At the invitation of the Arid Land Research Center (ALRC) in Tottori University, Japan, Dr. Suliman Al-Khalil, Dean of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine and Dr. Mohammad Abu-Eid, Director of Palestinian Natural Center for Agricultural Research (NARC), visited Japan. The delegation aimed to promote academic and research cooperation in the fields of agriculture and water.

Dr. Al-Khalil and Dr. Abu-Eid met with the Rector of Tottori University where they reached agreement to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two institutions. Furthermore, a series of meetings were held between Dr. Al-Khalil and Japanese researchers in Tottori University where both parties agreed on the possibility of accommodating a number of qualifying students in the Master’s and Doctorate Programmes. They also discussed an action plan in relation to the Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREP).

The Director of the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) met with the visiting An-Najah academics and addressed the issue of strengthening the relationships, particularly in the field of food security. This was followed with another meeting with the Director of the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) and with the First Secretary of the Palestinian Embassy in Japan, Mr. Iyad Al-Hindi. In this final meeting Mr. Al-Hindi praised the visit and establishment of academic and research relationships between the University of Tottori and its research centres and An-Najah.

Notes:

-          The visit took place between 14 – 22 March 2014.

-          Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS) is a Japanese government programme that promotes international joint research targeting global issues.

-          SATREPS projects are expected to lead to outcomes with potential for practical utilisation, and to enhance research capacity in the developing country.

-          The programme is a collaboration between two Japanese government agencies: the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)  and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)

-          The Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) is the sole national institute that undertakes comprehensive research on agriculture, forestry and fisheries technology in developing areas of tropical and subtropical regions, as well as domestic research on agriculture, forestry and fisheries, aimed at providing solutions to international food supply and environmental problems through technology development; and collects, analyzes and publishes information to grasp trends relevant to international agriculture, forestry and fisheries as well as farming systems, through international collaboration and cooperation.

-          ALRC: The Center is located on the Tottori Sand Dunes in the westernmost region of the largest island of Japan. The mandate of the ALRC is to conduct research on desertification, to help people in arid areas and to develop sustainable agricultural practices, and attracts five areas of research: Climatology and Water Resources; Biological Production; Afforestration and land Reservation; Socioeconomics; and Health and Medicine.