Wheat Legume Cropping Systems WANA COFIN-ECG-56-ICARDA Progress report 2011-2012 Cropping Season

Abstract

Food security of the West Asia and North Africa (WANA) region countries is very closely related to cereal and food legume production; the most important annual crops in many countries of the region. Nowadays most of the countries of this region are unable to cover their needs from domestic production and depend, therefore, on food imports to different degrees, making them the most import-dependent countries in the developing world. The potential to increase the yields of staple crops is important, particularly at the level of small-holder farmers, the major contributors to production. Actual farm yields of crops in the region are far below their potential. Adapted varieties and associated technologies, which will enable farmers in the dry areas to take full advantage of the cereal-food legume rotations to increase productivity and sustain their wheat-based production systems and adapt to climate change and variability, are being developed. However, most of these technologies are not well known or widely used.