Predicted climate variability in future years is expected to have both positive and negative impacts on global agriculture.  Due to frequently harsh climatic conditions, crops grown in semiarid dryland cropping regions must tolerate a myriad of abiotic stresses.  What shifts in cropping practices should we possibly expect with increased climate variability? In this symposium, scientists from several semiarid regions around the world will address future climate scenarios, crop adaptation needs for wheat in dry environments, a large-scale research project to model future cropping sytems in the US Pacific Northwest, and potential shifts in dryland farming practices throughout the US and Canadian Great Plains.