This session aims at a broad view on drought issues (on climate change, soil, global water reserves, etc…).
1a- The first key note will look at drought from the lens of small holder / African farming system, in a context of absence of safety nets (banks, credit/insurance systems, etc…), the general lack of infrastructure, the question of input (even in dry environment, the need to adopt / improve agro-ecological practices, may be including something on the climate variability (e.g. the drought of the 70’s in the Sahel, the consensual gloomy predictions on rainfall in the Sahel).
1b – The second key note will update the audience on the genetic gains and breeding progress that have been made to deal with drought, reflecting on the current initiatives, the place for new breeding techniques such as genomic selection, the role of the private sector, the role of farming communities.
1c – The third key note will look at the water issue globally, reflecting on green vs blue vs grey water issues, looking at future scenarios for agriculture water (e.g. looking at crop water foot print) versus water used for industrial and domestic development, looking at the management of water going beyond agriculture.
