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THE REGION
CARDNE’S ACTIVITIES 2004
Contents
• Introduction
• Executive
Committee
•
Official Meetings and Visits
• Summary
of Activities 2004
•
Activities 2004 in Figures
•
Regional and International Cooperation
* Agreements and
Plans
* Regional
Workshops
* National Training
* Study Tours
* Conferences
* Exchange of
Information
Introduction
The Regional Centre on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development for the
Near East
(CARDNE) was launched following a 1983 FAO-sponsored meeting of
representatives and observers from 18 Near Eastern states, also attended
by observers from the International Fund for Agricultural Development
and the World Food Programme. The agreement to establish CARDNE came
into effect in 1987 following its ratification by six countries.
CARDNE's current member states are: Jordan, Tunisia, Sudan, Syria, Iraq,
Lebanon, Egypt, Yemen and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania,
Palestinian National Authority (MOA–PNA) as an Observer. All states in
the Near East region are eligible to join the Centre after ratifying the
Instrument of Accession and forwarding it to the Director General of the
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO-Rome).
Hosted by the government of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, CARDNE is
an autonomous intergovernmental organization that is governed by a
Council consisting of all member states, which meets once every two
years. An executive committee of five member states oversees activities,
and meets at least once a year. The Director General is the legal
representative of the Centre.
The Centre signed collaboration agreements with many organizations such
as: Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (F.A.O)-Rome, Economic
and Social
Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA)-Beirut, the International Centre for
Agricultural
Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA)-Allepo/Syria, the International
Centre for Advanced
Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM)-Paris, the Arab Organization
for Agricultural Development (AODA)-Khartoum, the Arab Centre for the
Studies of Arid Areas and Dry Lands (ACSAAD)-Damascus/Syria, Queen Zein
Al Sharaf Institute for Development (ZENID)-Jordan, Development and
Employment Fund (DEF)-Jordan, and the Inter-Islamic Network on Water
Resources Development and Management (INWRDAM).
CARDNE provides its member states with a broad range of services related
to agricultural and pastoral communities in rural regions. Through a
network of designated national centres in member states, it works toward
the achievement of the following objectives:
- To assist national action and stimulate and promote
regional cooperation relating to agrarian reform and rural
development.
- To improve the production, income and living conditions of
small-scale farmers, pastoral nomads, and other disadvantaged rural
groups.
- To integrate rural people in the development process, and
to promote their involvement in the social, economic and cultural
life of their communities.
The Centre works toward achieving its objectives through a variety of
activities which are
always based on participatory methods that draw on the expertise and
experience of local
communities. These activities include:
* Conducting and promoting research and studies on various aspects of
agrarian reform and
rural development.
* Holding consultation conferences that allow officials, researchers,
planners, executives and
local community representatives to exchange ideas and experience.
* Organizing regional and national training courses and workshops on the
planning,
implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programmes and projects.
* Providing consultative expertise, technical support and liaison
services to national centres
and other relevant organizations.
* Serving as a clearing house and data bank for information on agrarian
reform and rural
development.
In 2004 CARDNE adopted a diversified programme of activities to achieve
its objectives. In this context, CARDNE implemented a number of regional
workshops, national training
sessions and study tours.
Executive Committee
CARDNE’s Executive Committee held its 21st ordinary annual meeting on 5
October 2004.The Chairman of the Committee, the representative of the Government of
Egypt Prof. Dr.Mohammed Shafie Sallam, chaired the meeting and the agenda included the
Centre’s
achievements throughout the last quarter in 2003 until the date of the
meeting in 2004.
The discussions tackled the work plan as approved by the Governing
Council, the activities of
the Special Technical Services Programme directed toward raising funds
for the Centre in
accordance with Article (9) Clause (6) of the Centre’s agreement of
establishment
The Committee reached a recommendation to support the Centre’s efforts
in this field, and
took a decision to submit recommendations to the Governing Council to
approve the external
reviewer report (the Republic of Iraq) for the fiscal period 2002 /
2003.
Official
Meetings and Visits
-
CARDNE’s Director General was received by H.E. the Minister of
Agriculture and
Agrarian Reform in Syria on 10 January 2004. The Minister and Director
General reviewed
CARDNE’s scope of activities and the work plan set for the years 2004 /
2005. The
discussion was enriched by the significant views and comments made by
H.E. the Syrian
Minister.
