The planet earth, on which we live in communities, is being increasingly "ruptured" because of human activities; its carrying capacity is under great stress because of demographic pressures. The pressure is especially affecting the people living in the dry areas because of the marginal and fragile nature of the resources they have access to. Dry areas cover more than 40% of the world?s land surface and are home to 2.5 billion people one-third of the global population. Superimposed on this is the fact that the neglectful and exploitive use of natural resources has set the train of global climate change in motion.

The effects of climate change are already being experienced in several parts of the world. Even though the effects of climate change will be felt over all kinds of agricultural production systems, they will be more pronounced in dry land areas where agriculture is totally dependent on rainfall. Simulation output analyses reveal that crop yield will decrease due to climate change and variability in dry-lands, but this can be mitigated in large parts by application of existing knowledge on crop, soil and water management, and by retargeting and re-deployment of the existing germplasms of the crops in the medium term (2010-2050).

The people in dry areas are likely to be most seriously hit by the shifts in moisture and temperature regimes as a result of the global climate change. To help them cope with the challenges, there is a need for a new paradigm in agricultural research and technology transfer that makes full use of modern science and technology in conjunction with traditional knowledge. This necessitates more investment by international agencies and national governments for supporting the relevant integrated research and sustainable development efforts, with full participation of the target communities. The clock is ticking and the future of the world lies in the collective responsibility and wisdom of all nations on this planet. Changes in agricultural technology and farming systems have had much larger impacts.