Recommendations of the 8th Conference of Scientific Research and Agricultural Extension Officials of the Arab Countries

The Participants in the 8th conference of scientific research and agricultural extension officials in the Arab countries, which was held in Damascus and organized by the Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands (ACSAD), recommended adopting an integrated approach in sustainable management of land resources and preserving their integrity to achieve neutralization of land degradation.

The participants in the conference, whose activities concluded last Thursday , called for the inclusion of strategies to neutralize land degradation and improve its management within the policies of agricultural extension and applied scientific research in the Arab countries .

They stressed the importance of strengthening drought monitoring and identifying affected areas, and developing regional cooperation in supporting scientific research.

The conference’s recommendations also included a call for the involvement and integration of the local population in the activities for the sustainable development of land resources, the rehabilitation of degraded ones and the strengthening of mechanisms for mobilizing Arab and international funding sources to improve various agricultural extension activities.

The recommendations of the conference emphasized the need to update and develop national legislations and to enhance the participation of rural women and youth in rural development and agricultural extension.

In its recommendations, the conference assigned (ACSAD) to organize a workshop on developing extension systems in the Arab countries, and to hold the next conference in 2025 in Damascus under the title  “The Role of Scientific Research and Agricultural Extension in Improving Cereal Production to Support Arab Food Security”.

The activities of the conference, which kicked off on the 12th of this month via video conferencing technology, included a number of scientific, research and advisory presentations for 14 Arab countries, including Syria, in addition to scientific and technical interventions.

Rawaa Ghanam