ANNUAL REPORT 2021

Copyright © 2022 ICARDA (International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas).

All rights reserved. ICARDA encourages fair use of this material for non-commercial purposes with proper citation.

Citation
ICARDA. 2022. ICARDA Annual Report 2021. International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas,
Beirut, Lebanon.

ISSN: 0254-8313-00121

AGROVOC Descriptors
genetic resources conservation; value chains; policies; land productivity; technology; capacity building; agricultural
research; climate change adaptation; rural communities; resilience; food security; livestock; conservation agriculture;
heat tolerance; crops; partnerships; cereals; legumes; genebanks; drylands; small ruminants; climate-smart; smallholders;
farmers; rangelands; environmental degradation; gender equity; water management; remote sensing; water scarcity

All responsibility for the information in this publication remains with ICARDA. The use of trade names does not imply
endorsement of, or discrimination against, any product by the Center. Maps have been used to support research data,
and are not intended to show political boundaries.

Photo credits
Cover photo, copyright Michael Major/Crop Trust

All other images copyright ICARDA, with thanks also to Roni Ziade and Michael Major for use of their images.

https://annual-report.icarda.org/2021/
ANNUAL REPORT 2021
Contents
Foreword...................................................................................................................................................................... 1

Highlights: 2021 in numbers................................................................................................................................... 2

The integrated desert farming innovation platform........................................................................................... 3

ICARDA and One CGIAR......................................................................................................................................... 5

Soil, water and agronomy......................................................................................................................................... 7

Livestock and agro-silvopastoral systems .........................................................................................................11

Genetic resources....................................................................................................................................................13

Digitalization.............................................................................................................................................................15

Climate-smart crops................................................................................................................................................17

Capacity development............................................................................................................................................21

Gender........................................................................................................................................................................23

Improving rural livelihoods....................................................................................................................................25

Awards and recognition..........................................................................................................................................27

Board of trustees.....................................................................................................................................................29

Financial information..............................................................................................................................................31

Donors and partners...............................................................................................................................................32

Appendix....................................................................................................................................................................35

Soil, water and agronomy..........................................................................................................................36

Resilient livestock and agro-silvo-pastoral systems............................................................................38

Genetic resources.......................................................................................................................................42

Digitalization of research..........................................................................................................................44

Climate smart crops....................................................................................................................................46

Capacity development...............................................................................................................................53

Gender...........................................................................................................................................................55

Improving rural livelihoods.......................................................................................................................56

 Science for resilient livelihoods in dry areas

Foreword: joint message from CGIAR Regional Director of CWANA and ICARDA
Director General, Mr. Aly Abousabaa, and ICARDA Board Chair Dr. Michel Afram

Partnerships for a food-secure future

Dear esteemed partners, supporters, and colleagues, importance of collecting, conserving, and developing vital
In a world reeling from COVID-19, the recent escalation genetic resources to protect fragile agrobiodiversity.
in energy and food prices is a new and significant threat
to global food and nutrition security. As ever, this latest As we constantly stress, innovation flourishes in partnerships.
crisis will disproportionally affect the communities CGIAR It is our partners, not ICARDA, who develop our clear
serves – those in low- and middle-income countries already demand-driven research goals, and help leverage the diverse
vulnerable to the impact of climate change. experiences and expertise that ignite new ideas, knowledge,
resources and funding, that genuine transformation requires.
In the region where we work, rising temperatures and That made 2021 an important year due to our development
growing water scarcity already pose an existential threat to of an ICARDA-led desert farming innovation collaboration
agroecosystems and the livelihoods of farming communities. hub for West Asia and North Africa.
So although we will factor new and unprecedented shocks
into our future work, in 2021 we stayed firmly on track with Throughout 2021, ICARDA also continued to support
our demand-driven research obligations. By doing so, the the One CGIAR transformation to help unify CGIAR’s
innovations we develop can still offer clear scope to address governance and global assets for a sharper and more
rapidly changing global food production networks. For effective research focus. Our research teams successfully
example, our improved barley and legume varieties can offer transitioned into the new global research teams, getting
an alternative to the grain imports under pressure today. involved in 17 of the new Global Portfolio of Initiatives,
and leading two that specifically address Central Asia, West
But if countries are to adopt and scale our new approaches, Asia and North Africa (CWANA) needs.
they need to adopt a systemic approach – more experts,
better knowledge-sharing, improved value and supply Global collective action like the One CGIAR transformation
chains, and more favorable policies – a fully climate- and ICARDA’s Integrated Desert Farming Innovation
adapted agri-food system is only as strong as its weakest Platform is our best hope for addressing tomorrow’s agri-
link. To this end, ICARDA worked throughout 2021 with food systems needs. In this report, we invite you to discover
partners to strongly integrate capacity building into some of the promising solutions that such collaborations
our work via numerous trainings, demonstrations, and generated last year – the result of diverse actors successfully
academic partnerships, reaching thousands of farmers, working together in pursuit of a common goal – a food-
extension workers, and students – tomorrow’s experts. secure future for all.
Further, our groundbreaking evidence-based research
on value chains and farmers’ needs will better inform
domestic and international policymakers to optimize newly
generated, bold agri-food approaches.

In the following pages, you can also read about our 2021
research covering our high-yielding climate-adapted crops,
integrated climate-resilient agrosilvopastoral and livestock
farming systems, and improved approaches to managing
dwindling water resources. You will also read about how
ICARDA is stepping up to raise global awareness of the Aly Abousabaa Michel Afram

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HIGHLIGHTS:
2021 in numbers

98 97 150
RESEARCH PROJECTS PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENTS ISI JOURNAL ARTICLES
IN 46 COUNTRIES SIGNED OR RENEWED PUBLISHED

3,127 25 21,427
PEOPLE BENEFITED FROM CROP VARIETIES RELEASED PLANT ACCESSIONS
TRAINING COURSES BY NATIONAL PARTNERS REGENERATED

1,169 576
PUBLICATIONS BREEDING LINES DISTRIBUTED
AND DATASETS TO PARTNERS IN 44 COUNTRIES

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 Science for resilient livelihoods in dry areas

The integrated desert farming innovation platform:

Integrating game-changing innovation into holistic approaches that
revolutionize agri-food systems

If dryland farmers are to keep pace with the impact of rapid climate change on their ability to produce,
they must be prepared to integrate game-changing technologies into their approaches. But how to
locate and harness relevant innovation, and then help farmers adopt it? The ICARDA-led Integrated
Desert Farming Innovation Platform offers a means for countries to collaborate on sourcing, testing,
and delivering evidence-based innovation for sustainable and climate-resilient agri-food systems.

While climate challenges for farmers in Central and West exist, along with abundant biodiversity largely adapted
Asia, and North Africa (CWANA) are significant, the region to harsh climates, while individual country know-how on
offers countless opportunities that can be seized to new and traditional approaches already travels the path to
enhance the productivity of countries’ agricultural sectors. climate adaptation. But how to unlock, develop, and scale-
Ample renewable and non-renewable natural resources out this important knowledge and technology?

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ANNUAL REPORT 2021

Addressing challenges; seizing opportunities

Throughout 2021, ICARDA and its partners joined forces on

a new collaborative project – the Integrated Desert Farming
Innovation Platform – that optimizes regional knowledge,
expertise, and funding to transform approaches at systemic
level. With a foundation built on international and regional
partnerships, the platform offers a central hub for sharing
of scientific innovation and agricultural solutions, including
from ICARDA’s ongoing research, that will address agri-food
systems gaps to strengthen the whole system. The platform
is also developing a mechanism for fast-tracking adoption
and scale-out of new approaches based on the needs and
market demands of countries, including jobs and income, all
the while strengthening food and nutrition security.

There is a focus, for instance, on managing increasingly

scarce water resources, developing climate-smart crops,
and implementing integrated crop and livestock systems,
all high regional priorities that unless addressed, reduce the
impact of other available innovation. Through soil health
initiatives and the strategic use of genebanks, the platform
will also protect the regions increasingly fragile biodiversity.

In addition, the platform boosts and emulates pillar

industries such as date palm production and improves
access to wind and solar power and water/energy-saving
innovations, especially in greenhouse farming. Capitalizing ICARDA’s key role is to mobilize CGIAR-wide innovations
on the new potential of information technology, artificial and assets, along with the expertise of over 3,500 global
intelligence, and digital extension services is also a priority food system scientists. CGIAR can also offer a unique
to inform policy and drive adoption. and trusted network of international partners who have
collaborated for decades to help the global agricultural
Share and strengthen sector adapt to a new climate reality.

The Integrated Desert Farming Innovation Platform is As the platform takes shape throughout 2022, ICARDA
not a magic bullet because the needs of the region and and its partners will explore fundamental frameworks,
its farming communities are complex. But its pragmatic including funding mechanisms to develop innovations
overarching function is to share inter-country resources at the required pace, ways to convince farmers to
and capacities to better understand needs and address substitute conventional technologies and practices with
weak links in areas such as market access or policies scientifically-proven alternatives, and how farmers can
that can render other efforts inoperable. Doing so will better access markets and technologies.
address gaps in knowledge and expertise, equipping the
region’s farmers, researchers, and extension agents with We launched the Integrated Desert Farming Innovation
the skills and know-how they will need to keep pace with Platform in early 2022 during the Khalifa International
climate change and transition to more sustainable and Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation,
resilient food systems. By definition, that makes farmer attended by representatives from ICARDA and CGIAR,
associations and regional higher education institutions and ministers and officials from over 15 CWANA
priority partners, firmly putting them in the driving seat. countries.

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 Science for resilient livelihoods in dry areas

ICARDA and One CGIAR

An integrated unification of assets, expertise, knowledge, and operation to deliver
more targeted solutions to today’s integrated challenges

CGIAR, the world’s largest global agricultural innovation network, has been a world leader in agri-food
systems science and innovation for development for over 50 years. But as the world faces escalating
climate, biodiversity, population, and food prices crises, and the landscape of research, and its funding
model changes, we need to change too.

While remaining as individual research entities, CGIAR’s more targeted solutions to today’s integrated challenges
partnership of fourteen research centers are now faster, more efficiently, and more effectively.
transitioning to a more collaborative model – One CGIAR
– a new broader and integrated unification of assets, In 2021 ICARDA’s Human Resources unit continued
expertise, knowledge, and operation that will deliver to oversee ICARDA’s transition under One CGIAR,

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ANNUAL REPORT 2021

supporting ICARDA’s capacity needs, and addressing automated approaches. It will also upscale its free supply
challenges through a concerted recruitment and of genetic resources from CGIAR’s nine genebanks to
succession planning effort. While initially aimed at global researchers in compliance with Plant Treaty and
improved collaboration with other centers under One phytosanitary regulations.
CGIAR, stronger systems and processes, and upskilling
of staff across all of ICARDA’s corporate functions ICARDA’s Soil, Water, and Agronomy (SWA) team also
including Human Resources, Finance, Partnerships collaborated with sister CGIAR centers in 2021 to
and Grants Unit, and Communications, is also reaping support the development of the One CGIAR Excellence
benefits. in Agronomy (EiA) and Nexus Gains initiatives. Leading
the EiA’s CWANA Region Teams, and the Nexus Gains
The One CGIAR global research portfolio Initiatives in Sudan and Uzbekistan, ICARDA’s SWA team
will support the initiatives in delivering agronomic gains
Working in close collaboration with its global research for smallholder farming households in prioritized farming
centers and country partners, One CGIAR has formulated systems, water, energy, food, forests, and biodiversity
a global portfolio of 33 strategic initiatives to transform systems, emphasizing the measurable impact of women
the full range of land-water-crop-livestock-fish-forestry and young farmers on food and nutrition security, income,
food systems into viable and adaptable approaches. water use, soil health, and climate resilience.

These new science and innovation-driven initiatives ICARDA’s agrosilvopastoral research teams are also
are designed to address country-specific challenges at integral in developing the Sustainable Animal Productivity
systems, farm, biodiversity, and value chain levels. The for Livelihoods, Nutrition and Gender Inclusion (SAPLING)
initiatives draw from vital in-country knowledge and Initiative which is at the core of the One CGIAR livestock
the unique scientific expertise of our global centers and portfolio. ICARDA’s Mourad Rekik is Deputy Lead, while
partners to provide innovative and new science to address other ICARDA scientists hold roles as three work package
new challenges. leads and one country coordinator for Ethiopia.

As of the end of 2021, ICARDA is engaging in 17 of the ICARDA’s Team Leader of Rangeland Ecology and Forages,
initiatives, and leading two: Dr. Mounir Louhaichi, was also selected as Deputy Leader
of the Livestock, Climate and System Resilience (LCSR)
From Fragility to Resilience in CWANA (F2R-CWANA) – Initiative. Partnering with public and private actors, LCSR
led by ICARDA’s Dr Michael Baum and co-led by IWMI’s will support producers, businesses, and governments to
Maha Al-Zubi. adapt livestock agri-food systems to climate change, reduce
greenhouse gas emissions, and contribute to sustainability
The F2R-CWANA Initiative works closely with countries and development goals across livestock systems.
to unlock and build on current initiatives and reduce
fragility in the region, by developing key solutions
that integrate with the region’s diverse range of agro-
ecosystems – rainfed, irrigated, agro-pastoral and desert
farming. Key innovative approaches will produce more
food with less water, introduce new climate-resistant
staple crop varieties, build networks that connect vertical
and horizontal levels of markets, and increase agricultural
and business access to women and youth.

The Genebanks Initiative will support the global system

for the conservation and use of plant genetic resources
for food and agriculture through standardization,
improved and high-quality data, and the adoption of

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 Science for resilient livelihoods in dry areas

Soil, water and agronomy:

Sustainable soil, water and agronomy management for a fertile future

Climate change, soil degradation, and limited resources – particularly water – are jeopardizing the
agricultural future of the world’s dry areas. In response, ICARDA’s Soil, Water, and Agronomy (SWA)
team, led by Dr. Vinay Nangia, conducts sustainable soil, water and agronomy management research
to develop diversified and sustainable techniques for small and large-scale farming to strengthen
livelihoods resilience and diversify cereal-based irrigated, rain-fed and conservation agricultural food
systems. We also promote the safe use of treated wastewater to generate feed, fodder, and trees, and
develop sustainable desert agriculture.

Helping to develop One CGIAR initiatives water management, and soil health initiatives throughout
the world. ICARDA’s SWA team supported the development
Under the One CGIAR reformulation, ICARDA’s SWA team of the One CGIAR Excellence in Agronomy (EiA) and Nexus
cooperated with sister CGIAR centers in 2021 to develop new Gains initiatives. EiA aims to deliver agronomic gains for
frameworks that would govern CGIAR’s future agronomy, smallholder farming households in prioritized farming

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ANNUAL REPORT 2021

systems, emphasizing the measurable impact of women and

young farmers on food and nutrition security, income, water
use, soil health, and climate resilience.

