New Research Approaches to improve drylands agriculture to deliver a more prosperous future
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William Payne. (30/1/2013). New Research Approaches to improve drylands agriculture to deliver a more prosperous future.
Abstract
This report presents the outline and context for the CGIAR Research
Program on Dryland Systems. It examines the ‘systems thinking’ that
underpins the Program, against the background of climate change and the
host of related problems that rural communities in the world’s drylands are
increasingly facing. It details the target regions where the program is putting
its research into action to test approaches to scale-up technology and
policy interventions that can have a direct and positive impact for people
living in these regions.
The concepts presented and summarized here draw on the Dryland Systems
research proposal and Inception Report that was drawn up after two years
of extensive scientific consultations in five regions, that was the basis for the
program’s design in 2012. The report explores how systems thinking can
provide long term improvements to dryland agricultural production systems,
as outlined in the recent ICARDA publication – Innovative Agriculture for
Food Security. On climate change, it refers to the recent joint publication of
the CGIAR Climate Change program (CCAFS) and ICARDA – Strategies for
Combating Climate Change in Drylands Agriculture.
It is hoped that planners, policymakers and development partners will find
the information and analysis presented here useful in appreciating why
there is an urgent need for new approaches to research for development –
to address the problems faced by people that depend on drylands for their
food security and livelihoods– and how the Dryland Systems program
addresses them.
