Water, Land Management and Ecosystems

ICARDA water management technologies deliver ‘more with less’ across the dry areas

ICARDA’s Water, Land Management and Ecosystems research program supports the sustainable use of water and land resources through rain-fed, irrigated and agro-pastoral farming. We focus on ecosystems and landscapes that offer opportunities to reverse environmental degradation and enhance intensification. Additionally, we take an integrated approach to managing soil, land, and water resources across the rangelands in the non-tropical dry areas.

Although recognized by national leaders as a strategic priority, very few countries have a master plan for managing water in their agricultural sectors and for dealing with the uncertainties that lie ahead. In response, ICARDA develops technology packages that produce ‘more with less’ in various production systems – in greenhouses, on fields, and across rangelands.

Selected impacts:

Soilless production: scalable technology packages for hydroponic systems in the Arabian Peninsula enable smallholder farmers in water-scarce regions to reap high-yield, high-quality cash crops even under harsh growing conditions.

Raised-bed planting: an innovative adaptation of seed drills in Egypt has enhanced the adoption of raised-bed planting, a practical and cost-effective technique that has many conservation benefits and requires significantly less water.

Harvesting rainwater to ‘green’ rangelands: An auto-guiding system using inexpensive lasers is enhancing the use of Vallerani plows to construct rainwater micro-catchments more efficiently and effectively.