SWA is leading its Central and West Asia and North Africa
(CWANA) regional team, focusing on Egypt and Morocco.
Meanwhile, the Nexus Gains initiative focuses on Sudan and
Uzbekistan by generating outputs via four work packages
and a cross-cutting capacity development program across
water, energy, food, forests, and biodiversity systems.

ICARDA and FAO team up on

evapotranspiration science

ICARDA’s SWA team, led by Dr. Vinay Nangia, and the Food
and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO),
produced a popular six-part webinar series on state-of-the-
art evapotranspiration (ET) measurement methods, which
attracted over 1,700 international and regional participants.
Given climate impacts of heat and water scarcity, accurately
measuring the ET of crops is a vital aspect of crop planning
and agronomy. The series coincided with a new regional
network, initiated by ICARDA and FAO, to improve ET field
measurements and enhance adaptation to climate change
and freshwater scarcity in five countries: Egypt, Jordan,
Lebanon, Morocco, and Tunisia.

Showcasing innovation efficiency in

Egyptian agriculture

Dr. Boubaker Dhehibi from ICARDA’s Social, Economy,

and Policy Research (SEPR) team coauthored an important
research paper on water, policy, and productivity in
Egyptian agriculture, funded by the Economic Research
Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Findings
reveal that expanding water resources is just one way
to increase or maintain agricultural output when water
scarcity restricts production, and that investments in agri-
research almost always improve productivity. The paper
clearly demonstrates that technological innovations and
efficiency gains through agri-research have contributed
more to agricultural growth than the expansion of
irrigated areas or increased water use.

Precision farming advances in Madhya Pradesh

Water scientists, agronomists, entomologists, GIS analysts,

breeders, and economists helped establish ICARDA’s first

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 Science for resilient livelihoods in dry areas

precision farming one-stop shop at ICARDA’s research new Morocco strategy. This is also closely linked to EiA
station in Amlaha, India. The three-year project, funded by efforts in the country.
the Indian State Government of Madhya Pradesh and led
by ICARDA’s Dr. Vinay Nangia, spans irrigated and rainfed WOCAT features ICARDA’s lentil-quinoa
agro-ecologies and focuses on economically important diversification Morocco project
crops such as cotton, wheat, and soybean. Data related
to farmers’ fields will be channeled to Amlaha’s control ICARDA efforts to diversify Morocco’s standard lentil
room, analyzed, and delivered by SMS back to farmers to production system using quinoa, led by Dr. Mina Devkota,
advise on irrigation and inputs. The tools chosen target caught the attention of the World Overview of Conservation
low-income farmers who only adopt new technology if it Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT) which included
is low-cost, low-maintenance, robust, easy-to-scale, stable, the innovation in its compendium of good land practices.
consistent, and simple to manage and operate. ICARDA uses diversified cropping systems to rehabilitate
soils across Morocco, India, Nepal and Uzbekistan, which
The Moroccan Government’s faith in have been degraded by decades of intensive tillage,
conservation agriculture overgrazing and damaging industrial farming practices.

Morocco’s ground-breaking Green Generation Strategy More information

(2020-2030) announced in February sets aside a
remarkable 1 million hectares for Conservation Agriculture To read about more soil, water and agronomy projects,
(CA). CA is proven by clear scientific evidence as an see:
agronomy approach that reduces erosion and captures
carbon dioxide. CA involves no (or minimal) tillage after „ ICARDA participates in the 5th African
harvest, permanent soil cover to lock in moisture and Regional Conference
reduce evapotranspiration, and crop diversification. „ ICARDA at the 2021 Arab Water Forum
Widely promoted by ICARDA, in 2021 the World Bank „ A white paper on carbon sequestration for better soil
worked with ICARDA’s SWA team and the Institut and food security
National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA-Morocco) „ Innovative Agriculture for Small-Holder Resilience
to develop a roadmap and investment plan based on the (iNASHR)

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ANNUAL REPORT 2021

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 Science for resilient livelihoods in dry areas

Livestock and agro-silvopastoral systems:

Innovations for resilient and sustainable crop-livestock and agro-silvopastoral systems

ICARDA’s integrated approach to more productive and sustainable crop-livestock and agro-
silvopastoral systems focuses on the farmer and community-based solutions for improving sheep and
goat production, sustainable rangeland management and restoration, water-efficient dryland forage
production, and better crop-livestock integration in hybrid dryland systems.

Our solutions strive toward land degradation neutrality Community-based breeding reaches more people
through restoration strategies that respond to climate
change, reducing the environmental footprint of dryland Funded by the United States Department of Agriculture,
agriculture. We also provide information and skills to ICARDA’s scaling framework extended goat community-
rural households to ensure product safety and maximize based breeding programs (CBBP) to more than 2,000
value-added advantages. ICARDA’s teams interact with households in Konso, Ethiopia. Through the project, led
other CGIAR Centers on new projects and frameworks by Dr. Aynalem Haile, communities gain understanding
that define future crop-livestock methods under the One and experience that harmonize national standards, while
CGIAR reformulation to guarantee that CGIAR uses our allowing them to develop their own way forward. ICARDA
new science now and in the future. offers certification to ensure quality control across the
CBBP communities, covering skills such as breeding value,
This work is carried out by ICARDA’s Resilient Agro-Silvo- physical integrity, semen assessment, mating ability,
Pastoral Systems (RASP) team led by Dr. Barbara Ann and vaccination against five diseases. By engaging with
Rischkowsky, which also integrates the research teams 23 Ethiopian universities in 2021, CBBPs were further
on Rangeland Ecology and Forages (REF), the Restoration expanded. Over ten now incorporate CBBPs into their
Initiative on Dryland Ecosystems (RIDE) and Small undergraduate programs and six have launched CBBPs in
Ruminants (SR). nearby villages.

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ANNUAL REPORT 2021

Spineless cactus for people, jobs, and animal feed live under climate change.
in degraded lands
Enhancing resilience against sand and dust storms
In 2021, ICARDA introduced spineless cactus as a fodder
crop in the degraded hills of Odisha, India, as part of the As part of the ICARDA-Food and Agriculture Organization
India-ICARDA Collaborative Program. Known as ‘green of the United Nations (FAO) project, ‘Catalyzing
gold’, cactus offers a high nutritional value for people Investments and Actions to Enhance Resilience against
and animals alike. It is rich in carbohydrates, amino acids, Sand and Dust Storms in Agriculture,’ ICARDA’s RIDE
vitamins, and water, and provides enormous health benefits team developed a framework and evaluation method
in the reduction of cholesterol and triglyceride levels. in 2021 to assess sustainable land management (SLM)
practices and their potential to mitigate sand and dust
Some 425.26 hectares were planted with 28,442 cactus storm sources and impacts on agriculture. By adequately
cladodes, and 16 foundation nurseries and 36 village- managing crucial land resources such as soils, water,
level multiplication nurseries were established in a work animals and plants, SLM allows for sustainable and
package led by Dr. Mounir Louhaichi. Funded by the environmentally-sound agriculture, and the long-term
Indian Council for Agricultural Research and implemented survival, productive potential, and ecosystem functions
alongside the Government of Odisha and the Indian of these vital resources. RIDE presented their findings at
Council of Agricultural Research-Indian Grassland and the United Nations COP26 in September 2021.
Fodder Research Institute, the project has created more
than 75,500 jobs and generated an additional Rs7,500 More information
(US$100) per hectare.
To read about more livestock and agro-silvopastoral
Conservation agriculture expands in crop- system projects, see:
livestock systems
„ Dr. Mounir Louhaichi selected as Deputy Lead of a
The Conservation Agriculture in Crop-Livestock Systems One CGIAR initiative
project framework, led by Dr, Mourad Rekik and funded by „ Dr. Sawsan Hassan selected as a member of ARRI’s
the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Forgotten Foods, Neglected Crops and Underutilized
achieved substantial scale up of forage mixtures in Tunisia Species technical committee
and Algeria after developing public-private partnerships „ Using science-based evidence to properly manage
for forage seed production with local companies. In both degraded arid rangelands in Tunisia
countries, forage mixtures are becoming popular with „ Sulla: a native forage species for reversing degradation
farmers, with the availability of forage seeds such as vetch in Mediterranean agro-silvo-pastoral systems
(a tough grass favored by goats and sheep) increasing by „ A productive year for REF publications
300 percent over the past five years.

Identifying climate-smart genes for sheep

Collaborating with National Agricultural Research Systems,

ICARDA’s RASP team made a huge breakthrough by
identifying in the genomes (all genetic information of an
organism) of sheep, specific genes that may be responsible
for adaptation to different environments (for example
drylands and highlands) and resistance to internal parasites.
Such genomic locations and genes can now be used to
investigate variations that can be deployed in breeding
programs to increase the resistance of small ruminants to
specific challenges in environments in which communities

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 Science for resilient livelihoods in dry areas

Genetic resources:
Collecting, conserving, and developing vital agrobiodiversity

ICARDA’s Genetic Resources (GRS) team, led by Dr. Zakaria Kehel, works in Lebanon and Morocco
alongside global networks, including the CGIAR Genebank Platform, the Global Crop Diversity Trust, the
German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the European Union (EU), and other development
partners. Together, they collect, conserve, and develop the vital genetic resources needed to protect
agrobiodiversity in dry regions. ICARDA’s GRS team has started translating its standard operating
procedures into Arabic and French for dissemination across Central and West Asia and North Africa
(CWANA). An innovation in development, a subsetting tool under Genesys to mine genetic resources,
was finalized in collaboration with the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT).

Improving high-throughput phenotyping enhance food security across dry areas. The futuristically
named ‘PhysioTron’ Machine vastly speeds up
In 2021, ICARDA and partners developed two exciting phenotyping and houses up to 750 crop research plots.
innovations that improve phenotyping (the accurate Its fully automated control system can design a wide
measuring and recording of plant genetic traits) and range of experiments. Meanwhile, the ‘Phenobuggy’ was

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developed as a smaller, tractor-mounted GPS-assisted bio-informatics resource centers. In 2021, ICARDA

multi-sensor head, and can carry out rapid and accurate scientists helped devise more straightforward tools
measuring of a range of phenotypic traits in standard and procedures for genomic work, and through AGENT,
research plots. are working with partners to collect and standardize
phenotype information from global genebank networks
Our genebanks’ unique collections continue within a single database.
to grow
Farming with alternative pollinators promotes
In 2021, the GRS team commenced regeneration of transformative change in agriculture
accessions (groups of plant genetic material) that were
sent for safekeeping to institutions outside of the ICARDA’s Farming with Alternative Pollinators (FAP),
Svalbard vault in 2012 when the Syria Genebank was led by Dr. Stefanie Christmann and funded by the
relocated to Lebanon and Morocco. Last year, over German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature
6,000 chickpea accessions were retrieved from the Conservation and Nuclear Safety, enhances agricultural
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid land by marketable habitat enhancement plants (MHEP),
Tropics (ICRISAT) and around 1,000 wild relatives were nesting and water support. MHEP prolong the flowering
regenerated from accessions sent by the Millennium times in the fields and attract higher diversity and
Seed Bank in the United Kingdom. abundance of pollinators (enhancing productivity of many
crops) and natural enemies (reducing pest abundance in
Building up precious agrobiodiversity the main crop and the need for chemicals). Both effects
increase the net income gain for farmers significantly. A
ICARDA continued its contributions to the EU-funded project in Morocco in four agro-ecosystems, with seven
Activated Genebank Network (AGENT) project, led by Dr. different main crops and more than 230 smallholder fields
Filippo Bassi, which was launched in 2020 to transform showed a net income increase of 121% and a reduction of
genebanks from passive seed libraries into advanced pest abundance in the main crop by 65%.

Improved grass pea crops

In 2021, a project led by Dr. Shiv Agrawal Kumar, funded

by the Global Crop Diversity Trust, regenerated grass
pea lines from the first successful hybridization between
cultivated grass pea and five wild relatives (Lathyrus)
species. This resulted in a high number of hybrids
which offer various useful traits such as resistance to
parasitic weed (Orobanche), low plant toxin, tolerance
to drought and heat and high biomass. Additionally,
new interspecific crosses were performed for barley
and wheat to target disease, insect resistance, and the
production of micronutrients and beta-glucans (linked to
lowered cholesterol and reduce heart disease).

More information

To read about more genetic resources projects, see:

„ The regeneration of non-Svalbard safety duplication

„ Scaling the Focused Identification of Germplasm
Strategy

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 Science for resilient livelihoods in dry areas

Digitalization:
Optimizing new technologies for efficient and affordable research for development

ICARDA continued to digitize research in 2021 to make data collecting, information sharing, analysis,
and decision-making faster, better, and more accurate. Even in the most distant and vulnerable dry
places where ICARDA operates, global advances in technology, digital analytics, remote sensing,
networks, and software, particularly on now-ubiquitous smartphones, make data gathering, analysis,
reporting, and knowledge exchange more manageable and more efficient.

Based on four decades of drylands research, our unique and increasing pool of big data aids the
modeling and analysis of novel techniques, climatic variability, evaluation of new crop varieties and
livestock enhancements, socioeconomics, and decision-making at all levels. When combined with
those of sister centers under the One CGIAR reformulation, our data will produce a powerful resource
that will substantially contribute to the fight against global climate change.

AGROVOC – improving knowledge sharing for enables data to be classified homogeneously, facilitating
Arabic speakers interoperability and reuse. It offers a structured
collection of agricultural concepts, terms, definitions, and
AGROVOC is a multilingual and controlled vocabulary relationships which are used to unambiguously identify
tool led by the Food and Agriculture Organization resources. It provides a way to organize knowledge for
of the United Nations (FAO). This valuable resource subsequent data retrieval.

