ICBA and Desert Research Center conducts a Seminar and Workshop for Farmers’ Field Schools in Egypt

The International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) in collaboration with the Desert Research Center conducted a seminar and workshop on “Farmers’ Field Schools for Rural Family Empowerment through Optimization of Forage and Animal Production” in Cairo from 2-4 December 2013.

This workshop is part of the regional project “Adaptation to Climate Change in WANA Marginal Environments through Sustainable Crop and Livestock Diversification (ACC)”, which is sponsored by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD), Islamic Development Bank (IDB), and the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID). The objective was to develop a model for farmers’ field school on integrated forage-livestock systems under the utilization of marginal quality water (MQ) resources that could be replicated in all partner countries. The aim of the workshop was to enhance the capacity of rural families, particularly women, in feed preparation and processing, hygienic milk processing and storage and methods to enhance economic return. In addition the program seeks to train extension facilitators to carry out in-country farmers’ field schools targeting rural families.

Dr. Abdullah Al-Dakheel, Regional Coordinator for ACC project, emphasized the importance of the role of ICBA over the past ten years of collaboration in organizing regional workshops, seminars, and conferences that have directly helped in spreading the culture of biosaline agriculture in the Arab world.

Keynote speakers at the seminar included H.E. Dr. Ayman Farid Abou Hadid, Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation of Egypt, Dr. Raafat Khidr, President of the Desert Research Center, Dr. Abdullah Al Dakheel, Regional Coordinator of the ACC project, and Dr Hassan Al Shaer ACC National Coordinator in Egypt.