Blog for People, Food and Nature

June 30, 2014

Traveling to Integrated Landscapes in Kenya

Louis Wertz EcoAgriculture Partners

A total traffic jam, par for the course at rush hour in Nairobi, has finally slowed the momentum of the Landscapes for People, Food and Nature in Africa conference field trip. I write this while we are barely crawling back into Nairobi during evening rush hour, and the reflections are fresh. We (50 participants from […] ...
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June 27, 2014

National Policy to Support Landscape Management in Africa

70% of poor people in sub-Saharan Africa live in rural areas, which forces nations in this region to place a heavy emphasis on rural policy. Policy goals include increased agricultural productivity and improved rural incomes, as well as prudent management of natural resources and climate resilience–necessary not only for the agricultural economy, but also for […] ...
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June 25, 2014

Financing Strategies for Integrated Landscape Investment: Innovative Successes from Africa

Elise Ursin EcoAgriculture Partners Seth Shames

Integrated Landscape Management (ILM) is increasingly becoming an important framework for addressing complex and interlinked agricultural and environmental issues and is garnering increased attention throughout Africa. It offers innovative strategies to promote agricultural production, improve rural livelihoods, and organize inter-sectoral planning. However, like so many other ...
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June 23, 2014

Landscape Capacity Building in Africa: How to Ensure Ownership, Equality and Change

Cora van Oosten Wageningen UR Louise Buck

Working from a landscape perspective means to be able to “see the bigger picture.” Besides having technical know-how, one needs to understand spatial processes, work in teams to make landscape decisions, balance the needs of many stakeholders, and be sensitive to local circumstances. Without a doubt, it is difficult to live up to these aspects […] ...
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June 20, 2014

Priorities for Research to Achieve Landscapes for People, Food and Nature in Africa

Christine Negra Emerging Ag Inc.

In too many parts of Africa, a challenging combination of natural resource and labor constraints and limited access to agricultural inputs and technologies reinforces persistent yield gaps and rural poverty traps. Now more than ever, innovative research on sustainable agriculture is crucial to Africa’s well-being. In 2001-2008, public research and development (R&D) in sub ...
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June 18, 2014

Unlocking the Potential of Integrated Landscape Management for Business in Africa

Lee Gross EcoAgriculture Partners

With approximately 60% of the world’s remaining arable land, Africa is poised to achieve significant economic growth through agricultural development and other rural land uses.  It has been estimated that between 2008-2020, consumer products, natural resources, agriculture and infrastructure in Africa will combine for a potential revenue of $US 2.6 trillion – with agri ...
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June 17, 2014

Insights on the UNCCD’s 2030 Zero Net Land Degradation Target

Ilan Stavi, Dead Sea and Arava Science Center

According to recent estimations, approximately 3.5 billion hectares of land (23% of the globe’s land area) have been experiencing degradation processes of various types and severity. Land degradation – mainly soil erosion, deterioration of the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of soil, and the loss of natural vegetation – is estimated to occur at a [& ...
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June 16, 2014

Landscape Governance in Africa: Navigating Power Imbalances to Foster Cooperation

Constance Neely World Agroforestry Centre Raffaela Kozar Louise Buck

Editor’s note: This July, the Landscapes for People, Food and Nature Initiative is hosting a conference to bring together leading minds from African government, research, civil society and the private sector in Nairobi. The goal? To generate an ambitious agenda to enhance and scale effective integrated landscape management in Africa. By sharing the best in […] ...
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June 13, 2014

Rewards and Challenges of Conservation in Kenya: A Conversation with KENVO

Krista Heiner EcoAgriculture Partners

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/179786804″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /] KENVO (Kijabe Environment Volunteers), a Kenyan organization created in 1994, is co ...
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June 11, 2014

Women as the Primary Source of Information – Sustainable Rangeland Management in Northwestern Kenya

By Gabby Abrego, Conservation International “Our livelihood is our land and the cows,” Beatrice Lemparia explains as she begins to describe life as an indigenous Mukogodo Maasai woman. Beatrice comes from one of the semi-nomadic, pastoralist communities that lives northwest of Mount Kenya. “You are not a complete Maasai without livestock, even if subjected to […] ...
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