This report covers the 18-month period from July 2003 to December 2004 and therefore does not constitute an Annual Report proper. However, there is a good explanation for having departed from our normal 12-month annual report format. This is partly due to the unexpected departure of Olivier Cogels, the now ex-Programme Manager, in July 2004 and partly due to our willingness to bring our reporting in line with our fiscal year, the Programme decided to adjust this timeframe. Thus, from here onwards we will be able to streamline and present our results accordingly.
The reporting period has seen a consolidation of our Programme which was put forward during our Consultative Group and Management Committee meetings held in Montpelier and referred to now as the “IPTRID Partnership Programme 2003-2005”. It was distributed widely and constitutes the foundation of our activities. However, some adjustments have necessarily been made along the way in order to reflect new realities being faced in the field and its congruence with the expectations of both partners and donors. In this regard, during the unofficial Governance meetings held in Moscow on 9 September this year, IPTRID reaffirmed that its purpose or immediate objective is building capacity with a central focus on technology transfer and the uptake of research in Irrigation and Drainage. Through this capacity building, IPTRID contributes to the development of sustainable agricultural water management and increased water productivity in agriculture in developing countries and countries in transition. While keeping our objectives, as put forward in the Programme Partnership document, the underline above was intended to explicitly acknowledge the need to stress that technology transfer and research uptake oriented activities constitute an integral and inherent component of our efforts.
Our donors continued to support our Programme in a variety of ways.The Department for International Development (DFID) of the United Kingdom, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs (MAE) and of Agriculture (MAAPAR) from France and FAO have provided core funding through direct allocations or personnel secondments or both. With respect to the former French Ministry, it is worth mentioning their support for the Virtual Water Center that is just getting underway. Others, like the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (DGIS) of The Netherlands, the Ministry of Agriculture (MAPA) of Spain, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Bank have provided their support through project specific contributions. The IPTRID Secretariat has been working actively to broaden the donors base and has made contacts and is in the process of negotiations with the appropriate agencies or organizations from Germany, Canada and Switzerland. The Secretariat understands that fund raising is an open-ended process and that it is an inherently slow and difficult activity.
With respect to our international partner organizations, a Letter of Agreement (LOA) was signed with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI); the activities to be undertaken under this agreement cover a wide variety of efforts mostly in Africa but in Asia as well. The magnitude and breadth of the LOA makes IWMI in fact one of our major partners. HR Wallingford continued to provide support through its Networking Secretariat - where publishing of our GRID magazine was at the forefront of the activities - also, a visit to Zambia to evaluate the capacity development needs of that country, saw two of their staff joining IPTRID on this mission. In addition, this partner was instrumental in IPTRID support for the Aral Sea Basin (ASB) Initiative. Thus, during the period reported, HR Wallingford was again at the forefront of our network activities. ILRI-Alterra, made a contribution in relation also to the ASB, in relation to groundwater hydrology and its relation to Irrigation and Drainage. The Water Service (AGLW) of FAO provided active support in relation with the forthcoming funding from Spain. In addition, AGLW staff supported the activities of both the ASB and the ADPHT related to drainage issues. Finally, taking advantage of our ICID partner national chapters we continue to provide pertinent information on Irrigation and Drainage issues to local organizations.
Our national partners were also active on various fronts. The Scientific Information Center-Interstate Committee for Water Coordination (SIC-ICWC) from Uzbekistan played a very important role in the ASB Initiative, including the organization of a major workshop in Tashkent to discuss findings and future directions. With both the Ministry of Water Resources (MWR) and the Drainage Research Institute (DRI) of Egypt, IPTRID was heavily involved in conducting a rapid assessment study in support of the on-going preparation of the Integrated Irrigation Improvement Programme (IIIP). A multidisciplinary team of consultants led by our Programme embarked on an Integrated Planning exercise that identifies constraints to project implementation and suggests how to improve and approach further activities. The reader will be able to find more information on our partner’s activities in the body of the report.
Of considerable importance for our Programme is the question of IMPACT. Because of the nature of our activities it is not easy to quantify it in discreet terms. Rather, IPTRID contributes by creating awareness among partners and donors alike of the importance of disseminating material across the globe. Here our network has been quite active and through the use of web pages, internet, newsletters, e-mail conferences and other information technologies we keep people informed and provided much needed links in their communication.
Finally, and looking towards the future, IPTRID sees its role and importance increasing. This is a challenge and will require renewed efforts both in finding resources and in coordinating activities. The gap between developed and developing countries is only increasing. IPTRID continues in its role to bridge the gap. For this, we can only ask for your continued support.
Kenji
Yoshinaga
Officer-in-Charge
