International Dryland Development Commission (IDDC)
A brief History
The International Dryland Development Commission (IDDC) is an autonomous nongovernmental nonprofit organization established in 1978 by the individuals and institutions interested in sustainable development of dry areas. The commission promotes all aspects of dryland studies by fostering cooperation, collaboration and networking between various international, regional and national organizations.
One of the important modus operandi of the networking of IDDC has been to hold a major scientific conference every two to three years to provide opportunity to participants from around the world to exchange research results and experiences in dryland development and combating desertification. To date, the Commission has organized thirteen international conferences in different parts of the world where the dry lands predominate (Egypt, China, Iran, Mexico, USA, India).
Being non-governmental nonprofit scientific organization, the Commission depends on financial support from donor agencies and organizations that are interested in the sustainable development of dry areas, and production in dryland environments and promoting sustainable livelihood of the communities in dry areas to alleviate poverty and reduce hunger and malnutrition. In the past, several regional and international donor organizations and development institutions have contributed to the Commission’s activities.
Executive Board
(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:
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