ACSAD 's 19th session for boosting inter-Arab agricultural projects
Meetings of the 19th session of the executive council of the Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands "ACSAD" were held in Damascus on November 14 through 16. It was attended by ACSAD 's director general Dr. Hassan Saoud and delegations representing Libya, Jordan, Algeria, Syria, Egypt, Morocco and Yemen.
In a statement to Arabic News, ACSAD 's director general Dr. Hassan Saoud said that this session is the first of the executive council which was elected by ACSAD 's general Assembly in its 25th session, held in Amman, Jordan on May 22-24, 2000. He added that during this session Saad Nassar was elected as a new president for the executive council for the two coming years, noting that Nassar is the representative of the agricultural scientific researches in Egypt. He added that the participants in the session discussed the technical report on work progress between the executive council 's 18 and 19 sessions. He said that the technical report also includes work progress at ACSAD 's technical departments.
ACSAD 's director general continued that among other things the participants also discussed programs on water use, livestock studies programs, training and scientific meetings programs as well as technical cooperation with Arab organizations concerned. He added sides cooperating with ACSAD include the general secretariat of the Arab League, the Arab League Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization ALECSO, the Arab Fund for social and economic development, the Syrian ministry of irrigation, the General Organization for Remote Sensing in Syria, the Islamic Bank for Development, the UN regional bureau for the Environment, with UNESCO 's organizations and office in Cairo, the International agreement to fight desertification,, the International center to improve yellow corn in Mexico, the International Institute for genetic sources of plants, the UN programs for integrated rural development, the German agency for technical cooperation TGZ, the German Federal Institute for natural resources BGR as well as with FAO, ICARDA, the International agency for Atomic Agency and the research center for development IRD .
Dr. Saoud continued that the participants also discussed several memorandums on issues relating to following up the implementation of ACSAD 's general assembly of the 25th session; priorities to implementing ACSAD 's work plan for the years 2001- 2002; to establish a department for informatics and computer services; to extend the project on rainfall systems as well as technology transfer to peasants; and the surface water resources project at Tigris and the Euphrates basins.
ACSAD was established in 1971 within the framework of the league of Arab States. With its headquarters based in Damascus- Syria, ACSAD conducts research and studies in the Arab arid and semi arid areas with the aim to secure scientific and applied data and modern techniques which are essential for the development of agriculture in the Arab world and the realization of the objectives of the Arab water security.
ACSAD 's main mission is to survey, evaluate, conserve and protect the Arab traditional and non- traditional natural and agricultural resources; generate, transfer and introduce appropriate agricultural techniques; use the economic and social criteria in developing the Arab arid and semi-arid areas; document and disseminate the results of the research programs and scientific studies.
In order to deal with problems relating to water resources, spread of desertification and decrease of bio-diversity, ACSAD conducts research and studies out pilot development projects to find out suitable solutions; provides training for the Arab technicians to enable them to carry the solutions to the producers and provides the Arab states with new techniques and also with plant ( cereals, fruit trees and range-lands) and animal ( goats, sheep, cattle and camels) genetic resources. Moreover, ACSAD has also conducted many studied on soils and water uses the most important of which are; surveying the types of soils in the Arab states and determining their productive capacities and the best systems for their management and exploitation and preparing soil maps from some Arab states.