Box 5-2. Using ICT in the CWANA Region
In 1987, officials at the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture and
land reclamation recognized expert systems as an appropriate
technology for speeding development in the agricultural
sector. To realize this technology, in 1989, the ministry
initiated the Expert Systems for Improved Crop Management
Project (ESICM) in conjunction with the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP). The project began in
mid-1989 and the Central Laboratory for Agricultural Expert
Systems (CLAES) joined the Agricultural Research Center
(ARC) in 1991. Through the development, implementation and
evaluation of knowledge-based decision support systems,
CLAES is helping farmers throughout Egypt optimize the use
of resources and maximize food production. A dozen expert
systems have been developed for horticulture and field crop
management.
In 2000, the Virtual Extension and Research Communication
Network (VERCON) project was funded by the FAO Technical
Cooperation Program (TCP) to develop a Web-based
information system to strengthen the link between research
and extension (CLAES, 2002; FAO, 2003). Several expert systems
have been made available on this network in addition to
other modules. Two expert systems on the diagnosis of the
sheep and goat (CLAES, 2006a) and bovines (CLAES, 2006b)
are available on the CLAES Web site.
In collaboration with ICARDA, CLAES has developed three
regional expert systems for wheat (CLAES, 2006c), faba
(CLAES, 2006d) and barley (ICARDA, 2006).
CLAES also developed the National Agricultural Research
Management Information System (NARIMS) through a project
funded by FAO/TCP. This system has five modules: Institutes
Information System, Researchers Information Systems, Projects
Information Systems, Publication Information System,
and National Research Program Information System (CLAES,
2007). The Association for Agricultural Research Institutes in
the Near East and North Africa (AARINENA) plans to implement
this system in all member countries (AARINENA, 2004). |
- Review and amend land legislation to ensure that it unambiguously
defines suitable land-ownership, use and
inheritance rights, and the conditions under which land
can be expropriated.
- Strengthen the judicial agencies responsible for land
ownership, to ensure that they are independent, transparent
and accessible and that they provide adequate
protection for land users.
- Develop a legal and institutional framework that ensures
that land users and owners have clear, secure
rights to use, own and transfer property and that defines
and supports the stateâs role as ultimate land custodian.
Future procedures and administrative structures should
be low cost, accessible by all, transparent and conducive to the efficient operation of land markets and secured credit transactions.
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- Develop a system rights to land ownership, land use and
land transfer that ensures that producers have full incentives
to increase agricultural production and to use
their land in a sustainable manner.
- Ensure that these rights are fully transferred to all producers
through the issue of land-use titles, and that producers
have the right to choose whether they operate as
individual farmers or as collectives, formed according
to their preferred means of association (family, village,
etc.).
- Develop an active market for selling and leasing land
and land-use rights.
5.2.4.2 Integrated water resources management
The coordinated development and management of water
and related resources (IWRM) depends to a great extent
on developing and implementing appropriate and coherent
policies. Pertinent policies should be elaborated with the
participation of all stakeholders in IWRM to allow consideration
of water demands in sectors other than agriculture.
The basic principles of IWRM could be applied through the
following:
- Promoting transparent decision making, decentralized
governance and a participatory approach to water operations
under the principle of subsidiarity (at lowest
competent authority level).
- Promoting managerial, financial and institutional innovations
at all levels including new models of cooperation
among the various stakeholders and the introduction of
water pricing and water rights to encourage rational and
efficient allocation of water, discourage waste, enhance
water quality and ensure adequate water services.
- Reconciling the competing objectives of countries and
sectors (power operation, flood control, irrigation, industrial
and domestic supply, and environment), decreasing
conflicts in water use, and supporting regional
cooperation and information exchange.
- Fostering demand-responsive versus supply-oriented
approaches. This requires that water users and consumers
be engaged in selecting, financing, implementing and
managing water services that meet their demands and
willingness to pay.
- Promulgating policies regarding water-resource management
that embrace water-demand management, development
of currently untapped water sources, water
quality conservation and transboundary collaboration.
- Managing water demand, which may include policies to
improve the efficiency of water use in agriculture (e.g.,
regulations regarding the use of efficient irrigation systems);
financial and economic measures such as rational
water-pricing options (possibly considering special arrangements
for the poor) or the use of incentives and
disincentives; and virtual water trade, bearing in mind
food security and sociopolitical aspects. Raising public
awareness about rational water use and consumption
patterns is prerequisite for the implementation and success
of such policies.
- Developing currently untapped water sources, concentrating
on improving sustainable delivery of surface water
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