In the coming years, the Near East region will be affected by both increased air temperatures and reduced rainfall and runoff amounts, in particular due to climate change, resulting in significant changes in land use (increased desertification or land encroachment) and a reduced potential for agricultural production. This paper addresses two particular issues related to these changing conditions: (a) declining water resources and the need for appropriate adjustments; and (b) expanding desertification and the need for employing appropriate drought relief and mitigation measures. Throughout the world, and in particular in the Near East region, overexploitation of renewable fresh water resources has resulted in their considerable depletion. With an average precipitation of only 135 mm per year, the region is the driest in the world, and its participation in the world’s available fresh water resources is by far the lowest (only 1.6 percent). This situation has been confronted with rapidly growing pressures on water resources due to high population growth (some 5.4 percent of the world’s population live in this region). Agriculture (irrigation) remains the main water consumer and this is expected to intensify in the coming decades. Although the water use efficiency ratio is currently the highest in the world (51 percent), and at 61 percent it is projected to remain so in the coming decades (until 2050), the pressure on water resources will likely continue to be the highest in the world (58 percent now and 62 percent by 2050). Thus, the need for introducing even more efficient water use methods in agriculture is evident. The region is characterized by steadily intensifying desertification, due to both declining rainfalls and increased livestock pressures on available land. As a result of climate change, the frequency of drought will grow. The low-input, prevalently rain-fed agriculture would not be able to meet livelihood demands of the growing populations, in environments that are prone to recurrent droughts. Thus, a proper response to drought needs to be applied, comprising preparedness and mitigation plans, at the national and regional levels. Key words: Near East, climate change, drought mitigation, irrigation, water use

In the coming years, the Near East region will be affected by both increased air temperatures and reduced rainfall and runoff amounts, in particular due to climate change, resulting in significant changes in land use (increased desertification or land encroachment) and a reduced potential for agr...