General

An estimated 80% of the global population lack secure water resources. Many also lack ready access to fuel wood and other tree derived benefits. However, the current scientific paradigm says that we must choose which problem to solve as increasing tree cover always reduces water availability. Consider the costs if this thinking is wrong. In Africa, 175 M ha of degraded lands are judged suitable for tree planting which could significantly enhance people’s livelihoods. Our previous research in the seasonally dry tropics indicates that an intermediate tree cover can often improve groundwater recharge. This need testing on a larger scale, but if confirmed will upend the prevailing view in hydrology and have profound implications for policies affecting millions of livelihoods and the environment.  Thus, the aim of this project is to provide evidence for better policies and management that will benefit poor people in drylands by evaluating the novel “optimum tree cover theory” for groundwater recharge across African drylands. The project involves four leading institutions; SLU, ICRAF, WU and NMBU. We will use the Land Degradation Surveillance Framework; a unique dataset that is available across Africa. It consists of multiple variables, including tree cover and key soil variables. We will do complementary strategic measurements of soil water flow and tree water use to model groundwater recharge as a function of tree cover under common conditions of the seasonally dry tropics.

General

Questions of governance and access to resources have become even more important with new and emerging forms of land control in the global South. These have implications for smallholder livelihoods and forest futures. The analytical approaches used to deal with the processes of deforestation and agricultural changes, i.e. forest and agrarian transition models, are ill equipped to explain the complex interaction of forest conservation initiatives and local smallholding practices. There is a need to better understand the way new forms of land governance, such as REDD+, unfold locally and what effects they have on smallholders’ lifeworlds. An interdisciplinary team of researchers from SLU (Sweden), Nepal, and Brazil are working on these issues through country specific cases and cross-country comparisons. This project intends to strengthen the ongoing collaboration and also draw in Peruvian colleagues to deepen the comparative analysis. The collaboration among the researchers is expected to provide a solid ground for contextually informed relational analysis, producing high quality scientific outputs and cutting edge questions for future research. The proposed activities include analytical workshops, joint field work, stakeholder workshops and seminars in three countries, and will provide more space for networking and collaboration. We also plan to develop further research applications and lay groundwork for writing a book.

General

Experiments for development of climate smart solutions for sustainable intensification of agriculture in Malawi. Partners will jointly research two specific areas: 1) to assess ways to transform the existing input subsidy program to a program that more strongly stimulates Climate Smart Agriculture through reducing storage losses and land degradation. 2) land and water rights in relation to irrigation agriculture which holds potential but where institutional challenges need more attention.

General

The project organizes community members who have land issues, land conflicts and human rights issues, and through local committees empowers them to address their issues to relevant actors. Various trainings on basic human rights and relevant laws are provided, along with linking farmers together through networks and NGOs, for them to push government to be accountable and respond to the farmers’ needs.

General

This project (LFSP) consists of three strategic pilars for cooperation on forest with Liberia. LFSP is developed by the World Bank in close collaboration with the authorities in Liberia. The project will strengthen institutional capacity to manage woodlands and support activities contributing to sustainable economic activity and management of protected areas. The project will also support the development of a system for measuring and reporting emissions. The program funds training of local small-scale farmers in climate resilient agriculture, including modern plant materials, tools and technology. The program also supports local land-use planning and mapping of natural resources (including soil quality), a prerequisite for strengthening local resilience.