Sustainable Agricultural Management of Dry Regions

A. H. Nazemi, S. A. Sadraddini, and A. H. Dalir

Department of Irrigation and Drainage, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tabriz, Iran
e-mail: ahnazemi@tabrizu.ac.ir; ahnazemi@yahoo.com

Abstract

In recent decades, the world has achieved significant progress in the field of agriculture; however, it has been localized in some regions. In dry regions of the world, for example, southwest of Asia, generally agricultural productivity is very low and consequently majority of the farmers do not either produce or earn enough. In other words, the incidence of poverty and malnutrition is quite high in all such regions. Population increase of these regions puts pressure on their agriculture. Having almost reached the net cropped area, the only way to increase food production for ensuring food security is through growth of increasing productivity. The growing demands for water from other users in non-agricultural sectors together with the pollution of the water resources cause increasing pressure on water availability for agricultural users necessitating to produce more from limited land and water resources. Removal of disparities in agricultural development and the need for special programs for the development of dry regions have been major concerns of policy makers in agricultural sector. Thus sustainable management of soil and water in dry regions is imperative. Appropriate integration of modern science concepts for natural resources management and the traditional perceptions of the farmers ensure higher efficiency of water use and sustainability of agricultural production. Recent developments, for instance, in agricultural sciences, biotechnology, information technology, management and computer sciences facilitate this.

This paper primarily aims at analyzing the nature and causes of agricultural backwardness in dry regions. It also describes strategies proposed to remove agricultural backwardness and suggests measures for improvement.