IPALAC International Programme for Arid Land Crops

A programme has been launched by one other country with the support of the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and the International Programme for Arid Land Crops (IPALAC) in order to develop new farming methods and practices in arid areas.

A study on agricultural technology for semi arid areas in East Africa has been launched with a view to developing sustainable crop production in the drylands of the subregion.

Mention is also made of partnership agreements with the major international agricultural research centres of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) specializing in arid and semi arid zones, such as the International Centre for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA) and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT).

The establishment of the IUCN drylands specialists task force and the Arid Lands Initiative stimulated the realization of cross regional, subregional and national activities to improve dryland management and sustainable use of its biodiversity.

IUCN developed a cooperative agreement with ICRISAT to work on the issue of agricultural development in the drylands.

Through its Man and the Biosphere programme (MAB), UNESCO is working on the in situ conservation of drylands.

ICRISAT International Crop Research Institute for the Semi Arid Tropics

7. Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research International Crops Research Institute for the Semi Arid Tropics (CGIAR ICRISAT).

Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux (C.A.B.International) use of relevant database with regard to soils and crops that adapt to arid conditions disease and health in arid areas, particularly in new crop management systems.

Arab Center for the Study of Arid Zones and Drylands (ACSAD) databases of water resources, soils, plants, animals and climatology development of high yielding, drought tolerant and disease resistant wheat and barley varieties development of genepools of drought tolerant fruit trees establishment of genebanks for the collection of important sheep and goat strains.

And those are the dry land species.

Gravely concerned at the magnitude of the current drought, which may affect up to fifteen million people owing to the serious crop failures in drought prone parts of the country that have weak infrastructures and low development capacities,

Gravely concerned at the magnitude of the recurrent drought, which affects millions owing to the serious crop failures in drought prone parts of the country that have weak infrastructures and low development capacities,

Concerned by the recurrent drought, which still affects millions owing to the serious crop failures in drought prone parts of the country and the pastoralist areas that have weak infrastructures and low development capacities,

Concerned by the recurrent drought, which still affects millions owing to the serious crop failures in drought prone parts of the country and the pastoralist areas that have weak infrastructures and low development capacities,

Dryland, mediterranean, arid, semi arid, grassland and savannah ecosystems

The CBD based on the Joint Programme of Work on the Biodiversity of Dry and Sub humid Lands would collaborate with the UNCCD and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change secretariatsS to hold in 2006 a regional synergy workshop in Asia or Latin America and the Caribbean in 2006 so as to implement the Pprogrammes of Wwork on Ddry and Ssub Hhumid Llands and Aagricultural Bbiodiversity.

It has strengthened cooperation with the International Crops Research Institute in Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), and the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) through the preparation of Memorandums of Understanding with the two entities.

More targeted initiatives are being carried out in some countries to develop unconventional varieties of cereals and other plant varieties suited to drought and the specific conditions of arid and semi arid areas.

Land degradation is in turn defined as the reduction or loss of the biological or economic productivity of drylands.

AGRHYMET Regional Training Centre for Agrometeorology and Operational

Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands

LADA Dryland Degradation Assessment Project

A joint publication has been issued with the UNCCD secretariat entitled Extractive Industries in Arid and Semi Arid Zones Planning and Management which gives details of the problems associated with extractive industries in arid and semi arid lands and suggestions as to how these activities could be managed in order to promote the maintenance of the ecosystems where they are taking place.

Furthermore, the dry spell poses a threat to the cultivation of long cycle crops and the availability of water for both people and livestock in many regions.

The majority of the country area is desert and contains little or none of the land classified as arid, semi arid, or dry sub humid that makes up drylands.

Closer cooperation has been sought with specialized organizations that deal with drought, agricultural production and productivity in drylands.

C. Arab Organization for Agricultural Development 80 86 14

After a poor deyr harvest (April) in some areas due to drought, the gu crop failure in Bay and Bakool was followed by a reduced cereal harvest in July and August.

The Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands (ACSAD), in cooperation with Remote Sensing in the Arab World, established the Arab Desertification Monitoring and Assessment Network (ADMANET).

Background The Desertification Convention Desertification is the degradation of land in arid, semi arid, and dry sub humid areas.

Efforts in the field of genetic research are focused on the development of conventional cereal, tree and other plant varieties which are suited to drought and the special conditions found in arid and semi arid zones.

It has a total area of 318 million hectares which represents 6 per cent of the world apos s arid, semi arid and dry sub humid lands (ASALS) and 25 per cent of Africa apos s ASALS.

For the current season, crops have already been affected by drought in Central America and the Caribbean.

Name of focal point institution ministry office

Establishment of a national LADA task force

Training on drought resistant crop species or promising soil conservation techniques will be among the top priority courses on the curriculum.

Committee on Science and Technology

ACSAD also organized several training programmes for experts, one, in collaboration with the Arab Development Bank in Africa (BADIA), for the African English speaking countries on the improvement of irrigation through implementation of technology and knowledge, and another for engineers on crop management in arid and semi arid zones.

Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place and let the dry land appear.

In particular, the Asian coffee crop may be threatened by drought, that of Brazil by excessive rainfall.

The LADA project will produce a GLADA.

Biodiversity conservation programmes are supported by most organizations (UNEP, UNU, UNESCO, IUCN, Arab Centre for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands (ACSAD), etc.).

LADA Dryland Degradation Assessment Project