Dina Najjar is a Gender Scientist at ICARDA, specializing in agricultural research in dry areas since February 2014. Previously, Dina served as a Consultant at SciDev.Net, focusing on enhancing the impact of science and technology in the MENA region through data collection in Algeria, Egypt, and Tunisia. As a PhD Candidate at Western University from 2009 to 2013, Dina managed a significant budget for field research on landholding status among men and women in the Mubarak Resettlement Scheme, conducting extensive fieldwork in Egyptian villages. Additionally, an Associate Researcher role at Lebanese American University involved data collection for a project funded by the International Development Research Center. Dina holds a PhD in Cultural Anthropology from Western University, a Master's in Natural Resources Management from the University of Manitoba, an Ecosystem Restoration Post-graduate Certificate from Niagara College, and a Bachelor's in Agriculture from the American University of Beirut.
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ICARDA; International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas
Getting agricultural research innovations into use in the dry areas is critically important, especially since these regions cover 40 per cent of the earth’s surface and are home to 2.5 billion people – a significant percentage of the world’s population. This is the core work of the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Area (ICARDA), which works with partners worldwide, developing innovations to improve food security and the livelihoods of the rural poor. ICARDA’s work targets non-tropical dry areas in developing countries, and also produces international public goods with potential for global application. Research covers crops (wheat, barley, faba bean, lentil, chickpea and forage legumes), the management of natural resources (water, land, biodiversity), small ruminant production (sheep and goats), farming systems (intensification, diversification, integration between farming system components), and socio-economics and policy research – on how policies can be more relevant to the situation of low income countries. The estimated benefits of ICARDA’s crop improvement research and production of new varieties over the past 3 decades has been estimated at US$850 million per year. Over 900 improved varieties of wheat, developed from ICARDA material, have been released for cultivation worldwide. The new varieties offer higher yields; better tolerance to drought, heat, cold and salinity; and improved resistance to diseases, weeds and insect pests. Watch our short video - ‘ICARDA - What We Do’