Cultivating resilience, part 3: ICARDA’s vision for dryland agriculture

In this episode, Robin Davies speaks with Dr Aly Abousabaa, the Director General of the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA). This is the final in a three-part series on the CGIAR network of agricultural research centres. You can hear Robin’s interview with the Executive Managing Director of CGIAR, Dr Esmahane Elouafi, in episode 320, and his interview with Dr Bram Govaerts, Director General of CIMMYT, in episode 321.

ICARDA is a non-profit research organisation focused on improving agriculture and livelihoods in dry regions and is one of the 15 research centres that make up the CGIAR network. ICARDA operates across 16 countries in North Africa, the Middle East, and Central and West Asia, with a decentralised structure and key locations in Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, Ethiopia, Lebanon, and India. The centre conducts research on crops like barley, chickpea, lentil, and wheat, as well as livestock and water management, aiming to develop climate-resilient solutions for dryland farming.

Aly Abousabaa has served as ICARDA's Director General for almost eight years. He brings over 25 years of experience from the African Development Bank, where he worked across 36 African countries in various fields including water resources, agriculture, and climate change. Abousabaa has a background in civil engineering and water resources management.

In the interview, Abousabaa discussed ICARDA's unique role in dryland agricultural research and its partnerships with countries like Australia. He highlighted the centre's valuable gene bank of 155,000 plant accessions, efforts to help farmers adapt to climate change, and the potential for collaboration with Australian institutions like the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation and the Grains Research and Development Corporation. Abousabaa also touched on ICARDA's strategy to reach $80 million in funding by 2030, the challenges of operating in conflict-affected regions like Lebanon, and opportunities to leverage new technologies like artificial intelligence in agricultural research.

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