Advancing Research, Enabling Communities (AREC) Dr. M. Haidar, AREC Director February 7, 2018
AREC Multi-functional and inter- disciplinary center devoted to teaching, research, training and outreach activities.
AREC Established in 1953 Located in the Beq’aa valley- Haouch Sneid 80 km East of Beirut Area is 100ha Semi-arid climate 1,000 m above sea level
AREC AREC offers a unique real-life model for disseminating knowledge and innovation and for experimenting and applying agricultural research at a real- scale model.
Mission Statement Providing opportunities for agriculture students to obtain practical experience ( Hands-on experience ) in in all activities and practices pertaining to the agricultural operation at AREC. Providing facilities for faculty members & graduate students to conduct field research and out reach activities
Existing Facilities Facilities for Students and Professors Lecture hall, 2 classrooms & labs. Cafeteria & dormitories 2 guest houses and a villa
Existing Facilities Facilities for Students and Professors Recreation & sport facilities Library Cafeteria Clinic
Existing Facilities Facilities for Research 70 ha of research plots 2 controlled greenhouses Tissue culture lab 2 controlled environmental poultry houses Weather station Creamery
Existing Facilities Facilities for Research 4ha No-till plots-demo/research Workshop and 42 tractors and implements Cattle, goat and sheep barns
Major Activities at AREC Teaching, training, research and outreach activities
Teaching Agricultural students taking classes, living, and working at the center. An opportunity for experiential learning, training and research for agricultural students from Lebanon and the region.
Teaching Students participate in all activities and practices pertaining to the agricultural operation on daily basis. I believe that experiential learning can hardly be imagined without AREC.
Research One of AREC’s main objectives is to facilitate relevant, innovative, applied and adaptive research, which can be easily translated into improved practices.
Major research Straw-ponic for potato production Apple production under netting systems. Crop selection, conservation and improvement
Major research Aqauponic- Integrating aquaculture with agriculture to use water better. Poultry nutrition. Management of Mycoplasma gallisepticum in poultry flocks through nutritional manipulation. Management of parasitic weeds
Major research Water requirements of Origanum using smart irrigation. Modeling greenhouse evapotranspiration from outdoor environment. Using AREC weather station to determine reference ET and map actual ET across the Bekaa. Water productivity of no-till mulched potato.
Training AREC provides training in: Production of vegetable crops by Hydroponic Production of vegetable crops by aquaponic (Tilapia fish). Cheese/yogurt/ice cream production. Mushroom production.
Training Conservation agriculture-10 years demo plot-Leading center in the region. ie.,summer school for 40 Arab students in 2012. Production of broiler by using green energy from biodigester and solar panels. Thanks to the MSFEA, namely Dr. D. Salam.
Training Saffron production and management . Layer and broiler production and management
Training Oil extraction of aromatic plants. Farm machinery repair and maintenance. Production and management of vegetables, crops and fruits, indoors and outdoors. Seed drill and boom sprayer calibration. .
Services to AUB community Numerous centers at AUB are taking advantage of AREC not restricted to agriculture. Things like climate change, drought, water management, public health, etc. AREC is reaching out more than ever to support local needs including Syrian refugees, collaborating with AUB’s CCECS.
Services to AUB community CCECS-WFP Digital Skills Training Program- Syrian and Lebanese young adults, were trained on basic digital literacy, internet literacy, MS Office programs, MS Excel, Photoshop, and English.
Partnership ICARDA- ICARDA’s activities have increased at AREC to produce specialized, drought resistant seeds. Increased collaboration with the private sector, including sharing equipment and expertise. Ie., Unifert is using land for their vegetable seed trial/field day.
Outreach activities All types of workshops, seminars, field days were held at AREC in the last many years.ie., One year Technical Vocational Training program funded by USAID. Intended to provide in- service training for agricultural government employees
Outreach activities USAID-Funded Dairy and forage projects. Various training sessions were held for farmers on cattle management and forage production. Various NGOs and others such as YMCA, Makhzoumi foundation, ILO, Mercy Corps, ESCWA, etc use AREC for their outreach activities.
Services to the local community AREC provides all types of agricultural operations at a feasible cost. Lease land to the farmers at a feasible cost. Invite them to field days. Purchase most of our supplies from the surrounding area.
Visitors Various school students from the surrounding area and AUB community visit AREC every year. AREC Day and Sweet Corn Day attract around 1500 visitors from AUB every year.
Conclusion AREC remains one of the region’s leading academic centers catering to the needs of students, faculty, researchers and communities and addressing some of the most pressing issues of our time, including environment, development and the sustainability of rural development.
Thank you
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