The air is abuzz with them as our organization, Support Humanity Cameroon (SUHUCAM), has been helping implement beekeeping, tree planting and other sustainable means of livelihood across the region.

Beekeeping symbolizes more than honey production. It is a means for grassroots livelihoods, which is especially important in Cameroon due to the challenging economic situation, with 55 percent of the population living under the poverty line.

Land degradation and climate change make these economic issues worse, especially for women in the Mbororo community.  

SUHUCAM is an organization focused on building inclusive, self-sufficient and sustainable communities and a world where people live happily in harmony with one another and with nature. They inspire local action to restore local ecosystems and conserve biodiversity. Most importantly they do this while empowering local livelihoods to enact widespread change.

The creation of SUHUCAM and the GLFx Yaoundé chapter

SUHUCAM was founded in 2018 as a development and environmental organization. Our vision is to build inclusive, self-sufficient and sustainable communities and build a world where people live in harmony with one another and with nature. 

We were selected in December 2021 to host the GLFx Yaoundé chapter. It is currently operating in two Regions in the Northwest and Central Regions of Cameroon, but its flagship restoration project, the Bamunkumbit Integrated Community Forest (BICFOR), is located in the Ngoketunjia Division in the Bamenda ecological highlands of Northwest Cameroon. 

The BICFOR restoration initiative was launched in 2019 to restore the ecosystem and biodiversity functions of the degraded remnant montane forest of Bamunkumbit while enhancing the livelihoods of the local and Indigenous populations in adjacent communities.

Our restoration activities include tree planting, promoting natural regeneration, sustainable agriculture, alternative livelihoods support, capacity building and policy advocacy. 

So far, SUHUCAM has planted over 25,000 trees. Not only does this help reforest the region, but it also helps provide alternative livelihoods because many of the species they plant include kola nuts, avocados and oranges, which have high economic value. SUHUCAM has distributed these trees to over 500 smallholder farmers. 

Pairing sustainability with livelihood opportunities

The BICFOR restoration initiative is fully backed by the community. We have had over 300 community volunteers supporting the restoration initiative with 16 of them serving as permanent field volunteers.

When we launched the initiative, we primarily focused on tree planting. Two years later, we realized that the local population was losing interest in the restoration activities and the number of community volunteers supporting our work drastically reduced. 

They needed an activity to alleviate poverty and create economic opportunities within their communities. After organizing a series of sensitization and consultative meetings with local stakeholders, we initiated alternative livelihood activities to address economic and social demands, strengthening resilience and enhancing adaptive capacities to climate change impacts. 

We initially worked with 30 Indigenous Mbororo women. Women are the most vulnerable to the impacts of the climate crisis. Aside from being a minority group in Cameroon, they also depend entirely on natural resources for their livelihoods, living on hilltops with little access to basic facilities like education, health and potable water. 

Before our intervention, these women were not involved in any form of economic activity and had no voice in decision making in their communities. Only two of the 30 women had received any formal education.

Supporting Mbororo women

In 2023, we scaled the number of beneficiaries to 65 women from 65 households. We organized training workshops on organic vegetable cultivation, entrepreneurship, basic marketing and bookkeeping and donated farm inputs like hoes, cutlasses, wheelbarrows, sprayers and protective shoes and clothing. 

We set up a demonstration farm and engaged the beneficiaries in cultivating organic vegetables like carrots, huckleberry, cabbage and onion.

To ensure the sustainable and continuous self-determination of Mbororo women, we founded the Ma’ate Mbororo Women Common Initiative Group (MAMWO-CIG), the first formal grouping of women in the targeted communities of Awing, Bamunkumbit and Balikumbat. 

At the end of 2022, Jenabou Issah, the secretary of the MAMWO-CIG, expressed gratitude, explaining that the farms had been very beneficial to them. She used some of the vegetables to feed her family and sold the rest. 

In 2023, Mariama Isah, a member of the Awing community we work with, used the proceeds to venture into sheep farming. Today, she has three sheep.

“This year, I only cultivated cabbage and onion because there is a bigger market,” she says. “I made some profit, which I used to buy a sheep. I will continue using my profits to buy more sheep because they are easy to keep.”

Beekeeping brings hope to many

In 2023, we launched beekeeping activities primarily as an income-generating activity for the 16 volunteers supporting our restoration initiative.

