UNCCD Action Guides series introduces agroecological approaches and regenerative practices that make food production systems more sustainable and resilient. The strategies and actions presented in these Action Guides are evidence-based, proven to be effective, and can be adapted to diverse settings.


Each Action Guide focuses on key elements that influence the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of food production: soil, gender, tenure, youth, drought and water scarcity, livestock and pastoralism, among others. Collectively, the series offers a systems perspective to guide regenerative actions for both small and large producers to promote nature-positive transformation.

More than a third of the world’s population live in water scarce regions. Rising global temperatures and greater rainfall variability are accelerating the frequency and intensity of drought and expanding the extent of area experiencing water scarcity. While agriculture is currently the largest user of freshwater globally, it also offers considerable opportunities to improve water use efficiencies, availability, and quality where it is needed most. Nature-positive food production practices can help protect, manage, and restore freshwater resources, offering a pathway to safeguard and sustainably use this precious resource to mitigate the impacts of drought and water scarcity.

Food production to alleviate drought and water scarcity. Understanding the causes of water stress is critical for
managing it effectively. Droughts occur when periods of abnormally dry conditions result in an acute deficit in freshwater availability. The longer-term issue of water scarcity occurs when supplies and access to freshwater cannot meet the demands of humans and healthy ecological functions.
The rapid global expansion of agriculture has increased the demand for irrigation, leading to inefficient and profligate water use. As a result, more agricultural land is now suffering from water scarcity, land degradation, and desertification.

Climate change-induced reductions and altered patterns of rainfall pose a further challenge for many food producers, particularly on small rainfed farms engaged in subsistence agriculture.
Around one-sixth of today’s global population is living in severely water-constrained agricultural areas.Through more responsible governance of natural resources, and major shifts to agroecological and regenerative practices, farmers can deliver sustained increases in food production while reducing water demand at broader landscape scales. By better managing drought and water scarcity risks, the way in which we produce food can reduce the risk of both food insecurity and poverty-induced migration and conflict.