1.2 Coordonnées des personnes-ressources et des institutions impliquées dans l'évaluation et la documentation de l'Approche

Nom du projet qui a facilité la documentation/ l'évaluation de l'Approche (si pertinent)

ICARDA Institutional Knowledge Management Initiative

Nom du ou des institutions qui ont facilité la documentation/ l'évaluation de l'Approche (si pertinent)

International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) - Liban

1.3 Conditions relatives à l'utilisation par WOCAT des données documentées

Quand les données ont-elles été compilées (sur le terrain)?

2022

Le compilateur et la(les) personne(s) ressource(s) acceptent les conditions relatives à l'utilisation par WOCAT des données documentées:

Oui

2.1 Courte description de l'Approche

Improving crop varieties is crucial for food security and climate resilience, but traditional methods are slow and expensive. The Speed Breeding Platform shortens breeding time substantially, enhances quality, and relies on strong partnerships between NARES and CGIAR centers.

2.2 Description détaillée de l'Approche

Description détaillée de l'Approche:

Climate change presents significant challenges for agriculture and crop production. One possible solution to enhance climate resilience is the development and adoption of improved, better adapted crop varieties. These varieties are specifically engineered to withstand specific threats, offering farmers a more reliable means of ensuring successful harvests despite the challenges posed by a changing climate. Improved varieties are thus crucial for achieving food security.
However, a major limitation of this solution is that researching and producing new crop varieties is a complex process that demands considerable time and resources. It involves cross design, segregating generation advancement and rigorous field testing to identify traits. The development of new varieties often spans several years, if not decades, before they are ready for widespread adoption by farmers. Sustained investment and collaboration across scientific organizations are thus crucial.

To accelerate the development of improved crop varieties, the International Center of Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA), together with partners is implementing Speed Breeding as its main generation advancement method. Through the support of the Arab Fund for Economic and Social development (AFESD), the Templeton World Charity Foundation, Inc and the Crop Trust, protocols to accelerate the generation advancement of the main crops (wheat, barley, faba bean, lentil, grasspea and chickpea) have been developed and are available to NARES. ICARDA has also established the Speed Breeding Platform in Rabat, Morocco. Covering approximately 500 square meters, this facility comprises four buildings, including two greenhouses of 175 m2 and 185 m2 respectively, each housing five independently controlled growth chamber.i

The Speed Breeding method utilises LED lighting - originally invented by NASA to sustain astronauts during prolonged space missions to compensate for the absence of sunlight in space. By providing plants with approximately 22 hours of light per day, this accelerates their growth significantly. Cultivating crops in a controlled environment shields them from the unpredictable impacts of adverse weather conditions. The major advantage is thus its ability to accelerate the breeding process for improved crop varieties. For instance, while traditional methods may take between 6 and 12 years to breed a new grass pea (Lathyrus sativus) variety, utilizing the Speed Breeding Platform reduces this timeframe to approximately 5 years. The Speed Breeding Platform thus enhances efficiency and responsiveness in addressing agricultural challenges.

The Speed Breeding Platform has a capacity for advancing over 50,000 cereal and legume plants. This is done in close collaborations with fellow scientists from other CGIAR centers and National Agricultural Research and Extensions Services (NARES) centers. NARES centers play an indispensable role in determining the traits and varieties to prioritize for advancement, using their direct engagement with farmers in field settings to assess their specific needs and challenges. The main advantages are:
- Varieties reach farmers faster by reducing the time from crossing to field testing;
- Testing during advancement increases the resilience of new varieties to pests and diseases i.e., higher quality of improved varieties;
- It can help coordinating breeding action between CGIAR and NARES by co-designing crosses and centralizing advancement i.e., higher resource efficiency.

The main disadvantage is the high costs associated with building and operating the facilities of the Platform. In addition, it requires expertise to operate. However, NARES personnel are currently being trained and educated in breeding and using the Speed Breeding Platform.

In conclusion, while improved crop varieties hold immense potential for climate resilience in agriculture and ensuring food security, their development remains a complex, time-consuming and resource-intensive process. The approach of the Speed Breeding Platform represents a promising step forward, by faster and more efficient crop breeding, facilitating a prompter solution.

Acknowledgement: the pilot facilities used to set up the ICARDA Speed Breeding Platform were funded by a project from the Third Call for Proposals under the Benefit-sharing Fund of the International Plant Treat for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture entitled “Addressing the challenges of climate change for sustainable food security in Turkey, Iran and Morocco, through the creation and dissemination of an international database to promote the use of wheat genetic resources and increase genetic gains.” CFP 2014/2015-W3B-PR-18-Turkey. The final facilities were funded by a project from the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD) entitled “Modernization of ICARDA Breeding Programs".

2.3 Photos de l'approche

2.5 Pays/ région/ lieux où l'Approche a été appliquée

2.6 Dates de début et de fin de l'Approche

2.7 Type d'Approche

• fondé sur un projet/ programme

2.8 Principaux objectifs de l'Approche

The objective of the new Speed Breeding Platform is to provide the tools to CGIAR and NARES breeding programs to develop better varieties faster and shorten the time needed to reach farmer’s fields. The access to this technology also helps responding to new threats hindering productivity in a faster and more effective way.

