Dryland agriculture
WASAG is pursuing opportunities for delivery in Sustainable Dryland Agriculture as recommended by the 27th session of COAG.
Relevant topics associated with water scarcity in agriculture such as dryland agriculture or livestock can lead to collaborative work with potential to develop into major collaborative programmes. WASAG is specifically consolidating the collaboration with the Global Programme on Sustainable Dryland Agriculture, to reach countries affected by drylands. Dryland agriculture includes marginal rainfed production systems and rangelands. With a changing and variable climate, drylands need urgent and serious sustained attention.
Approaches that can be implemented in drylands are, but not limited to, supplemental irrigation, rainwater harvesting, diversified (inter)cropping systems, maximizing economic water productivity, solar irrigation using desalinated water, agroforestry, and integrated crop-livestock-forage systems. As for livestock, a deeper understanding of their relationship to depleting water sources, both in quantity and quality, will contribute to a clearer and more realistic narrative of the impacts of climate change on water scarcity.