The International Dry Lands Development Commission (IDDC)
A brief History
In September 1978 an International Conference on Applications of Science and Technology for Desert Development, supported by the US National Science Foundation, was convened in Cairo, under the auspices of the American University in Cairo (AUC), with Dr. Adli Bishay as the Chairman of the Organizing Committee. The proceedings of the conference were subsequently published as Volume 1 of a series entitled Advances in Desert Land Technology and Development edited by Adli Bishay (AUC) and William G. McGines (University of Arizona) and published by Hardwood Academic Publishers. The networking during this Conference revealed a strong desire for continuity of such a scientific deliberation for desert development and led to the regular publication of Advances in Desert Land Technology and Development.
In 1987 the Second International Conference on Desert Development was convened in Cairo with Dr. Bishay as the Chairman of the Organizing Committee. Recognizing that these conferences provide participants an opportunity to exchange research results and experiences in desert development among colleagues from around the world, the participants of the Second International Conference decided to create an International Desert Development Commission (IDDC) to provide the organizational continuity to the conferences and select theme, site and date for future conferences. The Commission elected a Board with Dr. Adli Bishay as its Chairman, Dr. H.E. Dregne as Co-Chairman, and Dr. Adel El-Beltagy as Secretary General.
The IDDC Board arranged the Third International Conference in Beijing, China in 1990; the Fourth International Conference in Mexico City, Mexico in 1993; and the Fifth International Conference in Lubbock, Texas, USA, in 1996. It was during the Fifth International Conference on Desert Development in Lubbock, Texas that the name of the Commission was changed to the International Dryland Development Commission (IDDC). Following was the composition of the Board after the Fifth Conference in 1996:
1. Prof. Dr. Adel El-Beltagy, ICARDA, Chairman
2. Prof. Dr. Idris Traylor, Texas Tech. University, USA, Vice-Chairman
3. Prof. Dr. Manuel A. Garduno, Post Graduate College, Mexico Secretary General
Members:
4. Ambassador Arba Diallo, UNCCD, Germany
5. Prof. A.G. Babaev, Desert Research Institute, Russia
6. Prof. Adli Bishay, AUC/FEDA, Egypt
7. Dr. T. Darnhofer, UNEP, Kenya
8. Prof. Vincent Dolle, CIRAD, Montpellier, France
9. Prof. H.E. Dregne, Texas Tech. University, USA
10. Prof. Dr. Kamal El-Batanony, Cairo University, Egypt
11. Dr. K.E. Foster, University of Arizona, USA
12. Prof. Dr. G. Wyn Jones, University of Wales, Bangor, UK
13. Prof. Dr. Richard Jones, University of California, USA
14. Prof. Dr. Mohamed Al Qasas, Cairo University, Egypt
15. Prof. Dr. Iwao Kobori, United Nations University, Tokyo, Japan
16. Prof. Dr. Horst Marschner, Hohenheim, Germany
17. Dr. David Nygaard, USA
18. Dr. J. Venkateswarlu, CAZRI, Jodhpur, India
19. Prof. Xia Xuncheng, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)
The IDDC Board decided to adopt the following modus operandi to accomplish the objective of the Commission of promoting all aspects of dryland studies:
During the Sixth International Dryland Development Conference, held at Le Meridian Pyramids, Cairo, Egypt, 22-27 August 1999, the IDDC Board met and reviewed its membership, in line with the past tradition. The Board confirmed the continuation of the membership for the following:
The IDDC Board also selected the following new members to fill the vacancies:
The Board elected the following to various offices of the Executive Committee of the Commission:
The IDDC Board discussed the issue of place and date of the Seventh International Dryland Development Conference. In this regard, the invitation sent by Dr. Abbas Keshaverz, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, on behalf of H.E. Dr. Issa Kalantary, Minister of Agriculture of the Islamic Republic of Iran for hosting the 2002 Conference in Tehran was discussed. The Board decided to hold the Seventh International Conference in Tehran, Iran, with the focus on Sustainable Development and Management of Drylands in the 21st Century.
The Seventh International Conference was held at Olympic Hotel, Tehran, Iran, 14-17 September 2003. The ICDD Executive Board met during the Seventh International Dryland Development Conference, and reviewed its membership, in line with the past tradition. The Board confirmed the continuation of the membership of the following:
The Board also selected the following new members:
The Board elected the following to various offices of the Executive Committee of the Commission:
The Board discussed the issue of further diversifying its composition by inviting persons specializing in the field of renewable energy and energy-efficient architecture for the dry areas and desert environments. The members were invited to suggest names to the Board Chair for getting these areas of expertise on the Board so that the membership could be finalized by electronic consultation.
The Board also discussed the issue of place and date of the Eighth International Dryland Development Conference. Dr. Wang Tao, Director General, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental & Engineering Research Institute, CAS, Lanzhou, China, invited the ICDD to hold the meeting in China on behalf of CAS. The proposal of the Board on its composition, composition of its Executive Committee and the date and place of the 8th ICDD was discussed in the General Assembly of the 7th ICDD and it approved the recommendations of the Board.
The Eighth International Dryland Development Conference: Human and Nature working together for Sustainable Development of Drylands was held at the Friendship Hotel, Beijing, China, 25-28 Feb, 2006. It was hosted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and was cosponsored by the United Nations University; Arid Land Research Center (ALRC), Tottori, Japan; Dryland Research Institute, Nevada, USA; Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute (CAREERI), Lanzhou, China. The AAAID, CAS, CGIAR, COMSTECH, FAO and ICARDA supported the Commission in organizing the Conference. Some 200 participants from 26 countries and five International Organizations attended the Conference.
