Annex I. Agroecological Zones Framework and Database for the Review of CGIAR Priorities and Strategies

Introduction

The classification of regional agroecological zones (RAEZs) described in this Annex was devised for TAC's review of CGIAR priorities and strategies. In applying the classification to the four developing country regions, (sub-Saharan Africa, West Asia and North Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean), the socioeconomic and land use database (available only in terms of political administrative units) had to be linked to the natural resource database of soil, climate and landform (available by FAO agroecological zones for each country). To achieve this linkage, agroecological zone boundaries were reconciled with political administrative boundaries, where possible.

Agroecological Zones (AEZs)

At the highest level of aggregation, nine agroecological zones were distinguished from the FAO agroecological zones (FAO-AEZ) land inventory. These are:

1. Warm arid and semi-arid tropics
2. Warm subhumid tropics
3. Warm humid tropics
4. Cool tropics
5. Warm arid and semi-arid subtropics with summer rainfall
6. Warm subhumid subtropics with summer rainfall
7. Warm/cool humid subtropics with summer rainfall
8. Cool subtropics with summer rainfall
9. Cool subtropics with winter rainfall

The FAO-AEZ classification is based on rainfed soil moisture availability in terms of reference length of growing period (LGP) derived using a water balance model, and temperature conditions during the LGP. The definitions of the LGP moisture and thermal zones in the FAO-AEZ classification, and of the above nine AEZs, are given in this Annex. The soils information in the FAO-AEZ land inventory is based on the FAO-UNESCO Soil Map of the World.

Distribution of RAEZs in the Four Regions

The application of the above AEZ classification to the four regions leads to a total of 23 RAEZs, four in Sub-Saharan Africa, three in West Asia-North Africa, seven in Asia and nine in Latin America and the Caribbean. RAEZs 1 and 2 in sub-Saharan Africa are each split into three parts: West Africa, East Africa and Southern Africa. The country classification by RAEZs is given in this Annex.

Database

The AEZ database developed for TAC's review of CGIAR priorities and strategies includes information on the following areas:

- Land resources and land potentials
- Land use and production
- Population (human, livestock)
- Demand, exports and value of production
- Income, poverty and malnutrition

DEFINITIONS

Tropics:

All months with monthly mean temperature, corrected to sea level, above 18°C.

Subtropics:

One or more months with monthly mean temperature, corrected to sea level, below 18°C.

Temperate:

One or more months with monthly mean temperature, corrected to sea level, below 5°C.

Length of Growing Period (LGP):

Period (in days) during the year when rainfed available soil moisture supply is greater than half potential evapotranspiration (PET). It includes the period required to evapotranspire up to 100 mm of available soil moisture stored in the soil profile. It excludes any time interval when daily mean temperature is less than 5°C.

Warm:

Daily mean temperature during the growing period greater than 20°C.

Cool:

Daily mean temperature during the growing period in the range 5-20°C (includes the moderately cool range 15-20°C).

Cold:

Daily mean temperature less than 5°C.

Warm/Cool:

Daily mean temperature during part of the growing period greater than 20°C, and during another part less than 20°C.

Arid:

LGP less than 75 days.

Semi-arid:

LGP in the range 75-180 days.

Subhumid:

LGP in the range of 180-270 days.

Humid:

LGP greater than 270 days.

Warm Arid and Semi-arid Tropics:

Comprises the semi-arid (LGP = 75-180 days) moisture zone in the tropics. Arid (LGP = 0-75 days) moisture zone taken into account for the purposes of irrigation and rangeland assessments, and for reconciliation with political boundaries. Daily mean temperature during the growing period greater than 20 °C.

Warm Subhumid Tropics:

Comprises the subhumid (LGP = 180-270 days) moisture zone in the tropics. Daily mean temperature during the growing period greater than 20 °C.

Warm Humid Tropics:

Comprises the humid (LGP= 270-365 days) moisture zone in the tropics including the per-humid areas. Daily mean temperature during the growing period greater than 20 °C.

Cool Tropics:

Comprises the semi-arid (LGP = 75-180 days), subhumid (LGP = 180-270 days) and humid (LGP = 270-365 days) moisture zones in the tropics. Arid (LGP = 0-75 days) moisture zone taken into account for the purposes of irrigation and rangeland assessments, and for reconciliation with political boundaries. Daily mean temperature during the growing period in the range 5-20°C. Includes the moderately cool tropics major climate with daily mean temperature during the growing period in the range 15-20°C. Areas of cold tropics taken into account for reconciliation with political boundaries.

Warm Arid and Semi-arid Subtropics with Summer Rainfall:

Comprises the semi-arid (LGP = 75-180 days) moisture zone in the subtropics. Arid (LGP = 0-75 days) moisture zone taken into account for the purposes of irrigation and rangeland assessments, and for reconciliation with political boundaries. Daily mean temperature during the growing period greater than 20 °C. Includes the warm semi-arid temperate (summer rainfall) major climate in China.

