Practical Action –Sudan
PROLINNOVA SUDAN COUNTRY PROGRAMME
REPORT ON THE Fifth INTRODUCTORY WORKSHOP
Northern Sudan – Dongola
Introduction:
This is the fifth and the last workshop in the series of introducing the programme to the various stakeholders in the country. The workshop was convened on the 21st of June 2006 in Dongola, the capital town of El Shamalia (Northern) State.The Director General of the State Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Wealth and Irrigation made the preparations as regarding the venue for the workshop and extended the invitations for the various stakeholders. The workshop was under the auspices The State Minister for Agriculture, Animal Wealth and irrigation.
General:
El ShamaliaState is located in the northern part of the country between latitudes 16 -22 degrees North and longitudes 20 -32 degrees East. It is bordered by Egypt to the north and Libya to the west. Total area of the State is 348,697 Km square. Dongola, the capital tpwn of the State, is 550 km to the north of Khartoum.
The northern Sudan region experience a desert climate with a hot summer (average temperature of 36.7 dgree centigrade) and a cold winter in which temperature could go as down as 1.5 degree centigrade. Annual rainfall is very little and very rare.
Total population (1993) is 510,000. Of this population 85.7 are rural, 12.7 are urban and 1.6 are nomadic / pastoralists. The State population represents 2.4 % of the total population of the country.
Venue:
The workshop was held at meeting Hall of Dongola Agricultural Research Station in Dongola town.
Participants:
57 persons attended the opening session (20 females and 55 males). 55 participants (with the same ratio of female/male) attended the one day workshop events.They represented the following:
- Departments of the State Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Wealth and Irrigation.
- Dongola Agricultural Research Station.
- Academic institutions (DongolaUniversity).
- The farmers union.
- The pastoralist union.
Contents of the workshop:
1/ Welcoming session:
This one hour session was a welcoming one. It has been addressed by:
-The State Minister for Agriculture, livestock and Irrigation his Excellency Dr. Ahmed Gamal.
-PROLINNOVA Coordinator Mohamed Yousif Mabrouk.
-Director General of the State Ministry of Agriculture, livestock and IrrigationMr. Ali Idrris Mohi El Deen.
2/ Presentations:
The following presentations were made:
-An introduction on Practical Action – Sudan & PROLINNOVA programme in the Sudan – Presented by Mr. Mohamed Yousif Mabrouk, Programme Coordinator.
-An introduction on the Economic Resources of El Shamalia State presented by Ms. Amal Abdella Hussain. This paper has been prepared by Ms. Amal, Mr. Ali Hassan and Ms. Salma Abdelatif.
-Highlights on some Innovations in El Shamalia State presented by Mr. Mohamed Khidir Taha Director of the Department of the Agricultural Services.
-Agricultural Research and Innovations in th in El Shamalia State presented by Mr. El Rasheed Abdella Fageeri of the Dongola Agricultural Research Station.
The presentation session were chaired and facilitated by Dr. Mohamed Awad of the animal wealth Department and Mr. Mustafa Mahmoud of the University of Doingola.
3/ Discussions and additions of innovation:
The flour was then opened for the stakeholders to comment, make additions and elaborations. This session was chaired by Mr. Mustafa Mahmoud of the University of Doingola. Dr. Mirghani Ibraheim Ibn Oaf of the National Council for Economic and Social Research (also member of the National Steering Committee) commented on the papers presented, through more lights on the value of indigenous knowledge and the needs for considering them as basis for research and development. Participants made some additions to the list of innovation presented and added their own observations.
4/ Some innovations presented:
-Engineering of the Nile control.
-Use of the small islands in the River Nile for the production of crops and raising livestock.
-Canning for the production of date palm seedlings.
-El Walwala for the protection crops from birds attacks.
-Planting safflower as protection measure against birds attacks .
-El Hahayia / El Hailla for plant protection against birds.
-El Gossiba for grain storage.
-Delay of the second irrigation for the hoarse beans to increase production.
-Production of local yeasts as a replacement for the synthetic bread improvers.
-Packing of dates.
-Water purification during the times of River Nile water turbidity.
Others:
-The workshop was well documented by video tapes and photos. Three CDs documenting the events of the workshop were prepared.
Next step:
-One staff fromwithin the state (a researcher at Dognola Agricultural Research Station) will be hired for two month to compile and document the innovation and the innovative practices in the Northern Sudan.
* Please note that a more elaborative report will be produced later.
Mohamed Yousif Mabrouk
Program Coordinator
23/June /2006
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