Tropentag, September 18 - 20, 2019 in Kassel "Filling gaps and removing traps for sustainable resources development"

Cereals and Pulses for Sustainable Agri-food Systems under Climate Change

¹International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Egypt
²International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Morocco
³International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Ethiopia

Abstract

In dry regions food systems are largely driven by cereals, especially bread wheat. Durum wheat is also a major food crop in many parts of the Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA) region. Barley has a specific place as it both contributes to human food (grain and malt) and livestock feed (grain, forage and straw), especially under conditions of water scarcity and low input systems. In response to increasing imports in most of the countries of the region, food policies have been focusing on bread wheat, leading to both increasing areas and yield. A large part of this wheat expansion and intensification is occurring under irrigated agriculture while many countries in the MENA region are already above the threshold level for the use of renewable resources. At the same time the production of other crops such as pulses and forages are stagnating or declining, while they are increasingly recognised as smart foods for human and livestock nutrition. These crops are also essential for adaptation to climate change, improvement of soil fertility, management of weeds, and breaking the pest and diseases cycle of cereal-based cropping systems.
Presentations in this session will show how current research conducted by ICARDA and its partners in the CWANA region can support a transition towards nutrition-sensitive and climate smart cereal-based agri-food systems under irrigated and rainfed conditions. We will show in particular how plant breeding, agronomy, livestock feeding and systems analysis can be combined to support this diversification and sustainable intensification of cereal-based agri-food systems.

Keywords: Climate smart agriculture, dry areas, transition

Contact Address: Jacques Wery, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Cairo, Egypt, e-mail: j.werycgiar.org