Pistachio tree

The learning event was a great opportunity to gain exposure to the research results of the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) on Rangeland management and rehabilitation, reports Abdelhamid Abdouli.  Several of their results show high potential for transfer to small-scale farmers within IFAD-supported projects. The following are the most promising ICARDA research programmes for assisting small farmers in meeting the challenges of climate change and low productivity:

• Water-harvesting for efficient farm water use.

• Improved crop varieties (e.g. heat and drought resistant cereals and legume varieties such as wheat, barley, faba bean, lentil and chickpea).

• Small ruminants (e.g. shrub planting, feed blocks, rangelands management) .    

ICARDA’s Rangeland management and rehabilitation programmes aim to address overgrazing and unsustainable use of resources induced by an increasing demand for food and feed in West Asia and North Africa. ICARDA programmes promote the enhanced quality and productivity of crop and livestock, and of the improved management of water resources through close cooperation with farmers and National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS).  

Rangelands information products from remotely-sensed imagery

ICARDA in collaboration with universities and NARS, tests and validates the use of satellite remote-sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology to create detailed maps in order to improve rangelands management. GIS experts integrate Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) imagery and Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data with information from Landsat images. Farmers and decision makers may benefit from the training for the interpretation and usage of the GIS data provided by ICARDA for improved rangelands management and rehabilitation.

IFAD- Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD) -Government of Syria Badea Rangelands development project

The project covers 3.2 million hectares (30 per cent of the Badea total surface). Its achievements illustrate that large-scale rangelands development investments could be successful in reversing rangelands degradation, particularly under fragile environments and severe drought, and largely contributing to mitigation of climate change. The major lessons learned from this project are:

• As a prerequisite, there is a need for strong government ownership, particularly in enforcing law governing Badea (e.g. banning barley cropping in the Badea) and providing incentives to herders who adopt the participatory rangelands management approach (e.g. granting them exclusive grazing rights).
• Homogenous herder communities are encouraged to be involved in the implementation and monitoring of rangelands management programmes. The Badea Rangelands Development Project entered into a partnership agreement with homogenous herders groups, and those involved in internal conflicts were invited to settle the conflict before seeking project support.
• Rangeland management and rehabilitation activities ought to be an integral part of rangeland development programmes for herder communities and should address issues such as water supply, livestock development, rural finance, access to markets, and improvement of herder skills are important considerations for successful Badia rangeland programme.

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