INTERNATIONAL DRYLAND DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION (IDDC)

Report on the Ninth International Conference on
the Development of Drylands

Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria, Egypt
7-10 November 2008
The Ninth International Conference on Development of Drylands (ICDD), with the theme "Sustainable Development in the Dry Lands - Meeting the Challenge of Global Climate Change", was organized under the auspices of the International Dryland Development Commission (IDDC) and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, and sponsored by the Agricultural Research Center (ARC) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Egypt; the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Arid Land Research Center (ALRC) of Tottori University, Japan; Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), China; Desert Research Institute (DRI), Nevada, USA; Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); Japanese Agency for International Cooperation (JICA); Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS); United Nations University (UNU) and other national and international organizations. Beside the support of the sponsors, the Conference was also co-financed by the Arab Authority for Agricultural Investment and Development (AAAID), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), and Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR).

More than 450 participants from 42 countries and 19 international and regional organizations participated in the Conference. The Scientific Program of the Conference covered the following topics:
1.
Climate change in arid lands and its impact on natural resources of land and water and biodiversity in the dry areas
2.
 Desertification processes and tools for assessment and their application
3.
 Enhancing resilience of agriculture in dry areas through management of water and land resources and agronomic practices
4.
 Biodiversity conservation and utilization
5.
 Range management and forage and livestock production
6.
 Stress physiology: drought, heat, cold and salinity
7.
 Improvement of stress resistance in dry area crops, shrubs and tree species through conventional breeding and application of biotechnology
8.
 Reducing greenhouse gas emission through harnessing renewable energy in the dry areas
9.
 Blending indigenous/traditional knowledge and heritage with modern science in the sustainable development of oases
10.
 Enhancing livelihood of desert communities, socioeconomic studies and crosscutting issues.

The Inaugural Session, chaired by Prof Dr Adel El-Beltagy, Chair of IDDC, was graced by the presence of H.E. the Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, and the Senior Officials from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the Ministry of Energy. An inspiring Inaugural Address by the President of Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Dr Ismail Serageldin, set the stage for subsequent deliberations in the Conference.

In addition to the Inaugural Session, the Program comprised of five plenary sessions, six concurrent oral presentation sessions and three poster sessions on the above ten topics, a panel discussion on the theme "Global, regional and local assessment of climate change - implications for dry areas" and a video presentation under the title "Running Dry" highlighting the problem of water scarcity. Under Theme No. 10, a special workshop on Poverty was also organized.

The plenary presentations, 24 in all, included three keynote speeches, one each by the Vice President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Dr. Kanayo Nwanze, the President of OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) Dr. Suleiman Al-Herbish, and the Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Mr. Michel Jarraud. There were other 21 plenary presentations from leading experts in their field highlighting the impact of global climate change on the natural resources and communities in the dry areas, methodologies to assess these changes and for scenario building, indicators for assessing changes and integrated measures to enhance adaptive and mitigation capabilities of the communities in the dry areas to cope with the climate change and to achieve sustainable development.

In the 144 oral presentations made in the concurrent sessions, and 104 posters displayed by the scientists, information was presented on the outcome of scientific efforts in different fields to enhance the resilience of the dry areas to cope with climate change, drought and degradation of natural resources of land, water and biodiversity.

The deliberations clearly established that climate change was certainly impacting the dry areas, majority of which would become warmer and drier, with grave consequences for flora and fauna, cropping systems, crop and livestock productivity, food security and livelihoods of the people in these areas. Although the evidence was unequivocal about the change, precise information at the regional and local levels, which would be essential to develop effective coping strategies, was still insufficient and efforts were needed to develop this information. There was a need for enhancing the awareness of the impact of climate change at all levels of the society, attract investment in research to develop coping strategies, forge regional and international linkages for mobilizing cutting-edge science integrated with traditional knowledge for developing adaptive and mitigation measures, and bring about institutional reforms and empower the communities to benefit from the outcome of these efforts as they face the climate change.

On the last day of the Conference there was a scientific field visit of dryland sites in the newly reclaimed areas of northern Egypt, where participants could see the application of modern technology for efficient utilisation of land and water resources for economic production of high quality agricultural products. Some of the participants also travelled to Syria, on a post-Conference scientific tour, to see the dryland science work at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA).
   
Click here to see the Program (PDF)