The 'dryarc' initiative by CGIAR aims to enhance the resilience of rural communities and agri-food systems in drylands, responding to various drivers like economic transitions and conflicts. It targets three ecological systems and seeks to assess innovations, analyze impacts on nutrition and livelihood under climate change, and build capacities for policy implementation. Additionally, the document outlines key climate challenges in agriculture, advocating for digital solutions and partnerships to address these issues by 2030.

1. PC Item 5.3.ii
New CGIAR initiatives
DryArc
Climate Change
Preliminary submissions to the SMO for multi
–centre/disciplinary/year initiatives targeting
new ideas/regions/funding sources – 2019-
2030 business plan.

2. Innovation in Agri-food Systems as a driver of
Employment, Nutrition and Resilience in
Fragile Drylands (Dry Arc)
The ‘DryArc’ Initiative (ICARDA, ICRISAT, IFPRI, IWMI) aims to strengthen
the resilience of rural communities and agri-food systems across the
drylands of MENA, Central and West Asia, sub Saharan Africa.
Responds to 5 major drivers
(1) Rapid economic and nutritional transitions in urban-rural areas (e.g. Egypt)
(2) Rural-urban migration (e.g. Cairo, Ibadan)
(3) Cross-border water resource disputes (e.g. Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya, Egypt)
(4) Protracted conflicts around resource allocations between agriculture and
pastoralism (e.g. Burkina Faso, Mali, Nigeria)
(5) Conflict, post-conflict and peace building with population displacements (e.g.
Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Mali, Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia)

3. Tropical dry areas
Agro-pastroral systems
Rainfed systems
Irrigated systems
Non-tropical dry areas
Agricultural Production Systems

4. icarda.org 4
People
Livestock
Country
Region
FieldLandscape Farm
Tropical dry areas
Agro-pastroral systems
Rainfed systems
Irrigated systems
Non-tropical dry areas
Agricultural Production Systems

5. DryArc
Target three ecologies: Irrigated system, rainfed systems and agro-
pastoral systems.
Outcomes:
(1) A portfolio of innovations assessed for their validity domain and
enabling environment.
(2) Ex-post/ex-ante integrated analysis of impacts on nutrition, farm
household livelihood and natural resource management under
climate change
(3) Evidence of the impact in-farm and off-farm labor - impacts on
migration, restauration of agriculture in post-conflict regions
(4) Enhanced capacities of public and private sectors for the
implementation of policies, institutions and markets

6. Climate Change - The 2 degree initiative for
agriculture and food systems
Aim: make use of the 50 years plus of CGIAR work to tailor information for policy
processes, embrace digital agriculture as a means of scaling , create new innovative
partnerships with the private sector, financial institutions and actors.

7. Grand Challenges
#1. Tackling heat impacts on crops in three global food-baskets
#2. Foster transformation in irrigation; safe and sustainable solar
irrigation for smallholders in climate hotspots in SSA.
#3. Preparing for saline intrusion, sea-level rise and flooding in coastal
Asia
#4. Building climate-resilient rural livelihoods in the Middle East and
North Africa
#5. Ecosystem-based adaptation through restoration agriculture in
climate vulnerable hotspots in SSA.
#6. Enhancing carbon for mitigation and resilience in threatened tropical
forests
#7. Supporting low emissions livestock production (East Africa, India, and
Brazil)
+ Pests and Disease?

8. Theory of change - Five key elements to
achieve transformed food systems.

9. Questions / recommendations for the GB
1. General comment on the strategic pitch and proposed
geographical targets of the proposals.

10. Thank You