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Impact

Impact Stories

  • “The research team analyzed our soils, then provided us with quinoa, barley, and wheat seeds. They then conducted several training events. The seeds produced high yields, which was unprecedented on our farms,” says Nady, a local farmer from Suez.

    Egyptian farmers pin high hopes on biosaline agriculture

     “Agriculture is our wisest pursuit,” wrote Thomas Jefferson to George Washington in 1787. 300 years later, Jefferson’s words seem more relevant than ever.

  • Mrs. Kenza Laghchaoud, a cooperative member in her late 60s, is an expert in preparing couscous. She says that their profits have increased significantly since they began adding quinoa to their products.

    Moroccan rural women come together to create quinoa value chain link

    At first glance Mrs. Hafida El Filahi, Mrs. Kenza Laghchaoud and Ms. Fatiha Rostan look no different from any other rural women in Morocco. They live in a far-away area called Bourrous in Rehamna Province, about 320 km from Morocco's capital of Rabat, and lead a mundane country lifestyle, looking after their households. But that is what appears on the surface. Unlike most of the rural women in the country, they are more independent and proactive in many ways. Above all, they enjoy a degree of financial independence and can support their families.

  • “Over the past two years, we have made some crossing to develop a variety which matures early and has good nutritional value. I want to thank ICBA and CRDF Global for helping me with this project. Through this project, we were able to make a lot of crossings, and introduce some genetic material from the USA in our breeding program,” says Dr. Chafika Houasli.

    Helping Arab women scientists achieve more

    A joint research grant program by the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) and CRDF Global, launched in October 2016, is helping four Arab women scientists to conduct advanced research in collaborat

  • As part of the projects, Abdulrady also regularly attended farmer field schools (or field training programs for farmers). In 2013 alone, eight farmer field schools were conducted benefiting many farmers like Abdulrady.

    How quinoa is changing farmers’ lives in Egypt’s salt-affected areas

    Agriculture accounts for a large part of Egypt’s gross domestic product. In 2018 it contributed around 11.2 percent to the country’s economy, totaling some 13.2bn USD. As important as it is, however, the sector is still faced with many problems.

  • Placing his grandson on his shoulder, Adylbek leads us to the field. In the beginning of August, he planted pearl millet and sorghum to use for green mass in winter. His grandson, three-year-old Magjan named after a famous Kazakh poet, insists on him going to other fields too so that we take photos of him with watermelon. Adylbek follows the toddler’s request. “His parents have just departed for Kazakhstan, that’s why the child is distressed,” he justifies.

    Farming in Uzbek desert

    Despite the warnings about unbearable summer heat in the desert, Kyzylkum welcomed us with lovely warm weather and soothing silence.

  • One of the most promising feed, grain and energy crops are sorghum and pearl millet, cultivated in many parts of the world today. They are important crops for food security in semi-arid and arid regions due to their high nutritional quality, tolerance of stresses and performance in marginal lands with low fertility.

    Tajik farmers look at pearl millet for food, forage production

    With only 7 percent of agricultural land, Tajikistan is a mountainous country situated at the heart of Central Asia. The majority of its arable land is irrigated, and cotton remains an important cash crop.

  • He returned to pursue a project started by his father more than 18 years ago. The Bedouin resettlement project aimed to encourage local people to work in agriculture.

    How biosaline agriculture is helping Bedouins settle down in Jordan

    For many years now, residents have been leaving Al Husseinyieh District in the southern Jordanian steppe due to its desert climate, barren land and scarce water.

  • The pioneer farmer who started growing quinoa in the area is 44-year-old agronomist Azamat Kaseev. His company AgroLead is a major producer of this super crop in the region. It all began in 2012 when he received first seeds of quinoa varieties "Regalona" and "Titicaca" from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). It has taken him around five years to test and adapt the crop to local conditions.

    Kyrgyz-grown quinoa makes its way into global markets

    A few years ago no one knew about quinoa in Tong District in Kyrgyzstan’s eastern Issyk-Kul Region. But today the village of Bokonbaevo in the district is regarded as the birthplace of Kyrgyz quinoa cultivation.

  • According to the latest data collected from an inland modular farm experiment at ICBA’s station in Dubai, scientists found that the average weight of Tilapia fingerlings increased from 50 grams in December 2017 to 600 grams in May 2018 (five months) compared to ten months needed previously to reach the same weight. Therefore, the fish can have two growing cycles within a year, providing a great economic opportunity for local farmers and agripreneurs.

    ICBA scientists manage to increase fish biomass by 300% using reject brine

    Through an improved, cost-effective inland modular farming approach in desert environments, scientists at the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) have achieved one of the highest fish biomass densities of Tilapia fish (30 kg per cubic meter) compared to previous growing seasons (10 kg per cubic meter), using reject brine (waste water) from desalination units.

  • A team of scientists at the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) has made a major breakthrough in increasing yield potential of Salicornia, a multi-purpose halophyte.

    ICBA achieves progress in breaking Salicornia yield ceiling

    A team of scientists at the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) has made a major breakthrough in increasing yield potential of Salicornia, a multi-purpose halophyte.