Land desertification and restoration in Middle East and North Africa(MENA) region

The Middle East and North Africa （MENA） region is characterized by high population growth, degraded and fragile nat- ural ecosystems, and a limited amount of arable lands. It is one of the most water-scarce regions in the world. The region is heterogeneous in terms of the countries＇ economies, but because it includes some of the richest and some of the poorest countries in the world, regional average economic performance statistics are misleading. The region is mostly semi-arid and arid, with significant areas of extreme aridity. These areas are further challenged by extreme temperatures, frequent drought, land degradation, and desertification. Recent changes in climate patterns, such as prolonged droughts, record temperatures, and increased rainfall irregularity, intensity and distribution, have all further negatively impacted the natural and agro-ecosystems in the region. Such changes have led to increased vulnerability of the people dependent on such re- sources for their livelihood. This article focuses on the impact of land desertification due to climate changes on the prevailing natural resources, and discusses several approaches for mitigating or alleviating desertification. It is clear that water shortage is a problem in many countries of this predominantly arid region, and is unlikely to be reduced and may be exacerbated by climate change. Proposed adaptation strategies might include more efficient organization of water supplies, treatment, and delivery systems, and increased use of groundwater. It is necessary to develop alternative production and management systems appropriate to the socioeconomic and environmental conditions in order to prevent further degradation of the prevailing agro-ecosystems and sustain the livelihoods of farmers living in marginal conditions. Grasslands, livestock, and water resources are likely to be most vulnerable to climate change in the region because they are located mostly in marginal areas. Changes in cropping practices and improved irrigation practices, and introducing proper livestock-fodder crop production integrated systems, could significantly enhance water use efficiency, eliminate the impact of desertification, and improve local livelihoods.

Adaptation to climate change in desertified lands of the marginal regions in Egypt through sustainable crop and livestock diversification systems

Environmental degradation resulting from current climate changes, including prolonged drought, land degradation, desertification, and loss of biodiversity, is presenting enormous challenges to achieve food security and eradication of poverty in the marginal regions （about 90% of the total area） of Egypt. In addition to the natural constraints of high temperature, wind erosion, sand dune movement, and recurrent drought, such regions are subjected to improper land and water management. Moreover, there is a lack of knowledge, technologies, and experiences to match with the current severe climatic changes. There is a great need for establishing sustainable integrated ecosystem rehabilitation and management programs to overcome such problems in the marginal areas, particularly in the Sinai Peninsula due to its strategic and social importance. A series of research and development programs have been conducted in 2006 to im- prove the livelihoods of smallholders through enhancing the efficient management and utilization of local resources that can cope with the drastic changes of climate in the Sinai Peninsula. An integrated livestock/salt-tolerant fodder crop system was introduced, in 2010 by the project teamwork of Desert Research center, Egypt, to many smallholders in the South Sinai region, where studies were conducted at both the general research and individual farmer levels. The most important results were： （1） adoption of the most salt-tolerant genotypes of three forage crops： pearl millet （Pennisetum glaucum L.）, sorghum （Sorghum bicolor）, and Sudan grass （Sorghum sudanense （Piper） Stapf.）; two cereal crops （triticale and barley）; and two oil crops： safflower （Carthamus tinctorius） and Brassica （Mustard）. Alfalfa （Medicago sativa L. and Medicago arborium）, cowpeas （Vigna sinensis L.）, fodder beets （Beta vulgaris L.）, clumping desert bunchgrass （Panicum turgedum）, ryegrass （Lolium perenne） Ray grass, forage shrubs （Kochia indica, Atriplex num- mularia, Sesbania sesban L.）, and Acacia cyanophila, Leucaena leucocephala, Porsopis cheilanses, and Prosopis jioflora were also evaluated; （2） active participation of farmers in development of management strategies to improve ir- rigation water use efficiency, forage production, and livestock production; and （3） economic evaluation at the farmer level, which showed that feeding livestock salt-tolerant fodders produced an increase of about 60% in milk production and 80% in meat production, and reduced feed costs by about 40%. Accordingly, a 70% increase of family income was achieved. It is concluded that better utilization of fragile ecosystem resources and growing salt-tolerant fodder crops may contribute to the development of marginal areas and enhance the living standards of local people through providing high-quality livestock feed materials and producing economical animal products.