Water, land and ecosystems: improved natural resources management for food security and livelihoods

Sustainable management of the natural resource base supporting agriculture is one of the three major strategic objectives of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). The CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (CRP5) combines the resources of 14 CGIAR and numerous external partners to provide an integrated approach to natural resource management (NRM) research, and to the delivery of its outputs. The program focuses on the three critical issues of water scarcity, land degradation and ecosystem services, as well as the CGIAR System Level Outcome of sustainable natural resource management. It will also make substantial contributions to the System Level Outcomes on food security, poverty alleviation and, to a minor extent, health and nutrition. Water, Land and Ecosystems focuses on how can develop sustainable agricultural management systems in the face of the agricultural intensification needed to feed a rapidly growing global population.