Warm Subhumid Subtropics with Summer Rainfall:

Comprises the subhumid (LGP = 180-270 days) moisture zone in the subtropics. Daily mean temperature during the growing period greater than 20°C. Includes the warm subhumid temperate (summer rainfall) major climate in China and Korea.

Warm/Cool Humid Subtropics with Summer Rainfall:

Comprises the humid (LGP = 270-365 days) moisture zone in the subtropics. Daily mean temperature greater than 20°C during one part (warm) of the growing period, and less than 20°C during another part (cool) of the growing period. The cool part is moderately cool with daily mean temperature in the range 15-20°C. Includes the warm/moderately cool temperate (summer rainfall) major climate in China.

Cool Subtropics with Summer Rainfall:

Comprises the semi-arid (LGP = 75-180 days), subhumid (LGP = 180-270 days) and humid (LGP = 270-365 days) moisture zones in the subtropics. Arid (LGP = 0-75 days) moisture zone taken into account for the purposes of irrigation and rangeland assessments, and for reconciliation with political boundaries. Daily mean temperature during the growing period in the range 5-20°C. Includes the moderately cool subtropics (summer rainfall) and transitional moderately cool subtropics (summer rainfall) major climates with daily mean temperature in the range 15-20°C. Areas of cold subtropics (summer rainfall) taken into account for reconciliation with political boundaries. Includes cool and cold temperate (summer rainfall) major climates in China, Mongolia and Korea.

Cool Subtropics with Winter Rainfall:

Comprises the semi-arid (LGP = 75-180 days), subhumid (LGP = 180-270 days) and humid (LGP = 270-365 days) moisture zones in the subtropics. Arid (LGP = 0-75 days) moisture zone taken into account for the purposes of irrigation and rangeland assessments, and for reconciliation with political boundaries. Daily mean temperature during the growing period in the range 5-20°C. Areas of cold subtropics (winter rainfall) taken into account for reconciliation with political boundaries. Includes cool and cold temperate (winter rainfall) major climates in Turkey, Argentina and Chile.

COUNTRY CLASSIFICATION BY REGIONAL AGROECOLOGICAL ZONES (RAEZ)

1. Sub-Saharan Africa

RAEZ1 Warm arid and semi-arid tropics (AEZ 1):

West Africa: Cape Verde, Chad, The Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and parts of Benin, Burkina Faso, and Nigeria.
East Africa: Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan and parts of Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
Southern Africa: Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland, and parts of Angola, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

RAEZ 2 Warm subhumid tropics (AEZ 2):

West Africa: Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Togo, and parts of Benin, Burkina Faso and Nigeria.
East Africa: Parts of Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda.
Southern Africa: Comoros and parts of Angola, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

RAEZ 3 Warm humid tropics (AEZ 3):

Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire. Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Liberia, Mauritius, Reunion, Sao Tome, Sierra Leone, Zaire, and parts of Madagascar and Nigeria.

RAEZ 4 Cool tropics (AEZ 4):

Burundi, Lesotho, Rwanda, and parts of Angola, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar and Tanzania.

2. West Asia North Africa

RAEZ 5 Warm arid and semi-arid tropics (AEZ 1):

Oman, United Arab Emirates, and parts of Republic of Yemen.

RAEZ 6 Cool tropics (AEZ 4):

Parts of Republic of Yemen.

RAEZ 7 Cool subtropics with winter rainfall (AEZ 9):

Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and Western Sahara.

3. Asia and the Pacific

RAEZ 8 Warm arid and semi-arid tropics (AEZ 1):

Parts of India and Thailand.

RAEZ 9 Warm subhumid tropics (AEZ 2):

Myanmar, and parts of India, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

RAEZ 10 Warm humid tropics (AEZ 3):

Bangladesh, Brunei, Fiji, Indonesia, Kampuchea, Laos, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu, Vietnam, and parts of Sri Lanka and Thailand.

RAEZ 11 Warm arid and semi-arid subtropics with summer rainfall (AEZ 5):

Pakistan, and parts of China and India.

RAEZ 12 Warm subhumid tropics with summer rainfall (AEZ 6):

Parts of China, India, North Korea and South Korea.

RAEZ 13 Warm/cool humid subtropics with summer rainfall (AEZ 7):

Taiwan and parts of China.

RAEZ 14 Cool subtropics with summer rainfall (AEZ 8):

Bhutan, Mongolia, Nepal, and parts of China, India, North Korea and South Korea.

4. Latin America and the Caribbean

RAEZ 15 Warm arid and semi-arid tropics (AEZ 1):

Antigua, Netherlands, Antilles, Haiti and parts of Bolivia, Brazil, Cuba, Ecuador. Mexico and Venezuela.

