UC ANR to strengthen California agriculture through Mediterranean partnerships

In October, Vice President Glenda Humiston, Associate Vice President Brent Hales, and Research and Extension Center directors Ashraf El-kereamy and Atef Swelam attended three global food and agriculture events in Italy, met with key leaders of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UN-FAO), and signed important research agreements in Jordan.

Growing partnerships in the region and exchanging knowledge and innovations can aid California producers in adapting to changes and volatility in the state's renowned Mediterranean climate. Because they must address many of the same challenges facing their counterparts in Europe and the Middle East, joint research and collaborating on solutions would benefit all.

In Rome, the UCANR leaders met UN-FAO Director General Qu Dongyu, Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol and the directors of the technical departments in the UN-FAO headquarters. They discussed potential collaborations on enhancing the agrifood system, conserving natural resources, fostering food security and building the resilience of agriculture-based communities.

The delegation also met with Ellen Luger, the Minister Counselor of Agriculture, and Giulia Soffiantini, agricultural specialist, both for the US Mission to the UN Agencies, and discussed collaboration.

UC ANR leaders also met Executive Secretary Hildegard Lingnau of the Global Forum on Agricultural Research and Innovation (GFAiR) and discussed the co-creation, access, transformation and use of agri-food knowledge. Humiston and Lingnau signed a memorandum of understanding, or MOU, that will connect UC ANR with GFAiR's global network of research organizations to help bring to California new knowledge and technologies from different parts of the world. At the same time, other regions can benefit from UC ANR research and innovations.

In conjunction with the World Food Forum andGFAiR, the UCANR delegation held an interactive event to showcase UCANR's Cooperative Extension and Research and Extension Center models.Humiston presented UCANR's vision, mission and structure, explaining howUCCE scientists engage stakeholders, working hand-in-hand with them on research at the farm level and getting feedback to upgrade, update and adapt.

Swelam and El-kereamy also explained how RECs can be hubs for training on topics such as irrigation water management, soil health and salinity control, pest and disease management, orchard systems, conservation agriculture,postharvest practices and more.

ANR leadership and academics Khaled Bali and MohammadYaghmour then traveled to Amman, Jordan, where they met with University of Jordan President Nathir Obeidat, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture Ayed Al-Abdallat and the Executive Secretary of the Association of Agricultural Research Institutions in the Near East and North Africa (AARINENA) RidaShibli.

Humiston and Hales signed agreements for scholar exchanges and opportunities to conduct joint research on a host of critical topics, such as optimizing agricultural practices in the water-scarce environments we have in common. In addition to meeting with Nabil Assaf, FAO representative in Jordan, and his assistant Wafaa Ramadena, UC ANR leadership met with the Ministry of Agriculture of Jordan to share insights on UC ANR's unique research-extension-education model.

The mission concluded with an irrigation water management for orchard systems workshop sponsored by the FAO office in Jordan and organized by Khaled Bali, UCCE irrigation water management specialist, and Mohammad Yaghmour, UCCE orchard systems advisor. The workshop was well-attended by 65 participants, including farmers, students, academics, research and extension staff, and representatives from funding agencies.

“Our mission really underscored for me the complex, interconnected nature of so many challenges related to agriculture and natural resources, as well as the need to seek out the latest research and best practices from across the globe,” Humiston said. “While UC ANR certainly has much to share about our innovations and Cooperative Extension model, we have just as much to learn from our international partners – which will ultimately benefit communities here at home.”

From left, Mohammad Yaghmour, Khaled Bali, Hales, JAFCO host, Humiston, JAFCO host, Swelam and El-kereamy took a tour of JAFCO (Jannat Adan Farms Company), located in the Jordan Valley, below sea level. They saw research plots of mango, dragonfruit and grapes.

Eight people stand under a sign that reads: JAFCO farm map: mango, dragon fruit 3, engineers house, packing house, grape (prime) and mango.

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