The Executive Board of the International Dryland Development Commission held its business meeting on 27 February 2006, which was chaired by Prof El-Beltagy and involved attendance of Prof. Adli Bishaye, Acad. Dr. Djamin Akemaliev, Prof. Iwao Kobori, Prof. Wang Tao, Dr. Pratap Narayan, and Prof. Mohan C. Saxena (Executive Secretary). The Board elected two new members to the Executive, Prof. Hans van Ginkel and Prof. Shinobu Inanaga, to enhance its range of expertise and strength. The members attending the meeting confirmed following composition of the Executive Board:
The meeting recommended holding the Ninth International Conference on Dryland Development in 2008 at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, in Alexandria, Egypt.
The IDDC and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA), motivated by the common objective of fostering scientific knowledge and its optimum exchange and dissemination, agreed in 2008 through a Letter of Understanding that:
The Ninth International Conference on Development of Drylands, with the theme “Sustainable Development in the Dry Lands - Meeting the Challenge of Global Climate Change”, was organized 7-10 November 2008, under the auspices of the IDDC and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, and sponsored by the Agricultural Research Center (ARC) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Egypt; the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Arid Land Research Center (ALRC) of Tottori University, Japan; Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), China; Desert Research Institute (DRI), Nevada, USA; Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); Japanese Agency for International Cooperation (JICA); Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS); United Nations University (UNU) and other national and international organizations. Beside the support of the sponsors, the Conference was also co-financed by the Arab Authority for Agricultural Investment and Development (AAAID), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), and the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR). More than 450 participants from 42 countries and 19 international and regional organizations participated in the Conference.
During the course of the Ninth International Conference on Development of Drylands the Executive Board of the Commission held its meeting on 9th November 2008 at Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria, Egypt. It was attended by the following members:
The Board discussed organizational issues and strategies for future networking. It was agreed that a post-conference survey should be made of the opinion of the participants regarding the activities so far and the future directions. The Chair of the Board informed the members that administrative arrangements have been made with the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Egypt, for hosting the office of the Commission, as there was no permanent place in the past. It was first at the American University of Cairo, the organization where the founding members established the Commission. It then moved to the Egyptian National Program and from there to ICARDA. It is now being hosted by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina that also hosts other similar international institutions and organizations. The Chair also indicated that in view of the fact that several vacancies have occurred on the Board, he would take action in inviting nominations and seek the agreement of the members on the new membership.
The deliberations during the Ninth International Conference reiterated the importance of the subject covered by the Conference and came to the conclusion that there was a need for more precise assessment of the impact of climate change on agriculture, natural resources and livelihood of the communities in the dry areas by moving assessment from global to regional and from regional to local, because the adaptation and mitigation strategies will have to be implemented at local levels to ensure resilience of the dry area inhabitants. Hence, it was decided that the Tenth International Conference should deal with this topic.
The Tenth International Conference on Development of Drylands (ICDD), with the theme “Meeting the Challenge of Sustainable Development in Drylands under Changing Climate – Moving from Global to Local”, was organized under the auspices of the International Dryland Development Commission and hosted by the Agricultural Research Center (ARC) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Egypt, 12-15 December 2010, Cairo, Egypt. It was co-sponsored by the Arid Land Research Center (ALRC) of the Tottori University, Japan; Association of Agricultural Research Institutions in the Near East and North Africa (AARINENA), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), China; Desert Research Institute (DRI), Nevada, USA; International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA); the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD); the International Development Research Center (IDRC), Canada; Japanese Agency for International Cooperation (JICA); Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS); United Nations University- Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). More than 147 participants from 18 countries and 12 international and regional organizations attended the Conference.
The scientific program of the Tenth International Conference covered the following topics:
In view of the fact that some of the members of the Executive Board of the Commission had not been able to attend the last three conferences, it was felt necessary to update the composition of the Board to ensure continuity of the vitality of the Commission and harness new talent and expertise to promote the objectives of the Commission. Accordingly, the Chair of the Commission, Prof. El-Beltagy initiated a process of consultation to identify potential members and then sought their agreement to become members of the Board. The process got completed in 2011.
The following was the new composition of the Executive Board:
The Eleventh International Conference on Dryland Development, with the theme “Global Climate Change and its Impact on Food & Energy Security in the Drylands”, was organized by the International Dryland Development Commission and hosted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute (CAREERI, China), 18-23 March 2013 in Beijing, China. It was co-sponsored by the Association of Agricultural Research Institutions of Near East and North Africa (AARINENA), Arid Land Research Centre (ALRC), Japan, Asia Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI), Centre International de Hautes Etudes Agronomiques Méditerranéennes (CIHEAM), Desert Research Institute (DRI), USA, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), United Nations University (UNU), and World Meteorological Organization (WMO). A total of 26 plenary and more than 100 oral and poster presentations were made by scientists, development experts, and policy makers from different countries and organizations on eight themes relevant to the subject. A panel of experts conducted in depth analysis and led general discussion on the strategies that need to be developed for increasing food and energy security in the dry areas. Based on these deliberations, the participants developed a Beijing Declaration to inform all stakeholders about the urgency and direction of the course of action.
