- Director Raúl Compés was part of a delegation from CIHEAM led by Secretary General Teodoro Miano and Administrator Yasmine Seghirate, together with Director of CIHEAM Montpellier Thierry Dupeuble, and former Principal Scientific Administrator of CIHEAM Montpellier Omar Bessaoud.
- Algeria, an active member of CIHEAM since 1986, plays a pivotal role in many research and cooperation programmes.
From 20 to 24 May 2024, the city of Algiers hosted a delegation from CIHEAM at the 22nd edition of the SIPSA FILAHA International Exhibition of Agriculture, Livestock, and Agribusiness. This prestigious event served as a backdrop for several significant gatherings, including the inaugural Panafrican Food Debate conference, the DjazAqua Forum in partnership with France's Économie Bleue programme, and the Afrika Food Export Forum.
The visit to Algeria also provided an opportunity for numerous working meetings with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and its associated institutes, fostering dialogue about future cooperation in training, research, and technical collaboration. The CIHEAM delegation further strengthened diplomatic ties by visiting the Ambassadors of Spain, France, and Italy, representing the organisation's host countries in Zaragoza, Montpellier, and Bari, respectively.
Algeria, an active member of CIHEAM since 1986, plays a pivotal role in many research and cooperation programmes, with alumni from the organisation's four institutes serving as a unique resource for maintaining strong relations between Algeria and CIHEAM.
SIPSA FILAHA SHOW AND PANAFRICAN CONFERENCE
The CIHEAM delegation, led by Secretary General Teodoro Miano and Administrator Yasmine Seghirate, included Director of CIHEAM Zaragoza Raul Compés, Director of CIHEAM Montpellier Thierry Dupeuble, and former Principal Scientific Administrator of CIHEAM Montpellier Omar Bessaoud. The delegation participated actively in the SIPSA FILAHA exhibition, which featured the inaugural edition of the traveling conference "The Panafrican Food Debate."
The high-level conference, co-organised by Filaha Innov Think Tank and Institut Sénégalais des Recherches Agricoles (ISRA), provided a platform for African nations to reflect and collaborate on sustainable and inclusive food systems in the context of climate change, water stress, and socio-economic challenges in the agricultural sector.
Participants engaged in meaningful discussions with key decision-makers such as H.E. Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, African Union Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment.
WORKING MEETINGS
Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Hamid Bensaâd welcomed the CIHEAM delegation in the presence of directors from production, cooperation, training, research, and innovation departments, as well as the Director General of INRAA. The meetings focused on developing future collaborations in research and technical cooperation, in alignment with Algeria's new agricultural strategy aimed at promoting food self-sufficiency, fostering modernisation and innovation, facilitating investment, integrating small farms into value chains, and preserving natural resources.
Exploratory discussions also included the potential to offer tailored training courses for Algerian managers and professionals, develop joint research projects, and establish a Master of Innovation and Entrepreneurship programme for Algerian youth.
VISIT TO EMBASSIES
The visit culminated in the CIHEAM delegation being received by the Ambassadors of France, Italy, and Spain, where they shared ongoing activities in Algeria and emphasised the importance of continued relations between the organisation and the country.
The CIHEAM institutes in Montpellier (France), Zaragoza (Spain), Chania (Greece), and Bari (Italy), which host numerous students and researchers, have several Algerians among their teaching staff and project coordinators. Currently, around 30 CIHEAM projects are underway in Algeria, addressing areas such as sustainable resource and energy management, reducing agricultural losses and food waste, conserving agrobiodiversity, promoting agroecological practices, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and animal and plant health.
