In the Mediterranean area the chickpea leafminer, Liriomyza cicerina is the main insect pest of chickpea causing up to 30 percent yield loss. Identification of host plant resistance has been the main approach to control and a continuous field screening of chickpea lines for resistance to leafminer has been conducted at ICARDA. Several chickpea lines showing different degrees of resistance were indentified, some with consistently low leafminer damage and yield loss. These lines need to be studied for their mechanism of resistance, for which different possibilities are suggested. The understanding of the resistance mechanism will allow by relating resistance with chemical substances to miniaturize the resistance screening and will make any resistance breeding program more effective.