A select committee of the Executive Board of the Commission reviewed the past contributions of various scientists and research administrators to the cause of dryland development and identified candidates for the three categories of awards instituted by the Commission. The awards were given during the General Body Meeting of the 11th Conference. The recipients were as follows:
Founders of ICDD:
Prof. Adli Bishay, Honorary President of ICDD
Prof. Adel El-Beltagy, President of ICDD
Life time achievement for contribution for development of dry areas:
Late Prof. Iwao Kobori
Prof. Mohan C. Saxena
Dr. Mahmoud Solh
Academician Dzhamin Akimaliev
Prof. Gareth Wyn Jones
Prof. Shinobu Inanaga
Outstanding research contribution for development of dry areas:
Prof. Wang Tao
Prof. Atsushi Tsunekawa
Prof. Steve Wells
Prof. Ayman Abou Hadid
Dr. Theib Y. Oweis
Dr. Zafar Adeel
The Executive Board also reviewed its composition and agreed on the following membership
The members of the Executive Board held an extensive consultation during 2015 to decide on the topic and location of the 12th International Conference. The Executive Board also underwent a change because of the unfortunate demise of Prof. Adli Bishay and the decision of Dr. Gareth Wyn Jones to leave the IDDC for personal reasons. Dr. KPR Vittal did not attend the last two conferences, hence the Chairman, in consultation with the Director General of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), inducted Dr. Ch. Srinivasa Rao, Director, ICAR-Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA) to the Executive Board, in place of Dr. Vittal.
Thus, the revised membership of the Executive Board in the beginning of 2016 was as follows:
Recognizing that 2015 saw the end of the period for which the UN had set the Millennium Development Goals and a new phase of setting targets for Sustainable Development Goals was starting, the Executive Board decided to hold the Twelfth Conference with the title “Sustainable Development of Drylands in the Post 2015 World”. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria, Egypt agreed to host the Conference. The cosponsors of the Conference included ALARI (Ain Shams University, Egypt), ALRC (Japan), ICARDA, CAREERI (CAS, China), CIHEAM, JICA (JAapan), JIRCAS (Japan) and the supporters are IFAD, FAO, Commission on Science & Technology (COMSTEC), ECO Science Foundation (ECOSF), and other international and national organizations supported the Conference.
The Twelfth International Conference was organized from 21 to 24 August 2016 at Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria, Egypt. The topics covered were as follows:
There were a total of six plenary sessions, three specialized group sessions, and eleven concurrent sessions on the above nine themes included in the program and the Conference was attended by 201 participants from 25 different countries.
The Commission is interested that the scientific deliberations in its conferences are widely disseminated to promote research and development activities focused on drylands. Hence, the Commission endeavors to publish the proceedings of its conferences.
The following twelve international conferences have so far been organized by the Commission:
The proceedings of most of these conferences have been published, and a copy of the proceedings of the last six conferences can be procured from the ICDD Secretariat, 19 Aboul Feda St., Zamalek, Cairo, Egypt, Zip code: 11211; Fax: +202-27370037; E-mail: [email protected].
Efforts are being made to put these proceedings on the website of the Commission
([email protected]).
Membership of the Executive Board (August 2016)
The Chair reviewed the current membership list of the Executive of the Commission and noted that because of sad demise of Prof Adli Bishay, nonattendance by Prof. Shinobu Inanaga, departure of Dr. Steve Wells from the Desert Research Institute of USA, retirement of Prof. Hans van Ginkel from UNU, move of Dr Zafar Adeel from UNU Water Institute in Canada, vacancies are being created and there is a need to identify replacements so that the geographical, institutional and expertise mix in the Executive is retained. He said that communication would be sent to Prof. Van Ginkel and Dr Zafar Adeel about their willingness to continue on the Board. Prof. Tsunekawa was requested to consult colleagues and institutions in Japan to propose a replacement for Dr. Inanaga. Dr. Manzoor Soomro, Chair of ECO Foundation and a pedagogue was suggested to be a potential candidate for consideration in the future. In the meanwhile, the Chair suggested that the members consider inducting the following new members because of their expertise and past support to the activities of the Commission:
EXECUTIVE BOARD (August 2018)
Chairman:
Adel El-Beltagy, Professor, Arid Land Agricultural Graduate Studies and Research Institute (ALARI), Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt; Former Chairman of Global Forum of Agricultural Research (GFAR); Chair of Food and Agricultural Council, Egyptian Academy of Science, Egypt.
Executive Secretary:
Mohan Saxena, Former Assistant Director General (At Large), ICARDA; Senior Advisor to ICARDA Director General; Adjunct Professor, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi; Fellow, National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, India
Board Members:
In 1987 the Second International Conference on Desert Development was convened in Cairo with Dr. Bishay as the Chairman of the Organizing Committee. Recognizing that these conferences provide participants an opportunity to exchange research results and experiences in desert development among colleagues from around the world, the participants of the Second International Conference decided to create an International Desert Development Commission (IDDC) to provide the organizational continuity to the conferences and select theme, site and date for future conferences. The Commission elected a Board with Dr. Adli Bishay as its Chairman, Dr. H.E. Dregne as Co-Chairman, and Dr. Adel El-Beltagy as Secretary General.
