A gap analysis modelling framework to prioritize collecting for ex situ conservation of crop landraces
The conservation and effective use of crop genetic diversity are crucial to overcome challenges related to human nutrition and agricultural sustainability. Farmers’ traditional varieties (“landraces”) are major sources of genetic variation. The...
Intra-cultivar variability at microsatellite loci in date palm cultivars across the GCC countries
In this study, we characterized 30 date palm trees of Khalas cultivar from the GCC countries, along with seven male trees from Qatar, using 14 microsatellite loci. The results showed that the microsatellites [(GA)n] in the date palm cultivar...
Multi-criteria assessment of the sustainability of farming systems in the reclaimed desert lands of Egypt
On newly cultivated lands in deserts as in the majority of dryland areas, the sustainability of agricultural systems is often debated in terms of socioeconomic viability and agro-ecological longevity. In these contexts, livestock production...
Scaling up community-based goat breeding programmes via multi-stakeholder collaboration
Community-based livestock breeding programmes (CBBPs) have emerged as a potential approach to implement sustainable livestock breeding in smallholder systems. In Malawi and Uganda, goat CBBPs were introduced to improve production and...
Increased number of large non‐atretic follicles and co‐dominance effects account for high litter sizes in Bonga sheep
To understand the ovarian basis for prolificacy of Bonga sheep, a total of 31 ewes were selected based on litter size (LS) records and divided into two groups: High Prolificacy (HP) (n = 20) with LS ≥ 2 and Low Prolificacy (LP) (n = 11) with LS...
Collecting, conserving, and deploying agrobiodiversity to support dryland communities
Agrobiodiversity is crucial to the livelihoods of rural communities living in dry areas of the world. It is critical for nutritional excellence and global food security amid the combined challenges of climate change, diminishing natural resources, and rapidly growing population.
On World Bee Day, ICARDA outlines how we contribute to pollinator protection, how farmers can benefit from wild pollinators, and how we use SMS to improve knowledge and services for honey producers.
Water, Policy, and Agriculture Productivity in Egypt
When water scarcity restricts agricultural production, expanding water resources is only one option to increase or maintain output; investments in research to raise land and water productivity can also release constraints on growth. This Policy...