This year, through the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) funded project titled: “Tree Planting and Livelihood Development to Restore and Manage Ecosystem Services in the Fragile Ecological Landscape of Bamunkumbit,” we have provided training and donated beekeeping materials to 30 women and young people from pastoralist and farming communities.

The objective of this activity is to help local communities earn a sustainable income that also benefits their natural environments. We also intend through this activity to incentivize and engage pastoralists and smallholder farmers in land restoration and environmental protection. So far, we have donated beehives, bee suits and smokers to three restoration groups. 

Participants were thrilled with the new skills and tools. Local bee farmer Ache Ernest, who had previously struggled with poor yields and unsafe methods, expressed his excitement: “Every year, I could harvest like 20 liters of honey. I sell a liter at XAF 2500 (USD 4.16). This was not enough to take care of my financial needs. I am very happy with this opportunity. I am going to engage more in beekeeping so that I can raise money and go back to school.”

Another farmer, Alot Christopher, shared similar enthusiasm: “I am very happy and grateful for these donations. With the bee suits and beehives, I will now harvest honey at any time of the day. I will also be able to monitor to know when my honey is ready for harvesting.”

Promoting agroforestry

We have also promoted climate-smart agricultural practices like agroforestry and provided capacity building. So far, over 500 farmers are integrating agroforestry practices in their farming systems with trees donated by SUHUCAM/GLFx Yaoundé. 

We have conducted training on the “Plants issues des fragment” (PIF) technique, an innovative approach for banana and plantain suckers multiplication through vegetative techniques. This will enable restoration groups to establish commercial nurseries with a focus on banana and plantain suckers to enhance food security in the Northwest Region.

Plantains and bananas are widely consumed and commercialized in these communities, but production has declined drastically due to disease, soil degradation and the climate crisis. 

To ensure that we amplify the voices of grassroots actors, we have grouped beneficiaries into three restoration groups: the Mbuanumbua Common Initiative Group, the Mayo Ma’ate Common Initiative Group and the Anushini Common Initiative Group.

In total, four restoration groups have been created, and all are now fully operational. 

Looking ahead

The long-term goal of these groups is to inspire grassroots restoration stewardship in the Bamenda Ecological Highland Area, create a beekeeping cooperative, and train members in bee product processing, packaging and marketing to access a larger market. 

We are also excited to create more opportunities in sustainable agriculture and the sustainable management of non-timber forest products. 

Through our initiatives, we enhance food security, reduce extreme poverty and strengthen the resilience of vulnerable communities. We help foster collaboration between pastoralists and smallholder farmers to mitigate conflicts between farmers and wildlife, boost the bee population and help reforest the region. 

We are committed to a greener, brighter future.

The post Alternative livelihood opportunities spread hope in Cameroon appeared first on Global Landscapes Forum.

• This September, discover the power of African knowledge and action.
• As the climate crisis disproportionately affects the continent, top African scientists and practitioners will convene to drive local solutions for a promising future.
• Meet remarkable local and international leaders working on just and multifaceted approaches to promote sustainable solutions across African landscapes.

Nairobi, Kenya (5 September 2024) – On 17 September, a collective of local, national and international stakeholders will gather to discuss transformative, locally-led landscape solutions to inform policies, build knowledge, and finance and scale up landscape restoration and biodiversity conservation across Africa.

The GLF Africa 2024 Hybrid Conference: Greening the African Horizon will feature leading experts and practitioners in tech and AI, climate, sustainable finance, food systems, social innovation and more, who are setting the continent on the road to a sustainable and prosperous future.

Take a glance at the GLF Africa 2024 lineup:

Ariane Hildebrandt, Director General at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) of Germany. She is responsible for global health, equality of opportunity, digital technologies and food security, including population policy, social protection, education, decent work, data and statistics, sustainable supply chains, water, circular economy, agriculture and rural development. Before she joined BMZ, she worked for the German Federal Ministry of Finance and the University of Würzburg, where she obtained her PhD.

Arnold Kipchumba, Director of Environment and Climate Action at MaMa Doing Good, an initiative of the First Lady of the Republic of Kenya. Arnold is a climate and environment professional passionate about building resilient and sustainable communities. He has extensive experience coordinating environment, natural resources, and climate change programs for the 47 county governments in Kenya, and has also designed, monitored and reviewed policies and laws related to those areas.