The IDDC Board arranged the Third International Conference in Beijing, China in 1990; the Fourth International Conference in Mexico City, Mexico in 1993; and the Fifth International Conference in Lubbock, Texas, USA, in 1996. It was during the Fifth International Conference on Desert Development in Lubbock, Texas that the name of the Commission was changed to the International Dryland Development Commission (IDDC). Following was the composition of the Board after the Fifth Conference in 1996:
1. Prof. Dr. Adel El-Beltagy, ICARDA, Chairman
2. Prof. Dr. Idris Traylor, Texas Tech. University, USA, Vice-Chairman
3. Prof. Dr. Manuel A. Garduno, Post Graduate College, Mexico Secretary General
Members:
4. Ambassador Arba Diallo, UNCCD, Germany
5. Prof. A.G. Babaev, Desert Research Institute, Russia
6. Prof. Adli Bishay, AUC/FEDA, Egypt
7. Dr. T. Darnhofer, UNEP, Kenya
8. Prof. Vincent Dolle, CIRAD, Montpellier, France
9. Prof. H.E. Dregne, Texas Tech. University, USA
10. Prof. Dr. Kamal El-Batanony, Cairo University, Egypt
11. Dr. K.E. Foster, University of Arizona, USA
12. Prof. Dr. G. Wyn Jones, University of Wales, Bangor, UK
13. Prof. Dr. Richard Jones, University of California, USA
14. Prof. Dr. Mohamed Al Qasas, Cairo University, Egypt
15. Prof. Dr. Iwao Kobori, United Nations University, Tokyo, Japan
16. Prof. Dr. Horst Marschner, Hohenheim, Germany
17. Dr. David Nygaard, USA
18. Dr. J. Venkateswarlu, CAZRI, Jodhpur, India
19. Prof. Xia Xuncheng, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)
The IDDC Board decided to adopt the following modus operandi to accomplish the objective of the Commission of promoting all aspects of dryland studies:
- Arranges the major scientific Conference every three years;
- Establishes committees, as needed, and convene short meetings to deal with the special problems of dryland studies;
- Publishes the proceedings of the major Conference and other documents; and
- Establishes cooperation with other international and national organizations involved in dryland studies.
During the Sixth International Dryland Development Conference, held at Le Meridian Pyramids, Cairo, Egypt, 22-27 August 1999, the IDDC Board met and reviewed its membership, in line with the past tradition. The Board confirmed the continuation of the membership for the following:
- Prof. Dr. Adel El-Beltagy, ICARDA
- Prof. Dr. Manuel Anaya-Garduno, Post Graduate College, Mexico
- Prof. Dr. Adli Bishay, SDP- UNDP, Cairo
- Ambassador Hama Arba Diallo, UNCCD, Bonn
- Dr. T. Darnhofer, UNEP, Kenya
- Prof. Dr. H. E. Dregne, Texas Tech. Univ., USA
- Prof. Dr. Kamal El-Batnony, Cairo Univ., Cairo
- Dr. K. E. Foster, Univ. of Arizona, USA
- Prof. Dr. Gareth Wyn Jones, Univ. of Wales, Bangor, UK
- Prof. Dr. Richard Jones, Univ. of California, USA
- Prof. Dr. Iwao Kobori, UNU, Tokyo, Japan
- Dr. Idris Trylor, Texas Tech. Univ., USA.
The IDDC Board also selected the following new members to fill the vacancies:
- Academician Gamin Akemaliev, Academy of Agric. Sciences, Kyrgyzstan
- Dr. Amar Singh Faroda, Director, CAZRI, Jodhpur, India, and;
- Dr. Wang Tao, Director, Desert Research Institute, CAS, Lanzhou, China.
The Board elected the following to various offices of the Executive Committee of the Commission:
- Prof. Dr. Adel El-Beltagy, Chairman
- Dr. Idres Traylor, Vice-Chairman
- Prof. Dr. Manuel Anaya-Garduno, Secretary General
The IDDC Board discussed the issue of place and date of the Seventh International Dryland Development Conference. In this regard, the invitation sent by Dr. Abbas Keshaverz, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, on behalf of H.E. Dr. Issa Kalantary, Minister of Agriculture of the Islamic Republic of Iran for hosting the 2002 Conference in Tehran was discussed. The Board decided to hold the Seventh International Conference in Tehran, Iran, with the focus on Sustainable Development and Management of Drylands in the 21st Century.
The Seventh International Conference was held at Olympic Hotel, Tehran, Iran, 14-17 September 2003. The ICDD Executive Board met during the Seventh International Dryland Development Conference, and reviewed its membership, in line with the past tradition. The Board confirmed the continuation of the membership of the following:
- Prof. Dr. Adel El-Beltagy, ICARDA
- Prof. Dr. Manuel Anaya-Garduno, Post Graduate College, Mexico
- Prof. Dr. Adli Bishay, SDP-UNDP, Cairo
- Ambassador Hama Arba Diallo, UNCCD, Bonn
- Prof. Dr. Kamal El-Batnony, Cairo Univ., Cairo
- Prof. Dr. Gareth Wyn Jones, Univ. of Wales, Bangor, UK
- Prof. Dr. Iwao Kobori, UNU, Tokyo, Japan
- Dr. Idris Trylor, Texas Tech. Univ., USA
- Academician Gamin Akemalief, Academy of Agric. Sciences, Kyrgyzstan
- Dr. Wang Tao, Director General, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental & Engineering Research Institute, CAS, Lanzhou, China
The Board also selected the following new members:
- Dr. Ali Ahoonmanesh, Deputy Minister and Head of AREO, Iran
- Dr. Mohan C. Saxena, ICARDA
- Dr David Nygaard, Agha Khan Foundation, Geneva, Switzerland
- Dr. Pratap Narayan, Director, CAZRI, Jodhpur, India
- Dr. Klaus Toepler, Executive Director, UNEP
The Board elected the following to various offices of the Executive Committee of the Commission:
- Prof. Dr. Adel El-Beltagy Chairman
- Dr. Idris Trylor Vice-Chairman
- Prof. Dr. Gareth Wyn Jones Secretary General
- Dr. Mohan C. Saxena Executive Secretary
The Board discussed the issue of further diversifying its composition by inviting persons specializing in the field of renewable energy and energy-efficient architecture for the dry areas and desert environments. The members were invited to suggest names to the Board Chair for getting these areas of expertise on the Board so that the membership could be finalized by electronic consultation.