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In 2021, as a part of an ongoing collaboration with ICT2Scale legacy lives on

FAO, ICARDA’s Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning
(MEL) team translated approximately 800 concepts in The ICT2Scale project in Tunisia, funded by the German
AGROVOC into Arabic, vastly improving knowledge Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and
sharing in Arabic-speaking countries – one of the most Development (BMZ), in collaboration with the German
important regions globally for its agrobiodiversity and Agency for Inernational Cooperation (GIZ), concluded
climate-smart agricultural approaches. in September 2021, but its legacy lives on to support
smallholder farmers and rural communities. The project,
Innovation award for halting land degradation led by Dr. Udo Rudiger, introduces information and
communications technology services to family farmers.
ICARDA’s MEL and Social, Economy, and Policy Research ICT2Scale innovations include e-learning training modules
(SEPR) teams were excited to win an award for LUP4LDN on crop and small ruminant production, beekeeping and
(Land Use Planning for Land Degradation Neutrality) conservation agriculture. The project also helped develop
– a tool that helps inform improved land planning and bilingual Arabic-French smartphone apps that provide
restoration activities. The award, issued by the Group on useful data such as price information on agricultural
Earth Observation Land Degradation Neutrality Initiative, commodities in near real-time, helping farmers set prices
was overseen by the United Nations Convention to and improve profits. Almost 1,000 farmers received a
Combat Desertificat. LUP4LN is a user-friendly interface technical advisory SMS on a weekly basis.
that facilitates participatory land-use planning to
support land restoration efforts, achieve sustainable land More information
degradation neutrality, and prevent ongoing degradation.
To read about more digitalization projects, see:
WOCAT – endorsing ICARDA’s work
„ GeoAgro on CGIAR’s Digital Extension Services
ICARDA was thrilled when the World Overview of „ Enhancing the GeoAgro Pro portal
Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT) „ ICARDA and the United Nations Food Systems
published information on ten ICARDA innovations. Summit
WOCAT, a global network promoting sustainable land „ Monitoring, evolution, and learning supports CGIAR
management, is a prestigious stage on which to feature, quality assurance
with a wide audience of experts and decision-makers, „ Adding wheat and barley to global crop diagnostics
among others. Our innovations, submitted by ICARDA’s app Plantix
MEL team can now be referenced by agricultural experts „ Dr. Chandrashekhar Biradar receives the India Agri-
all over the world, fulfilling ICARDA’s core vision of Extension Award
open-source knowledge sharing.

16
 Science for resilient livelihoods in dry areas

Climate-smart crops:
Crops that produce even under intensifying climate change

ICARDA’s Breeding and Scaling Improved Varieties of Dryland Cereals and Pulses team, led by Dr.
Michael Baum, is a crucial player in the regional and global development and dissemination of climate-
resilient crops. These market-driven crop varieties protect dryland farmers from severe heat, water
scarcity, new pests and diseases, and nutritional insecurity.

Over the past four decades, country partners in Asia, faba bean were released in partnership with National
Africa, and beyond, have evaluated and distributed Agriculture Research Systems (NARS) collaborators
ICARDA’s enhanced grain and legume varieties. Farmers in Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Morocco, Turkey, and
have accepted our new varieties, resulting in yearly net Uzbekistan.
benefits of over US$850 million.
Through the Modernization of ICARDA Breeding
In 2021, fourteen wheat, six chickpea, three lentil Programs project, supported by the Arab Fund for
varieties, as well as one variety of each barley and Economic and Social Development (AFESD) and CGIAR’s

17
ANNUAL REPORT 2021

production areas. Success stories were captured in a high-

level virtual dialogue, and a short TAAT documentary beat
over 3,700 nominations to win best documentary at the
2021 Stevie International Business Awards.

Collaborative research on new barley lines in

Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria

The Maghreb-ICARDA Barley Initiative – a joint venture

of ICARDA’s barley breeding programs in Morocco,
Algeria, Tunisia and Libya – conducted its first shared
trial. With the support of the CGIAR Research Program
on Livestock, 24 new ICARDA elite lines targeting
farmers’ needs and environmental and socioeconomic
conditions were tested in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.
They demonstrated superior yield and straw production
and the best lines are now being promoted to the
National Variety Trials program.

Improving pulse seed systems in Odisha, India

Crops to End Hunger platform, new speed breeding
protocols were developed for all ICARDA-mandated The Odisha Pulse Mission in India, which aims to
crops. Through these protocols, four generations can be strengthen village and formal pulse seed systems, reached
achieved in just one year while maintaining ICARDA’s over 13,800 farmers across 14 districts and helped 126
capacity to screen for the most prevalent diseases in the farmer groups manage seed hubs in project villages. A
region, as well as for high end-use quality. total of 4,200 hectares of rice fallows have been brought
under pulse cultivation, leading to an estimated 33,000
In addition, more than 4,000 entries of wheat and barley quintals of additional production and an average annual
were genotyped in 2021. This will improve the capacity income increase of Rs13,626 (US$172) per farmer.
of breeding programs to select the best germplasm to be
shared with NARS. Faster delivery of heat-tolerant wheat to the
Senegal River Basin
New big data management and analysis tools have also
been developed to automatically store, curate, and The second phase of the project ‘Genomic Prediction
analyze the field data produced by the breeding programs. to Deliver Heat Tolerant Wheat to the Senegal River
Basin’ used the most advanced breeding technologies
Heat-tolerant wheat varieties reach more people for the delivery of heat-tolerant and short-duration
in Africa durum wheat varieties. The models have now been
adopted by ICARDA’s Durum Wheat Program for faster
The Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation research, development, and delivery of heat-tolerant
(TAAT) project, implemented by ICARDA and funded by wheat varieties. The initiative also released three durum
the African Development Bank, continued to scale-up wheat cultivars, published ten peer-reviewed articles and
heat-tolerant wheat varieties and support national wheat received funding for a third phase.
self-sufficiency agendas to reduce import dependence
– especially relevant in today’s food crisis environment. Seed health for safer crops and better yields
Policy advocacy, road maps for deploying agricultural
innovations, and multi-stakeholder platforms contributed ICARDA seed health labs in Lebanon and Morocco
to productivity increases and an expansion of wheat analyzed over 110,300 accessions (groups of plant

18
 Science for resilient livelihoods in dry areas

genetic material) for seed-borne pathogens and pests.

The accessions were tested in 48,404 samples and
the results were collected from 567,975 diagnostic
reactions. Seven standard operating procedures related
to seed health testing were also developed and are now
standardized within ICARDA. Dr. Safaa Kumari, Head
of ICARDA’s Seed Health Lab, also gave lectures at
universities in Abu Dhabi and Syria on seed multiplication
and the importance of germplasm health in preventing
the spread of pathogens and transboundary diseases.

More information

To read about more climate-smart crop projects, see:

Wheat
„ Dissemination of interspecific ICARDA varieties via
participatory research
„ ICARDA and INRA-Morocco’s barley and durum
wheat pre-breeding program

Barley
„ Special nurseries shared with collaborators in United
Arab Emirates and Ethiopia
„ Diversification of wheat-based cropping in the
Ethiopia highlands

Date palm
„ Delivering ecological insights with eddy covariance
systems
„ Participatory demonstrations promote water- and
energy-saving practices
„ Dr. Abdoul Aziz Niane appointed to Advisory
Committee
„ Date palm project wins Khalifa Award

Legumes
„ Dr. Shiv Agrawal elected Chair of Scientific Program
Committee
„ ICARDA scientists nominated as special guest editors
„ Improved food legumes for India

Seed systems, international nurseries and seed health

„ Wheat seed system studies
„ Rehabilitation of seed systems in Syria
„ International nurseries (IN)
„ Dr. Safaa Kumari’s contributions

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ANNUAL REPORT 2021

20
 Science for resilient livelihoods in dry areas

Capacity development:
Supporting farmers and communities in optimizing innovation

Whenever delivering dryland farming system innovations ICARDA’s Capacity Development team, led
by Dr. Charles Kleinermann, includes a vital capacity-building component of trainings, technology,
and support. This supports family farmers, scientists, governments, research institutions, and private
sector actors, to take full advantage of our technologies and help them overcome the critical and
climate-related issues they face.

Training tomorrow’s experts also provided training courses for over 4,100 student
and professional trainees, including over 1,800 women.
ICARDA and its national and international partners
held a series of interactive webinars targeting young Raising the visibility of research data management
scientists on the value of systems research in dryland
agri-food systems. Over 400 participants registered for Through social media campaigns, joint publications
each webinar. With the support of the Arab Fund for with scientists (data papers) and small working groups
Economic and Social Development (AFESD), ICARDA with scientists (data curation), ICARDA’s Monitoring,

21
ANNUAL REPORT 2021

Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) team, led by Enrico the project, ‘Developing Sustainable Production Systems
Bonaiuti, promoted and improved understanding of for Date Palm in GCC Countries.’ Twenty-three officials
Research Data Management (RDM). The importance of and researchers participated, representing Bahrain,
strong support and suitable tools was documented when Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates,
encouraging RDM commitments – helping to address as well as Egypt and Jordan.
the policy conflicts and unclear data standards that
often cause unexpected engagement conflicts within Free e-learning courses
databases. MEL’s Data Management team worked on 34
datasets, covering a range of topics and countries, and ICARDA’s E-Learning Platform continues to offer over 85
completed the curation and publication of 17. courses aligned with various agricultural topics and the
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Most of
Field days at Marchouch Crop Research the courses are in English, but French, Arabic, and Spanish
Station, Morocco classes were made available in 2021. Registration for
courses is free.
In 2021, ICARDA’s Genetic Resources (GRS) team
organized four field days at the Marchouch Crop Promoting modern protected agricultural practices
Research Station in Morocco, attracting over 200 in the Arabian Peninsula
attendees, including breeders, major seed multiplication
companies and lead farmers. These field days offered an In December 2021, ICARDA and the Central Laboratory
opportunity for attendees to select the best elite lines, for Agriculture Climate of Egypt’s Agriculture Research
view demonstration trials of new varieties of cereals, Center (ARC) jointly organized a workshop on modern
food legumes, and bread wheat, and learn about how horticulture practices for Arabian Peninsula partner
conservation agriculture and the diversification of countries. Funded by the AFESD and the Kuwait Fund
cropping systems improves the environment as well as for Arab Economic Development, the workshop covered
yields and nutritional value. exciting new developments in protected agriculture
approaches within greenhouses and hydroponics and was
New training course on managing date attended by researchers and extension agents from five
palm markets of the six GCC member countries, and Yemen.

A new e-learning course on value chain analysis, Knowledge management communities of practice
management, and market linkages of date palm, funded and capacity development activities
by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), enhanced the
capacity of Arabian Peninsula government officials and The SKiM Project, funded by the International Fund for
researchers engaged in the socioeconomic component of Agricultural Development and implemented by ICARDA,
raised the knowledge management capacities of 40
individuals representing national partners in Moldova,
Morocco, and Sudan. The SKiM project facilitates and
supports the growth of knowledge management and
capacity development operations, enhancing and growing
knowledge management communities-of-practice. The
project helped partner institutions navigate the many
disruptions caused by COVID-19 in 2021.

More information

To read about more capacity building projects, see:

„ Research data management

22
 Science for resilient livelihoods in dry areas

Gender:
Prioritizing women towards equitable access to agriculutural enterprise

We prioritize research that enhances women’s access to land, water, seeds, credit, knowledge, and
innovation, and we empower women through capacity development that facilitates their role as
leaders and active agents of change. We also help them engage in more lucrative economic activities
through agricultural diversification, intensification, and value addition.

In addition, we advocate for improvements in wages and working conditions and the eradication of
gender-based inequality. We also investigate promising formal and informal institutional arrangements
that enhance women’s voice and power in dry area communities, and we promote proven technologies
that reduce agriculture-related drudgery.

An Al-driven app for women beekeepers company HiveTracks, supported the economic activities
of Lebanese beekeepers through the development of a
ICARDA’s Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) groundbreaking hive management app aimed specifically
team, led by Enrico Bonaiuti, along with the Lebanese at developing the capacity of women beekeepers. The app
Agricultural Research Institute and the beekeeping data allows beekeeping experts and extension workers, many

23
ANNUAL REPORT 2021

of whom do not have easy access to training and peer- interventions to leverage the increasing participation of
beekeepers, to remotely manage beekeeping practices women in agriculture and improve their livelihoods.
and improve bee health. ICARDA is now working with the
International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Seed spreaders improve the livelihoods of Tunisian
the Holeta Bee Research Centre and HiveTracks to pilot female farmers
the app in Ethiopia and Uzbekistan.
A user-friendly and cost-effective seed spreader machine
The impact of migration-induced feminization is helping to generate biomass yields in forage crops
of agriculture that are 20 percent higher than the biomass yields of
forage crops cultivated with the manual sowing of seeds.
ICARDA’s Social, Economic, and Policy Research (SEPR) The Handheld Precision Spreader (HPS), developed by
team contributed an important study to CGIAR’s Gender ICARDA in 2021, spreads seeds and fertilizers evenly,
Platform, discussing how male migration from rural to allows farmers to spray chemical fertilizers without
urban areas is creating a ‘feminization’ of agriculture in skin contact and slashes labor costs by 40 percent. The
the region. The study examines how this affects women machine is especially important for women smallholder
working in agriculture – their roles, productivity and farmers who cannot afford larger machines and extra
equity – and the impact of feminization on agriculture labor. ICARDA imported and distributed 25 HPS
as a whole. The study showed that feminization creates machines with national partners and provided technical
more drawbacks than benefits for women and includes guidance to farmers during the 2020-2021 cropping
recommendations on social and economic policy season.

24
 Science for resilient livelihoods in dry areas

Improving rural livelihoods:

Supporting the socioeconomic viability of our innovations

The Social, Economic, and Policy (SEP) research team, led by Dr. Barbara Ann Rischkowsky, at
ICARDA is responsible for studying the socioeconomic feasibility, adaoption and scaling-up of
ICARDA innovations, as well as their effect on poverty reduction, food security, system resilience and
social inclusion. The team’s methods include socioeconomic assessments, gender transformational
techniques and context-sensitive targeting. Its solutions aim to achieve more equitable marketplaces
and value chains, improved natural resource management and governance, and the optimization of
sustainable land and livestock management alternatives.

Raised-bed technology benefits Egyptian These included a 937 kilogram per hectare (12.8
wheat growers percent) increase in yield, a US$77.60 per hectare
(9.5 percent) increase in gross margins, an 824.6 cubic
Egyptian wheat growers adopting ICARDA’s raised- meter per hectare (15.1 percent) reduction in irrigation
bed technology, through the project led by Dr. Beziat water application and a 5.6 percent increase in water
Dessalegen, continued to experience benefits in 2021. productivity. Raised bed machines can be attached

25
ANNUAL REPORT 2021

to standard tractors, and improve yields and water The program helps key farmers become community-
efficiency by creating raised soil beds, on which they based seed suppliers which in turn increases access
simultaneously sow crops and create adequate furrows to quality seed for regional farmers in general. The
along which optimum water easily travels, rather than supplier-farmers, based in Aleppo, Homs and Deir Azor,
flooding whole fields (the traditional irrigation method). were supplied with quality wheat, barley, chickpea and
lentil seed, and given inputs, training and assistance to
Big lentil productivity gains in India produce and commercialize the seed.