Benjamin Singer, Senior Forest and Land Use Specialist at Green Climate Fund (GCF). Benjamin supports the design of transformational projects and programs on forests, land use and ecosystems. Prior to this, he worked as a forest financing expert at the United Nations Forum on Forests where he supported countries in mobilizing financing for sustainable forest management. When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, he joined the UN Secretary-General’s Office to support the UN’s pandemic response on financing for development.

Betty Kibaara, Director in the Food Initiative at The Rockefeller Foundation, Africa Regional Office. She leads the Foundations investments in transforming food systems, including increasing access to nutritious foods through school feeding programs. Betty has a Master in Agricultural and Resource Economics from Colorado State University (U.S.) and a Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness Management from Egerton University (Kenya). She advances investments in regenerative agriculture through development of the frass fertilizers from insects.

Catherine Nakalembe, Associate Research Professor at the University of Maryland’s Department of Geographical Sciences and Africa Program Director for NASA Harvest. Her research focuses on developing remote sensing and machine learning applications for smallholder agriculture, early warning of food insecurity, and disaster assessment in Africa. Catherine is an award-winning scientist, earning recognition including the 2022 Highest Civilian Award: The Golden Jubilee Medal-Civilians of Uganda and the 2020 Africa Food Prize.

Charlette N’Guessan, Data Solutions and Ecosystem Lead at AMINI, an African deep tech company addressing data scarcity in the Global South by leveraging space technology and artificial intelligence. Charlette is also an AI expert consultant at APET, the African Union High-Level Group on Emerging Technologies, focusing on shaping the AI governance landscape in Africa. Among her numerous recognitions is being the first woman recipient of the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation awarded by the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Éliane Ubalijoro, CEO of the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF). Born in Rwanda and raised on three continents, Éliane has a background in agriculture and molecular genetics. She serves on several boards and has been recognized for outstanding contributions to innovation, gender equity and sustainable prosperity creation. Éliane is a member of Rwanda’s National Science and Technology Council and Presidential Advisory Council, among others.

Elizabeth Mrema, Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). Elizabeth has served as Executive Secretary of the Secretariat for the Convention on Biological Diversity, as Director of the Law Division and the Deputy Director of the Ecosystems Division at UNEP, and as the Executive Secretary of the Secretariat for the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. She has also worked with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Republic of Tanzania.

Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli, President/CEO of the ONE Campaign. Ndidi is an expert on social innovation, African agriculture and nutrition, entrepreneurship and youth development. She has over 25 years of international development experience and is a recognized serial entrepreneur, author, public speaker and consultant. Ndidi started her career as a management consultant in Chicago, New York and Johannesburg and returned to Nigeria in 2000 to lead the FATE Foundation, supporting young entrepreneurs to start and scale their businesses.

Susan Chomba, Director of Vital Landscapes at the World Resources Institute (WRI). A scientist with extensive research and development experience in Africa for more than 15 years, Susan leads WRI Africa’s work on forest protection and landscape restoration, food systems transformation and water. She is a member of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food) and a global ambassador for the Race to Zero and Resilience under the UN High Level Champions for Climate Action.

Rose Mwebaza, Director and Regional Representative of UNEP Africa Office. She has served as the Director and Advisory Board Secretary of the United Nations Climate Technology Centre & Network (CTCN), the implementation arm of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Technology Mechanism. Among other roles, Rose is a Carl Duisburg Research fellow at the World Conservation Union (IUCN), a member of the UN Master Minds, and a founding member of the Network for African Women Environmentalists.

Youba Sokona, Honorary Professor at University College London. With over 40 years of experience addressing energy, environment and sustainable development in Africa, Youba has been at the heart of numerous national and continental initiatives. He was a Vice-Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) sixth assessment report. He also served as Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group III for the fifth assessment report after having been a Lead Author since 1990. Youba is a member of The World Academy of Sciences, among other associations.

Meet all of the speakers here.

GLF Africa 2024 will take place on 17 September 2024, online and in person at the World Agroforestry (ICRAF) Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.

Explore the full agenda here and register here. Learn more at bit.ly/GLFAfrica2024

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NOTES TO EDITORS

• Apply for a press pass to attend the conference online or in person in English or French
• Stay tuned for conference updates, read key messages from the GLF Africa 2024 themes, access conference images and learn more about the event in our newsroom
• For more information, please contact Kelly Quintero (k.quintero@cifor-icraf.org)

About the GLF

The Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) is the world’s largest knowledge-led platform on integrated land use, connecting people with a shared vision to create productive, profitable, equitable & resilient landscapes. It is led by the Center for International Forestry Research-World Agroforestry Centre (CIFOR-ICRAF), in collaboration with its co-founders UNEP and the World Bank, and its charter members. Learn more at www.globallandscapesforum.org.