RAEZ 16 Warm subhumid tropics (AEZ 2):

Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Lucia, and parts of Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Paraguay and Venezuela.

RAEZ 17 Warm humid tropics (AEZ 3):

Barbados, Belize, French Guyana, Guyana, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Windward Isles, and parts of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela.

RAEZ 18 Cool tropics (AEZ 4):

Parts of Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Peru.

RAEZ 19 Warm arid and semi-arid subtropics with summer rainfall (AEZ 5):

Parts of Argentina and Mexico.

RAEZ 20 Warm subhumid subtropics with summer rainfall (AEZ 6):

Parts of Argentina.

RAEZ 21 Warm/cool humid subtropics with summer rainfall (AEZ 7):

Parts of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay.

RAEZ 22 Cool subtropics with summer rainfall (AEZ 8):

Uruguay and parts of Argentina.

RAEZ 23 Cool subtropics with winter rainfall (AEZ 9):

Chile and parts of Argentina.

*Tropics:*	All months with monthly mean temperature, corrected to sea level, above 18°C.
*Subtropics:*	One or more months with monthly mean temperature, corrected to sea level, below 18°C.
*Temperate:*	One or more months with monthly mean temperature, corrected to sea level, below 5°C.
*Length of Growing Period* (*LGP*):	Period (in days) during the year when rainfed available soil moisture supply is greater than half potential evapotranspiration (PET). It includes the period required to evapotranspire up to 100 mm of available soil moisture stored in the soil profile. It excludes any time interval when daily mean temperature is less than 5°C.
*Warm:*	Daily mean temperature during the growing period greater than 20°C.
*Cool:*	Daily mean temperature during the growing period in the range 5-20°C (includes the moderately cool range 15-20°C).
*Cold:*	Daily mean temperature less than 5°C.
*Warm/Cool:*	Daily mean temperature during part of the growing period greater than 20°C, and during another part less than 20°C.
*Arid:*	LGP less than 75 days.
*Semi-arid:*	LGP in the range 75-180 days.
*Subhumid:*	LGP in the range of 180-270 days.
*Humid:*	LGP greater than 270 days.
*Warm Arid and Semi-arid Tropics:*	Comprises the semi-arid (LGP = 75-180 days) moisture zone in the tropics. Arid (LGP = 0-75 days) moisture zone taken into account for the purposes of irrigation and rangeland assessments, and for reconciliation with political boundaries. Daily mean temperature during the growing period greater than 20 °C.
*Warm Subhumid Tropics:*	Comprises the subhumid (LGP = 180-270 days) moisture zone in the tropics. Daily mean temperature during the growing period greater than 20 °C.
*Warm Humid* *Tropics:*	Comprises the humid (LGP= 270-365 days) moisture zone in the tropics including the per-humid areas. Daily mean temperature during the growing period greater than 20 °C.
*Cool Tropics:*	Comprises the semi-arid (LGP = 75-180 days), subhumid (LGP = 180-270 days) and humid (LGP = 270-365 days) moisture zones in the tropics. Arid (LGP = 0-75 days) moisture zone taken into account for the purposes of irrigation and rangeland assessments, and for reconciliation with political boundaries. Daily mean temperature during the growing period in the range 5-20°C. Includes the moderately cool tropics major climate with daily mean temperature during the growing period in the range 15-20°C. Areas of cold tropics taken into account for reconciliation with political boundaries.
*Warm Arid and Semi-arid Subtropics with Summer Rainfall:*	Comprises the semi-arid (LGP = 75-180 days) moisture zone in the subtropics. Arid (LGP = 0-75 days) moisture zone taken into account for the purposes of irrigation and rangeland assessments, and for reconciliation with political boundaries. Daily mean temperature during the growing period greater than 20 °C. Includes the warm semi-arid temperate (summer rainfall) major climate in China.
*Warm Subhumid Subtropics with Summer Rainfall:*	Comprises the subhumid (LGP = 180-270 days) moisture zone in the subtropics. Daily mean temperature during the growing period greater than 20°C. Includes the warm subhumid temperate (summer rainfall) major climate in China and Korea.
*Warm/Cool Humid Subtropics with Summer Rainfall:*	Comprises the humid (LGP = 270-365 days) moisture zone in the subtropics. Daily mean temperature greater than 20°C during one part (warm) of the growing period, and less than 20°C during another part (cool) of the growing period. The cool part is moderately cool with daily mean temperature in the range 15-20°C. Includes the warm/moderately cool temperate (summer rainfall) major climate in China.
*Cool Subtropics with Summer Rainfall:*	Comprises the semi-arid (LGP = 75-180 days), subhumid (LGP = 180-270 days) and humid (LGP = 270-365 days) moisture zones in the subtropics. Arid (LGP = 0-75 days) moisture zone taken into account for the purposes of irrigation and rangeland assessments, and for reconciliation with political boundaries. Daily mean temperature during the growing period in the range 5-20°C. Includes the moderately cool subtropics (summer rainfall) and transitional moderately cool subtropics (summer rainfall) major climates with daily mean temperature in the range 15-20°C. Areas of cold subtropics (summer rainfall) taken into account for reconciliation with political boundaries. Includes cool and cold temperate (summer rainfall) major climates in China, Mongolia and Korea.
*Cool Subtropics with Winter Rainfall:*	Comprises the semi-arid (LGP = 75-180 days), subhumid (LGP = 180-270 days) and humid (LGP = 270-365 days) moisture zones in the subtropics. Arid (LGP = 0-75 days) moisture zone taken into account for the purposes of irrigation and rangeland assessments, and for reconciliation with political boundaries. Daily mean temperature during the growing period in the range 5-20°C. Areas of cold subtropics (winter rainfall) taken into account for reconciliation with political boundaries. Includes cool and cold temperate (winter rainfall) major climates in Turkey, Argentina and Chile.