The Board also discussed the issue of place and date of the Eighth International Dryland Development Conference. Dr. Wang Tao, Director General, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental & Engineering Research Institute, CAS, Lanzhou, China, invited the ICDD to hold the meeting in China on behalf of CAS. The proposal of the Board on its composition, composition of its Executive Committee and the date and place of the 8th ICDD was discussed in the General Assembly of the 7th ICDD and it approved the recommendations of the Board.
The Eighth International Dryland Development Conference: Human and Nature working together for Sustainable Development of Drylands was held at the Friendship Hotel, Beijing, China, 25-28 Feb, 2006. It was hosted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and was cosponsored by the United Nations University; Arid Land Research Center (ALRC), Tottori, Japan; Dryland Research Institute, Nevada, USA; Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute (CAREERI), Lanzhou, China. The AAAID, CAS, CGIAR, COMSTECH, FAO and ICARDA supported the Commission in organizing the Conference. Some 200 participants from 26 countries and five International Organizations attended the Conference.
The Executive Board of the International Dryland Development Commission held its business meeting on 27 February 2006, which was chaired by Prof El-Beltagy and involved attendance of Prof. Adli Bishaye, Acad. Dr. Djamin Akemaliev, Prof. Iwao Kobori, Prof. Wang Tao, Dr. Pratap Narayan, and Prof. Mohan C. Saxena (Executive Secretary). The Board elected two new members to the Executive, Prof. Hans van Ginkel and Prof. Shinobu Inanaga, to enhance its range of expertise and strength. The members attending the meeting confirmed following composition of the Executive Board:
- Prof. Dr. Adel El-Beltagy, Chair Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR), Emeritus Professor, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt, Chairman
- Dr. Idris Trylor, International Center for Arid and Semiarid Land Studies, Texas Tech University, Texas, USA Vice-Chairman
- Prof. Dr. Gareth Wyn Jones, Former Director, Centre for Arid Zones Studies, University of Wales Bangor, UK Secretary General
- Prof. Dr. Mohan C. Saxena, Former Assistant Director General (At Large) and Senior Advisor to the Director General ICARDA, Gurgaon, India Executive Secretary
- Prof. Dr. Ali Ahoonmanesh, Former Vice Minister and Head of AREO, University of Shiraz, Iran
- Academician Jamin Akemaliev, Former President Kyrgyz Agrarian Academy, General Director of Kyrgyz Agricultural Research Institute, Kyrgyzstan
- Prof. Dr. Manual Anaya, Coordinator, Center for Training in Water Harvesting, Post-Graduate College, Mexico
- Prof. Dr. Kamal Batanouny, Professor, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Egypt
- Prof. Dr. Adli Bishay, Board Chair and Executive Director, FEDA, Emeritus Professor, AUC, Egypt
- Prof. Dr. Iwao Kobori, Senior Program Advisor, United Nations University, Tokyo, Japan
- Dr. K.P.R. Vittal, Director, Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur, India
- Dr. David Nygaard, Director, Rural Development Programmes, Aga Khan Foundation, Geneva, Switzerland
- Prof. Dr. Shinobu Inanaga, Former President of JIRCAS, and Former Director of Arid Land Research Center (ALRC), Tottori University, Japan
- Prof. Dr. Hans van Ginkel, Former Rector, United Nations University, Tokyo, Japan
- Prof. Dr. Tao Wang, Director, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, CAS, Lanzhou, China
The meeting recommended holding the Ninth International Conference on Dryland Development in 2008 at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, in Alexandria, Egypt.
The IDDC and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA), motivated by the common objective of fostering scientific knowledge and its optimum exchange and dissemination, agreed in 2008 through a Letter of Understanding that:
- They shall cooperate in a program of activities, jointly and separately, to promote science and technology for sustainable development of drylands. Such activities may include the joint organization, at regular intervals, of conferences, group discussions and seminars.
- The BA will serve as the host of IDDC and shall assist the IDDC by receiving, holding and disbursing funds raised by the IDDC.
The Ninth International Conference on Development of Drylands, with the theme “Sustainable Development in the Dry Lands - Meeting the Challenge of Global Climate Change”, was organized 7-10 November 2008, under the auspices of the IDDC and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, and sponsored by the Agricultural Research Center (ARC) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Egypt; the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Arid Land Research Center (ALRC) of Tottori University, Japan; Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), China; Desert Research Institute (DRI), Nevada, USA; Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); Japanese Agency for International Cooperation (JICA); Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS); United Nations University (UNU) and other national and international organizations. Beside the support of the sponsors, the Conference was also co-financed by the Arab Authority for Agricultural Investment and Development (AAAID), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), and the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR). More than 450 participants from 42 countries and 19 international and regional organizations participated in the Conference.
