Building Climate-Smart Agriculture through Saline Water and Soil Solutions for Drought Preparedness

Agriculture in Algeria, Egypt, and the wider NENA region continues to face severe challenges from water scarcity, soil salinity, and inadequate drought preparedness. These interlinked pressures reduce productivity, threaten rural livelihoods, and heighten vulnerability to climate shocks. Yet, the untapped potential of brackish and saline water resources offers an opportunity to expand irrigation and build resilience. ICBA is addressing these challenges by advancing evidence-based solutions that combine drought monitoring, salinity management, and climate-smart practices. ICBA has undertaken a systematic review of drought management frameworks in MENA, analyzed 20 years of rainfall and vegetation datasets, and developed a Composite Drought Index. In parallel, ICBA has compiled baseline salinity datasets, reviewed proven biosaline practices, and refined designs for Best Practice Hubs (BPHs) to serve as scalable platforms for knowledge transfer and farmer engagement. This session will showcase ICBA’s integrated approach, highlighting innovative tools that merge remote sensing, open-source climate and salinity data, and biosaline practices into decision-support systems and field demonstrations. By sharing Algeria and Egypt's challenges, the session will facilitate cross-country learning and dialogue on aligning future interventions with national priorities and regional strategies.