The post Meet the visionaries: Leading innovators join GLF Africa 2024 appeared first on Global Landscapes Forum.

Food production drives climate change, deforestation, pollution, and biodiversity loss, contributing a third of global emissions. Unsustainable practices threaten key commodities like coffee, cocoa, and soy, worsening environmental degradation and rural poverty.

The FOLUR Impact Program, funded by the Global Environment Facility and led by the World Bank, reforms food systems and restores landscapes. Active in 27 countries since 2021, FOLUR promotes participatory approaches, involving local communities and Indigenous Peoples in resource management. The program uses tools like the Participatory Informed Landscape Approach (PILA) to connect projects with global knowledge and align with international regulations.

FOLUR aims for sustainable value chains by 2050, balancing high yields with conservation, and addressing the significant costs of food system inefficiencies estimated at $12.7 trillion by the FAO.

Download the spring update to learn more about FOLUR’s latest achievements.

The post FOLUR Spring Update 2024: Lessons from the Landscape appeared first on Global Landscapes Forum.

1

How to log in

The event platform will be open a week before the event. To access it, simply follow these two steps:

1. Open the confirmation email that you received when you first registered. (We will also send a reminder email on the day of the event.)
2. Click Join event, and you’ll be seamlessly transferred to the digital event platform.

You may be asked to create a password, depending on which buttons you click on the digital event platform. Here’s how:

• Click Login in the top right-hand corner
• Click forgot password to set a new password

2

Fill out your profile

Once logged into the digital event platform, you’ll be asked to complete your profile by providing more details about yourself, such as a profile picture, social media handles, interests and meeting availability. 

To make the most out of the conference, be sure to allow fellow participants to view your details and contact you in the Privacy tab. You can change these and other settings anytime by clicking the menu button in the top right corner of the homepage.

3

Join a session

Head over to the Agenda tab to view upcoming sessions. Click the Join button to join a session live. 

Click the Bookmark button to save your favorite sessions. All of your bookmarked sessions will appear in the My Sessions tab.

All sessions will be available in multiple languages. To follow a session translation, simply open the livestream, click the globe button and choose your preferred language. You can also turn on an auto-translated caption by clicking the Show Caption button.

Don’t forget to share your feedback with us. A feedback form will be available at the end of each session.

5

Rewatch a session

Did you miss a live session? You can rewatch all sessions on demand by simply navigating to the Agenda tab in the navigation menu on the left.

There, you can click the toggle button to show past sessions. This will enable you to replay all past hybrid and digital sessions on demand. These recordings will be available for three weeks after the event.

The post How to join a Global Landscapes Forum event online in 2024 appeared first on Global Landscapes Forum.

Español | Português

Bonn, Germany (8 March 2024) – All over the world and across multiple sectors, women are spearheading solutions to the planetary crisis – but these contributions all too often go unnoticed. It is only by highlighting women’s achievements and supporting their initiatives, that we can achieve gender equity, restore the Earth’s balance and enable humanity to not only survive but thrive for centuries to come.

Today, the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF), the world’s largest knowledge-led platform on sustainable land use, marks the United Nations’ International Women’s Day by honoring eight women with a new vision for Earth creating change in critical sectors across the globe:

“We are living a historic moment in the course of humankind, in which the ideals that brought us here are proving to be insufficient for us to be able to continue our journey on Earth with minimal conditions of dignity for human life and other forms of life. Now the ideals that can help us save life and the planet are those that enable us to use natural resources wisely.” – Marina Silva, minister of the environment and climate change of Brazil.

“We cannot restore the land while ignoring the plights of the people. In challenging the ‘status quo,’ we face many risks, but we draw courage and inspiration from each other and our common vision for environmental justice.” – Gloria Amor Paredes, 2023 GLF Forest Restoration Steward and co-founder of the Salumayag Youth Collective for Forests (Philippines).

