This publication is part of FAO's work on soil carbon sequestration within the framework of its programme on the integrated planning and management of land resources for sustainable rural development. The report presents a comprehensive analysis of the scientific aspects and potentiality of carbon sequestration in drylands on the basis of case studies across different land use and management systems carried out in several distinctive drylands areas of the world. It includes an overview of the policies and clarification of the different economic incentives regarding soil carbon sequestration in order to determine how available resources and specific programmes can be implemented in drylands in order to improve food security and rural livelihood of the populations in drylands, one of the most soil degraded and impoverished regions of the world