The International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) is working with the IsDB on a number of initiatives including the introduction of salt-tolerant forage in multiple sub-Saharan African countries, Dr Tarifa Alzaabi, the director-general of the ICBA, told ISFI.
“Not only can such crops increase agricultural productivity in salt-affected areas, but they can also help to restore salt-affected soil.
“This approach is best suited to regions where technical solutions to soil reclamation are expensive and time-consuming and the cultivation of traditional field crops is restricted,” Dr Tarifa explained.
The ICBA was established in 1999 in a joint effort between the UAE government and the IsDB with the objective to support agricultural research and development and transition to sustainable agri-food systems globally.
In a joint effort with the Makerere University and the National Agricultural Research Organisation in Uganda, the ICBA is also implementing a pilot project in two districts of eastern Uganda for soil rehabilitation using innovative soil amendments to improve rice production.
The pilot project is expected to demonstrate the potential of these technologies and facilitate their adoption in agriculture-focused projects by the IsDB in other parts of the country.
Also ongoing in sub-Saharan Africa are a number of projects focusing on promoting stress-resilient food and forage crops and best practices in crops, soil and water management.
The ICBA is working on introducing small-scale irrigation technologies to improve agricultural productivity and strengthen resilience to climate change impacts in the region.
In addition to the projects in the mother continent, the center is currently working with the local authorities in Kazakhstan to rehabilitate the country’s irrigation and drainage systems.
The ICBA will also be supporting the a few ministries and authorities in Uzbekistan for a soil rehabilitation project in the Aral Sea region.
The project will see the introduction of a number of new resilient food and forage crops to help local farmers better adapt to climate change and manage salinity, the director-general detailed.
The ICBA’s previous work in Central Asia has promoted the cultivation of quinoa, pearl millet and sorghum, resulting in the release of new varieties of these crops in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
According to Dr Tarifa, capacity development is among the core components of its collaborations with regional authorities. As part of its capacity-building initiatives, the ICBA has launched a new collaborative initiative on research twinning between the ICBA and agricultural research centers in OIC member states.
To date, the center has organized special technical training courses for nearly 4,700 people, of which around 4,000 were specialists, technicians and farmers from 49 IsDB member countries. It has also conducted 33 IsDB-funded special technical training courses for 778 participants from these member countries.