Policy Brief: Improving access to water in deserts and drylands

Ideas, innovations and trends for environmental sustainability in Jordan and the Arab World.

Sunday, November 12, 2006

This policy brief has been prepared by Mr Theib Oweis who is the director of the Management of Scarce Water Resources and Mitigation of Drought research programme at the International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA), in Aleppo, Syria.

The summary of the policy brief states that "water scarcity and drought affect over one billion people in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas, threatening livelihoods and food security. In these areas, the only available water may be surface runoff during rainy seasons, or shallow groundwater. This policy brief describes traditional ways of harvesting such water, outlines what improvements modern science offers, and discusses the implications for decision-makers, identifying both constraints and recommendations.".

The policy brief can be read online at the Scince Devnet website here