An economic impact assessment carried out last year Optimizing water harvesting in Palestine
found that ICARDA-improved lentil technologies have
contributed to a massive productivity gain in West Bengal. In Palestine, ICARDA partnered with FAO to test and
When 507 sample farm households were studied, farmers out-scale in-situ rainwater harvesting approaches
adopting ICARDA’s improved lentil technologies achieved that improve the storage of water where it is needed
a 33.36 percent increase in production over traditional – reducing losses due to delivery issues, optimizing
lentil growers. Proper land preparation, quality seed use rainfall and improving water-use planning. ICARDA
and better disease pest management were the prime implements water productivity improvements at the
factors behind the increase. watershed level and supports the scaling of in-situ water
harvesting, especially for improved agroforestry and
Seeds of resilience in fragile states orchard agriculture. ICARDA will also support capacity
building and empowerment activities through training
Throughout 2021, farmers affected by the reduction and demonstrations for targeted communities.
of available seeds due to civil unrest in Syria, received
support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of Promoting permaculture for sustainable living
the United Nations (FAO) ‘Smallholder Support Program’. in Jordan

ICARDA has introduced permaculture technology to

Jordan’s Badia, the desert and steppe region covering the
country’s northeast. Permaculture is an approach that
encourages self-reliance through strategically planning
how to use natural resources sustainably. As a low-
cost development tool for managing dryland resources
in agro-pastoral farming systems, permaculture
promises to increase yields, reduce costs and ensure
dryland resources become more efficient, diverse and
multifunctional for food and nutrition-insecure agro-
pastoral communities.

More information

To read about more improving rural livelihood projects,

see:

„ ICT2Scale offers extension services to Tunisian

farmers
„ Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation
at work in Ethiopia
„ In-situ water harvesting in Palestine
„ Ultra-low-pressure drippers foster desert farming

26
 Science for resilient livelihoods in dry areas

Awards and recognition

In 2021, ICARDA staff, projects, partners, and students won several prestigious awards for their
research and fieldwork. Here is a list of our 2021 highlights.

„ Prof. Dr. Adel El-Beltagy, a former Director-General „ ICARDA’s story on Community-Based Breeding
of ICARDA, was recognized by the ‘Dr. M.S. Programs (CBBP) won first runner-up in a ‘Call for
Swaminathan Award for Leadership in Agriculture’ success stories of inclusive innovations for livestock-
for his “lifetime contributions in national, regional based food systems’ led by the African Union (AU) –
and international agricultural research that changed InterAfrican Bureau for Animal Resources.
the lives of poor farmers of West Asia, North Africa
(CWANA) and Central Asia and Caucasus (CAC) „ ICARDA won the Khalifa International Award for
countries.” Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation (KIADPAI) in
the Second Category: ‘Pioneering Development and

27
ANNUAL REPORT 2021

Productive Projects’ for its flagship date palm project at the Ecole Nationale de Médecine Vétérinaire in
focusing on the development of sustainable date Tunisia, received the Best Poster Presentation award
palm production systems in the Gulf Cooperation during the latest 14th International Symposium on
Council (GCC) countries of the Arabian Peninsula. Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases.

„ Dr. Reena Mehra, National Associate Scientist (Lentil „ ICARDA Director-General, Mr. Aly Abousabaa, was
Breeding) at ICARDA’s Food Legume Research presented with the shield of the Arab Center for the
Platform (FLRP), Amlaha, India, won the Research Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands of the Arab
Wizard Young Scientist Award. League (ACSAD) in recognition of ICARDA’s role in
the important development of agricultural scientific
„ ICARDA’s Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning research in the region.
(MEL) team and Social, Economy and Policies
team received an award by The Group on Earth „ Dr. Safaa Kumari, Head of ICARDA Seed Health
Observation Land Degradation Neutrality (GEO- Lab/Plant Virologist, was selected as one of the 25
LDN) Initiative, overseen by the United Nations exceptional female scientists from the Mediterranean
Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), basin featured at MednightEu in Spain.
for innovation in halting land degradation through a
tool that helps better inform land planning and the „ Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation
undertaking of restoration activities. (TAAT) Wheat Compact, implemented by ICARDA
continued scaling climate smart heat-tolerant
„ Dr. Chandrashekhar Biradar, then the Team Leader of wheat varieties throughout 2021. In 2021, a
ICARDA’s GeoAgro for Sustainable Agroecosystems, short documentary on TAAT won the 2021 Stevie
was awarded the India Agri-Extension Award 2021 in International Business Awards among which the
Innovation in Agricultural Extension. work on wheat is reflected. The video won the ‘Best
Video – Documentary’ category out of over 3,700
„ Researcher Médiha Khamassi Khbou, studying for nominations from 65 countries for the 2021 edition.
her Ph.D. in collaboration with ICARDA and lecturer

28
 Science for resilient livelihoods in dry areas

Board of trustees
Michel Afram Shenggen Fan
Chairperson Chair Professor at the College of Economics and
Director General and the Chairman of the Board of Management at China Agricultural University in Beijing
Directors of the Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute China
(LARI)
Lebanon
Marco Ferroni
Chair of the Board of the CGIAR System Organization
Neal Gutterson
Adjunct Professor in Agriculture and Environmental
Vice Chairperson
Sciences at McGill University
Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of
Global Institute for Food Security at the University of
the combined entity’s agriculture division of Corteva
Saskatchewan Board
Agriscience
Switzerland
The United States of America

Fadlallah Gharzeldeen
Aly Abousabaa
Deputy Head of Planning Affairs – Planning and
Ex Officio (ICARDA Director General)
International Cooperation Commission of the Syrian
CGIAR Regional Director Central and West Asia, and North Arab Republic
Africa (CWANA)
Syria
Egypt

Mouwafak Jbour
Faouzi Bekkaoui Deputy Director General of the General Commission for
Director of L’Institut National de la Recherche Scientific Agricultural Research, Ministry of Agriculture
Agronomique du Maroc (INRA-Morocco) and Agrarian Reform

Morocco, Canada Syria

Patrick Caron Alyssa Jade McDonald-Baertl

Vice President for International Affairs at the University Policy and Programs Advisor in the European Commission
of Montpellier Australia
International Director of the Montpellier University of
Excellence Trilochan Mohapatra
Director of MAK’IT, the Montpellier Institute for Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and
Advanced Knowledge Education & Director General, Indian Council of
President of Agropolis International Agricultural Research (ICAR), Ministry of Agriculture,
Government of India
France
India

29
ANNUAL REPORT 2021

Alice Ruhweza Hilary F. Wild

Africa Region Director for the World Wide Fund for Audit, Finance & Risk Committee on the CGIAR System
Nature (WWF) Board
Uganda Trustee and Audit Committee Chair of WaterAid UK
Chair of the Church Commissioners Audit and Risk
Committee and a member of the Oversight Advisory
Lindiwe Sibanda
Committee of the Food and Agriculture Organisation
Professor, Director and Chair of the African Research
United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland
Universities Alliance (ARUA) Centre of Excellence in
Food Systems at the University of Pretoria
Co-Chair of the Global Alliance for Climate-Smart
Agriculture (GACSA)
Advisory Board Member of Infinite Foods
Board Member of WorldVeg, Associate Fellow at
Chatham House
Zimbabwe

30
 Expenditure
by category Collaborators - Partners
13.81%
Science for resilient livelihoods in dry areas
Travel
1.97%

Financial information Depreciation

7.68%

Research
70%

Research Support
13%

Expenditure Management
6%
by activity
Corporate Services
8%

Resource Mobilization and Project Offices

3%

Personnel Cost
40.54%

Supplies and Services

35.31%

Collaborators - CGIAR Centers

0.68%
Expenditure
by category Collaborators - Partners
13.81%

Travel
1.97%

Depreciation
7.68%

For more detailed information, please see ICARDA’s full 2021 financial statement.
Research
70%

Research Support
13%

Expenditure Management
6%
by activity
Corporate Services
8%

Resource Mobilization and Project Offices

3%

31
ANNUAL REPORT 2021

Donors and partners

„ African Development Bank „ Global Crop Diversity Trust (GCDT)

„ Agricultural Research Center – Egypt (ARC) „ Government of China

„ Arab Fund for Economic and Social „ Government of Egypt

Development (AFESD)
„ Government of Morocco
„ Australian Centre for International Agricultural
„ Government of Syria
Research
„ Government of Sudan
„ Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
„ Government of Turkey
„ Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research
Council „ Grains Research and Development Corporation
(GRDC)
„ Booz Allen Hamilton
„ Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)
„ Caritas Switzerland
„ IHE Delft Institute for Water Education
„ Caussade Semences Group
„ Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR)
„ Centre de Cooperation Internationale en
Recherche Agronomique pour le Developpment „ International Center for Tropical Agriculture
(CIRAD) (CIAT)

„ CGIAR „ International Crops Research Institute for the

Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)
„ DCM - Shriram Ltd.
„ International Food Policy Research Institute
„ Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale
(IFPRI)
Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ)
„ International Fund for Agricultural
„ Directorate of Agriculture and Food Production,
Development (IFAD)
State Government of Odisha, India
„ International Institute of Tropical Agriculture
„ Directorate of Soil Conservation and
(IITA)
Watershed Development DSC-O, State
Government of Odisha, India „ International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)

„ Ethiopia Federal Ministry of Agriculture „ International Maize and Wheat Improvement

Center (CIMMYT)
„ European Commission
„ International Water Management Institute
„ Food and Agriculture Organization of the
(IWMI)
United Nations (FAO)
„ Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
„ German Federal Ministry for the Environment,
Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety „ John Innes Centre
(BMU)
„ Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and
„ German Ministry of Foreign Affairs Agricultural Innovation

32
 Science for resilient livelihoods in dry areas

„ Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development „ Swedish International Development

(KFAED) Cooperation Agency (SIDA)

„ Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg „ Swedish Research Council (SRC)

„ Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) „ Swedish University of Agricultural Science

„ New South Wales Department of Primary „ Swiss Agency for Development and
Industries Cooperation (SDC)

„ Norwegian Development Cooperation „ The Alliance of Bioversity International

(NORAD) and the International Center for Tropical
Agriculture (ABC)
„ OCP Foundation
„ The University of Western Australia
„ OPEC Fund for International Development
(OFID) „ United Nations Economic and Social
Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA)
„ PRIMA Foundation
„ United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)
„ Regional Environmental Center for Central
Asia (CAREC) „ United States Agency for International
Development (USAID)
„ Société des Boissons du Maroc
„ United States Department of Agriculture
„ Department of Farmers’ Welfare and
(USDA)
Agricultural Development, State Government
of Madhya Pradesh, India „ University of Sydney

„ State Government of Maharashtra, India „ World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)

„ State Government of West Bengal, India „ World Bank

33
ANNUAL REPORT 2021

34
 Science for resilient livelihoods in dry areas

Appendix

35
ANNUAL REPORT 2021

SOIL, WATER AND AGRONOMY

IN DETAIL

Climate change, soil degradation, and limited resources

– particularly water – are jeopardizing the agricultural
future of the world’s dry areas. In response, ICARDA’s
Soil, Water, and Agronomy (SWA) team, Led by Dr Vinay
Nangia, conducts sustainable soil, water, and agronomy
management research to develop diversified and
sustainable techniques for small and large-scale farming
to strengthen livelihoods resilience and diversify cereal-
based irrigated, rain-fed, and conservation agricultural
food systems. We also promote the safe use of treated
wastewater to generate feed, fodder, and trees and develop
sustainable desert agriculture.

Moroccan Government to use ICARDA’s

conservation agriculture on 1 million hectares Morocco) for the United Nations Food Systems Summit
by 2030 (UNFSS). The paper outlines challenges, such as the
growing global competition for biomass, and identifies
In 2021, the Moroccan Government included a plan to best management practices and soil fertility management
have 1 million hectares under ICARDA’s conservation for soil carbon sequestration in individual settings. It
agriculture (CA) by 2030 in its Green Generation Strategy demonstrates how site-specific nutrient management
(2020-2030). The World Bank has engaged the Soil, Water, using a combination of mineral and organic fertilizers,
and Agronomy (SWA) team, in partnership with the Institut combined with other techniques, can deliver optimal
National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA-Morocco), results for farmers and food security.
to develop a roadmap and investment plan for achieving
this target. CA is a sustainable agricultural production A research paper on water, policy, and productivity
system that enhances soil health and, in turn, improves in Egyptian agriculture
crop productivity and household resilience. Three core
principles guide CA: no (or minimal) tillage to the soil after ICARDA’s Social, Economic, and Policy Research (SEPR)
harvest, permanent soil cover to lock in moisture and Senior Economist Dr. Boubaker Dhehibi, coauthored
reduce evaporation, and crop diversification replacing the a research paper on water, policy, and productivity in
traditional monocropping system. Adopting CA will half Egyptian agriculture. Findings from this paper reveal that
rates of soil erosion. In addition, each hectare cultivated expanding water resources is just one way to increase or
using CA will capture around 0.5 tons of carbon dioxide, in maintain agricultural output when water scarcity restricts
line with the Net-Zero Carbon Emission Pledge launched production, and that investments in research to raise
at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference of productivity can also release constraints on growth. The
the Parties (COP26). paper underlines the fact that technological innovations
and efficiency gains have contributed significantly more to
A white paper on carbon sequestration for better agricultural growth in Egypt than the expansion of irrigated
soil and food security area or water use.

