CGIAR Highlights Tools that Improve Farming Responses to Drought

In the context of the upcoming High-Level Meeting on National Drought Policy to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 11-15 March 2013, the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) is highlighting a collection of tools and outputs of its research centers that are contributing to more effective responses to drought.

CGIAR describes the work carried out by the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) in developing the "Focused Identification of Germplasm Strategy" to allow plant breeders to identify traits such as drought tolerance and resistance to high temperatures by matching ecological data with data on plant traits.

Other approaches highlighted include: work of the Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) on how satellite data can improve crop yield forecasting; the efforts of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to map communities that are prone to drought in India; and the research carried out by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) on how below ground water storage can alleviate floods and droughts.

CGIAR also describes insurance schemes for farmers as an effective risk management strategy for drought-prone areas in Africa and India.