-
The Director General was received by H.E. the Secretary General of the
Ministry of
Agriculture in Jordan in his office. Both parties had discussions on
aspects of cooperation between the Ministry and the Centre in addition
to ways of promoting cooperation.
-
The Director General received in his office Dr. May Hani, Officer in
Charge of Extension,
Education and communication Services Department at the Regional Office
of the UN Food
and Agriculture (F.A.O / RNE) in Cairo. The Assistant Director General
and Director of
Development, Research and Studies Department at the Centre joined in the
discussions, which revolved on ways of cooperation in rural and
agricultural extension.
-
The Director General received in his office on 27
April 2004 the General Secretary of the
Afro Asian Rural Development Organization, New Delhi, accompanied by the
Executive
Chief of the Middle East Regional Office (MERO) and the region technical
expert. Sharing
similar objectives, the parties reviewed the activities of the
Organization and the Centre,
and discussed plans for bilateral cooperation. They agreed to sign a
bilateral Memorandum
of Understanding aiming at implementing concerted activities in the near
future.
-
The Director General received in his office on 27
April 2004 the Representative Resident of
JICA in Tel Aviv, the Assistant Representative Resident of JICA in
Jordan, and the
programme Coordinator of JICA office in Amman. The discussion revolved
on a number of
the administrative and technical aspects of the five-year Programme to
be implemented by
CARDNE in cooperation with JICA for training the staff of the Ministry
of Agriculture in
the National Authority of Palestine. The Director presented the Centre’s
goals and
strategies, and the role CARDNE plays in enhancing regional cooperation.
-
The Director General received in his office on 13
August 2004 Mr. Richard Eason, the
Economic Counsellor at the American Embassy, and Mrs. Hala Khouri, the
agricultural
affairs specialist at the Embassy. The parties reviewed the objectives
and activities of the
Centre as an autonomous intergovernmental organization operating at the
level of the Near
East region.
-
The Director General received in his office on 30
September 2004 the Vice Minister of the
Ministry of Jihad–e–Agriculture in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Both
parties discussed
aspects of regional cooperation, the Centre’s activities and actions
required for Iran’s
accession to the Centre.
-
The Director General received in his office on 3 October 2004 the
economic expert and the
Chief of the Sustainable Agricultural and Rural Development Team at UN-ESCWA
. The
parties discussed the participation of the Centre’s experts in the
Seminar organized by
UN-ESCWA in December 2004 on Rural Development: Policies, Strategies and
Institutions.
-
The Assistant Director General met in his office
Dr. Orita Iwami, the
expert at the Japanese
International Cooperation Agency in Tokyo (JICA). The discussions
revolved on theoutcomes of the training programme implemented by the Centre for a
number of officials at
the Ministry of Agriculture in the National Authority of Palestine
during August and
September 2004 in the field of institutional capacity building and human
resources
management. Additionally, the parties discussed the programme to be
implemented in the
framework of the Agreement on Training Programme in a third country that
was signed
between CARDNE and JICA Office in Amman.
Summary of
Activities 2004
CARDNE organized or sponsored five regional workshops constituting 31%
of the total
activities undertaken by the Centre Four workshops were organized and
implemented in
Jordan and Syria, whereas the Centre sponsored the participation of
experts from member
states in one workshop in Lebanon.
Training activity records the highest score of the total activities
(50%) as CARDNE
conducted eight national training sessions, three of which were
implemented in Jordan, two in
Syria, and one in each of Lebanon, Egypt and Yemen. Additionally, three
study tours (19% of
the total activities) were organized by the Centre.
Activities 2004 in figures
Activities 2004 by Member States
Activities 2004 illustrated in Diagram
Regional and
International Cooperation
Agreements and Plans
* CARDNE signed an agreement with the
Japanese International Cooperation Agency
(JICA) on 9 August 2004 in the presence of
representatives from the Embassy of Palestine
in Amman and the Supervision and Training
Board. The agreement aims at implementing a
five-year training programme extending over
the period from 2004 to 2008. The
programme targets staff from the
Ministry of Agriculture in the
National Authority of Palestine,
and provides the employees and
trainers of the Department of
Human Resources Development
Management with relevant
training in the field of
institutional capacity building,
human resources management
and institutions promotion.