ICARDA’s Soil, Water, and Agronomy (SWA) team’s ICARDA signs memorandums of understanding for
Agronomist Dr. Rachid Moussadek, coauthored a white water management and efficiency
paper on carbon sequestration for better soil and food
security with the African Plant Nutrition Institute and ICARDA signed two water-related memorandums of
Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA- understanding in 2021. The first is with the International

36
 Science for resilient livelihoods in dry areas

Commission for Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) to build on ICARDA and FAO promote
the expertise and innovation of the two organizations evapotranspiration measurement
in water management and efficiency while promoting
knowledge sharing, collaborative programs, projects, and The Soil, Water, and Agronomy (SWA) team organized
capacity development activities. The second is with Jain a joint bi-weekly webinar series with the Food and
Irrigation Systems Limited to introduce the ICARDA- Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) ultra-low- between September and November 2021 on state-of-
energy dripper for date palm irrigation in six Gulf Council the-art evapotranspiration (ET) measurement methods,
Cooperation (GCC) countries. The dripper could result in which can help countries adapt to climate change and the
a 22-31 percent decrease in the capital costs of a drip increasing freshwater scarcity for sustainable agriculture.
irrigation system due to smaller pumps and reduced The webinar was led by global experts and attracted over
operating energy costs. 1,700 international and regional participants. Leading up to
the series, ICARDA, in collaboration with FAO’s Regional
ICARDA participates in the 5th African Regional Office for Near East and North Africa, established the
Conference first regional network for field measurement of ET in five
countries: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia,
Following International Commission for Irrigation where National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS)
and Drainage (ICID) and ICARDA’s memorandum of use different ET measurement options. The SWA team
understanding, ICARDA’s Soil, Water, and Agronomy also reviewed the FAO flagship publication, The State
(SWA) team actively participated in the 5th African of the World’s Land and Water Resources for Food and
Regional Conference, organized by ICID. During the Agriculture (SOLAW21).
event, ICARDA hosted the first African Young Professional
Workshop. ICARDA and partners from Institut National Introducing quinoa into Morocco’s common lentil
de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA-Morocco) and production system
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) presented
the challenges of drylands water scarcity and how to The Soil, Water, and Agronomy (SWA) team’s innovative
address them. Around 70 young professionals from introduction of quinoa into Morocco’s standard lentil
30 countries participated in a field visit to the joint production system as a diversified cropping system caught
ICARDA-MIT-INRA Ultra-low Energy Drip Irrigation for the attention of the World Overview of Conservation
MENA Countries research project site on the outskirts of Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT), which included
Marrakech, Morocco. The workshop showcased the multi- it in their compendium of good land practices. Through
season field tests of low-energy drip irrigation emitters. diversified cropping systems such as this, ICARDA’s Dr.
Mina Devkota and Dr. Rajni Sinha are aiming to rehabilitate
ICARDA at the 2021 Arab Water Forum the dry regions’ soils across India, Morocco, Nepal, and
Uzbekistan, where soils have been broken down by decades
ICARDA, together with the Food and Agriculture of intensive tillage, overgrazing, overuse, and damaging
Organization of the United Nations (FAO), participated industrial farming practices.
in the Arab Water Forum 2021. ICARDA Director-
General and CGIAR CWANA Regional Director, Mr. Aly Innovative Agriculture for Small-Holder Resilience
Abousabaa, and ICARDA scientists Dr. Vinay Nangia, Dr. (iNASHR) 2021
Chandrashekhar Biradar, and Dr. Ajit Govind discussed
multiple topics including the climate and water security Funded by the German Agency for International
nexus, advanced technologies, and early warning systems Cooperation (GIZ), the iNASHR project focuses on out-
to improve agricultural water productivity in transboundary scaling proven agricultural technologies and agronomic
water basins. Leveraging the untapped potential of food practices for sustainable intensification of wheat production
production under water scarcity and climate change in systems. ICARDA, together with the Egyptian Agricultural
the Arab Region, and water for sustainable development, Research Center (ARC) and Access Agriculture (AA),
were also discussed. promoted integrated technology packages on 600 on-farm

37
ANNUAL REPORT 2021

Government of Madhya Pradesh, India on irrigated and

rainfed agro-ecologies focusing on the most economically-
important crops in Madhya Pradesh; namely cotton, wheat,
and soybean, to increase farmers’ income across Madhya
Pradesh, known for having the highest agricultural growth
rate in India. Embracing digital technologies can help local
farmers achieve ambitious targets set by Indian Prime
Minister Narendra Modi to double farmers’ incomes by the
end of 2022.

RESILIENT LIVESTOCK AND AGRO-

SILVO-PASTORAL SYSTEMS IN DETAIL
demonstration sites (20 percent owned by women) across
six governorates located in the Nile Delta and Upper Egypt. ICARDA’s integrated approach to more productive and
These packages include seeds of improved wheat and faba sustainable crop-livestock systems focuses on the farmer
bean varieties, a mechanized raised-bed machine, farmer- and community-based solutions for improving sheep and
led seed multiplication, as well as agronomic practices goat production, sustainable rangeland management and
including crop rotation and integrated pest management. restoration, water-efficient dryland forage production, and
During the year, the project transferred knowledge to better crop-livestock integration in hybrid dryland systems.
22,691 individuals (44 percent women) through farmer-
field-schools, training-of-trainers, technical training, field Our solutions strive toward land degradation neutrality
demonstrations and farmer-to-farmer video screenings. through restoration strategies that respond to climate
In total, the project reached 23,291 direct and 129,335 change, reducing the environmental footprint of dryland
indirect beneficiaries in 2021. Preliminary data from agriculture. We also provide information and skills to
selected demonstration sites indicates that use of the rural households to ensure product safety and maximize
raised-bed machine resulted in an average increase in grain value-added advantages. ICARDA’s teams interact with
yield of 23 percent in faba bean and 13 percent in wheat. other CGIAR Centers on new projects and frameworks
Increases in water productivity were also achieved due to that define future crop-livestock methods under the One
yield increases and a 22 percent reduction in water use. CGIAR reformulation to guarantee that CGIAR uses our
new science now and in the future.
Precision farming
This work is carried out by ICARDA’s Resilient Agro-Silvo-
Precision farming leverages advanced digital tools and Pastoral Systems (RASP) team led by Dr. Barbara Ann
breakthroughs in big data analytics, machine learning, Rischkowsky, which also integrates the research teams
and artificial intelligence to fast-track value creation for on Rangeland Ecology and Forages (REF), the Restoration
farmers by saving on input costs. This approach, which Initiative on Dryland Ecosystems (RIDE), and Small
observes and responds to yield, moisture levels, and soil Ruminants (SR).
quality variations across a field, relies on analyzing data
collected by sensors, drones, satellite imagery, GPS, Scaling the community-based breeding program
Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and other geospatial tools
that scrutinize land plots for anomalies and inefficiencies. In 2021, the Small Ruminants (SR) team, with funds from
Water scientists, agronomists, entomologists, GIS analysts, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), used
breeders, and economists pooled this precious knowledge a scaling framework developed by ICARDA to scale the
to establish ICARDA’s first precision farming one-stop shop goat community-based breeding program (CBBP) with
in Amlaha, at the ICARDA research station located in the more than 2,000 households in Konso, Ethiopia. Full sire
central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Following an official certification – covering breeding value, physical integrity,
agreement with the Indian state government, ICARDA is semen assessment, mating ability, and vaccination against
launching a three-year pilot project funded by the State five diseases – has been established as a pre-condition for

38
 Science for resilient livelihoods in dry areas

disseminating sires in at least four sheep and goat CBBPs

in Ethiopia. To further scale CBBPs through educational
systems, ICARDA engaged 23 local Ethiopian universities.
Over ten universities have incorporated CBBPs in their
undergraduate program, and six universities have started
CBBPs in nearby villages.

Identifying important genes for

climate-smart sheep

Collaborating with National Agricultural Research

Systems (NARS), ICARDA’s Resilient Agro-Silvo-Pastoral
Systems (RASP) team made a huge breakthrough by
identifying in the genomes (all genetic information
of an organism) of sheep, specific genes that may be
responsible for adaptation to different environments (for
example drylands and highlands) and resistance to internal
parasites. Such genomic locations and genes can now
be used to investigate variations that can be deployed
in breeding programs to increase the resistance of small
ruminants to specific challenges in environments in which
communities live under climate change.

Enhancing resilience against sand and dust storms

in agriculture

Within the scope of the ICARDA-Food and Agriculture

Organization of the United Nations (FAO) project,
‘Catalyzing Investments and Actions to Enhance Resilience
against Sand and Dust Storms in Agriculture,’ ICARDA’s
Restoration Initiative on Dryland Ecosystems (RIDE) team,
developed a framework and evaluation method in 2021 to
assess sustainable land management (SLM) practices and
their potential to mitigate sand and dust storm sources
and impacts on agriculture. By adequately managing
crucial land resources such as soils, water, animals, and
plants, SLM allows for sustainable and environmentally
sound agriculture, and ensures the long-term survival,
productive potential, and ecosystem functions of vital
resources. RIDE presented their findings at the United
Nations pre-United Nations Climate Change Conference
of the Parties (COP26) side event on ‘Sand and Dust
Storm and Climate Change’ in September 2021.

Dr. Mounir Louhaichi selected as Deputy Lead of a

One CGIAR initiative

In 2021, ICARDA’s Rangeland Ecology and Forages

(REF) Research Team Leader, Dr. Mounir Louhaichi, was

39
ANNUAL REPORT 2021

selected as deputy leader of the One CGIAR initiative, Rs7,500 (US$100) per hectare, approximately 56 percent
Livestock, Climate and System Resilience. This initiative more than local communities used to earn from the same
aims to partner with public and private actors to develop land. Positive impacts for soil and water conservation are
and deliver actionable innovations that measurably help also expected in the coming years with the establishment
producers, businesses, and governments adapt livestock of spineless cactus plantations.
agri-food systems to climate change, reduce greenhouse
gas emissions, and contribute to sustainability and Using science-based evidence to properly manage
development goals across livestock systems. Dr. Louhaichi degraded arid rangelands in Tunisia
is also a member of the Global Coordinating Group of the
International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, which Natural rangelands cover over a third of Tunisia’s land.
succeeded in getting the United Nations General Assembly But the majority (87 percent) of these rangelands are in
to unanimously declare 2026 the International Year of arid and desert areas, and erratic fluctuations in rainfall
Rangelands and Pastoralists. The REF Research Team supply mean there is not always enough vegetation to
Leader has also joined the editorial boards of the African sustain livestock. The main cost-effective restoration
Journal of Range & Forage Science and the Journal of the technique is Gdel, which consists of resting pieces of
Professional Association for Cactus Development. land for a fixed period, during which it cannot be grazed.
However, for many years the carrying capacity of the land
Dr. Sawsan Hassan selected as a member of has been based on arbitrary visual estimates performed
AARINENA’s Forgotten Foods, Neglected Crops by a selected field crew. In recent years, under the CGIAR
and Underutilized Species technical committee Research Program on Livestock, ICARDA researchers
developed criteria to help land managers decide whether
ICARDA’s Forage Systems Coordinator, Dr. Sawsan grazing would impede rangeland restoration efforts. Now
Hassan, has been selected as a member of the technical the carrying capacity is determined based on four criteria
committee for Forgotten Foods, Neglected Crops and that offer key indicators of rangeland health: (1) biomass
Underutilized Species, managed by the Association of availability, (2) percentage of desirable (edible for livestock)
Agricultural Research Institutions in the Near East & species, (3) vegetation cover, and (4) rainfall distribution
North Africa (AARINENA). The committee carries out and amount. Development agencies and local communities
research activities and data analysis, gives presentations have expressed appreciation for the flexibility to adjust
and discussions, holds deliberations and debates, and grazing strategies based on climatic conditions that differ
drafts manifestos on forgotten foods. from year to year, and ICARDA researchers hope the
criteria will be widely adopted.
Spineless cactus project provides fodder from
degraded lands in Odisha Sulla: a native forage species for reversing
degradation in Mediterranean agro-silvo-
Under the leadership of Dr. Nigamananda Swain, a project pastoral systems
to introduce spineless cactus as fodder in degraded and
hilly lands achieved a range of positive impacts in 2021. Agro-silvo-pastoral dryland landscapes are important
Implemented with the support of the Government of throughout Africa and Asia for millions of rural families,
Odisha, and with technical support from the Resilient who depend on them for growing the grasses, shrubs,
Agro-Silvo-Pastoral Systems (RASP) team, ICARDA and and trees they need to feed their livestock. Yet due to
the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-Indian worsening climate change impacts, increasing population,
Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, 425.26 hectares and mismanagement such as overgrazing, the ability of
of degraded and hilly community lands have been planted these areas to produce enough forage is fast declining. A
with 28,442 cactus cladodes to establish 16 foundation key forage species indigenous to the Mediterranean is sulla
nurseries and 36 village-level multiplication nurseries. (Hedysarum coronarium L.). A deep-rooted legume, sulla
The project has created more than 75,500 job-days for is also effective in the biological fixation of sloping land
local communities. By intercropping in the cactus fields, and improving the organo-mineral soil fertility, yields, and
these communities also earned an additional income of protein value of cereals. It is highly palatable to animals,

40
 Science for resilient livelihoods in dry areas

nutritious, and productive. The Rangeland Ecology and climate variability. The REF team has also reinforced the
Forages (REF) team has demonstrated that planting sulla Sustainable Rangeland Management toolkit, which will
can help halt degradation, significantly reduce soil and be adopted by the International Union for Conservation
water erosion, increase productivity, and provide more of Nature (IUCN) in their training programs, with the
forage to sustainably meet the demands of increasing publication of an outcome impact case report, an
livestock production while lowering import costs of feed. innovation brief, and a guide for rangeland inventorying,
The REF team has used these findings to develop an monitoring, and assessment. Other publications
integrated package for agropastoral restoration. include an International Livestock Research Institute
(ILRI)-ICARDA policy brief summarizing key insights
Scaling conservation agriculture in crop- on rangeland restoration, a study on native, drought-
livestock systems tolerant forage species for enhanced dryland pasture
restoration in Tunisia, and more than ten factsheets
ICARDA has enabled public-private partnerships for forage characterizing forage and range species.
seed production in the Conservation Agriculture in Crop-
Livestock Systems project framework, funded by the Spineless cactus
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). As
a result, 2021 witnessed substantial achievements in scaling ICARDA’s work on spineless cactus was selected as one
forage mixtures in crop-livestock-based systems in Tunisia of International Fund for Agricultural Development’s
and Algeria. For example, the quantities of vetch seeds (IFAD) Panorama Solutions, and a case study about a
available in the market increased by 300 percent in the past cactus fruit plantation in arid drylands was uploaded to
five years. Similar growth has been observed for forage the World Overview of Conservation Approaches and
mixtures, which are increasingly demanded by farmers. Technologies (WOCAT) Global Database on Sustainable
Land Management. Activities related to strengthening
A productive year for REF publications cactus pear development and adaptation also led to a
brief, an outcome impact case report, a newsletter, four
Rangeland Ecology and Forages (REF) scientists educational videos, and, in collaboration with the Food
published a total of 13 papers in International Scientific and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO),
Indexing publications in 2021, covering topics ranging an event to launch the Arabic edition of Crop Ecology,
from the sustainable restoration of agro-silvo-pastoral Cultivation and Uses of Cactus Pear.
systems to the impact of rangeland biodiversity and

41
ANNUAL REPORT 2021

GENETIC RESOURCES IN DETAIL over 6,000 chickpea accessions retrieved from the
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid
ICARDA’s Genetic Resources (GRS) team, led by Dr. Tropics (ICRISAT). Additionally, ICARDA-Lebanon has
Zakaria Kehel, works in Lebanon and Morocco alongside successfully regenerated around 1,000 wild relatives sent
global networks including the CGIAR Genebank Platform, by the Millennium Seed Bank in the United Kingdom.
the Global Crop Diversity Trust, the German Agency for
International Cooperation (GIZ), the European Union (EU), Scaling the Focused Identification of
and other development partners. Together, they collect, Germplasm Strategy
conserve, and develop the vital genetic resources needed
to protect agrobiodiversity in dry regions. ICARDA’s The Focused Identification of Germplasm Strategy (FIGS)
GRS team has started translating its standard operating methodology is a scientifically-proven tool that helps
procedures into Arabic and French for dissemination across crop breeding programs identify valuable traits in plant
Central and West Asia and North Africa. genetics more accurately and efficiently, improving on
the limitations of more traditional approaches. To scale
ICARDA’s genebanks accessions in 2021 the FIGS methodology, ICARDA launched an open-source
FIGS analytical tool for broader use and developed a
As of September 2021, ICARDA’s genebanks contain Genesys sub-setting tool with the International Center for
151,889 accessions of cereals, food legumes, forage, and Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). ICARDA further collaborated
rangeland species. Some 15,926 and 5,557 accessions with CIAT to create a dashboard to summarize outputs
were regenerated in Morocco and Lebanon, respectively. from a gap analysis of 22 CGIAR crops. This collection
In addition, a total of 17,896 accessions for import, mission planning tool can be used by genebanks from both
35,251 accessions for export, and 21,759 accessions for CGIAR and national programs.
conservation were analyzed for seed health.
Improved grass pea crop
The regeneration of non-Svalbard
safety duplication 2021 witnessed the regeneration of lines from the first
successful interspecific crosses between grass pea and five
In 2021, the Genetic Resources (GRS) team started the Lathyrus species. This resulted in a total of 110 F3 families
regeneration of non-Svalbard safety duplication with from interspecific crosses using Lathyrus cicera. F2 and

42
 Science for resilient livelihoods in dry areas

Further innovation relates to the field-based high-

throughput phenotyping (HTP) system, as phenotyping
remains one of the main bottlenecks in plant breeding. In
response, with the support of the Arab Fund for Economic
and Social Development (AFESD), Dr. Andrea Visioni and
the manufacturer Hiphen developed the PhenoBuggy: a
tractor-mounted, GPS-assisted multi-sensor head. The
PhenoBuggy allows for rapid and accurate measuring of
phenotypic traits, such as green fraction, senescence,
vegetation indices, leaf area index, biomass, spike number,
and plant height.

