Adoption and Impact Assessment of Improved Technologies in Crop and Livestock Production Systems in the WANA Region. The Development of Integrated Crop/Livestock Production in low Rainfall Areas of Mashreq and Maghreb Regions (Mashreq/Maghreb Project)

The low rainfall areas (2QO-350mm) of the West Asia and North Africa (WANA) region are characterized by low levels of economic activity. high incidence of land degradation. and a high concentration of rural population. Agriculture accounts for nearly 30% of the total labor force in the region. Adoption rates of improved technologies are very low due to low public and private sector investment in agricultural research and technology transfer. This. coupled with increased incidences of drought. has resulted in increased poverty and hardship among small producers of rural populations. More than 38 million of the total WANA population live in rural areas. and depend mainly on farming for their livelihoods. Crop-livestock systems are the predominant enterprise. with major household income generated from small ruminant production. Livestock feed on extensive rangeland during winter and spring. and are moved to cultivated areas for grazing of cereal stubbles and other crop residues in summer and fall. The contribution of native rangeland to animal feed requirements has decreased from 70% five decades ago to no more than 25% at present. This is due mainly to increased number of animals and the demand for their products. Inappropriate land use policies and the absence of secure property rights have often contributed to unsustainable use of land and rangeland resources. land degradation resulting from the loss of vegetation through overgrazing. ploughing and fuel wood extraction. and consequent soil erosion via wind and water. is also common in WANA countries. This problem is exacerbated by land ownership and tenure issues. where land is collectively owned by the public. To address these challenges. therefore. the Mashreq/Maghreb (M&M) project was initiated and designed as an adaptive research program for the development of integrated crop-livestock production systems in the low-rainfall areas of WANA. The M&M project has succeeded in developing and disseminating several technological options. among which are improved barley varieties. introduction of forage legumes into barley rotation. fodder shrubs (Atriplex and cactus). improved rams. feed blocks. and other flock management practices. This publication documents the empirical results of uptake by end-users. constraints to adoption. and impact of the technologies. The results have important research and policy implications toward increased investment in the dry areas of WANA region. I therefore recommend it to the major players in agricultural development in WANA region. including students of agriculture. researchers. policymakers. the general public. and most especially governments of the WANA countries.