CGIAR CAC Program

Rabat/Morocco August 2026: Advancing the Water–Land Nexus in Uzbekistan

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Uzbekistan and International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas - ICARDA are coordinating closely to accelerate the start-up of the national project "Integrated Natural Resources Management for Improved Ecosystem Conservation and Biodiversity Preservation," part of the GEF-funded Central Asia Water and Land Nexus (CAWLN) Programme.

This initiative aims to drive a transformative shift toward more resilient and sustainable natural resource management in Uzbekistan — integrating water and land management to strengthen biodiversity conservation and the sustainability of food systems. Working alongside National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change and the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan and their institutions, the project will support policy and institutional reforms, build national capacity for ecosystem monitoring, pilot field interventions to address desertification, and promote the economic valuation of agrobiodiversity.

ICARDA August newsletter is now published.

➡️ See all our work last month and ongoing and future events: mailchi.mp/cgiar.org/august-newsletter-2026

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International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas - ICARDA Field Academy Brings Jordan and Uzbekistan Together on Rainwater Harvesting and Landscape Restoration

ICARDA, under the Food Systems, Land Use and Restoration Impact Program in Uzbekistan (FOLUR) and the Water Scarcity Initiative (WSI), recently organized, in collaboration with Jordan’s NARC, a Field Academy to strengthen South–South knowledge exchange and showcase science-based approaches to water scarcity, land degradation and Landscape restoration in drylands.

The event, themed "From Rain to Restoration," brought together participants and technical specialists from Jordan and Uzbekistan to explore how Jordan’s experience could inform approaches adapted to Uzbekistan’s landscapes and local conditions. Over eight days, the participants took part in a diverse program of technical sessions, field demonstrations, hands-on training, institutional exchanges, action planning, and field visits to soil and water conservation and restoration sites across the country. "

➡️ Learn more:

ICARDA Field Academy Brings Jordan and Uzbekistan Together on Rainwater Harvesting and Landscape Restoration | ICARDA ICARDA’s Field Academy in Jordan brought together experts from Jordan and Uzbekistan to exchange practical approaches to rainwater harvesting, water management and dryland restoration, with field visits and hands-on training supporting plans to adapt Jordan’s experience to Uzbekistan’s landsca...

Where to find International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas - ICARDA at COP17 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

From land restoration and drought resilience to rangeland management, nature-based solutions and more, ICARDA’s delegation will be contributing to key conversations throughout COP17.

See you there! Get in touch with our delegation on the ground to connect and learn more about our work for resilient drylands.

➡️ Learn more: icarda.org/media/events/icarda-joins-unccd-cop17-mongolia

Long-standing partnership between International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas - ICARDA and Uzbekistan’s national agricultural research system continues to support wheat improvement across the country. As one example of this broader partnership, varieties developed through ICARDA's collaboration with the Southern Agriculture Research Institute (SARI) alone were planted on approximately 55,600 hectares of winter bread wheat during the 2026 cropping season.

Through the longstanding collaboration between ICARDA and the Southern Agriculture Research Institute (SARI), several high-performing winter wheat varieties have been developed using ICARDA's international germplasm. These varieties combine improved yield potential with broad adaptation and resilience to Uzbekistan's diverse agro-climatic conditions.

➡️ Read more:

Long-Term ICARDA-Uzbekistan Research Collaboration Delivers Wheat Varieties Across More Than 55,000 Hectares | ICARDA A long-standing partnership between ICARDA and Uzbekistan's Southern Agriculture Research Institute has resulted in six improved winter wheat varieties being planted across more than 55,600 hectares in 2026. The collaboration strengthens national breeding capacity, enhances climate resilience, and s...

Dryland regions are home to more than 2.3 billion people and account for over 40% of the world's cultivated land, yet they face mounting challenges, including drought, land degradation, climate variability, and low agricultural productivity.

On 10–12 of September International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas - ICARDA is joining the Dryland Congress 2026 in New Delhi, India.

➡️ Learn more: icarda.org/media/events/icarda-advances-south-south-cooperation-dryland-congress-2026

From a genebank near Aleppo to the frozen vaults of Svalbard, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas - ICARDA’s seed journey traces four decades of safeguarding crop diversity through conflict, climate pressures, and displacement, turning local conservation efforts into a global resource for food security and agricultural resilience.

Read the story themed "Acting Locally for Global Impact" more powerfully than ICARDA’s seed journey from the drylands of Syria to the −18°C vaults of Svalbard. The initiative was recently nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize alongside CGIAR and ICARDA’s partners—NordGen, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the Crop Trust:

ICARDA’s Seed Legacy - From the Cradle of Agriculture to a Nobel-nominated Arctic Vault | ICARDA ICARDA’s seed journey from a genebank near Aleppo to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault highlights four decades of protecting crop diversity, genetic resources, and climate-resilient agriculture through conflict and climate change. The story underscores the global importance of biodiversity conservati...

International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas - ICARDA has launched the “From Rain to Restoration” Field Academy, bringing together participants and specialists from Jordan and Uzbekistan for practical learning on rainwater harvesting, landscape restoration, hydrological monitoring, and sustainable natural resource management.

The first technical day introduced participants to:
💧 Rainwater-harvesting approaches and design principles
🌿 Landscape restoration, monitoring, and site suitability
📊 Policy and economic aspects of rainwater harvesting
🏜️ Water-spreading systems in Azraq
🏺 Jordan’s historical rainwater-harvesting systems
🌱 Nursery management and quality seedling production

The programme runs from 26 July to 4 August 2026 and connects the Food Systems, Land Use and Restoration Impact Program in Uzbekistan (FOLUR–Uzbekistan) with the FAO-led and SIDA-funded project “Supporting the Implementation of the Regional Water Scarcity Initiative in the Near East and North Africa.”

A Joint Technical Day will take place on 28 July at Khanasri Rangeland Research Station, bringing together ICARDA, NARC, FAO Jordan, the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, and partners from Jordan and Uzbekistan.

International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas - ICARDA plays a critical role in the conservation, development, improvement, and dissemination of climate-resilient, market-driven crop varieties that provide a crucial defence against extreme temperatures, water scarcity, the emergence of new pests and diseases, and nutritional insecurity.

Over the past four decades, ICARDA's improved cereal and legume varieties have been tested and released by national programs in partnership with ICARDA and adopted by farmers worldwide, generating net benefits of approximately US$850 million each year.

ICARDA's new varieties combat a range of challenges typical in dry regions. They can flourish in areas where rainfall is low and erratic, offer greater and more stable yields, and have a higher tolerance to stress factors such as diseases, pests, drought, and extreme temperatures. Many varieties also offer improvements in nutritional value and quality.

➡️ Watch and learn about our groundbreaking climate smart crops innovations:

Climate Smart Crops | ICARDA ICARDA plays a critical role in the conservation, development, improvement, and dissemination of climate-resilient, market-driven crop varieties.

International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas - ICARDA's partner-led research portfolio, with more than forty years of work in the region, has generated a wide-ranging body of scientific evidence on how to strengthen food system resilience in dry areas. We take a holistic food systems approach that considers inclusive social and economic opportunities to support national and regional development and food security strategies.

Our 2030 strategy, released in 2024, sharpens and updates our research focus to ensure that our solutions remain current and deploy the latest agri-innovations and digital technologies to keep pace with accelerating climate change. ICARDA's strategic climate science approaches are designed to address the challenges of CWANA and the Middle East directly.

➡️ Read more: icarda.org/research