The Symposium has been jointly organized by the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) based in Syria, and Bibliotheca Alexandrina with the support of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Agriculture Research Center of Egypt, and OPEC Fund for International Development.
Dr Jaroslav Spunar, president of the International Organizing Committee of the Symposium welcomed all the participants and briefed the audience on the history and the importance of the IBGS. The Symposium, he said, was being held for the first time on the African continent. "It is expected that the Symposium will reveal many new scientific advances that will add immeasurably to our knowledge and application in barley genetics and related areas," he said.
Delivering the key note address, Dr Ismail Serageldin, Director of Bibliotheca Alexandrina, said in his address that feed, food and fuels had emerged as the major issuses and challenges in agriculture. Scientists, he said, should focus on genetic research to meet these challenges. He also provided perspectives for future focus of modern biotechnology and its importance to cope with major challenges facing the world.
Dr Serageldin in his present capacity and as a former chairman of the CGIAR and Vice President of the World Bank, has been a strong advocate of agriculture research for development and the important role of modern biotechnology and water management to resolve world food security problems.
Dr Mohamed El Nahrawy, Director Field Crop Research of the Agriculture Research Center of Egypt, said that agriculture research has improved the country's self sufficiency. Over the years there has been nearly 32 percent increase in agricultural land and some 29 percent increase in the crop area. The strategic food crop yield has increased from 8.5 million tons to 20 million tons.
Addressing the inaugural session of the Symposium, Dr Mahmoud Solh, Director General of ICARDA, called upon the scientists to develop innovative and more effective technologies to cope with the ecological transition that was affecting lives of people in many different ways.
"Today the world is facing many challenges that threaten food security, equitable development and sustainability of our natural resource based. The dry areas are particularly vulnerable to these challenges,"
Barley is a major cereal crop worldwide, grown on about 56 million hectares in a multitude of different environments. About 15 million hectares is planted in developing countries and about 1.6 million hectares in countries in Central Asia and the Caucasus.
"It is the only crop option possible in very dry conditions and those with salinity problem. ICARDA has developed 190 improved varieties of barley and these have been officially released in 45 countries, '' Dr Solh said.
Dr Stefania Grando, Chair of the local organizing committee, said that there will be 14 sessions at the Symposium during which scientists will make presentations and hold discussions on germplasm, genetic resources, molecular breeding, barley genomics, barley and development, and uses of barley as food and malt.
