The International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), a not-for-profit applied agricultural research centre in Dubai, has signed a memorandum of understanding with a university in Uzbekistan to facilitate closer cooperation in advancing agricultural research and development.

ICBA’s collaboration with the Central Asian University of Environmental and Climate Change Studies, also known as Green University, covers joint projects and programmes, designed to enhance agricultural science, innovation and capacity development.

The agreement was signed by Dr Tarifa Alzaabi, Director General of ICBA, and Dr Jasur Salikhov, Acting Rector of Green University, during a ceremony in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and the signing ceremony was attended by Mohammad AlDaheri, Head of Economic, Political, and Media Affairs Section at the Embassy of the UAE in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Additionally, it will provide internship and fellowship opportunities to students from Green University to gain valuable hands-on experience.

Moreover, the agreement outlines plans for organising workshops, conferences, webinars, and other events to promote knowledge exchange and agricultural science.

As part of this partnership, special attention will be paid to the empowerment of women in agriculture by developing their research and leadership skills.

Both institutions will also be seeking funds for joint projects and will actively exchange scientific materials, publications, and other relevant information to support their collaborative efforts, a statement said.

Dr Alzaabi said: “Our collaboration with Green University will make it possible to combine our resources and efforts to achieve common goals in sustainable development in Uzbekistan in particular and Central Asia as a whole.

“By leveraging our capacity and expertise, we will work to address critical challenges in agriculture and contribute to food security, livelihoods and sustainability at the national and regional levels.

“We look forward to putting our plans into action and developing innovative solutions for sustainable agrifood systems, especially in saline and arid environments.”

Dr Charbel Tarraf, Chief Operations and Development at ICBA, said: “As we give youth engagement a priority in our capacity development programs, we work closely with academic institutions in different countries.

“We believe it is important to provide young people with resources and opportunities to engage in scientific research and innovation.

“Therefore, we offer a wide range of tailor-made programmes to students, including internships and fellowships. And this partnership will allow students from Green University to benefit ICBA's capacity development offerings.” – TradeArabia News Service