Tuesday, September 17, 2024

Global Landscapes Forum Africa

 


17 September 2024
, Nairobi, Kenya, and online. GLF | GLF Africa 2024

The climate crisis is taking a toll on Africa – and especially on rural communities that depend on natural resources for their livelihoods. How should the continent respond to these challenges, and what lessons can it teach the rest of humanity? This global conference wanted to find out how Africa can navigate the future of three shifting landscapes: forests and savannas, drylands, and freshwater and oceans.

Event concept

A green leap in the AI era: Pathways for scaling food systems in Africa

Numerous strategies exist for scaling up food production and transforming food systems in Africa, including commercial commodity crops, fertilizer and high-quality seeds input intensification, and integration of advanced technologies. AI and digital tools in particular are rapidly revolutionizing food systems and landscapes within Africa and beyond.

But what does an AI-driven future mean for Africa’s food systems, where smallholder farmers contribute 80% of the continent’s food supply? How can AI and machine learning be harnessed to drive a green leap forward across Africa’s food systems and landscapes?

This plenary explored two pivotal questions:
 
The choice between input-intensive agriculture and agroecology, 

Speakers 
  • Alex Awiti Principal Scientist at CIFOR-ICRAF 
  • Pauline Chivenge Senior Scientist in Cropping Systems Agronomy/Climate Change at International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) 
The potential of AI for building sustainable, inclusive, and resilient agrifood systems. (Unfortunately On the video recording the audio gets muted at 59:30)
  • Catherine Nakalembe Associate Research Professor, Africa Program Director at University of Maryland, NASA Harvest 
  • Jeff Kangacha Agriculturalist, social entrepreneur and technology optimist 
  • Monica Yator Founder at Indigenous Women and Girls Initiative 
  • Joshua Laizer Co-founder at Tanzania Conservation and Community Empowerment Initiative (TACCEI) & GLFx Maasai Steppe 
  • Charlette N'Guessan Data Solutions and Ecosystem at AMINI 
  • Steve Misati Marine Conservationist & Founder 
  • Salina Abraham Chief of Staff to CEO at CIFOR-ICRAF.

       

Harnessing the power of partnerships to accelerate locally-led integrated landscape management (ILM) approaches, landscape finance and governance for a just transition


The Rainforest Alliance is pioneering integrated landscape management (ILM) approaches across five thriving landscapes globally as part of the 1000 Landscapes for 1 Billion People initiative.

One of the biggest challenges in implementing ILM is weak governance, inadequate finance and siloed approaches towards addressing the triple crisis of biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution, which are driving rural poverty and human rights abuses. We seek to strengthen our alliance to drive impact at scale in line with our strategy.

This interactive session provided delegates with an opportunity to learn and interact with seasoned experts on integrated landscape management approaches with examples from Kenya, Ghana, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It also provide a platform to share best practices and experiences on landscape governance, financing models, innovative tools to measure landscape progress and maturity, and partnerships to support smallholders transitioning to regenerative agriculture and sustainable commodities.
  • Alex Nene Senior Associate Advocacy East & Southern Africa at Rainforest Alliance 
  • Beldina Bella Gwada Communication Manager, East & Southern Africa at Rainforest Alliance 
  • Edgar Kadenge Lead, Thriving Landscapes, Mount Kenya at Rainforest Alliance 
  • Catherine Ng’ang’a Head of Projects Development and Sustainability Manager at Coffee Management Services Ltd (CMS) and member Mt. Kenya Landscape Management Board (ILM) 
  • Abeena Dufie Woode Programme Manager at EU LEAN, LLF Ghana 
  • Imam A. El Marzuq Global Lead Thriving Landscapes at Rainforest Alliance 
  • Herbert Hatanga Partner, East Africa at Clarmondial AG 
  • Julius Nganga Senior Director for East and Southern Africa at Rainforest Alliance

Related Knowledge Products: 
  1. Climate solutions: rooted in nature, driven by communities
  2. The Rainforest Alliance’s work in East Africa
  3. Rainforest Alliance Mission: People and Nature Thriving Together
  4. Mount Kenya sustainable landscape and livelihood program
  5. Video: Uganda Education Children Project
  6. Video: Cobalam Project

Making climate and biodiversity finance work for people


This session brought together key rural development experts and local stakeholders to explore opportunities to align restoration programs with social protection objectives, thereby supporting governments in building household resilience, improving social protections and restoring landscapes.

Since the late 2000s, billions of dollars have been invested in restoration efforts across Africa. Initiatives such as the Great Green Wall and the AFR100 Initiative alone have mobilized over $10 billion in funding from African countries, international donors and various financial institutions. These restoration projects, which focus on rehabilitating deforested and degraded lands, are carried out in collaboration with local communities that rely on these lands for the rainfed agriculture that sustains their livelihoods. These communities are among the most vulnerable to environmental crises, caught in a cycle of poverty, land degradation and climate change impacts.
  • Godfrey Rogers Natwaluma National Coordinator at Trees on Farm for Biodiversity (TonF) Project, CIFOR-ICRAF, Uganda Country Office 
  • Eric Francis Acanakwo Country Representative at CIFOR-ICRAF, Uganda 
  • Monique Akullo National Coordinator at Biodiversity Finance Initiative, UNDP 
  • Agnes Nafuma Smallholder Farmer and Treasurer at Bunabudde Organic Cooperative Society 
  • Egide Karuranga Business Strategy Analyst and Independent Consultant 
  • Anja Gassner Europe Director at CIFOR-ICRAF

A transformative partnership platform for tree seed and seedling delivery systems


Achieving Africa’s restoration targets will require effective tree seed and seedling delivery systems to support tree planting, but current systems are suboptimal. This issue has gained prominence on the restoration agenda, with substantial investments being made to address it. The Right Tree in the Right Place – Seed initiative, which aims to increase the supply of diverse, high-quality seedlings of native tree species, is building a partnership platform to enable Africa-wide stakeholders to design practical interventions.
  • Ousseynou Ndoye Regional Coordinator for West and Central Africa at AFR100 
  • Kirsty Shaw Head of Ecological Restoration and Tree Conservation at Botanical Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) 
  • Wubalem Tadesse Scientist at CIFOR-ICRAF 
  • Alice Muchugi Team Leader, Trees Genetic Resources and Biodiversity at CIFOR-ICRAF 
  • Ramni Jamnadass Principal Scientist and Lead

Related Knowledge Products:

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