This project was initiated from 2017 for six years in Dryland Agricultural Research Institute (DARI), Maragheh for increasing the productivity of wheat and wheat-based systems. Main objective of agronomy program is to identify the best scenario (crop rotation plus agronomy practices) under no-tillage (NT) for cold arid and semi-arid areas. Also, two sub-projects are conducting to identify response of rainfed winter bread wheat cultivars to tillage (NT & conventional tillage (CT)) and crop rotation systems, and to identify the effect of tillage systems (NT and CT) and seeding rate on productivity of rainfed winter bread wheat in cold semi-arid regions. Furthermore, agronomy packages including planting arrangement, seeding rate, weed control, and machinery (from planting to harvesting) are evaluated under NT system for cold resistance chickpea varieties to substitute spring chickpea in the cold rainfed areas. Moreover, different vetch varieties are testing to identify the high yielding and cold resistance varieties for fall planting in the crop rotation system. Additionally, new crops such as Dragon head and Camelina are evaluated for their productivity, adaptation, and machinery to extend crop diversity. In the breeding program, several hundred international rainfed winter wheat germplasms are evaluating under rainfed and supplemental conditions for extending genetic diversity of national germplasms by introducing new varieties or using in the crossing block program. Finding of this project will be used in the farmer's field to change crop and agronomy patterns in cold arid and semi-arid areas to improve farmer’s income and sustainable food production.