International training on combating desertification takes place in Türkiye

6 November 2018
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Konya and Mersin, Türkiye – The 16th International training on combating desertification took place on 22-27 October 2018, bringing together international experts from the country parties of the Pan African Agency for the Great Green Wall (PAGGW) and Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD), as well as the representatives of various institutions across Türkiye.

The course, organized by the Republic of Türkiye General Directorate of Combating Desertification and Erosion, covered technical aspects of combating desertification and land degradation, such as the production of seed and seedlings, forestation and erosion control. The need to increase the level of regional collaboration in sharing technical experience among countries has also been highlighted. The training session took the participants to the research institutions, private sector project sites, and model practice fields, where the institute officials provided detailed information on activities carried out in the region. These included water retention and irrigation methods, livestock farming, soil and water resource management, as well as income-generating projects in afforestation and production of medicinal and aromatic plants.

The training is one of the actions under the Ankara Initiative, a bilateral agreement between Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and UNCCD, launched at the UNCCD COP12 to strengthen the implementation of UNCCD in 2016–2019. The Initiative supports the global sustainable development agenda and leverages lessons learned from Türkiye’s experience in sustainable land management.