Resource information
Livelihoods, food security, and
development processes in Sub-Saharan Africa are highly
dependent on land management practices to generate natural
ecosystem goods and services. Out of a total population of
about 717 million people, almost 60 percent depend for their
livelihood on agriculture, hunting, fishing, or forestry.
However, unsustainable land management already is leading to
large-scale land degradation trends, which pose a threat to
food security and poverty alleviation in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Climate change threatens to exacerbate and add to the
existing vulnerabilities. Evidence has shown that the number
of people affected by climate variability, through floods
and droughts, is already increasing. Much-needed increases
in agricultural production have, as a result, been
unrealized. These outcomes place smallholder farmers, who
depend largely on rainfed agriculture, in highly vulnerable
circumstances under climate-change predictions. The
objective of this work is to improve practical knowledge
resources for Sub-Saharan African countries, regional
institutions, and development practitioners at the World
Bank and other partner institutions to help them make
informed decisions about: (i) the risks posed by climate
variability and change to land-resource-dependent
livelihoods in Sub-Saharan Africa; and (ii) Sustainable Land
and Water Management (SLWM) approaches and practices that
are best suited for meeting development objectives while
also addressing the challenge posed by climate-change
adaptation and mitigation.
