In the Syrian steppe (or Badia), IFAD is working on participatory rangeland management with local communities to reduce herders' vulnerability to climate change and restore the long-term productivity of rangelands. After years of severe drought and intensive grazing, rangelands in the Badia were severely degraded.

By reintroducing native plants that help meet fodder requirements, fi x the soil and stop sand encroachment, ecosystems were restored and the local population's vulnerability to the effects of climatic instability was reduced. After two years of resting, reseeding and planting, birds, insects and animals returned to the area. The rehabilitated ecosystems offered further potential for income generation, as truffl es grow in some areas of the Badia, and women could gather them to boost their family incomes. In 2010, a community with a 100,000-ha grazing area could earn up to US$1 million through the sale of truffl es.

Higher household incomes provided a basis for the project to diversify income-earning opportunities for women through literacy classes and training courses in new skills such as fi rst aid, food processing and sewing. With households better off, there is less pressure on young girls to marry early, and as women gain more economic autonomy, they are fi nding that gender relations are shifting.