*RAEZ1 Warm arid and semi-arid tropics* (*AEZ 1*):
	West Africa: Cape Verde, Chad, The Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and parts of Benin, Burkina Faso, and Nigeria. East Africa: Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan and parts of Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Southern Africa: Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland, and parts of Angola, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
*RAEZ 2 Warm subhumid tropics* (*AEZ 2*):
	West Africa: Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Togo, and parts of Benin, Burkina Faso and Nigeria. East Africa: Parts of Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda. Southern Africa: Comoros and parts of Angola, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
*RAEZ 3 Warm humid tropics* (*AEZ 3*):
	Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire. Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Liberia, Mauritius, Reunion, Sao Tome, Sierra Leone, Zaire, and parts of Madagascar and Nigeria.
*RAEZ 4 Cool tropics* (*AEZ 4*):
	Burundi, Lesotho, Rwanda, and parts of Angola, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar and Tanzania.

*RAEZ 5 Warm arid and semi-arid tropics* (*AEZ 1*):
	Oman, United Arab Emirates, and parts of Republic of Yemen.
*RAEZ 6 Cool tropics* (*AEZ 4*):
	Parts of Republic of Yemen.
*RAEZ 7 Cool subtropics with winter rainfall* (*AEZ 9*):
	Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and Western Sahara.

*RAEZ 8 Warm arid and semi-arid tropics* (*AEZ 1*):
	Parts of India and Thailand.
*RAEZ 9 Warm subhumid tropics* (*AEZ 2*):
	Myanmar, and parts of India, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
*RAEZ 10 Warm humid tropics* (*AEZ 3*):
	Bangladesh, Brunei, Fiji, Indonesia, Kampuchea, Laos, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu, Vietnam, and parts of Sri Lanka and Thailand.
*RAEZ 11 Warm arid and semi-arid subtropics with summer rainfall* (*AEZ 5*):
	Pakistan, and parts of China and India.
*RAEZ 12 Warm subhumid tropics with summer rainfall* (*AEZ 6*):
	Parts of China, India, North Korea and South Korea.
*RAEZ 13 Warm/cool humid subtropics with summer rainfall* (*AEZ* 7):
	Taiwan and parts of China.
*RAEZ 14 Cool subtropics with summer rainfall* (*AEZ 8*):
	Bhutan, Mongolia, Nepal, and parts of China, India, North Korea and South Korea.

*RAEZ 15 Warm arid and semi-arid tropics* (*AEZ 1*):
	Antigua, Netherlands, Antilles, Haiti and parts of Bolivia, Brazil, Cuba, Ecuador. Mexico and Venezuela.
*RAEZ 16 Warm subhumid tropics* (*AEZ 2*):
	Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Lucia, and parts of Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Paraguay and Venezuela.
*RAEZ 17 Warm humid tropics* (*AEZ 3*):
	Barbados, Belize, French Guyana, Guyana, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Windward Isles, and parts of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela.
*RAEZ 18 Cool tropics* (*AEZ 4*):
	Parts of Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Peru.
*RAEZ 19 Warm arid and semi-arid subtropics with summer rainfall* (*AEZ 5*):
	Parts of Argentina and Mexico.
*RAEZ 20 Warm subhumid subtropics with summer rainfall* (*AEZ 6*):
	Parts of Argentina.
*RAEZ 21 Warm/cool humid subtropics with summer rainfall* (*AEZ* 7):
	Parts of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay.
*RAEZ 22 Cool subtropics with summer rainfall* (*AEZ 8*):
	Uruguay and parts of Argentina.
*RAEZ 23 Cool subtropics with winter rainfall* (*AEZ 9*):
	Chile and parts of Argentina.