Context:

A global strategy to revolutionise dryland farming was recently launched at UNCCD COP16.

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• Launched by the Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers (CGIAR), a global partnership that unites international organisations engaged in research on food security.
• The strategy is titled the CGIAR 2030 Global Strategy for Resilient Drylands (GSRD).
• Launched at the 16^th Conference of Parties (COP) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
• The initiative will be spearheaded by CGIAR centres:  International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA) and International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT).

Need for the Strategy

• 2.7 billion people, or one-third of the world’s population, live in drylands.
• Drylands have almost half of the world’s livestock and 44% of food systems.
• They are considered fragile ecosystems, with 20-35% degraded.
• Drylands are on the frontlines of climate change, warming at rates 20-40% higher than other regions. 

Global Strategy for Resilient Drylands (GSRD) 

• It is a transformative initiative tackling water scarcity, land degradation, and desertification.
• Positions dryland agriculture at the centre of global climate adaptation strategies.
• Integrates traditional dryland approaches into cutting-edge climate-smart agriculture.
• Use of technologies like solar-powered agrivoltaics, advanced agroforestry, improved livestock feeding practices, and breeding climate-resilient crops like barley, lentils, chickpeas, and cacti.
• The strategy outlines five key areas of focus: 

About the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)

It is one of the three major treaties concluded at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. 

• The others are the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

It is the only internationally binding framework set up to address the problem of desertification. 

Conference of the Parties (COP) is the main decision-making body of UNCCD’s 197 Parties which include 196 countries and the European Union.

The 16^th Conference of the Parties (COP16) is being held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from 2-13 December 2024 under the theme ‘Our Land. Our Future’.