Seminar on Sustainable Intensification by Shenggen Fan at ICBA

Dr. Shenggen Fan, Director General of International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), visited the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) on 12 November 2014 where he conducted a seminar titled “Sustainable intensification is key to food security and nutrition in drylands”. Attendees included representatives from local universities, government entities, and international organizations.

Drylands constitute more than 40 percent of the world’s cultivated systems and the livelihood of 2 billion people depends on drylands. High land and water constraints threaten food and nutritional security in these areas. Along with recurring drought spells, these constraints culminate into severe food crises and rising food prices. Another element to jeopardize food and nutritional security is climate change with its increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. 
The seminar by Dr. Fan highlighted how sustainable intensification, producing nutritious foods with efficient use of input and natural resources on a durable basis, is an important step to improving food security and nutrition in drylands. 

Integrated solutions to advance sustainable intensification were addressed. These include increasing both crop and livestock productivity; providing adaptive buffers against emerging challenges; improving resource-use efficiency; and diversifying livelihoods, thereby enhancing resilience for better food security and nutrition in drylands.