During the course of the Ninth International Conference on Development of Drylands the Executive Board of the Commission held its meeting on 9th November 2008 at Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria, Egypt. It was attended by the following members:
- Prof. Dr. Adel el-Beltagy, Chair
- Prof. Dr. Gareth Wyn Jones, Secretary General
- Academician Jamin Akemaliev,
- Prof. Dr. Iwao Kobori
- Prof. Dr. Shinobu Inanaga
- Dr. K.P.R. Vittal
- Prof. Dr. Mohan C. Saxena, Executive Secretary
The Board discussed organizational issues and strategies for future networking. It was agreed that a post-conference survey should be made of the opinion of the participants regarding the activities so far and the future directions. The Chair of the Board informed the members that administrative arrangements have been made with the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Egypt, for hosting the office of the Commission, as there was no permanent place in the past. It was first at the American University of Cairo, the organization where the founding members established the Commission. It then moved to the Egyptian National Program and from there to ICARDA. It is now being hosted by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina that also hosts other similar international institutions and organizations. The Chair also indicated that in view of the fact that several vacancies have occurred on the Board, he would take action in inviting nominations and seek the agreement of the members on the new membership.
The deliberations during the Ninth International Conference reiterated the importance of the subject covered by the Conference and came to the conclusion that there was a need for more precise assessment of the impact of climate change on agriculture, natural resources and livelihood of the communities in the dry areas by moving assessment from global to regional and from regional to local, because the adaptation and mitigation strategies will have to be implemented at local levels to ensure resilience of the dry area inhabitants. Hence, it was decided that the Tenth International Conference should deal with this topic.
The Tenth International Conference on Development of Drylands (ICDD), with the theme “Meeting the Challenge of Sustainable Development in Drylands under Changing Climate – Moving from Global to Local”, was organized under the auspices of the International Dryland Development Commission and hosted by the Agricultural Research Center (ARC) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Egypt, 12-15 December 2010, Cairo, Egypt. It was co-sponsored by the Arid Land Research Center (ALRC) of the Tottori University, Japan; Association of Agricultural Research Institutions in the Near East and North Africa (AARINENA), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), China; Desert Research Institute (DRI), Nevada, USA; International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA); the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD); the International Development Research Center (IDRC), Canada; Japanese Agency for International Cooperation (JICA); Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS); United Nations University- Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). More than 147 participants from 18 countries and 12 international and regional organizations attended the Conference.
The scientific program of the Tenth International Conference covered the following topics:
- Assessment of climatic change in arid lands: Moving from global to local.
- Local impact of climate change on the natural resources of water, land, and biodiversity and the productivity of agriculture (including fishery) in the dry areas; national case studies.
- Enhancing resilience of local agricultural communities in the drylands through adaptation strategies involving improved methods for water capture, management infrastructure, and use, development and selection of crops and varieties adapted to low moisture regimes and high temperature stress, and appropriate agronomic management practices including conservation agriculture.
- Mitigation strategies to cope with climate change in dry areas based on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and food chains, and through development and use of solar and other sources for renewable energy and through carbon sequestration.
- Blending indigenous/traditional knowledge and heritage with modern science in the sustainable development of dry areas under changing climate, particularly with respect to water use, including ground water, and cropping systems.
- Socioeconomic, institutional and policy considerations for development of dry areas under impact of climate change.
In view of the fact that some of the members of the Executive Board of the Commission had not been able to attend the last three conferences, it was felt necessary to update the composition of the Board to ensure continuity of the vitality of the Commission and harness new talent and expertise to promote the objectives of the Commission. Accordingly, the Chair of the Commission, Prof. El-Beltagy initiated a process of consultation to identify potential members and then sought their agreement to become members of the Board. The process got completed in 2011.
The following was the new composition of the Executive Board:
- Prof. Dr.Adel El-Beltagy, Chair of the Governing Board of CIHEAM and Emeritus Professor, Arid Lands Institute, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt, Chairman
- Prof. Dr. Gareth Wyn Jones, Former Director, Centre for Arid Zones Studies, University of Wales Bangor, UK, Secretary General
- Prof. Dr. Mohan C. Saxena, Member, National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, India & Senior Advisor to the DG ICARDA, Gurgaon, India, Executive Secretary
- Prof. Dr. Ayman Abou-Hadid, Professor, Arid Lands Institute, Ain shams University. Former President, Agriculture Research Center, Egypt. Prof. Dr. Ali Ahoonmanesh, University of Shiraz, Iran
- Academician Jamin Akemaliev, Former President Kyrgyz Agrarian Academy, General Director of Kyrgyz Agricultural Research Institute, Kyrgyzstan
- Prof. Dr. Adli Bishay, Board Chair and Executive Director, FEDA, Emeritus Professor, AUC, Egypt
- Prof. Dr. Shinobu Inanaga, Former President of JIRCAS, and Former Director of Arid Land Research Center (ALRC), Tottori University, Japan
- Dr. Mahmoud Solh, Director General, ICARDA, Aleppo, Syria
- Prof. Dr. Hans van Ginkel, Former Rector, United Nations University, Tokyo, Japan
- Prof. Dr. Atsushi Tsunekawa, Director, ALRC, Tottori University, Japan
- Dr. K.P.R. Vittal, Director, Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur, India
- Prof. Dr. Tao Wang, Director, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, CAS, Lanzhou, China
- Dr. Stephen G. Wells, President, DRI, USA
- Dr. Zafar Adeel, Director, United Nations University - Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), Hamilton, Canada
The Eleventh International Conference on Dryland Development, with the theme “Global Climate Change and its Impact on Food & Energy Security in the Drylands”, was organized by the International Dryland Development Commission and hosted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute (CAREERI, China), 18-23 March 2013 in Beijing, China. It was co-sponsored by the Association of Agricultural Research Institutions of Near East and North Africa (AARINENA), Arid Land Research Centre (ALRC), Japan, Asia Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI), Centre International de Hautes Etudes Agronomiques Méditerranéennes (CIHEAM), Desert Research Institute (DRI), USA, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), United Nations University (UNU), and World Meteorological Organization (WMO). A total of 26 plenary and more than 100 oral and poster presentations were made by scientists, development experts, and policy makers from different countries and organizations on eight themes relevant to the subject. A panel of experts conducted in depth analysis and led general discussion on the strategies that need to be developed for increasing food and energy security in the dry areas. Based on these deliberations, the participants developed a Beijing Declaration to inform all stakeholders about the urgency and direction of the course of action.