Greater agrobiodiversity with the Activated

Genebank Network

ICARDA continued its contributions to the European

Union (EU)-funded Activated Genebank Network
(AGENT) project, launched in 2020 to transform
genebanks from passive seed libraries into advanced
bio-informatics resource centers. In 2021, ICARDA
scientists helped devise more straightforward tools and
F3 BC2 and BC3 seeds from crosses with L. articulatus, L. procedures for genomic work that would typically involve
cicera, L. heirosolymitanus, L. inconspicuous, L. marmoratus, a lot of complex statistics to improve breeders’ ability to
and L. ochrus were also successfully produced. Additionally, define valuable germplasm. Through AGENT, ICARDA
new interspecific crosses were performed for barley and and partners are working to collect and standardize
wheat to target disease and insect resistance and the phenotype information from global genebank networks
production of micronutrients and beta-glucans. within a single database. This will revolutionize plant
genetic resources information sharing.
Introducing PhysioTron and PhenoBuggy:
ICARDA’s new approach to high- Farming with alternative pollinators promotes
throughput phenotyping transformative change in agriculture

In 2021, ICARDA, with the support and collaboration of ICARDA’s Farming with Alternative Pollinators (FAP),
the CGIAR WHEAT Research Program and co-investing led by Dr. Stefanie Christmann and funded by the
national agricultural research institutes, the International German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature
Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), and Conservation and Nuclear Safety, enhances agricultural
the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA- land by marketable habitat enhancement plants (MHEP),
Morocco), developed the innovative PhysioTron, a machine nesting and water support. MHEP prolong the flowering
that speeds up the accurate measuring and recording of times in the fields and attract higher diversity and
plant genetic traits, allowing for more advanced research abundance of pollinators (enhancing productivity of many
toward achieving food security in the dry areas. The crops) and natural enemies (reducing pest abundance in
PhysioTron can house up to 750 plots, each 1.5 meters deep the main crop and the need for chemicals). Both effects
and filled with soil according to soil profiles specified by the increase the net income gain for farmers significantly. A
station. Its fully automated control system offers flexibility project in Morocco in four agro-ecosystems, with seven
for designing a wide range of experiments that allow for different main crops and more than 230 smallholder fields
the application of various and controlled water regimes in showed a net income increase of 121% and a reduction of
each plot. A mobile gantry also enables researchers access pest abundance in the main crop by 65%.
to middle plots without disturbing the earth of side plots.

43
ANNUAL REPORT 2021

DIGITALIZATION OF RESEARCH Platform for Big Data: harnessing big data and information
technology to accelerate and enhance the impact of
IN DETAIL
international agricultural research to drive equitable
rural development. In 2021, the GeoAgro team led by
ICARDA continued to digitize research in 2021 to
make data collecting, information sharing, analysis, and Dr. Ajit Govind, coauthored CGIAR’s Digital Extension
decision-making faster, better, and more accurate. Even Services, bridging the gap between developing and
in the most distant and vulnerable dry places where adopting new climate change adaptation strategies and
ICARDA operates, global advances in technology, digital developing geotagging and agro-tagging tools to digitize
analytics, remote sensing, networks, and software, agriculture research and outreach.
particularly on now-ubiquitous smartphones, make data
gathering, analysis, reporting, and knowledge exchange Enhancing the GeoAgro Pro portal
more manageable and more efficient.
In 2021, ICARDA’s GeoAgro team introduced an atlas
Based on four decades of drylands research, our unique of real-time mapping of crop fallow dynamics and
and increasing pool of big data aids in the modeling and corresponding legume suitability for the sustainable
analysis of novel techniques, climatic variability, evaluation intensification of legumes in cereal systems. To achieve
of new crop varieties and livestock enhancements, this, the GeoAgro team developed new algorithms for
socioeconomics, and decision-making at all levels. When mapping yield gaps at farm level – one of the first yield
combined with those of sister centers under the One CGIAR gap decomposition models and applications for data-
reformulation, our data will produce a powerful resource limited regions – and produced the revamped GeoAgro
that will substantially contribute to the fight against global Pro portal with enhanced features. This work, achieved
climate change. in partnership with the Indian Council of Agricultural
Research (ICAR) and with support from the International
GeoAgro on CGIAR’s Digital Extension Services Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), makes precision
agriculture possible through real-time advisories with
The objectives of ICARDA’s GeoAgro for sustainable site-specific packages of practices, within the framework
agroecosystems team are fully aligned with the CGIAR of the One CGIAR Excellence in Agronomy initiative.

44
 Science for resilient livelihoods in dry areas

Dr. Chandrashekhar Biradar receives the India solutions for integrating indigenous knowledge and
Agri-Extension Award experiences for food security. GeoAgro also co-organized
the UNFSS Independent Dialogue in Egypt on the role
In 2021, Dr. Chandrashekhar Biradar, then serving as of water security for food systems transformation.
the GeoAgro Team Leader, was awarded the India Agri- Additionally, the GeoAgro team organized and co-chaired
Extension Award 2021 in Innovation in Agricultural the joint technical session with the International Center
Extension. The award recognized the GeoAgro team’s for Biosaline Agriculture and the International Commission
digital innovation that advises small family farmers on on Irrigation and Drainage on advanced technologies
input saving techniques, carbon sequestration, and yield and early warning systems to improve agricultural water
improvement to increase their income, resilience, and productivity in transboundary water basins, and presented
sustainability. digital dynamism for agriculture water management in
drylands at the 5th Arab Water Forum.
ICT2Scale legacy lives on
Monitoring, evolution, and learning supports
Led by Mr. Udo Rudiger, ICARDA’s Agricultural Innovation CGIAR quality assurance
Specialist, and Dr. Boubaker Dhehibi, ICARDA’s
Agricultural Economist and ICT2Scale Co-Leader, the In 2021, ICARDA’s Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning
ICT2Scale project launched in Tunisia in 2019 to introduce (MEL) team, led by Enrico Bonaiuti, supported the
information and communications technology (ICT) services evaluation of scientific credibility within the CGIAR Quality
to family farmers using cellphones to offer e-learning and of Research for Development (Qo4RD) framework by
extension services for crop and small ruminant production, developing a tool that validates peer-reviewed publications
beekeeping, and conservation agriculture. Although the in an automated and efficient way. The MEL team also
project concluded in December 2021, its legacy will live supported the development of CGIAR’s repository for
on as the project’s ICT innovations, such as the e-learning grant-level agricultural research for development indicators
training modules that were developed to be promoted by by processing data on performance indicators used by
extension services and mobile apps, continue to support ICARDA projects. The data is used in Graphileon, visual
small landholders in Tunisia in the future. One example data analysis, and inference. In support of the One CGIAR
is ‘Kolfa’, a bilingual Arabic-French smartphone app that initiatives, the MEL team created in partnership with Royal
provides price information on agricultural commodities to Roads University (Canada) and Codeobia (Jordan) an online
Tunisian farmers in near real time. Introduced in August board to visualize and monitor their theories of change,
2021, Kolfa has been downloaded over 1,000 times and integrated within the Online Submission Tool.
is widely promoted online. ICT2Scale was funded by the
German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Adding wheat and barley to global crop diagnostics
Development (BMZ) and in collaboration with Deutsche app Plantix
Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
Also in 2021, ICARDA included barley and wheat in the
ICARDA and the United Nations Food world-renowned Plantix agricultural smart-device app.
Systems Summit Plantix offers automated diagnostics for over 350 globally-
identified plant diseases, pests and nutrient deficiencies on
In 2021, ICARDA became a founding partner of the more than 65 agricultural crops through real-time updates.
Indigenous Knowledge and Research Infrastructure, a
digital infrastructure that supports the implementation Making AGROVOC accessible to Arabic speakers
of the United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS).
In this role, ICARDA co-developed global dialogue and In 2021, as a part of an ongoing collaboration with
co-organized the UNFSS pre-summit on the Integration the Food and Agriculture Organization of The United
of Frontier Technologies and Indigenous Knowledge for Nations (FAO), ICARDA’s Monitoring, Evaluation, and
Food Systems Transformation and its Summit Dialogues, Learning (MEL) team translated about 800 concepts in
addressing emerging science and technology-based AGROVOC, FAO’s agricultural data tool, into Arabic.

45
ANNUAL REPORT 2021

Publishing and disseminating ICARDA’s work Also in 2021, ICARDA’s Crop Breeding teams made
groundbreaking progress through the Modernization of
In 2021, the World Overview of Conservation Approaches ICARDA Breeding Programs project, supported by the
and Technologies (WOCAT), developed in 2020, published Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD)
ten ICARDA innovations on three digital resources to and CGIAR’s Crops to End Hunger platform. New speed
help support wider dissemination on the ICARDA website breeding protocols were developed for all ICARDA-
and social media platforms. ICARDA also uploaded 93 mandated crops, allowing four generations to be achieved
publications to the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning in just one year while maintaining ICARDA’s capacity to
(MEL) website in 2021. Of these, 58 are open access, screen for the most prevalent diseases in the region as well
thereby continuing ICARDA’s practice of ensuring that at as for high end-use quality. In addition, more than 4,000
least 60 percent of its resources are open access. entries of wheat and barley were genotyped in 2021. This
will improve the capacity of breeding programs to select
ICARDA teams awarded for their innovation in the best germplasm to be shared with NARS. In addition,
halting land degradation new big-data-management and analysis tools have been
developed to automatically store, curate, and analyze the
ICARDA’s Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) field data produced by the breeding programs.
and Social, Economy and Policy Research (SEPR) teams
received an award for a tool that helps better inform land
planning and restoration activities. The award, issued
by the Group on Earth Observation Land Degradation
Neutrality Initiative, was overseen by the United Nations
Convention to Combat Desertification. The tool will allow
participatory land-use planning efforts to more precisely
target areas requiring land restoration, sustainable land
degradation neutrality, and protection from ongoing
degradation.

CLIMATE SMART CROPS IN DETAIL

ICARDA’s Breeding and Scaling Improved Varieties of
Dryland Cereals and Pulses team, led by Dr. Michael
Baum, is a crucial player in the regional and global
development and dissemination of climate-resilient
crops. These market-driven crop varieties protect
dryland farmers from severe heat, water scarcity, the
appearance of new pests and diseases, and nutritional
insecurity.

Over the past four decades, country partners in Asia,

Africa, and beyond have evaluated and distributed
ICARDA’s enhanced grain and legume varieties. Farmers
have accepted our new varieties, resulting in yearly net
benefits of over US$850 million.

In 2021, seven wheat varieties and one variety each of

barley, chickpea, and lentil were released in partnership
with National Agriculture Research Systems (NARS)
collaborators in Ethiopia and Turkey.

46
 Science for resilient livelihoods in dry areas

Seed systems, international nurseries, and Support the Seed Multiplication Sector in Syria for the
seed health Season 2020/21,’ ICARDA supported smallholder farmers
by providing seeds of improved wheat, barley, chickpea,
Wheat seed system studies and lentil varieties; establishing seed producers’ groups
for sustainable local seed business; and strengthening
Two major studies on wheat seed systems, varietal adoption the capacity of partners and farmers. In 2021, a total of
and impacts in Turkey were published in 2021 and another 9.7 tons of wheat, barley, chickpea, and lentil seed was
for Uzbekistan was completed. The Turkish studies cover provided to 53 smallholder farmers (12 percent female) in
variety development, release, licensing, and protection; three seed producers’ groups, together with agricultural
seed production, quality assurance, and marketing; and inputs and operational costs for weed control, irrigation,
the policies, institutions, laws, and regulatory frameworks harvesting, and processing. A total of 184 tons of wheat,
governing them. The studies also estimate the level and barley, chickpea, and lentil was produced, representing a
determinants of varietal adoption and the associated net profit of US$301.60, or 119.5 percent.
livelihood impacts. Each chapter provides detailed analyses
of the different topics and identifies major challenges and In addition to technical backstopping, a train-the-trainer
opportunities within the limits of their individual thematic course on community-based seed production and
focus. The studies make several recommendations for marketing was organized. The course included field days,
improving Turkey’s wheat sector, including strengthening a cross-learning tour, and formal training covering quality
formal academic education in seed sciences, tailoring and healthy seed production, crop inspection, certification,
policies and interventions to meet specific regional and seed processing operations. A total of 250 participants
needs, and aligning domestic biodiversity practices with attended, including development partners and high-level
international conventions. The authors presented their delegates from FAO and ICARDA.
findings and recommendations at two international
webinars in November 2021. Scaling of heat-tolerant wheat varieties in Africa

On a mission to improve pulse seed systems in Wheat is one of the key crop commodities of the African
Odisha, India Development Bank’s Feed Africa Flagship, part of its
Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation
The Odisha Pulse Mission aims to enhance nutritional (TAAT) initiative. Implemented by ICARDA, the TAAT
security by strengthening village and informal seed Wheat Compact (TWC) continued to provide technical
systems for farmers’ preferred varieties of pulses in support in scaling heat-tolerant wheat varieties in target
Odisha. The project was funded by the Government African countries. TWC focused on creating awareness
of Odisha and supported by the Indian Council of and a sense of urgency for wheat transformation through
Agricultural Research (ICAR) and was successfully led by policy advocacy and the development of road maps for
Dr. Nigamananda Swain and the ICARDA Odisha project deploying agricultural innovations in target countries.
team in coordination with Dr. Zewdie Bishaw and other Multi-stakeholder platforms, consisting of high-level
stakeholders. By the end of July 2021, it reached 13,832 inter-ministerial steering committees and technical
farmers across 14 districts, helped 126 farmer groups to committees, have been established to lead national wheat
manage seed hubs in project villages, and demonstrated self-sufficiency agendas in target countries. As a result,
technologies for the intensification of pulses, especially wheat area expansion and increased wheat production
in rice fallows. A total of 4,200 hectares of rice fallows have been observed in almost all project target countries.
have been brought under pulse cultivation, leading to an Ethiopia and Sudan are driving wheat self-sufficiency and
estimated 33,000 quintals of additional production with other countries are making wheat a priority crop through
an average incremental income of Rs13,626 per farmer. national decrees. TWC success stories were featured in the
2021 high-level virtual dialogue, Feeding Africa: Leadership
Rehabilitation of seed systems in Syria to Scale Up Successful Innovations. Also in 2021, a short
documentary on TAAT beat over 3,700 nominations from
Through its Food and Agriculture Organization of the 65 countries to win the ‘Best Video – Documentary’ award
United Nations (FAO)-funded project, ‘Services to at the 2021 Stevie International Business Awards.

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ANNUAL REPORT 2021

International nurseries (IN) of pathogens and transboundary diseases, was given

to around 120 experts and specialists, representing 19
In 2021, ICARDA’s International Nurseries (IN) team led countries, at an event led by the Khalifa International Date
by Dr Abdoul Aziz Niane, carried out seed production and Palm Award and Agricultural Innovation.
distribution of about 575 sets, containing 11 trials of seven
mandate crops, and 1,619 elite lines to 103 cooperatives Wheat
in 44 countries. Total cost recovery was through CGIAR
Research Programs, projects, and country contributions. ICARDA’s durum and bread wheat breeding efforts employ
wild relatives extensively to generate elite germplasm
ICARDA IN continues to benefit from its partnership with that is well-suited to the severe and frequent droughts
National Agriculture Research Systems (NARS) through that plague the drylands where the organization operates.
the release of improved cereal and legume varieties. These
are preferred by farmers, because of their adaptation and High yielding, rust-resistant, and heat-tolerant spring bread
agronomic traits, and by industry and consumers, because wheat varieties of ICARDA origin, including ‘Abay’ and
of their grain quality traits. In 2021, a total of 24 improved ‘Hachalu’ in Ethiopia, were released in 2021, and others
cereal and legume varieties were released in eight have passed the distinctiveness, uniformity, and stability
countries. These varieties included five spring bread, one test for registration in Morocco. Similarly, there are many
durum and seven winter wheat, one barley, one faba bean, high yielding and drought-tolerant elite spring bread wheat
six chickpea, and three lentil varieties. It is anticipated genotypes which survived an extremely severe drought at
that these varieties will contribute to food and nutritional Marchouch station, Morocco, in 2021/2022, much better
security for smallholder farmers and support effective and than other cultivars, without irrigation. These elite spring
efficient scaling. bread wheat genotypes will be distributed to the national
programs of countries in Central and West Asia and North
Maintaining and promoting seed health Africa and sub-Saharan Africa in August 2022.

During 2021, ICARDA seed health labs in Terbol, Lebanon, Furthermore, a total of 12 high yielding, drought tolerant,
and Rabat, Morocco, analyzed 110,390 accessions for and yellow resistant Winter Facultative Wheat varieties
seed-borne pathogens and pests, including viruses, – originating from Turkey-International Maize and
bacteria, fungi, nematodes, weeds, and storage insects. Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)-ICARDA (TCI),
These accessions were tested in 48,404 samples and the International Winter Wheat Improvement Program
results were collected from 567,975 diagnostic reactions. (IWWIP) – were released in four different countries,
Also in 2021, seven standard operating procedures six in Turkey, four in Azerbaijan, one in Iran, and one in
related to seed health testing at ICARDA were developed, Uzbekistan.
covering legumes, wheat, and barley, as well as seed
cleaning and disinfection, field and quarantine inspection, Dissemination of interspecific ICARDA varieties via
information management and certification, and capacity participatory research
building.
ICARDA’s Dissemination of Interspecific ICARDA Varieties
Dr. Safaa Kumari, Head of ICARDA’s Seed Health via Participatory Research (DIIVA-PR) project, supported
Laboratory, actively promoted seed health in 2021. In by the Crop Trust’s Crop Wild Relatives (CWR) Project,
November, she presented two lectures as part of a wheat developed new climate smart crop varieties derived from
management course for scientists in the Syrian General CWR crosses. Through a participatory varietal selection
Organization of Seed Multiplication. She also presented a strategy, DIIVA-PR introduced these varieties to farmers
virtual lecture, ‘Safe movement of food and forage crops in dry regions critically affected by climate change and
germplasm at ICARDA,’ to more than 60 participants at an climate variability. The project concluded successfully in
event organized by the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food July 2021. Building on its success, a second phase, ‘BOLD-
Safety Authority (ADAFSA). Another virtual lecture, on the DIIVA,’ launched shortly after DIIVA-PR’s conclusion. The
importance of germplasm health in preventing the spread project focused on areas in Ethiopia, Lebanon, Morocco

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 Science for resilient livelihoods in dry areas

and Senegal that are heavily affected by drought and with a Further, the genomic selection model was improved
high concentration of rural poor. Using crop wild relatives, using different training populations tested across three
DIIVA-PR aimed to improve the climate change adaptation years for different traits of varying complexity levels. The
of three staple crops: durum wheat, barley, and lentil. Some use of kinship split to improve accuracy was confirmed
40 on-station trials were conducted to confirm the value and fully adopted by ICARDA. Due to the high impact
of CWR-derived germplasm. In addition, a total of 22 on- within Senegal River communities, a third phase, under
farm demonstrations were set up to engage some 12 rural the project name ‘Delivering heat-tolerant alleles to
communities. The ultimate outcome was that the CWR- raise farm income along the Senegal River,’ has now
derived germplasm outperformed the best local varieties received funding until December 2024. The project
for adaptation to climate extremes, including a very aims to double the area of cultivation, integrate female
severe drought in Morocco during 2019-20 season and cooperatives to operate as community-based seed
temperatures exceeding 38 degrees Celsius in Senegal. enterprises, and attempt the fine mapping and possible
Farmers also showed clear appreciation for several of the cloning of the major locus identified as controlling heat
CWR-derived entries because of their adaptation and tolerance.
rusticity. Four varieties have been released by the project
thus far based on farmers preferences, five more should Overall, this project represented a major milestone in
be released soon, and over 50 partners around the world the deployment of genomic selection as a breeding tool.
have benefitted from this unique germplasm. ICARDA’s Durum Wheat Program has now shifted to
this technology and will use it for achieving higher rates
Genomic prediction to deliver heat-tolerant wheat of genetic gain under the Accelerated Breeding Initiative
to the Senegal River Basin (ABI) for all targeted product profiles.

The ‘Genomic Prediction to Deliver Heat Tolerant Wheat ICARDA and INRA-Morocco’s barley and durum
to the Senegal River Basin’ project, funded by the Swedish wheat pre-breeding program
Research Council and led by ICARDA’s Dr. Filippo Bassi,
reached a successful conclusion in December 2021. The In 2021, more than 1,000 accessions of barley and 1,800
project successfully used advanced genomic models to lines of wheat were selected from ICARDA genebanks
increase the rate of genetic gain for the delivery of heat- and shared with the Institut National de la Recherche
tolerant and short-duration varieties of durum wheat Agronomique (INRA-Morocco)’s barley and durum wheat
that were adapted to the pedo-climatic conditions of the program. More than 1,400 wheat pre-breeding lines are
Senegal River valley. The major outcomes of these four being genotyped for alleles and gene detection and for
years were the publication of ten ISI research articles in further integration into wheat breeding programs.
high impact factor journals.

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ANNUAL REPORT 2021

Food legumes ICARDA scientists nominated as special guest

editors
Our elite food legume lines are available to National
Agricultural Research System (NARS) partners through In 2021, ICARDA’s Legume Breeder, Dr. Fouad Maalouf,
ICARDA’s international nurseries. ICARDA’s food legumes was nominated as a Special Guest Editor for the
team is also working alongside other CGIAR centers to Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute’s special issue
develop the One CGIAR initiatives that seek to unify of Plants – an international, scientific, peer-reviewed,
efforts in crop improvement globally and across CWANA. open access journal published semimonthly online – on
legume genomics and breeding. The same year, Dr. Shiv
ICARDA’s food legumes projects receive funding from Kumar Agrawal and Dr. Michael Baum were Special Guest
the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Editors for a special issue of Frontiers in Plant Sciences
the Government of Odisha, the International Fund for titled ‘Accelerating Genetic Gains in Pulses’.
Agricultural Development (IFAD), the European Union
(EU), the CGIAR Research Program on Grain Legumes and Improved food legumes for India
Dryland Cereals, the Grains Research and Development
Corporation, the Global Crop Diversity Trust, the Arab Improved pulse technologies are being promoted in rice
Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD), the fallows and traditional areas in 14 districts of Odisha
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) under the Odisha Pulse Mission Phase II. Incentivization
Fund for International Development, and the Templeton of non-paddy crops such as red gram is also being
World Charity Foundation, among others. promoted in 2,847 hectares of farmland in Odisha. In
Madhya Pradesh, lentil technologies were upscaled in
Dr. Shiv Agrawal elected Chair of Scientific partnership with Jawaharlal Nehru Agricultural University
Program Committee and its six Agricultural Science Centers. Two varieties of
lentil performed excellently for seed yield and disease
ICARDA’s Lentil Breeder, Dr. Shiv Kumar Agrawal, was resistance. Furthermore, a new cropping pattern, which
elected as Chair of the Scientific Program Committee includes the super-early lentil variety, Barimasur-9, in the
of International Food Legume Research Conference. new rice-lentil-rice pattern, is being recommended to
The conference and its committee aim to build global intensify the rice system in Bangladesh, eastern India, and
communication linkages to promote research collaboration Nepal.
and the interchange of scientific and technical information
covering all aspects of research and development of cool-
season food legumes.

50
 Science for resilient livelihoods in dry areas

Date palm Participatory demonstrations promote water- and

energy-saving practices
ICARDA works across the Arabian Peninsula to improve
date palm, an essential crop for the region, which Another major aim of ICARDA in the Arabian Peninsula is
produces 90 percent of the world’s dates. Funded by the to improve agricultural production systems and conserve
six member countries through the Secretariat General of natural resources affected by climate change through
the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the project entitled the development and demonstration of climate-smart
‘Development of sustainable production systems for technological packages. In 2021, ICARDA held participatory
date palms in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries’ demonstrations of water- and energy-saving practices
aims to improve date palm production systems in GCC for smallholder farmers across six target countries. These
countries, employing modern technology to increase crop practices included the use of solar energy, net houses,
management, post-harvest date management, and market hydroponic irrigation, ultra-low-dripper pressure, and root
and value chain development. zone cooling. The project is funded by the Arab Fund for
Economic and Social Development (AFESD) and the Kuwait
Delivering ecological insights with eddy Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED).
covariance systems
Dr. Abdoul Aziz Niane appointed to
A major project milestone in 2021 was the introduction Advisory Committee
of eddy covariance systems for measurements of gas
exchange between ecosystems and the atmosphere in the Dr. Abdoul Aziz Niane was appointed as a member of the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through the date palm project. Advisory Committee for Research of the Abu Dhabi Food
These systems combine precision instruments, on-site Safety Agency. The Agency is responsible for agriculture,
flux computation, and powerful post-processing software food safety, food security, and biosecurity in the Emirate
into a single package to deliver ecosystem insights faster of Abu Dhabi.
than ever before. The systems streamline the research
process, empowering researchers of all experience levels. Date palm project wins Khalifa Award
The systems are also linked to ultra-low drip irrigation to
facilitate smart and water- and energy-saving irrigation An ICARDA project, ‘Development of Date Palm
for date palm and associated crops. Production Systems in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)

51
ANNUAL REPORT 2021

Countries,’ won the prestigious 2021 Khalifa International severe drought conditions than conventional varieties. New
Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation. The wild relative-derived genotypes with consistently higher
project, funded by GCC, won in the second category, beta-glucan content for increased nutritional value have also
‘Pioneering Development and Productive Projects.’ been developed, with new genotypes producing 30 percent
more forage production than conventional varieties. A total
Barley of 180 new elite barley genotypes have been distributed
to 36 collaborators in 19 countries upon demand. The
Barley promotes food and feed security by increasing program receives funds from the CGIAR Research Program
animal and crop output per unit area and providing food, on Livestock, the Arab Fund for Economic and Social
feed, forage, and malt. It is the ultimate multipurpose crop Development (AFESD), the Crop Diversity Trust, and the
in the Middle East and North Africa’s drylands, with 3.3 Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
million hectares planted primarily in Algeria, Morocco,
and Tunisia. Barley is the sole and often the last choice Special nurseries shared with collaborators in
for many traditional subsistence farmers to feed their Ethiopia and United Arab Emirates
cattle, especially during dry years. Even when conditions
are ideal, turning a profit on barley is difficult. By the Two special nurseries targeting feed barley were shared
end of the century, climate change is anticipated to cut with collaborators in United Arab Emirates in 2021. The first
rainfall by up to 50 percent and raise temperatures by consisted of 100 new elite genotypes to be tested as an
up to 4 degrees Celsius in the region. As a result, new observation nursery under local conditions. The best lines
technologies must be developed and deployed to boost from this will be selected and promoted for further testing.
production per unit area in the face of climate change. The second nursery consisted of 1 kilogram of seven elite
feed genotypes and has been tested in farmer fields.
The ICARDA Global Barley Breeding program led by Dr.
Miguel Sanchez-Garcia has developed new barley genotypes, 2021 also saw two new special nurseries, one targeting
producing at least 10 percent more grain and straw under food and fodder barley and another one targeting malt