* In the framework of the cooperation between the Centre and the UN
Economic and Social
Committee of West Asia, and in light of the positive outcomes of the
Project for the
Rehabilitation of the Workers in Local Community Development implemented
in
collaboration with Mercy Cops Int. in four Arab countries, CARDNE and
the Social
Department of the Committee have agreed to prepare the Manual for
Participatory
Development Research. This manual, which gains full support from the
Arabian Gulf Fund
(AGFUND), will be issued within the few coming months.
Regional Workshops
Jordan
* Regional workshop in the field of follow-up
and assessment of agricultural development
projects in Amman, from 28-30 March 2004.
CARDNE conducted this workshop in
cooperation with the International Fund for
Agricultural Development (I.F.A.D). The
workshop, which was organized under the
auspices of H.E. the Minister of Agriculture in
Jordan, included thirty two participants from
projects management units in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. Experts from the
I.F.A.D, and the
regional coordinator of the Technical Support for Using Logic Approach
in Projects
Planning and Assessment were among the participants. Also, the Social
Gender Expert and
Director of Development Research and Studies Department from the center,
participated in
the discussions.
* Regional Experts Workshop for the Promotion of the
Dissemination of the FAO Cooperative Training
Manual in Arabic in Amman, from 6-8 June 2004.
CARDNE organized this workshop in collaboration
with the Rural Institutions Services Section at F.A.O.-
SDAR / Rome. The workshop, which was conducted
under the auspices of H.E. the Minister of Justice /
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State Minister of Prime Ministry Affairs and Chairman of the Jordanian
Cooperative
Institution, was attended by a number of experts from CARDNE member
states. Also, Mr.
Janos Juhasz, Cooperatives and Rural Organizations Officer, SDAR / F.A.O
in Rome, and
Mr. Bernd Seiffert, local Institutions and Rural Livelihoods Officer,
SDAR / F.A.O in
Rome, took part in the workshop activities. Copies of the training
manual and CD-ROM
were distributed to the participants for the use of the participating
experts.The workshop agenda focused on the Training of Trainers Manual, which
was drafted and
produced in Arabic by F.A.O – SDAR / Rome, for the first time and
included activities
addressing a variety of topics. Among these were: SWOT-based analysis,
analysis of
cooperative leadership, impact of globalization on the cooperative
movement,
communication and intercommunication difficulties, and planning for
public relations
campaigns.
* Regional Workshop on Options of Reform
in Agriculture Extension in the Near East in
Amman, from 2-4 October 2004. CARDNE
organized this workshop in collaboration
with the Regional Office of the UN Food
and Agriculture Organization (F.A.O /RNE) / Cairo, and the Extension, Education
and Communication Services Department
(SDRE) at the Organization Head Offices
in Rome. The objective of this workshop
was to highlight the challenges facing
agricultural extension and concerned
institutions. It asserted the need to adopt
modern techniques that ensure the
promotion of this field to the extent that
contributes to the advancement of this
activity and the agricultural sector as a
whole.
General directors, directors of agricultural
extension and experts from Iran, Pakistan,
Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, Syria,
Lebanon, Bahrain, Jordan, Oman and
Palestine were among the participants.
Besides, a number of representatives of
international and regional institutions,
universities and experts participated in this
workshop. CARDNE’s representative to
the workshop was the Chairman of the Executive Committee. Also, the
Director General of
the Agricultural Extension and Cooperation in Iraq, CARDNE’s member of
Governing
Council, was among the participants.
Syria
Regional workshop on Identifying the Training Package for the
Rehabilitation of Workers
in Local Community Development, Damascus, from 19-21 December 2004. By
support
from the Islamic Development Bank / Jeddah, CARDNE conducted this
workshop in
cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform in
Syria, and the UN
Economic and Social Committee for West Asia (UN-ESCWA). Twenty five
specialists
from eleven countries in the region beside the National Authority of
Palestine attended this
workshop. The agenda addressed crucial topics relating to technical and
organizational
frameworks and activities, methods of preparing project proposals for
submission to donors
of local development projects. Moreover, the participants discussed a
number of proposed
projects and conducted field visits to the sites of the local
development projects geared to
promoting the income of the rural families in the southern area of
Syria.
