ICARDA Signs MoU with the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage
ICARDA is thrilled to announce that Mr. Aly Abousabaa, ICARDA Director General and CGIAR CWANA Regional Director, and Mr. Ashwin B Panya, Secretary General of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID), have signed a memorandum of understanding to put in place a formal framework for future collaboration between ICARDA and ICID.
This framework aims to build on the expertise and innovation of the two organizations in water management and efficiency, while promoting knowledge sharing, collaborative programs, projects, and capacity development activities. The agreement will also build on longstanding relationships with key stakeholders on joint activities such as participation in the recently concluded Arab Water Forum.
The MoU will also draw on each organization's past success in resource mobilization and technical assistance opportunities, as well as push for regional capacity development, education, and training through joint seminars, trainings, webinars, and workshops. ICARDA will also be invited as an observer to the ICID Executive Council/ International Executive Council, ICID Congress/World Irrigation Forums whenever appropriate.
The International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) is a scientific, technical, professional, and voluntary not-for-profit international organization dedicated to enhancing the worldwide supply of food and fiber for all people by improving water and land management through the application of irrigation, drainage, and flood management techniques. ICID provides an international forum and network where the technical, agronomic, socio-economic, and environmental complexities involved in the development, management, and operation of irrigation, drainage, and flood management works are deliberated, improved practices identified and promoted widely among member countries.
ICARDA works in severely resource-stressed areas that face serious water scarcity, climate variability, severe environmental degradation, extreme temperatures, and drought. ICARDA implements proven agricultural technologies and climate-smart water irrigation techniques to improve on-farm water use and efficiency for higher water and land productivity. ICARDA's Integrated innovations include maximizing in-situ water through conservation interventions, fine-tuning when and how to irrigate to produce "more yield per drop”, water-harvesting and water-conservation techniques in rainfed agriculture, and exploring the safe use of treated wastewater to produce more feed, forage, and trees.
ICARDA’s Team Leader of Soil, Water, and Agronomy Dr. Vinay Nangia, will now engage with the leadership team from ICID to begin sharing knowledge and understanding on food systems water innovations in dry areas, and begin planning future engagement between the two organizations, government, regional research institutions, the private sector and key stakeholders such as the family farmers we support.