FAO, IFAD and national governments are supporting family farmers from West and Central Africa to adapt small-scale irrigation systems to climate change to be more resilient. A survey was carried out among 691 households in 21 sites in this region, to assess how farmers are coping with climate change.

Guilé and the other women had to walk long distances to reach sources of clean water and use part of their income to pay for it. The cisterns provide clean water for drinking and growing food to millions of people in arid areas. Thanks to new water provided, she and other women can grow vegetables during the dry season.

Action Against Desertification is an initiative of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) to restore drylands and degraded lands in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific to tackle the detrimental social, economic and environmental impact of land degradation and desertification. It is a key partner of the Great Green Wall initiative.

This report reviews drought management across North Africa and the Near East. It includes Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, and Yemen, to the extent of data and information availability.

Water scarcity in Yemen remains one of the main challenges in the agriculture sector. The unavailability of water for agricultural practices is the most limiting factor for food security. In light of these alarming situation, FAO is empowering 38 Water User Associations (WUAs) to promote better water management and reduce local conflicts over water resources.

In the prevailing context of higher climate variability with the rainy season being no longer predictable, supply of water is extremely important for the farmers. Farmers in Rwanda do not have enough rain for their production due to drought. There is competition for water use between rural and urban area.

In the framework of the project “Adapting small-scale irrigation to climate change in West and Central Africa”, farmers from Gambia explain the devastating impacts of climate change on their farming activities: late start of the rains, droughts, erratic rain falls and heavy rains in short periods result in crop failure and low productivity, with a terrible impact on household livelihood

In 2016, one of the strongest El Niño events witnessed in the past 50 years struck. Mozambique, like many other countries in southern Africa was not spared. Thousands of farmers were left destitute as they helplessly watched their livestock die and crops fail as a severe drought raged on. FAO partnered with the government to respond to the situation.

To meet the Sustainable Development Goals, the world needs to move faster from a crisis-led response to a proactive approach that reduces impacts, builds resilience and allows people to cope with drought. The tools, systems and techniques are already available.

FAO recognizes the potential of rural women and men in achieving food and water security and nutrition and is committed to overcoming gender inequality, in line with the pledge to “Leave No One Behind”, which is at the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda.