•At a session hosted by CIFOR-ICRAF titled “A transformative partnership platform for tree seed and seedling delivery systems,” panellists and participants explored major challenges in tree planting, including a lack of technical capacity and stakeholder coordination.
•They emphasised the need to develop a market for demand-driven native tree species, to engage communities through participatory approaches and to share knowledge and resources broadly through stakeholder networks such as the nascent Transformative Partnership Platform (TPP).
Image: WWF-K
The African continent has immense potential to build a resilient and equitable future.
This can only be achieved if the degraded landscapes are restored.
Speaking in Nairobi during the Global Landscapes Forum 2024 Hybrid Conference titled: Greening the African Horizon, experts said restoring degraded landscapes will protect biodiversity and build sustainable livelihoods for citizens.
“Together, we have the power to green Africa and beyond – for securing livelihoods, food security, climate resilience and biodiversity conservation. Land and community are the common denominators for achieving these goals,” Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF) and Director General of ICRAF Éliane Ubalijoro said.
Although the climate crisis presents immense challenges, Africa holds the potential for rich local and Indigenous knowledge, innovative solutions, youth leaders, brilliant minds and emerging technologies.
The forum was attended by thousands of participants from local communities, indigenous peoples, youth leaders and policymakers to scientists, innovators and private-sector actors across the globe to showcase Africa’s immense potential to construct a resilient, equitable future through its landscapes.
The forum comes when the world prepares for the 2024 United Nations conferences on climate, biodiversity and desertification.
Some of the innovations developed in the continent were showcased.
Developed by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) under the Food Systems, Land Use and Restoration (FOLUR) Impact Program, a new framework is now being piloted in India, Kenya, Nicaragua, Nigeria and Vietnam to accelerate sustainable production, restore ecosystems and alleviate pressure on forests.
This framework brings together experts and landscape actors to explore integrated landscape management and its impact on smallholder farmers and food value chains.
FAO Kenya Technical Specialist Elijah Mboko said as new tools and approaches are innovated, there is a need to look at how best to integrate them into the existing functional systems.
“We don't want to work in isolation; we want to strengthen that system,” Mboko said.
By integrating local knowledge with cutting-edge technology and the latest science, the GLF is creating an AI hub to promote community-driven AI solutions that challenge the status quo.
It will connect landscape actors and create interdisciplinary alliances to foster collaboration, innovation and inclusive knowledge.
Associate Research Professor at the University of Maryland and Africa Program Director at NASA Harvest Catherine Nakalembe said there is a need to design systems appropriate for the context of Africa.
“We need data from the places that we’re trying to understand to build better models. Let’s say, for western Kenya, we need a context-aware model that can interpret intercropping in small-scale practices,” she said.
A key aspect of restoring forests is planting trees, which in turn requires effective tree seed and seedling delivery systems.
At a session hosted by CIFOR-ICRAF titled “A transformative partnership platform for tree seed and seedling delivery systems,” panellists and participants explored major challenges in tree planting, including a lack of technical capacity and stakeholder coordination.
They emphasised the need to develop a market for demand-driven native tree species, to engage communities through participatory approaches and to share knowledge and resources broadly through stakeholder networks such as the nascent Transformative Partnership Platform (TPP).
Africa’s population boom has been well documented, and speakers emphasized the importance of ensuring that this young demographic plays an active role in shaping the continent’s future.
“70% of the African population is under the age of 35. Youth make up a critical mass of the population. The biodiversity and climate crisis requires a whole-of-society approach – everyone must take action,” said Simangele Msweli, Senior Manager for the Youth Leadership Program at the African Wildlife Foundation.
“Africa is a land of opportunities. Africa is a land of culture with enormous potential for wealth and abundance. If so, we can only say that we have succeeded when the least of us is listened to, taken care of and not left behind,” said writers and activists Felicity Asiibi Akwa and Taiye Owo in unison during a spoken-word performance.
“There is a need to decolonize how we do climate justice and land restoration. Whatever has happened on other continents, whatever the donors and the granters are saying might not be the solution for Africa. There is a need for Africa to come up with African solutions," English Countries Manager and Safeguarding Lead at Youth Initiative for Land in Africa Deborah Oyugi said.