The Road to a Global Strategy for Resilient Drylands
CGIAR's Global Strategy for Resilient Drylands takes center stage as we approach UNFCCC COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, and UNCCD COP16 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The Global Strategy for Resilient Drylands (GSRD) is a partner-led initiative that addresses the agri-challenges posed by climate change, desertification, and water scarcity in drylands to generate resilient livelihoods by promoting climate-smart agriculture, conserving biodiversity, enhancing soil and water management, and ensuring access to healthy diets.
As CGIAR's first cross-center drylands strategy, the GSRD draws on 50 years of dryland science, innovation, and collaboration across CGIAR's 15 global research centers and partner networks. The strategy harnesses cutting-edge technology, fosters creativity, and tailors solutions to the specific needs of different dryland regions, ensuring a thriving future for millions who rely on these areas for food and livelihoods.
GSRD is the product of collaboration led by ICARDA and ICRISAT, alongside CGIAR partners like CIFOR-ICRAF, CIMMYT, CIP, IFPRI, IITA, ILRI, IWMI, and WorldFish, the Aliance of Bioversity and CIAT, IRRI, and AfricaRice. It has been shaped through consultations with national research organizations, governments, private sector partners, and civil society. As we approach COP season, the GSRD will take center stage at events, workshops, and conferences, providing global stakeholders the opportunity to review, consult, and collaborate ahead of its launch.
Why Focus on Drylands?
Drylands make up 46% of the world's land area and support nearly 44% of global agricultural systems, including half of the world's livestock. These regions, home to some of the world's poorest and most climate-vulnerable communities, are on the frontlines of the climate crisis. Rising temperatures, soil degradation, and unpredictable rainfall patterns exacerbate food insecurity, leading to conflict, migration, and poverty.
A Collective Vision
A unique strength of the GSRD is its collaborative nature. Aligned with CGIAR's 2030 Research and Innovation Strategy, CGIAR Centers carried out multiple rounds of consultations with stakeholders from 2023 to early 2024. The initial consultation meetings were held with ICARDA's National Agricultural Research Institute (NARS) partners across Central and West Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East, and has also involved extensive partner engagement, with meetings with existing and future international donors and partners to fine-tune regional action plans. On May 22, 2024, ICARDA and ICRISAT Director Generals Aly Abousabaa and Jacqueline Hughes held a virtual CGIAR system-wide internal briefing on GSRD. The two centers have since collaborated closely on finalizing the GSRD for upcoming public consultations.
Gearing Up for the COPs
As the world turns its attention to COP29 in November in Baku, Azerbaijan, led by ICARDA and ICRISAT, CGIAR will be there to showcase how drylands, often seen as fragile, actually offer an abundance of climate-smart genetic resources and agricultural approaches, which through the GSRD, can help develop models of resilience that can be globally scaled. Given the ravages of climate change on worldwide agriculture, many of the approaches and innovations set out in the GSRD are already relevant to worldwide regions that are not considered drylands. CGIAR hopes to raise this, alongside the profile of the GSRD, at upcoming conferences such as the Baku MENA Science Week, Cairo Water Week, and COP16 in Riyadh in December, marking a crucial step in ensuring global food systems can withstand future climate shocks.
COP29 Event
November 13, 2024, 15:00 – 16:30 – Shaping a Sustainable Future: A consultation on CGIAR's Global Strategy for Resilient Drylands at the Food and Agriculture Pavilion
COP16 Event
DATE, TIME, AND LOCATION TBA
More information on consultations and events will become available in the coming weeks.