A select committee of the Executive Board of the Commission reviewed the past contributions of various scientists and research administrators to the cause of dryland development and identified candidates for the three categories of awards instituted by the Commission. The awards were given during the General Body Meeting of the 11th Conference. The recipients were as follows:
Founders of ICDD:
Prof. Adli Bishay, Honorary President of ICDD
Prof. Adel El-Beltagy, President of ICDD
Life time achievement for contribution for development of dry areas:
Late Prof. Iwao Kobori
Prof. Mohan C. Saxena
Dr. Mahmoud Solh
Academician Dzhamin Akimaliev
Prof. Gareth Wyn Jones
Prof. Shinobu Inanaga
Outstanding research contribution for development of dry areas:
Prof. Wang Tao
Prof. Atsushi Tsunekawa
Prof. Steve Wells
Prof. Ayman Abou Hadid
Dr. Theib Y. Oweis
Dr. Zafar Adeel
The Executive Board also reviewed its composition and agreed on the following membership
- Prof. Dr. Adel El-Beltagy, Chairman
- Prof. Dr. Gareth Wyn Jones, Secretary General
- Prof. Dr. Mohan C. Saxena, Executive Secretary
- Prof. Dr. Ayman Abou-Hadid
- Academician Jamin Akemaliev
- Dr. Zafar Adeel
- Prof. Dr. Adli Bishay
- Prof. Dr. Shinobu Inanaga
- Dr. Mahmoud Solh
- Prof. Dr. Wang Tao
- Prof. Dr. Atsushi Tsunekawa
- Prof. Dr. Hans van Ginkel
- Dr. K.P.R. Vittal
- Dr. Stephen G. Wells
The members of the Executive Board held an extensive consultation during 2015 to decide on the topic and location of the 12th International Conference. The Executive Board also underwent a change because of the unfortunate demise of Prof. Adli Bishay and the decision of Dr. Gareth Wyn Jones to leave the IDDC for personal reasons. Dr. KPR Vittal did not attend the last two conferences, hence the Chairman, in consultation with the Director General of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), inducted Dr. Ch. Srinivasa Rao, Director, ICAR-Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA) to the Executive Board, in place of Dr. Vittal.
Thus, the revised membership of the Executive Board in the beginning of 2016 was as follows:
- Prof. Dr. Adel El-Beltagy, Chairman
- Prof. Dr. Mohan C. Saxena, Executive Secretary
- Prof. Dr. Ayman Abou-Hadid
- Dr. Zafar Adeel5. Academician Jamin Akemaliev
- Prof. Dr. Shinobu Inanaga
- Dr. Ch. Srinivas Rao
- Dr. Mahmoud Solh
- Prof. Dr. Wang Tao
- Prof. Dr. Atsushi Tsunekawa
- Prof. Dr. Hans van Ginkel
- Dr. Stephen G. Wells
Recognizing that 2015 saw the end of the period for which the UN had set the Millennium Development Goals and a new phase of setting targets for Sustainable Development Goals was starting, the Executive Board decided to hold the Twelfth Conference with the title “Sustainable Development of Drylands in the Post 2015 World”. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria, Egypt agreed to host the Conference. The cosponsors of the Conference included ALARI (Ain Shams University, Egypt), ALRC (Japan), ICARDA, CAREERI (CAS, China), CIHEAM, JICA (JAapan), JIRCAS (Japan) and the supporters are IFAD, FAO, Commission on Science & Technology (COMSTEC), ECO Science Foundation (ECOSF), and other international and national organizations supported the Conference.
The Twelfth International Conference was organized from 21 to 24 August 2016 at Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria, Egypt. The topics covered were as follows:
- Application of new technologies for the improvement of stress (drought, heat, cold and salinity) resistance of crops for dry areas.
- Sustainable management of scarce water resources.
- Agronomic and crop improvement interventions for sustainably enhancing agricultural productivity of small-holder farmers in dry areas.
- Soil health and land use constraints for agricultural productivity in dry areas and their management.
- Soil erosion and desertification processes and control.
- Biodiversity conservation, and prevention of deforestation.
- Sustainable management of productivity of rangeland and livestock in dry areas.
- Arid lands communities, their indigenous knowledge and heritage, and socio-economic studies. Poverty alleviation, creation of job opportunities and minimizing outmigration.
- Renewable energy resources (wind, solar, biogas) for sustainable arid land community settlement.
There were a total of six plenary sessions, three specialized group sessions, and eleven concurrent sessions on the above nine themes included in the program and the Conference was attended by 201 participants from 25 different countries.
The Commission is interested that the scientific deliberations in its conferences are widely disseminated to promote research and development activities focused on drylands. Hence, the Commission endeavors to publish the proceedings of its conferences.
The following twelve international conferences have so far been organized by the Commission:
- First International Conference on Desert Development: Application of Science and Technology or Desert Development, Cairo, Egypt, 1978.