“The mere existence of people in the Amazon is what is securing the future of the Amazon. Does that make us activists? No. It is simply part of who we are and where we come from. It’s a defense mechanism of nature itself.” – Helena Gualinga, co-founder of Polluters Out and environmental and human rights activist from the Kichwa people of Sarayaku, Ecuador

“[Business must] work more closely with the Indigenous peoples and local communities caring for the ecosystems their supply chains depend on. Rewriting our global economy’s ‘rulebook’ is essential to enable business and finance to act at the pace science demands.” – Eva Zabey, CEO of Business for Nature (Switzerland)

“I was captivated by science and its potential application in the study of climate change and the restoration of degraded lands. There has never been a better time for forestry and agroforestry science.” – Aster Gebrekirstos, senior scientist, leader of the Dendrochronology Laboratory at the Center for International Forestry Research – World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF) (Ethiopia)

“I remain convinced that the development challenges faced by countries can be overcome. Access to affordable capital is the only way to invest in sustainable development.” – Vera Songwe, chair and founder of the Liquidity and Sustainability Facility and co-chair of the Independent High Level Expert Panel on Climate Finance (Cameroon)

“In the face of inhumane circumstances, we cannot be silent. There will be no changes in the future if the present continues to neglect and trade lives for gold, feeding economic interests at the expense of rivers and food contaminated by mercury.” – Juma Xipaia, activist, medical student and first woman chief of the Amazon’s Middle Xingu region (Brazil)

“Stories are powerful purveyors of messages, and art has always played an important role in amplifying transformative ideas. All of us have a voice that can be used to say something meaningful, and artists have a special responsibility to use their creativity for a larger purpose.” – Dia Mirza, actor, producer and UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador (India)

Discover the stories of these inspiring women here.

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NOTES TO EDITORS

• Find visual assets and other content for re-publishing on this Trello board.
• For more information, quotes, unbranded photos and footage and/or to arrange interviews, please contact Kelly Quintero (quintero@cifor-icraf.org).

About the GLF

The Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) is the world’s largest knowledge-led platform on integrated land use, connecting people with a shared vision to create productive, profitable, equitable & resilient landscapes. It is led by the Center for International Forestry Research-World Agroforestry Centre (CIFOR-ICRAF), in collaboration with its co-founders UNEP and the World Bank, and its charter members. Learn more at www.globallandscapesforum.org.

The post Meet these 8 women with a new vision for Earth appeared first on Global Landscapes Forum.

The post Yokateme Tii-kuzu: A Congolese agripreneur making smallholder more profitable with technology appeared first on Global Landscapes Forum.

10 Years  of the Global Landscapes Forum

Rights Restoration Finance Food and livelihoods Measuring progress

THIS WEEK’S FOCUS

Rights

Measuring Progress

Heatwaves, drought, floods and wildfires are threatening the rights to life, health, food, water and housing of millions of people. But rights can also be an important part of the solution – especially for Indigenous Peoples and other marginalized groups.

THINKLANDSCAPE

7 Indigenous technologies changing landscapes

MUST-SEE SPEAKER

Vandana Shiva: How to decolonize the global economy

CALL TO ACTION

Building blocks for a new vision for Earth

PUBLICATION

The Karaawaimin Taawa: Insights from a biocultural assessment led by the Wapichan people in Guyana

YOUTH

Eloquent, vocal and confident 11 y.o. DJ Switch at GLF Accra 2019

GLFx CAPE TOWN

For restoring rural landscapes and communities in South Africa, equity is key

GLFx UYO

#ICYMI GLF Uyo launches their Chapter in style

THIS WEEK’S FOCUS

Restoration

Measuring Progress

Is land degradation the crisis the world forgot? Our planet’s landscapes are losing their ability to sustain us, and there’s only one way out: bringing them back to health. Here’s how people are restoring ecosystems all over the world – and how you can get involved.

DIGITAL FORUM

Sharing the view from the ground and connecting across landscapes

VIRTUAL TOUR

Changing the world through local action

THINKLANDSCAPE

Biodiversity 101: Why it matters and how to protect it

LANDSCAPE TV

How Africa’s Great Green Wall will make the Sahel green again

STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE

7 steps to launch your own restoration project

GLFx KALIMANTAN

The Heartland Project and the Indigenous Youth leading peatland restoration

FOLUR

How land restoration can heal the planet

THIS WEEK’S FOCUS

Sustainable finance and value chains

Measuring Progress

The climate crisis is expensive. Even the most affordable solutions will require hundreds of billions of dollars a year to implement – especially if we are to truly achieve climate justice for communities in the Global South. Here are some ways to start raising those funds.

