Drylands at the forefront: CGIAR’s plan for climate-smart agriculture
Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centres (CGIAR) has launched the Global Strategy for Resilient Drylands (GSRD) 2030 to transform farming in the world’s driest regions and ensure sustainable food systems in the future.
The GSRD, collaboratively developed by CGIAR centres under the leadership of ICARDA (International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas) and ICRISAT (International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics), provides a comprehensive, science-driven roadmap to improve the lives of some 2.7 billion people who call the drylands home with a particular focus on Asia and Africa.
As the world faces increasing climate shocks, CGIAR’s GSRD aims to position dryland agriculture at the heart of global climate adaptation strategies.
Drylands, traditionally seen as fragile ecosystems, are key to developing climate-smart agricultural models that can be scaled globally. These regions support 44% of global agriculture and nearly half of the world’s livestock.
Speaking at COP16 in Riyadh, CGIAR Executive Managing Director Ismahane Elouafi said the new strategy was built on CGIAR’s rich legacy of impact, uniting all fifteen centres in a stronger, more integrated effort to tackle the challenges of drylands.
“By combining our expertise, we will deliver more innovative, context-specific, and lasting solutions to secure the livelihoods of communities that rely on these vital but fragile ecosystems,” an ICRISAT statement said quoting Elouafi.
The GSRD leverages innovations from CGIAR’s 15 global research centres and partners and provides solutions to enhance food security, conserve biodiversity, and build resilient livelihoods.
It seeks to provide solutions such as solar-powered agrivoltaics, innovative agroforestry and livestock feed practices, soil improvement and desalination solutions, as well as improved breeding technology for climate-smart crops such as barley, lentil, chickpea, soybean or cactus.
According to Stanford Blade, Director General-Interim of ICRISAT, drylands are not just regions of scarcity but have immense potential.
“This strategy brings forward a wealth of knowledge and research from our shared 50 years of experience, demonstrating that often overlooked drylands possess an untapped potential for resilience.
“As climate change continues to threaten global food systems, the models of resilience we, along with our partners, have developed in drylands will be indispensable to support the world’s most vulnerable communities,” said Blade.
Hotspots
Drylands are experiencing warming rates 20–40% higher than other regions, making them frontline battlegrounds against climate change.
“ With 70% of the world’s hungry people living in areas affected by conflict and environmental fragility, transforming drylands is critical to alleviating global hunger,” it said.
The strategy looks at optimising agrifood systems to adapt to climate change by developing climate-smart crop varieties, introducing innovative breeding technology, and supporting climate adaptation in livestock and aquatic systems
There is a huge opportunity in managing soil, land, and water systems to sustainably intensify production by developing and promoting regenerative and conservation agriculture.