8 May 2019. ICARDA Workshop on Novel Research Dimensions in Modeling Climate Change Impacts in Agriculture. Introducing ICARDA and the DryArc Initiative, by Jacques Wery ICARDA Deputy Director General - Research

1. International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas
icarda.org cgiar.org
A CGIAR Research Center
ICARDA and the DryArc
Cairo Mai 8, 2019
Prof. Jacques WERY
DDG-R

2. icarda.org 2
Staff: 400
Scientists: 80
ICARDA is a decentralized R4D international institute focusing on
dryland agriculture that combines component and systems research
Partnership with NARS

3. icarda.org 3
• Food and nutrition insecurity
• Unemployment and migration
• Women and youth
• Natural resources
• Capacity Development
Agro-Pastoral
Rainfed
Irrigated
Agricultural Systems
Agri-food systems under water scarcity and climate
change
Desert Farming

4. icarda.org 4
Global mandate: Barley, lentil, faba bean, grass pea and small ruminants
Regional mandate: wheat and chickpea
Soils and waters
Small Ruminants
Genetic Resources
Plant Breeding
Crop Management
Component research

5. icarda.org 5
Bread Wheat Faba bean
Barley Lentils
Rainfed
mm
Durum Wheat Chickpea
450
250
Improving rainfed crops

6. icarda.org 6
Systems Research
17 %
22 %
58 %
3 %
NENA Agricultural Land (2.5 M km2)

7. icarda.org 7
• Soil Erosion
• No vegetation
• No Livelihood
• Downstream Flooding
Land and Livestock governance
Integrated Watershed Management
Marab Agriculture
125 mm rainfall
5 T/ha grain
5 T/ha feed

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Input-based Intensification
• Loss of Soil Fertility
• Salinization
• Soil Health (Pesticides and Fertilizers)
Diversity-based Intensification
Water Management

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Mechanized Rainfed Agriculture
Conservation Agriculture
• Loss of soil fertility (organic matter, compaction)
• Weeds, pests and diseases
• Risky farming
Forages and Pulses
“De-risking” solutions for farmers

10. icarda.org
Big data and technologies for Smart Farming Systems
Geo-Tagging
Satellite data
Agro-Tagging
Climate data
Soil data
Water data
Topography
Demography
Ecological data
…
Mapping
Monitoring
Targeting
Estimating
Forecasting
Warning
Lending
Insurance
Value chains
Carbon-Credits
The Big Data
Computation
Applications
AI
ML
RF IOT
Scalability
Algorithms
Biggest drivers

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Level 1: Observation and trend analysis with low data on the ground
http://geoagro.icarda.org/eo-yemen/index.html
Cropland Area
Cropland Productivity
2014 - 2017
Vegetation Index

12. 12icarda.org
3 billion ha
International Agencies
3 million ha
Governments
300 k ha
Agro-Food industry
30 k ha
Advisors
Multi-scale knowledge on climate variability (spatial and temporal), soil fertility,
water availability and quality and crop responses (yield, water productivity,
soil carbon, pests-diseases…)
Level 2: Quantification of key indicators for decision making
1.3 ha
Farmers

13. icarda.org
Level 3. Outscaling proven technologies

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Level 4: Upscaling to Agri-Food Systems at the National Level
RSB Wheat (Feddans)
Food
Policy
Target
?
?
?
 Ex ante Multiscale and Multicriteria Assessment of Innovation to inform Policies

15. A Global Interface
cgiar.org
A CGIAR Research Center
Towards a CGIAR Platform for the Drylands

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A systemic crisis
Demography
Urbanisation
Conflicts
Climate
Change
Land
Degradation
No Future
Resilience

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Informing research and development investments for
sustainable and resilient agri-food systems in the dry lands
Research
projects
Informing strategic
thinking and
investment in R4D
Stakholder
capacity
building
Systemic Innovations
Prioritization
Ex ante Impact
Assessment
Cost-Benefit
Analysis
Outscalling
Innovation
Re-orient Component Research

19. icarda.org
Systemic Innovation
NUTRITION
SECURITY
BLUE WATER
LABOR
EMPLOYMENT MIGRATION
NATURAL
RESOURCES
& ENERGY
SYSTEMIC
INNOVATION
Components
Enabling
Environment

20. 20The DryArc Initiative
A Global Interface
DryArc: The Interface of the CGIAR for the Drylands
CRPs
CGIAR
Centers
Public Sector
NARS, ARIS,
Univ.
Private sector
Knowledge management (KMT)
Data, maps, climate scenarios (MT)
Framework and models for integrated modelling
and assessment of agrifood systems in the
drylands (IMF)
Multi-
criteria
assessment
(MAT)
Research
projects
Informing strategic
thinking and
investment in R4D
Stakholder
capacity
building
Participatory
approach (SIT)
Proven technologies (“Innovations”)
The DryArc Interface: a Combination of Tools for
* Benchmarking,
* Integrated Assessment
* Scaling of Innovations
for Dryland Agriculture

21. 21The DryArc Initiative
A Global Interface
Six Themes for bilateral projects for the Proof of Concept (2019-2021)
Theme Hub Spill-over CGIAR centers involved (tbd)
Exploring Sustainable Options for
Integrated Desert Farming Systems
Egypt GCC ICARDA (AlReef AlMasry,
forage, date palm, protected
agriculture); WorldFish;
ICRISAT (groundnut, sorghum);
IFPRI; IWMI
Improving Resilience and
Productivity of Agro-pastoral Lands
in the Face of Climate Change
Jordan, lowland
Ethiopia
Syria, Iraq, Yemen ICARDA (Marab agriculture –
barley breeding); ICRISAT
(lowland of Ethiopia)
Sustainable Intensification of
Rainfed Cropping Systems
Morocco for
MENA; India for
South Asia
Syria, Iraq, Yemen ICARDA (cereal, legume,
forage); ICRISAT
Information for Resilience of
Irrigated Agriculture
Egypt (Delta);
Central Asia
Syria, Iraq, Yemen IFPRI; ICARDA (crop rotation,
raised-bed, IPM); IWMI;
WorldFish
Land Restoration with Tree-Crop-
Livestock Systems
Sahel (Niger,
Nigeria)
Tc had ICRISAT (Sahel)
Hotspots of Water Scarcity –
Managing Risks in the DryArc
Region
DryArc region Syria, Iraq, Yemen IWMI; ICARDA; ICRISAT: IFPRI
(DryArc Baseline, Report
Series)