In the frame of AgriLAC resiliente, a framework to integrate climate change mitigation priorities (through low emission food systems) and development priorities will be developed. To inform the development of this framework, a non-systematic literature review has been carried out in order to understand the underlying causes of deforestation in Colombia, and how they can be linked to the food systems dimensions. This report presents the main findings of the literature reviewed.

Understanding the human-forest relationship is key to sustainable development and forest management. The increase of agricultural land expansion mainly focuses on satisfying the competing interest amongst stakeholders and rural households, which neglects the impact of forest losses. The study looked at rural households' farmland expansion dynamics in Adaba (Oromia Region) and Adiyo, located in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region (SNNR) of Ethiopia.

This study focuses on the valuation of ecosystem services in Kenya and Vietnam, two countries that have received much attention from the international development community for their biodiversity significance, opportunities for scaling, climate and poverty challenges, and political will. Using The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) framework and the Millenium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA), this study estimates per hectare values of ecosystem services in Kenya and Vietnam based on a systematic literature review of studies on the values of ecosystem services in both countries.

Zimbabwe’s agri-food systems face a range of challenges. While upwards of 70% of Zimbabwe’s population works in agriculture, the sector generates only 17% of GDP (FAO, 2023). Livestock production contributes an additional 35% of GDP and is equally common, with 60% of the population owning cattle and 70-90% owning goats. Zimbabwe experiences a single rainy season that historically runs from November to March. Rainfall is limited and erratic, and peasant farmers have access to under 5% of national irrigation facilities (FAO, 2023).

Previous research indicates that some important cocoa cultivated areas in West Africa will become unsuitable for growing cocoa in the next decades. However, it is not clear if this change will be mirrored by the shade tree species that could be used in cocoa-based agroforestry systems (C-AFS). We characterized current and future patterns of habitat suitability for 38 tree species (including cocoa), using a consensus method for species distribution modelling considering for the first time climatic and soil variables.

Climate change is not projected to materially alter Malawi’s climate profile. Instead, it is likely to exacerbate existing climate vulnerabilities by increasing the frequency and intensity of cyclones, floods, and droughts. This is largely due to increased uncertainty around future precipitation levels. These adverse effects have already started to materialize and are expected to increase substantially over the next decades, particularly if efforts to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by high emitting countries are insufficient.

The drivers of deforestation and land use change in the Peruvian Amazon and Andes are complex and interconnected, shaped by various factors, including agricultural expansion, wood extraction, mining, infrastructure development, climate change, and socio-economic factors. This review highlights the multifaceted nature of these drivers and their impacts on the environment and local communities. Addressing these issues requires a comprehensive approach that accounts for both direct and underlying drivers and the unique context of each region.

In Colombia, NATURE+ works in the southwest departments of Caquetá, Cauca, Nariño, Putumayo and Valle del Cauca with a focus on two landscapes: lowlands and highlands. These areas have high deforestation rates, at-risk Indigenous populations and latent security risks. However, communities, governments and researchers have recognized the departments’ importance for water and agrobiodiversity conservation,
and are beginning to embrace nature-positive activities to improve the natural environment and the lives of the people who depend on

Sub-Saharan Africa is increasingly viewed as an important area for oil palm cultivation and expansion. Palm oil is a commodity that can help developing countries like Cameroon attain their sustainable development goals (SDGs) targets through poverty alleviation (SDG 1) and by providing revenue to smallholder farmers to buy a variety of food thereby reducing hunger. However, due to the many negative environmental and social consequences, the sector needs to be made more sustainable.

In this paper, we employ for the first time a Bayesian process-tracing approach to assess the role of different interventions designed to halt deforestation. We applied the methodology to six initiatives implemented between 2006 and 2019 in the municipality of São Felix do Xingu, namely: (i) institution of protected areas, (ii) environmental monitoring and enforcement, (iii) credit restrictions, (iv) commodity agreements, (v) multi-stakeholder processes, and (vi) value chain projects.

Mangrove forests are one of the most impactful carbon-trapping ecosystems, they are effective at locking away vast amounts of "blue carbon" and the IPCC (IPCC, 2022) report encourages the protection of coastal vegetative ecosystems as part of integrated coastal resource management. Mangrove also strengthens resilience to climate change by reducing the impacts of sea level rise, saltwater intrusion, cyclones, and floods. Mangrove forests in Vietnam are currently under threat from expansion of shrimp aquaculture.

Vietnam has emerged as a global fish producer. Globally, the country is the fourth-largest producer of aquatic food, and the third-largest fish exporter in the world. Vietnam is at the frontline in meeting the global demand for aquatic foods. Aquatic food is increasingly becoming a primary source of protein and micronutrients, livelihoods, national economy, and well-being for Vietnamese.