International Partners for Sustainable Agriculture (IPSA)/
Citizens Network for Sustainable Development
Savory Institute (SI)
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)

Supporting partners:
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Africa Re-greening Initiatives, World Resources Institute (WRI)
United Nations Decade for Deserts and the Fight against Desertification (UNDDD)
International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)
Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO)

- Co-hosts:
Awaiting Final Confirmation: (Government of Kenya, Government of Malawi, Government of Niger, Government of South Africa, Africa Forum on Forests, Free University of Amsterdam, Landcare East Africa, Groundswell, Government of Namibia)

Thematic focus:

Land, Water, Biodiversity, Livestock and Livelihoods



The drylands are the best chance we have to achieve multiple goals at a scale that has significant and durable impact. Globally, the drylands support 2.1 billion people, with the majority still dependent upon the success of extensive grazing systems and sustainable crop production intensification. Yet, drylands have been considered marginal ? subject to degradation, loss of biodiversity and ineffective water management ? while the people they support have been marginalized. Targeting drylands is key in the march towards sustainable development because of the strong connection between land degradation and desertification and other global issues, including climate change, droughts and floods, famine, poverty and social disruption).

Thematic focus:
Land, Water, Biodiversity, Livestock and Livelihoods

The drylands are the best chance we have to achieve multiple goals at a scale that has significant and durable impact. Globally, the drylands support 2.1 billion people, with the majority still dependent upon the success of extensive grazing systems and sustainable crop production intensification. Yet, drylands have been considered marginal ? subject to degradation, loss of biodiversity and ineffective water management ? while the people they support have been marginalized. Targeting drylands is key in the march towards sustainable development because of the strong connection between land degradation and desertification and other global issues, including climate change, droughts and floods, famine, poverty and social disruption).

These landscapes and their farmer and pastoralist stewards hold huge potential for contributing to local and global solutions by not only improving land health, but also reducing food, water and energy insecurity, avoiding and reversing desertification, stemming the loss of biodiversity, mitigating the impacts of climate change and strategically addressing cycles of droughts and floods.

Livestock and trees are critical factors for success. While drylands account for 50% of all livestock, as much as half of the agricultural GDP in most African countries is derived from livestock. The sector will become increasingly important as climate impacts make arable farming less predictable or secure. Sustainably integrated crop-livestock-tree systems and extensive grazing systems are re-greening Africa both environmentally and economically and playing a valuable role in feeding urban and rural populations.

Successful methodologies to avoid, curb and reverse land degradation are being employed at a landscape scale on millions of hectares. These include holistic approaches to managing rangelands, parklands systems, agroforestry and evergreen agriculture and others that build on traditional practices. The cases presented will demonstrate the essentials for achieving long-term sustainability and resilience including innovative practice and policy contributions to adaptive governance frameworks. They offer pathways to achieving the target of a zero-net rate of land degradation, whereby degrading land is offset by restoring an equal amount of land that is already degraded, by avoiding degradation altogether and by enhancing the productivity of the land. These examples from the field, depict solutions that are culturally appropriate, highly scalable, cost effective, regenerative and nature-based.

Speakers:
- Host countries: South Africa; Kenya (tbc)
- Representatives of issues listed, including local community practitioners and trainers
- UN Agency responsible for implementation: UNCCD, ICRAF