OUTCOME STATEMENT

4 things you need to know about sustainable finance for nature

DRAGONS' DEN

GLFx Brunca and their investment-ready nature-based solutions in Costa Rica

THINKLANDSCAPE

Sustainable finance 101: How to mobilize funds for the planet

LANDSCAPE TV

What is sustainable finance?

FOLUR ON AIR

Learn more about sustainable value chains in this podcast mini-series

GLF CLIMATE 2022

Loss & Damage: Funding Climate Justice

FOLUR

How financial institutions can drive sustainability and value creation

THIS WEEK’S FOCUS

Food and livelihoods

Measuring Progress

This year, about 735 million people faced hunger around the world. Conflict and the climate crisis are ravaging our food systems, wiping out crops and sending global food prices soaring. It’s time to rethink how we feed ourselves.

GLF BONN 2020

Youth Daily Show! NO food waste

GLF AFRICA 2022

The seeds of food justice

THINKLANDSCAPE

Biopiracy: the largely lawless plundering of Earth's genetic wealth

LANDSCAPE TV

What is climate justice?

GLF NAIROBI 2023

CompensACTION: Mobilizing finance through innovative payment for ecosystem services schemes

PUBLICATION

Agroecology, making ecosystem-based adaptation work in agricultural landscapes

THINKLANDSCAPE

4 community-based organizations building food sovereignty in Africa

THIS WEEK’S FOCUS

Measuring progress

Measuring Progress

Our planet is at breaking point. As the dust settles after COP28, what can we do now to tackle the climate and biodiversity crises? From youth climate activism to sustainable cities, here are some of our favorite solutions to the challenges humanity is facing.

LANDSCAPE TV

Top 10 climate change myths BUSTED

OUTCOME STATEMENT

Towards a new vision for Earth

THINKLANDSCAPE

Cities + Water: Cape Town

CIFOR-ICRAF AT 30

Celebrating three decades of impact

YOUTH GLF LIVE

What are youth climate activists’ hopes for the Decade and beyond?

GLFx MINDANAO

To plant or not plant: Which and when planting leads to effective mangrove restoration?

THINKLANDSCAPE

GLFx Peruvian Amazonia: ‘We believe that the forests can be restored’

ThinkLandscape

Biodiversity 101: Why it matters and how to protect it

X

Q&A with Sadhguru

Can degrowth save us from ecological collapse?

Facebook

GLF Kyoto 2019 in pictures

LinkedIn

GLF LAC Youth Week 2022 speaker highlights

Facebook

GLF Live with Charlotte Streck: Covid-19 and its impact on the climate crisis

Instagram

As it happened: rediscover #GLFBonn 2019!

LinkedIn

The ABCs of sustainable finance in 5 articles

ThinkLandscape

7 Indigenous technologies changing landscapes

BEST OF YOUTH & LOCAL ACTION

YOUTH

Join the growing global movement of 60,000+ young people for sustainable landscapes. We offer a special youth program at every GLF event, including competitions, workshops, dialogues and more.

YOUTH DAILY SHOW

Transformative change and the age of collective action

GLF LIVE

How can we make the climate justice movement accessible to all?

PUBLICATION

One World, One Health: Recommendations to harness the power of landscapes

YOUTH DAILY SHOW

A Land of Opportunity: Exploring the Potential of Drylands for Youth Employment

THINKLANDSCAPE

In view: What a 33-year-old Kenyan environmentalist’s restoration work looks like

LEARN MORE

THINKLANDSCAPE

Two local projects demonstrate potential – and challenges – for Africa going solar

THINKLANDSCAPE

Introducing GLFx: the activist network for restoring landscapes

LOCAL ACTION

The GLFx network of community-led chapters brings together grassroots organizations working to transform landscapes across three regions: Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

ART

GLF Cape Town: You can find me in nature by Rosie McLean

DISCUSSION

GLF Africa: Voices of the landscape: The role of Cameroon’s traditional rulers in restoration

GLF CLIMATE 2022

GLFx Porto Novo chapter, Benin virtual tour at GLF Climate 2022

LEARN MORE ABOUT GLFx

BEST OF SUSTAINABLE FINANCE AND VALUE CHAINS

How can we fund the transition to a green economy? With our partners, we work to catalyze investment in nature-based solutions and sustainable value chains.

