While globally fertilizers have had a major impact on food production for the past half-century, the general use of chemical fertilizers in the semi-arid areas of the world is a more recent development. This is particularly true of the Mediterranean region, especially in North Africa and West Asia. Traditionally, the cropping system involved growing cereals (barley and wheat) in rotation with fallow to conserve moisture; sheep and goats were an integral part of the low-input system. Drought was a constant constraint on crop yields. In the past few decades, significant developments have occurred to increase agricultural output; new high-yielding disease resistant varieties; mechanization; irrigation; pest control; and particularly the use of chemical fertilizers as a supplement to the limited animal manures available. Research at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) in collaboration with the national agricultural systems in the mandate countries of the region has made significant strides in fertilizer research. While much has been achieved in terms of best fertilizer management practices, much remains to be done. This presentation examines the use of fertilizers under the headings of the best management practice concept; right source, right application rate, right time of application, and right place. As fertilizer use will expand in the Mediterranean region, efficiency of use will be an underlying consideration. As agricultural land is on a global level is finite, with limited possibilities to expand cultivation, the increasing population of the world has correspondingly increased the needs for food and fibre. An inevitable development has been intensification of land use, particularly in developing countries of the world, leading to poverty and increased concerns about food security (Borlaug 2007). Pressure on land has been particularly acute in the arid and semi-arid regions, which are characterized by drought and land degradation. The lands surrounding the Mediterranean have been cultivated for millennia and are the site of settled agriculture and the center of origin of some of the world's major crops, especially cereals and pulses. Much development efforts have centered on the West Asia- North Africa (WANA) area, which is characterized by a Mediterranean climate and where drought is the main production constraint (Smith and Harris 1981).
