IAS Current affairs - International Centre for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA)

International Centre for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA)

Context:

• The ICARDA enabled access to global germplasm for use in the Indian breeding programmes.
• Ten high yielding varieties of Lentil, Chickpea and Barley have been released by ICARDA along with ICAR for commercial cultivation in India during the last three years.

About:

• ICARDA is an international organization undertaking research for development.
• ICARDA provides innovative, science-based solutions for countries across the non-tropical dry areas.
• ICARDA aims to reduce poverty and enhance food, water, and nutritional security and environmental health, in the face of global challenges, including climate change.

Statistics:

• Non-tropical dry areas cover over 40% of the world’s land surface with a growing population of more than 2.5 billion people.
• These people grow 44% of the world’s food and keep half of the world’s livestock, yet one in six live in chronic poverty.
• Dry areas also face major challenges, including insufficient rainfall, climate variability and change, land degradation, desertification, recurring droughts, temperature extremes, high population growth, widespread poverty, and unemployment.
• Additionally, dry areas are home to many fragile and post-conflict states that rely on heavily agrarian economies.

Facts:

• It was established in the year 1975.
• ICARDA has implemented research-for-development programs in 50 countries across the world’s dry areas – from Morocco in North Africa to Bangladesh in South Asia.

Source: THE HINDU