2.9 Conditions favorisant ou entravant la mise en œuvre de la(des) Technologie(s) appliquée(s) sous l'Approche

3.1 Parties prenantes impliquées dans l'Approche et rôles

3.2 Participation des exploitants locaux des terres/ communautés locales aux différentes phases de l'Approche

	Participation des exploitants locaux des terres/ communautés locales	Spécifiez qui était impliqué et décrivez les activités
initiation/ motivation	passive
planification	passive
mise en œuvre	passive
suivi/ évaluation	passive

3.3 Diagramme/ organigramme (si disponible)

3.4 Prises de décision pour la sélection de la Technologie/ des Technologies

Indiquez qui a décidé de la sélection de la Technologie/ des Technologies à mettre en œuvre:

• les spécialistes de la GDT seuls

Spécifiez sur quelle base ont été prises les décisions:

• les résultats de recherches?

4.1 Renforcement des capacités/ formation

Une formation a-t-elle été dispensée aux exploitants des terres/ autres parties prenantes?

Oui

• Researchers and breeders

Formats de la formation:

• sur le tas
• cours

Thèmes abordés:

Breeding

4.2 Service de conseils

Les exploitants des terres ont-ils accès à un service de conseils?

Oui

Spécifiez si le service de conseils est fourni:

• dans les champs des exploitants?
• dans des centres permanents

4.3 Renforcement des institutions (développement organisationnel)

Des institutions ont elles été mises en place ou renforcées par le biais de l'Approche?

• oui, un peu

Spécifiez à quel(s) niveau(x), ces institutions ont été renforcées ou mises en place:

• national

Précisez le type de soutien:

• renforcement des capacités/ formation

Donnez plus de détails:

National scientists are trained in breeding and using the Speed Breeding Platform

4.4 Suivi et évaluation

Le suivi et l'évaluation font ils partie de l'Approche? :

Non

4.5 Recherche

La recherche a-t-elle fait partie intégrante de l’Approche?

Oui

• Genetics / Breeding

Donnez plus de détails et indiquez qui a mené ces recherches:

Research in breeding is done by ICARDA, CGIAR centers and NARES centers

5.1 Budget annuel de la composante GDT de l'Approche

Si le budget annuel précis n'est pas connu, indiquez une fourchette:

• 100 000-1 000 000

Commentez (par ex. principales sources de financement/ principaux bailleurs de fonds):

The main donors were the Benefit Sharing Fund of the ITPGR (FAO) that provided the funding that resulted in the first Speed Breeding pilot facility with capacity for 3,000 plants and the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD) who provided the funds for the expansion of this initial pilot facility and develop the ICARDA Speed Breeding Platform, a fully automatic facility that allows advancing more than 50,000 cereal and legume plants

5.2 Soutiens financiers/ matériels fournis aux exploitants des terres

Les exploitants des terres ont-ils reçu un soutien financier/ matériel pour la mise en œuvre de la Technologie/ des Technologies?

Non

5.3 Subventions pour des intrants spécifiques (incluant la main d'œuvre)

• aucun

5.4 Crédits

Des crédits ont-ils été alloués à travers l'Approche pour les activités de GDT?

Non

5.5 Autres incitations ou instruments

D'autres incitations ou instruments ont-ils été utilisés pour promouvoir la mise en œuvre des Technologies de GDT?

Non

6.1 Impacts de l'Approche

6.2 Principale motivation des exploitants des terres pour mettre en œuvre la GDT

6.3 Durabilité des activités de l'Approche

Les exploitants des terres peuvent-ils poursuivre ce qui a été mis en œuvre par le biais de l'Approche (sans soutien extérieur)?

• incertain

6.4 Points forts/ avantages de l'Approche

Points forts/ avantages/ possibilités du point de vue de l'exploitant des terres
Varieties reach farmers faster by reducing the time from crossing to field testing
Allows testing during advancement increasing the resilience of new varieties to pests and diseases
Can help coordinating breeding action between CGIAR and NARES by co-designing crosses and centralizing advancement

6.5 Faiblesses/ inconvénients de l'Approche et moyens de les surmonter

Faiblesses/ inconvénients/ risques du point de vue de l’exploitant des terres	Comment peuvent-ils être surmontés?
Relatively high initial investment to develop the facilities	ICARDA platform is open to NARES and other collaborators hence costs can be shared.
Expertise is needed to achieve results	Code of conducts and protocols of the facilities has been published and trainings of NARES staff are being done.

7.1 Méthodes/ sources d'information

7.3 Liens vers les informations pertinentes disponibles en ligne

Titre/ description:

ICARDA Cereals and Legumes Speed Breeding Platform.

URL:

https://mel.cgiar.org/reporting/downloadmelspace/hash/186eb1d94780ca956e9b86227305761a/v/7ec567b72097f21057ea41b0124cf1a7

Titre/ description:

Laura Becker, Enrico Bonaiuti, Miguel Sanchez-Garcia, Zakaria Kehel, Andrea Visioni, Ajit Govind. (1/12/2020). Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan for Modernization of Crop Breeding Programs in Arab Countries.

URL:

https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11766/12212

Titre/ description:

Miguel Sanchez-Garcia, Zewdie Bishaw, Abdoul Aziz Niane. (31/12/2021). 2022 ICARDA global barley breeding program International Nurseries. Beirut, Lebanon: International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA).

URL:

https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11766/66860

Titre/ description:

Samira El-Hanafi, Souad Cherkaoui, Zakaria Kehel, Miguel Sanchez-Garcia, Jean-Benoit Sarazin, P. Stephen Baenziger, Wuletaw Tadesse. (14/2/2022). Hybrid Seed Set in Relation with Male Floral Traits, Estimation of Heterosis and Combining Abilities for Yield and Its Components in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L. ). Plants, 11 (4).

URL:

https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11766/67050