The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) was established in 1977. It is one of 15 such centers supported by the CGIAR. ICARDA’s founding mandate to promote agricultural development in the dry areas of developing countries remains highly relevant today.

ICARDA works with a tight focus on the problem-solving needs of resource-poor farmers, achieving this through the in-field delivery of its research outputs. Although global food production has increased by 20 per cent in the past decade, food insecurity and poverty remain widespread, while the natural resource base continues to decline.

ICARDA, which have helped drive previous improvements, continue to deliver new technologies to support sustainable growth in agriculture, and crucially, to work with a wide range of partners to accelerate the dissemination of these technologies.

Other interventions include:
• Water harvesting - supplemental irrigation and water-saving irrigation techniques
• Conservation agriculture methods to reduce production costs and improve sustainability
• Diversification of production systems to high-value crops – horticulture, herbal and medicinal plants
• Integrated crop/rangeland/livestock production systems including non-traditional sources of livestock feed
• Empowerment of rural women – support and training for value-added products.

We work closely with national agricultural research systems and government ministries. Over the years the Center has built a network of strong partnerships with national, regional and international institutions, universities, non-governmental organizations and ministries in the developing world and in industrialized countries with advanced research institutes.