FAO spearheads and coordinates the Water Scarcity Initiative for the Near East; it also provided initial training for multidisciplinary teams from pilot beneficiary countries. The Initiative is serviced by a dedicated team of FAO officers, which backstops more than a dozen water-related field projects, formulates new projects, and provides technical support for the implementation of various Initiative components, such as drought management, geospatial crop referencing, groundwater governance, remote sensing and water productivity, and water quality management.