmexchange
Germplasmexchange
Germplasmexchange
Information,cooperativetrials, adaptedtechnology
Information
Information
Information
Information, cooperation,germplasmexchange
Additionalabbreviations(see Table2 also}: IDRC,International Development
ResearchCenter; ICRISAT,
InternationalCenterfor Researchin the SemiAridTropics.
countries in West Asia. The DPFLN
initially involved representatives from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Cyprus,
Jordan, Syria, Turkey, and Iran; recently, Pakistan and Lebanon officially
joined. The DPFLNwas divided into three
subregions--North Africa, West Asia, and the highlands
(Algeria, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan), in recognition of the cultural and national diversity and the dominant role of environment on pasture and livestock production.
A unique feature of the DPFLNis its newsletter,
The
Dryland Pasture and Forage Legume Network News. This
informal vehicle for communication was created and supported by a grant from the Intemational Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) in Rome.To date, nine issues of the
News have created interest in, and have given a muchneeded
focus to, the Mediterranean region. In addition, there have
been manycontributions to the newsletter from Europe, the
Western Hemisphere, NewZealand, and Australia.
The DPFLNhas catalyzed cooperative activities
in Morocco, Algeria, and Syria, where research projects are based
on manufacture and use of small machines to harvest and
condition pasture seed, and on long-term rotation trials in
which pasture and forages can be compared with other crop
alternatives.
Through the DPFLN,ICARDAemphasizes appropriate machines for on-farm legume seed production.
Prototypes of a locally madehand-operated seed (pod) sweeper,
which threshes, cleans, and scarifies seed, have been sent to
Algeria, Morocco, Lebanon, Ethiopia, Jordan, and Iraq. The
DPFLN
also helps in collecting, describing, and evaluating
local genetic resources, and provides research support to
identify the best utilization of pasture legumes by animals,
through grazing or hay production, and in rotations with
cereal crops. The latter aspect is currently being investigated
at headquarters and in a regional long-term trial in Algeria.
Similarly, the DPFLNassisted three highland countries
(Turkey, Pakistan, and Iran) in identifying priorities
for
cooperative research in pasture, forage, and livestock
(Christiansen and Adham,1993). While there is muchinterest
in involving other highland countries in the DPFLN,i.e.,
Afghanistan and former Soviet republics, little progress has
been made. In addition to language barriers, the state of
political flux makes meaningful contact difficult. Although
the DPFLN
deals with animals, crops, and people and is more
broadly based than the other two networks, its institutional
obstacles are correspondingly greater.
OTHER
NETWORKS
The wide range of networks at ICARDAreflect
the
institution’s strong regional emphasis (Table 2) and its global
connections (Table 3), as well as its subject concerns--grain
legumes and cereals, principally barley, bread wheat, and
durum wheat. The Barley Network reflects ICARDA’sworldwide mandate for working with and improving this crop,
while the Hessian Fly Screening Network underlines the
importance of this wheat pest in North Africa. The cereal
nursery reflects ICARDA’s
pivotal role for these crops, which
serves as a repository for the region’s genetic resources, both
for landraces and developed cultivars. Similarly, the dominant position of food legumes is reflected in networks for
North Africa (NALRN)and West Asia (WALRN).The recent
Grain Legume Drought Research Network, sponsored jointly
by ICARDAand ICRISAT, reflects
the strong links and
commonconcerns of these sister international dryland centers. A specific network devoted to more basic research was
established for DNAfingerprinting
of Ascochyta, a major
disease of chickpea.
J. Nat. Resour.Life ScLEduc., Vol. 24, no. 2, 1995¯ 159
Since information dissemination is one of the pillars of its
existence, ICARDA supports the regular publication of newsletters in journal format for cereals (Rachis) and lentils (Lens).
All networks involve information exchange in one form or
other, but several provide materials, such as germplasm. The
majority of networks are funded in part or fully by outside
agencies, mainly from Canada (IDRC) and Germany (BMZ,
GTZ). The intensity of activity in any one network depends on
the coordinator, the degree of cooperation with NARS, and on
funding.
CONCLUSIONS
Most of ICARDA's research and outreach activities in the
WANA region is based in networks. This mechanism serves
as a vital conduit of information between coordinating center
scientists and collaborators in the various national programs.
Networks ensure that center research continues to be farmerdriven and based on real rather than imaginary problems, and
help identify common problems and promote common strategies to solve them. With an educational and informational
platform, some networks are well-established with tangible
achievements, whereas others are less active and may exist in
name only. The network system is a flexible one that can
fluctuate with the ebb and flow of funding; they can contract
in lean years, again to expand in times of plenty. The network
system, however transformed, will continue to catalyze research efficiency, information exchange, and technology
transfer in this environmentally harsh and increasingly fooddeficient part of the world.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Our sincere thanks to Dr. Samir El-Sebae Ahmed, Dr.
Michel Obaton, Dr. Robert Booth, and Dr. Elizabeth Bailey
for reviewing this manuscript and for their helpful comments.
160
J. Nat. Resour. Life Sci. Educ., Vol. 24, no. 2, 1995