FAO Launches E-Learning Course to Transform Dryland Management

The course was officially launched at a high-level event on Wednesday, 29 March 2023, with the participation of Dr. Abbas Ali Nobakht, Iran’s Deputy Minister and Head of the Natural Resources and Watershed Management Organization.

The e-learning platform is named “the Transforming Dryland Forests and Agrosilvopastoral Systems: An approach to sustain and develop food production in drylands under change”.

Spearheaded by the Committee on Forestry Working Group on Dryland Forests and Agrosilvopastoral Systems (COFO WG), the course was developed through the joint efforts and expertise of the Natural Resources and Watershed Management Organization of the Ministry of Agriculture Jahad of the Islamic Republic of Iran and 15 other partners.

“A business-as-usual approach is no longer an option for a food-secure future, but there is a huge gap between awareness and capacity to implement sustainable dryland management interventions,” said FAO Forestry Officer Fidaa F. Haddad. “This e-learning course focuses on agrosilvopastoral systems as a solution, utilising both dryland trees and livestock in a mutually beneficial system.”

“When correctly implemented, agrosilvopastoral systems can ensure the sustainability of food production and livelihoods in these regions, while alleviating poverty and reducing the risk of conflict and disasters,” continued Haddad.

The e-learning course is now available free on the FAO e-learning Academy platform. It targets programme and project managers, field practitioners, policy makers and anyone interested in sustainable development of drylands.

Through five online lessons, the course will build the competencies needed to transform the way practitioners manage dryland forests, with a focus on increasing sustainability whilst retaining the benefits of other interventions. The course takes around five hours to complete and after a final test, participants will be awarded a certificate. It is accessible at the following link: Course: Transforming dryland forests and agrosilvopastoral systems (fao.org)