Impact Stories

10 January 2020

Emirates Soil Museum attracts over 4,000 visitors

The effect of reclamation efforts is clearly seen in Suez, Egypt (a reclaimed salt-affected land plot is shown on the right, and a non-reclaimed salt-affected land plot on the left; both plots share the same soil properties).

10 July 2019

Egyptian farmers pin high hopes on biosaline agriculture

Led by Mrs. Hafida El Filahi, general secretary of the cooperative, all women who work here have different stories to share but one common goal: to make a living for themselves and their families and create employment opportunities for other women in their community.

20 June 2019

Moroccan rural women come together to create quinoa value chain link

“It was a great opportunity to push forward my research and help my students," says Dr. Afwa Thameur.

15 June 2019

Helping Arab women scientists achieve more

One of them is Abdulrady, an elderly farmer whose 8.4-ha farm had suffered from salinization for years. With few resources, Abdulrady was helpless, watching his farm turn infertile over the years.

10 June 2019

How quinoa is changing farmers’ lives in Egypt’s salt-affected areas

Placing his grandson on his shoulder, Adylbek leads us to the field. In the beginning of August, he planted pearl millet and sorghum to use for green mass in winter. His grandson, three-year-old Magjan named after a famous Kazakh poet, insists on him going to other fields too so that we take photos of him with watermelon. Adylbek follows the toddler’s request. “His parents have just departed for Kazakhstan, that’s why the child is distressed,” he justifies.

27 December 2018

Farming in Uzbek desert

With a changing climate, the introduction of crops resistant to drought and salinization has become a priority in the country to ensure food security and boost agricultural productivity.

26 December 2018

Tajik farmers look at pearl millet for food, forage production

He returned to pursue a project started by his father more than 18 years ago. The Bedouin resettlement project aimed to encourage local people to work in agriculture.

10 December 2018

How biosaline agriculture is helping Bedouins settle down in Jordan

The pioneer farmer who started growing quinoa in the area is 44-year-old agronomist Azamat Kaseev. His company AgroLead is a major producer of this super crop in the region. It all began in 2012 when he received first seeds of quinoa varieties "Regalona" and "Titicaca" from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). It has taken him around five years to test and adapt the crop to local conditions.

27 October 2018

Kyrgyz-grown quinoa makes its way into global markets

Through an improved, cost-effective inland modular farming approach in desert environments, scientists at the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) have achieved one of the highest fish biomass densities of Tilapia fish (30 kg per cubic meter) compared to previous growing seasons (10 kg per cubic meter), using reject brine (waste water) from desalination units.

07 June 2018

ICBA scientists manage to increase fish biomass by 300% using reject brine

A team of scientists at the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) has made a major breakthrough in increasing yield potential of Salicornia, a multi-purpose halophyte.

10 May 2018

ICBA achieves progress in breaking Salicornia yield ceiling

More and more farmers in the country are growing the crop.

06 May 2018

UAE farmers warm to quinoa