Editorial: Advances in soil and water management for dryland areas

Drylands cover about 41% of the terrestrial land being inhabited by more than a third of the global population supporting mainly grazing, crop cultivation, and natural forests. Based on precipitation and atmospheric demand of evapotranspiration, they can be divided into four categories: hyper-arid, arid, semi-arid, and dry subhumid areas (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005; UNEP-WCMC, 2007). Drylands face complex challenges due to natural and anthropogenic causes affecting sustainable livelihoods and environmental and social resilience. Recurrent drought and water scarcity are serious natural challenges that are exacerbated by climate variability and changes (Davies et al., 2015; AhmedHayat et al., 2022). Land and soil degradation caused by deforestation, loss of organic matter, and soil erosion by water and wind aggravate the rate of desertification in dryland areas (James and Reynolds, 2007). Various technological and institutional innovations in soil and water management have been put in place across the world (Marques et al., 2016; Wolka et al., 2018; Piemontese et al., 2023). Restoration of degraded drylands through area enclosures, physical and biological soil and water conservation practices, soil carbon management, and the use of deficit and supplemental irrigation have supported sustainable intensification in dryland areas (Ruiz-Sanchez et al., 2010; Stroosnijder et al., 2012; Rockström et al., 2014; Mekonnen et al., 2015). However, the available technologies and knowledge are not sufficient to tackle the complex challenges of soil and water resources management sustainably in dryland areas. Therefore, the aim of this Research Topic was to gather interdisciplinary studies focusing on innovations and new approaches for the advancement of soil and water management in dryland areas. The world cloud clearly indicated the level of importance of the different topics in this Research Topic