ICARDA’s West Asia Regional Program (WARP) coordinates agricultural research and development activities in Cyprus, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, Syria and lowland Turkey. With its head office in Amman, Jordan, the program plays a key role in joint bilateral and regional initiatives, as well as implementing several projects.

India holds a substantial rangeland area, most of which is in the state of Rajasthan. The livestock sector is vital for the rural poor in the region and it is the main source of income. Advanced degradation of rangelands due to lack of proper management tools and the communal land tenure regime are leading to an increasing threat of desertification. Lack of adequate nutrition (due to overgrazed community rangelands), inappropriate management practices and restricted access to health services are the major causes of low productivity of small ruminants.

The workshop, “System Analysis for Rangeland Management in Yabello”, involved multiple stakeholders analyzing the complex factors that affect rangeland condition and management, and considering implications for planning and decision-making around key issues. The workshop aimed to complement activities which are already ongoing including the planning being done by community Rangeland Councils in Yabello Woreda and elsewhere in Borena Zone.

Stipagrostis pungens is a perennial grass species which belongs to the Poaceae family. It is usually found with several erect culms, grows up to 1.5 m in height, and forms substantial tufts. It is a tall stiff glabrous grass with pungent leaves, and a C4 grass with sclerophyllous, spine-tipped, inrolled leaves, with sunken stomata. The root system extends laterally for a radius of 20 m or more. The roots are covered throughout their length by a sandy sheath, which is penetrated by the root hairs that occur throughout the entire length of the sheath.

This study was carried out at the communal rangelands of Dhahar, Saharan area of Southern Tunisia, to assess the impact of restoration and rehabilitation techniques on natural vegetation cover. Two rangeland types (Rhanterium suaveolens and Anthyllis sericea) were subjected to three management modes: two years rest (M), reseeding Stipagrostis pungens (S) and free grazing (T). In all plots, total plant cover, species richness and grass density where determined in spring 2008.

Few regions present bigger development challenges than the African drylands – home to nearly 300 million people, and the vast majority of Africa’s poor. Food security and rural welfare in these areas are limited by a range of factors, biophysical, socio-economic and policy-related. And many of the biggest challenges – poverty, drought, land degradation, food insecurity – will be exacerbated by climate change.

This issue of Caravan chronicles ICARDA’s efforts in developing a research strategy and a need-based research program for the CAC region. In doing so, ICARDA played a major role in bringing together all partners, most importantly donors. The article on page 8 traces the history of this effort and provides an overview of the current status of collaboration.

2016 was the hottest year on record – the third consecutive record-breaking year. It was a sign that we have to act fast to enhance the resilience of dryland farmers, who not only have to contend with more extreme temperatures but also face rapidly depleting water resources and the destructive effects of new pests and disease.

2014 went on record as the hottest year ever measured, a telling sign that climate change is already here. The agriculture sector is predicted to take the heaviest toll, with the hardest hit being smallholder farmers in developing countries, particularly in dry areas. With rising temperatures and greater stress on water resources, agricultural productivity is set to experience a substantial decline. Yet against these odds, we need to produce progressively more to feed a rapidly growing world population.

This publication is a baseline assessment reviewing the current knowledge of land degradation in the rangelands of Jordan - known as Badia - with a special focus on its causes. It includes a review of current legislation and on-going initiatives to combat land degradation, along with an analysis of the main constraints limiting their effectiveness.

Rangelands are the mainstay of pastoral livelihoods worldwide. Within rangelands, there are landscape depressions or lowlands characterized by high production potentials with their unique edaphic and hydrologic properties. The purpose of this ongoing research is to evaluate the effect of grazing exclusion on the vegetation characteristics and plant community structure in the arid lowland pastoral ecosystems. Plots were randomly identified within two distinct lowlands in Majidya and Sabha, in the Jordanian Badia.

Widespread heat waves, floods, and droughts last year were a strong reminder of the threats posed by climate change. In the non-tropical dry areas where ICARDA works we are becoming accustomed to record high temperatures and increasing water scarcity year on year. Resilience and climate change adaptation are at the heart of ICARDA’s new Strategic Plan 2017-2026 – a bold and ambitious effort to harness cutting-edge science and deliver the tools and technologies that smallholder farmers need to maintain agricultural production and protect their livelihoods.