Technology generation and transfer using the community approach in West Asia and North Africa: the ICARDA experience

Problems faced by rural populations living in poor-resource areas of West Asia and North Africa cannot be solved by technology alone or by a unique formula. They will likely worsen with increasing popu-lation demands unless significant policy and institutional changes occur. Using achievements of the ICARDA, a long-term research for development project implemented in 8 countries of West Asia (Iraq, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon) and North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya), namely Mashreq/Maghreb project, tools and methodologies have been developed to improve the common linear approach of technology gen-eration and transfer. The improved approach, commonly called participatory community approach, evolved from a technology component testing program to one of integrated adaptive research that addresses issues from a technical, socioeconomic, cultural, institutional and policy perspective, and that produces technical, institutional and policy options (TIPOS) for the communities in dry areas. The evolution is also from a top-down perspective to a more bottom-up approach. This innovation is characterized by: (i) testing and evalu-ating combinations (or packages) of associated technologies at the community level, involving the local insti-tutions as well as farm households; (ii) a resource based rather than a commodity based approach imple-mented in a multidisciplinary and inter-institutional context; (iii) utilizing community modeling in order to iden-tify solutions that take account of the behavior of the community and how it manages its resources; (iv) strengthening decentralization by transferring the decision making power to local actors; and (v) farmers of the community are involved in monitoring the performance of technology and its adoption. Among key les-sons learned from this initiative is the ability of communities to identify appropriate solutions, to solve inter-nai conflicts particularly relating to property rights and land use, additional-income generating activities. The success and the sustainability of the process depend on the promotion of elected community-based organi-zations that play a key interface role between communities and other actors (government agencies and deci-sion makers, non-govemmental agencies, donors, and other communities). (Resume d'auteur)