New publication: Improving access to water in deserts and drylands

Water scarcity and drought affect over one billion people in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas, threatening livelihoods and food security. In these areas, the only available water may be surface runoff during rainy seasons, or shallow groundwater. This policy brief describes traditional ways of harvesting such water, outlines what improvements modern science offers, and discusses the implications for decision-makers, identifying both constraints and recommendations.
Theib Oweis is director of the Management of Scarce Water Resources and Mitigation of Drought research programme at the International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas, in Aleppo, Syria.