52
 Science for resilient livelihoods in dry areas

and fodder barley, shared with barley breeders from the CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT IN DETAIL
Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research. The 300 elite
lines in these nurseries were tested in the field and more When delivering dryland farming system innovations,
than 100 were promoted to be tested at larger scale. ICARDA’s Capacity Development team, led by Dr. Charles
Kleinermann, ensures the inclusion of vital capacity-
Shared trials of new barley lines in Algeria, building component of training, technology, and support.
Morocco, and Tunisia Family farmers, scientists, governments, research
institutions, and private sector actors, among others,
2021 saw the first shared trial of the Maghreb-ICARDA can then take full advantage of our technologies to help
Barley Initiative, a joint venture between ICARDA’s barley overcome the critical issues they face, especially under a
breeding programs in Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia, climate crisis.
to assemble, share, and test one common yield trial
representing a shared product profile. With the support Training tomorrow’s experts
of the CGIAR Research Program on Livestock, 24 new
ICARDA elite lines from the Feed for Arid and Semi-Arid In 2021, ICARDA held a series of interactive webinars in
Areas Mega Product Line – targeting the environmental collaboration with the International Center for Advanced
and socioeconomic conditions as well as the local farmers’ Agronomic Studies and other institutions such as the Food
needs of the arid areas of the Maghreb – were tested in and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO),
nine locations in Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia. The results the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development
showed superior yield and straw production in the new (AFESD), World Bank, Friends of Europe, Mo Foundation,
tested lines compared to the commercial checks. Breeders Agropolis Foundation, as well as national partners to
in the target countries have already started promoting the engage young scientists in the value and function of
best lines to the National Variety Trials program. systems research to support the transformation of dryland
agri-food systems. Over 400 participants registered for
Diversification of wheat-based cropping in the each webinar.
Ethiopia highlands
Additionally, through the continued annual funding support
Due to the low productivity of major cool-season cereals of AFESD, ICARDA was able to offer multiple series of
and food legumes, smallholder farmers in Ethiopia are training courses and PhD and MSc opportunities, and
increasingly abandoning traditional practices of high crop individual non-degree training for mid-career professionals
diversity in favor of growing more bread wheat. Increased targeting Arab nationals. A total of 4,168 trainees attended.
wheat monocropping lowers soil fertility, increases the Of 3,248 trainees enrolled in group courses, 1,849 were
risk of disease epidemics, and reduces the dietary diversity women (60%). Eighty-three students (43 PhD and 40 MSc)
of farmers. ICARDA, in partnership with the Africa were enrolled in degree training, of which 60 were women
RISING project, funded by the United States Agency for (72%). A total of 16 scientists were enrolled in non-degree
International Development (USAID), has diversified the individual training, of which ten were women (62.5%).
wheat-based system in four intervention zones, releasing
wheat, barley, and food legume varieties. Once validated, Research data management
the seeds of these farmer-selected cultivars have been
produced through community seed production schemes The Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) team
involving individual farmers and seed producing unions. led by Enrico Bonaiuti, supported learning around
In the 2020/2021 cropping season, 161 male and female Research Data Management (RDM) and documented the
farmers and seed growers in nine districts produced 349 importance of strong support and suitable tools to help
tons of wheat, barley and faba bean seeds. The certified develop RDM commitments. Without such knowledge
seeds will be exchanged and sold to other farmers and and understanding, policy conflicts, unclear data
will contribute to alleviating seed shortages in the standards, and multi-platform sharing can lead instead to
intervention areas. unexpected engagement conflicts within databases.

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ANNUAL REPORT 2021

Other free e-learning courses

ICARDA’s E-Learning Platform continues to offer over

85 courses addressing various agricultural topics and the
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Most of the courses are in English, but French, Arabic, and
Spanish classes have also been made available. Registration
for these courses is free.

Training in modern protected agricultural practices

in the Arabian Peninsula

In December 2021, ICARDA and the Central Laboratory for

Our Data Management team worked on 34 datasets, Agriculture Climate of Egypt’s Agricultural Research Center
completing the curation and publication of 17 of them (ARC) jointly organized a workshop on modern horticulture
by the end of 2021. The datasets relate to Egypt, Jordan, practices for the Arabian Peninsula partner countries in
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, and Egypt. The workshop took place within the framework of the
Uzbekistan. They cover a range of topics, such as crop and Arabian Peninsula Regional Program and was funded by the
livestock improvement, genomic data, capacity development, Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD)
and the impact of COVID-19 on agricultural activities. and the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development
(KFAED). The workshop was led by several experts and
Field days at Marchouch station, Morocco researchers from ICARDA and ARC and was attended by
researchers and extension agents from five of the six Gulf
In 2021, ICARDA’s Genetic Resources (GRS) team organized Cooperation Council (GCC) member countries, and Yemen.
four field days at Marchouch station in Morocco that The discussions involved protected agriculture practices,
attracted over 200 attendees, including breeders, major such as greenhouses and hydroponics, which substantially
seed multiplication companies, and lead farmers. These field reduce water usage and provide a better and higher yield.
days gave attendees the opportunity to select the best elite
lines, view demonstration trials of new lines of cereals, food Knowledge management communities of practice
legumes, and bread wheat, and to learn about conservation and capacity development activities
agriculture and the diversification of cropping systems.
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
New training course on date palm value chain SKiM Project, implemented by ICARDA, strengthened the
analysis, management, and market linkages capacity of 40 (25 male and 15 female) representatives from
national institutions in Moldova, Morocco, and Sudan in
A new e-learning course, ‘Date Palm Value Chain Analysis, 2021. In line with needs identified in a consultative Capacity
Management, and Market Linkages in the Gulf Cooperation Needs Assessment and Innovation Plans, 29 participants
Council (GCC) Countries,’ was produced in 2021. Funded benefited from the Republic of Moldova Learning Route (19
by the GCC, the course is designed to enhance capacity male and ten female), and 15 benefited from the Knowledge
development of the Arabian Peninsula government officials and Innovation Transfer through Technology Transfer
and researchers who are engaged in the socioeconomic Offices (TTOs) (ten male and five female) participants, in
component of the date palm project, ‘Developing line with their knowledge management needs identified
Sustainable Production Systems for Date Palm in GCC through the project. In this regard, the communities of
Countries.’ Twenty-three professionally-trained National practice on knowledge management established by SKiM
Agriculture Research Systems partners from Bahrain, in Moldova, Morocco, and Sudan strengthened resilience
Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, with stakeholders
Emirates, including five women, took part in the course, engaged in knowledge sharing activities at the national and
together with two participants from Egypt and Jordan. international levels.

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 Science for resilient livelihoods in dry areas

GENDER IN DETAIL Al-driven beekeeping for women

Together with other CGIAR Centers, ICARDA is increasing The Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) team led by
its support for women as more men relocate to cities and Enrico Bonaiuti nurtured a partnership between ICARDA,
more studies are conducted on gender inequalities and the the Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute, and the
potential of women in agriculture. We emphasize research beekeeping data company HiveTracks, under the project
that improves women’s access to land, water, seeds, ‘Al-Driven Climate-Smart Beekeeping for Women Advisory
credit, knowledge, and innovation. Our work empowers and Extension’ led by Laura Becker and funded by the
women via capacity building that allows them to be more German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ). The
effective leaders and change agents. Through agricultural initiative aims to improve beekeeper hive monitoring and
diversification, intensification, and value addition, we also management, increase the economic activities of women
help them engage in more lucrative economic pursuits. beekeepers, and allow beekeeping experts and extension
We push for better pay and working conditions and the workers to remotely manage beekeeping practices and bee
elimination of gender inequity. We also look at potential health. This project will adapt and launch a hive management
formal and informal institutional structures that strengthen app for beekeepers in Lebanon, focusing on women, and
women’s voices and influence in dryland communities and will develop a new web application for extension workers
promote proven agricultural technology. and researchers that enables improved engagement with

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ANNUAL REPORT 2021

beekeepers and monitoring of bee health. To localize and machine is easy to handle, reduces labor, and slashes
pilot this app in Ethiopia and Uzbekistan, ICARDA has costs by 40 percent – saving time spent on broadcasting.
received funds from the German Federal Foreign Office The development of the HPS was supported by the
and is partnering with the International Centre of Insect International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD),
Physiology and Ecology, the Holeta Bee Research Centre, the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique de
and HiveTracks. Tunisie, and the Office d’Elevage et des Paturages Tunisie.

Migration-induced feminization in the dry areas IMPROVING RURAL LIVELIHOODS

In 2021, ICARDA’s Dr. Dina Najjar from the Social,
IN DETAIL
Economic, and Policy Research (SEPR) team contributed
ICARDA’s Social, Economic, and Policy Research (SEPR)
an evidence explainer to the CGIAR Gender Platform.
team, led by Dr. Barbara Ann Rischkowsky, is responsible for
The explainer discusses how the increasing migration of
studying our innovations’ socioeconomic feasibility, adoption,
people out of the world’s dryland areas affects women’s
and scaling up, as well as their effect on poverty reduction,
roles in agriculture and related activities, in particular
food security, system resilience, and social inclusion. The
their productivity and gender equity. It also encourages
social and economic policy interventions to leverage the team’s methods include socioeconomic assessments, gender
increasing participation of women in dryland agriculture transformational techniques, and context-sensitive targeting.
and improve women’s livelihoods. Its solutions aim to achieve more equitable marketplaces and
value chains, improved natural resource management and
User-friendly seed spreaders for Tunisian governance, and the optimization of sustainable land and
female farmers livestock management alternatives.

To help Tunisian female farmers, three ICARDA scientists ICT2Scale offers extension services to
– Drs. Mina Devkota, Zied Idoudi, and Dina Najjar – Tunisian farmers
introduced a user-friendly and cost-effective innovation
that saves time and reduces the number of seeds needed. ICARDA’s ICT2Scale project, funded by the German
The Handheld Precision Spreader (HPS) spreads seeds and Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and led by Mr.
fertilizers evenly, resulting in 20 percent higher biomass Udo Rudiger and Dr. Boubaker Dhehibi, uses cell phone-
yields in forage crops than manual broadcasting. The HPS based services to offer extension services to smallholder
also allows farmers to spray chemical fertilizers without farmers in Tunisia. In 2021, 50 percent of participating
their skin being in contact with the product, reducing farmers learned new technologies and received further
health concerns. ICARDA has imported and distributed information, and 40 percent stated that they were willing
25 of the low-cost spreaders with national partners to pay to receive technical information via SMS. ICARDA’s
and provided technical guidance to farmers during the national partners are now building on this work and
2020-2021 cropping season. Farmers reported that the making it their own.

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 Science for resilient livelihoods in dry areas

Raised-bed technology benefits Egyptian In-situ water harvesting in Palestine

wheat growers
In Palestine, ICARDA partnered with the Food and
In 2021, Egyptian wheat growers who adopted ICARDA’s Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to
raised-bed technology through a project led by Dr. Beziat test and out-scale in-situ water harvesting approaches.
Dessalegn, benefited from a 937 kilogram per hectare ICARDA will implement water productivity improvements
(12.8 percent) increase in yield, a US$77.60 per hectare at the watershed level and support the scaling of in-situ
(9.5 percent) increase in gross margins, an 824.6 cubic water harvesting for improved agroforestry and orchard
meters per hectare (15.1 percent) reduction in irrigation agriculture. ICARDA will also support capacity building and
water application, a 16.7 percent reduction in seeding rate, empowerment activities for targeted communities.
a 5.6 percent increase in water productivity, and an 11.8
percent reduction in downside yield risk. Ultra-low-pressure drippers foster desert farming

Promoting permaculture for sustainable livelihoods In 2021, within the framework of the Arabian Peninsula
in Jordan
Regional Program (APRP), led by Dr. Abdoul Aziz Niane
and funded by the Arab Fund for Economic and Social
The Jordanian Badia is the region of desert and steppe
Development (AFESD) and the Kuwait Fund for Arab
covering the country’s northeast. In this challenging
Economic Development (KFAED), ICARDA distributed
environment, Dr. Boubaker Dhehibi, in collaboration
10,000 ultra-low-pressure dripper units to six APRP
with Jordan’s National Agricultural Research Center,
member countries. The energy-saving, solar-power-
implemented permaculture technology as a new low-
compatible dripper technology fosters desert farming.
cost development tool for managing dryland resources
in ago-pastoral farming systems. The benefits associated
Technologies for African Agricultural
with permaculture include high yields and increased
Transformation at work in Ethiopia
savings from reduced inputs. Investing in permaculture
could make dryland resources more efficient, diverse,
In Ethiopia, the ICARDA-coordinated ‘Technologies
and multifunctional for food and nutrition-insecure agro-
for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) Wheat
pastoral communities.
Compact’ produced a total of 27,543 tons of basic seed,
Increased resilience for fragile states certified seed, and quality declared seed in the 2020/2021
growing season. The seed was produced in partnership
Under a project entitled ‘Services to support the seed with the Ethiopian National Agriculture Research System,
multiplication sector in Syria for the season 2020/2021,’ public/private seed companies, and cooperatives. TAAT
under the ‘Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Wheat Compact was funded by the African Development
Nations (FAO) Syria Smallholder Support Programme (SSP) Bank.
for Agriculture Transformation’, smallholder farmers in
areas affected by civil unrest were supported to become Improved technology adopted by lentil growers in
community-based seed suppliers. The farmers, from West Bengal, India
Aleppo, Homs, and Deir Azor were given quality wheat,
barley, chickpea, and lentil seed to engage in farmer-based An economic impact assessment has found that ICARDA-
seed production. They were also provided with inputs, improved lentil technologies have contributed significantly
extension services, and training on community-based seed to a massive productivity gain in West Bengal, with a
production and commercialization business management. registered lentil yield of over 1 ton per hectare in the
They produced and commercialized a total of 244.4 tons state, a 33.36 percent increase over traditional lentil
of seed. They generated an income of SYP300,344,906 growers. Overall livelihood status of the lentil farm-family
(US$240,280) under an Arab Fund for Economics and has increased, and ICARDA has established long-term
Social Development (AFESD)-funded project, 12.8 tons sustainability of food legumes in West Bengal.
of seed of 47 crop varieties, and five seed cleaners were
provided to support the seed sector in Lebanon.

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ANNUAL REPORT 2021

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 Science for resilient livelihoods in dry areas

ICARDA is a non-profit international organization undertaking research-for-development for

innovative, science-based solutions that improve livelihoods in rural communities across dry
regions. ICARDA’s long history as the only CGIAR center headquartered in the non-tropical
drylands means we possess a unique understanding of regional critical issues, and the scientific
knowledge, country agreements, and research networks required to deliver resilient livelihoods
to rural dryland farmers.
www.icarda.org

CGIAR is a global research partnership for a food-secure future. CGIAR science is dedicated to
reducing poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security, and improving natural resources and
ecosystem services. Its research is carried out in close collaboration with hundreds of partners,
including national and regional research institutes, civil society organizations, academia,
development organizations and the private sector.
www.cgiar.org

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