Drought-resistant soils: Optimization of soil moisture for sustainable plant production

The question is how to optimize soil moisture, which is a key parameter for droughtproofing the soil and increasing productivity in rainfed or irrigated agriculture, while protecting water resources.

In order to address these issues, the FAO Land and Water Development Division organized the electronic conference “Drought-resistant soils: optimization of soil moisture for sustainable plant production” in November and December 2004. About 590 people from all over the world subscribed to this electronic forum. Discussions were grouped around five main topics:

1. causes and consequences of soil moisture scarcity;
2. creating drought-resistant soil: technologies and impacts of improved soil moisture management at field level;
3. environmental consequences of drought-resistant soil and improved soil moisture management;
4. adequate tools and technologies to support efficient soil moisture management;
5. conditions for adoption of drought-proofing practices by farmers.

The present volume contains: an analytical summary of the conference discussions; the abstracts of papers submitted during the conference; and the discussion papers prepared to introduce the different topics. In keeping with the electronic character of the workshop, the complete materials are included on the CD-ROM that accompanies this document. It is hoped that the wealth of information supplied here will shed some light on the issues surrounding the optimization of soil moisture management.