Lebanon
Regional seminar on Rural Development: Policies, strategies and
Institutions, in Beirut from
20-22 December 2004. The Sustainable Development and Productivity
Section at the
Economic and Social Committee of West Asia (UN-ESCWA) at the ESCWA
Headquarters
in Beirut organized this workshop. CARDNE sponsored the participation of
several experts
from Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt in this seminar. Participants presented
papers on rural
development in the three countries they represent.
National Training
Jordan
  
* In cooperation with Jordan River Foundation, Amman / Jordan, CARDNE
implemented
training sessions in the field of processing diet fat-free dairy (yogurt
and cheese) in Ajloun
Governorate. The sessions, which lasted for three days from 1–3 March
2004, was attended
by twenty five ladies from Ajloun neighbourhood.
* National training workshop on Computerized Drip
Irrigation Design and Management. CARDNE supported
the participation of two Agricultural Engineers from the
Ministry of Agriculture in Jordan in the training sessions
conducted by the Training Centre at the Agricultural
Engineers Association in Jordan from 29 May – 3 June
2004. The sessions focused on the use of a programme
designed by F.A.O for the estimation of referential
evaporation and transpiration of a particular area, and
using the information relating soil, plants, slope area and
flora humidity percentage. The workshop agenda included
a field visit to the
National Drip Irrigation
Co. to examine the
irrigation pipes produced
by the company.
Additionally, a visit to a farm located in Madaba
Governorate was scheduled in order to examine and
assess the irrigation system applied there.
* Training sessions on Institutional Capacity Building
and Human Resources Development. In collaboration
with the Japanese International Cooperation Agency
(JICA), CARDNE implemented this workshop under
the auspices of H.E. the Minister of Water and
Irrigation and Minister of Agriculture in Jordan from
22 August – 29 September 2004 in Amman. The
objective of the workshop was to qualify the staff of
the Ministry of Agriculture in the National Authority of
Palestine by providing essential training on developing
human resources and building institutional capacity.
fifteen high officials from the Palestinian Ministry of
Agriculture participated in the training.On behalf of the Minister of Agriculture, the opening
session was patronized by the Director General of the
National Centre for Agricultural Research and
Technology Transfer (NCARTT), and was attended by
H.E. the Ambassador of Japan in Amman, the
representative of the Ambassador of Palestine,
Resident Representative of JICA in Jordan, and a
number of officials at the Japanese Embassy, JICA,
agricultural institutions in Jordan in addition to experts
and trainers. In his opening speech, CARDNE’s
Director General commended JICA for their profound competence and the
generous
support they provide to the development of human resources in the Near
Eastern states.
Syria
* CARDNE sponsored the participation of two
Agricultural Engineers from the Ministry of
Agriculture in Jordan in the training programme in
the field of “New Systems in Growing and Pruning
Olive Trees”, in Damascus from 2-6 April 2004.
The training, which was organized by the
Agricultural Engineers Association in Jordan and
Syria, was attended by thirty four participants from
both countries. The training agenda included
12
lectures and practical training focusing on methods of
growing, pruning and producing high quality olive oil. The
objective of this training was to enable olive oil producers
to export their product and to beat competition in the world
market.
* In cooperation with CARDNE, and under the auspices of
H.E. the Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform in
Syria, the Directorate of Rehabilitation and Training at the
Ministry implemented a training workshop on “Assessment of the Developed
Academic
Curricula for Third Grade Secondary Agricultural Vocational Schools /
General Agriculture/
Agricultural Machinery / Veterinary” from 28 –29 July 2004. The
workshop, which was
attended by fifty nine participants from the various Directorates of the
Ministry, Syrian
universities, and agricultural secondary schools, endeavors to cope with
the agricultural
development strategies 2001-2010 ratified by the
political and governmental leadership in Syria. The
discussions focused on the status of intermediate and
agricultural vocational education, proposal for
promotion of this sector, forms of designing learning
units of the developed academic curricula and axes of
development based on the specialization curricula of
agriculture, agricultural machinery and veterinary.
Lebanon
* Two experts from CARDNE conducted training sessions over a period of
eleven days to the
staff of the Management Unit of Water Sector Rehabilitation and
Modernization Project,
which is implemented by the Lebanese Ministry of Agriculture. The
training focused on
field and comprehensive assessment and follow up based on logical
framework, and
designing assessment forms in view of the logical framework matrix.
