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Impact Stories

  • A barley field in Suez.

    Egyptian farmers pin high hopes on biosaline agriculture

     “Agriculture is our wisest pursuit,” wrote Thomas Jefferson to George Washington in 1787. 300 years later, Jefferson’s words seem more relevant than ever.

  • Mrs. Kenza Laghchaoud, a cooperative member in her late 60s, is an expert in preparing couscous. She says that their profits have increased significantly since they began adding quinoa to their products.

    Moroccan rural women come together to create quinoa value chain link

    At first glance Mrs. Hafida El Filahi, Mrs. Kenza Laghchaoud and Ms. Fatiha Rostan look no different from any other rural women in Morocco. They live in a far-away area called Bourrous in Rehamna Province, about 320 km from Morocco's capital of Rabat, and lead a mundane country lifestyle, looking after their households. But that is what appears on the surface. Unlike most of the rural women in the country, they are more independent and proactive in many ways. Above all, they enjoy a degree of financial independence and can support their families.

  • “Over the past two years, we have made some crossing to develop a variety which matures early and has good nutritional value. I want to thank ICBA and CRDF Global for helping me with this project. Through this project, we were able to make a lot of crossings, and introduce some genetic material from the USA in our breeding program,” says Dr. Chafika Houasli.

    Helping Arab women scientists achieve more

    A joint research grant program by the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) and CRDF Global, launched in October 2016, is helping four Arab women scientists to conduct advanced research in collaborat

  • One of them is Abdulrady, an elderly farmer whose 8.4-ha farm had suffered from salinization for years. With few resources, Abdulrady was helpless, watching his farm turn infertile over the years.

    How quinoa is changing farmers’ lives in Egypt’s salt-affected areas

    Agriculture accounts for a large part of Egypt’s gross domestic product. In 2018 it contributed around 11.2 percent to the country’s economy, totaling some 13.2bn USD. As important as it is, however, the sector is still faced with many problems.

  • When the technology is used, rural farmers can generate around 200 USD per hectare, obtaining 3-5 tonnes of straw and 1.5-2 tonnes of winter wheat grain; 48-78 tonnes of maize, sorghum and millet silage; 14.4-15 tonnes of alfalfa hay; 23 tonnes of hay of above-the-ground phytomass of licorice and up to 10 tonnes of halophyte hay.

    Farming in Uzbek desert

    Despite the warnings about unbearable summer heat in the desert, Kyzylkum welcomed us with lovely warm weather and soothing silence.

  • With a changing climate, the introduction of crops resistant to drought and salinization has become a priority in the country to ensure food security and boost agricultural productivity.

    Tajik farmers look at pearl millet for food, forage production

    With only 7 percent of agricultural land, Tajikistan is a mountainous country situated at the heart of Central Asia. The majority of its arable land is irrigated, and cotton remains an important cash crop.

  • The project has helped to transform Al Husseinyieh District into a residential area. Many district residents are now working in agriculture, especially in biosaline agriculture.

    How biosaline agriculture is helping Bedouins settle down in Jordan

    For many years now, residents have been leaving Al Husseinyieh District in the southern Jordanian steppe due to its desert climate, barren land and scarce water.

  • The pioneer farmer who started growing quinoa in the area is 44-year-old agronomist Azamat Kaseev. His company AgroLead is a major producer of this super crop in the region. It all began in 2012 when he received first seeds of quinoa varieties "Regalona" and "Titicaca" from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). It has taken him around five years to test and adapt the crop to local conditions.

    Kyrgyz-grown quinoa makes its way into global markets

    A few years ago no one knew about quinoa in Tong District in Kyrgyzstan’s eastern Issyk-Kul Region. But today the village of Bokonbaevo in the district is regarded as the birthplace of Kyrgyz quinoa cultivation.

  • Through an improved, cost-effective inland modular farming approach in desert environments, scientists at the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) have achieved one of the highest fish biomass densities of Tilapia fish (30 kg per cubic meter) compared to previous growing seasons (10 kg per cubic meter), using reject brine (waste water) from desalination units.

    ICBA scientists manage to increase fish biomass by 300% using reject brine

    Through an improved, cost-effective inland modular farming approach in desert environments, scientists at the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) have achieved one of the highest fish biomass densities of Tilapia fish (30 kg per cubic meter) compared to previous growing seasons (10 kg per cubic meter), using reject brine (waste water) from desalination units.

  • Salicornia is a salt-loving plant that can be used for food, forage and biofuel production.

    ICBA achieves progress in breaking Salicornia yield ceiling

    A team of scientists at the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) has made a major breakthrough in increasing yield potential of Salicornia, a multi-purpose halophyte.