Soil, Water, and Agronomy

Conservation Agriculture
Conservation Agriculture

The future of family farming livelihoods in dry areas is in peril due to climate change, land and soil degradation, and diminishing resources - especially water. To help reduce the impact of these factors on crops and livestock production, ICARDA carries out sustainable land, soil, and water management research on three diversified, integrated, and resilient practices for family and large-scale farming:

  • Climate-smart water use and management
  • Conservation agriculture
  • Better soil, nutrients, and agronomy

ICARDA delivers its solutions as integrated packages that include our new innovative technology, capacity-building programs, instruments for better market access, and the current best agronomic approaches. These include sustainable, water-smart irrigation, cultivation of drought-tolerant crop varieties, water management approaches, mechanized raised bed technology, and crop rotation.

We also contribute to the protection and restoration of degraded arable land through long-term soil health management and pest control, in addition to social policies favorable to scaling up innovations and addressing improved opportunities for women and youth in major water management projects.

Land, Soil and Water Innovations

 ICARDA innovations help countries and communities strengthen their adaptation to climate change and transition towards food and nutritional security.

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Climate Smart Crops

Cross Cutting Themes

Our cross-cutting research supports our three research priorities to provide integrated packages that help farmers to implement our innovations and new approaches and allow them to flourish:

Latest News

Group Photo
News
ICARDA Morocco hosted Master’s students from Tottori University for a week-long visit, where they explored dryland agriculture innovations through field visits, research facility tours, and discussions with ICARDA and INRA Morocco scientists.
A field of freshly harvested potatoes in Tajikistan.
Blog
In Tajikistan, ICARDA and CARITAS Switzerland, with support from the Swiss Government, are leading a shift towards efficiency with weather-based irrigation advisory services, an innovation that aligns with the country’s ongoing reforms for equitable and sustainable water use.
Solar Panels installed over crops
Blog
As the World marks Water Day 2025 on March 22 under the theme "Glacier Preservation", ICARDA highlights agrivoltaics.

Featured Innovations