- Second International Conference on Desert Development: Desert Development Systems – technologies for Desert Agriculture, Energy and Communities, Cairo, Egypt, 1987.
- Third International Conference on Desert Development, Beijing, China 1990.
- Fourth International Conference on Desert Development: Sustainable Development for our Common Future, Mexico City, Mexico, 1993.
- Fifth International Conference on Desert Development: Desert Development- The Endless Frontier, Lubbock, Texas, USA, 1996.
- Sixth International Dryland Development Conference: Desert Development-Challenges in the New Millennium, Cairo, Egypt, 1999.
- Seventh International Dryland Development Conference: Sustainable Development and Management of Drylands in the 21st Century, Tehran, Iran, 2003.
- Eighth International Dryland Development Conference: Human and Nature working together for Sustainable Development of Drylands, Beijing, China, 2006.
- Ninth International Conference on Dryland Development: Sustainable Development in Drylands - meeting the Challenges of Global Climate Change, Alexandria, Egypt, 2008.
- Tenth International Conference on Development of Drylands (ICDD): Meeting the Challenge of Sustainable Development in Drylands under Changing Climate – Moving from Global to Local, Cairo, Egypt, 2010.
- Eleventh International Conference on Development of Drylands (ICDD): Global Climate Change and its Impact on Food & Energy Security in the Drylands, Beijing, China, 2013.
- Twelfth International Dryland Development Conference: Sustainable Development of Drylands in the Post 2015 World, Alexandria, Egypt, 2016
The proceedings of most of these conferences have been published, and a copy of the proceedings of the last six conferences can be procured from the ICDD Secretariat, 19 Aboul Feda St., Zamalek, Cairo, Egypt, Zip code: 11211; Fax: +202-27370037; E-mail: [email protected].
Efforts are being made to put these proceedings on the website of the Commission
([email protected]).
Membership of the Executive Board (August 2016)
The Chair reviewed the current membership list of the Executive of the Commission and noted that because of sad demise of Prof Adli Bishay, nonattendance by Prof. Shinobu Inanaga, departure of Dr. Steve Wells from the Desert Research Institute of USA, retirement of Prof. Hans van Ginkel from UNU, move of Dr Zafar Adeel from UNU Water Institute in Canada, vacancies are being created and there is a need to identify replacements so that the geographical, institutional and expertise mix in the Executive is retained. He said that communication would be sent to Prof. Van Ginkel and Dr Zafar Adeel about their willingness to continue on the Board. Prof. Tsunekawa was requested to consult colleagues and institutions in Japan to propose a replacement for Dr. Inanaga. Dr. Manzoor Soomro, Chair of ECO Foundation and a pedagogue was suggested to be a potential candidate for consideration in the future. In the meanwhile, the Chair suggested that the members consider inducting the following new members because of their expertise and past support to the activities of the Commission:
- Dr. Donald Slack, Professor of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Professor of Watershed Management and Eco-Hydrology Cecil H. Miller, Jr., & Cecil H. Miller, Sr., Families Dean's Chair for Excellence in Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, USA. Specialization: Irrigation water management.
- ·Dr. Magdy Madkour, Professor, Arid Land Agriculture Research and Studies Institute (ALARI), Ain Shams University, Founder Director of Agricultural Genetic Engineering Research Institute (AGERI), and former Director of Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Cairo, Egypt. Specialization: Genomics of stress tolerance
EXECUTIVE BOARD (August 2018)
Chairman:
Adel El-Beltagy, Professor, Arid Land Agricultural Graduate Studies and Research Institute (ALARI), Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt; Former Chairman of Global Forum of Agricultural Research (GFAR); Chair of Food and Agricultural Council, Egyptian Academy of Science, Egypt.
Executive Secretary:
Mohan Saxena, Former Assistant Director General (At Large), ICARDA; Senior Advisor to ICARDA Director General; Adjunct Professor, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi; Fellow, National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, India
Board Members:
- Aly Abousabaa,Director General, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Egypt
- Ayman Abou-Hadid, Emeritus Professor, Arid Land Agricultural Graduate Studies and Research Institute (ALARI), Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt; Former President, Agriculture Research Centre, Egypt
- Djamin Akimaliev, General Director of Kyrgyz Agricultural Research Institute and Former President of Kyrgyz Agrarian Academy, Kyrgyzstan
- Zafar Adeel, Executive Director, Pacific Water Research Centre at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada
- Magdi Madkour, Emeritus Professor of Biochemistry, Arid Land Agricultural Graduate Studies and Research Institute (ALARI), Ain Shams University; Former President, Agriculture Research Center (ARC), Cairo, Egypt
- Ch. Srinivasa Rao, Director, ICAR-National Academy of Agriculture Research Management (ICAR-NAARM), Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, India; Former Director, Central Research Institute for Dry Areas (ICAR-CRIDA), Hyderabad, India
- Donald Slack, Professor of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering & Professor of Watershed Management and Eco-Hydrology; Cecil H. Miller, Jr., & Cecil H. Miller, Sr. Families Dean's Chair for Excellence in Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Arizona, Arizona, USA
- Atsushi Tsunekawa, Professor, Former Director, Arid Land Research Center (ALRC), Tottori University, Tottori, Japan
- Tao Wang, President, Lanzhou Branch of Chinese Academy of Sciences, CAS; Director General, Northwest Institute of Eco-environment and Resources, CAS; Director and Professor, Key Laboratory for Desert and Desertification, CAS, China; Former Director General, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental & Engineering Research Institute, Lanzhou, China .