During the last decades, droughts have become more frequent in the Mediterranean, West Asia and North African countries, and have had negative socio-economic impacts which are frequently linked to a high exploitation of available water resources. The Fourth Assessment Report of the International Panel on Climate Change states that extreme...

This issue of Caravan illustrates some of ICARDA’s strategic research — the use of new tools such as GIS, molecular markers and thermographic imaging, and new research methods in biodiversity conservation and plant breeding. It also describes applied research on water management, conservation agriculture and cropping systems. It discusses the...

Every single day, scientific evidence of climate change mounts all around the world and in Turkey. In the 20th century, the average temperature increased by 0.6°C all around the world and by 0.95°C in Europe. According to the latest developments, the consequences in the Mediterranean Basin would be more severe...

In this paper a simplified methodology for the estimation of drought impacts on crop yield in rainfed agriculture is proposed. The methodology is based on empirical models for the estimation of actual to potential evapotranspiration ratio (ET/PET). This ratio is related to the Reconnaissance Drought Index (RDI), an expression of...

Global food production has increased by 20% in the past decade – but food insecurity and poverty remain widespread , while the natural resource base continues to decline. International research centers, which have helped drive previous improvements, must continue to deliver new technologies to support sustainable growth in agriculture; and...

Mediterranean basin is one of the most prominent hot spot of climate change in the world. Further, extreme climatic events such as drought are expected to become more frequent and intense in this region. To evaluate seasonal and annual droughts, Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) was computed for 15 meteorological stations...

Achieving balance between water demand and supply is crucial for sustainable agriculture in semi-arid countries. Many agronomic options and socio-economic measures can be applied to reduce water demand in agriculture sector without compromising its performance. This work investigated some specific management options for the improvement of the performances of the...

Originally perceived as an occasional natural hazard, drought is now a phenomena, for which one can be prepared, despite the difficulties in determining its beginning and end. It is therefore crucial to understand the individual and social behaviour, in order to adopt effective measures and policies to mitigate the negative...

This Technical Bulletin is the third in a series produced by the Women's Livelihoods and Dairy Goat Project being implemented in Afghanistan and Pakistan. This IFAD-funded project aims to improve rural livelihoods in marginal, conflict and post-conflict areas of the two countries. There are large numbers of small-scale livestock keepers...

L'évaluation de la durabilité de 129 élevages de petits ruminants au Liban a été réalisée à l'aide d'un outil dérivé de la méthode IDEA (Indicateurs de Durabilité des Exploitations Agricoles), qui évalue les trois composantes agro-écologique, socio-territoriale et économique de la durabilité. L'analyse multivariée des 39 indicateurs a permis de...

Mediterra 2009, the eleventh Ciheam annual report, has been drawn up in the context of an innovative regional approach and has the special feature of uniting the efforts of the Ciheam − the only intergovernmental organisation in the Mediterranean Basin − and the Blue Plan, the Regional Activity Centre of...

This report represents a joint effort by the World Bank, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD). This joint working paper lays out a rationale and strategic framework for improving food security and managing food-price shocks in the Arab...

This joint working paper lays out a rationale and strategic framework for improving food security and managing food-price shocks in the Arab countries. The paper does not provide country specific policy and project recommendations. Such recommendations will follow from the country by country application of the framework, taking into account...

The Arab countries account for more than 5 per cent of the world’s population, but less than 1 per cent of global water resources. And as a consequence of the phenomena associated with climate change, the region is facing an even greater water shortage. For 30 years now, IFAD and...

Poverty among the 22 members of the League of Arab States (LAS) is primarily a rural phenomenon. Established in 1945, the LAS promotes and coordinates integration among its 22 member states and strengthens cooperation at all levels: political, security, economic, social and cultural. IFAD is highly supportive of this process...

Ongoing violent conflicts accentuate the challenges that women and men face in the rural areas of Iraq, Lebanon, and the occupied Palestinian territories. The potential of cooperatives for sharing risk, pooling resources, learning together, generating income, and balancing work and family responsibilities, has yet to be actualized. Cooperatives in the...

Depuis très longtemps, la Méditerranée, de la Syrie à l’Espagne, a su pourvoir aux besoins de ses populations. Toutefois des évolutions rapides au niveau démographique et des modes de vie, ainsi que le changement climatique, engendrent des situations de tensions dans la région sur les questions de l’eau et des...

The present study was carried out in North Sinai region. Data were collected as part of the project "Multinational approaches to enhance goat production in the Middle East" sponsored by MERC, USAID. Three goat production systems were identified according to water source and type of feeding or grazing: (i) the...

The latest assessment of rural poverty in the country, conducted by IFAD, found that half of Syria's poor rural households depend on wages for their livelihood. One third of poor rural people cultivate crops and raise livestock to obtain an income. The incidence of poverty is lowest among the 20...

The Arab countries account for more than 5 per cent of the world’s population, but less than 1 per cent of global water resources. And as a consequence of the phenomena associated with climate change, the region is facing an even greater water shortage. For 30 years now, IFAD and...