Additionally, the
sessions provided training on data analysis and the incorporation of the
social gender
concept in planning and implementing developmental projects in the
framework of the
technical assistance grant agreed upon between the Centre and the
International Fund for
Agricultural Development, I.F.A.D / Rome.
Egypt
* CARDNE sponsored the
training sessions which was
organized by the Institute
for Agricultural Extension
and Rural Development
Research in the period from
25–29 December 2004 in
Cairo. Fifteen researchers
and assistant researchers
from the Institute participated in these sessions, and five researcher
lecturers delivered
training material, which focused on Systems Related to Agricultural
Extension Information.
Yemen
* Under the auspices of H.E. the Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation
in Yemen, CARDNE
sponsored the national training sessions conducted on 27 December 2004.
The training,
which focused on the implementation of ports inspection procedures and
procedures
relating to notary public security capacity, targeted quality control
inspectors as well as
insecticides and plant quarantine inspectors who were given the notary
public security
character. It also targeted plant quarantine inspectors controlling
land, sea and air ports in
Yemen. Thirty five participants attended the training, which tackled the
obstacles and
restraints facing the trainees in the process of implementing their
tasks.
Study Tours
• Tunisia - Jordan 2 – 16 March 2004
In collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and
Water Resources
in Tunisia, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (F.A.O) / Rome, the
Ministry of
Agriculture in Jordan and other Jordanian corporations, CARDNE conducted
a study tour
for two Tunisian officials in Jordan. The Tunisian Officials held a
series of meetings with
officials from a number of technical sections, in particular the
management of Rural
Development, Extension and Environment at the Jordanian Ministry of
Agriculture, and
the National Centre for Agricultural Research and Technical Transfer (NCARTT).
The
objective of this tour was to introduce the Tunisian officials to
Jordan’s experience in
strategic extension campaigns especially in relation to olives and
grains production. The
tour included also field visits to the Governorates of Amman, Zarqa,
Jerash, Madaba and
Irbid, in addition to two other visits to the Faculty of Agriculture at
the University of
Jordan, and to CARDNE’s Headquarters.
• Yemen - Lebanon / Jordan, August 2004
In cooperation with the Ministries of Agriculture in Jordan and Lebanon,
CARDNE
organized a study tour on “Distinctive Leadership” for two high
officials at the Ministry
of Agriculture and Irrigation in Yemen. The Yemeni officials met with a
number of high
officials in Lebanon and Jordan and conducted field visits to a number
of agricultural
companies.
• Tunisia – Jordan, 24-30 December 2004
CARDNE organized a field visit for five feminine
high officers from the Ministry of Agriculture and
Environment and Water Resources in Tunisia to
examine Jordan’s experience in extension and the
integration of women in the rural areas in the
agricultural activity. The visit programme was laid
out and implemented in cooperation with the
Ministry of Agriculture in Jordan and included
meetings with the Secretary General of the Ministry
of Agriculture, the Director General of the
Agricultural Credit Corporation, and a number of
officials from the Ministry and the Corporation. It
also included field visits to agricultural enterprises
run by women, feminine cooperatives and
Directorates of Agriculture in Kerak, Ajloun and
Middle Ghor. The delegation was introduced to the
extension programmes implemented by the
Ministry, which concentrate on extension for
women in the rural areas through the Directorate of
Agricultural Extension, Directorates of Agriculture
and agricultural projects, particularly Agricultural
Resources Management Project in Kerak.
Conferences
* CARDNE participated in the 27th Regional Conference of the UN Food and
Agriculture
Organization (F.A.O), which was held in Doha- Qatar from 13 – 17 March
2004. This
conference addressed a number of topics including the regional programme
of demand for
water for purposes of agriculture and food safety under the
circumstances emerging from
the new international trade trends.
Professor Dr. Mohammad Shafie Sallam Chairman of the Executive Committee
represented
CARDNE in this regional conference.
Exchange of
Information
* CARDNE received from the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform
in Syria a CDROM
containing all bulletins on agricultural extension issued up to 2003 by
the Directorate
of Agricultural Extension at the Ministry. CARDNE distributed copies of
this CD-ROM to
all concerned ministries in the member states to allow them to make the
utmost benefit of
the distinctive Syrian experience in this field.
* CARDNE received from the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform
in Syria a series
of agricultural extension publications on agriculture comprising of
agricultural agenda on
key vegetables and fruits in Syria, Syrian cattle and safflower.
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