2010: a new decade and a new beginning...

The Government of the United Arab Emirates and the Islamic Development Bank signed this year a revised and extended agreement regarding the financial support of the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA). His Excellency Dr Rashid Ahmad Bin Fahad, the Minister of Environment and Water, and His Excellency Dr Ahmad Mohamed Ali, the President of the Islamic Development Bank, signed the partnership agreement in the presence of senior representatives of the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Foreign affairs and the Chair of ICBA Board of Directors Mr Fawzi Al Sultan.

Commencing in 2010, the new financial model will involve considerable support from the UAE Ministry of Environment and Water, the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi and from the Islamic Development Bank. ICBA also receives support from the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD), the OPEC Fund and the International Fund for Agricultural Develoment (IFAD).

This extended support will enable the Center to expand its research on water and on agricultural development in marginal areas where biosaline agriculture is viable. Over the last ten years ICBA has established a strong reputation among international centers of excellence in the use of saline water for agricultural production. The adoption of the broader mandate outlined in the Strategic Plan 2008-2012 has allowed ICBA to expand its mandate to address issues confronting the water sector including research on water technology, water policy and institutional development.

Available renewable water resources per capita in the Arab world are among the lowest in the world; a situation being worsened with the advent of economic growth, population increase, and climate change. Water issues are becoming more complicated and can only be solved through a systemic process of scientific discovery.

ICBA, with its proven strength in research on better utilization of marginal quality water and its strong partnership with organisations within the region, can play a critical role in this process. The new agreement with the UAE Ministry of Environment and Water, the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi and the Islamic Development Bank Group will enhance ICBA's ability to expand this role. ICBA looks forward with great enthusiasm to the next five years of its newly formed collaboration with its new partners.

ICBA's key partners

National and public institutions       Ministries of agriculture and water resources       Universities       Local, regional and international research centers       Development agencies       Private sector companies

ICBA's staff represent a wide range of expertise, covering:
   Plant genetic resources 
   Irrigation and salinity management 
   Crop and forage agronomy 
   Halophyte agronomy 
   Soil and water resources management 
   Communications and networking
   Finance and Administration
cilities

ICBA is unique in having modern, sophisticated research and development facilities dedicated solely to the advancement of biosaline agriculture.

History

                                
ICBA is an applied research and
development center located in Dubai, UAE. Its mission is to develop and promote the use of sustainable agricultural systems that use saline water to grow crops. The center, originally known as the Biosaline Agriculture Center, initially focused on forage production systems and ornamental plants in countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council and other parts of the Islamic world. The technologies we develop are, however, of global value and importance. Wherever farmers face problems of saline soils or irrigation with salty water, ICBA is here to help.        

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The origins of ICBA date back to the late 1980s and the early 1990s, when scientists around the world started taking a greater interest in saline water and the possibilities of using it more productively. International conferences in 1990 at the Islamic Development Bank in Jeddah and at the UAE University at Al Ain concluded that an R&D center to promote biosaline agriculture in the Gulf region should be established.    
  

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A series of expert consultations initiated by the IDB in 1992 outlined the objectives and activities of the new institute. In November of that year, the IDB Board of Executive Directors approved financing for start-up operations. The Bank commissioned an international consulting firm to undertake a detailed feasibility study for the development of the center. The consultants identified the major irrigation and salinity problems in the Arabian Peninsula and determined that productive agriculture and effective greening projects could be conducted with highly saline irrigation water, particularly at salinities between 6,000 and 15,000 parts per million (ppm). They also found that little was known about salt-tolerant plants, and that adequate infrastructure for evaluating salt tolerance or for developing management strategies for effective use of saline irrigation was unavailable.    

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A Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) was established to advise the consultant during the feasibility and development phases. The committee was comprised of members from Australia, Kuwait, Libya, Morocco, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the UK and the USA. TAC ensured that ICBA would make major contributions to both its target countries and to global biosaline technology. It also helped develop the early phases of ICBA’s networking program.

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Consultations between the Bank and the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) led to the selection of the UAE as host to the new center. In 1996, an agreement was signed between IDB and the Government of UAE, represented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, establishing ICBA as a formal entity. IDB also attracted additional financial support for the center from the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development and the OPEC Fund. In 1997, the Municipality of Dubai donated 100 hectares of land at Al Ruwayyah, 23 km south of Dubai. The site was developed in 1997 and 1998, with 35 hectares being leveled and prepared for irrigation trials by the Municipality of Dubai. The remainder of the station has been kept in its original state of native rangeland.  

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Interviews for the initial professional staff positions were held in November 1998, and the first appointments were made in August 1999. The Center's first Director General, Dr Mohammad H Al-Attar, took up his post in September 1999. The initial work of this core group of staff was to develop the center's initial program of work and strategy.