DIGITAL FORUM

Biodiversity Finance Digital Forum: Investing in People and Nature

CARBON FINANCE

How to sell carbon credits on the market

GLF LIVE

How can financial disclosures support sustainable business?

GLFx

Dragons’ Den: Pitch for nature

GLF NAIROBI 2023

Putting smallholders at the center of deforestation-free value chains in Africa

DIGITAL FORUM

How to seize the full potential of carbon markets and taxonomy regulations

IN PHOTOS

The post 10 Years of the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) appeared first on Global Landscapes Forum.

We must conserve and use indigenous crop varieties to diversify food and farming systems for current and future generations

Bonn, Germany (7 November 2023) – Following the COVID-19 pandemic and amid multiple environmental crises and armed conflicts around the world, hunger has increased notably in Western Asia, the Caribbean and Africa, according to FAO. Food security is now at a 10-year high in West and Central Africa, and the continent’s growing population, which is projected to reach 2.4 billion by 2050, could prove decisive.

Africa’s innovations and partnerships with global initiatives provide avenues to ensure a reliable and nutritious supply of food for the continent and beyond. National genebanks are a prime example.

“You can think of [a genebank] as a library of different types of seeds. You have to keep these seeds alive and have enough of them to be able to distribute them to farmers, scientists and students who need them,” said Nora Castañeda-Álvarez, manager of The Seeds for Resilience project at the Crop Trust, during a live-streamed discussion on GLF Live, titled “How can we safeguard Africa’s crops?” Seeds for Resilience works with national genebanks in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Zambia to safeguard their seed collections.

Africa’s work for global food and nutrition security

A couple of weeks ago, the team of Daniel Ashie Kotey, acting director of Ghana’s national genebank (CSIR-PGRRI), were the hundredth depositors at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in the Arctic, which safeguards duplicates of seed samples from almost every country in the world. The Ghanaian deposit included maize, rice, eggplant and cowpea varieties–key crops for the country’s food security, health, and culinary culture.

“Many seedbanks are exposed to typhoons, to social unrest, and if we don’t have a copy of those collections [at back-up facilities such as the Svalbard Global Seed Vault], we are at risk of losing them forever,” said Castañeda-Álvarez.

“Plant genetic resources conservation has to do with everybody,” said Kotey during the same GLF Live conversation, and explained how 75% of the world’s food is currently provided by 12 crops out of the thousands of plant species that humans have conserved.

“Of these, rice, millet and wheat provide more than 50% of the world’s calories, and it is projected that climate change will cause a reduction in their yields,” even as the world population will likely continue to increase.

“We have to facilitate the conservation and use of indigenous crop varieties to diversify our food and farming systems for the benefit of current and future generations,” said Kotey. “If we focus on these few crops, farmers might be forced to throw away the diversity they have. Without empowering genebanks, we will all be in peril.”

“Most of the crops that are indigenous to Africa are in the periphery of research and funding. By narrowing down the diversity of food that we depend on, we are making ourselves increasingly vulnerable to the effects of climate change.”

Among other activities, genebanks collect, store and distribute plant genetic resources that are at high risk of being lost and acquire genetic material of local economic or social interest. One of their main challenges is acquiring funds to renovate facilities and modernize equipment, allowing them to conserve seeds in the long term and offer quality and updated seed collection information to farmers, who are not fully aware of what genebanks can offer them to address extreme weather challenges or the narrowing of the genetic breeds.

“Most of the seeds that we have in African banks are unique and essential for food and nutrition security; we should be able to keep them alive,” explained Kotey.

To keep supporting genebanks worldwide in perpetuity, the Crop Trust will continue to fundraise for their endowment fund. “Our food systems are fragile, and we need to have options to be able to continue producing food and feeding the world,” said Castañeda-Álvarez.

###

NOTE TO EDITORS

• For more information, additional materials or to arrange interviews and/or to learn more about genebanks in your region or country, contact Kelly Quintero (k.quintero@cifor-icraf.org)
• Learn more at the GLF Live How can we safeguard Africa’s crops? and feel free to use quotes from the recording, referencing GLF Live.

