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The Near East Region, known for its arid and semi-arid climate, is a net food importer. It requires technical assistance to develop its agriculture and meet, locally, the food requirements of its population, which is growing at a faster rate than food production.
The Region is also in need of:
- new agricultural technologies,
- a better use of its limited land and water resources,
- a more rational application of agricultural inputs,
- better strategies for the protection of its environment and
- achieving sustainable development of its natural resources base.
FAO and its Regional Office were keen, when selecting the technical staff of the Office, to see that the best expertise be made available to the countries of the Region. These human resources are the core of the Regional Office and its driving force, to assist member states in their development efforts.
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| Priority Areas for Interdisciplinary Action (PAIA's) |
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Drought Preparedness and Mitigation was identified as a Priority Area for Interdisciplinary Action (PAIA) for the FAO Agriculture Department, and at RNE level. Since 1999, RNE has focused on the Drought Mitigation issues to move from the Emergency towards a Risk Management approach. The following achievements were made by RNE:
- Establishing a regional database on drought studies/reports which hosts about 660 references. The data was placed on CD Rom and distributed to Near East Member Countries.
- Creation of the Regional Information Network on Drought Mitigation in the Near East, North Africa and Central Asia (NDMNENCA), established in 2001 by FAO/RNE, ICARDA and CIHEAM. This includes members of all three partner Organizations, and aims at promoting the Drought Mitigation and preparedness issues in this area.
- A “Regional Workshop on Capacity Building in Drought Preparedness “ was held in Rabat, Morocco between 1-5 November 2002, with 12 countries and regional/international organizations. The workshop identified the need for strengthening country readiness to deal with Drought waves, and develop Plans of Action for harmonizing and implementing drought activities.
- A regional TCP project was prepared for submission to FAO by three candidate countries: Morocco, Jordan, and Iran, to assist in providing a model for capacity building of countries in Drought Mitigation and Planning work.
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