Majd Jamal has extensive experience in agricultural research and education, currently serving as Government Liaison at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas since February 2009. Prior to this role, Majd held significant positions including Director General at the General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research from February 2002 to January 2008, overseeing research across multiple administrative bodies and centers. Additionally, Majd served as Vice Dean for Students and Administrative Affairs at the College of Agriculture, Damascus University from January 1998 to August 2001 and was an Associate Professor at the same institution from September 1978 to May 2015, engaging in teaching, research, and student supervision. Majd's educational background includes a PhD in Entomology from the University of Georgia and a Bachelor's degree in Agriculture from Damascus University.
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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’