About Crop Trust
The Crop Trust is an international organization working to conserve crop diversity and protect global food and nutrition security. At the core of the Crop Trust is an endowment fund dedicated to providing guaranteed financial support to genebanks worldwide. It supports the Svalbard Global Seed Vault and coordinates large-scale projects worldwide to secure crop diversity and make it available for use. The Crop Trust is recognized as an essential component of the funding strategy of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.

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Nairobi, Kenya (11 October 2023) – Today, at the global conference GLF Nairobi 2023: A New Vision for Earth, thousands of leading African changemakers, scientists, practitioners and community leaders of all ages convened in Nairobi and online from 130 countries to discuss ways to transform food systems, secure land rights and restore landscapes through African-led solutions.

Speakers outlined numerous ways that Africa and its people can build resilience to the climate crisis and other ecological challenges.

“We have existing solutions and the tools to develop new ones that the world truly needs,” said Éliane Ubalijoro, CEO of the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF) and Director General of ICRAF.

“And we come together, we can go beyond surviving – to thriving. We are living in a digital age, characterized by interconnectedness and interdependence. It’s time to take the best of this era – employing tools like artificial intelligence and cutting-edge research to address global challenges in an inclusive and responsible way. It’s time to ensure that knowledge and wisdom from around the world are shared with those who need it most. Our work, in collaboration with our partners, provides tangible solutions to some of the most pressing challenges of our time.”

“Our resilience is directly related to the way we protect and manage our landscapes,” said Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

“Landscapes provide us with a wide array of ecosystem services and are the backbone of agriculture. Restoration projects, ranging from soil restoration, and rehabilitation over peatland rebuilding to restoration of forest landscapes offer a remarkable opportunity to create new and green jobs. They are a good example of the synergies that can exist between environmental stewardship and economic prosperity.”

“We cannot talk about transforming food systems in a country like Kenya and most of Africa without really putting farmers in the center of it,” said Daniel M’Mailutha, CEO of the Kenya National Farmers’ Federation (KENAFF).

“We need to make sure that farmers understand that it is in their self-interest to do what is right as far as the landscape is concerned.”

“Up to 40% of the world’s land is degraded, directly affecting half of the world’s population,” said Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

“By degrading land, we degrade our ability to produce sufficient and nutritious food, quality water and quality air. Africa has suffered 44% of the world’s major droughts over the last 100 years. In the last 50 years, the continent has suffered economic damage of more than USD 70 billion, not to mention immense human hardship. Africa, which is very rich in ecosystems, traditions and knowledge, holds a key. The continent has long practiced sustainable agriculture from the terraced fields of Rwanda to the agroforestry traditions of West Africa. It’s time to amplify these African led solutions, scaling them up and out.”

“We are encouraging the use of biodiverse and local food, and for this, we have a policy framework, a legal notice to require all millers to brand their products with the forgotten foods to ensure that local households are using more biodiverse foods that are local,” said Philis Njane, Deputy Director of Research and Innovation and an Agricultural Economist at the Ministry of Agriculture of Kenya.

“We need to make agriculture cool for everybody.”

“In Africa, and especially in my country today, the average farmer is sixty years old. And yet, our nation is fairly youthful. That begs the question – who is going to feed us?” said Jenice Achieng, Kenya Country Representative of YPARD.

“We need to shift this narrative of going to the cities to get white-collar jobs and expose and show that there is a very big space in agriculture.”

The GLF Nairobi 2023 Hybrid Conference: A New Vision for Earth takes place in Nairobi and online on 11 and 12 October, gathering leading scientists, activists, Indigenous leaders, financiers, women, youth, policymakers, the private sector and more. Day 1 focused on African sovereign solutions. Day 2 will gather a global audience in crafting a survival guide for a planet in crisis and set the stage for a fairer world ahead of the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference (COP28).

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NOTES TO EDITORS

• For more information, materials, additional quotes, guidance on the topics addressed at the conference and/or to arrange interviews with speakers or hosting organizations, contact Kelly Quintero (k.quintero@cifor-icraf.org).
• Visit the Global Landscapes Forum Flickr. We will share images from the conference soon.
• Find tools for journalists in the event’s newsroom, including a Trello board with videos, social media assets and other content for re-publishing.

About the GLF
The Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) is the world’s largest knowledge-led platform on integrated land use, connecting people with a shared vision to create productive, profitable, equitable & resilient landscapes. It is led by the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), in collaboration with its co-founders UNEP and the World Bank, and its charter members. Learn more at www.globallandscapesforum.org.

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