ICARDA’s New Strategic Plan 2017-2026 Highlights

Non-tropical dry areas cover over 40% of the world’s land surface with a growing population of more than 2.5 billion people. These people grow 44% of the world’s food and keep half of the world’s livestock, yet one in six live in chronic poverty. Dry areas also face major challenges, including insufficient rainfall, climate variability and change, land degradation, desertification, recurring droughts, temperature extremes, high population growth, widespread poverty, and unemployment. Additionally, dry areas are home to many fragile and post-conflict states that rely on heavily agrarian economies.