News from the Drylands         
If Deserts are Expanding, so is Oasis
A renewed CGIAR System-wide initiative called Oasis, involving eleven CGIAR Centers, is helping to integrate global desertification research more effectively. Oasis was launched at a UNESCO meeting in June 2006, and is led jointly by ICARDA and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). It will network over 100 desertification experts worldwide, providing technical expertise to strengthen the UNCCD’s global efforts to combat desertification.

A delegation from Oasis met the Prime Minister of Niger during the consultation meeting in September.

In September 2006 the Oasis consortium held a consultation meeting at ICRISAT’s research station in Sadore, Niger, attended by over 50 participants from West and Southern Africa. During the meeting, H.E. Hama Amadou, Prime Minister of Niger, met an Oasis delegation led by H.E. Ambassador Arba Diallo, UNCCD Executive Secretary – underlining the high level of commitment to fight desertification.

The meeting helped identify the factors determining the success (or otherwise) of desertification interventions, and the priorities for future research. Dr Richard Thomas, Director of ICARDA’s Mega-Project on desertification, presented an analysis of how Oasis could contribute to UNCCD goals, using examples from ICARDA projects in West Asia and North Africa. Such impact studies will be a priority for the future.

The Oasis Inception Meeting, to develop the initial strategy and work plan, was held in Nairobi, Kenya, in October 2006. Eleven CGIAR Centers participated – CIAT, CIFOR, CIMMYT, ICARDA, ICRAF, ICRISAT, IFPRI, IITA, IPGRI, ILRI, and WARDA. The consortium will focus on six themes: Dynamics, causes and effects of dryland degradation; Development pathways out of poverty; Land, soil, nutrient and water management strategies to combat desertification; Livelihood strategies; Policy, marketing and institutional strategies; Co-learning, innovation, and up-scaling systems.

Combating desertification essentially means ensuring sustainable development in the world’s drylands – where the CGIAR devotes nearly one-fourth of its resources. Oasis brings together the complementary skills and expertise of the CGIAR Centers and their partners worldwide, to develop and promote new technologies in the most cost-effective way.
 
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