FAO and ICBA new agreement to support enhanced agricultural development

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Interview with Dr. José Graziano da Silva, Director General of the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), following the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), represented by Dr. Ismahane Elouafi, Director General of ICBA. This agreement aims at strengthening the cooperation between both parties in areas of common interest; specifically, both agreed to cooperate to raise agricultural productivity, increase water security and alleviate poverty while ensuring sustainable use and management of natural resources and protection of ecosystems.

ICBA is an international, non-profit organization that aims to strengthen agricultural productivity in marginal and saline environments through identifying, testing and facilitating access to sustainable solutions for food, nutrition and income security. This creates a natural synergy with FAO’s strategic objectives, which aims to: help eliminate hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition; make agriculture, forestry and fisheries more productive and sustainable; reduce rural poverty; enable inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems; and increase the resilience of livelihoods to disasters.

Both institutions desire to develop and strengthen the technical co-operation between them in the sector of Agricultural Land and Water Management to support FAO Member Countries in identifying and streamlining policies and best practices in agricultural water management which can contribute to boosting agricultural productivity, improving food security and sustaining water resources.